Miss Emma Harlow hasn’t earned the reputation as a hoyden for nothing, so when the Duke of Trent discovers her in his conservatory stealing one of his orchids, he’s isn’t surprised — charmed, delighted and puzzled, yes, but not surprised. It is Emma who is amazed. She has naturally concluded that the man reading in the conservatory must be the country cousin (who else in London would actually … read?) and is quite vexed to discover that he is the Duke of Trent himself — imagine, stealing the duke’s prize Rhyncholaelia digbyana under his very nose!
But her vexation doesn’t last long. For Emma is a practical young lady with a mission: to end her dear sister Lavinia’s engagement to the villainous (and dreadfully dull!) Sir Waldo Windbourne, and she thinks that the famous libertine is just the man for the job. If he would only seduce her sister away from Sir Waldo… Well, not seduce exactly, but flirt mercilessly and engage her interest. Perhaps then Lavinia would jilt the baron. The Duke of Trent is resistant, of course. Despite his reputation, he does not toy with the affections of innocents. And besides, it’s not her sister he longs to seduce.
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To review this is tricky. In some ways it really annoyed me. Why is it that a “modern” independent, feisty (any number of synonyms) heroine is also just plain annoying? Stubborn, rude, arrogant, irrational — again, insert synonyms here.
It doesn’t matter that she’s inevitably right, that she manages to get herself into, and out of, amazingly …
More Than Parlor Room Intrigue
4 stars
For Mature readers
Sex – Uncontrolled lust, which I found tedious. Other readers might not. Encounters described. I skimmed multiple pages of groping etc. etc., wishing we could just get on with the story.
Action style violence
Little or no memorable harsh language.
Plot no spoilers:
Emma’s twin sister, …
sex
Light reading but fun.
Great addition to the series.
Love all the characters. great atmosphere, a suspense plot thrown in with love is always a great mix. A book to re-read again.
Good, but at times the plot moves very slowly.
A bit silly.
enjoying this book, reading it now.
Fun, easy to read story with interesting and fun characters.
Classic romance, unpredictable girl meets rich gentleman. He is taken with her originality and innocence. The characters are actually pretty good. The heroine is delightful and the hero is not to full of himself. She keeps him on his toes and the story moves along well. Nice light romance read.
Really funny….good story line too
Fun story
Very enjoyable, liked the characters and the story held my attention!
It wasn’t the usual romance novel. The Harlow Hoyden is my kind of girl.
Who knew that Windbag would turn out so rotten.
The book is well written with a good plot and likable characters. It is an excellent read. Recommend it.
Good read. Enjoyed the characters.
Really enjoyed this book, a real page turner and thoroughly enjoyable!
I enjoyed reading this book.
Really enjoyed it! Very well written. The author has the gift!