Lady Olivia is in a terrible situation.She has refused to give her hand in marriage to Lord Hastleway, only for him to state to the ton that she has been demanding affections and favors from him!Her reputation is in danger of being ripped to shreds and, desperate for help, Lady Olivia turns to the one lady who has offered her aid – Lady Havisham.David, Earl of Winchester, is caught by her beauty … Winchester, is caught by her beauty and poise of Lady Olivia, only to hear Lord Hastleway declared her to be a fallen lady. Not realising that he is the one gentleman who can free her from Lord Hastleway’s lies, he turns away completely, despite the confusing feelings in his heart.
Can they find their way back together? Or will David’s prejudice turn him from Lady Olivia, resigning her to a life of shame and disgrace which she has never truly deserved?
Authors Note: This is a clean, stand-alone romance with an HEA. If you love clean Regency-era romances you will love Threatened by a Lord!
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This is a short story about the malicious gossip by a lord to ruin the reputation of an innocent. This story held my attention from page one. It reminded me of the bullys growing up how they would spread rumors about someone so they would have some sick satisfaction of superiority. I totally relate to our heroine Lady Olivia, only daughter to the Earl of Blackford. She verbally accosted by Lord Hastleway. He was trying to coheres her into marrying him. When she refused he became indignant, furious and wrathful. Because he refused her he told her he would make sure to sully her name that she would be given the direct cut from all polite society. Lord Hastleway sneered as he left her side and walked away. Lady Olivia was clearly shaken. A gentleman saw Hastleway walk away from her and he availed himself to her to be sure she was alright. He could tell the encounter distressed her and put fear in her eyes. Since they were not properly introduced Lady Olivia was leery of him. When she finally gathered her courage and was starting to walk away, she was approached by a carriage that contained Lady Havisham, widow of Marquess Havisham. Lady Havisham witnessed the encounter between Lady Olivia and Lord Hastleway and offered her assistance. Lady Havisham knew of Lord Hastleway’s reputation to the ton and his reputation in truth. He was not a good man and not a man to be trifled with. He was used to getting his own way in all things. When Lady Olivia and Lady Havisham attended a ball, she met the man from the park, David the Earl of Winchester. David and Olivia had conversed and seemed to get along nicely that David wanted Olivia to meet his sister Lady Sophia. When David left to retrieve Sophia, Lord Hastleway viciously attacked Lady Olivia’s reputation by proclaiming out loud of her dubious reputation and that she had propositioned him for his favors. The beau mon was shocked. When David heard this he immediately believed Hastleway and turned himself and his sister away from Olivia. Then Lady Havisham stood up for Olivia declaring what she knew was fact about Hastleway. The patroness’s of Almack, Lady Cowper, Lady Jersey and Lady Willoughby de Eresby attended this ball. They came forward and decided to consider both sides of the accused and the accuser. Hastleway was unsettled that his word was not taken at face value. But there was no other recourse. The patronesses barred both of them entry to Almack till the matter was settled. Olivia had to convince Lord Winchester to come forward and present himself to the patronesses to clear her name. When Lord Winchester did not reply to Olivia’s note for dire assistance, she broke down into despair and cried. Lady Havisham became quite stern with Olivia and told her she must find the strength to be strong to weather the storm and if she did all would be well. She also told Olivia that she had to take matters into her own hands and go directly to Lord Winchester and explain all to him. Lady Havisham and Olivia appeared at Lord Winchester’s townhouse and was being denied entry when Sophia received them. When David joined them, he was livid and demanded Olivia and Lady Havisham to leave or they would be forced to leave. Sophia calmed David enough to give Olivia a few minutes to explain herself. When Olivia disclosed everything, David felt quite embarrassed and foolish. However, he needed time to find out more about Lord Hastleway to see if he really was such a horrible scoundrel. Will Winchester come through for Olivia? Will Olivia ever free herself from scandal? Is there any hope for her and Winchester? What will happen to Hastleway will he be redeemed or shunned? I really enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it.
Well written historical romance that is true to its time period. Nice story line and plot. Likeable characters who develops weel and are well described.
Great chemistry. Would have liked it to be longer than it is.
Enjoyable and captivating read.
The first book in the series called Ladies of London and I can not wait until the next one is out, a well-written book that kept my interest. David, Earl of Winchester and Lady Olivia’s story is full of ups and downs and a villain who will do anything to get back at Olivia. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was an outstanding story. It was absolutely riveting in the best possible ways. It was a clean romance filled with the trials and joys of the ton. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book in exchange for a free copy.
In England’s Regency Era, as with previous historical periods, a woman was at the mercy of gossip. All she really owned was her reputation. Sadly, any unsubstantiated accusation could ruin her, especially from a peer of the realm.
Threatened by a Lord is a stand-alone novella that approaches scandal from a different viewpoint. Emma Evans did a very good job of writing the emotions of the two main characters and the supporting characters. The dialogue stayed well within the period and the plot pace was steady.
I liked this sweet and clean romance, but I was disappointing that such an interesting story was not taken further and developed into a novel. With a little more work, possibly a good friend or two and more danger, this would have been a 5 star page-turner.
