Five well-bred sisters, one sensational scandal. Now the Duke of Marymount’s daughter Ida is about to find love in the most unconventional way . . .
It was easy for society to overlook Lady Ida Howlett; they found her bookish, opinionated, and off the marriage mart. But little did they know that behind a calm exterior beats the heart of an adventuress, one who, determined to discover her runaway … discover her runaway sister’s whereabouts, steals a carriage and sets off on a daring mission. Then she discovers she’s not alone! Bennett, Lord Carson, is inside, and he refuses to leave.
Lord Carson’s plans had always been to find a soft, gentle wife who would run his home and raise his children. Still, he makes a bargain with Ida—he won’t desert her during her mad adventure. He’ll make sure she’s safe, and then find a suitable lady to fall in love with. But when rules (and garments) become discarded during this long, intimate journey, it’s soon clear that this surprisingly daring lady is the woman he’s needed all along.
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The Lady is Daring is book three in the Duke’s Daughters series by Megan Frampton. This is my first time reading Frampton and I enjoyed The Lady is Daring. Now I’m a person who reads series in order, I just prefer it that way, but I will say that this book stands well all by itself, but if you enjoy reading a series in order then I’d suggest you do that.
Ida Howlett is the third daughter of the Duke of Marymount, and while her sisters have made wonderful matches and pleased her parents, she’s not interested in marriage. She wants to live her own life, free to explore topics that take her interest, and if there’s a little adventure in the mix– all to the better.
Bennett, Lord Carson has successfully managed to avoid marital entanglements to this point, serving as ‘matchmaker’ for the first two of the sisters of the Duke of Marymount. Pressures from all sides, is stressing him out, and to add to that his father is determined that he marry a Duke’s daughter and bring a not so insignificant dowry into the family coffers.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I enjoyed this book more then I expected. I was glad we didn’t get a marriage due to statues or societies wants. I don’t think I would have liked this story if it turned out that way.
What I really liked was Ida our heroine. For the time period she is in, she’s interesting, intriguing, intelligent and for her to be that head strong, well it’s not acceptable, so I really enjoyed her. Some surprising circumstances have Bennett talking to Ida for the fist time with out societies pressures and several eyes on them. He starts to see her in a different light. I liked how Bennett and Ida ended up on an adventure together. Their interactions were cleverly plotted, and Ida’s realization that everything that made her ‘undesirable’ to most are what intrigues Bennett. The author wove in wonderful revelations to their personalities, opinions, along with some moments from both Bennett’s and Ida’s viewpoints, and the sheer excitement of the adventure all added to the story.
The Lady is Daring was a lovely novel to read. It’s witty, humorous, and entertaining.
Rated: 3.5 Stars
Megan Frampton has once again written a marvelous story filled with humor and romance. This is the third book in The Duke’s Daughters series and it was just as wonderful as the previous two!
Lady Ida Howlett wishes she had the courage to be seen as more than just the talkative know-it-all she invariably turns into at social events when she gets nervous. Exhausted by having to attend balls only to watch people’s eyes glaze over as soon as she opens her mouth, and by her mother’s determination to marry her off to a gentleman whom she knows she’d be miserable with, Ida leaps at the chance to go find her runaway sister when evidence of her location comes to light. To this end, she steals a carriage and sets her course for the north of England, only to discover that she’s not alone. Bennett, Lord Carson, the man who was meant to marry two of her sisters until they decided to marry his brother and best friend instead, is with her, and he refuses to let her travel alone.
Bennett is tired and frustrated by the responsibilities of his life and by his father’s insistence he marry in order to obtain a large dowry. Especially since his father is the one to blame for the family’s depletion of funds. Wishing he could escape from it all, just for a while, he decides to accompany Lady Ida on her adventure to find her sister and bring her home, even though he’s never really thought much of the youngest Howlett daughter. In the past, his attention has been on her sisters whom he was courting, while Ida…she always struck him as far too talkative and opinionated – the sort of woman a man would not wish to get trapped with. But as their journey together progresses, he discovers another side to Ida – an amusing, intelligent and vulnerable side she never lets anyone see.
