An opposites-attract, wrong-side-of-the-tracks, secret identity romance from a New York Times bestselling author:Heath Grenville is the problem-solver for London’s elite. Unmask the devious cretin skewering the ton with audacious caricatures? With pleasure. His success should keep the powerful happy. But when his work leads him to a young lady outside his class, surely he won’t do anything so … lady outside his class, surely he won’t do anything so scandalous as to fall in love…
By day, Miss Eleanora Winfield is a proper, unremarkable paid companion. By night, Nora’s skillful hands sketch the infamous penny caricatures rocking high society. Nora desperately needs the money…and her anonymity. But how can she keep them both, when she’s fallen for the one man whose livelihood and reputation requires him to expose her?
In the Rogues to Riches historical romance series by USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Erica Ridley, Cinderella stories aren’t just for princesses… Sigh-worthy Regency rogues sweep strong-willed young ladies into whirlwind romance with rollicking adventure.
- Lord of Chance
- Lord of Pleasure
- Lord of Night
- Lord of Temptation
- Lord of Secrets
- Lord of Vice
more
l enjoyed reading this. The story line is a bit out of the ordinary. It is helpful to have read some of the previous stories in the series, but not a prerequisite.
The overall tone is lighthearted. There was some very cute dialog around the humping pug, Capt. Pugboat. Nora’s employer, Lady Roundtree, had me wondering if she was trying to matchmake or not.
I received a free advance reader copy, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.
I loved this book!
Nora Winfield, a farmer’s granddaughter, serving as a temporary paid companion to Lady Roundtree. Heath Grenville, heir to a Baronetcy, and the keeper of secrets of the ton. Even if these two have a few things in common, Nora’s secret is too explosive to ever be found out. And finding out secrets is what Heath DOES…
So normally I read and love books about alpha men but this is not that kind of story. I picture Heath as a wonderful brother who always takes care of his family and friends. He is kind and gentle. I’m thinking I have a huge crush on Heath. Who wouldn’t want him. The parts of the story with him and his family are fantastic. I love how they get along and are supportive. This can also be seen in the book with Dahlia which takes place after this storyline. I also very much enjoyed Nora’s interactions with her cousin and that darn cute dog. I wish that Heath and Nora had more interaction in the story. Until 75% it was minimal. But Ms. Ridley’s writing is so wonderful and the other storylines are so great that I would not discount this book because of that. This is definitely a slow burn romance.
I received a complimentary copy from the author.
Rags to Riches …. Cinderella or rather ‘Cindernora’ (known as Nora in the story) is the poor relative who works as a companion to her wealthy cousin.
Heath on the other hand is extremely wealthy and will inherit the title of Baron in due course.
Of course they meet and it is lovely to see the gradual love which begins to bind them together, but she has a secret and he is the ‘uncoverer of secrets’ to whom the ton come to have ‘secrets’ uncovered so it is easy to surmise that he will uncover hers, but what goes on in-between is the guts of this delightfully exciting love story which is also an entertaining page-turner.
Besides loving the whole story, I especially loved the little puppy and all his antics. He sure raised a good many chuckles.
This story kept me glued to the pages and I happily recommend it (and the others in this series).
I was also fortunate to have been able to read an advance copy and this is my voluntary and unbiased review of it.
As most of Erica Ridley’s books. there is always a twist of the plot that is a little out of the mainstream, to make it more interesting. The characters are well-developed, and you cheer when they finally get together in the end.
Wonderful characters in this entertaining story especially the main ones being Heath & Eleanora whose friendship blossoms although they’re aware society would dictate otherwise. The Grenville sisters are superb & add such fun to the story. I have just two small issues, I felt the ending (last chapter, before epilogue) seemed a bit rushed and I wished there was more outpouring of emotions displayed during the forgiveness and acceptance moment. I expected more conflict before final realizations and resolve. It happened quickly and rather easily. Yet, I still enjoyed the story very much and cheered them on with hope throughout.
I wish we could choose more adjectives above, because this book has a lot of choices I could actually make. We all know it will come out right in the end, but there are some slightly unpredictable twists throughout and it was entertaining, too. I read it in one short evening (which I really prefer to do); then I read it again… just to make sure I didn’t miss anything!
This book appealed to me because the heroine was an artist who used her talent to communicate. The author did a great job of making the characters people worth knowing—her character development was outstanding. I liked that she did not over use sex scenes to make the romance believable.
As always very well done. Wonderful series. Hard to put down, as I can attest, I read it one sitting. I highly recommend anything Ms. Ridley writes.
Rogues to Riches Volume 2
This is Fifth book in the Rogues to Riches Series, it is the first one I have read and am sure going to go back and read the first four.
Heath Grenville is a problem solver, fixer for the elite ton. He uses his position in society to help friends and family out of problems that would be an embarrassment. He will be a Baron one day. His father is always gone, or to busy for any of the family which causes Heath a lot of heartache. He has three sister’s who he loves dearly, all are unconventional for the times. His Mother is trying to marry off her children.
Miss Eleanora Windfield (Nora) is living a double life, by day she is the paid companion to her cousin Lady Roundtree.
And by night she is the person behind the caricatures that are upsetting the ton, and causing scandal.
She is not doing the pictures to cause harm. They started as a way to tell her family what was going on around her
as she can’t write or read well. She would draw what she heard from being with Lady Roundtree and her friends. She sent them to her brother back on the family farm who sent one to a newspaper. The money that was paid was more then her family has ever had. She has very sick grandparents and the family is about to lose the farm. She does not see how she can stop.
Heath and her meet at a ball, where he assumes she is one of the ton.
After finding out that Nora is a paid companion he knows he should leave her alone. They are from two different stations in society. But neither Nora or Heath can forget they other. Heath’s Sister’s, Mother, Lady Roundtree and of course the lovable little pug puppy “Captain Pugboat” make a unforgettable story.
Please grab a copy to see how they handle the rules of society, his mother, and what happens when he founds out
her secret. You will not be disappointed,
I received an ARC from the author, the review is my own .
A man who’s known for keeping secrets falls for the woman who has the biggest secret of all!
Heath is known for keeping society’s secrets, so he has been hired to discover the identity of the political satirist who is mocking London’s elite. Meanwhile, he’s attracted to a beautiful companion, despite the class differences that make them wholly unsuitable for each other.
Nora will do anything to keep food on the table for her impoverished family, including working as a paid companion for a distant relative. And including selling her clever drawings, anonymously of course, drawings that force the lords and ladies of London to look at themselves from a completely different perspective.
What follows is a delightful romance as both Heath and Nora have several obstacles to overcome on their way to a satisfying HEA. I enjoyed the developing relationship between Nora and Lady Roundtree, especially the subtle ways that the baroness found to bring Heath and Nora together. I especially enjoyed the way the final resolution scene was written with honesty and openness, acknowledging all the truths while determined to find a way to move past it all. It was brilliantly and beautifully written. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Heath Grenville and Eleanora (Nora) Winfield are from two very different worlds. Heath is the heir to a barony, while Nora is a paid companion. He grew up among the ton, she on a sheep farm. However, when her distant cousin, Lady Roundtree broke her leg, Nora was hired to be her companion. Since companions and other servants are generally ignored by the ton, Heath and Nora should not have formally met, much less spoken to each other. Both harbor secrets, Heath keeps the scandal potential secrets of the ton, while Nora draws penny caricatures which mock the ton. Although it was her brother who first sent them to a printer, it was her decision to continue. Her poverty ridden family needed the money. As Heath and Nora spend more time together, they find how well suited they are to each. Can love overcome the obstacles and barriers their disparity in status present? What will Heath do when her anonymity as the caricature creator is revealed? This is the fifth book in the Rogues to Riches series by Erica Ridley. I have enjoyed them all. The only issue in this one was getting used to the fact that the previous book happenings are occurring within the same timeline. However, the next book, Bryony`s story, is alluded to, but not fleshed out so I must read the Lord of Vice to find out what happens. I have read many of Erica Ridley`s books and can truthfully say there is not a bad one among them.
Delightfully entertaining read!
Another wonderful spin on the Cinderella trope, with a kind and entreprising heroine (after a little nudge from her brother) and a rather Darcyesque hero, with the little blemishes that go with that: “As a child…I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit.”
Unlike Mr. Darcy, Heath Grenville, is quite immediately struck by Nora’s handsome face and fun personality, and he has an open & friendly manner. However, like Mr. Darcy he is a bit too certain about what is right and wrong, leaving him somewhat too proud and with too good an opinion of the importance of the haut ton and his role in it.
Nora is a great character, coming accross as a little meek sometimes because of her humble nature & generous heart, but brave as well in her choice to continue with her caricatures, knowing full well what’s at stake. I thought it was a nice change of pace to have a heroine with insecurities, both with regards to her rank and her learning disability (dyslexia).
To stay in Austen-terminology, she is far more of a Jane than an Elizabeth, and it’s nice to see a more atypical heroine secure her HEA.
I like the Grenville siblings immensely, and I would have liked to have gotten more insight into their elusive father. Why is he so absent? What kind of relationship does he (still) have with his wife? How does he feel about his children?
On to the next one!
This is Rogues to Riches #5 book in which the reader is treated to Heath Grenville and Miss Eleanora Winfield as they find their path together amidst the Ton and intrigue. Great characters and a storyline with reader will love.
Ebook from net galley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.
The hero, Heath Grenville, brother to the delightful Grenville sisters, whose stories are wonderful also, meets the heroine, Ms. Winfield and immediately falls in love. However, he is what society calls one of her “betters” so their romance seems doomed. The hero keeps reminding himself of this. However, after an entertaining story, the two do find their HEA without all the unneeded drama of kidnappings, thefts, murders, etc, that i feel so many authors just throw in from seemingly nowhere. This is a straightforward love story that gets to the point wonderfully.
A poor relation, Nora works as a companion to her rich older cousin, Lady Roundtree. Heir to a baronetcy, Heath, must choose an equal lady of his class.
Agreeable addition to the series. Enjoyed the story and the whimsical humor. Frustrated with Heath’s weak personality and his father’s invisibility. Loved the rest of the Grenville family and came to like Lady Roundtree. Looking forward to the next book in the series. The sisters shine!
Voluntarily read ARC for honest review.
This is a true HEA story, about an heir to a Barony and she is a common country farm girl, but when love comes to town nothing will stop it. I would have liked to see a little more interaction between the two main characters but once the story progressed it had me turning the page and finding it hard to put down. I also loved the secondary characters in the book whom we have meet before. I find it hard not to enjoy Ms Ridleys books and very much look forward to the next as I am sure there will be some sparks flying. This can be read as a standalone book and has a small sex scene which this reviewer skipped as usual and it in now way impacted my enjoyment of the book. Once you have read one of Ms Ridleys books I am sure you will be back for more. I received this as an ARC and did this review because I enjoy reading her books although this wasn’t my favourite, don’t let it stop you from trying this and others.
I received a free advance copy of this book from the publisher. This is my unbiased and voluntary review. Now that that is out of the way …
This book runs chronologically parallel to some of the other books in the series and also has some characters from the Dukes of War series. I think it would be helpful to have a “Cast of characters” or book “family tree” to refresh the memory of the reader who has read the previous books some time ago and to help the new reader to this wonderful author.
We’ve met the Grenville family and the first born, only male, Heath Grenville, who, in his desire to help people, had become the problem solver for the ton in general and his younger sisters in particular. Miss Eleanora (Nora) Winfield and her younger brother, Carter, were raised on a sheep farm by their grandparents, but it has become a difficult struggle to keep the farm going. Nora is offered the position of paid companion to her second cousin Lady Roundtree, who has fractured her leg. At her first ball, she literally runs into Heath, who afterwards, can not get her our of his mind. She has the same problem, despite knowing that as a commoner, they can have no future together.
Nora has dyslexia, but has developed a talent for drawing to convey what she can not write. Sending sketches and caricatures to her family, her brother sends some samples to publisher, who sent back desperately needed funds and requested more. Unknown to her, she had become the infamous caricaturist, who Heath has been paid to find. Both of these people will do anything to protect their family.
A lovely written story, with appealing characters, an endearing pup, a villain, interesting conflict and of course the HEA.