A lowly gentleman farmer, Edward Sinclair has inherited the role of the Earl of Harrington. A more unlikely nobleman there has never been. For Edward's stark masculinity and brute strength set him apart--and earn him the demeaning title of the Peasant Earl...
A spoiled heiress, Lady Bianca is known as the Ice Princess for toying with the affections of her suitors. But she has fallen for the one man her father won't let her marry: a rogue with no fortune. When the Peasant Earl arrives in London with an even worse reputation, Bianca is ready to exact her revenge. But Edward sees through the beauty's silly flirtations--straight into her heart. Soon, what begins as a game, becomes a contest of wills that demands complete surrender...
Deborah Raleigh is the author of thirty three books and novellas for Kensington Publishing. Her first regency LORD CARLTON’S COURTSHIP was nominated as Best First Regency by Romantic Times and was an Award of Excellence finalist. She has also been nominated for Career Achievement in Regency romance by Romantic Times.
She has been an avid reader since she could hold a book in her hands and always dreamed of putting her own dreams down on paper. She is married with two teenage boys who manage to keep life interesting. She loves to travel, although she is careful to call vacations research sabbaticals and considers housework optional at best.
This is perfectly fun, enjoyable escapism, which, even when it's really silly or the typical tropes pop up, kept me reading. This might have been the author's last foray into HR's, which is a shame. She knows how to keep a plot rolling along.
Edward Sinclair is content being a lowly gentleman farmer when he is suddenly thrust into the role of Earl of Harrington when a distant relative dies. Not comfortable with the rules and decadence of the ton, his country manners and stark masculinity soon earn him the rather demeaning title of the Peasant Earl.
The daughter of an eminent Duke, Lady Bianca Carstone is used to getting her own way and what she currently wants is to marry Lord Aldron - a more sophisticated man than she could ever hope to meet. When her father forbids the match she sets out to exact her revenge by going after a man with an even worse reputation - the Peasant Earl.
But Bianca doesn't count on the way that Edward will make her feel and what starts off as simply a game, suddenly turns into something a lot more.
This is the first book I have read by Deborah Raleigh and I'll admit that I debated between giving it 3 or 4 stars. In the end I settled for 3, as even though I did enjoy it, there were a few issues that I had with it that stopped me ranking it higher.
I enjoyed both the main characters in the story - both of whom were very well written. Bianca wasn't nearly as childish as I had feared and Edward was endearing as the man who didn't really fit with society's stereotypes. The pair had some good chemistry and this resulted in some sexy love scenes dotted throughout the book.
The main problem for me was with the plot and the fact that there wasn't much of one. The first half of the book was simply the pair interacting with each other and then the second half contained some necessary hurdles for the couple to overcome. Unfortunately, the conflicts were so weak and resolved so quickly that there was never any worry that the pair wouldn't work things out.
My other complaint was that despite the whole book being 314 pages long - the story stopped at 271 pages which I thought was quite short. Not only that but it stopped quite abruptly and I found myself wanting to read more. Even just an epilogue would have been nice.
Having said all that, this was a sweet, enjoyable story that is completely harmless and uncomplicated. There are no dramatic adventures or horrific complications but instead just a plain, well-written love story. This is by no means a bad thing and if that's what you're looking for then you can't go wrong with this book. 3 stars.
I wanted this story to go on.... the hero "the Peasant Earl", Edward Sinclair was a delectable hero. The rest of the characters along with a fast pace plot made 'Some Like It Brazen' a great read. This is my first Deborah Raleigh book and I look forward to reading more.
5-star read till chapter 17. Sympathetic, nicely-rounded characters, witty banter, smooth flow of the story... till the hero starts acting as complete ass, out of the character and out of the blue. I absolutely didn't like this big drama made out of a simple misunderstanding, which could be cleared in a simple conversation. Edward suddenly completely losing his faith in Bianca and refusing to listen to her didn't made any sense, and frankly, being the heroine I would kick his ass instead of jumping through the loops to prove to him she deserves his love.
Disappointing, and it started so good! I really hate these lost opportunities.
La storia è davvero frizzante, i dialoghi divertenti. Traspare per gran parte del romanzo una forte componente passionale senza essere volgare o di disturbo. Ho trovato la lettura coinvolgente e scorrevole ma con poca azione salvo le ultime pagine. Per quel che riguarda i protagonisti sono interessanti ma forse quello più inusuale è Lord Biddles, un vero dandy inglese. Non avevo mai letto nulla di quest'autrice e mi ha colpito anche per la sua cura per i dettagli sia per quanto riguarda l'ambiente sia per la caratterizzazione dei personaggi e delle scene più hot. Lettura piacevole.
I loved Edward from the beginning. Honorable, calm and loyal. Bianca was a little harder to like. She had some growing up to do first but she was a strong character I ended up liking.
This was a new author for me and I'm glad I took a chance but I was hoping for not such an abrupt end. At least an Epilogue. That's the only reason I took it down a half star.
SOME LIKE IT BRAZEN : is a good read, although underdeveloped. Much opportunity here for more depth of feeling. I felt the book just stopped. Short. More finishing might have saved it.
I loved this story. There was lots of excitement with these characters. T he time they met was sure joy. The storyline was refreshing. Both very stubborn.
I was bored through most of the book. It felt like I'd read the same conversations and actions many times before.
The story felt too light. I wanted to see more emotion written rather than being told about the character's actions and thoughts. The premise was good but there wasn't enough meat on its bones for my taste.
This one was cute... not as great as the others but I think she is now on my must read list. I was surprised at how short this book was. There was about 25 pages at the end of the book that previewed others. I was waiting for more and it seemed to abruptly end. But great series all in all!
Edward and Bianca. He was a farmer that became an Earl. She was a spoiled brat. She finally came around, but until she did, I could hardly tolerate her, which made me rate the book lower.