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Regency Trilogy #2
The Toplofty Lord Thorpe
THE UNSUSPECTING EARL
Miss Lucy Gladwin knew all the faults of the eminent, elegant Julian Rutherford, Earl of Thorpe. Julian was not only unbearably arrogant, he was insufferably self-centered and infuriatingly egotistical, as pleased with himself as the most sought-after lord of all the realm could be.
But Lucy knew very well that he was the handsomest man she had ever seen--and the only man she could possibly love.
Clearly the earl had to be brought down a peg or two or three before Lucy could be in reach of capturing his heart. The earl didn't know it, but he was about to become the target of the most unconventional campaign of conquest since the first woman decided all was fair in love and war, and Cupid notched the first arrow in his bow....
Miss Lucy Gladwin knew all the faults of the eminent, elegant Julian Rutherford, Earl of Thorpe. Julian was not only unbearably arrogant, he was insufferably self-centered and infuriatingly egotistical, as pleased with himself as the most sought-after lord of all the realm could be.
But Lucy knew very well that he was the handsomest man she had ever seen--and the only man she could possibly love.
Clearly the earl had to be brought down a peg or two or three before Lucy could be in reach of capturing his heart. The earl didn't know it, but he was about to become the target of the most unconventional campaign of conquest since the first woman decided all was fair in love and war, and Cupid notched the first arrow in his bow....
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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93 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 15, 2018
This was such a downer ! It's all due to my hate for the hero, Julian, The Earl of Thorpe. He's an egotistical, class obsessed snob who gives people the cut direct if he thinks that they're not conducting themselves properly according to his specific social guidelines. I knew he was an asshole, based on his behaviour in The Beleaguered Lord Bourne, but I didn't think he would be this bad. I had loved The Beleaguered Lord Bourne so much that I read it in one straight sitting and I couldn't wait to read this novel, because the heroine Lucy is the cousin of that story's main female character. My main issue with Julian is the fact that he absolutely despised Lucy for 3 whole years ! He thought that she was an incorrigible hoyden who was beneath him and he sneered at her for her infatuation with him. He even said that he would never have considered her as a future wife candidate ( even if she hadn't been an unruly hoyden ) merely because her father was just a Baron. I loathed him for the way he and his socially acceptable fiancee Lady Cynthia ( the daughter of an Earl ) made fun of Lucy:
“Old Hale and Heart indeed,” the earl spat contemptuously. “Sir Hale Gladwin has much to answer for in his outrageous daughter. You’d think he’d marry her off to some backwater squire who’d keep her from making a fool of herself in town.”
“Indeed yes,” his fiancée agreed, preening her hair complacently, secure in the knowledge that she, the daughter of an earl and cognizant of both the responsibility and privilege of rank, would never allow herself to become such a spectacle.
“Sir Hale, who is ramshackle past reclaim himself, probably due to some sad underbreeding of his ancestors, should be made to contain his daughter’s mad starts or else remove her from polite society altogether. Such a vulgar, shameless creature.”
Kasey Michaels. The Toplofty Lord Thorpe (Kindle Locations 109-115). Harlequin. Kindle Edition.
That's just one example of the nasty things this asshole and his bitchy fiancee say about the lovely Lucy.
I wanted to stop reading but the story itself was intriguing because there was a mystery to be solved: someone had set up Julian for a major scandal that involved the suicide/murder of a pregnant country girl. Lucy turned out to be one of a select few individuals who rallied to support Julian when the scandal hit the news. His mercenary fiancee Lady Cynthia jilted him and turned her attentions to Lord Seabrook. The part that bothered me about this romance story was that Julian would've never given Lucy a chance if he had not had to deal with the fallout from the scandal. It was only when he saw that his friends from the Ton had deserted him that he slowly came to appreciate Lucy. That bothered me a lot. I don't like it when a H undergoes a change under such drastic circumstances. It's true that Julian becomes a better human being by the end and I did believe that he truly came to love Lucy, but I wished he had felt a bit more of a latent attraction to her even while he had been engaged to the awful Cynthia. Lucy was also a bit pathetic because of the way she blindly chased after an engaged man for 3 yrs ! The one nice thing about the novel was the cameo appearances made by the wonderful MC's ( Kit and Jennie ) from The Beleaguered Lord Bourne. Lady Cynthia also got a bit of a comeuppance because it's mentioned in the epilogue that her husband Lord Seabrook is already bored and fed up of her and he's close to bankruptcy because of his gambling addiction.
February 1, 2022
DNF @ 8%.
Lucy was off-putting. She coveted a man engaged
to another woman. A waste of words?
Lucy was off-putting. She coveted a man engaged
to another woman. A waste of words?
August 18, 2022
This was kinda all over the place. And being so short the story really didn’t work with the adventure/romance/mystery. It was just too much. I recommend skipping it.
April 25, 2018
This was a quick read and a fun Regency with a nice mystery in it. Just who is trying to ruin the toplofty Lord Thorpe? Did that person murder the girl who claimed Lord Thorpe ruined her and then supposedly committed suicide? Since this is a traditional Regency, we all know that Lucy will get her man; the story lies in how it will happen. This book also sets up for the next book, The Ruthless Lord Rule.
If you like traditional Regencies, I think you'll like this one.
If you like traditional Regencies, I think you'll like this one.
September 12, 2021
Witty and interesting but I don’t like heroines who pine for men who don’t treat them well (cruel, arrogant behavior). Makes such heroines look like masochists, which is not very romantic.
December 22, 2023
An entertaining read for me, tho the first few chaps were hard to read with Julian being rude and Lucy not knowing when to stop. But overall, it was ok. Dexter is definitely my favorite.
January 25, 2014
A rather cute story of how the stuffy lord falls for the beautiful, free-spirited young lady. However, the way it's written, I just want to give a stern talking to the young lady and tell her (like countless others) to stop pining for the stuffy lord. Ugh. The whole first half of the book, he's blatantly rejecting her, sometimes not very nicely. Find a new man!!
December 25, 2014
meh, okay mystery, but lucy's relentless pursuit of Thorpe made it hard to read
January 14, 2008
Regency Romance. Very good!!
May 2, 2011
Light, frothy, witty, and yet the characters are consistent and believable.
September 6, 2012
It's a short but entertaining read.
August 4, 2016
Kasey Michaels books
I have loved her books for a long time. I have read them over and over. Her books are very funny and once you start to reafd onre you cash not put it down
I have loved her books for a long time. I have read them over and over. Her books are very funny and once you start to reafd onre you cash not put it down
February 6, 2013
Entertaining, funny, witty, refreshing
October 10, 2015
dnf couldn't get into the book
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews