The Bluestocking and the Dastardly, Intolerable Scoundrel

Regency Romance #1

by Jenni James

Lord Alistair Compton could not believe Lady Lacey Lamb had the boldness to cut him in the middle of the Huffingtons’ ball. She flatly refused to stand up with him! He responded the only way a man of his consequence could—by placing a wager at White’s. Lady Ice would fall hopelessly in love with him before the Season was through.

Lacey had never been so appalled, so shocked, so scandalized! How dare the monstrous buffoon treat her so horridly, guaranteeing the gossips banter her name about over a ridiculous wager? It was not to be endured. With the help of her brother, Lord Melbourne, a counter bet was placed, and the stakes were high—for who could resist falling for the lovely bluestocking when she was most definitely in the right?

Genres: Romance, Regency, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Regency Romance, Historical, Clean Romance

183 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2017

About the author

CLEAN ROMANCE FOR TEENS:

*The Jane Austen Diaries*
Pride & Popularity (Aug 2011)
Persuaded (Aug. 2012)
Emmalee (Jan 2013)
Mansfield Ranch (Dec 2013)
Northanger Alibi (Feb. 2012)
Sensible & Sensational (July 2015)
Sand & Sun (2016)
The Wilsons
Queen Sydney

*Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection*
Beauty and the Beast
Sleeping Beauty
Rumplestiltskin
Cinderella
Hansel and Gretel
Jack and the Beanstalk
Snow White
The Frog Prince
Twelve Dancing Princesses
Rapunzel
The Little Mermaid
Peter Pan
Return to Neverland
The Forgotten Princess
The Princess With the Golden Touch
Little Red Riding Hood
(and more...)

MIDDLE GRADE READERS:
Prince Tennyson (May 2012)

EARLY READERS:

*Andy & Annie Collection*
A Ghost Story
Greeny Meany

WOMEN'S FICTION:

*Revitalizing Jane Series*
Drowning
Swimming
Crawling
Walking
Running
Soaring


CLEAN ROMANCE FOR ADULTS:

*Eternal Realm Series*
Eternity
Destiny
Divinity

Reviews

[Kathy Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady Lacey Lamb has never been so embarrassed in her life. How dare the insufferable Lord Alistair Compton place a wager against her in White's! She had her reasons for not standing up with him at Huffingtons' ball but she refuses to let anyone know why. She is not a fan of society and avoids it at all costs. But now she has to deal with all the gossipmongers and try her best to unsully her good name.

Lord Alistair Compton doesn't take Lady Lacey Lamb's slight lying down. He'll show her. Placing a wager against her that she'll fall head over heels in love with him before the end of the season is the perfect way to get back at her. But he never dreamed she would have her brother place a counter bet. All he can think of is... game on. He's determined to come out the winner.

While the two do their best to get the other to fall in love with them and lose the bet, they don't see what's really going on around them. Their banter has turned, dare I say, friendly? The more time they spend together, the more they see themselves falling for each other. But can a real relationship form from a wager? Both have been hurt in the past but can they open up enough to be healed and to find their happily ever after?

Okay... I'm not going to lie. I have been struggling with books lately. So much so that I haven't been posting reviews to my blog because I just haven't been feeling it. When I picked up book 3 in this series and saw that the hero and heroine from book 2 were in the first paragraph, I decided I should probably read the series from the beginning. So I went and grabbed this book. It was just what I needed! Light, fluffy and fun! It was a super cute start to a fun series! I can't wait to read the next book!

It has been awhile since I have read a book by Ms. James and I am not sure why! I guess I've got lots of books to catch up on! I can always count on her books cute, fun and clean! If you haven't read any of her books then I say you should definitely give her a try! I have recommended her Faeire Tale Collections to my nieces and they adore them! She's got books for all ages!

And of course I can't forget my casting! What do you think?

[Jenni James · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Trifecta Book approached me about starting a Regency Romance line, my heart skipped for joy and then dropped. Holy cow! Regency? Me? I have always felt Regency books to be some of the hardest of all literature to write. the language, the historical facts, the mannerisms... all of it. But you know what? My MOST FAVORITE GENRE OF ALL TIME Is Regency. It always has been. When the men where gentlemen and there were balls and... good grief, when I lived in England I actually hosted three balls myself! So much in love with the genre, I couldn't help myself. :) Random fact, I actually have an English accent that slips out without me knowing it sometimes several times a day.

