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Northfields Saga #1
Lucky Bet
Lady Elizabeth Randolph had always been a rebellious young woman, but when her scheming guardian threatens to marry her off to a grotesque stranger, she finds her gumption truly tested. Escaping to London disguised as a young man, Elizabeth discovers a new world of gambling, duels, cruelty and love. Railing against the limitations of her gender and with her best friend, William, by her side, Elizabeth sets out to win her freedom.
351 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 11, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
February 18, 2019
I liked the heroine and her courage to cut her hair and put on male clothes to escape her guardian to London only accompanied by her childhood friend.
But my pet peeve are inconsistent timelines and other time related mistakes:
-They get on the stage coach at midnight, the travel from Oxford to London is roughly 65 miles doable in 6 - 7 hours, so they should arrive in London at six or seven o'clock. Her flight is discovered at 5 o'clock and the pursuers search the coach a couple of hours before it arrives in London, that would be between 4 and 5 o'clock. Did they turn the time back?
-11 hours later the pursuers are back at the manor (should be around 4pm)and report that they saw the coach in which William returned home. He travelled very fast as well, even if it was a private coach. When Bet and William left the coaching inn (at 7am), they took a hackney to her uncle's house ( and as a member of the quality he certainly had not risen yet, so it must have been later), talked about greek literature for some hours, had lunch, and then William set off towards his home.
The author describes the transformation of Bet into a young gentleman with the aid of a haidresser and a taylor and we are to believe that none of these men would notice she was female (no facial hair, bound breasts).
Sorry, all those inconsistencies spoiled the fun of reading and I stopped.
But my pet peeve are inconsistent timelines and other time related mistakes:
-They get on the stage coach at midnight, the travel from Oxford to London is roughly 65 miles doable in 6 - 7 hours, so they should arrive in London at six or seven o'clock. Her flight is discovered at 5 o'clock and the pursuers search the coach a couple of hours before it arrives in London, that would be between 4 and 5 o'clock. Did they turn the time back?
-11 hours later the pursuers are back at the manor (should be around 4pm)and report that they saw the coach in which William returned home. He travelled very fast as well, even if it was a private coach. When Bet and William left the coaching inn (at 7am), they took a hackney to her uncle's house ( and as a member of the quality he certainly had not risen yet, so it must have been later), talked about greek literature for some hours, had lunch, and then William set off towards his home.
The author describes the transformation of Bet into a young gentleman with the aid of a haidresser and a taylor and we are to believe that none of these men would notice she was female (no facial hair, bound breasts).
Sorry, all those inconsistencies spoiled the fun of reading and I stopped.
May 3, 2016
This is a clean Regency with a twist that does an excellent job of highlighting the sad position of women in the 18th century. Elizabeth is an orphan, raised by her guardian who has convinced her she is a pauper surviving upon his good nature. Then he presents a terrible suitor. She contacts her only friend Will, a neighbor she has known since childhood to help her flee to London and her mother's brother.
Disguised as a lad, she is able to escape her guardian's agents and reach Mayfair. She remains disguised as a man and takes a role in a law office; joins White's and meets up with Will.
She enjoys the freedom of being treated as a man and dressing as a man. And is successful at avoiding her guardian. She also uses her influence to try to rescue another young lady in a bad situation.
My only complaint about the book is that the ending was rushed.
Disguised as a lad, she is able to escape her guardian's agents and reach Mayfair. She remains disguised as a man and takes a role in a law office; joins White's and meets up with Will.
She enjoys the freedom of being treated as a man and dressing as a man. And is successful at avoiding her guardian. She also uses her influence to try to rescue another young lady in a bad situation.
My only complaint about the book is that the ending was rushed.
December 13, 2017
I'm rounding my rating up to 4 stars for some interesting courtroom moments in this story. The author is a lawyer from Oxford who studied English Literature at Cambridge, so I'm going to assume she knows more about the legal system and women's rights as wives and heiresses in the late 18th century than I and go along with the story of Lady Elizabeth (Bet) Randolph. (But I may not go along with the fact that Bet is sometimes addressed as Lady Randolph and sometimes as what I believe to be the more correct Lady Elizabeth.)
So Lady Elizabeth is an orphan controlled by an evil, unscrupulous guardian. She finally can't take it anymore when he pressures her to marry his very unappealing cousin. Disguised as a young man, she escapes to London with the help of her good friend and neighbor Will to look for her mother's brother whom she has never met.
Uncle turns out to be the Bee's Knees but Evil Guardian is still looking for her so they decide to keep Elizabeth disguised as a young man. OK, let's go along with that. Perhaps implausible but I enjoyed Bet's streak of independence and her employment as a lawyer's 'shadow' to learn as much as she can about the law, working on cases defending put-upon women.