When the two discover their feelings for each other have evolved into something so powerful it cannot be denied, they must decide if they can risk taking a chance on a shared future. Because Ida is not the quiet and reserved Society lady Bennett needs and he won’t be able to offer her the peaceful life in a remote cottage that she is convinced she wants.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It was very entertaining, the dialogue and plot so engaging I found it impossible to put down. This is the sort of book where you simply have to know what happens next. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
The Lady is Daring is quite an addition to The Duke’s Daughters series by Megan Frampton! Lord Carson has been paraded around the Howlett daughters twice before, but neither of the women were quite like Lady Ida!
Lady Ida has been hard at work creating her persona of a knowledgeable bluestocking. She has her opinions, and she doesn’t want to be matched up with just anyone-especially someone who might make her change! Marriage is the least of her worries, though, as she wants to find her estranged sister Della and bring her back home to London.
Lord Carson is under a huge amount of responsibilities. Responsibilities to his family with the business, but also making sure his invalid mother has everything she needs. Again, he is under pressure to marry. He knows he wants a sweet and soft wife to come home to after a long day’s work. Lady Ida was never on his radar. When circumstances arise that land him smack dab in the middle of Lady Ida’s adventure, he slowly sees what she is all about! He rather likes her prickliness!! With no society restrictions on them, they are free to indulge not only in frank talk, but also in sexual escapades!
I really loved this book! Lady Ida and Lord Carson are sizzling hot together! I like that neither expected what came of their pairing! This story gives us humor, angst, and smoldering scenes-everything we want in a romance! This is book three of the series, but it is not necessary to read those prior to picking up this book! I definitely look forward to the next book to come!
It nearly read this book in one setting!
Was it because it had one of my favorite tropes in, a bluestocking lady or no angst?
It was witty, funny and daring!
I do loved Ida and Bennett’s journey, it was their road trip to learn about themselves and one another.
It was funny and incredible to see them care for the other, doing their best to understand the other’s feelings and putting another’s needs before themselves.
Ida is the disregarded one because she bores everyone to death with her talk about any subject. When she is spirited, clever and fun-filled. She longs for a life where she could be herself and not follow the dictates of society, speak her mind and not be shunned for it.
So an adventure presents itself at her feet, she jumps and hell to the consequences.
Bennet follows the rules, always taking of the others, but never taking time for him, too many count on him. But for once, he would be able to leave a life without being the one always doing what it is right, even giving away his intended brides to those who loved then and deserved them.
Until he finds himself on the run in a stolen carriage with an unexpected and adorable abductor.
It was so entertaining and enjoyable to see them deciding why they were the worst choice for another, but also later maybe the best one and coming to realize they needed not to be perfect to be together but just love one another.
A big fat 5 stars.
The Lady Is Daring by Megan Frampton is book Three in the Duke’s Daughters series. This is the story of Bennett, Lord Carson and Ida Howlett. I have read the previous books, but fee you can make this a standalone book if you wish to do so.
Bennett doesn’t want to marry for financial reason as his father wishes but for love to a . Bennett taking a break from his worries decided to to drink which lead him to fall asleep in a carriage.
Ida feels a draw toward Bennett but when a chance to find her sister comes up…Ida goes off to find her. Which leads her to take a carriage not knowing until later that Bennett is in the car.
This leads them through a wild ride where they learn that there is more to the other and feelings start to grow.
I really enjoyed their story.
Maybe 3.5…
Lady Ida Howlett is the youngest and the smartest of the Duke’s daughters, she is also the most opinionated, outspoken and argumentative. While visiting with her sister Eleanor, she gets a chance to speak with Bennett, Lord Carson – the man that has successfully avoided wedding two Howlett sisters – she really likes him and secretly wishes he would notice her. They are involved in a discussion when a letter from their “lost” sister Della arrives. Ida excuses herself from Bennett and joins her sisters to read the letter, that is when she makes a discovery, the word Haltwhistle is visible on the letter – that must be where Della is hiding!!! Excited she rushes home and devises a plan to find and bring home Della.
Bennett, Lord Carson is the responsible son of the Marquis of Wheatly, he manages the family’s holdings and ensures that everyone is taken care of. When his wastrel father insists that he marry to increase the family’s wealth, Bennett gets upset. There would be plenty of money if his father was not gambling and supporting his mistress and children. Bennett wants to marry for love, but that seems like an impossible dream, until he meets Ida at Eleanor’s house. How did he never notice her before?? When his brother Alex (Eleanor’s husband) suggests that Bennett take some time for himself, that too seems impossible.
The next day, he goes to his club to evade “Carson-hunters” and ends up drinking too much, he leaves and ends up in front of his best friend’s house, there is a carriage out front and it seems like a good place to take a short rest. Ida is using Mr. Beechcroft’s library and learns where Haltwhistle is – she figures it will only take a week or so to get there, but how?? Her question is answered when she leaves the house and sees Beechcroft’s carriage waiting out front. She steals it and sets off on her rescue mission. She is miles outside London before she realizes that the carriage was not empty. She tries to make Bennett return to London, but he insists on staying with her. She finally sees the sense in his demand and they set off.
Over the next few days, they share a lot of conversation, kisses and travel woes. They are both falling for the other, but they can never be, because they are not “right” for each other. They send letters to their families saying they have eloped, but Ida makes it clear that she will not marry him. She will find her sister and happily live the life of a spinster. Bennett knows that she would not be an easy wife, too outspoken, opinionated and smart to be a helpmate for him, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting her.
When they finally find her sister, Ida has her work cut out for her convincing Della to return to London. She finally agrees, but insists that her friend Sarah and her daughter come in addition to Della’s daughter. They return to London and expect to part ways for good. They are in love, but it just won’t work – or will it?
This story started out great, but then it sort of just fell apart. I loved Bennett and was delighted that he finally gets a love of his own, but Ida was annoying and for someone who is touted as being “incredibly smart” she did a lot of stupid things. Most of the banter in the book was amusing, the love scenes steamy and the ending was sweet. But a lot of the scenarios were completely unbelievable (am I the only one who seemed to notice that they LOST the carriage and horse she stole and they don’t seem to care?? I wonder how Beechcroft felt about that…) and the book was a little boring. I didn’t hate it and if you have been following the series, I would recommend this story, but if you are just starting the series, I would not suggest starting with this book, as this is a “best if read in order” series.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher.*
This book started out quite charming with its self-taught bluestocking heroine but the more I read, the more intolerable I found her. I’m all for intelligent, educated women, but her arrogance about it as well as some of her inner dialogue on logic was just annoying. The hero, Bennett, son and heir of to a marquess and responsible for all of the family’s interests, was charming enough, but I wished he’d been a bit more assertive at times. Their dialogues just didn’t really do it for me either, especially during some of the steamy scenes, but this is probably just me being picky. It also bothered me that the highly logical Ida went on this impulsive, unplanned ‘rescue’ mission in the first place, and also that she was so naive in her views about the whole thing. It just didn’t jive as believable for me. Ida’s confidence just translated to arrogance and presumptuousness for me and I couldn’t really connect with her. So many things about Ida just didn’t add up and I couldn’t get past it, especially her determination that she must get to her sister with no regards for what her sister might want or for her own reputation, which she then decides to worry about much later on, concerned for the reflection of her actions on her other unmarried sister. That bit of contradiction from the supposedly always-logical Ida also didn’t jive for me. This was especially irksome given Ida’s conviction that she’s always right and knows what everyone else wants/needs, as well as her initial unwillingness to compromise. I feel like there was some unnecessary angst and drama in her and Bennett finally getting it together that was a little annoying, as was the fact that Bennett was a bit of a weak, submissive sort of hero for awhile, which is intriguing don’t get me wrong, but near the end I was ready for him to step up already. I guess what frustrated me the most was the determination of each to be right and do what they perceived as right without thought to the happiness of others or themselves. After that rant, I will say I did enjoy the book, especially the last few chapters when really saw character growth and willingness to compromise. Overall I’d say it’s enjoyable, just not really resonating for me.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It was a very sweet book. I liked the characters too but it was a little boring. I liked that they had time to examine feelings and spend time together. I would have liked a little less thinking about how they felt about one another and some more action and world building.