*Deep breath*

Enter the greatest challenge I have had since beginning this writing career back in 2008. My purpose was to bring a bit of sparkle to the regency world, to create lovable characters you can relate to, and to jump headlong into the fray writing my heart out. I hope you love this book as much as I do. And I hope you fall in love with Lacey and Alistair... and all of the other characters. You will see them again. I plan to write at least 5 books in this particular series alone. Enjoy!
Love,
Jenni

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a story with good banter and this one delivered. Lord Compton was cut at a ball by Lady "Icy" Lamb and is determined to make her pay by placing a bet that she'll fall in love with him. How dare he! Lacey retaliates by having her brother place a bet that he'll fall in love with her. And there you have it, folks--let the battle begin.

Lord Compton is quite confident (aka cocky), yet he does have some redeeming qualities and I loved watching those shine through. The moments when he truly dismisses society and focuses on what's right in front of him are excellent. Lacey, on the other hand, has a heart of gold under her icy exterior, which she has valid reasons for having. Puppies, servants, underdogs...she's got them covered under her wing. I love great characters that furnish such fun and clean entertainment!

The give and take of the story is very rewarding. This couple is a good mesh of opposites and similarities and I enjoyed their story. Looking forward to more by Ms. James!

Content: mild, clean romance. Clean!

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever, witty dialogue and adorable puppies--what more could you ask for?

[Deon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on #KindleUnlimited

[Miriamgreen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely call a book aggravating but that is exactly what this 'novella' of 175 pp was. purchased on the strength of the title and some reviews, looked forward to reading it. the experience was distasteful enough that finished at one am, i had to find another reread to take the taste out of my mouth. what there was of the story was entertaining as were the characters, but the missed opportunity of actually writing a regency romance was disastrous. this was a skim the surface outline, so empty of any development it seemed that even the wit was truncated and unsatisfactory. my ire continued for hours and through the next day. donated to my library today to get it out of the house. it was a sorry attempt suitable for and similar to an eighth grade attempt. very disappointing

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many of this author's fairy tale retellings and contemporary time period Jane Austen retellings and I enjoyed them. This is the author's first Regency Era historical romance and Jenni James can do regency romance too and well! You can tell Ms. James is a British Regency Era aficionado and researched this era and wanted to make this intelligent and fun for other fans. This Regency Era fangirl is looking forward to the rest of the series!

Sensuality content: Clean. Kisses only. A secular clean traditional regency romance.

Source: My personal purchased library.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I'm just not a fan of James. I couldn't get into her fairy tales and I just did not connect with these two. I think these are better then the fairy tales. The love story was just too easy, they had one little hiccup and then it was smooth sailing, I like a little more juice in a book. The flow of the story was good, but there was just something missing for me, something more real and connecting about the characters. I did finish it and it was engaging. Clean with a couple kisses that were not detailed.

[Morghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this book. I think that Ms James first foray into the world of Regency Romances quite successful. The characters were likable and the story was interesting and fun. I didn't give it 5 stars because I felt that the two main characters were too amiable from the start. I would have liked one of them to be a little less perfect so there could have been more of a redemptive arc to the story. Other than that, very well done!

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! This book was fun. I loved where the characters started (wagering bets against each other) and how things evolved to the ending. It really was so much fun. I enjoyed this one! I hope Jenni James will do more books along these lines!

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little slower read to start, but then the momentum of the plot thickened and it was fabulous and fun!

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like this book was beginning with some similar overtones to Pride and Prejudice, but pleasantly enjoyed how it changed very quickly into its own tale. I can understand introverts being wrongly considered aloof, so the misunderstanding that led to the whole bid-counterbid scenario was relatable. I loved the attitude of each, to accept the challenge. I enjoyed the puppies. It was a nice book to read on a summer's evening enjoying a light breeze.

[Susan Phelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sounds weird to say, but I enjoyed this more than expected. When I download free or 99 cent romances, I don't always have my hopes high. But Jenni delivered. The characters were likeable and fun and the situations enjoyable rather than frustrating. Perhaps a bit too heavy in slang of the time, but not horrid.

[BROWN2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story

I always love a bluestocking book. This was a clean, sweet story. Lord Compton places a bet when the beautiful bluestocking, Lady Lacey Lamb refuses a dance. Nothing will have it until Lady Lamb places her own bet? Who be the first to win at love?

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love her books! As always, cute, fun, and a delight to read. This one had a little editing that needed to be done. Small and simple things to fix, but I think were more noticeable due to the unique dialogue if that era.

[Patrizia Gallo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

This started well.
A double wager, some kind of enemies to lovers and witty banter, then all went south.

For me at least.

There's nothing wrong really, the development of the characters' relationship is believable, it's just not what I've signed for here.

[ABC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like reading stories about spinsters, it makes me contemplate how I am going to spend my time until the day I die. And I am getting good ideas from this HR stories. Having no kids and maybe husband (if ever he leaves me first in this world) doesn't sound so lonely anymore.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful! I've found another Regency author to love. Jenni fused the novel with emotion and plenty of laughs.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. Clean

[Beno · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really short and fun story to read. It is also the most PG regency romance book I have ever read in my life. So it was quite funny.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story - fun characters and fun batter and sweet romance. All good things!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and fun book. Easy read.