This is not badly written, has some interesting looks at certain legal aspects of women's rights (whether accurate or not I couldn't say), and, although light on romance, the story gives Bet her HEA.
So Lady Elizabeth is an orphan controlled by an evil, unscrupulous guardian. She finally can't take it anymore when he pressures her to marry his very unappealing cousin. Disguised as a young man, she escapes to London with the help of her good friend and neighbor Will to look for her mother's brother whom she has never met.
Uncle turns out to be the Bee's Knees but Evil Guardian is still looking for her so they decide to keep Elizabeth disguised as a young man. OK, let's go along with that. Perhaps implausible but I enjoyed Bet's streak of independence and her employment as a lawyer's 'shadow' to learn as much as she can about the law, working on cases defending put-upon women.
This is not badly written, has some interesting looks at certain legal aspects of women's rights (whether accurate or not I couldn't say), and, although light on romance, the story gives Bet her HEA.
February 26, 2019
I'm undecided
The plot had action and, at times, it plodded. The romance was barely there, but they've been friends for over a decade. The court case was interesting history on women's rights, along with Elizabeth's and Isobel's plights, and seemed to take forever, yet had bearing on the plot. Will I read it again? I'm not sure, but I'm not putting it in the "don't read again" collection.
Contains no sex, some swearing (mostly taking the Lord's name in vain), and rumor of an abusive husband and a duel.
The plot had action and, at times, it plodded. The romance was barely there, but they've been friends for over a decade. The court case was interesting history on women's rights, along with Elizabeth's and Isobel's plights, and seemed to take forever, yet had bearing on the plot. Will I read it again? I'm not sure, but I'm not putting it in the "don't read again" collection.
Contains no sex, some swearing (mostly taking the Lord's name in vain), and rumor of an abusive husband and a duel.
July 8, 2015
Colourful, enthralling and full of humour. This is a fantastic novel for fans of adventure, romance or historical fiction. A cast of wonderful larger-than-life characters is skilfully brought to life, and the heroine is a real breath of fresh air for fans of this genre. It carries an important and original message of female empowerment, without for a moment losing its fluency or page-turning pace. Please write some more, Ms. Reader - I can only find one of your books on here!
March 8, 2018
I liked this book
I like the character bet. She is an independent young lady. Her greedy relative wants to merry her to a gross guy, so she cuts her hair and becomes a young man named Charles. I felt the story was incomplete I wanted an epilogue where the greedy relative was defeated and kicked out of Bets house. Otherwise good story
I like the character bet. She is an independent young lady. Her greedy relative wants to merry her to a gross guy, so she cuts her hair and becomes a young man named Charles. I felt the story was incomplete I wanted an epilogue where the greedy relative was defeated and kicked out of Bets house. Otherwise good story
June 21, 2015
Lucky Bet by Anna Reader
This was an original story! I really liked it ! Especially how Bet was able to outsmart her guardian and Isobels husband and got them both out of bad situations! I was really glad Will asked her to marry him finally! Great book!
This was an original story! I really liked it ! Especially how Bet was able to outsmart her guardian and Isobels husband and got them both out of bad situations! I was really glad Will asked her to marry him finally! Great book!
September 6, 2015
Lots of fun
A delightful story told with a wonderful sense of humor. I truly enjoyed it and would love to read more by this author
A delightful story told with a wonderful sense of humor. I truly enjoyed it and would love to read more by this author
June 3, 2018
Great read! I'm not normally into YA fiction but I was well into this one before I realized it was. I was already hooked! It's lovely to sit back & enjoy a work without swearing, sex, and a lot of unnecessary harshness that gets the point across to the reader.
This one centers around Elizabeth, a young woman whose parents have died and left her in the care of a better-off-dead obnoxious guardian, a rotten man who is just shy of downright abusive towards her. The final straw for her is when he demands that she marry a "cousin" of his, a loud, loutish, porcine fellow with the manners of...well, a pig. Needless to say, Bet (as her best friend, Will, calls her) is less than enthused. She contrives to run away with the help of Will, and in the guise of a boy, successfully disappears to seek her mother's long-lost cousin, a man whom she knows only from a fleeting letter received many years ago from London. She knows practically nothing about him, but knowing that he is her only chance, fleets off to seek him, crossing her fingers and desperately hoping that he will help her even if he is married with fifteen children of his own, or is in ill health, or...well, whatever. Anything HAS to be better than what she is facing! So off she goes to London with Will. She locates her cousin Anthony (surprisingly easily) and discovers that he is NOT married, and actually is very kind, and desires to help her any way that he is able. He helps her procure employment masquerading as a young man, to keep her in hiding from her evil guardian. During this event, she discovers another young woman in a similar situation: a marriage in which an abusive husband holds sway over a young wife. Bet sees this as her personal project to help free the young woman. But WHY is Will so interested in her? And how long can she masquerade as a young man without being discovered? Will she ever be able to let Will discover that her feelings for him have slipped over the line from friendship into love...?
