If you love Lenora Bell and Tessa Dare, you’ll love the next book in New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell’s Logical Man’s Society series about a delicious battle of the sexes between a determined woman and a stubborn gentleman. She arrived in town, beautiful and bold and declaring that she’s inherited property that that he has already claimed! As a member of the local Logical Men’s … claimed! As a member of the local Logical Men’s Society, Ned Thurlowe prides himself on thinking clearly and calmly at all times. And it’s clear that the meeting place of the society—a local tavern—is his even if the men have turned it to shambles.
But Ned’s claim is challenged Gemma Estep, who’s announced she’s decided to turn it into some sort of respectable tea garden for the local ladies. Ned challenges Gemma, and in doing so behaves most illogically, for though he wants to dismiss her, he also can’t help but desire her.
Gemma has had enough of men telling her what to do, and she’s vowed to make her own way in the world. And Ned Thurlowe is ruining her plans. Not only has he laid claim to her property, pitting them in a heated fight for its ownership, he’s also arousing in her feelings she’s never sensed before.
And although they argue, they quickly discover they have more in common than they’d each ever dreamed—could their disagreement be turning into desire?
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Well-respected village doctor Ned Thurlowe takes pride in his strong intellect and clear thinking as chairman of the Logical Men’s Society. But all that cool composure is lost when a feisty and lovely woman show up claiming to have inherited the local pub. Ned won’t stand for it as the beloved tavern has become the favored meeting place of the Society and he hopes to claim it himself, even if the men haven’t exactly been taking care of the place.
Widowed Gemma Estep is done relying on others for her living and is determined to turn her late uncle’s tavern into her own establishment, a respectable tea garden. This is her chance to finally be free and she has no intention of letting her new enemy Ned Thurlowe get in her way, even if he sparks wholly unfamiliar feelings in her. As the two bicker, it eventually becomes apparent they’re very alike and beneath their mutual animosity is an entirely different sort of heat.
This book was rather bizarre to me and much of the time had me simultaneously entertained and highly annoyed. I’m pretty sure this was the intended reaction given the incredibly high levels of sexism displayed by the men in this novel, including and especially the hero. The meddling matrons were frustrating in their own regard, but the backwards men certainly took the cake. The romance here was rather lost in the battle of the sexes and the hero’s bloodless engagement to another woman, both of which went on a bit too long for me. Ned went from being ridiculously immature in his behavior, harassing Gemma when he knew he had no claim simply because his attraction to her made him uncomfortable, to complaining about being too old. His reasons for his dislike of women were also rather feeble and made him difficult to like as his change of heart and growth as a character came about quite late. Ned and Gemma went from being at each other’s throats, with Ned being especially and irrationally nasty, to suddenly being in love. This wasn’t just a slow burn to me, but their feelings didn’t make sense after how he treated her. Lust was believable, but it was rather an abrupt about face for deep emotions, especially since it took them so long to fight for their love. I also would’ve liked to see some comeuppance for Gemma’s awful family; I kept waiting for them to pop up and try to cause trouble since she left so abruptly, and it was a bit odd that we never heard from them again. Overall, this story was entertaining but rather less than romantic. I was intrigued by the side characters and enjoyed the writing style though so I will likely continue the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link:https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspot.com/2021/04/her-first-desire-by-cathy-maxwell-arc.html
Her First Desire by Cathy Maxwell
2nd book in the Logical Man’s Society series. Historical romance. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Gemma arrives in the village claiming ownership of a plot of land and building, displacing the local men’s club. Of course they are upset with her claim and her turning their play house into her home and healing business so pranks ensue.
I admired Gemma’s fortitude and strength. Her determination helps her succeed.
The hero needed waking up. Eventually he is worthy but he stumbles quite a bit to get there.
“She was seeing stars. He kissed her and she was seeing stars.”
I listened to the audio version narrated by Justine Eyre. Justine uses a British English accent in her performance for this audiobook. There was a distinct difference between Gemma and Ned’s voices which made for an excellent performance. I listened to the book at 1.3 which is my usual speed. 1.0 was wonderful but slower than actual conversation for me.
3.5 upped to 4 because of the audiobook performance.
I just finished reading Her First Desire by Cathy Maxwell and it was soo good! Lovely writing, fun, funny, small country town, pranks, and fun tropes.
Her First Desire is second in a series but worked as a stand alone for me. I’ve never read Cathy Maxwell before but I will be reading all her books now. Her writing reminded me so much of my favorite Historical Romance writers that weave in humor so effortlessly (Tessa Dare and Lenora Bell). Low on steam but I didn’t miss it with this slow to awaken romance.
The set up for this novel is fantastic. Gemma is dependent on family after her husband loses most of her money and dies. Gemma learns her Uncle has passed and she escapes to the small village he lived in. She claims his bar to transform into a tea parlor. It is quite a scene when she gets there.
The other side of this is that MOST of the men are old fashioned. Many belong to an organization called the Logical Men’s Society. Ned Thurlowe is the chairman of the group and also the village doctor. When he lays eyes on Gemma he is instantly at odds with her… and in love.
Overall, this story is so entertaining and I loved the cast of characters in Maidenshop. Looking forward to reading more of this series.
Thank you #netgalley and #Avon for the early read. #CathyMaxwell #HerFirstDesire
2.5 stars – rounded up for excellent writing.
Gemma Estep has been poorly treated by the men in her life, her father left his fortune to her no-good, wastrel of a husband, who made no provisions for her and so all her father’s money went to his brother when he was killed in a duel. To make matters worse, the brother-in-law refuses to give her a widow’s portion and has her live with them as basically a servant. So when she finds a letter informing her that her uncle died, she has had enough and leaves. She is intending to go to Maidenstop, claim The Garland which was her uncle’s tavern and start a new life – it is a solid plan and should go off without a hitch.
Ned Thurlowe is the town’s doctor and member of the Logical Men’s Society. The Society is for bachelors and has been a staple in the town for years – so when Gemma arrives and intends to turn his club into a tea garden – he will not let go without a fight. Ned is a very serious man and doesn’t have a lot of faith in women. Despite their immediate attraction or maybe because of it – these two declare war and the story is set up for an epic battle of the sexes.
This is a well-written, fast-paced story that neatly follows up where the first book ended. This book had so much potential and a lot of fun scenes and witty dialogue – but unfortunately, the fact that Ned is betrothed to another woman for almost the entire book is a major turn-off for me – one, because he cheats on her and two because Gemma’s first husband cheated on her and she knows the pain that causes and still let her relationship with Ned become intimate – That is not cool and ruined this book for me, which is a shame because I was looking forward to this title. I will definitely continue with this series, but I can’t say I would recommend this book.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own,*
Tired of living on the crumbs allowed by her in-laws, widow Gemma goes to claim the tavern promised by her late uncle. Physician Ned challenges her ownership, as there was no will. He’s hoping to buy the tavern on behalf of the Logical Men’s Society, which has been meeting at the tavern for half a century. Underneath their sparring lies a strong attraction—except that Ned is already betrothed to a sweet young woman facing genteel poverty if he doesn’t marry her. Can true love prevail?
This is such a fun book. It’s light and funny with a strong-willed heroine and a hero who needs a woman who can knock him down a peg or two. I love the townspeople and the dynamic between them. Can’t wait for the next book in the series!
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Her First Desire is the second book of Cathy Maxwell’s A Logical Man’s Guide to Dangerous Women series. If you haven’t read the prior book, you won’t have any problems. I haven’t read it either, yet I breezed through this fun battle of the sexes Regency story in about a day, and I wasn’t the least bit lost. I was extremely entertained and plan to go back and read the first one.
Gemma Estep is the poor relation who lives with her deceased husband’s family after he dies in a disgraceful manner. When looking in her brother-in-law’s desk for paper, she discovers a hidden letter written to her informing her of her uncle’s death. Her uncle previously wrote to her telling her that when he’s gone, all that he had was hers. When Gemma demands a widow’s portion from her brother-in-law she is refused, so she heads to the village of Maidenshop to turn her uncle’s tavern into a respectable family tea garden. When she arrives, however, she meets local doctor Ned Thurlowe, a member of the Logical Men’s Society, who informs her that he is planning to use the tavern as the meeting place of the Society. Well, that just won’t do at all! The local matrons help Gemma clean up the tavern for her tea garden, while the men attempt to sabotage her. The fight is on…except Gemma and Ned, despite their confrontations with each other, begin to develop deep feelings. Just how can any good come of this, however, as Ned is already engaged to a local lass?
This story was heaps of fun and I had trouble putting it down. There were some maddening issues, though. Ned was engaged to a sweet local girl whom the matrons basically foisted on Ned in order to help her out. He had no feelings for her whatsoever and he kept putting her off. In other words, Ned was basically unlikable at the beginning of this book. He actually was throughout a good deal of it. Gemma was a healer making salves and the like, while arrogant Ned basically dismissed any gifts she might indeed have. He did, however, begin to grow on me as he gradually fell for Gemma and acknowledged that maybe he wasn’t always right. Most of the town’s men folk actually believed as he did about a woman’s place in society. Gemma was good and feisty and I enjoyed watching her head out on her own to escape the thumb of her in-laws. The town matrons were particularly pushy, though they did have their hearts in the right place. I did enjoy Ned and Gemma’s sparring and growing romantic feelings. They had palpable chemistry, but it wasn’t graphic in the story; besides one love scene and some kisses, it was basically steam-free. This is a book you can share with your relatives without embarrassment. Despite its faults, it was an extremely entertaining tale and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more about the Logical Men’s Society, especially Ned’s friend Mars. Reading this was the perfect way to spend a Sunday!
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
I have read Cathy’s books for years and have really enjoyed most of them. I do love a good enemies to lovers story but in my opinion this one went on a little too long and a lot too far. You can usually breeze through enemies to lovers story just because you want to see how it ends but unfortunately even though I read this in a short time it did not work for me. Sorry Cathy. Gemma was okay as a character and even if she did have a bit of spunk it was not enough. Ned could have been a great character, normal country doctor but he was just too stubborn. I would like to see who Mars is paired up with, I am thinking Clarissa because she protested way too much when it came to him.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
She had been staying at her brother-in-law’s home. She happened to find a letter addressed to her and had been opened. Her last living relative, Her uncle had died and it had been 3 months ago. The same had happened when she came to London she found out her husband had been dead for six months. No one thought to tell her. She had lost her father, then her daughter and her husband, and now her uncle. Her uncle had left her a tavern in Maidenshop. So she left and went to Maidenshop.
Dr. Ned Thurlowe was a very distrustfully young man. His mother was a courtesan, a very famous one. His father took him and educated him. Clarissa Taylor had become his fiance, but there was no love between them. She had waited two years to marry.
It was a wonderful story. The matrons of the village thought they ran it. Ned only needed his friends in The Local Men’s Society to feel at home but they thought they ran the village. When Gemma and Ned first met, they had a lot of animosity toward each other. One time she found her store/house with dozens of chickens inside and boy did they make a mess. She was very angry. She stood in the middle of the road and threw eggs at him. She just knew he had something to do with it. Crazy things like that. It was funny. I loved reading this tale and the characters were amazing. It was very entertaining and kept you on your toes. I highly recommend it
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.
Widowed Gemma Estep has absolutely had it with men! She’s never met one she could trust and rely on – even her father who loved her left his fortune to her worthless husband rather than to her. When her husband died in a duel over another man’s wife, his brother inherited the fortune and ‘allowed’ her to live with his family – basically as a servant. Her final straw was when she discovered a letter in her brother-in-law’s desk. That letter – addressed to her – was months old – and it was the news that her beloved uncle, her only relative, had died. After a loud confrontation with her brother-in-law, she decided to leave because she had a letter that made her believe that her uncle had left her his establishment, The Garland. OMGoodness, the mess she found when she arrived to make her claim! That mess included the state of disrepair in which she found the Garland – and the animosity of the male population of the village – many of whom belonged to the Logical Men’s Society.
Doctor Ned Thurlowe is a well-respected physician and member of the village. He is of a scientific nature and really pays little attention to what is actually going on around him. People talk to him, but he pays almost no attention to what they are actually saying. He’s always thinking of something else entirely. He’s betrothed, but it is a pity betrothal that he was sort of shamed into. He is totally indifferent to the woman and has been putting off the wedding for over two years. He knows he’ll marry her someday – but not today. Then, that wicked, flame-haired harridan came to town, and he found he might actually have feelings. Who knew? Of course, they could never be friends because she is claiming the Garland – and worse yet – she plans to turn it into a tea garden where the Logical Men’s Society will not be allowed to meet! The nerve of her.
Ned’s character seems to be a caricature rather than a real person. He certainly needed to have a grand epiphany because he was not a particularly likable character for most of the book. Because of his background, he had a very insecure nature and wasn’t one for trusting – especially women.
I don’t care for infidelity in any book I read – and – while many of you will disagree with me – this book has infidelity in it. Ned is betrothed to a lovely young woman. He asked her to marry and she agreed – and then he never made any effort to get to know her or care about her – and then he has a relationship with Gemma. He should have dealt with the betrothal before he ever embarked on the relationship with Gemma. I’m not a believer in those ‘uncontrollable’ urges. I believe you always have a choice – even if you don’t like the available options.
I liked the IDEA of this story much better than I liked the execution. I thought it would be a bright, funny, entertaining romance, and for me personally, it just wasn’t. I have begun to wonder if all authors hate men or if it is just a wide swath of the Historical Romance authors. I’ve read several books within the last month whose common theme was that every female in the story was constantly referring to men as idiots, wastrels, untrustworthy, rakes, etc. To me, that sort of equates to thinking all blondes are dumb as in all of the blonde jokes. It isn’t true and it is insulting to my intelligence to try to make me think it is.
While I wouldn’t read this book a second time, I hope you’ll enjoy it if you choose to read it. I also think I’ll skip any remaining books in the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.