USA Today Bestselling Author Vivienne Lorret launches a charming new trilogy about three debutantes who get more than they bargained for when it comes to the mating habits of scoundrels . . .
LORD HOLT TAKES A BRIDE by VIVIENNE LORRET
Series: Mating Habits of Scoundrels #1
Publication date: March 31, 2020
Published by: Avon Romance
Genre: historical romance
SYNOPSIS
Heiress Winnifred Humphries refuses to marry the odious man her parents have chosen. She’ll marry for love or not at all. But how does a woman know a man truly loves her? Needing answers, she sets out to discover the marriage habits of London’s aristocrats. Yet when her friends kidnap a lord for research, Winn knows they’ve gone too far. Now she’s facing a wickedly handsome scoundrel who wants revenge.
Lord Asher Holt has the perfect plan to free himself of his father’s debts. But when a trio of foolish debutantes abducts him, their scheme ruins everything! Fuming and tied to a chair, Holt overhears that one of them is an heiress. Perhaps he isn’t above a little kidnapping either.
Yet, when the heiress runs away from her own wedding and straight into his waiting carriage, Holt finds himself on an adventure he’ll never forget, falling in love with a woman worth more than any treasure. But will Winn ever believe his heart only desires her . . . and not her fortune?
Purchase your copy now!Lord Asher Holt has the perfect plan to free himself of his father’s debts. But when a trio of foolish debutantes abducts him, their scheme ruins everything! Fuming and tied to a chair, Holt overhears that one of them is an heiress. Perhaps he isn’t above a little kidnapping either.
Yet, when the heiress runs away from her own wedding and straight into his waiting carriage, Holt finds himself on an adventure he’ll never forget, falling in love with a woman worth more than any treasure. But will Winn ever believe his heart only desires her . . . and not her fortune?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
USA Today bestselling author VIVIENNE LORRET transforms copious amounts of tea into words. She is an Avon author of works including the Wallflower Wedding series, the Rakes of Fallow Hall series, the Season’s Original series, and the Misadventures in Matchmaking series. For more information on her books, please sign up for her newsletter @ www.vivlorret.net
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Lord Holt Takes a Bride by Vivienne LorretMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
“You’re a tempting armful.” Another puffed exhale of disbelief left her, bemusement in her expression. “And you’re the adventure I never expected."
This is my second read by Vivienne Lorret, the first being The Rogue to Ruin. I wasn't wowed by that particular story, but my issue was with the characters themselves, not the author's writing. I'm so glad I gave her another go, because this was the light and fun historical romance romp I didn't know I needed. Right off the bat, I clicked with Winn and her quirky group of friends. Each and every one of them are unique (not to mention entertaining) with their own fully developed personality. Jane, Ellie, and Prudence give me something to look forward to in the following books.
Winn is a young woman with a common problem of the times. She's been forced into an advantageous marriage by her parents that has nothing to do with love. In fact, it promises to hold nothing but embarrassment and loneliness. Her fiancé has a mistress, and has no plans to change that fact once their wedding is over. Her mother assures her that it's better to go into marriage with no expectations of love than to have your hopes crushed later, which is just about the worst pre-marital advice I've ever heard. You certainly don't get the best first impression of either of her parents, but as the book wears on, they have their own story arc that was actually surprisingly sweet. They won me over in the end.
Winn tries to accept the fate chosen for her, but quickly realizes she can't go through with the wedding. Her friends hatch a crazy scheme to help her escape her dismal future and she grasps onto it with both hands. Of course things don't go as planned, and hilarity ensues. After jumping into Asher's dilapidated carriage in her wedding dress, they set off on a wild ride to end all wild rides.
Lord Asher Holt has a hidden agenda when they begin their journey that will come back to bite him in the butt later on. He's a desperate man taking desperate measures. I couldn't really hate the man for any of his dishonest actions. His father is one of the most infuriating characters I've come across. Shettlemane was a narcissistic man who was indifferent to the pain he repeatedly brought on his son, and the wreckage he made of his life. I instantly sympathized with Asher because of their toxic relationship, and I was rooting for him to find a way to be free of him once and for all. There was no hope for a happy future with Winn if his father wasn't dealt with. His malice would infect her life as well, and that's something that made him distance himself out of fear.
He wanted her to be his. In fact, he’d never wanted anything or anyone so much. He ached from wanting her. To see her face every morning. To lie beside her every night. To hear her voice and to make her laugh. And if the circumstances were different, he’d give himself over to this love that was burning like an ember inside his chest. He’d let the flames consume him.
What should have been a fairly quick trip to her aunt's home is derailed by one disaster after another. Trouble seems to find the two wherever they go, but as they escape each mishap, their attraction for each other grows. I loved how Asher not only accepted Winn, but made helped her to grow more confident in herself. Her mother's condemnation over her appearance has damaged her self-worth, but she was finally able to shed the insecurities that have accumulated over time. I liked her character growth in that area, but especially the fact that he found her beautiful inside and out from the start.
"For most of my life I’d felt like I was wearing the wrong skin, and had the wrong hair, and needed to do something to change it all. Yet, when I was standing there and looked across at you, I felt like I’d been in the right skin all along. It’s peculiar, isn’t it? But it seems that I had to step away from everything I knew in order to appreciate the person I really am.”
My one complaint about the book is the speed in which they fall for each other. You do have to suspend disbelief over the two of them finding love in a matter of a couple of days. The insta-love was strong. However, in this case there were so many other factors that made the book enjoyable as a whole, that it didn't detract very much from my reading experience. The humor, the secondary characters, and the jaunty adventure and heartwarming conclusion, made for such a fun time.
Asher had some groveling to do after his ticking time bomb of a secret did its damage. I think he went above and beyond proving to her that his feelings were genuine and that he cherished their moments together. There was a scene where he went to one of her friends' houses to plead his case that made me laugh out loud. Her friends are loyal to their core, and Jane got creative in how she made her displeasure known.
The hero of the next book happens to be a secondary character from The Rogue to Ruin, one that I was already intrigued about. I couldn't be more excited about reading My Kind of Earl, Jane and Raven's full length story. It's scheduled for publication September 2020.
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