When Elsinore Cosgrove escapes a ballroom in search of adventure, she has no idea it will lead to a hasty marriage. The youngest daughter of a duke, all she wants is to make her own choices. Now she’s engaged to an infuriating, handsome Scottish baron who doesn’t even know her name! Using all her feminine wiles, along with advice gleaned from a training guide for hunting hounds, Elsinore is … determined to mold her baron into the husband she wants.
Quin Graham is a man with many secrets. If another scandal can be avoided with a sham marriage, so be it. Only his fiancée isn’t at all what he’s expecting, and the clumsy, curious, and clever Elsinore refuses to be set aside. For reasons he’s unwilling to explain, the last thing Quin needs is to fall for his wife.
Each book in the What Happens in the Ballroom series is STANDALONE:
* How to Train Your Baron
* About an Earl
more
How to Train Your Baron brought something fresh to the Regency Romance genre. I like Regency Romances, but they’re all basically the same: woman of nobility caught in a compromising position is forced to marry. That’s the trope. How to Train Your Baron follows that same trope, but then offers something different. Elsinore attempts to bring new husband to heel by following the instructions in a dog training manual. Meanwhile, Quin is embroiled in a mystery over the deaths of his late wife and son. So there’s more to this novel than a simple boy-meets-girl. The characters are fun and likable, the dialogue and writing are witty, and the end was quite exciting. A very enjoyable read!
So funny!
I so enjoyed this book! The author took us on quite a romp! A story full of great characters, a wild, strong and adventurous heroine, a hero who needs to believe in love again and some mystery and excitement made this a book that was so hard to put down! This one is a sure winner! Thoroughly engrossed in the story from start to finish, this story was very well-written with a nice twist in it. Well done!
What a great time reading this fun and romantic novel. I am anticipating more fun books from Ms. Diana. A very new take on a relationship between two Regency characters. Well done.
This first book by Diana Lloyd is a promise to great and entertaining readings to come.
I do adored Elsinore, she is so smart and clever even if each attempt to follow her thoughts ends up in total mess, but she tries and perseveres.
I did not know what to think of Quin, from the beginning I understood he had suffered a lot but still I strained to forgive him for his harsh treatment of his new wife, she did nothing to deserve such a treatment.
There were so many miscommunications and misunderstandings, he was angry and tried to hurt her when he discovered she played with him about her name. But he was also the first to not know hers and after he believes he can blame her for her little trick while she tried to right it. Just he never listens to her, only thinking the worst at first, never able to accept it is her innocence that speaks to him, even if the wrong way.
He is so quick to jump to conclusion, blinded by his late wife betrayal, he is unable to see Elsinore for who she is really, a young woman who wants to find her place in society and in his life.
He tells it is to protect her but he does only hurt her by rejecting her and always doubting her.
He was lucky Elsinore was the kind of character to never give up, she is the one hero in this tale, she decided she will make this marriage work and win her husband love, when he belittles her like most of the men of these times did.
It was in a rather unorthodox way, just wait to see which guid books she decided to use, but she stayed true to herself, while he is the one to not trust her and keeping secrets at the same time.
I was angry that she has every time to prove she meant no harm while he keeps her in the dark when she should be aware of the danger lurking around them.
A 4.5 stars rate for this witty tale.
It was a fun book to read.
A cute regency romance with a spunky, independent heroine and a tortured hero with a dark secret. They marry because of an inadvertent improper contact. It’s set at first in Britain, but quickly moves to Scotland.
Good book our heroine is youngest of six and is very impulsive which seems to land herself always in a wee bit of scandal. Upon trying to find lord Byron she gets in a bit of a wee possible scandal and finds herself wedded to a scotsman. Lord Graham is trying to find who is tormenting him and killed his son and upon being a gentleman and helping a lady in distress they find themselves in a scandalous position .
