Above All Others

by Karen Ranney

The daughter of an impecunious baron—and a woman with few llusions and even fewer assets—Katherine Sanderson has just accepted the position of governess to the infant daughter of the Earl of Moncrief. The notorious, sinfully handsome nobleman has deposited the babe at a crumbling country estate, to be raised by servants. Although it is more than many an aristocrat would do for a child born on the wrong side of the blanket, Katherine disdains his selfish arrogance...even as she finds herself falling beneath his sensual spell.

For Freddie Lattimore, Earl of Moncrief, his illegitimate child is a constant reminder of a life he would rather forget. But the exquisite Katherine tempts him as no woman ever has. When he devises a scandalous scheme for conquest, Katherine doesn't merely accept his outrageous proposal, she astonishes him with a passion that exceeds his own.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical

383 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1996

About the author

I’m a writer who’s been privileged to have attained the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists.

Although I've primarily written historical romance, I've also written contemporary romantic suspense, a murder mystery, and I'm having a wonderful time writing about a vampire who is being challenged by her new state of being. (The Montgomery Chronicles: The Fertile Vampire and The Reluctant Goddess coming March 12, 2015.)

I believe in the power of the individual, the magnificence of the human spirit, and always looking for the positive in any situation. I write about people who have been challenged by life itself but who win in the end.

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Website: http://karenranney.com
Email: karen@karenranney.com
Twitter: @Karen_Ranney

Reviews

[Mary23nm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am in the The hero was a total douche-bag camp. He was an arrogant ass and never gave an inch! After he found the heroine with his children, he still never admitted that he loved her, but she was supposed to just give in. I also tired of their battles, but she gave him an opening twice, and he still was thinking she was just using him? The HEA came right at the end but this book needed a serious grovel from the hero- and that never came! 3 stars

[Jae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Both main characters were douche-nuggets, with inconsistent motivations. Freddie decides his daughter isn't his daughter because "all the women in direct descent all share a remarkable family trait. The two longest fingers on both hands are webbed" and the baby doesn't have that, but later in the story "the faint webbing between her fingers was still visible". Which is it? Webbed or no? Because it's a fairly important plot device. I understand why Katherine is so antagonistic towards Freddie later in the book, but from the very beginning, he behaves like a total ass-wagon. But everyone thinks he's so great because he's "a model of compassion [...] he would never willingly hurt anyone" but over and over, he's shown to be an arrogant jerk-wad with zero actual empathy. And Katherine's proposal comes straight out of nowhere. She's thinking about how pretty the earl is, and boom she's offering to become his mistress, so she can stay with Julie without any sort of foreshadowing about it at all. I was surprised as hell.

And holy mother, there was an awful lot of exposition and introspection. Good grief.

The kindle edition has some weird formatting issues; silly paragraph breaks and dropped letters. Not a whole lot, but they're there.

[Marina P · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

A lovely historical romance in a writing style that uses the English grammar and possibilities of expression to its fullest. The story was also very sensual, the love between the two main characters unfolding gradually and credibly.

I liked the heroine very much, Kathrine Sanderson, recently orphaned and impecunious, accepts a position as a governess to the illegitimate daughter of the hero, the Earl of Moncrief.

What I did not like at all was the hero: right from the beginning of the story until it’s very end. Everything he did irritated me; above all I cannot stand when such men “use” women sexually without any regard/respect. I don’t like (detailed) stories about rakes and their activities.

And this hero was also rather cruel to the heroine, a behavior that demands a redeeming “groveling scene” at the end of the book for him to deserve a HEA! IMO the hero got off disappointingly easy.

3,5 stars only because of the admirable heroine!!!

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall story was okay, but it was weighed down by the wordiness in the descriptions. I got tired of the h/h fighting all the time, because it seemed mean and tiresome. Maybe it was that they didn't make up near soon enough and each was downright mean in acting out his/her anger.

[NatalyaVqs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one got under my skin when he searched for her so relentlessly, I did feel that love was transformative, very emotional, just the kind of historical romance I enjoy most; I wish she was less of a shrew at the end though, she transforms for the worst

[Yati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth reading
Enjoy the story...beautiful outline with loving characters...superb ending... Worth buying and reading ...Really recommend!

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! ... Mostly because it's central characters are so flawed and foolish and who tend to rip each each other up. I get so tired of all these historical romances where the heroines are squeaky clean and virtuous..., Katherine and Freddie were truly a toxic pair who had to
work hard to repair their relationship. I really liked how out of the ordinary this story was.

[Sandy Frediani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, although it had a very slow start. Katherine and Freddie are interesting characters and the story line is intriguing. Its downfall is the 'head hopping.' There's too much of it, especially when it happens in the same paragraph! It felt like too much time was spent in Katherine's and Freddie's internal dialog, which really slowed the pace.

[Jeni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing.

I enjoy the period the book is written about. And though it seems a bit predictable, I liked it and will read more of the same author in the future

[ksstannard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to read again

When a book says, "remember me?" And you
choose to reread the story....that is a well told tale. Try it, you' ll like it.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Above All Others is one of Karen Ranney earliest novels and it does not favorably compare to the way she writes now. I usually dive into her novels and read them in one or two sittings; not so this novel. With two unlikable protagonists and a tangled, repetitive plot, Above All Others was a chore to slog through. I kept putting it aside to read other novels.

I always look forward to novels by Karen Ranney as she is one of my favorite authors. This book is not one of her better ones.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many editing errors or it would have been a 4 star.

[Jultri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heroine flirted shamelessly with her employer, the hero and father of her infant charge, from the very start and the hero seemed like an irresponsible, amoral, arrogant a**, who had no qualms trying to bed his baby's nanny at first sight. While barely glancing at his baby after his home-coming, he lavished his lustful attention towards the new nanny, who was a more than happy recipient of such. Not Ranney's finest.

[Lady · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like it, I usually enjoy KR writting, but the hero and heroine in this book were awful.

[Terri]

Slow Boring I couldn't even finish it

[Coco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the story- cared about both characters. Stubbornness got old- but loved it!!