This one centers around Elizabeth, a young woman whose parents have died and left her in the care of a better-off-dead obnoxious guardian, a rotten man who is just shy of downright abusive towards her. The final straw for her is when he demands that she marry a "cousin" of his, a loud, loutish, porcine fellow with the manners of...well, a pig. Needless to say, Bet (as her best friend, Will, calls her) is less than enthused. She contrives to run away with the help of Will, and in the guise of a boy, successfully disappears to seek her mother's long-lost cousin, a man whom she knows only from a fleeting letter received many years ago from London. She knows practically nothing about him, but knowing that he is her only chance, fleets off to seek him, crossing her fingers and desperately hoping that he will help her even if he is married with fifteen children of his own, or is in ill health, or...well, whatever. Anything HAS to be better than what she is facing! So off she goes to London with Will. She locates her cousin Anthony (surprisingly easily) and discovers that he is NOT married, and actually is very kind, and desires to help her any way that he is able. He helps her procure employment masquerading as a young man, to keep her in hiding from her evil guardian. During this event, she discovers another young woman in a similar situation: a marriage in which an abusive husband holds sway over a young wife. Bet sees this as her personal project to help free the young woman. But WHY is Will so interested in her? And how long can she masquerade as a young man without being discovered? Will she ever be able to let Will discover that her feelings for him have slipped over the line from friendship into love...?
March 4, 2018
Lucky in love
Delightful story about a young woman who has spent most of her life tormented and restricted to her home with few friends. The notable exception is her best friend from neighbouring estate whose smuggled books provided
Elizabeth's only education. When her evil guardian plans to marry her off, her best friend Will helps her escape to London to the home of her uncle, who assists her to masquerade as a gentleman to protect her from her guardian. The madcap adventure touches on social issues that have plagued generations.
Well worth reading. Ms Reader spins a fascinating story without resorting to erotic scenes.
Delightful story about a young woman who has spent most of her life tormented and restricted to her home with few friends. The notable exception is her best friend from neighbouring estate whose smuggled books provided
Elizabeth's only education. When her evil guardian plans to marry her off, her best friend Will helps her escape to London to the home of her uncle, who assists her to masquerade as a gentleman to protect her from her guardian. The madcap adventure touches on social issues that have plagued generations.
Well worth reading. Ms Reader spins a fascinating story without resorting to erotic scenes.
February 17, 2019
Edd in Florida,
Lucky Bet is a very good story of intrigue and romance. It also gives a brief look at women's lack of rights in England at that time. The characters development in this story is quite remarkable and centes around a very strong woman. Who cleverly disguised herself as a male. It is very difficult to put this book down . There are two inter woven stories. I only wish both had been resolved in this book I only hope the author is planning to see the resolution in another book that begins where this one ends.
I would easily recommend this book for females of13 and older.
Lucky Bet is a very good story of intrigue and romance. It also gives a brief look at women's lack of rights in England at that time. The characters development in this story is quite remarkable and centes around a very strong woman. Who cleverly disguised herself as a male. It is very difficult to put this book down . There are two inter woven stories. I only wish both had been resolved in this book I only hope the author is planning to see the resolution in another book that begins where this one ends.
I would easily recommend this book for females of13 and older.
August 20, 2020
Awesome book! I was giddy all through the book from the start to the end. 👍
I know they were trying to get her trusts restore to Elizabeth but I'd like to know the epilogue and this book didn't have one. I'll give 5 stars if I know what happened and especially to that bad man, Lord Worthing. I want to see his reaction and what his response was to, I'm guessing that Bet will win the case...for him to find the loses of Elizabeth's inheritance.
William ♥️ Elizabeth
...I wondered about the lawyer. Since the author didn't tell how they feel or what were they thinking. (Detailed) But I had the feeling He like Elizabeth, more than like. OR maybe its just me?
I know they were trying to get her trusts restore to Elizabeth but I'd like to know the epilogue and this book didn't have one. I'll give 5 stars if I know what happened and especially to that bad man, Lord Worthing. I want to see his reaction and what his response was to, I'm guessing that Bet will win the case...for him to find the loses of Elizabeth's inheritance.