I enjoyed the book
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BARON (What Happens in the Ballroom #1) by Diana Lloyd is a historical romance with a mystery of suspicious deaths in the hero’s family and a naïve heroine who seeks adventure, but ends up in hilarious situations. This entertaining story kept me reading to solve the mystery and laughing out loud at the heroine’s antics.
Elsinore Cosgrove, the youngest of six daughters of a duke, wishes only to seek out adventure and make her own decisions. When she believes she sees Lord Byron at a ball, she follows to get her copy of his poems signed. What happens is a comedy of errors that have her hastily engaged to a Scottish baron who does not even know her name. Elsinore is not happy to once again not have a say in her future, but she believes she can train her baron into the husband she wants.
Quin Graham has secrets, but rather than bring more scandal to his name, he agrees to an arranged marriage. Quin believes that once his bride gives him his heir, he will send her away for her own safety, but he begins to care too much for his curious and clever wife. As the threat escalates, Elsinore fights to not only stay with her new husband, but to uncover all of Quin’s secrets, while Quin tries to protect his new wife at all costs, including his heart.
I enjoyed this book so much. Elsinore is quirky, witty and so much fun. The predicaments she gets herself into are hilarious and the two books she has as guides for her marriage had me laughing out loud. Elsinore is also steadfast, smart and willing to fight, even Quin, to make her marriage a love match. Quin has had a tragic year before he meets Elsinore and fights to protect his heart, but Elsinore sneaks in and proves she is perfect for him and is willing to fight by his side for their future. The sex scenes are well written, hot and appropriate to the story.
Ms. Llyod has written a historical romance with an intriguing plot, wonderful characters, humor, heat and a much deserved HEA. I am looking forward to more books in this series.
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
Elsinore wants adventure and she always seems to find herself in a pickle. When she accidentally gets her glove caught in a Scottish Maiden an unexpected gentleman comes to her rescue. Caught in a compromising position with the Scotsman Quin, Lord Graham, it’s a special license and quick marriage. Quin is hiding secrets and Elsinore won’t give up on the man she’s come to love.
Elsinore is one spunky lady and gets into hilarious situations. The real pain is Quin. Fast paced, engrossing who done it. An excellent read.
I loved this book! Wonderful characters with romance and wit. I loved the dialogue between the two main characters, I often found myself chuckling.
Witty, Charming, Sexy
Diana Lloyd’s skill at creating a Regency world will pull you in and hold you until the end of the story. Her ability to develop characters who are delightful, wounded, misguided, and endearing captured my heart from the beginning. The witty banter between Elsinore and Quin is foreplay for their steamy romantic encounters, all written with deft cleverness. They are witty without being snarky, and they are well-rounded without being forced. I confess that Regency romances are not my favorite reads, but Ms. Lloyd may have converted me. She weaves such an intriguing mystery into the plot that I couldn’t stop reading. Her ability to insinuate a clue, to drop a hint as to some evil in the past kept me turning the pages. I was delightfully surprised at how much I enjoyed Ms. Lloyd’s story. If you enjoy Regency (and even if you don’t) this book is a must read
Loved it.
This was good read but not memorable. I enjoyed the characters and the out come was a happy one.
This was certainly a delightful read! It was such a fun story that once I started it I didn’t want to put it down. This book had one of the best first meetings of the hero and heroine ever. Quin discovers Elsinore with her hand trapped in a very real tabletop guillotine. Yes, you read that right. He tries to release her and a total farce ensues, requiring the two to wed. There I sat, reading and wearing a silly grin. The humor was throughout the entire book.
However, there was also some mystery and heartbreak (both past and current). Quin lost all his family, and there were very serious rumors as to Quin’s connection with those tragedies. He received many notes with threats in them. He wanted to protect Elsinore from danger, so he tried to push her away. Except she pushed back…..using a dog training book and what appears to be the Kama Sutra to guide her. (Our Elsinore is certainly an unusual heroine, prone to causing trouble.) You’ll root for these two to have a happy ending, as iffy as that seems to be. I certainly look forward to the next book in this series!
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
What fun!!
