Early Bird (ARC) Review: How to Woo a Reluctant Lady

 

How to Woo a Reluctant Lady

Sabrina Jeffries

Series or Stand Alone: Hellions of Halstead Hall series, book three

Release Date: January 2011

Publisher: Pocket Star

Pages: 384

Author Site: http://www.sabrinajeffries.com/

My Rating: 3.5/5

Source: Received for review from Nancy Berland Communications

Synopsis:

[from goodreads.com]

The third novel in Sabrina Jeffries's “Hellions of Hallstead Hall” series, featuring the independent and talented Lady Minerva Sharpe.

When a charming rogue proposes she marry him to meet her grandmother's ultimatum, the Sharpe clan's strong-willed sister makes a tempting counter-offer that preserves her inheritance and ignites his imagination.

Lady Minerva Sharpe has the perfect plan to thwart her grandmother's demands: become engaged to a rogue! Surely Gran would rather release her inheritance than see her wed a scoundrel. And who better to play the part of Minerva's would-be husband than wild barrister Giles Masters, the very inspiration for the handsome spy in the popular Gothic novels she writes? The memory of his passionate kiss on her nineteenth birthday has lingered in Minerva's imagination, though she has no intention of really falling for such a rakehell, much less marrying him. Little does she know, he really is a covert government operative. When they team up to investigate the mystery behind her parents' deaths, their fake betrothal leads to red-hot desire. Then Minerva discovers Giles's secret double life, and he must use all the cunning tricks of his trade to find his way back into her heart.

Review:

How to Woo a Reluctant Lady is the third book in The Hellions of Halstead Hall series and tells the story of the eldest Sharpe sister, Minerva. She’s feisty, independent, and is not afraid to speak her mind. After meeting her in the previous novel, A Hellion in Her Bed, I knew her story would be fun!

Although she doesn’t necessarily need her inheritance, Minerva is determined to meet her grandmother’s marriage ultimatum. But Minerva has an ace up her sleeve! She’ll fake an engagement and make Gran give up her pursuits. She has to give the crafty Giles Masters credit for coming up with the idea though. There’s no way Gran will accept Giles as a suitor, much less an appropriate husband, with his reputation. He may be a successful barrister but he’s known around town as a wild rogue.

Minerva’s been in love with Giles since she was nine-years-old. However, the rejection she felt after she was turned down from him in her teen years caused her to build a wall around her heart. It also caused her to take her frustration and heartache out on him through her gothic novels. Although some may frown upon Minerva’s writing, she’s actually very good at what she does and has a substantial fan base. Most think her notoriously wicked main character is based off her older brother…but the rakish spy is totally based off Giles. She has no idea how close to home her books really are because Giles really is living a double-life. A double-life that is seriously getting in the way of the life he wants to have…a life with Minerva as his wife.

I gotta say I didn’t enjoy this installment as much as I did the previous book. But, there were still some really great moments in How to Woo a Reluctant Lady! I liked Minerva. She knows what she wants in life and isn’t afraid to go after it. She was exactly the way I expected and wanted her to be. Her and Giles were a great match and it was a lot of fun to see them try to outwit each other in each of their interactions. My favorite thing about the novel was watching the attraction between them grow. Giles definitely used his good looks to his advantage and took Minerva off guard as often as he could.

I'm also very interested in the mysterious deaths of Minerva's parents. The ongoing investigation is a great backdrop to all of the stories so far. I enjoy how the author has entertwined it with each of the sibling's individual books. I can't wait to find out more!

So even though How to Woo a Reluctant Lady wasn't my favorite I still had a lot of fun with it. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the Hellions of Halstead Hall series because I have a feeling it will be about Gabriel and the woman who despises him...Of course, she will fall in love with him and I'll definitely be finding out why when the new book gets released.

Release Date:

January 18th