William ♥️ Elizabeth
...I wondered about the lawyer. Since the author didn't tell how they feel or what were they thinking. (Detailed) But I had the feeling He like Elizabeth, more than like. OR maybe its just me?
March 5, 2018
Wonderful story!
This novel has great, well-developed characters. It's nice that there is more than one villain, btw. London's legal world was described very well, and one can't help but love Charles' boss. I would perhaps give this novel a half-star deduction, because the last page or two are not satisfactory, i.e. the sudden revelation of deep love. The rest of the book was so good, that I'll forgive the author for wrapping it all up so quickly.
This novel has great, well-developed characters. It's nice that there is more than one villain, btw. London's legal world was described very well, and one can't help but love Charles' boss. I would perhaps give this novel a half-star deduction, because the last page or two are not satisfactory, i.e. the sudden revelation of deep love. The rest of the book was so good, that I'll forgive the author for wrapping it all up so quickly.
March 25, 2018
Engrossing and then...
This is a very engrossing read. It was going so well and then the actual romance seemed an after, after thought and was commended and summed up in the last 2 pages. I'm pretty sure this is categorized as a romance and if that's what you're craving, this one doesn't hit the mark. However, if you just want a delightful read, with no romance, this is perfect.
This is a very engrossing read. It was going so well and then the actual romance seemed an after, after thought and was commended and summed up in the last 2 pages. I'm pretty sure this is categorized as a romance and if that's what you're craving, this one doesn't hit the mark. However, if you just want a delightful read, with no romance, this is perfect.
May 6, 2019
This was a lively and engaging gender switch story of a young heroine and her efforts to escape her evil guardian. So much more than it sounds, the novel was atmospheric and showed great research into the period with use of appropriate slang. The story also had a lightly humorous feel which added to the flow. I will be going on to read the other works by this author as I really enjoyed this book.
November 1, 2019
Elizabeth
Orphaned at an early age, Elizabeth had been raised by her father's cousin, a horrible person has used isolation and threats to control her. When she met the young man who lived at the neighboring estate, her life was irrevocably changed. His companionship and books took her loneliness away, while providing her with the chance of an education, something her guardian had refused.
Clever plot and great characters make this a terrific book. Do enjoy!
Orphaned at an early age, Elizabeth had been raised by her father's cousin, a horrible person has used isolation and threats to control her. When she met the young man who lived at the neighboring estate, her life was irrevocably changed. His companionship and books took her loneliness away, while providing her with the chance of an education, something her guardian had refused.
Clever plot and great characters make this a terrific book. Do enjoy!
August 21, 2021
LUCKY BET
ANNA READER
Review by Author Roy Murry
'Lucky Bet' was a fun book but not likely to happen in the 1790s. Because Lady Elizabeth, Bet, tricks elderly English men into believing she is a man.
The events of her manhood come after she, with the help of a male friend, escapes her nefarious ward, who tries to marry her off for monetary gain. Instead, she runs to an uncle she has never seen in London.
With her uncle and friend's approval, Bet's adventure is sometimes comical and becomes deadly when she, as a man, tries to help a married woman in distress. The story leads to an explosive ending where the saga continues.
Ms. Reader's writing is crisp and weaves an intriguing and secondary romance story. Reading the second book in the saga is on my list.
I recommend that you buy both books and read the whole story at once.
ANNA READER
Review by Author Roy Murry
'Lucky Bet' was a fun book but not likely to happen in the 1790s. Because Lady Elizabeth, Bet, tricks elderly English men into believing she is a man.
The events of her manhood come after she, with the help of a male friend, escapes her nefarious ward, who tries to marry her off for monetary gain. Instead, she runs to an uncle she has never seen in London.
With her uncle and friend's approval, Bet's adventure is sometimes comical and becomes deadly when she, as a man, tries to help a married woman in distress. The story leads to an explosive ending where the saga continues.
Ms. Reader's writing is crisp and weaves an intriguing and secondary romance story. Reading the second book in the saga is on my list.
I recommend that you buy both books and read the whole story at once.
April 30, 2018
pg 3834 ... she was utterly captivated by the fact that Elizabeth had been bold enough to present herself to society in man's clothes and the ideas of borrowing Charles' identify for a few hours in order to escape the city, although terrifying, was also unavoidably thrilling to a young girl who had grown up on a steady diet of gothic novels.
campy!!
campy!!
February 28, 2019
3.5 stars. This is charming and fun. The girl pretends to be man trope is used with no bow to the biological realities which always come to mind, but it was enjoyable anyway, especially the parts where the heroine works with a lawyer on a bigamous marriage case. I would love to a sequel with the secondary characters having their stories told.
