Anya Wylde is back with yet another Fairweather sister novel full of comedy, adventure and, of course, toe curling romance. The Fairweather sisters adore each other and always stand by one another. But when circumstances force Dorothy May Fairweather to marry Lord William Edmund Huxley, the man her best friend is in love with and the Duke’s arch enemy, things change. With her one foolish mistake, Dorothy manages to vex all those that mean the most to her. Now all alone and miserable, Dorothy has to win back her sisters, the duke, her in-laws and her breathtakingly handsome new husband.
Anya Wylde lives in Ireland along with her husband and a fat French poodle (now on a diet). She can cook a mean curry, and her idea of exercise is occasionally stretching her toes. She holds a degree in English literature and adores reading and writing.
Penelope and Celine Fairweather were both happily married with children but their younger sister Dorothy couldn’t seem to find the man of her dreams. The two elder sisters were beginning to despair of her ever finding love. Dorothy’s best friend Kitty was in love with a man who paid her no heed; so when Dorothy finally told her sisters she had found love there were celebrations. But the confusion and heartbreak continued – until the day Dorothy found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time; suddenly she was betrothed and a week later, married…
Lord William Huxley hadn’t wanted a bride – his step-mother and step-sister certainly didn’t want a commoner to run their household. But Dorothy was determined to make the best out of a bad situation – as well as try to calm the ire of her sisters whom she couldn’t bear to be apart from. Gradually Dorothy took over the running of the household – but it seemed there was nothing she could do to make her new husband happy.
What mischief did she plan to get onside with the members of the household? And how could she possibly gain the trust of the enigmatic man who was her husband?
Dorothy by Anya Wylde is the 3rd in the Fairweather Sisters series and it was loads of fun! With laugh out loud humour, quirky characters, mischief making children and a multitude of things that could go wrong – and did – Dorothy is light-hearted historical romance at its best! Highly recommended.
With thanks to the author for this ARC to read in exchange for my honest review.
This series is such a hoot and the author is fantastic. Her extraordinary talent of creating stories of romance, comedy and adventure has made me a die-hard fan. In addition, these stories feature characters that are so well drawn, I feel as if I know them personally so I am helpless to stand by as a third-party observer when I have become so invested in their well-being. Dorothy introduces us to a third Fairweather sister, who is living with eldest sister Penelope and this story appears to have taken place several years after the last story.
Dorothy is convinced she is in love with Lord Lumley and no other man will do. Never mind the fact that she has been in London for three seasons and has yet to procure a marriage proposal from any eligible bachelor of the ton. It doesn’t matter. Dorothy believes that Lord Lumley is malnourished, the skin is practically falling from his bones, he has dreadful circles under his eyes and she is determined to rescue him by marrying him and feeding him.
On the other hand, Dorothy’s best friend, Kitty, is in love with Lord William Huxley, the Duke’s neighbor and enemy. Lord Huxley shows absolutely no interest in Kitty and is, in fact, quite rude to her and Dorothy on one occasion. When Kitty goes missing, Dorothy is convinced that Lord Huxley has kidnapped her and in typical Dorothy fashion, heads off to his residence to rescue Kitty. Unfortunately, Dorothy and Huxley find themselves in a situation that is misinterpreted and leads to a wedding that neither party wants.
Dorothy now has to figure out how to obtain the forgiveness of her sisters, the Duke and Lord Huxley while navigating her new role as Lady Huxley and getting to know Huxley’s stepmother and sister, who are also less than pleased with the sudden marriage.
Dorothy is my favorite Fairweather sister. Of course, I said that about Penelope and Celine when I was reading their stories, but I truly think Dorothy has topped them all. Jane will have some very big shoes to fill when I get my hands on her story. I thought Dorothy was truly delightful and I loved how she perseveres when faced with difficult situations. Lord Huxley comes across as you would expect of the aristocracy of Regency England. Stuffy, arrogant and completely full of themselves. Hmmm, sounds familiar, doesn’t he? That’s right, he reminds me of the Duke, when I first met him in Penelope’s story. And, with the Duke, I grew to like him enormously once he let his guard down. I even warmed up to his sister a little, but the stepmother, not so much. I loved how Dorothy had the woman questioning her sanity with the stunts Dorothy was pulling.
The ragamuffin child that Dorothy is determined to take under her wing whether he likes it or not was also an interesting character that brought quite a bit of entertainment to their lives. I’m sure Huxley will never look at another Renaissance type painting without imagining a curly moustache added to the woman.
My Final Verdict: Overall, I loved this story and highly recommend it to readers of historical romance, but also comedies and adventure genres in a historical setting. There wasn’t that much romance in this story, but I give Dorothy high marks for her attempts to steal a kiss or two or three from her new husband.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Dorothy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Dorothy is no Penelope, but it's still fun. A lot of things from the previous two books are used here too. Even Philbert Woodbead, Falcon and the pirate (without his mother) make a couple of appearances.
After three Seasons, Dorothy enlists the help of her sisters and her best friend to win Lord Lumley. However, when her best friend runs off with Lord Lumley, Dorothy makes one mistake that results in her marriage to Lord Huxley, her brother-in-law's arch enemy.
What I especially love about Anya Wylde's writing is the light hearted fun she brings to each scenario. Penelope and Celine are the same, lovable characters I remember from the first two books, and the affection between the sisters is fantastic.
In all honesty, I didn't find this one as funny as the first book in the series. It's still a fun read, though. Anyone who likes a comedic, rather ridiculous (in a fun way) kind of story, this is just the kind of read I would recommend.
I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun, light-hearted read! Dorothy innocently gets caught up with scandal and has to marry Lord Huxley. It appears that they have nothing in common, but as they get to know each other they discover they have more in common than they thought. Because of the actions of his father, Huxley is determined not to fall in love with anyone. But Dorothy is just as determined to get him to admit his love for her. There were some fun secondary characters thrown into the mix, too!
Content: Clean (some mild innuendo between a married couple), mild swearing Source: Review Copy (opinion is 100% my own)
I'm happy there are only three books in this series. I never (well, hardly ever) abandon a book, and this one was OK, but the adventures of the Fairweather sisters are getting stale.
Dorothy feels that she is the least attractive of the Fairweather sisters. She has had three whole seasons without landing a suitable marriage proposal. Finally, she has found a man to love. Her sisters are thrilled, even when they learn who the man is.
Dorothy’s best friend, Kitty, also agrees to help Dorothy win the man of her dreams. Dorothy met Kitty’s beau interest, Lord William Edmund Huxley, when Dorothy stumbled in front of his carriage. He is one of the most handsome and marriageable men in ton. He was very kind and helpful to Dorothy, but her brother-in-law has a feud with Huxley. At the next social outing Kitty and Dorothy agree to talk to the man the other is interested in to try to encourage the man’s interest in their friend. Although Huxley is polite to Dorothy, he objects to her efforts to put Kitty in his path.
After the event, Kitty strangely avoids Dorothy for several days. She appears one morning acting distressed and upset. The next thing they learn that Kitty has gone missing. Dorothy is sure that she has suffered at the hands of Huxley. In an effort to find out information Dorothy sneaks into Huxley’s home and ends up in a compromising situation that she never intended. To protect his own family from scandal, Huxley proclaims Dorothy to be his affianced. Now everyone is angry with her.
Dorothy doesn’t have any way out of the rushed marriage. She knows that she isn’t welcome by Huxley’s step-mother and half-sister. Dorothy discovers all sorts of strange occupants in Huxley’s home and she secretly adds an orphaned boy with the help of the staff. Although the staff was initially standoffish, Dorothy’s sweet actions begin to win them over.
Still, Dorothy is frustrated by the sense of attraction with her husband which he keeps denying as he pushes her away. She struggles with depression wondering if she will have to live her life alone, without the love of a husband and without the support of her family. What surprising events can change her stressed situation? The family warmth is lovely, and they won’t ignore Dorothy’s distress too long.
Anya Wylde consistently delivers fun, “madcap” stories with likable characters, sweet romance, and an easy read. Certainly, there are situations that might cause an eye roll but I liked Dorothy, even with her clumsy exuberance. Huxley is a great character who is willing to sing to soothe his distraught bride. It was a puzzle till the end to understand his reluctance to accept and share love.
