They have nothing in common… the end of his tether. A family quarrel has left him homeless and penniless, and the secrets of his past are catching up with him. Only marriage to a lady of fortune can save him.
With nothing in common but desperation, can Margaret and Lord John find love together?
Publisher’s Note: This Regency romance contains elements of power exchange.
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There is plenty of family drama in this story that leads Margaret and John to marry, they have little in common other than a need to get away from their relatives and marriage is the answer. There are some twists and turns to the story and it’s a bit of a wait for the romance to start but it does get there. I wasn’t sure what to expect having never read anything by this author before, I was happy that I chose to read this story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I do love a historical heroine with modern sensibilities and Margaret Bell the heroine of ‘The Lies of Lord John’ is a wonderful example of just that.
Accustomed to a rather negligent upbringing from an indulgent uncle, she has always enjoyed far more freedom than a gentlewoman in nineteenth century Scotland is usually afforded, allowing her to attend literary soirees, indulge her love of poetry and even make plans to start a literary magazine.
When her circumstances change, Margaret’s freedoms are suddenly curtailed and faced with a markedly more restrictive future, Margaret rebels. Hard. As is of course only right and proper for a feisty young protagonist ahead of her time when it comes to the rights of women.
In this case, Margaret rebels right into the arms of Lord John Dunwoodie, which, on the face of it, is an incredibly reckless move. As cads go, Lord John is one of the caddiest – fleeing countries in disgrace, deflowering servant girls and generally being a worry and a disappointed to his high-ranking family.
‘The Lies of Lord John’ is a very well written and tightly plotted story with a host of well-drawn supporting characters. Best among them are Margaret’s fallen-from-grace best friend Emmeline, her seemingly docile cousin, Charity and John’s steely sister-in-law, Arabella.
Be warned though, if it’s erotic sex ‘n’ spanks you’re after (and if you’re reading a book published by Blushing Books then it’s quite likely that you are) then you are going to have to be patient with this book. The hero and heroine don’t even get together until about halfway through the book. There’s no sex and no real romance until you’ve got three quarters of the way through it.
The first spanking in the book (and the one descried in greatest detail) is delivered not by an a sexy authoritative dom-type but by Margaret’s cruel aunt and is therefore not much fun. (Although happily, Lord John does administer some discipline later on in the story.)
So if you’re looking for non-stop erotic spanky action then this possibly isn’t the book for you. But I guess if you’ve already the other books in the Bonnie Brides series (which I haven’t) you already know what to expect.
If you’re after a well-written story with a strong sense of historical accuracy and a satisfying denouement, then there is a lot to enjoy in Fiona Munroe’s novel.
The story revolves around Margaret and the problems she faces with her uncle’s new wife. Her new aunt is not a pleasant woman and she seems bent on breaking Margaret’s spirit by marrying her off as soon as possible. Lord John is Margaret’s escape from this torment but he has his own secrets. There is a lot happening in this book and there are a few surprises that were not expected. It is an interesting book to say the least but worth reading.
Book five of the Bonnie Brides series a well written story that had me turning pages. Lord John Dunwoodie and Margaret Bell’s story has suspense, drama. danger, evil, lies, promises, a villain, and romance. I enjoyed reading, this is the first book by Fiona Monroe that I have read and I now want to read the rest of this series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Riveting
Author, Fiona Monroe, has a captivating way with words that drew me into the story and entertained me throughout the read. I found it very difficult to set this riveting story aside, for the writing is brilliant.
It is more of a family drama than a romance, and from the very first line, I was hooked.
Margaret is a worthy heroine, and I loved her right from the start. Lord John, on the other hand, is unlike any hero I have ever read. At times, his behavior is deplorable, and I couldn’t decide to love him or hate him. During most of the story, I’m thinking when does the romance start, but when it finally does, it was worth the wait, for then John’s lies really catch up to him. And it really made me think about the depth of this fascinating character. As I was nearing the end of the story, I dissected the title. ‘The Lies of Lord John’ could mean the lies someone else told John, which if that were the case, redemption might be possible. ??? hmm am I right?
Lord John starts the book as a thoroughly dislikeable character; he behaves with no regard to kindness or courtesy, but, by the end of the book, we see a different side to him, and it’s far more appealing. Margaret, on the other hand, starts the book passionately in love with Mr Keats – and such an appealing start has to make you like her. Totally unused to discipline of any form, Margaret is devastated when her guardian uncle’s new wife refuses to accept her behaviour and expects her to marry a man completely unappealing to any sane woman. Enter Lord John and a marriage that will benefit both of them. The characters are really well written in this book; they come off the page as real people, but the story seemed to lag a bit behind the characters, hence the four stars. I’m interested to read more from this author, though.
I received a free copy of this book. This review was posted voluntarily.
This book is not how I usually expect to see a romance. There’s really not a lot of romance in it at all. I can’t remember the last time I read a book with so many thoroughly dislikable characters that I actively hated – including our leading man. It takes a lot for me to give up on a book, but the opening chapters of this one pushed me really close to that line. I’m glad I fought the urge to give up, it does get better. I’m just not sure it was enough of an improvement for me. The discipline in this book walked the wrong line with me. It didn’t feel like the loving correction I thought I was going to read. I didn’t feel any mercy or compassion, and that just pushed this too close to abuse for my comfort. I would have preferred to completely forgo the scene with the aunt. That left me feeling too squicky for words. The writing is very good. The author was obviously able to transport me into John and Margaret’s world in order for me to have this kind of visceral reaction to the story. I just wasn’t able to enjoy the time I spent there the way I wanted to.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through Booksprout.
Head strong Margaret meet her match!
by sewsummore
The sudden marriage between Lord John and Margaret was a relief for them both as John had been banished in disgrace from his family home without funds or occupation and Margaret was to marry a man of her uncles choice. She detested her future husband and when Lord John proposed she accepted at once. Margaret was a spoilt young woman who had a lot to learn about being a wife and Lord John was determined to ensure she would become an obedient and respectful wife. I enjoyed reading how this couple settled into married life, not only were there disagreements between the two of them there was also danger from an outside source to be dealt with, as well as his questionable past that must be addressed. In all it was an entertain read with interesting characters.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.