March 5, 2019
A fast-moving story that keeps one reading. A girl who runs away from her cruel guardian to begin a new life in London has to deal with a number of changes.
I loved the character of Bet, short for Elizabeth, as she proved herself to be a courageous young woman who knows exactly what she wants from life.
A very good read.
I loved the character of Bet, short for Elizabeth, as she proved herself to be a courageous young woman who knows exactly what she wants from life.
A very good read.
June 12, 2019
Nice, easy read
I really enjoyed Lucky Bet. It's a sweet story of finding freedom and oneself. Elizabeth is a strong little lady but doesn't seem to realize how strong until she's forced to make a life changing decision. I'm looking forward to book 2 to see how all the characters make and find their way in the world.
I really enjoyed Lucky Bet. It's a sweet story of finding freedom and oneself. Elizabeth is a strong little lady but doesn't seem to realize how strong until she's forced to make a life changing decision. I'm looking forward to book 2 to see how all the characters make and find their way in the world.
November 4, 2019
LB
Wow, what a fun read. Excellent job of keeping the characters clear; this could have been a cluster of confusion otherwise. The storyline is amusing and yet I wondered if someone, in the past had actually done what was depicted in this novel. There were a few gramatical and puncuation mistakes in the story, otherwise, I throughly enjoyed each moment. Thank you.
Wow, what a fun read. Excellent job of keeping the characters clear; this could have been a cluster of confusion otherwise. The storyline is amusing and yet I wondered if someone, in the past had actually done what was depicted in this novel. There were a few gramatical and puncuation mistakes in the story, otherwise, I throughly enjoyed each moment. Thank you.
March 3, 2018
Bet and Will make for a loverly and lawyerly couple.
This cute and clean romance was fun and entertaining. A great story, with only minorly distracting typos, so I didn't mark it down for them. You're sure to enjoy the read and they ahead-of-its-time gender switching! ;)
This cute and clean romance was fun and entertaining. A great story, with only minorly distracting typos, so I didn't mark it down for them. You're sure to enjoy the read and they ahead-of-its-time gender switching! ;)
March 14, 2018
Great read!
I so enjoyed reading this book! If I could change anything, I would change how long Elizabeth spent impersonating a man. It would have been nice to have had a more developed story between her and Will. That being said, It was a fun, clean book.
I so enjoyed reading this book! If I could change anything, I would change how long Elizabeth spent impersonating a man. It would have been nice to have had a more developed story between her and Will. That being said, It was a fun, clean book.
March 16, 2018
A delightful romp!
Bet is an orphan, her guardian a ne'er do well and her best friend the love of her life.
When she runs away in order to not be forced into marrying a human toad, she takes on the guise of a man.I
Hilarity ensues.
Bet is an orphan, her guardian a ne'er do well and her best friend the love of her life.
When she runs away in order to not be forced into marrying a human toad, she takes on the guise of a man.I
Hilarity ensues.
March 19, 2018
Jolly good read.
Well written, fast paced, unusual story that grabbed this reader’s attention quickly and kept it until the ending. And they did all live happily ever after with no R rating needed.
Well written, fast paced, unusual story that grabbed this reader’s attention quickly and kept it until the ending. And they did all live happily ever after with no R rating needed.
April 13, 2018
Charming read
A fun little novel. I enjoyed the zippy plot and the outsized characters. I would recommend it to readers who love gently romantic period novels with a sense of adventure.
A fun little novel. I enjoyed the zippy plot and the outsized characters. I would recommend it to readers who love gently romantic period novels with a sense of adventure.
February 15, 2019
Enjoyable!
Loved the characters and the story line, however it is difficult to imagine that a young child could be ignored by an uncle so many years with the excuse that he felt his father told him the truth of her care.
Loved the characters and the story line, however it is difficult to imagine that a young child could be ignored by an uncle so many years with the excuse that he felt his father told him the truth of her care.
February 16, 2019
I love Lucky Bet
This book was great fun to read. I highly recommend it. The characters are so likable! The author did a fine job a of developing them. Bet is funny and charming. Will is every woman's dream.
This book was great fun to read. I highly recommend it. The characters are so likable! The author did a fine job a of developing them. Bet is funny and charming. Will is every woman's dream.
February 20, 2019
Super fun and cute
This was great fun to read. I love Jane Austen and regency era romances and it was interesting to read a book that focused a lot on the injustices done towards women back then.
This was also a very clean read, and very light on the romance.
This was great fun to read. I love Jane Austen and regency era romances and it was interesting to read a book that focused a lot on the injustices done towards women back then.
This was also a very clean read, and very light on the romance.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews