An arrogant lord cut-off by his family. A penniless widow in desperate need. In their reduced circumstances, can love save them both?
Lord Neil Duncan, third son of the Marquess of Alderton, finally angers his father enough to be cut off from the family. Neil believes it is only a matter of time before he is reinstated, but time is passing slowly and he needs to eat. His so-called friends … and he needs to eat. His so-called friends have abandoned him, no one else trusts him, and it is not until he comes upon a young widow that he finds someone who needs his help as badly as he needs hers.
Teresa Clapham has been without a husband’s provision and protection for over a year. Supporting her mother and daughter on the pittance her brother-in-law provides has required her to stretch every farthing. When Lord Neil arrives at her doorstep proposing he work for her to earn his keep, she sees possibility in the man everyone else has deemed an arrogant good-for-nothing.
As Lord Neil works for the first time in his life, Teresa sees in him a tender heart long repressed by his family’s expectations – a heart that causes her own to open once more. But her brother-in-law Frederick Clapham is less charmed by Teresa’s new servant. When Lord Neil discovers the secret Mr. Clapham has been keeping, he must decide whether to embrace the man Teresa believes him to be, or fall back on the privileged lifestyle he’s always known.
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I love when you finish a book and you just sigh in happiness. I actually paused halfway threw this book and thought about it while I did other things, I just didn’t want it to end too soon! Neil is a character we met a couple a books ago and man did we think he was a jerk or what. Then you get this little hint at the end he might not be. Ahhh the complex character. No cookie cutter characters in these books. Then we see him in the next book grow and He changes a little more and you begin to see he is not a bad guy but his whole family is full of people who just treat him like he is less and he has been surrounded by immorale behavior his whole life! It’s a wonder this guy has goodness left in him. These are the kinds of people who fasinate me, who rise from what they have been taught and learn better. I was so looking forward to this book. It started out slow and in a way I did not expect at all. I loved meeting the leading lady and her sweet family and I loved watching Neil learn what a good man he was. Such a good ending to the Inglewood series.
Great story. This story is one of my favorites from the series.
Neil was a happy go lucky guy having no responsibilities. He suddenly gets disinherited and has to work for a living. Teresa is an improvised widow living with her mother,grandmother and daughter. Despite challenges, they are quite cheerful and managing well. Hungry and with no possible income Neil works as a labourer in exchange for food and a roof over his head.
The portrayal of Neil, Teresa, Teresa’s family is all done well
It was an interesting read
I love all of Sally Britton’s books. This is one in a series. All are great. This is the reformation of a rake and how his life changed dramatically. Highly recommend!
The book hooks you in quickly. It seems realistic and the characters intricate.
Good book – nice character development – very good pacing. The story and characters seemed sincere.
Fun to read. Thanks for writing this.
I wondered what happened to Lord Neil. His character as a rake in the other books made him ready for redemption or reform. I’ve enjoyed this series.
Story: 5 stars
This is a wonderful book in the series (the last of the series?) but is just fine as a stand-alone! I feel that it has a touch more depth of history if you read the rest of the books first, but it is not necessary to do so.
I loved Lord Neil’s character arc. The author takes the time needed to allow him to grow into a man that the reader can admire and cheer on. We learn of his motivations both in the past and in his current difficult situation.
Teresa had already undergone her character arc in the past, but we still learn of the struggle and personal growth that she endured at the hands of cruel fate.
There are some truly touching moments and some great secondary characters! The old men at the pub are hilarious!
This is my favorite of the series!
Narrator: (5 stars)
I could listen to Marian Hussey all day. Her voice and timbre are soothing. Her male voices are totally deep and believable. Case in point: I was so impressed with her “old men in a pub” voices! They actually sounded old and male!! Her regional accents are really good: I know this from other books I’ve heard her narrate, they don’t play a role as much in this book. Her female voices have distinct characteristics, as well. A wonderful narrator!
*poor, **ok, ***good, ****very good, *****something special
I was so happy to learn that Lord Neil got his own happily ever after. I was curious about his story since his introduction in book one of the Inglewood series. Sally Britton definitely did a great job of humbling this flirtatious Lord.
I would definitely read the other books prior to reading this one. Or listen to them. The reader did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life.
I highly recommend this book to all regency romance lovers.
I very much enjoyed this book. I’ve read the other books in this series and this is one of my new favorites. I knew I could like Neil if I got to know him. I’m so glad he got his own story and a happy ever after. The characters were so lovable (except a couple of people). I also liked seeing characters from previous books make an appearance in this one.
I listened to the audio version and it was fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed this entire series and would recommend it! It was fun to follow Lord Neil throughout his journey in this story!
I received an audio copy from the author and all opinions are my own.
I so enjoyed this story! I have loved each book of Sally Britton’s that I have read and I tend to read all of them. Without a doubt I know I will enjoy whatever Ms Britton writes. This book is no exception. Sir Isaac and Millie made for a wonderful romantic read. I did not want to stop until I reached the end. Even then I wanted more. I can never get enough of these clean romances from this author. Highly and passionately recommended.
*Spoiler Alert*
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I have looking forward to reading Neil’s story. In the previous book in the series, I got the impression that he wasn’t the man he “pretended” to be; that there was more good to him than he wanted to let on. This book certainly confirmed that idea.
