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Keeping Up with the Cavendishes #3
Lady Claire Is All That
In the third installment of Maya Rodale’s captivating, witty series, a marquess finds his fair lady—but must figure out how to keep her
HER BRAINS…
Claire Cavendish is in search of a duke, but not for the usual reasons. The man she seeks is a mathematician; the man she unwittingly finds is Lord Fox: dynamic, athletic, and as bored by the equations Claire adores as she is by the social whirl upon which he thrives. As attractive as Fox is, he’s of no use to Claire . . . or is he?
PLUS HIS BRAWN . . .
Fox’s male pride has been bruised ever since his fiancée jilted him. One way to recover: win a bet that he can transform Lady Claire, Society’s roughest diamond, into its most prized jewel. But Claire has other ideas—shockingly steamy ones . . .
EQUALS A STUDY IN SEDUCTION . . .
By Claire’s calculations, Fox is the perfect man to satisfy her sensual curiosity. In Fox’s estimation, Claire is the perfect woman to prove his mastery of the ton. But the one thing neither of them counted on is love . . .
HER BRAINS…
Claire Cavendish is in search of a duke, but not for the usual reasons. The man she seeks is a mathematician; the man she unwittingly finds is Lord Fox: dynamic, athletic, and as bored by the equations Claire adores as she is by the social whirl upon which he thrives. As attractive as Fox is, he’s of no use to Claire . . . or is he?
PLUS HIS BRAWN . . .
Fox’s male pride has been bruised ever since his fiancée jilted him. One way to recover: win a bet that he can transform Lady Claire, Society’s roughest diamond, into its most prized jewel. But Claire has other ideas—shockingly steamy ones . . .
EQUALS A STUDY IN SEDUCTION . . .
By Claire’s calculations, Fox is the perfect man to satisfy her sensual curiosity. In Fox’s estimation, Claire is the perfect woman to prove his mastery of the ton. But the one thing neither of them counted on is love . . .
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 27, 2016
152 people are currently reading
1272 people want to read
About the author
Maya Rodale
46 books1,624 followersMaya Rodale is the best-selling and award-winning author of funny, feminist fiction including historical romance, YA and historical fiction. A champion of the romance genre and its readers, she is also the author of Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels, Explained. Maya reviews romance for NPR and has appeared in Bustle, Glamour, Shondaland, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post and PBS. She began reading romance novels in college at her mother’s insistence and has never been allowed to forget it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 309 reviews
did-not-finish
February 7, 2017This is the book that has hobbled me more than any other in my forays on the romance genre. It's with a weary and heavy heart, that I consider putting further regency romances on hold.
I'm sorry about that, as I know that what strikes half the population of the world as valuable, should give me so much strenuous fare, so much boredom, and so much prolonged bamboozlement. This is Luffy, sending back his badge.
I'm sorry about that, as I know that what strikes half the population of the world as valuable, should give me so much strenuous fare, so much boredom, and so much prolonged bamboozlement. This is Luffy, sending back his badge.
January 20, 2019
She’s all that and a big brain too.
***3.5 stars***
Unfortunately, I can’t say I’m a big fan of Lady Claire Is All That. I found the characters shallow and very self-absorbed. The hero is a good-looking, privileged man who has been able to live a relatively easy life. His two main focuses in life up until now have been sports and women. The heroine has lived her life in America with her family but has just moved to London when her brother inherits a dukedom. Her main focus in life is maths and numbers. The two of them live their lives in their own little bubbles.
Lord Fox has been jilted and his male pride a little bruised. To prove he is all man and still someone to be admired, he accepts a wager by a “friend” to make an American intellect who wears glasses into the belle of the ball. He meets Lady Claire and expects the job to be easy. A smile here…a little flirting there…she’ll be so charmed that he’ll be having her follow his lead in no time.
Think again Lord Fox…think again.
Lady Claire has plans for her big brain. Now that she is in London Lady Claire hopes to get the opportunity to use her amazing mathematical abilities. Unfortunately, her aunt, the Duchess, has other plans. Ladies do not show their intelligence. Her aunt wants Claire and her sisters married off to well-established families in London and push the girls to act more ladylike. Claire is not looking for a husband and talks maths as much as possible to scare off eligible bachelors. If only Lord Fox would take the hint. It seems that talking maths is not enough to deter him.
Lady Claire and Lord Fox spend quite a lot of time together and start to enjoy each others company. The wager is still in place but Lord Fox is coming to regret his hasty decision. Lady Claire thought she should be with an intelligent man, not a man who prefers to play a sport instead of using his brain. Lord Fox thought that he should be with a woman with similar interests. Neither are sure they are meant for each but can’t deny their attraction.
The storyline for Lady Claire Is All That appealed to me. At times, I liked the characters but more times than not Lady Claire going on and on about her big brain drove me crazy. It wasn’t much better with Lord Fox being so consumed with his good looks and ability to win everything he plays at. The author repeats it often and dedicates paragraphs and paragraphs to the same topic each chapter. I got it the first 5 times.
I did enjoy parts of the story and loved how it ended. My enjoyment would have increased if the characters weren’t so self-absorbed through most of the book. I have not read the first two books in this series and to be honest, I don’t plan to go back and check them out.
Not every author can be your perfect match. Maya Rodale is a well-known romance author with a backlog that proves her success. To each, his own and all that jazz, don't judge this book on my opinion alone. Take the time to read what other's say, and you may find Lady Claire Is All That appeals to your mind, appeals to your senses and works perfectly for you.
I’m an Aussie chick who loves to read and review romance, drink coffee, be a Style Setter and stalk David Gandy. To see more of my reviews, fashion, food and pervathons -
November 22, 2016
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Lady Claire Is All That by Maya Rodale
Book Three of the Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: December 27, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***
Summary (from Goodreads):
HER BRAINS…
Claire Cavendish is in search of a duke, but not for the usual reasons. The man she seeks is a mathematician; the man she unwittingly finds is Lord Fox: dynamic, athletic, and as bored by the equations Claire adores as she is by the social whirl upon which he thrives. As attractive as Fox is, he’s of no use to Claire . . . or is he?
PLUS HIS BRAWN . . .
Fox’s male pride has been bruised ever since his fiancée jilted him. One way to recover: win a bet that he can transform Lady Claire, Society’s roughest diamond, into its most prized jewel. But Claire has other ideas—shockingly steamy ones . . .
EQUALS A STUDY IN SEDUCTION . . .
By Claire’s calculations, Fox is the perfect man to satisfy her sensual curiosity. In Fox’s estimation, Claire is the perfect woman to prove his mastery of the ton. But the one thing neither of them counted on is love . . .
What I Liked:
What a delightful addition to a wonderful series! I adore Maya Rodale's books, and this series has been so fun to read so far. In addition to the first three books in this Cavendishes series, I've read several books in her Bad Boys & Wallflowers series. A thing I did not realize - this Cavendishes series is like a crossover/continuation of the Bad Boys & Wallflowers series! Ashbrooke and Emma make an appearance in this book. I didn't realize that the Ashbrooke of this series was the same Ashbrooke in The Wicked Wallflower (which I adored). How fun!
This book follows Lady Claire, the eldest Cavendish sister. She's the bluestocking, the glass-wearing, drab-dressing, math-talking American sibling, the one who brings up mathematics and equations to bore potential suitors to tears. Lady Claire wants to meet the Duke of Ashbrooke (newly married) to discuss his inventions and theories. And the person to introduce her? Lord Fox, who has taken an unusual interest in her. Except that it's not unusual for Lord Fox. He's made a secret with a friend, who doesn't like how Fox wins at everything. Turn Lady Claire into a dazzling debutante, or Fox has to give up his prized hunting hound. Fox isn't an intellectual, but he's charming, handsome, competitive, and a notorious rake. On paper, the two are complete opposites. But when they collide?
I loved Lady Bridget's Diary, and liked Chasing Lady Amelia (though not nearly as much as book one), so I was really pleased when I really enjoyed this book. It's definitely my second favorite of the series. And we can talk about the cover? I love the metallic green!
From the start, I really liked Claire. She's so intelligent and clever, and she uses her intelligence to keep suitors away. She wants to write a scientific paper on certain mathematical subjects, but fears putting her name on the paper. She's blunt and logical, and loves to solve equations and puzzles. Claire is all of us intelligent women!
Fox is the complete opposite. He's charming and dashing, rakish and mischievous, and almost carefree in attitude, though he has his own drive and focus. He's not book-smart like Claire, but he is intelligent in his own way. He's very athletic and loves all manner of physical activity and sport. He's also very competitive and likes to win. He is a fighter, and he likes to get his way.
I liked Claire, and rooted for her throughout the story. I adored Fox, and was cheering him on as well, despite the silly and idiotic wager that he made. He made it shortly after his fiancee left him to elope with a lowly actor, so we can forgive him, especially after how he fights for Claire, after she finds out. But I really like how Claire fights for the relationship as well. The ball was solely in her court, and I love how she declares her feelings to Fox and the rest of society.
The romance is swoony and steamy! You might be surprised by how steamy things get between Fox and Claire, despite Claire being a nerdy lady. Fox, on the other hand, is known to sex incarnate, so the two as a pair is pretty fiery. Rodale saves all the sex (which was one scene) for the very end, but the tension is really intense in the book.
I love the humor and light tone in all of Rodale's books! This book was no exception. I laughed, I giggled, I rolled my eyes at some of the silliness of the Cavendish siblings. Rodale has a very distinct voice in historical romance, and I really enjoy reading her books because of this.
Overall, I was really happy with this book. The series has yet to really disappoint me, and I'm hoping book four, James's book, won't!
What I Did Not Like:
More Fox and Claire steamy times, thanks. Yes, this book was plenty steamy, but I thought it could use a liiittle more intimacy. You know what I mean. *insert suggestive meme here*
Would I Recommend It:
I highly recommend this book, this series, and pretty much anything Rodale has written. She's an auto-buy author for me, right behind Elizabeth Hoyt, Tessa Dare, Caroline Linden, and Katharine Ashe. Rodale's books are sweet, funny, steamy, and so enjoyable! I couldn't read this book fast enough.
Rating:
4.5 stars -> rounded down to 4 stars (remember, I'm picky with 5 stars). I am so excited to read James's book! I'd be interested in reading a book featuring Lady Francesca too. Rodale redeemed her, in this book!
Lady Claire Is All That by Maya Rodale
Book Three of the Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: December 27, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***
Summary (from Goodreads):
HER BRAINS…
Claire Cavendish is in search of a duke, but not for the usual reasons. The man she seeks is a mathematician; the man she unwittingly finds is Lord Fox: dynamic, athletic, and as bored by the equations Claire adores as she is by the social whirl upon which he thrives. As attractive as Fox is, he’s of no use to Claire . . . or is he?
PLUS HIS BRAWN . . .
Fox’s male pride has been bruised ever since his fiancée jilted him. One way to recover: win a bet that he can transform Lady Claire, Society’s roughest diamond, into its most prized jewel. But Claire has other ideas—shockingly steamy ones . . .
EQUALS A STUDY IN SEDUCTION . . .
By Claire’s calculations, Fox is the perfect man to satisfy her sensual curiosity. In Fox’s estimation, Claire is the perfect woman to prove his mastery of the ton. But the one thing neither of them counted on is love . . .
What I Liked:
What a delightful addition to a wonderful series! I adore Maya Rodale's books, and this series has been so fun to read so far. In addition to the first three books in this Cavendishes series, I've read several books in her Bad Boys & Wallflowers series. A thing I did not realize - this Cavendishes series is like a crossover/continuation of the Bad Boys & Wallflowers series! Ashbrooke and Emma make an appearance in this book. I didn't realize that the Ashbrooke of this series was the same Ashbrooke in The Wicked Wallflower (which I adored). How fun!
This book follows Lady Claire, the eldest Cavendish sister. She's the bluestocking, the glass-wearing, drab-dressing, math-talking American sibling, the one who brings up mathematics and equations to bore potential suitors to tears. Lady Claire wants to meet the Duke of Ashbrooke (newly married) to discuss his inventions and theories. And the person to introduce her? Lord Fox, who has taken an unusual interest in her. Except that it's not unusual for Lord Fox. He's made a secret with a friend, who doesn't like how Fox wins at everything. Turn Lady Claire into a dazzling debutante, or Fox has to give up his prized hunting hound. Fox isn't an intellectual, but he's charming, handsome, competitive, and a notorious rake. On paper, the two are complete opposites. But when they collide?
I loved Lady Bridget's Diary, and liked Chasing Lady Amelia (though not nearly as much as book one), so I was really pleased when I really enjoyed this book. It's definitely my second favorite of the series. And we can talk about the cover? I love the metallic green!
From the start, I really liked Claire. She's so intelligent and clever, and she uses her intelligence to keep suitors away. She wants to write a scientific paper on certain mathematical subjects, but fears putting her name on the paper. She's blunt and logical, and loves to solve equations and puzzles. Claire is all of us intelligent women!
Fox is the complete opposite. He's charming and dashing, rakish and mischievous, and almost carefree in attitude, though he has his own drive and focus. He's not book-smart like Claire, but he is intelligent in his own way. He's very athletic and loves all manner of physical activity and sport. He's also very competitive and likes to win. He is a fighter, and he likes to get his way.
I liked Claire, and rooted for her throughout the story. I adored Fox, and was cheering him on as well, despite the silly and idiotic wager that he made. He made it shortly after his fiancee left him to elope with a lowly actor, so we can forgive him, especially after how he fights for Claire, after she finds out. But I really like how Claire fights for the relationship as well. The ball was solely in her court, and I love how she declares her feelings to Fox and the rest of society.
The romance is swoony and steamy! You might be surprised by how steamy things get between Fox and Claire, despite Claire being a nerdy lady. Fox, on the other hand, is known to sex incarnate, so the two as a pair is pretty fiery. Rodale saves all the sex (which was one scene) for the very end, but the tension is really intense in the book.
I love the humor and light tone in all of Rodale's books! This book was no exception. I laughed, I giggled, I rolled my eyes at some of the silliness of the Cavendish siblings. Rodale has a very distinct voice in historical romance, and I really enjoy reading her books because of this.
Overall, I was really happy with this book. The series has yet to really disappoint me, and I'm hoping book four, James's book, won't!
What I Did Not Like:
More Fox and Claire steamy times, thanks. Yes, this book was plenty steamy, but I thought it could use a liiittle more intimacy. You know what I mean. *insert suggestive meme here*
Would I Recommend It:
I highly recommend this book, this series, and pretty much anything Rodale has written. She's an auto-buy author for me, right behind Elizabeth Hoyt, Tessa Dare, Caroline Linden, and Katharine Ashe. Rodale's books are sweet, funny, steamy, and so enjoyable! I couldn't read this book fast enough.
Rating:
4.5 stars -> rounded down to 4 stars (remember, I'm picky with 5 stars). I am so excited to read James's book! I'd be interested in reading a book featuring Lady Francesca too. Rodale redeemed her, in this book!
December 27, 2016
Link to full review below! So freaking good!!!! A bit Pygmalion/She's all That with an allusion to Mean Girls in there as well! See full review on The Book Disciple
November 30, 2018
(3-3.5 stars) A bit conflicted about this book.
First off:
- summary is pretty decently accurate, so I won't redo
- is #3 in a series but can be read as a stand-alone
- all four books in the series happen simultaneously
Now, what bugged me: the relationship between the hero and heroine. And yeah, that's kind of a dealbreaker in a romance, no? I loved the setup and think it could have worked really well, but Rodale made the relationship basically be all about lust between Claire and Fox. I like the idea of their match: the odd-ball brainiac and the aimless society-guy who only really cares about being active and the easy life. I think it could have worked really well, because opposites do attract and who says a hero has to be brilliant? He can also be a decent guy who is passionate about certain things in life and really loves the heroine.
But it was just lust. Claire just wanted him for his body and I was so, SO disappointed by this!! He found things about her to like—yes, he was physically attracted to her, but he also fell in love with her personality, her passion, her honesty, etc. There were definitely things to admire about Fox and it could have gone both ways, but while we do get some of Claire's admiration, the overriding feeling is that she just wants him for his hot bod and what he can do for her physically.
I also think more could have been done with this sense of himself he has as "not the one with brains," which has been dogging him since childhood. And it could have been a perfect setup for Claire to give him that reassurance that there are different types of intelligence and he doesn't need to know math complexities or always have the quickest retort to be an intelligent and decent guy.
First off:
- summary is pretty decently accurate, so I won't redo
- is #3 in a series but can be read as a stand-alone
- all four books in the series happen simultaneously
Now, what bugged me: the relationship between the hero and heroine. And yeah, that's kind of a dealbreaker in a romance, no? I loved the setup and think it could have worked really well, but Rodale made the relationship basically be all about lust between Claire and Fox. I like the idea of their match: the odd-ball brainiac and the aimless society-guy who only really cares about being active and the easy life. I think it could have worked really well, because opposites do attract and who says a hero has to be brilliant? He can also be a decent guy who is passionate about certain things in life and really loves the heroine.
But it was just lust. Claire just wanted him for his body and I was so, SO disappointed by this!! He found things about her to like—yes, he was physically attracted to her, but he also fell in love with her personality, her passion, her honesty, etc. There were definitely things to admire about Fox and it could have gone both ways, but while we do get some of Claire's admiration, the overriding feeling is that she just wants him for his hot bod and what he can do for her physically.
I also think more could have been done with this sense of himself he has as "not the one with brains," which has been dogging him since childhood. And it could have been a perfect setup for Claire to give him that reassurance that there are different types of intelligence and he doesn't need to know math complexities or always have the quickest retort to be an intelligent and decent guy.
October 19, 2016
'Lady Claire Is All That' by Maya Rodale is book three in the "Keeping Up with the Cavendishes" series. I have read the first book'Lady Bridget's Diary " but not the second book 'Chasing Lady Amelia' yet...so for me this was a standalone book. This is the story of Claire Cavendish and Lord Fox. Lady Claire is the oldest and has looked after her sisters and brother since their parents have died. After their brother inherited a title, they moved to London. Lady Claire is not like her sisters and is the bluestocking of the family. Lady Clair is all about numbers and wants to meet the Duke who she has enjoyed reading his writing. Lord Fox was the 'darling' of the town but after his future wife left him for a commoner he has fallen some from the towns eye. So with his 'friends' he has made a bet that he can bring Lady Clair up to town standards. Lady Clair doesn't even remember him from their first meeting which puts Lord Fox on a unsettle footing for him. But Lord Fox keeps trying to win her over so that he can win the bet. Lady Clair thinks that she might use Lord Fox since he has started to awaking her desire. Can these two who are total different people make a real go of a relationship? This was another great book by Ms. Rodale!
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December 26, 2016
3.5 stars
The books in Maya Rodale’s current series, Keeping Up With the Cavendishes are all loosely based on well-known movie plots. The first book, Lady Bridget's Diary... well, that’s pretty obvious. The second, Chasing Lady Amelia is a retelling of Roman Holiday and Lady Claire is All That is a reworking of the popular teen-movie from 1999, She’s All That, which is itself described as a revamp of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. This seems to be a bit of a trend in historical romance at the moment – if we’re not bombarded by overly-cutesy (and mostly ridiculous) song title-titles, we’re getting recycled plots from a medium that wasn’t even around at the beginning of the 19th century; and that makes it really hard to maintain any level of historical accuracy, as characters have to be made to think and do things to fit the plot that vary from “unlikely” to “implausible” to “Just - No.”
That doesn’t mean this isn’t an enjoyable book, because it is. I breezed through it in two sittings; it’s well-written, the two progagonists are engaging and Ms. Rodale has some good points to make about how we sometimes need to adjust our perceptions of self and others if we’re going to be true to ourselves and be the people we’re meant to be. I often find myself saying of this author’s books that they’re ones I will pick up when I want to read something light-hearted and fun and am prepared to check my “historical accuracy” hat at the door. And if that’s what you’re in the mood for, then it’ll likely work for you.
The Cavendish family – three sisters, one brother – moved to London when James Cavendish unexpectedly inherited a dukedom. The three books in the series so far comprise the sisters’ stories, and the storylines run more or less concurrently – which means they can be read in pretty much any order. Their chaperone in London is the Dowager Duchess of Durham, and she is doing her best to ensure that the siblings are accepted into London society. That’s not an easy task, given the rigidity of English society of the time, and the propensity to look down noses at those uncouth, brash Americans – but it’s also true that the Cavendishes aren’t making it all that easy on themselves either. Youngest sister Amelia is impatient with all the rules and conventions and does her best to deliberately flout them, and oldest sister Claire has only one purpose in mind – to meet the renowned Duke of Ashbrooke and discuss advanced mathematics with him. To deter any potential suitors, Claire talks about maths to anyone who will listen – which isn’t anybody for very long.
Lord Fox is very much the equivalent of the US college Jock in the film. He’s gorgeous, fit and excels at pretty much every physical activity he puts his mind to; hunting, fencing, boxing… women… you name it, he’s the best at it. He readily admits that he’s not the sharpest tool in the box, and doesn’t see the trap being set for him when Lord Mowbray wagers that Fox can’t take a wallflower and turn her into the darling of the ton. Fox, whose equally lovely fiancée recently dumped him to run off with an actor, is feeling a little bit bruised – he’s a winner, not a loser – and only realises what he’s let himself in for when Mowbray insists on choosing the recipient of Fox’s assistance – Lady Claire Cavendish.
The plotline is straightforward and proceeds as expected, but what makes the book readable is the way Ms. Rodale handles the gradually evolving perceptions of Fox and Claire, both in terms of how they think of themselves and how they see each other. Not to put too fine a point on it, Claire thinks Fox is stupid; and even though, as the story progresses, she starts to see that his is a different kind of intelligence, she continues to believe that because they don’t match each other intellectually, they don’t belong together. And while Fox is initially all about the wager, he’s impressed by Claire’s “brainbox”; even when he has no idea what she is talking about, he likes the sound of her voice and way her passion for her topic animates her. He comes to appreciate her for what and who she is and doesn’t want her to change, even though it means losing the wager.
On the downside, however, Claire is fairly self-obsessed, and she’s the sort of person who keeps having to remind everyone how smart she is in order to validate her own sense of self-worth. And she’s pretty hard on Fox, making it clear that he’s too dumb for her even though she’s happy to snog and grope him at every available opportunity. He is, however, clever enough to recognise that she’s only interested in his body.
Fox isn’t perfect, either, and his constant refrain of “I win at everything” gets irritating fast, but he’s rather endearing for all that. He is what he is and doesn’t try to be something he’s not – and I liked that he is prepared to go out on a limb for what he wants and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.
Another flaw is that while the couple does get to know each other well enough to begin to reassess their opinions, there’s no real sense of their actually falling in love. One minute, they’re not in love, and the next they are – and it’s something we’re told rather than shown.
In spite of those criticisms, there’s no question Ms. Rodale is an accomplished author and she writes the familial relationships in this story very well. This is very much a wallpaper historical though, so if you like historical romance that has a strong sense of period, in which the characters speak and act as though they could plausibly come from the 19th century instead of the 21st, then it might not work for you. And then there is the usual complement of Americanisms – by far the worst of which is the constant use of the word “math”. Given that Claire is a mathematician, this is only to be expected, but in England we refer to “mathS” with an “s” on the end (it’s a contraction of mathematicS, after all). It got very annoying very quickly.
Ultimately, Lady Claire is All That is a well-written piece of romantic fluff that’s entertaining and easy to read. Anyone in the mood for something in that line could do a lot worse than to pick it up.
The books in Maya Rodale’s current series, Keeping Up With the Cavendishes are all loosely based on well-known movie plots. The first book, Lady Bridget's Diary... well, that’s pretty obvious. The second, Chasing Lady Amelia is a retelling of Roman Holiday and Lady Claire is All That is a reworking of the popular teen-movie from 1999, She’s All That, which is itself described as a revamp of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. This seems to be a bit of a trend in historical romance at the moment – if we’re not bombarded by overly-cutesy (and mostly ridiculous) song title-titles, we’re getting recycled plots from a medium that wasn’t even around at the beginning of the 19th century; and that makes it really hard to maintain any level of historical accuracy, as characters have to be made to think and do things to fit the plot that vary from “unlikely” to “implausible” to “Just - No.”
That doesn’t mean this isn’t an enjoyable book, because it is. I breezed through it in two sittings; it’s well-written, the two progagonists are engaging and Ms. Rodale has some good points to make about how we sometimes need to adjust our perceptions of self and others if we’re going to be true to ourselves and be the people we’re meant to be. I often find myself saying of this author’s books that they’re ones I will pick up when I want to read something light-hearted and fun and am prepared to check my “historical accuracy” hat at the door. And if that’s what you’re in the mood for, then it’ll likely work for you.
The Cavendish family – three sisters, one brother – moved to London when James Cavendish unexpectedly inherited a dukedom. The three books in the series so far comprise the sisters’ stories, and the storylines run more or less concurrently – which means they can be read in pretty much any order. Their chaperone in London is the Dowager Duchess of Durham, and she is doing her best to ensure that the siblings are accepted into London society. That’s not an easy task, given the rigidity of English society of the time, and the propensity to look down noses at those uncouth, brash Americans – but it’s also true that the Cavendishes aren’t making it all that easy on themselves either. Youngest sister Amelia is impatient with all the rules and conventions and does her best to deliberately flout them, and oldest sister Claire has only one purpose in mind – to meet the renowned Duke of Ashbrooke and discuss advanced mathematics with him. To deter any potential suitors, Claire talks about maths to anyone who will listen – which isn’t anybody for very long.
Lord Fox is very much the equivalent of the US college Jock in the film. He’s gorgeous, fit and excels at pretty much every physical activity he puts his mind to; hunting, fencing, boxing… women… you name it, he’s the best at it. He readily admits that he’s not the sharpest tool in the box, and doesn’t see the trap being set for him when Lord Mowbray wagers that Fox can’t take a wallflower and turn her into the darling of the ton. Fox, whose equally lovely fiancée recently dumped him to run off with an actor, is feeling a little bit bruised – he’s a winner, not a loser – and only realises what he’s let himself in for when Mowbray insists on choosing the recipient of Fox’s assistance – Lady Claire Cavendish.
The plotline is straightforward and proceeds as expected, but what makes the book readable is the way Ms. Rodale handles the gradually evolving perceptions of Fox and Claire, both in terms of how they think of themselves and how they see each other. Not to put too fine a point on it, Claire thinks Fox is stupid; and even though, as the story progresses, she starts to see that his is a different kind of intelligence, she continues to believe that because they don’t match each other intellectually, they don’t belong together. And while Fox is initially all about the wager, he’s impressed by Claire’s “brainbox”; even when he has no idea what she is talking about, he likes the sound of her voice and way her passion for her topic animates her. He comes to appreciate her for what and who she is and doesn’t want her to change, even though it means losing the wager.
On the downside, however, Claire is fairly self-obsessed, and she’s the sort of person who keeps having to remind everyone how smart she is in order to validate her own sense of self-worth. And she’s pretty hard on Fox, making it clear that he’s too dumb for her even though she’s happy to snog and grope him at every available opportunity. He is, however, clever enough to recognise that she’s only interested in his body.
Fox isn’t perfect, either, and his constant refrain of “I win at everything” gets irritating fast, but he’s rather endearing for all that. He is what he is and doesn’t try to be something he’s not – and I liked that he is prepared to go out on a limb for what he wants and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.
Another flaw is that while the couple does get to know each other well enough to begin to reassess their opinions, there’s no real sense of their actually falling in love. One minute, they’re not in love, and the next they are – and it’s something we’re told rather than shown.
In spite of those criticisms, there’s no question Ms. Rodale is an accomplished author and she writes the familial relationships in this story very well. This is very much a wallpaper historical though, so if you like historical romance that has a strong sense of period, in which the characters speak and act as though they could plausibly come from the 19th century instead of the 21st, then it might not work for you. And then there is the usual complement of Americanisms – by far the worst of which is the constant use of the word “math”. Given that Claire is a mathematician, this is only to be expected, but in England we refer to “mathS” with an “s” on the end (it’s a contraction of mathematicS, after all). It got very annoying very quickly.
Ultimately, Lady Claire is All That is a well-written piece of romantic fluff that’s entertaining and easy to read. Anyone in the mood for something in that line could do a lot worse than to pick it up.
December 30, 2016
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Summary
Claire Cavendish, is smart as a whistle when it comes to mathematics. She has a practical view of life and one of the main reasons she wanted to come to London, was to meet and talk with a certain Duke, who shares her viewpoints. But along the way in her search, she stumbles across Lord Fox. Fox, can't resist a wager, and after losing his fiancee to a actor, he engages in a bet with a competing friend. The bet is very simple, persuade Claire Cavendish to be more becoming to the Ton or he loses his most prized dog. Upon meeting Claire he knows that it won't be easy. The Cavenish sisters are very American, and aren't likeable by the Ton. Claire could care less how to dress her hair, or the latest styles in fashion or the best way to discuss dull topics in a ball room. She has a passion for the maths and sciences. Fox isn't her type and Claire isn't Fox's type, however through a course of events they discover passion and love....
Story and Plot Line
Lady Claire Is All That is a story that brings together two opposites that couldn't be more different from each other but somehow Maya Rodale has brought together a captivating story of seeing two people balance each other out. Our hero is a bit of a rake, loves to gamble, drink and horse racing and prize fighting. Our heroine is intelligent, independent and willful. She thinks in pragmatic terms. So these two couldn't be more alike than oil and water. It starts out with a bet gone wrong, and soon Fox and Claire start to find certain things in common with each other.
Now I will admit, I was very intrigued by this story. I was worried I wouldn't like it (since I had some issues with book 2) however this book won me over pretty quickly. The interactions between Fox and Claire are quite entertaining and sharp witted, I loved seeing these two go back and forth between each other. I really liked the family dynamics in this one as well, the brother especially was quite funny. I definitely am looking forward to his book. We also get some other characters from Rodale's "Wicked Wallflower" that made me eager to try that one out soon. What I love about Rodale's work though, is the way she builds her characters. There is quite a bit of growth that come into play here and it doesn't play out in the normal way you would expect either. So she kept me on my toes with this one. Definitely recommend to HR lovers.
The Cover
What a pretty cover....probably my favorite of the series. I love the green color tones in this one, and the cover just sets the right tone that matches the story.
Overall View
Lady Claire Is All That is a fun filled romance that has a witty dialogue, an engaging story line and a warm and likable romance. SIMPLY WONDERFUL!
London, 1824
Lord and Lady Chesham’s ballroom
It was a truth universally acknowledged that Maximilian Frederick DeVere, Lord Fox, was God’s gift to the ladies of London. He was taller and brawnier than his peers and in possession of the sort of chiseled good looks—above and below the neck—that were more often found in works of classical art. By all accounts he was charming and universally liked by men and women alike, though for different reasons, of course. He won at two things, always: women and sport.
Fox strolled through the ballroom as if he owned the place. He nodded at friends and acquaintances—Carlyle, with whom he occasionally fenced, Fitzwalter, who he had soundly thrashed at boxing last week, and Willoughby, who was always game for a curricle race.
Fox flashed his famous grin as he heard the ladies’ usual comments when he strolled past.
“I think he just smiled at me.”
“I think I’m going to swoon.”
“God, Arabella Vaughn is one lucky woman.”
“Was,” someone corrected. “Didn’t you see the report in The London Weekly this morning?”
Fox’s grin faltered.
That was when Mr. Rupert Wright and Lord Mowbray found him. Their friendship stretched all the way back to their early days at Eton.
“We heard the news, Fox,” Rupert said grimly, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
“I daresay everyone has heard the news,” Fox replied dryly.
It didn’t escape his notice that the guests nearby had fallen silent. It was the first time he’d appeared in public since the news broke in the paper this morning, though Arabella had so kindly left him a note the day prior. Everyone was watching him to see how he would react, what he would say, if he would cry.
“Who would have thought we’d see this day?” Mowbray mused. “Miss Arabella Vaughn, darling of the haute ton, running off with an actor.”
“That alone would be scandalous,” Rupert said, adding, “Never mind that she has ditched Fox. Who is, apparently, considered a catch. What with his lofty title, wealth, and not hideous face.”
Fox’s Male Pride bristled. It’d been bristling and seething and enraged ever since the news broke that his beautiful, popular betrothed had left him to elope with some plebian actor.
Not just any actor, either, but Lucien Kemble. Yes, he was the current sensation among the haute ton, lighting up the stage each night in his role as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. Covent Garden theater was sold out for the rest of the season. The gossip columns loved him, given his flair for dramatics both onstage and off—everything from tantrums to torrid love affairs to fits over his artistry. Women adored him; they may have sighed and swooned over Lucien Kemble as much as Fox.
To lose a woman to any other man was insupportable—and, until recently, not something that ever happened to him—but to lose her to someone who made his living prancing around onstage in tights? It was intolerable.
“Just who does she think she is?” Fox wondered aloud.
“She’s Arabella Vaughn. Beautiful. Popular. Enviable. Every young lady here aspires to be her. Every man here would like a shot with her,” Mowbray answered.
“She’s you, but in petticoats,” Rupert said, laughing.
It was true. He and Arabella were perfect together.
Like most men, he’d fallen for her at first sight after catching a glimpse of her across a crowded ballroom. She was beautiful in every possible way: a tall, lithe figure with full breasts; a mouth made for kissing and other things that gentlemen didn’t mention in polite company; blue eyes fringed in dark lashes; honey gold hair that fell in waves; a complexion that begged comparisons to cream and milk and moonlight.
Fox had taken one look at her and thought: mine.
They were a perfect match in beauty, wealth, social standing, all that. They both enjoyed taking the ton by storm. He remembered the pride he felt as they strolled through a ballroom arm in arm and the feeling of everyone’s eyes on them as they waltzed so elegantly.
They were great together.
They belonged together.
Fox also remembered the more private moments—so many stolen kisses, the intimacy of gently pushing aside a wayward strand of her golden hair, promises for their future as man and wife. They would have perfect children, and entertain the best of society, and generally live a life of wealth and pleasure and perfection, together.
Fox remembered his heart racing—nerves!—when he proposed because this beautiful girl he adored was going to be his.
And then she had eloped. With an actor.
It burned, that. Ever since he’d heard the news, Fox had stormed around in high dudgeon. He was not accustomed to losing.
“Take away her flattering gowns and face paint and she’s just like any other woman here,” Fox said, wanting it to be true so he wouldn’t feel the loss so keenly. “Look at her, for example.”
Rupert and Mowbray both glanced at the woman he pointed out—a short, frumpy young lady nervously sipping lemonade. She spilled some down the front of her bodice when she caught three men staring at her.
“If one were to offer her guidance on supportive undergarments and current fashions and get a maid to properly style her coiffure, why, she could be the reigning queen of the haute ton,” Fox pointed out.
Both men stared at him, slack jawed.
“You’ve never been known for being the sharpest tool in the shed, Fox, but now I think you’re really cracked,” Mowbray said. “You cannot just give a girl a new dress and make her popular.”
“Well, Mowbray, maybe you couldn’t. But I could.”
“Gentlemen . . .” Rupert cut in. “I don’t care for the direction of this conversation.”
“You honestly think you can do it,” Mowbray said, awed.
He turned to face Mowbray and drew himself up to his full height, something he did when he wanted to be imposing. His Male Pride had been wounded and his competitive spirit—always used to winning—was spoiling for an opportunity to triumph.
“I know I can,” Fox said with the confidence of a man who won pretty much everything he put his mind to—as long as it involved sport, or women. Arabella had been his first, his only, loss. A fluke, surely.
“Well, that calls for a wager,” Mowbray said.
The two gentlemen stood eye to eye, the tension thick. Rupert groaned.
“Name your terms,” Fox said.
“I pick the girl.”
“Fine.”
“This is a terrible idea,” Rupert said. He was probably right, but he was definitely ignored.
“Let me see . . . who shall I pick?” Mowbray made a dramatic show of looking around the ballroom at all the ladies nearby. There were at least a dozen of varying degrees of pretty and pretty hopeless.
Then Mowbray’s attentions fixed on one particular woman. Fox followed his gaze, and when he saw who his friend had in mind, his stomach dropped.
“No.”
“Yes,” Mowbray said, a cocky grin stretching across his features.
“Unfortunately dressed I can handle. Shy, stuttering English miss who at least knows the rules of society? Sure. But one of the Americans?”
Fox let the question hang there. The Cavendish family had A Reputation the minute the news broke that the new Duke of Durham was none other than a lowly horse trainer from the former colonies. He and his sisters were scandalous before they even set foot in London. Since their debut in society, they hadn’t exactly managed to win over the haute ton, either, to put it politely.
“Now, they’re not all bad,” Rupert said. “I quite like Lady Bridget . . .”
But Fox was still in shock and Mowbray was enjoying it too much to pay any mind to Rupert’s defense of the Americans.
“The bluestocking?”
That was the thing: Mowbray hadn’t picked just any American, but the one who already had a reputation for being insufferably intelligent, without style or charm to make herself more appealing to the gentlemen of the ton. She was known to bore a gentleman to tears by discussing not the weather, or hair ribbons, or gossip of mutual acquaintances, but math.
Lady Claire Cavendish seemed destined to be a hopeless spinster and social pariah.
Even the legendary Duchess of Durham, aunt to the new duke and his sisters, hadn’t yet been able to successfully launch them into society and she’d already had weeks to prepare them! It seemed insane that Fox should succeed where the duchess failed.
But Fox and his Male Pride had never, not once, backed away from a challenge, especially not when the stakes had never been higher. He knew two truths about himself: he won at women and he won at sport.
He was a winner.
And he was not in the mood for soul searching or crafting a new identity when the old one suited him quite well. Given this nonsense with Arabella, he had to redeem himself in the eyes of the ton, not to mention his own. It was an impossible task, but one that Fox would simply have to win.
“Her family is hosting a ball in a fortnight,” Mowbray said. “I expect you to be there—with Lady Claire on your arm as the most desirable and popular woman in London.”
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Summary
Claire Cavendish, is smart as a whistle when it comes to mathematics. She has a practical view of life and one of the main reasons she wanted to come to London, was to meet and talk with a certain Duke, who shares her viewpoints. But along the way in her search, she stumbles across Lord Fox. Fox, can't resist a wager, and after losing his fiancee to a actor, he engages in a bet with a competing friend. The bet is very simple, persuade Claire Cavendish to be more becoming to the Ton or he loses his most prized dog. Upon meeting Claire he knows that it won't be easy. The Cavenish sisters are very American, and aren't likeable by the Ton. Claire could care less how to dress her hair, or the latest styles in fashion or the best way to discuss dull topics in a ball room. She has a passion for the maths and sciences. Fox isn't her type and Claire isn't Fox's type, however through a course of events they discover passion and love....
Story and Plot Line
Lady Claire Is All That is a story that brings together two opposites that couldn't be more different from each other but somehow Maya Rodale has brought together a captivating story of seeing two people balance each other out. Our hero is a bit of a rake, loves to gamble, drink and horse racing and prize fighting. Our heroine is intelligent, independent and willful. She thinks in pragmatic terms. So these two couldn't be more alike than oil and water. It starts out with a bet gone wrong, and soon Fox and Claire start to find certain things in common with each other.
Now I will admit, I was very intrigued by this story. I was worried I wouldn't like it (since I had some issues with book 2) however this book won me over pretty quickly. The interactions between Fox and Claire are quite entertaining and sharp witted, I loved seeing these two go back and forth between each other. I really liked the family dynamics in this one as well, the brother especially was quite funny. I definitely am looking forward to his book. We also get some other characters from Rodale's "Wicked Wallflower" that made me eager to try that one out soon. What I love about Rodale's work though, is the way she builds her characters. There is quite a bit of growth that come into play here and it doesn't play out in the normal way you would expect either. So she kept me on my toes with this one. Definitely recommend to HR lovers.
The Cover
What a pretty cover....probably my favorite of the series. I love the green color tones in this one, and the cover just sets the right tone that matches the story.
Overall View
Lady Claire Is All That is a fun filled romance that has a witty dialogue, an engaging story line and a warm and likable romance. SIMPLY WONDERFUL!
London, 1824
Lord and Lady Chesham’s ballroom
It was a truth universally acknowledged that Maximilian Frederick DeVere, Lord Fox, was God’s gift to the ladies of London. He was taller and brawnier than his peers and in possession of the sort of chiseled good looks—above and below the neck—that were more often found in works of classical art. By all accounts he was charming and universally liked by men and women alike, though for different reasons, of course. He won at two things, always: women and sport.
Fox strolled through the ballroom as if he owned the place. He nodded at friends and acquaintances—Carlyle, with whom he occasionally fenced, Fitzwalter, who he had soundly thrashed at boxing last week, and Willoughby, who was always game for a curricle race.
Fox flashed his famous grin as he heard the ladies’ usual comments when he strolled past.
“I think he just smiled at me.”
“I think I’m going to swoon.”
“God, Arabella Vaughn is one lucky woman.”
“Was,” someone corrected. “Didn’t you see the report in The London Weekly this morning?”
Fox’s grin faltered.
That was when Mr. Rupert Wright and Lord Mowbray found him. Their friendship stretched all the way back to their early days at Eton.
“We heard the news, Fox,” Rupert said grimly, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
“I daresay everyone has heard the news,” Fox replied dryly.
It didn’t escape his notice that the guests nearby had fallen silent. It was the first time he’d appeared in public since the news broke in the paper this morning, though Arabella had so kindly left him a note the day prior. Everyone was watching him to see how he would react, what he would say, if he would cry.
“Who would have thought we’d see this day?” Mowbray mused. “Miss Arabella Vaughn, darling of the haute ton, running off with an actor.”
“That alone would be scandalous,” Rupert said, adding, “Never mind that she has ditched Fox. Who is, apparently, considered a catch. What with his lofty title, wealth, and not hideous face.”
Fox’s Male Pride bristled. It’d been bristling and seething and enraged ever since the news broke that his beautiful, popular betrothed had left him to elope with some plebian actor.
Not just any actor, either, but Lucien Kemble. Yes, he was the current sensation among the haute ton, lighting up the stage each night in his role as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. Covent Garden theater was sold out for the rest of the season. The gossip columns loved him, given his flair for dramatics both onstage and off—everything from tantrums to torrid love affairs to fits over his artistry. Women adored him; they may have sighed and swooned over Lucien Kemble as much as Fox.
To lose a woman to any other man was insupportable—and, until recently, not something that ever happened to him—but to lose her to someone who made his living prancing around onstage in tights? It was intolerable.
“Just who does she think she is?” Fox wondered aloud.
“She’s Arabella Vaughn. Beautiful. Popular. Enviable. Every young lady here aspires to be her. Every man here would like a shot with her,” Mowbray answered.
“She’s you, but in petticoats,” Rupert said, laughing.
It was true. He and Arabella were perfect together.
Like most men, he’d fallen for her at first sight after catching a glimpse of her across a crowded ballroom. She was beautiful in every possible way: a tall, lithe figure with full breasts; a mouth made for kissing and other things that gentlemen didn’t mention in polite company; blue eyes fringed in dark lashes; honey gold hair that fell in waves; a complexion that begged comparisons to cream and milk and moonlight.
Fox had taken one look at her and thought: mine.
They were a perfect match in beauty, wealth, social standing, all that. They both enjoyed taking the ton by storm. He remembered the pride he felt as they strolled through a ballroom arm in arm and the feeling of everyone’s eyes on them as they waltzed so elegantly.
They were great together.
They belonged together.
Fox also remembered the more private moments—so many stolen kisses, the intimacy of gently pushing aside a wayward strand of her golden hair, promises for their future as man and wife. They would have perfect children, and entertain the best of society, and generally live a life of wealth and pleasure and perfection, together.
Fox remembered his heart racing—nerves!—when he proposed because this beautiful girl he adored was going to be his.
And then she had eloped. With an actor.
It burned, that. Ever since he’d heard the news, Fox had stormed around in high dudgeon. He was not accustomed to losing.
“Take away her flattering gowns and face paint and she’s just like any other woman here,” Fox said, wanting it to be true so he wouldn’t feel the loss so keenly. “Look at her, for example.”
Rupert and Mowbray both glanced at the woman he pointed out—a short, frumpy young lady nervously sipping lemonade. She spilled some down the front of her bodice when she caught three men staring at her.
“If one were to offer her guidance on supportive undergarments and current fashions and get a maid to properly style her coiffure, why, she could be the reigning queen of the haute ton,” Fox pointed out.
Both men stared at him, slack jawed.
“You’ve never been known for being the sharpest tool in the shed, Fox, but now I think you’re really cracked,” Mowbray said. “You cannot just give a girl a new dress and make her popular.”
“Well, Mowbray, maybe you couldn’t. But I could.”
“Gentlemen . . .” Rupert cut in. “I don’t care for the direction of this conversation.”
“You honestly think you can do it,” Mowbray said, awed.
He turned to face Mowbray and drew himself up to his full height, something he did when he wanted to be imposing. His Male Pride had been wounded and his competitive spirit—always used to winning—was spoiling for an opportunity to triumph.
“I know I can,” Fox said with the confidence of a man who won pretty much everything he put his mind to—as long as it involved sport, or women. Arabella had been his first, his only, loss. A fluke, surely.
“Well, that calls for a wager,” Mowbray said.
The two gentlemen stood eye to eye, the tension thick. Rupert groaned.
“Name your terms,” Fox said.
“I pick the girl.”
“Fine.”
“This is a terrible idea,” Rupert said. He was probably right, but he was definitely ignored.
“Let me see . . . who shall I pick?” Mowbray made a dramatic show of looking around the ballroom at all the ladies nearby. There were at least a dozen of varying degrees of pretty and pretty hopeless.
Then Mowbray’s attentions fixed on one particular woman. Fox followed his gaze, and when he saw who his friend had in mind, his stomach dropped.
“No.”
“Yes,” Mowbray said, a cocky grin stretching across his features.
“Unfortunately dressed I can handle. Shy, stuttering English miss who at least knows the rules of society? Sure. But one of the Americans?”
Fox let the question hang there. The Cavendish family had A Reputation the minute the news broke that the new Duke of Durham was none other than a lowly horse trainer from the former colonies. He and his sisters were scandalous before they even set foot in London. Since their debut in society, they hadn’t exactly managed to win over the haute ton, either, to put it politely.
“Now, they’re not all bad,” Rupert said. “I quite like Lady Bridget . . .”
But Fox was still in shock and Mowbray was enjoying it too much to pay any mind to Rupert’s defense of the Americans.
“The bluestocking?”
That was the thing: Mowbray hadn’t picked just any American, but the one who already had a reputation for being insufferably intelligent, without style or charm to make herself more appealing to the gentlemen of the ton. She was known to bore a gentleman to tears by discussing not the weather, or hair ribbons, or gossip of mutual acquaintances, but math.
Lady Claire Cavendish seemed destined to be a hopeless spinster and social pariah.
Even the legendary Duchess of Durham, aunt to the new duke and his sisters, hadn’t yet been able to successfully launch them into society and she’d already had weeks to prepare them! It seemed insane that Fox should succeed where the duchess failed.
But Fox and his Male Pride had never, not once, backed away from a challenge, especially not when the stakes had never been higher. He knew two truths about himself: he won at women and he won at sport.
He was a winner.
And he was not in the mood for soul searching or crafting a new identity when the old one suited him quite well. Given this nonsense with Arabella, he had to redeem himself in the eyes of the ton, not to mention his own. It was an impossible task, but one that Fox would simply have to win.
“Her family is hosting a ball in a fortnight,” Mowbray said. “I expect you to be there—with Lady Claire on your arm as the most desirable and popular woman in London.”
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December 18, 2017
Ugh, I swear, the entire r/iamverysmart subreddit was created for Claire. She was insufferable at times, but in general they were just wrong for each other. Totally odd and mismatched.
January 3, 2017
The American Cavendish family is trying to find their way in the social circles of London, with James having inherited a Dukedom and his three sisters Bridget, Amelia and Claire on the marriage mart. Claire's only desire now that they've upped and moved the whole family to England is to have the opportunity to meet The Duke of Ashbrooke. She's studied his mathematics papers and has ideas of what he could do with his proposed analytical machine. Finding a husband is the least of her concerns. Still, at the insistence of her aunt, the Duchess of Durham, she along with her sisters must put up with weekly balls and introductions to all the important and noteworthy members of society. It's in one of these social situations that she first meets Lord Fox, and it's as unmemorable as any other meeting with someone she could care less about.
Lord Fox, on the other hand, isn't used to being overlooked so easily. The bluestocking Lady Cavendish clearly isn't impressed with him, and having just lost his fiancee to an actor (the scandal of which still hasn't blown over), it's another blow to his ego. When his long time school friend Mowbray challenges him to a bet to make Claire more acceptable to society, he knows he has his work cut out for him. But he's also determined to win. His attempts to charm her at subsequent social occasions go unanswered – until he realizes that introducing her to his friend the Duke of Ashbrooke could garner her attention.
Claire is certainly willing to put up with the vain and charming Lord Fox if he can bring her to the attention of the only man she traveled to England to meet! But a funny thing happens as she and Lord Fox spent time together – she grows to like the man for who he is, even if he has no understanding of math at all. And likewise, Fox becomes quite charmed by Claire's forthrightness, her complete lack of concern for her social status, and her ease in his company. Plus, he finds himself attracted to her, body and mind. But with the bet hanging over Fox, will he come clean to Claire about his original intentions before she finds out on her own and he loses the one woman who has stolen his heart?
What a delightful read! It's stories like this that have endeared me to historical romances for years. The banter in this one is so enjoyable, with the clearly smarter Claire trying at every turn to dissuade Lord Fox's interest by pulling no punches in her conversations with him, and he doggedly trying his best to keep her attention. Fox is a little bit shallow, it's true, but he admits it of himself. Plus, the way he refers to the Royal Society meetings that he escorts Claire to, both to Claire and in his internal monologue had me laughing out loud. As an example:
“There is another meeting of the Royal Society of Boring People to Death with Numbers, on Tuesday. I shall come 'round at two o'clock for you,” Fox told her as he held her hand when she alighted the carriage at Durham House.
And later: 'Fox continued to notice her fine figure while the ladies took tea with the Duchess of Ashbrooke. They seemed to get along exceedingly well. And then Lady Claire and he traveled down a vast corridor to the room where the Royal Society of People Who Were Immune from Death by Boredom of Numbers were gathered around a small machine in the center of the room.'
I loved seeing Fox and Claire come to the realization that they were attracted to each other despite their differences, and that they were really the yin to each others yang and understood one another so well. Claire's difficulty in being taken seriously by the Royal Society because of her being female was understandable but frustrating for Fox. While Claire was used to being maligned and ignored for her intellect, he found it quite annoying and stood up for her when it counted. While Fox may have wanted to appear that he had no cares or concerns in the world other than his own pursuits, the truth of his real heart is seen by Claire and in turn she soon realizes that he could be the man for her. They share some steamy love scenes and seem destined for a happy ending. But of course secrets always have a way of coming out and the bet Fox made with his friend will destroy his chances with Claire unless he can find a way to salvage the trust between them. I loved how the story played out, the quick wit and delightful characters and seeing an unconventional couple find their soul mates. I highly recommend this story, and I look forward to catching up on the rest of the series!
Note: a copy of this story was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss for review.
This review appears as a blog post at Straight Shootin' Book Reviews: https://straightshootinbookreviews.co...
Lord Fox, on the other hand, isn't used to being overlooked so easily. The bluestocking Lady Cavendish clearly isn't impressed with him, and having just lost his fiancee to an actor (the scandal of which still hasn't blown over), it's another blow to his ego. When his long time school friend Mowbray challenges him to a bet to make Claire more acceptable to society, he knows he has his work cut out for him. But he's also determined to win. His attempts to charm her at subsequent social occasions go unanswered – until he realizes that introducing her to his friend the Duke of Ashbrooke could garner her attention.
Claire is certainly willing to put up with the vain and charming Lord Fox if he can bring her to the attention of the only man she traveled to England to meet! But a funny thing happens as she and Lord Fox spent time together – she grows to like the man for who he is, even if he has no understanding of math at all. And likewise, Fox becomes quite charmed by Claire's forthrightness, her complete lack of concern for her social status, and her ease in his company. Plus, he finds himself attracted to her, body and mind. But with the bet hanging over Fox, will he come clean to Claire about his original intentions before she finds out on her own and he loses the one woman who has stolen his heart?