Disclosure: I received a complementary copy of this book from the author via BookSprout. I am voluntarily submitting my honest review.
A beautiful story about a villain, a beautiful lady and a hero.
It is nice set up and show how the life of a waman could ruin by rumor, situations due to other.
A sweet romance, with strong emotion that will kept you reading
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lady Olivia has wavered on marrying lord Hastleway, only for him to start rumors and innuendos to scar her reputation. David finds lady Olivia quite nice to look at and be around but he turns away from her when he hears the rumors about her.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lady Olivia, only daughter to the Earl of Blackford, walked along with Lord Hastleway, a viscount, as he told her his thoughts had been “turning a particular direction” since he had met her. He had only met her last week and stopped for tea once, so she wasn’t sure where this was coming from. Their conversations lacked depth – nothing personal, just what balls she attended and what she thought of various gowns. Hardly the way to get to know each other! Yet he grabbed her hand tightly and insisted that she marry him because he could not imagine being without her! She again insisted that they did not know each other’s characters yet – and she thought of her large dowry that he might be after — and she said he should court her before such a decision could be made. He snarled that he did not have time to waste on courtship – she either had to believe he loved her or not. So she stated plainly that she did not. In a threatening tone, he called her a fool and told her no one dared refuse him. If she did, there would be consequences for her. And he demanded again that she marry him! She did not back down, despite the fear inside, and he left in a rage.
A stranger approached Lady Olivia to make sure she was okay since she seemed unwell. She did not trust him. A carriage came up behind him as he talked to her. He nodded to the occupant and continued walking away. A young woman, Lady Havisham, asked Lady Olivia to join her in her carriage – she had witnessed what had happened and thought she might help. She seemed sure of what Lord Hastleway would do, so she asked Lady Olivia to attend all of the balls with her. She also asked for a description of the man who had been talking with her when she came up in her carriage – just in case they needed him at a later time.
David, the Earl of Winchester, looked out at the London streets while he moved back to the fireplace to rest his painful leg on a stool. He had broken it badly as a young man in a riding accident and now walked with a limp. His sister was going to the ball this evening and he would be escorting her. He would have to remember not to dance every dance or he would feel the pain the following day. But his mind turned to the young woman he had seen in the park. He hoped she would be at the ball and they would be properly introduced. Then he turned back to his sister’s excitement over a gentleman she was hoping would ask her to dance at the ball – Lord Hastleway.
Tired from the dancing, Lady Olivia sat down. From behind her, she heard a man say how happy he was that she was enjoying herself. It was the stranger she had met, and they introduced themselves. They had a comfortable talk with each other and David went to get his sister and introduce them. Lord Hastleway spotted her and in a loud voice said that she had made advances on him, begging for his favors. He lied about everything. But Lady Havisham rose and loudly told the truth of how that event actually happened, with her as a witness. The ladies of Almacks stepped in and said 3 of them would hear Lady Olivia’s other witness, a gentleman who had seen her right after the incident. Then a public decision would be revealed to the beau monde. Would David come forward and tell what he saw even though he had automatically believed what Lord Hastleway claimed? He had left the ball immediately and never heard Lady Havisham’s defense of Lady Olivia. Would he remember how devastated she was and listen to her side of what happened? Could his attraction to Lady Olivia – if he believes her — be pulling him toward his own future?
This was a wonderful story. Well-paced and providing intrigue for the reader, it was a compelling read! The characters were very believable, both the good and the bad. Get your copy of this excellent book and see how it all turns out and if the real truth will somehow come to light.
This is a romantic, entertaining and fun story. Winchester is stubborn, quick to judge and caring. Olivia is naive, strong and determined. After Winchester finds an upset Olivia at the park, he is called upon to defend her honor, but he decides that he must check the facts himself first. Because even though he is drawn to her, he won’t take her word over her accuser. Luckily Olivia has a new friend who has decided to help defend her. By the the time everyone is on the same page and a plan is settled on, the two have become friendly and close. The end of the story is immensely satisfying.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The tendency to blame the woman is nothing new. A delightful, family-friendly read for a long afternoon, this latest early Season Regency entry from Emma Evans is on a par with all her others.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
David, the Earl of Winchester comes upon an upset Lady Olivia in the park. She has just refused Viscount Hastleway’s marriage proposal and he has threatened to ruin her reputation in retaliation. When Lord Hastleway declares at a ball that Lady Olivia was forward to him and refused his offer of marriage, David only hears that part and refuses to meet with her to discuss what really happened. When he discovers the truth and is threatened with the ruin of his sister Sophia if he comes forward, he knows that he can’t just sit back and let both ladies be hurt by this unscrupulous man. I liked the widow Lady Havisham who comes to Olivia’s aid after seeing what Lord Hastleway did and stays by her through it all. I hope she gets her own romance. Nice clean romance with plenty of drama and misunderstandings.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. What a beautiful and awesome story of lady olivia daughter of blackford. When refusing Lord hastleway may shame her the truth will be found out .