Lord Neil Duncan’s family was dysfunctional and horrible. He was never good enough for his father, the Marquess. His older brothers were self-absorbed and his younger sister was mean and spiteful and deceitful. He played the protector for his mom, although she was pretty messed up, too. His father finally kicked out of his family home and gave him fifteen minutes to get out. He left with only the clothes on his back, and a jeweled necklace and earrings that his mother gave him as he left. His friends turned against him and he literally had no one who dared to come to his rescue. Then he came upon a widow who needed his help as bad as he needed hers.
Teresa was a widow who had been left penniless by her gambling husband. Her mother and young daughter lived with her in their cottage and she was worried about what would happen to them when winter came. They had no means to support themselves and the garden barely kept them fed. Neil needed a dry place to sleep and a way to be fed and Teresa needed work done on the farm. They needed each other. Neil had never worked a day in his life but he began to see the value that hard work could bring.
The love story that develops between Teresa and Neil is so sweet and romantic. I was cheering for them both, but especially for Neil. He deserved to find true love and Teresa and her daughter were the perfect family for him to help him forget the dysfunction of the one he had been raised in.
I borrowed this book from the Kindle owners Lender’s Library and I didn’t want this story to end. It was a clean, romantic, beautiful story of true love and being enough for the perfect companion.
I love reading redemption stories. Sally did a fantastic job of depicting Lord Neil realistically. He was a lazy lord who would need a nap half way through the day. I loved that she didn’t romanticize him right from the beginning. She did a really good job of showing his growth and the romance was sweet and genuine. I must confess as much as I loved the character growth and their connection, I had a harder time connecting to the overall plot in this one. But having watched Lord Neil’s secondary character from the start of the series I loved seeing him get his own story.
Oh my! Can I say how much I loved this book. Lord Neil was the last person I ever though I could like. But reformed he is. Did his circumstances force him into it? Yes, but he rose to the occasion. Everyone needs a little bit of humble pie! I thought the characters were wonderful and the story well written. This whole series is great, but this is one of my favorites. The earlier stories really set the stage for Lord Neil. I would suggest reading them in order, but could be read as stand alone. They are all clean regency romances with great chemistry.
Lord Neil Duncan is thrown out of his home with only the clothes on his back. He eventually happens upon an young widow who might actually need his help. So, he suggests to her that he work for her as long as she is willing to feed him and allow him a place to sleep.
Teresa Clapham has been reduced to living the life of a farmer after her husband died. When a handsome gentleman approaches her, she has compassion on him and offers him a place to sleep. And, when he offers to work for only food and shelter, she can’t turn him down.
What follows is both uplifting and bittersweet. I loved how Neil rises to each challenge and learns to appreciate a job well done. He also learns to recognize and seek restitution for his past mistakes. And, I loved how Teresa saw the good in him when no one else did. They each meet a need for the other. Neil is able to solve the secret of Teresa’s brother in law and Teresa provides a place of belonging to Neil. She is also a positive role model in his life, never complaining about her situation.
However, my heart broke for Neil. So much life altering news was dumped on him all at once. Then, he has to literally start over in life. It’s also certainly not the ending that I expected, but I have to admit it’s a good ending and it works. I believe he became a better man as a result. He was able to escape the dysfunctional life he’d grown up in and make a new, better life with love involved. I’d love to see another book where Neil and Teresa are in it and follow up with them.
Finally, the romance is just about perfect. Yes, there’s the initial attraction, but the author expertly develops everything else that blossoms into real, lasting love. They are a perfect match for each other.
Romance – PG / kissing
Language – PG / clean
My rating – 5 stars.
1815
Lord Neil Duncan’s father, the Marquess of Atherton, is a hateful tyrant. He demands that his family never steps out of line. He is politically ambitious and hopes to take over as the leader of his party.
Lord Neil has led an easy life with no real purpose which irritates his father. While his father once again berates his family, Lord Neil steps in to defend his mother and sister. This infuriates his father to the point that the man demands that he leave the house in 15 minutes and not take anything with him. However, his mother secretly slips him some jewelry for him to sell.
Teresa Clapham, 30, has been widowed for over a year now. She lives in a small cottage which is part of a tiny farm with her daughter, Caroline, 11, and her widowed mother, Louisa. When her husband died, his brother told her that the man had gambled away every penny they had leaving Teresa and Caroline penniless. She is shocked because this is not the man she had married. However, they have worked hard to try to raise a little food to keep themselves fed.
One day, a man comes by asking for water for his horse. Teresa graciously complies and also invites him to dinner. He ends up working for them for just his food and a place to sleep in the barn. Since he has always been a man of leisure, he has to learn what it is to work hard. But he perseveres and helps the family immensely. He quickly befriends them and they do not know that he is gentry. As expected, he and Teresa spark an attraction. When they learn the horrible secret her brother-in-law has been keeping from her, everything changes. But will it change the way they feel about one another?
Copy provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Have you ever thought that you were who you were because of the blood running in your veins? Have you ever had an experience where you began to wonder about your course in life? I love that Lord Neil recognized the worth of change and the value of love. Teresa is a great example of love and compassion. Excellent story. Probably my favorite of the series.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Reforming Lord Neil, which is Book 5 in Sally Britton‘s Inglewood Series, is a completely delightful Regency era story. Lord Neil’s story may be my favorite. Though I find it really difficult to choose a favorite in this series. They’re all so good! I loved the characters and their well-written dynamics and interactions. Their love story was so sweet and beautiful. I loved that it was clean and the ending was absolutely perfect. Such a good book!