What a delightful read! It's stories like this that have endeared me to historical romances for years. The banter in this one is so enjoyable, with the clearly smarter Claire trying at every turn to dissuade Lord Fox's interest by pulling no punches in her conversations with him, and he doggedly trying his best to keep her attention. Fox is a little bit shallow, it's true, but he admits it of himself. Plus, the way he refers to the Royal Society meetings that he escorts Claire to, both to Claire and in his internal monologue had me laughing out loud. As an example:
“There is another meeting of the Royal Society of Boring People to Death with Numbers, on Tuesday. I shall come 'round at two o'clock for you,” Fox told her as he held her hand when she alighted the carriage at Durham House.
And later: 'Fox continued to notice her fine figure while the ladies took tea with the Duchess of Ashbrooke. They seemed to get along exceedingly well. And then Lady Claire and he traveled down a vast corridor to the room where the Royal Society of People Who Were Immune from Death by Boredom of Numbers were gathered around a small machine in the center of the room.'
I loved seeing Fox and Claire come to the realization that they were attracted to each other despite their differences, and that they were really the yin to each others yang and understood one another so well. Claire's difficulty in being taken seriously by the Royal Society because of her being female was understandable but frustrating for Fox. While Claire was used to being maligned and ignored for her intellect, he found it quite annoying and stood up for her when it counted. While Fox may have wanted to appear that he had no cares or concerns in the world other than his own pursuits, the truth of his real heart is seen by Claire and in turn she soon realizes that he could be the man for her. They share some steamy love scenes and seem destined for a happy ending. But of course secrets always have a way of coming out and the bet Fox made with his friend will destroy his chances with Claire unless he can find a way to salvage the trust between them. I loved how the story played out, the quick wit and delightful characters and seeing an unconventional couple find their soul mates. I highly recommend this story, and I look forward to catching up on the rest of the series!
Note: a copy of this story was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss for review.
This review appears as a blog post at Straight Shootin' Book Reviews: https://straightshootinbookreviews.co...
August 16, 2018
i was so interested to see how this book will play out.
with lady claire being so intelligent, in love with math and annoyed with dolts.
and lord fox who's handsome, virile, lovable, interested in women and sports but if we are honest a complete DOLT!!!
with a pairing as different as them the book could either be a complete disaster or winner.
happy to say this one was GOOD!!!
with lady claire being so intelligent, in love with math and annoyed with dolts.
and lord fox who's handsome, virile, lovable, interested in women and sports but if we are honest a complete DOLT!!!
with a pairing as different as them the book could either be a complete disaster or winner.
happy to say this one was GOOD!!!
June 4, 2020
"Hate is passion. Love is passion. Sometimes people confuse the two."
4.5 stars!
Loosely inspired by the morbidly fascinating lives of the Kardashians, this novel was full of witty banter, crazy family antics, and just enough drama to keep you hooked. It was exactly what I needed to read at this time, so thank you Maya Rodale!
Claire just signed and rolled her eyes. This was the story of her life. Men explained things to her that she not only knew, but knew far more about.
Lady Claire is a brilliant mathematician who has been overlooked and criticized for her "undesirable quirks" and "unladylike pursuits" her entire life. After her brother inherits a Dukedom, Claire and her siblings move across the Atlantic and are thrust into Society life where she hopes to meet her idol and fellow mathematician, the Duke of Ashbrooke. Instead of meeting Ashbrooke and discussing his papers, she is forced to meet with countless gentlemen of the ton who are as uninterested in her and she is in them. Until she meets Lord Fox.
It was a truth universally acknowledged that Maximilian Frederick DeVere, Lord Fox, was God's gift to the ladies of London.
Lord Fox is secure in who he is and his place in Society--right on top. He is handsome beyond compare, endlessly charming, and capable of winning anything he sets his mind to...until his betrothed leaves him for another man. Fox is perfectly content to experience life through constant action--fencing, rowing, boxing, riding, finding pleasure in women--but when he loses for the first time in his life, his bruised Male Pride entices him to partake in a wager that changes the course of his life and may just find him more happiness than he thought possible.
She was...her. Cerebral, intelligent. He was...him. More brawn that brain--and content with that. The two of them together added up to nothing and it went without saying that she was an expert in something as basic as addition.
As soon as Fox makes the wager that he can turn Claire into the toast of Society, we know that things will not end well for our MCs. But as they spend more time together--Fox under the basis that he is trying to "change her", and Claire because spending time with him keeps other unwanted gentlemen away--we get to witness as their perceptions of each other change and they start to question what they once held as truth, and I loved it. Two small things I didn't enjoy in this novel: 1) it wasn't as steamy as I usually prefer in HRs and 2) there was a little too much back-and-forth/will-we-won't-we in the end. Overall, I absolutely loved this one and will definitely be checking out Maya's other books!
My Lord Fox, always smiling and charming beyond belief...
April 20, 2024
Review from 2017
I've given this an A for narration and a B for content at AudioGals (I liked the story more in audio.)
Anyone familiar with Maya Rodale’s current Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series can’t fail to have noticed that the plots of the previous books in the series (Lady Bridget’s Diary and Chasing Lady Amelia ) have been loosely based on famous films**. The plot of Lady Claire Is All That, the third instalment, is no exception, deriving a storyline from the 90s movie She’s All That, which in turn borrowed its plot from Pygmalion.
The basic premise is that of high-school jock – in this case an incredibly handsome, ridiculously wealthy, hugely popular marquess – meets and falls for high-school geek – here, a new-to-London American lady who is obsessed with mathematics and widely thought to be rather odd. It’s a fun, fluffy listen for the most part, but amid the froth, Ms. Rodale manages to make some pertinent points about sexism and feminism, and to include some moments of insight and introspection on the parts of both hero and heroine as they come to realise they need to make some major re-evaluations of their sense of self and plans for the future.
Lady Claire Cavendish is the oldest of the three sisters of James Cavendish, the American horse-breeder and trainer who unexpectedly inherited the title of Duke of Durham. The family has recently arrived in London (the three books in the series so far take place more or less concurrently, so can be listened to in any order) and while not snubbed outright – James is a duke, after all, and a wealthy one at that – there is no shortage of people prepared to titter behind their hands and poke fun at the unconventional behaviour of “those Americans”. The middle sister, Bridget, is desperate to fit in; the younger, Amelia, wants to be outrageous and Claire… doesn’t really care all that much. The only reason she has come to England is to meet Blake Auden, the Duke of Ashbrooke ( The Wicked Wallflower ) in the hopes of getting to speak with him about his invention – the Difference Engine – and advanced mathematics. She has cultivated a reputation for being an oddity and a bluestocking, and has quickly perfected her method of getting rid of any unwanted admirers – she talks at them about maths until they go away.
Maximillian De Vere, Lord Fox, is one of society’s darlings. He’s gorgeous, fit, rich and charming… women swoon over him, and he knows it, so he’s at a complete loss to explain why his equally gorgeous, charming fiancée just upped and left him to run away with an actor. For just about the first time in his life, Fox is confused and a bit vulnerable, which is why, when a friend needles him about the abrupt ending of his engagement, Fox brags that he could easily pick any young woman and turn her into a darling of the ton. His friend scoffs and a wager is made – but with the proviso that he, not Fox, gets to pick the recipient of Fox’s attention. Who gets picked? Yep. Got it in one. But it’s too late to back out and besides, Fox is and always has been one of life’s winners. In spite of a few misgivings, Fox’s arrogance carries the day and he even goes so far as to make his beloved dog – the best hunting dog in England – part of the wager.
When he approaches Lady Claire, however, he starts to realise the enormity of the task he has set for himself. She quite obviously has no interest in him, and while Fox freely admits he’s not the sharpest tool in the box, he does quickly work out that if he’s going to stand any chance of winning the bet, he’s going to have to change his approach. The way to Claire’s heart is clearly though her brain and love of mathematics, so incredibly, just a few days later, he’s introducing her to Ashbrooke and listening to them converse animatedly about things he can’t begin to understand, and escorting Claire to a maths lecture at the Royal Society.
As Claire and Fox spend more time together, it becomes harder and harder to ignore the intense attraction that has sprung up between them. When they’re together they can hardly keep their hands off each other, and when they’re apart, almost all they can think about is their next meeting. Claire is astonished to discover that she could be attracted to a man in a way that is not based on intellectual equality, and I admit, one of the things I disliked about her was the way she persists in thinking that Fox isn’t clever enough for her at the same time as she’s happy to snog and grope him at every available opportunity. But Fox isn’t stupid; it’s clear quite early on that his is a different kind of intelligence to Claire’s and he’s definitely bright enough to realise that all Claire is interested in is his body and to be hurt by it. Which, it has to be said, is a nice bit of role reversal.
Neither Fox nor Claire is perfect, and what Ms. Rodale does very well is to show the gradual evolution of their perceptions, both in terms of how they think of themselves and how they see each other. Claire comes to appreciate Fox for his good nature and honesty; Fox is fascinated by Claire’s intellect and realises that he loves her for what and who she is and that he doesn’t want her to change, even if it means losing the wager.
Lady Claire Is All That is an entertaining story, but I do have some criticisms. For one thing, Claire is a bit self-obsessed and is the sort who needs to keep reminding herself and everyone else how smart she is in order to validate her own sense of self-worth. Fox’s continual references to his being a “winner” get old quickly, the ending contains more cheese than you’d find at Fortnum and Mason, and there’s no denying that if you’re looking for historical accuracy in your historical romance, Ms. Rodale’s books aren’t really the place to go looking for it. But in spite of those things, it’s well-written, warm and funny, and the chemistry between the leads is delicious.
It’s always testament to the narrator’s skill when I find myself rating the content of a book more highly in audio than I did in print. Saskia Maarleveld does a terrific job here, the nationality of the heroine clearly informing her choice to perform the narrative using an American accent – which sounds spot-on to my English ears – and switching effortlessly between American and English accents when called for. The one time that choice jars, however, is when we are being told the story from Fox’s point of view, because it means that his thoughts are delivered in an American accent, and it doesn’t sound right. I could have wished that she had opted to perform the sections from Fox’s PoV in an English accent, but that’s just an observation rather than something that affected my overall rating. Oh – and one last thing on the subject of accents – which isn’t the narrator’s fault – is the fact that the word “Fox” when said using an American accent frequently sounds like a widely used four-letter word. Oops.
Ms. Maarleveld differentiates very effectively between all the characters, making it easy to tell the difference between the three Cavendish sisters, and between Fox, Ashbrooke and the other male characters in the story. She performs the romantic scenes with style and conviction, and I particularly enjoyed her interpretation of Fox, who sounds every bit the attractive, charming man he is meant to be. Lady Claire Is All That is an engaging, lighthearted listen that is sure to fit the bill when you’re next in the mood for a bit of romantic fluff.
** Bridget Jones’ Diary and Roman Holiday
I've given this an A for narration and a B for content at AudioGals (I liked the story more in audio.)
Anyone familiar with Maya Rodale’s current Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series can’t fail to have noticed that the plots of the previous books in the series (Lady Bridget’s Diary and Chasing Lady Amelia ) have been loosely based on famous films**. The plot of Lady Claire Is All That, the third instalment, is no exception, deriving a storyline from the 90s movie She’s All That, which in turn borrowed its plot from Pygmalion.
The basic premise is that of high-school jock – in this case an incredibly handsome, ridiculously wealthy, hugely popular marquess – meets and falls for high-school geek – here, a new-to-London American lady who is obsessed with mathematics and widely thought to be rather odd. It’s a fun, fluffy listen for the most part, but amid the froth, Ms. Rodale manages to make some pertinent points about sexism and feminism, and to include some moments of insight and introspection on the parts of both hero and heroine as they come to realise they need to make some major re-evaluations of their sense of self and plans for the future.
Lady Claire Cavendish is the oldest of the three sisters of James Cavendish, the American horse-breeder and trainer who unexpectedly inherited the title of Duke of Durham. The family has recently arrived in London (the three books in the series so far take place more or less concurrently, so can be listened to in any order) and while not snubbed outright – James is a duke, after all, and a wealthy one at that – there is no shortage of people prepared to titter behind their hands and poke fun at the unconventional behaviour of “those Americans”. The middle sister, Bridget, is desperate to fit in; the younger, Amelia, wants to be outrageous and Claire… doesn’t really care all that much. The only reason she has come to England is to meet Blake Auden, the Duke of Ashbrooke ( The Wicked Wallflower ) in the hopes of getting to speak with him about his invention – the Difference Engine – and advanced mathematics. She has cultivated a reputation for being an oddity and a bluestocking, and has quickly perfected her method of getting rid of any unwanted admirers – she talks at them about maths until they go away.
Maximillian De Vere, Lord Fox, is one of society’s darlings. He’s gorgeous, fit, rich and charming… women swoon over him, and he knows it, so he’s at a complete loss to explain why his equally gorgeous, charming fiancée just upped and left him to run away with an actor. For just about the first time in his life, Fox is confused and a bit vulnerable, which is why, when a friend needles him about the abrupt ending of his engagement, Fox brags that he could easily pick any young woman and turn her into a darling of the ton. His friend scoffs and a wager is made – but with the proviso that he, not Fox, gets to pick the recipient of Fox’s attention. Who gets picked? Yep. Got it in one. But it’s too late to back out and besides, Fox is and always has been one of life’s winners. In spite of a few misgivings, Fox’s arrogance carries the day and he even goes so far as to make his beloved dog – the best hunting dog in England – part of the wager.
When he approaches Lady Claire, however, he starts to realise the enormity of the task he has set for himself. She quite obviously has no interest in him, and while Fox freely admits he’s not the sharpest tool in the box, he does quickly work out that if he’s going to stand any chance of winning the bet, he’s going to have to change his approach. The way to Claire’s heart is clearly though her brain and love of mathematics, so incredibly, just a few days later, he’s introducing her to Ashbrooke and listening to them converse animatedly about things he can’t begin to understand, and escorting Claire to a maths lecture at the Royal Society.
As Claire and Fox spend more time together, it becomes harder and harder to ignore the intense attraction that has sprung up between them. When they’re together they can hardly keep their hands off each other, and when they’re apart, almost all they can think about is their next meeting. Claire is astonished to discover that she could be attracted to a man in a way that is not based on intellectual equality, and I admit, one of the things I disliked about her was the way she persists in thinking that Fox isn’t clever enough for her at the same time as she’s happy to snog and grope him at every available opportunity. But Fox isn’t stupid; it’s clear quite early on that his is a different kind of intelligence to Claire’s and he’s definitely bright enough to realise that all Claire is interested in is his body and to be hurt by it. Which, it has to be said, is a nice bit of role reversal.
Neither Fox nor Claire is perfect, and what Ms. Rodale does very well is to show the gradual evolution of their perceptions, both in terms of how they think of themselves and how they see each other. Claire comes to appreciate Fox for his good nature and honesty; Fox is fascinated by Claire’s intellect and realises that he loves her for what and who she is and that he doesn’t want her to change, even if it means losing the wager.
Lady Claire Is All That is an entertaining story, but I do have some criticisms. For one thing, Claire is a bit self-obsessed and is the sort who needs to keep reminding herself and everyone else how smart she is in order to validate her own sense of self-worth. Fox’s continual references to his being a “winner” get old quickly, the ending contains more cheese than you’d find at Fortnum and Mason, and there’s no denying that if you’re looking for historical accuracy in your historical romance, Ms. Rodale’s books aren’t really the place to go looking for it. But in spite of those things, it’s well-written, warm and funny, and the chemistry between the leads is delicious.
It’s always testament to the narrator’s skill when I find myself rating the content of a book more highly in audio than I did in print. Saskia Maarleveld does a terrific job here, the nationality of the heroine clearly informing her choice to perform the narrative using an American accent – which sounds spot-on to my English ears – and switching effortlessly between American and English accents when called for. The one time that choice jars, however, is when we are being told the story from Fox’s point of view, because it means that his thoughts are delivered in an American accent, and it doesn’t sound right. I could have wished that she had opted to perform the sections from Fox’s PoV in an English accent, but that’s just an observation rather than something that affected my overall rating. Oh – and one last thing on the subject of accents – which isn’t the narrator’s fault – is the fact that the word “Fox” when said using an American accent frequently sounds like a widely used four-letter word. Oops.
Ms. Maarleveld differentiates very effectively between all the characters, making it easy to tell the difference between the three Cavendish sisters, and between Fox, Ashbrooke and the other male characters in the story. She performs the romantic scenes with style and conviction, and I particularly enjoyed her interpretation of Fox, who sounds every bit the attractive, charming man he is meant to be. Lady Claire Is All That is an engaging, lighthearted listen that is sure to fit the bill when you’re next in the mood for a bit of romantic fluff.
** Bridget Jones’ Diary and Roman Holiday
February 13, 2018
Somehow, I had gotten the impression that Lord Fox would be akin to Henry Higgins and that Lady Claire Cavendish would parallel Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion/My Fair Lady. In fact, Lord Fox does make a wager that he can turn her into a lady acceptable to the haute ton. However, he does not have Lady Claire's cooperation, nor is she even aware that he hopes to change her.
Claire, one of three American sisters suddenly thrust upon British society when their brother unexpectedly inherits a dukedom, is quite happy the way she is and doesn't care much whether or not she fits into British high society. While she wears fashionable clothing (thanks to her aunt rather than her own preference), there's always something slightly askew. She wears spectacles and keeps her hair pulled back severely into a rigid bun. Her conversation in company is also odd, as she insists upon bringing up subjects that interest her but are shocking (for a woman) among her new peers. Rather than polite topics of conversation, she is disconcertingly forthright.
Her passion is mathematics and science. She is eager to meet the Duke of Ashbrooke and would love to visit the Royal Society, of which he is a leading member, to discuss and ask questions about the difference engine he has pioneered. As far as Claire is concerned, the chance to meet him is the only advantage of her new social position.
Lord Fox is quite the contrast. He loves competition and always wins, whether it's boxing or horse racing or wooing the ladies. He's a handsome, charming hunk of man, a loveable rake, and he enjoys being a darling of the ton. Heavy thinking? Not so much.
No one is more surprised than Claire when Fox singles her out at social events. They're clearly a mismatched couple, and his pursuit of her is a mathematical problem to her that just doesn't compute.
I do enjoy this author's light, playful writing style. Fox has various amusing names for the intellectual group Claire is enamoured with (such as Royal Society of X = Boredom) and suffers from an excess of Male Pride, which is frequently alluded to. There are also clever overlaps with the stories in the previous two books in this series involving the antics of Claire's sisters, Bridget and Amelia. Claire, as the eldest, is distressed to find that her own concerns have distracted her from protecting them as she believes she should. In all these books, my favorite scenes are invariably when all the siblings are together, teasing each other, getting on each other's nerves as only close-knit families can do.
As much as I enjoyed the story, the characters, the humor, and the writing, I wasn't as pleased with the resolution. I think the first two books had much better conclusions.
Still, it was entertaining, and I'm glad I read it. I look forward to the next in this series, It's Hard Out Here for a Duke: Keeping up with the Cavendishes. This aptly named book is about James Cavendish, the girls' brother, the new Duke of Durham.
Claire, one of three American sisters suddenly thrust upon British society when their brother unexpectedly inherits a dukedom, is quite happy the way she is and doesn't care much whether or not she fits into British high society. While she wears fashionable clothing (thanks to her aunt rather than her own preference), there's always something slightly askew. She wears spectacles and keeps her hair pulled back severely into a rigid bun. Her conversation in company is also odd, as she insists upon bringing up subjects that interest her but are shocking (for a woman) among her new peers. Rather than polite topics of conversation, she is disconcertingly forthright.
Her passion is mathematics and science. She is eager to meet the Duke of Ashbrooke and would love to visit the Royal Society, of which he is a leading member, to discuss and ask questions about the difference engine he has pioneered. As far as Claire is concerned, the chance to meet him is the only advantage of her new social position.
Lord Fox is quite the contrast. He loves competition and always wins, whether it's boxing or horse racing or wooing the ladies. He's a handsome, charming hunk of man, a loveable rake, and he enjoys being a darling of the ton. Heavy thinking? Not so much.
No one is more surprised than Claire when Fox singles her out at social events. They're clearly a mismatched couple, and his pursuit of her is a mathematical problem to her that just doesn't compute.
I do enjoy this author's light, playful writing style. Fox has various amusing names for the intellectual group Claire is enamoured with (such as Royal Society of X = Boredom) and suffers from an excess of Male Pride, which is frequently alluded to. There are also clever overlaps with the stories in the previous two books in this series involving the antics of Claire's sisters, Bridget and Amelia. Claire, as the eldest, is distressed to find that her own concerns have distracted her from protecting them as she believes she should. In all these books, my favorite scenes are invariably when all the siblings are together, teasing each other, getting on each other's nerves as only close-knit families can do.
As much as I enjoyed the story, the characters, the humor, and the writing, I wasn't as pleased with the resolution. I think the first two books had much better conclusions.
Still, it was entertaining, and I'm glad I read it. I look forward to the next in this series, It's Hard Out Here for a Duke: Keeping up with the Cavendishes. This aptly named book is about James Cavendish, the girls' brother, the new Duke of Durham.
March 18, 2017
It's super late, I'm super tired, and I have to wake up in four hours so I'll make this one quick :
"May I have the honour of this dance?"
"What does my dance card say?"
"It says Lord Fox for every dance." He didn't even look.
"That cannot be true."
"[as she's without her glasses] Well, you can't see to argue with me now, can you?"
LADY CLAIRE IS ALL THAT was so much fun. Like the previous installments, we have a historical romance loosely based on a modern film (and, in this case, the story of PYGMALION), and I just loved Rodale's give and take, forward and back, of the handsome charming dude meets unimpressed intelligent woman tale.
"You stayed through that entire conversation on mathematics. You must have been terribly bored."
"I was. But then I noticed I had a prime view down your bodice and I wasn't."
"Did you actually just say that aloud?"
These characters are lightyears apart in manner and yet are exactly what the other needs. It follows the standard plot line and yet was still funny and swoony and I definitely got swept up. I said in past reviews that I so love this Cavendish family and that hasn't changed. Though all three books are taking place simultaneously, in each one we see different angles, different conversations, of those same moments. It adds depth and flair to these characters and definitely keeps you from being bored.
"Speaking of math, fancy calculating the angles of our bedsheets?"
Unlike book two I thought the ebb and flow of Claire and Fox's romance was very consistent, except when it's not supposed to be, and as I love a good hate-to-love (though it was hardly hate in this case, just indifference) I'm naturally predisposed to enjoy this one more. But honestly it was just well executed. Though the themes are familiar, Rodale still had to make us love and care about the interests and struggles and flaws of her characters, and not just the main family. And she does that very well. Including characters we might have been feeling less kind to in book one. Again, different depths.
Can't wait for book four! I had thought maybe James' story would be slipped in amongst that of his sisters but I see he gets his own soon. And, after all the eyerolling and uncomfortable talks in the stables with his siblings over other men, he definitely deserves it.
4.5 "so many pi(e) jokes" stars
"May I have the honour of this dance?"
"What does my dance card say?"
"It says Lord Fox for every dance." He didn't even look.
"That cannot be true."
"[as she's without her glasses] Well, you can't see to argue with me now, can you?"
LADY CLAIRE IS ALL THAT was so much fun. Like the previous installments, we have a historical romance loosely based on a modern film (and, in this case, the story of PYGMALION), and I just loved Rodale's give and take, forward and back, of the handsome charming dude meets unimpressed intelligent woman tale.
"You stayed through that entire conversation on mathematics. You must have been terribly bored."
"I was. But then I noticed I had a prime view down your bodice and I wasn't."
"Did you actually just say that aloud?"
These characters are lightyears apart in manner and yet are exactly what the other needs. It follows the standard plot line and yet was still funny and swoony and I definitely got swept up. I said in past reviews that I so love this Cavendish family and that hasn't changed. Though all three books are taking place simultaneously, in each one we see different angles, different conversations, of those same moments. It adds depth and flair to these characters and definitely keeps you from being bored.
"Speaking of math, fancy calculating the angles of our bedsheets?"
Unlike book two I thought the ebb and flow of Claire and Fox's romance was very consistent, except when it's not supposed to be, and as I love a good hate-to-love (though it was hardly hate in this case, just indifference) I'm naturally predisposed to enjoy this one more. But honestly it was just well executed. Though the themes are familiar, Rodale still had to make us love and care about the interests and struggles and flaws of her characters, and not just the main family. And she does that very well. Including characters we might have been feeling less kind to in book one. Again, different depths.
Can't wait for book four! I had thought maybe James' story would be slipped in amongst that of his sisters but I see he gets his own soon. And, after all the eyerolling and uncomfortable talks in the stables with his siblings over other men, he definitely deserves it.
4.5 "so many pi(e) jokes" stars
June 12, 2017
4 stars!
This book had been on my mind since I read the synopsis and I literally went to the bookstore to buy it and sat in for a read.
I was no disappointed in the slightest. We have such a strong female in Claire and a sweet guy in Fox. They were such a good couple and they were actually so cute together...and funny! So funny.
I will be reading more of Maya Rodale's books and I cannot wait to do just that!
This book had been on my mind since I read the synopsis and I literally went to the bookstore to buy it and sat in for a read.
I was no disappointed in the slightest. We have such a strong female in Claire and a sweet guy in Fox. They were such a good couple and they were actually so cute together...and funny! So funny.
I will be reading more of Maya Rodale's books and I cannot wait to do just that!
April 22, 2019
Fun, but it got a little cheesy and predictable at the end.
Also didn’t realize this was the third book in the series and I think I’m a little more intrigued by the other characters and their happy endings. I’ll probably read those.
Also didn’t realize this was the third book in the series and I think I’m a little more intrigued by the other characters and their happy endings. I’ll probably read those.
February 16, 2017
Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Apparently I have a reading quirk. When I am sick, and only when I’m sick, I have to read Maya Rodale. Her work has too many cute pop culture references to suit me in a normal state. But when I’m loaded up on Nyquil, nothing makes me quite as happy as a Maya Rodale novel.
Lady Claire Is All That is a homage to the movie She’s All That, but since I am apparently one of the only people on earth who never saw the latter I have no basis for comparison. It’s also supposed to be a tribute to Ada Lovelace, a mathematician who really did exist. However, the only thing that Lady Claire and Ada have in common is that they both love math. It’s also the third book in the Keeping Up With the Cavendishes series. I read the first book, Lady Bridget’s Diary (Grade: B-), but not the second, and I didn’t feel I had missed much in terms of being able to follow Book #3. However, I did think that the first book laid the groundwork for the plight of the Cavendish family. Also, the books take place at roughly the same time, so I did enjoy seeing the misadventures of the first book play out in the background of Lady Claire’s story.
Even without the Nyquil, this book is quite charming. For one thing, while I loathe math, I LOVE a brainy heroine. I also found it incredibly relatable that while Fox hates math from the first page of the book to the last, he loves that Claire loves math. He loves her enthusiasm, if not the topic about which she is enthused. Claire is never that interested in sports, but she recognizes that doing a sport well does in fact require considerable intelligence, and she recognizes that Fox is much smarter than he thinks he is. They are able to appreciate each other’s interests without actually wanting to participate in them.
To say that I only like this author’s work when I am, let’s face it, incredibly stoned on cold medicine is not high praise, but it’s not an insult either. It takes a special writing quality and considerable skill to both soothe and entertain someone who is sick and miserable, and I had a wonderful time hanging out under my electric blanket reading this book. The language is quite lovely and the story is both simple and entertaining. The characters are fun – for all his faults, Fox is quite engaging. Claire is utterly delightful. Francesca, the Alpha Mean Girl, is suitably mean and unexpectedly awesome. It’s a lovely world to spend time in, and a lovely collection of characters to spend time with.
- Carrie S.
Apparently I have a reading quirk. When I am sick, and only when I’m sick, I have to read Maya Rodale. Her work has too many cute pop culture references to suit me in a normal state. But when I’m loaded up on Nyquil, nothing makes me quite as happy as a Maya Rodale novel.
Lady Claire Is All That is a homage to the movie She’s All That, but since I am apparently one of the only people on earth who never saw the latter I have no basis for comparison. It’s also supposed to be a tribute to Ada Lovelace, a mathematician who really did exist. However, the only thing that Lady Claire and Ada have in common is that they both love math. It’s also the third book in the Keeping Up With the Cavendishes series. I read the first book, Lady Bridget’s Diary (Grade: B-), but not the second, and I didn’t feel I had missed much in terms of being able to follow Book #3. However, I did think that the first book laid the groundwork for the plight of the Cavendish family. Also, the books take place at roughly the same time, so I did enjoy seeing the misadventures of the first book play out in the background of Lady Claire’s story.
Even without the Nyquil, this book is quite charming. For one thing, while I loathe math, I LOVE a brainy heroine. I also found it incredibly relatable that while Fox hates math from the first page of the book to the last, he loves that Claire loves math. He loves her enthusiasm, if not the topic about which she is enthused. Claire is never that interested in sports, but she recognizes that doing a sport well does in fact require considerable intelligence, and she recognizes that Fox is much smarter than he thinks he is. They are able to appreciate each other’s interests without actually wanting to participate in them.
To say that I only like this author’s work when I am, let’s face it, incredibly stoned on cold medicine is not high praise, but it’s not an insult either. It takes a special writing quality and considerable skill to both soothe and entertain someone who is sick and miserable, and I had a wonderful time hanging out under my electric blanket reading this book. The language is quite lovely and the story is both simple and entertaining. The characters are fun – for all his faults, Fox is quite engaging. Claire is utterly delightful. Francesca, the Alpha Mean Girl, is suitably mean and unexpectedly awesome. It’s a lovely world to spend time in, and a lovely collection of characters to spend time with.
- Carrie S.
December 12, 2017
Review posted on Got Fiction?
Sigh. I want to like this series. Lady Bridget’s Diary was fun, but it had a lot of the same problems I’m seeing here, and for sure in Chasing Lady Amelia
When you use a movie, for example She’s All That, for inspiration, you run the risk of readers using those actors as the characters. Add that to the fact that I feel like this whole series is full of teenagers rather than adults, and sadly, I feel as if I’m reading about teenagers.
Lady Claire is the eldest of the Cavendish sisters, with their brother being the new duke. They’re Americans, and although their father was the duke, when he met their mother, he gave up the title and they ran off to America. His brother took over, but died without heirs. So, The four Cavendish siblings moved to England.
Claire is a brilliant mathematician. She also feels responsible for her sisters’ happiness and figures if she marries, they’ll be on their own (they wouldn’t be really though). So her brilliant brain decides to deliberately sabotage any chance to meet an eligible man by boring him with math. Add that to the fact that while her dresses are the height of fashion, she keeps her hair pulled back in a bun and doesn’t really care how she looks. She gets a reputation of being odd.
Fox is nursing a broken heart. His fiancee has just run off with an actor. He loved her, or so he thought. He is known for winning. That’s it. Just, always winning. Whether in cards, sport, or women, he wins. But he’s lucky he’s pretty because he’s not especially smart, or so it is said every other paragraph. His friend bets him he can’t turn Claire into one of thepopular kids Haute Ton. Fox refuses to lose, so even though she looks like a lost cause, he turns on the charm.
The charm doesn’t work.
But this is where I found Fox to be a good hero. He got to know Claire and found out what she liked, and in the process, he began to like her. And I began to like him. He’s not my favorite hero or anything, but I liked how he tried. He basically is a dumb jock. But he’s not dumb. He just is smart about other things. But he’s all about his looks. That was hard to like at first, which is why I liked how he changed.
I almost didn’t finish this book because by a quarter of the way in, I’d become so irritated with Claire’s intelligence being shoved down my throat, and Fox’s constant quips about not thinking too hard since he wasn’t smart or anything. I’m glad I finished it though, because it did get better, albeit not a lot. I like who Fox became. He was the character who had the most growth, and it was really subtle and organic. Claire, though? She did sort of grow, and it’s not that I didn’t like her, but she didn’t give Fox enough credit.
Oh! And there’s a certain subplot just…left hanging. I don’t see it being addressed in the next book, since it doesn’t pertain to the duke’s story, but wow, it drove me nuts not seeing any resolution.
This author is such a good writer, I just wish her characters behaved a bit more maturely. They act like teens, based off a movie about high school kids, and at the end of a day, I wanted someone to stand up and act like an adult.
Note: All four books run concurrently, so you see a lot of the same things happen but from a different angle. This isn’t repetitive, which was nice, but for some reason, the books can feel a bit disjointed.
***ARC courtesy from Avon Books
Sigh. I want to like this series. Lady Bridget’s Diary was fun, but it had a lot of the same problems I’m seeing here, and for sure in Chasing Lady Amelia
When you use a movie, for example She’s All That, for inspiration, you run the risk of readers using those actors as the characters. Add that to the fact that I feel like this whole series is full of teenagers rather than adults, and sadly, I feel as if I’m reading about teenagers.
Lady Claire is the eldest of the Cavendish sisters, with their brother being the new duke. They’re Americans, and although their father was the duke, when he met their mother, he gave up the title and they ran off to America. His brother took over, but died without heirs. So, The four Cavendish siblings moved to England.
Claire is a brilliant mathematician. She also feels responsible for her sisters’ happiness and figures if she marries, they’ll be on their own (they wouldn’t be really though). So her brilliant brain decides to deliberately sabotage any chance to meet an eligible man by boring him with math. Add that to the fact that while her dresses are the height of fashion, she keeps her hair pulled back in a bun and doesn’t really care how she looks. She gets a reputation of being odd.
Fox is nursing a broken heart. His fiancee has just run off with an actor. He loved her, or so he thought. He is known for winning. That’s it. Just, always winning. Whether in cards, sport, or women, he wins. But he’s lucky he’s pretty because he’s not especially smart, or so it is said every other paragraph. His friend bets him he can’t turn Claire into one of the
The charm doesn’t work.
But this is where I found Fox to be a good hero. He got to know Claire and found out what she liked, and in the process, he began to like her. And I began to like him. He’s not my favorite hero or anything, but I liked how he tried. He basically is a dumb jock. But he’s not dumb. He just is smart about other things. But he’s all about his looks. That was hard to like at first, which is why I liked how he changed.
I almost didn’t finish this book because by a quarter of the way in, I’d become so irritated with Claire’s intelligence being shoved down my throat, and Fox’s constant quips about not thinking too hard since he wasn’t smart or anything. I’m glad I finished it though, because it did get better, albeit not a lot. I like who Fox became. He was the character who had the most growth, and it was really subtle and organic. Claire, though? She did sort of grow, and it’s not that I didn’t like her, but she didn’t give Fox enough credit.
Oh! And there’s a certain subplot just…left hanging. I don’t see it being addressed in the next book, since it doesn’t pertain to the duke’s story, but wow, it drove me nuts not seeing any resolution.
This author is such a good writer, I just wish her characters behaved a bit more maturely. They act like teens, based off a movie about high school kids, and at the end of a day, I wanted someone to stand up and act like an adult.
Note: All four books run concurrently, so you see a lot of the same things happen but from a different angle. This isn’t repetitive, which was nice, but for some reason, the books can feel a bit disjointed.
***ARC courtesy from Avon Books
December 21, 2016
This is the third book in the series and I have read the second book, Chasing Lady Amelia. These books take place in the same timeline, so they don’t have to be read in order and each can be read as a standalone.
Lady Claire Is All That was an “opposites attract” type of romance and what I enjoyed the most was that neither one of them wanted the other to change. I really liked to see how the relationship developed. And though the romance was very sweet, I wanted more sexy times, ’cause I prefer my romances steamier. Two antagonist characters who caused some – predictable – conflicts, weren’t imperative to the story. The conflicts could have been handled in a more organic way.
It was well written and a page turner, the tone was fun and humorous, as you can expect from Rodale’s novels. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, James and Meredith’s story!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
February 3, 2017
I think this is my favorite of the series so far. Great Narration by Saskia Maarleveld. (audible review)
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Claire she was so funny with her math. And Fox was too funny with his thoughts during some of the math lectures. They made a great couple. They had some great chemistry and some great witty banter.
The story line and plot was great. I loved it. Trying to make her a Jewel of the Ton and her filling her dance card with Lords all named after math equations. Too funny.
I am a big Maya Rodale fan, she writes fun enjoyable books with great characters.
As for the narration it was great I really like Saskia Maarleveld. She does a great job on the men's voices. She has a great reading voice and reads with emotion. Everyone has their own voice and you always knows who is speaking. Great job!
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Claire she was so funny with her math. And Fox was too funny with his thoughts during some of the math lectures. They made a great couple. They had some great chemistry and some great witty banter.
The story line and plot was great. I loved it. Trying to make her a Jewel of the Ton and her filling her dance card with Lords all named after math equations. Too funny.
I am a big Maya Rodale fan, she writes fun enjoyable books with great characters.
As for the narration it was great I really like Saskia Maarleveld. She does a great job on the men's voices. She has a great reading voice and reads with emotion. Everyone has their own voice and you always knows who is speaking. Great job!
October 9, 2016
Maya Rodale has a delightfully witty and charming style, which makes even familiar plot devices interesting and worthwhile. Lady Claire is All That is a clever and lighter reimagining of Pygmalion, with a proper mathematician and an unrepentant rake as the main characters. Although there were no plot surprises, the story developed smoothly and the characters had plenty of chemistry to spare. I'm very much looking forward to the conclusion of this series, it's been highly entertaining thus far. Recommend!
dnf
August 13, 2020DNFed @59%
If I had known this was based on a movie, I wouldn't even have started reading it.
This didn't work on me on several levels:
-Claire wasn't interested in Fox She pretty much ignored the guy everywhere and then realized he had muscles. There was no spark. I never saw her interested in him as a person.
-Claire was an arrogant bore She clearly thought that she was better than other people because she was smart and she didn't care for what other people brought to the table. I'm sure Lady Lovelace (the real woman mathematician in which this part of the character was based) wasn't such a bore.
-Claire didn't care for anything that Fox could provide If she had been a nerd longing to be noticed or get friends, then there would have been something that Fox could do for her, besides sexing her up. As it was, she had no interest in the ton, fashion or friends outside her family.
If he want to read a book with this trope really well executed, just read Mr. Impossible.
If I had known this was based on a movie, I wouldn't even have started reading it.
This didn't work on me on several levels:
-Claire wasn't interested in Fox She pretty much ignored the guy everywhere and then realized he had muscles. There was no spark. I never saw her interested in him as a person.
-Claire was an arrogant bore She clearly thought that she was better than other people because she was smart and she didn't care for what other people brought to the table. I'm sure Lady Lovelace (the real woman mathematician in which this part of the character was based) wasn't such a bore.
-Claire didn't care for anything that Fox could provide If she had been a nerd longing to be noticed or get friends, then there would have been something that Fox could do for her, besides sexing her up. As it was, she had no interest in the ton, fashion or friends outside her family.
If he want to read a book with this trope really well executed, just read Mr. Impossible.
May 14, 2018
4.25 Stars
Fun retelling of Pygmalion, My Fair Lady, and She's All That with a mathematics-loving heroine and a jilted rake of a hero. Really enjoyed the evolution of the relationship between Fox and Claire. It felt organic and was very entertaining to read.
I received an eARC of this book from Avon via the Avon Addicts Program in exchange for an honest review.
Fun retelling of Pygmalion, My Fair Lady, and She's All That with a mathematics-loving heroine and a jilted rake of a hero. Really enjoyed the evolution of the relationship between Fox and Claire. It felt organic and was very entertaining to read.