[Blackmp · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a well written Recency romance. I like this author but this is not get best work.

[Angelina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Jenni James's modern retellings much more than I liked this regency romance. The characters were trying far too hard to be modern, and that misses the point of the regency romance genre.

[Nancy France]

Delightful Read

The Bluestocking and the Dastardly is a delightful read. I am 80 years old and felt like the young young woman in the story. Ah young love!

[Nikki H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book it was cute

[Crazychriss889 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our lovely bluestocking is a woman who is interested in politics – outrageous, who doesn’t feel comfortable in society and who now affronts our handsome and selfish Lord by placing a counter-bet against his’.

The characters are awfully charming. I must say I find both of them quite interesting.
Our heroine is quite extraordinary; she talks to her servants as if they were equal to her. They even sit with her at the table! Outrageous, is it not? Love that she defies society's conventions.
Well, anyways, she is not gonna change that just because some Lord says she should. And just maybe, there’s much more behind this Lord.
I love that our Lord goes through a change. He’s not quite the selfish and arrogant guy I thought him to be and turns out to be quite a charming scoundrel.


The plot is nice but not very exciting. There’s hardly any drama at all in there. Plus, there’s no jealousy. Not so sure about that.
It was written well. Unfortunately, there were some mistakes.

Historical accuracy?
Love that we finally get to know what or rather who bluestockings are. Those were women who were considered as not attractive and not very likely to find a husband since they were utterly devoted to politics and manly stuff.

Doesn’t really deserve more than four stars :D But I have to admit that I enjoyed this book :D

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, Jenni James has written a fun, entertaining, and enjoyable read. As her first regency romance, The Bluestocking and the Dastardly, Intolerable Scoundrel is an absolute delight. This is a tale of a bold young women, Lady Lacey Lamb, that never received her coming out ball due to a family situation. At a recent ball though, she has the audacity to refuse to dance with Lord Melbourne. And so a battle between the two begins, including a crossing of bets placed at White’s. Although the romance in the story is fairly predictable and the romance seems to happen fast, this novel is still entertaining. A clean and humorous romance, previous readers of Jenni’s novels are not going to want to miss this light, fun, and clean regency romance!

Series: Regency Romance
Genre: historical, regency
Publisher: Trifecta Book
Publication date: March 9, 2016
Number of pages: 136

Content Rating: PG, some kissing and flirtations, clean
Book Rating: 4 stars

Other books in the series:
2-Lord Romney’s Exquisite Widow (coming March 2016)
3-Lord Atten Meets His Match (coming June 2016)
4-My Fair Miss Bentley (coming November 2016)
5-The Slighted Wallflower (coming December 2016)
6-Miss Hollands Revenge (coming TBD)

A review copy of this book was provided by the author.

[Karen Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenni James certainly knows what she’s doing with fairy tales, and even Jane Austen retellings, and her venture into the Regency realm proves that she’s just a great there. This book was a blast, from the very beginning. After all, what better word is there to describe a book that starts with a bet over whether a scoundrel or ice-hearted lady would fall in love with the other first? Lady Lacey Lamb is a darling woman, one with a quick wit, high intelligence, and a heart of gold. She may hate the ton, but she has no problem using her position to help others however she can, as long as she stays away from the arrogant idiots, especially Lord Alistair Compton. After being given the cut by her, his wounded pride sends him to bet that he can make her fall in love with him. However, he never expected that ‘Lady Ice’s heart to be the warmest of all, or that her putting him in his place was enjoyable. These two are so adorable to read together, watching their stubbornness get in the way as much as help. It is certainly a sweet regency to read, and a great start to a new series of books by this wonderful author.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Lady Blackburn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Duodenum

There was absolutely no sparks between these two characters. The dialogue was tedious at best. And the hero is not even close to being a scoundrel. Let alone dastardly or intolerable. He was genial from the start. Why the heroine puts a study in her bedroom when most Mayfair houses would have had a study or a library in them makes no sense. And the members of the House of Lords were appointed by the king and passed through male hereditary lines until the Life Peerage act was passed in 1958..... The hero's title is never mentioned and it's said he is a second son, which in regency time would have left him untitled, and unable to take a seat in parliament, unless it was in the House of Commons in which case he would have to be elected, and then he would not be considered a Lord unless he inherited via a special provision from another male relative. Even Lady Lamb holding a title in her own right would be nigh improbably until 1963. Prior to that woman could not hold title outside of marriage. And certainly not a low title of viscount would be made an exception for. I was VERY disappointed in the research done for this book