The Earl of Rookdean did not want to host a house party. Miss Clara Lockwood did not want to attend the Earl of Rookdean’s house party. You don’t always get what you want…
At a masquerade ball on the opening night, Rookdean encounters a captivating Grecian-dressed goddess. With identities hidden, will his heart be able to find what his eyes cannot see?
It started by chance, in a moonlit sunken garden. It leads to a week of concealed passion, deception and misunderstanding. With a house full of hidden desires, demanding men, song, charades, debutantes and…Lady Minkworth – who wouldn’t want a house party?
This regency novella (49,000 words) is the second standalone story in The Captivating Debutantes Series. Heat level: Sensual. 3 out of 5.
Emily grew up in the north of England on a diet of historical romance and strong tea.
Unfortunately, you couldn’t study Regency slang, so she did the next best thing and gained a degree in Classics and History instead. This ‘led’ to an eight-year stint in engineering.
Having left city life, she now lives in a dilapidated farmhouse where her days are spent writing, fixing the leaky roof, battling the endless vegetation and finding pictures of well-tied cravats.
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I wanted to like this one, but unfortunately I didn't. It begins with the H waiting for a widow that he's set up a dalliance with. The h stumbles upon him instead and thus this tale of mistaken identities and misunderstandings ensues. It was hard to like the H. He's not a rake, but we also hear about his mistresses and preferences. He's also one of those Hs who isn't very nice. He sometimes tries, but most of the time he doesn't feel the need to tone down the arrogance or domineering attitude.
Then there's the h who can't help but be attracted to the H. Honestly, I have no idea how the h even fell in love with him. They didn't spend much time on page getting to know one another. I know this is a novella, but still. And then there's the scene where the h is assaulted. I just can't recommend this to anyone.
3.5 stars Amazon KU *Note: I marked this as clean but it's not like cleeeeeaaaan. But there's no graphic doing the actual deed. Which was weird because there was detailed other scenes. Whatev.
This book had so few ratings and reviews, I didn't really know what I was going to get. This is no Caldwell written romance but it kept me interested. I had a few issues here and there with the writing style but nothing I couldn't ignore. All in all I'm pretty happy that I found a historical romance author that I can read when I'm not looking for anything too heavy.
Good story. I might see what else she's got but I am not really a fan of clean stories so we'll see.
Like others I was a bit concerned when the hero starts to comfort the heroine after someone else assaults her...the hero is a bit alpha but it works out in the end.
Another great read, Jack aka Cupid as I’m dubbing him was at it again, he just can’t help his friends enough when it’s a matter of the heart even if they don’t know it. I really like Rook, although he was rather pompous when it came to young ladies. Not all were scatter brained, as he soon found out. Carla was a strong minded women, well educated, beautiful on the inside and out.
Good early effort by Emily Windsor. A bit trope-y, but with nice doses of humor and a likable h. I wasn't sure if I bought into the H at times, his character seemed underdeveloped and I was wondering if I missed something. He starts out as a rake who's after the party's "mean girl." Then after he kisses h at a masquerade he becomes somewhat un-rakey? He's basically hot and cold for most of the rest of the story.
Other Things That Made Me Go Hmmm....(POSSIBLE SPOILERS): "Mean girl" pretty much disappears from the plot, which kind of threw me off. There is some surprising brutality in the attempted rape scenes with the villain, and I wasn't completely sold on H's "I'll calm the h down by kissing her gently" bit. The only character who is aware that h is "masquerade girl" saw her run away from H in alarm but didn't think to tell anyone to check on her. Seemed weird when that was revealed.
I was hoping that Jack, the H's friend, might be the MC of a subsequent book, but he doesn't seem to crop up. Too bad this series only has three entries, because I really liked Jack.
I did like this book, but the character development isn't quite up to the level that you'll find in the author's recent books. "A Governess Should Never Tempt a Prizefighter" and "Rake of Hearts" are both excellent.