Although this is book three in the series, I felt it read fine as a stand-alone. I realized that I have book one, Penelope, in my Kindle library and I hope to pull that up to read this year. I recommend this story and this author to readers who enjoy easy reading, fun Regency romance.
Audio Notes: Deryn Oliver does a lovely job with the narration including sweet singing! The overall audio presentation is charming.
So much better than the last one! This one has humor but it has more plot than humor, and that is a much better balance.
When I first started reading this, I did not like Dorothy's friend Kitty one bit. I could also see what eventually happened with the romances coming a mile away. What I didn't see coming was Dorothy handling it her way. And her way is to metaphorically come out swinging.
I was not a fan of Blinker, but I guess he was needed for comparison. Mostly he was used for silly humor that didn't hit it's mark with me.
I kept thinking I was supposed to hate Huxley. Not because the story wanted me to hate him, but because I knew he would thaw from his almost cruelty to kindness and it is so unrealistic that I hate it, but remarkably I just couldn't hate it or him. I guess I must have seen what Dorothy did. Unusual for me.
I enjoyed Dorothy making a fool out of Huxley's stepmom. Does that make me childish? Evil? Eh. I'll take it.
If you are a regency purist, this book is not for you, however, if you enjoy a clean romance filled with zany scenes then you'll enjoy this book.
Dorothy is young and impetuous and in a moment of recklessness lands herself in a compromising situation with dark and brooding (they're almost always dark and brooding aren't they?) Lord Huxley. She finds herself facing a whole new set of problems, from disappointing family to hiding a rambunctious orphan. In the midst of it all she has to come to terms with her feelings for Lord Huxley, who seems intent on disliking her. Again, another good read from Anya Wylde, not as many madcap scenes as her other books in this series but definitely a lot of smile out loud moments.
I'm not overly fond of the gaslighting in this book, I feel it could've been dealt with in a more direct fashion, so 1 star off for that.
Third book in the series, funny in a different way
All three books are very humorous and keep one smiling from start to finish. However this book is more focused on the struggles of the heroine to get her accidental husband to love her. Her attempts are mostly funny but there is a theme of serious female empowerment underlying at all. Many of the characters from the first two books make a return appearance and, at times, it seems like a wild circus. I also liked the concept of an aristocrat choosing to support artists at a time when any kind of irreverence toward the king was considered sedition.
This is the 3rd book in the Madcap series and is crazy-wacko-jacko- with LOADS of humor! Dorothy, the third sister of the Fairweather sisters, is the heroine in the story. Expect crazy scenarios, the despicable, horrid Lady and a handsome Lord that becomes your next book- boyfriend. I love that her books have a slow build-up romance that has your toes curling and snuggling further in to the book. Reading this book leaves you with a sore tummy due to all the laughter and a soft warm gooey feeling.
This is another fun read by Anya Wylde which I enjoyed because it provided good escape and made me laugh. Dorothy is a feisty young woman who gets into an inconvenient position with a man of the upper class and has to marry him. In spite of his attempts to intimidate her, she manages to keep him guessing about her future actions.
This was another good book to read. I still think that the first book in the series (Penelope) was the funniest. I wasn't laughing all over the place during this book, but it's still what I'd call a light fluffy read.
Anya Wylde has always been my go-to, feel-good author. It's always fun reading her books. Although Dorothy wasn't exactly P M S L as Penelope but it's nonetheless still knee-slapping L O L. I've said this before and I'm gonna say it again.. I'm so glad I've found these gems.
I absolutely adore the wittiness, the silliness, and the romance. The characters are fully fleshed fabulous beings with hopes and dreams and (Egad!) faults. The story is filled with love and triumph, awkward moments, charity and fear, Frustration and desire.
I thoroughly enjoyed this romantic comedy, I'm planning to read the story of Lord Adair next. It's so hard to find historical romances with strong comedic overtones. I found myself laughing out loud reading this author's work!
While written in the same lighthearted and amusing style, this book didn’t hit the hilarious highs of the last. Funny, heartbreaking, infuriating, and entertaining, I enjoyed every minute. Recommended ❤️
Dorothy pese a presentarse como la hermana más avispada de las Fairweather al final cae en un enemies to lovers de lo más intenso,con un cruce a amores y una casa llena de artistas de lo más alocados.