i HELLIONS OF HALSTEAD HALL They’re the scandalous Sharpes, five hell-raising siblings tainted by a shocking family legacy. Now each faces a daunting ultimatum: marry by year’s end — or kiss their inheritance good-bye. In the two decades since a tragic “accident” took the lives of his parents, Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville, has survived the scandal surrounding that fateful night by … scandal surrounding that fateful night by living as an unrepentant rakehell. And with his grandmother vowing to disinherit him if he doesn’t settle down and wed, he plans to fulfill the bargain in true Sharpe style — by bringing home a fake fiancee from a brothel But his scheme is derailed when he rescues an American beauty in a dire predicament instead. Maria Butterfield came to London to track down her groom-to-be, who’s gone missing, but her engagement won’t stop Oliver from getting what he wants: her, in his bed. His rebellious masquerade may call his grandmother’s bluff, but it’s soon made all too real — by a love that tempts him to be a hellion no more.more
Enjoyed it.
This was a very enjoyable historical romance. I love the ultimatum trope when the head of the family, in this case Grandmother, sets rules that state the grown up grandchildren have to marry or be cut off from financial support. I loved the characters – willful, stubborn and very adventurous. Besides this little caveat there is also the mysterious circumstances of their parents deaths that haunts each sibling. So there is enough emotions, pain and self recriminations to choke a horse. Loved it.
Oliver is the oldest son and the heir to the marquessate. He is plagued by many demons, riddled with guilt and is out there to prove his general unworthiness. So when Gran sets her foot down, he devises oh so clever plan to bring the most unsuitable bride to back Gran into the corner. I liked that despite his sometimes rude behavior he was a decent man. He was so lost in his feelings and past mistakes that he couldn’t see a way out, couldn’t see that he can be more than just a wastrel and a rake.
Here comes Maria – American heiress, smart virago in a small package. Sharpe men like to bargain, so Maria takes her chance to get what she wants from Oliver and vice versa. I loved that their mutual use of each other slowly changed into feelings of desire and admiration. Maria saw a man worth loving and fighting for and Oliver saw that Maria was the woman for him.
I liked their arguments, debates and general conversations aimed to insult but that somehow always sounded as a bit of foreplay. They were funny, witty and yet always subtle. I loved Sharpe family, their joie de vivre and constant ability to prank and joke about the most serious issues. Very close knit family that stood up for each other. I liked Maria’s independent spirit and her backbone. Oliver just needed to find his spark that he lost with his parents deaths, and he finally did it with Maria’s help. Of course it wasn’t without troubles, quarrels, passionate encounters that ended with slamming doors and broken hearts. But in the end both MCs knew what they wanted and went for it – life together. I loved the story, the characters and wonderfully written prose. The story was steadily paced, moderately steamy and moderately angsty. This author did justice to these characters.
Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville, has dealt with the pain and guilt he feels at his parents’ deaths by living as a debauched rake for the past 19 years. His grandmother, Hettie Plumtree, a common born brewery owner, is determined to have her legacy carried on and to have great-grandchildren before she dies. To see this done Hester vows to disinherit each of her five grandchildren and will the brewery to a hated cousin if all five of the so-called Hellions of Halstead Hall do not marry within a year’s time. Oliver thinks he has the perfect plan to call his grandmother’s bluff: he’ll bring home a fake fiance from a brothel to shock Hettie into relenting on her terms.
Shipbuilding heiress Maria Butterfield has traveled from Massachusetts to London to track down her missing fiance, Nathan. Her father has just passed away leaving Nathan in charge of half of their shipbuilding company with Maria’s half tied up by trustees until she can find Nathan. When Nathan marries Maria he will become sole owner of the company, but for now Maria is left in a state of limbo and with no access to her funds. When she and her cousin and escort, Freddy, find themselves accused of thievery in a brothel, Oliver agrees to speak on their behalf, for a price. Maria must pretend to be his fiance and in exchange he’ll help her locate the missing Nathan.
Oliver can’t believe his luck. Maria’s help will come much cheaper than the lightskirt he’d intended to hire and she’ll be even more inappropriate in his grandmother’s eyes given her crass American ways and her family’s humble beginnings. It’s the perfect plan until he begins to get to know Maria better and finds himself determined to get her into his bed.
As Oliver spends more time with Maria he finds himself uncomfortably aware of the emergence of years worth of feelings he’s kept locked away. He feels increasingly possessive of Maria and begins to want her for his own in a more permanent way, but that doesn’t mean she’ll agree. Maria knows her own mind and won’t compromise on getting what she knows she deserves out of a marriage, not even for Oliver.
I thought Hester’s methods rather high-handed and selfish, yet at the same time she really wanted what was best for her grandchildren so I couldn’t stay mad at her. This promises to be a very entertaining and charming series and I look forward to reading the other installments. I’m a sucker for a reformed rake story and I really enjoyed this one. Bonus points for a heroine with some sense.
This was my first Sabrina Jeffries book many years ago, and I’ve been addicted ever since!
This is my first book of Sabrina Jeffries. I really really love the plot of the story, the way she tells a story, the way the Hero redeemed himself and I love all his siblings. Would want to devour all books in this series. I would want to hunt them in my local bookstore.