Elsinore – She is one of those characters you can’t help but love. She is a bit immature and definitely in need of a time-out, at times I can not help but question how she survives day to day. Being the youngest in the family gives her an acceptable innocence that seems to lend to her ability to find trouble in the most neutral of situations.
Quinn – I both loved and loathed his character. He is desperately looking for answers to a problem that has darkened the hallowed halls of his home. He is weary to trust but understands and acknowledges that duty will always come first. He will meet his societal obligations, clear his name and ensure that his royal house has an heir. He will NOT fall in love, he will never be duped again.
Between the two of them, this story is ripe with humor and mishap – suspense and romance. If there is a possibility of trouble befalling them, Elsinore will ensure they find it.
How to Train Your Baron by Diana Lloyd is the First book in the What Happens in the Ballroom Series. This is the story of Elsinore Cosgrove and Quin Graham.
Elsinore is the youngest in her family and is treated as such…but Elsinore has a curious nature which leads her into trouble. Quin happens to save her but also ends up having to marry her…a women who he didn’t even know her name. But Quin is in town on a serious matter that doesn’t give him time for a wife much less one he can care about.
This was actually a funny story but also one with some adventures in it.
Loved their story.
An entertaining read I just felt could have used a little more polish
I hadn’t previously read this author (it looks like this is probably a debut novel) but the blurb grabbed me so I decided to give it a chance and the story started off well. I found Elsinore and the situations she got herself into amusing, and I could certainly empathize with her wish to control her own life. I also empathized with Quin and was quickly pulled into the intrigue surrounding him.
I enjoyed the set-up which was a nice mix of both suspense and humor, and as a dog owner, I was particularly amused by the idea of applying the tenets of dog training to training one’s husband. The writing itself was technically well-done and had a smooth flow; in fact I was a little surprised to find that this was a debut work.
The main problem I had with the book was that it seemed inconsistent or uneven at times. While the Elsinore for two thirds of the book was intelligent, charming, funny and determined, in the middle section what had started as amusing was coming across to me as childish and irritating. Even Quin’s behavior felt a bit childish to me at times in that section and the book dragged for me there as a result. The tone also felt uneven to me; while most of the scenes with Elsinore were humorous or silly, including those with Quin, scenes with Quin but not Elsinore were darker and more somber. Adding a little more seriousness to Elsinore and a little more humor to Quin would have smoothed the tone out and improved Elsinore’s character for me. This seemed to happen naturally in the sections of the book I liked, particularly the ending. And the sections I liked, I REALLY liked.
A nice set up, interesting plot and intriguing characters all made for an entertaining read for me that I just felt could have used a little more polish. I’ll be interested to see what this author does in the future. 3.5 stars
B2B Kelly
How to Train Your Baron by Diana Lloyd is a book 1 in a new and exciting series,”What Happens in the Ballroom”. “A Regency romp mash-up of Cinderella and Humpty-Dumpty.”
A fun, entertaining and intriguing story with a calamity of mishaps, adventure, humor, witty banter, suspense and intrigue, makes for some hilarious moments.
This is the story of Lord Quin Graham, a Scottish baron and Elsinore Cosgrove, the daughter of a duke, and their hasty marriage, after being found in a compromising position. Set in the ballrooms of the England to the Scottish highlands, readers will find themselves turning pages and laughing out loud, but there are also moments of danger, plenty of mystery, suspense and intrigue. Well written, well crafted with engaging and entertaining characters. The storyline flows seamlessly and effortlessly. I absolutely loved HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BARON and look forward to more from Diana Lloyd What an impressive debut book/author!!
“I voluntarily received a complimentary copy, however, these are my honest opinions. I was in no way required nor compensated to write a review.”
Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Sweet
Reviewer: AprilR
Amazingly funny story. Yummy hero. Delightful and witty heroine. A storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat and a smile on your face. The antics that Elsinore gets up to are unbelievable funny. The author has created the start of what I know will be an amazing series. The character development is flawless and beautiful. Well done!