So nice I read it twice. Centered around a one-week house party, this is a bit of a comedy of errors. Unrevealed identities at a masquerade, incorrect assumptions through interrupted sentences. Secondary character Jack, Rook's best friend, supplies much humor through his witty conversation. A very enjoyable read.
Aside from some weirdly consistent past-present tense errors, this cute romance delivered muted chuckles and the obligatory attempt at abduction. Unlike most of the genre, the heroine rises above expectations. Uncertain and a bit of a milquetoast at first, she grows and strengthens through the story. Supporting character Jack ought to get his own story.
I really enjoyed this book. Clara is fascinating. Raised by her bachelor uncle who was a scholar, she is not the typical young woman. She captivates the Earl. Can not wait to read the next book in this series. I also want to read Jack's story. The amusing banter is quite good.
This book is a marked improvement from the previous book in the series. I'm not entirely sure how the title is relevant to the book (the closest thing anyone is to captive is that it would be rude to leave a house party early). Probably worth reading if you want to get more background on characters from later novels.
Entertaining read, keeps you smileling and looking for the next adventure.
Entertaining read, nice follow-up from the first book in the series. Keeps you smelling and looking for the next adventure. I look forward to reading the third book.
A most titillating read. Rook, our hero in this story was such a man! In other words, clueless. He is lucky he made it to his happy-ever-after without more bodily harm. This is where we meet the irrepressible Jake from The Rules of the Rogue series.
*le sigh* I loved everything about Rook from the very beginning of this book. Clara was also wonderful. Enjoyed the little side story with Hestia. This might be one of my very favorite of Emily Windsor's books so far.
I loved this story as much as all the others. I thought Rook was such a man, but I still love Jack. Clara was strong and persistent. The house party was fun and the ending was grand.
Fun story of house party shenanigans. While I enjoyed the romance, I especially loved the friendship between Rook and Jack. Everyone needs a wingman like Jack Winterbourne.
I’m very much looking forward to reading a full length book by this author.
An engaging romance with a house party and masquerade where a chance moonlit encounter sets the scene for Rook and Clara. Hidden desires and getting to know each other intertwine towards a lovely happily ever after.
A nice story, with the heroes being complete selfish idiots. The heroines being far too forgiving and understanding. All in all a typical house party love story.
Great read. Humorous and we'll developed characters, a lively plot which keeps you turning pages. Hoping for more from this author. Highly recommended.
Just started reading Emily's books. Love her. This book is fun and enlightening. Serious but side kick humour. I didn't expect some of the twist and turns. Especially about the Aunt. Bravo Emily.
Certainly enjoying these stories as they develop. This one was great fun along with many characters in one place. Enjoyed the change. Now on to the next book 🌹
Huge improvement over the first book in this series. The characters felt unique and knowable, Jack was a delightful sidekick, the “older folk” romance was fun, the pace was brisk, and the writing was delightful. The plot was done better by Julia Quinn in “An Offer from a Gentleman,” but this was still a read worthy of my time.
I find one of the best parts of the story was the comic relief of the Lord's best friend. His consistent loyalty and hilarious antidotes kept the whole lively.
The Earl of Rookdean did not want to host a house party. Miss Clara Lockwood did not want to attend the Earl of Rookdean’s house party. You don’t always get what you want…
At a masquerade ball on the opening night, Rookdean encounters a captivating Grecian-dressed goddess. With identities hidden, will his heart be able to find what his eyes cannot see?
It started by chance, in a moonlit sunken garden. It leads to a week of concealed passion, deception and misunderstanding. With a house full of hidden desires, demanding men, song, charades, debutantes and…Lady Minkworth – who wouldn’t want a house party?
This regency novella (49,000 words) is the second standalone story in The Captivating Debutantes Series. Heat level: Sensual. 3 out of 5.
I read this book 4 years ago and just reread it. Even after reading hundreds of other books in between I remembered this story! It’s really sweet. I love a good masquerade story.
The previous book in this set was so bad I almost didn't read this one but it was actually entertaining. There was a reasonable conflict between the main characters and a satisfying conclusion.