Great couple. Easy read. I finished in one day. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Megan Frampton is normally one of my favorite reads. I enjoyed this story, but it was mostly because of the humor of the ‘classification game’, etc. Otherwise, I thought it was a bit slow and I never came to feel involved with the heroine because I didn’t like her or relate to her. I liked the hero much better, but I found him to be more milquetoast than hero. I think the author was trying very hard to put modern standards in period dress without seeming to do so. My rating is a 3.5, but I have had a hard time deciding whether to round down to 3 or up to 4, so I guess I’ll decide once I have the review written.
Lady Ida Howlett has inattentive, uncaring and uninvolved parents. Ida is highly intelligent and loves learning – and she has no problem sharing her knowledge ad-nauseam with others. She is the youngest of five sisters. Two sisters are happily in love and married, two live at home and one, Della, has run away and they don’t know where she is. It is Ida’s dearest wish to locate Della and bring her back to London.
Bennett is the son and heir to a marquess, but he might as well be the marquess because he is the one who takes care of everything while his father is off living the high-life and spending money right and left. Bennett is a person who takes care of others – always – and before himself. Sometimes, he’d just like to chuck all of the responsibilities and run away – maybe have an adventure.
Something Bennett NEVER does is get drunk – but, he has gotten drunk tonight and has fallen asleep in someone’s carriage. The door was open and he was sleepy so he crawled in. Now, imagine his shock to awaken and find himself in a moving carriage. He repeatedly wraps on the carriage roof and finally, the carriage comes to a stop. Shock! He is several hours outside of London and the carriage is being driven by Lady Ida who has stolen the carriage and is on her way to find her sister. Since Bennett cannot let her travel alone, they set off together on an adventure. I think the book could have profited from a bit more ‘adventure’ during this part of the story, but it was a pretty staid trip.
So, as I said, I enjoyed the humor in the story but wasn’t impressed by much more. Here are some of the things that bothered me:
(1) This one really aggravated me after a while. The constant, incessant, repeated references to how smart Ida was. It was as if nobody else in the world had a brain – only Ida.
(2) Ida’s ‘brilliant’ solution for her NOT being ruined when they returned to London. It was absolutely bonkers. She had spent a week traveling totally alone with a man who was not her husband and bringing her sister back with her was going to keep her from being ruined. What?????
(3) The relationship between Ida and Bennett was just too modern. It just wouldn’t have happened that way in that time period. If you want that, then write a more modern story rather than writing a modern story and draping it in period dress.
(4) Bennett’s role in the House of Lords was mentioned a couple of times. Well – he was an heir and would NOT have been in the House of Lords. His father would be the one in the House of Lords. Doesn’t matter who is running the Marquisate, ONLY the title holder can serve in the House of Lords.
(5) Bennett’s solution to how he was going to cut back on his duties and his reaction to his father’s objections were ridiculous. Of course, his father could take over the running of the Marquisate – he is the Marquess after all. It doesn’t matter that Bennett has been running things and signing everything – he still isn’t the Marquess.
(6) The wedding vows. I’m certainly not an expert here, but I don’t believe that, in that time period, they would have been allowed the change the vows. I believe those were dictated by the Church of England.
(7) It was hard to get a feel for a timeline since few if any, dates or periods were given in the book. Even the epilogue didn’t tell us how long after the marriage it took place. Of course, I guess that is one way to eliminate timeline errors – just don’t have one.
(8) The Epilogue. I love epilogues and think every romance should have one. However, I didn’t see any point in having this epilogue at all other than to – maybe – set up the idea that Della will be the heroine in the next book.
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”