I received an eARC of this book from Avon via the Avon Addicts Program in exchange for an honest review.
February 20, 2018
Better than the previous two. :)
December 26, 2016
I’m so glad that I am ending 2016 on a high, especially with one of my favourite genres; historical romance. In fact Maya Rodale’s Keeping up with the Cavendishes series has been one of the highlights of 2016 for me, I fell in love with the first book Lady Bridget’s Diary and that feeling has only increased with the subsequent books. And now we have Lady Claire is All That, which has now has the honoured place of ‘fave in series’ so far at least.
Have you ever watched the film She’s All That? Well if not you should, I was a teen when it was released and along with 10 Things I Hate About You, it has become one of those films that remind me of a certain time in my life…teenagerdom. Not that Lady Claire is All That has anything to do with moody teenagers. But, much like She’s All That, it is centred around a stupid bet, that an idiot jock makes with his equally idiotic friends. Rodale takes this concept and runs with it.
Lady Claire is the brainy one in the Cavendish tribe and she uses her sharp intelligence and aptitude for math’s to keep the ton and especially gentleman away. That is until Lord Fox enters the scene. Because of the aforementioned bet made under the tyranny of his Male Pride. He must make Lady Claire the most the belle of the ball or lose the one thing he loves most in the world…his loyal companion, Stella. His dog.
So, you need to bear with me, for once it is easy to explain why I liked the heroine but a little harder to explain how Lord Fox, who is essentially the male equivalent of a dumb blonde with all the depth of a puddle, manages to win me over. Lady Claire, she’s clever, she’s loving, she goes for what she wants despite the heavy restrictions placed upon her because of her gender. What’s not to both admire and like?
Fox…he enjoys women and sports and tries to enjoy all the aspects of being a rich, ridiculously handsome, entitled peer. At least that’s how he seems at first. Until he starts to both grow on you and grow as a character. Much like Claire, he pursues his sporting activities to the best of his abilities, he dedicates himself to them. This supposedly dumb character understands the dynamics and science behind a boxing match…so it isn’t simply two grown men pummelling each other, but instead an elegant dance, a battle involving both skill and tactics. And slowly and surely you realise that perhaps, much like Claire herself, you’ve misjudged him as a pretty but witless addition to a ballroom. Perhaps he’s a little bit more, perhaps that puddle is a little bit deeper.
And that is why I liked this book so much, it made me change my opinion of a character I thought he was thing, yet watched him transform into something else. Without him really changing at all. And the romance? It’s a case of opposites attract, Claire and Fox are completely different kinds of people and yet they somehow fit perfectly. I really enjoyed reading as Claire slowly and surely, much like me, came to realise that actually Fox may be exactly the right person for her.
I highly recommend you give this book a try, it’s one of my favourite books of 2016. You don’t need to have read the previous books in the series but they are well worth reading first anyways. As you can tell from the length of this review…I loved it and now can’t wait to read the next in the series.
*ARC provided by publisher
Reviewed by Suzanne
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December 16, 2016
Lady Claire Is All That is the third book in the 'Keeping Up with the Cavendishes' series by Maya Rodale. I have read the second book in the series, but not the first (yet) and although this is a series of books, each can be read as a stand alone one.
This is the story of Claire Cavendish. She is a 'brainbox', who is more interested in mathematics, and calculations than she is men. She hasn't a care for her appearance, neat, tidy and sensible far outranks, a simpering, prettily dressed facade for her.
Lord Fox is everything that Claire is NOT looking for in a man. He's way too confident with his looks, and is used to women swooning over him. OK, so she will admit that he has a very fine body, muscles in all the right places etc. She doesn't want brawn though, she wants any man she dates to be of the intellectual variety, one that she can converse with easily and have lively discussions about all things mathematical.
Lord Fox isn't interested in Claire at all, she is definitely too boring for him. But when his friend, Mowbray, issues him with a bet that Fox couldn't make a 'real' lady of Claire within a couple of weeks, a lady that the Ton would admire and make a fuss of, his ego knows no bounds, and he agrees to the bet. I mean how hard can it be for him to woo a woman who he believes will be like all the others, one who will hang off his every word. He would have her in the palm of his hand and then he would encourage her to dress prettier, get rid of her glasses, be more feminine. Pretty much he would change her altogether. Yes he was going to take the bet, and was determined to win it.
When he first approaches Claire to flirt and start his campaign, he is shocked to find that his usual charm doesn't work with her. No swooning when he winks, no adoring looks while he paid her attention, and was charm personified. Still a man with his ego knows no bounds and he is determined to win her over and win his bet.
The more effort he puts in to being with Claire the more they realise that if nothing else they are physically attracted to each other. Fox even ends up feeling hurt when he realises that she doesn't think he could be good enough for because he isn't as intelligent as she would like him to be. How on Earth can they have any kind of relationship, let alone Fox win his bet when Claire pretty much thinks she is too good for him! And of course, if she were to feel stronger feelings than lust towards him, what will happen if she finds out about the bet?? Definitely not a good way to start any sort of relationship.
This was a wonderful book to read, not least because it was so strange to read about a woman treating a man, a titled man at that, pretty much like a bimbo. Fox is by no means a stupid man, and the way Claire looks down on him is really annoying to begin with. But then I appreciated the fact that it was a turn around on how the story normally goes, with the woman being looked down upon. It was most novel. I really enjoyed their relationship developing, though dreaded reading what would happen when Claire found out about the bet. To say I was surprised at her reaction was an understatement, but it was definitely great to read. I love the Cavendish family, and I look forward to reading a story about the brother finding love....maybe in the next book???
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book
This is the story of Claire Cavendish. She is a 'brainbox', who is more interested in mathematics, and calculations than she is men. She hasn't a care for her appearance, neat, tidy and sensible far outranks, a simpering, prettily dressed facade for her.
Lord Fox is everything that Claire is NOT looking for in a man. He's way too confident with his looks, and is used to women swooning over him. OK, so she will admit that he has a very fine body, muscles in all the right places etc. She doesn't want brawn though, she wants any man she dates to be of the intellectual variety, one that she can converse with easily and have lively discussions about all things mathematical.
Lord Fox isn't interested in Claire at all, she is definitely too boring for him. But when his friend, Mowbray, issues him with a bet that Fox couldn't make a 'real' lady of Claire within a couple of weeks, a lady that the Ton would admire and make a fuss of, his ego knows no bounds, and he agrees to the bet. I mean how hard can it be for him to woo a woman who he believes will be like all the others, one who will hang off his every word. He would have her in the palm of his hand and then he would encourage her to dress prettier, get rid of her glasses, be more feminine. Pretty much he would change her altogether. Yes he was going to take the bet, and was determined to win it.
When he first approaches Claire to flirt and start his campaign, he is shocked to find that his usual charm doesn't work with her. No swooning when he winks, no adoring looks while he paid her attention, and was charm personified. Still a man with his ego knows no bounds and he is determined to win her over and win his bet.
The more effort he puts in to being with Claire the more they realise that if nothing else they are physically attracted to each other. Fox even ends up feeling hurt when he realises that she doesn't think he could be good enough for because he isn't as intelligent as she would like him to be. How on Earth can they have any kind of relationship, let alone Fox win his bet when Claire pretty much thinks she is too good for him! And of course, if she were to feel stronger feelings than lust towards him, what will happen if she finds out about the bet?? Definitely not a good way to start any sort of relationship.
This was a wonderful book to read, not least because it was so strange to read about a woman treating a man, a titled man at that, pretty much like a bimbo. Fox is by no means a stupid man, and the way Claire looks down on him is really annoying to begin with. But then I appreciated the fact that it was a turn around on how the story normally goes, with the woman being looked down upon. It was most novel. I really enjoyed their relationship developing, though dreaded reading what would happen when Claire found out about the bet. To say I was surprised at her reaction was an understatement, but it was definitely great to read. I love the Cavendish family, and I look forward to reading a story about the brother finding love....maybe in the next book???
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book
May 14, 2019
The story of Claire Cavendish and Lord Fox, two completely opposite people who make an unlikely, yet very well suited couple.
Fox's fiance has just eloped with an actor, leaving Fox uncertain and slightly insecure. One of his "friends" who has always been jealous of him, takes advantage of his state and dares him into a bet, to turn one of the scandalous American sisters into the darling of the ton.
This is why Fox first approaches Claire, who is puzzled by his attentions and tries to shake him off, but he's having none of it and slowly the two form an unlikely friendship. Claire begins to see him as more than a brainless aristocrat, and Fox starts to think that maybe changing her isn't the best idea after all.
The attraction between them is undeniable and makes them both reconsider their opinions, but the bet causes a rift between them that they must bridge before they can reach their happily ever after.
Enjoyable story that saw the last of the Cavendish sisters get her perfect match, .
The only Cavendish sibling not yet happily married is their big brother, the reluctant Duke, whose story comes follows in It's Hard Out Here for a Duke.
Previous book reviews:
✦ Chasing Lady Amelia (Keeping Up with the Cavendishes #2)
✦ Lady Bridget's Diary (Keeping Up with the Cavendishes, #1)
Fox's fiance has just eloped with an actor, leaving Fox uncertain and slightly insecure. One of his "friends" who has always been jealous of him, takes advantage of his state and dares him into a bet, to turn one of the scandalous American sisters into the darling of the ton.
This is why Fox first approaches Claire, who is puzzled by his attentions and tries to shake him off, but he's having none of it and slowly the two form an unlikely friendship. Claire begins to see him as more than a brainless aristocrat, and Fox starts to think that maybe changing her isn't the best idea after all.
The attraction between them is undeniable and makes them both reconsider their opinions, but the bet causes a rift between them that they must bridge before they can reach their happily ever after.
Enjoyable story that saw the last of the Cavendish sisters get her perfect match, .
The only Cavendish sibling not yet happily married is their big brother, the reluctant Duke, whose story comes follows in It's Hard Out Here for a Duke.
Previous book reviews:
✦ Chasing Lady Amelia (Keeping Up with the Cavendishes #2)
✦ Lady Bridget's Diary (Keeping Up with the Cavendishes, #1)
December 22, 2016
Lady Claire Is All That was an absolutely delightful Regency romance that had me smiling and chuckling too many times to count. When a wager between two aristocratic friends unexpectedly caused one of them to fall in love with an American bluestocking, the fun and drama truly began.
“I want to be with you, Claire. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever.”
I was at a little bit of a disadvantage starting with book three in this series so I didn’t get to see where Claire’s sisters’ stories began, but it was fairly easy to follow along. (I’m definitely going to read the first two books as well though. It was that much fun!) I have read and enjoyed Maya Rodale’s writing in the past and was happy to find that this was every bit as lively and entertaining as I hoped it would be from the book synopsis.
Read More
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Original Notes:
This was a lively, delightful Regency romance that had me smiling and chuckling too many times to count. I will admit that I wasn't happy with the attitude of either protagonist to start with but it didn't take long to really warm up to them. Fox turned out to be a 'gentle giant' of a man, with a kind heart and a passionate nature. Claire became more approachable as she learned there was something to be said about intimacy and feelings of desire. The plot wasn't over-complicated but it worked well for this duo. Full review to come.
“I want to be with you, Claire. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever.”
I was at a little bit of a disadvantage starting with book three in this series so I didn’t get to see where Claire’s sisters’ stories began, but it was fairly easy to follow along. (I’m definitely going to read the first two books as well though. It was that much fun!) I have read and enjoyed Maya Rodale’s writing in the past and was happy to find that this was every bit as lively and entertaining as I hoped it would be from the book synopsis.
Read More
______________________
Original Notes:
This was a lively, delightful Regency romance that had me smiling and chuckling too many times to count. I will admit that I wasn't happy with the attitude of either protagonist to start with but it didn't take long to really warm up to them. Fox turned out to be a 'gentle giant' of a man, with a kind heart and a passionate nature. Claire became more approachable as she learned there was something to be said about intimacy and feelings of desire. The plot wasn't over-complicated but it worked well for this duo. Full review to come.
October 8, 2017
This was a fun one. Claire and Fox SO did not fit together. She was smart and talked about maths until people wanted to stick needles in their eyes. While Fox was the golden one of society, handsome, perfect, he had everything (until he was dumped for an actor.) Also he has no idea what Claire drones on about and she thinks he is an idiot.
Of course, there lies a drama in it all. He makes a stupid bet that he can make her into a ton darling. Really stupid man, but then the man pushing him is even more of an idiot.
Claire was so fun, she did not give a damn about the things you should discuss. She just wanted to find someone to discuss math with.
And Fox, even if he did not understand a thing she said, he did start to understand her and I liked how he fell for her. He fell for her, while she might more have fallen for those kisses at first ;)
As I read it I had to check if her sisters stories were coming, seems they already had been told. And I do think those might be fun too.
All in all, fun, cute light read.
Of course, there lies a drama in it all. He makes a stupid bet that he can make her into a ton darling. Really stupid man, but then the man pushing him is even more of an idiot.
Claire was so fun, she did not give a damn about the things you should discuss. She just wanted to find someone to discuss math with.
And Fox, even if he did not understand a thing she said, he did start to understand her and I liked how he fell for her. He fell for her, while she might more have fallen for those kisses at first ;)
As I read it I had to check if her sisters stories were coming, seems they already had been told. And I do think those might be fun too.
All in all, fun, cute light read.
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