Helpful Score: 4
I am not a fan of Regency romance but I absolutely loved this book! The mystery and romance of it kept me interested all the way through and I couldn't wait to see how they ended up together!
Helpful Score: 3
eh. The fact that there was a mystery was neat, but the dialogue was really weak. I also really hated how the author referred to the ton as 'Polite Society' and 'Polite Circles' capitalized every time. Neat premise but poorly executed, I feel.
Helpful Score: 2
The Earl of St. Merryn once made a joke that the perfect way to find a wife was to go to an agency that provided paid companions, so when he needs someone to masquerade as his fiancé that is exactly what he does.
Elenora Lodge lost her home and all that was hers because of a bad investments made by her late and unlamented step-father. She is left with nothing. She finds work as a paid companion, but she is not what is expected in one, so when the Earl offers her this strange masquerade, she accepts. A chance to spend some time in society and enjoy an adventure seems too good to pass up. Besides, though most people seem to believe that Arthur St. Merryn has ice water in his veins, she suspects that there is a tightly controlled passion there.
This offers a good romance with a nice addition of humor and adventure.
Elenora Lodge lost her home and all that was hers because of a bad investments made by her late and unlamented step-father. She is left with nothing. She finds work as a paid companion, but she is not what is expected in one, so when the Earl offers her this strange masquerade, she accepts. A chance to spend some time in society and enjoy an adventure seems too good to pass up. Besides, though most people seem to believe that Arthur St. Merryn has ice water in his veins, she suspects that there is a tightly controlled passion there.
This offers a good romance with a nice addition of humor and adventure.
Helpful Score: 2
I was kept surprisingly engaged by this book. I thought it might be a bit sappy, but it turned out to be quite snappy. I think it's a Regency romance book, but the time period isn't exactly specified.
Elenora help the Earl of St Merryn find a mad killer that is loose in London. She is hired by him to pose as his fiancee so that he may roam about London without being plagued by fotune hunting mothers trying to foist their young daughters on him as potential brides.
In the process the no-nonsense Elenora sets his London house to rights; wins his heart; and together they solve the mystery. They go on to live happily ever after. Ah, it's so nice to read such a fun little romance once in awhile! I think this one would actually make a good movie.
Elenora help the Earl of St Merryn find a mad killer that is loose in London. She is hired by him to pose as his fiancee so that he may roam about London without being plagued by fotune hunting mothers trying to foist their young daughters on him as potential brides.
In the process the no-nonsense Elenora sets his London house to rights; wins his heart; and together they solve the mystery. They go on to live happily ever after. Ah, it's so nice to read such a fun little romance once in awhile! I think this one would actually make a good movie.
Helpful Score: 1
This was another great Amanda Quick book! Elenora is hired from an agency to act the part of an Earl's fiancee. She would distract match-making mothers, while the Earl looked in to the murder of his great uncle. Elenora is a great character, who faces all problems head on. I highly recommend this Regency.
Helpful Score: 1
Takes place in Regency era England. The author is really Nora Roberts under a pen name. A young woman must suddenly find a way to support herself after fiancee dumps her when he finds out she isn't wealthy anymore. She travels to London from the country to try to work as a paid companion. She has a miserable time and is about to be barred for the agency that assigns her work when a man desperate to find someone to play his fiancee to keep the marriage-minded women off his back. As you might guess, the 2 characters fall for each other. They become involved in a mystery of who killed the man who raised him. There is some interesting information on what was "cutting edge" science in those days. They encounter a madman with a score to settle.
Helpful Score: 1
Awesome. Man pays a companion to be his fiance. This is an absolute awesome read. Don't miss it.
A little slow at the beginning. I had no idea where the storyline would go.
Definetly a quick read, but fun and interesting!
Definetly a quick read, but fun and interesting!
I forgot to remove a book from my luggage to read on a plane trip so I picked this one up at the airport and was pleasantly surprised when I enjoyed it.
One of the best regency romance books I have ever read!!!
I like this author and her story was good. If you like historical romance you will like this one.
Good book. Worth reading.
The Earl of St. Merryn once made a joke that the perfect way to find a wife was to go to an agency that provided paid companions, so when he needs someone to masquerade as his fiancé that is exactly what he does.
Elenora Lodge lost her home and all that was hers because of a bad investments made by her late and unlamented step-father. She is left with nothing. She finds work as a paid companion, but she is not what is expected in one, so when the Earl offers her this strange masquerade, she accepts. A chance to spend some time in society and enjoy an adventure seems too good to pass up. Besides, though most people seem to believe that Arthur St. Merryn has ice water in his veins, she suspects that there is a tightly controlled passion there.
This offers a good romance with a nice addition of humor and adventure.
Elenora Lodge lost her home and all that was hers because of a bad investments made by her late and unlamented step-father. She is left with nothing. She finds work as a paid companion, but she is not what is expected in one, so when the Earl offers her this strange masquerade, she accepts. A chance to spend some time in society and enjoy an adventure seems too good to pass up. Besides, though most people seem to believe that Arthur St. Merryn has ice water in his veins, she suspects that there is a tightly controlled passion there.
This offers a good romance with a nice addition of humor and adventure.
I enjoyed the characters, the story was good. A nice read, all in all.
I actually loved this book. Great humor, feisty female and sexy dark brooding male. The tales was well told and the mystery quite interesting.
The story was okay, not really much of a page turner. I didn't think the drama was very intriguing, or the dialogue very smart.
I haven't ever read one of these regency romance novels (of which, from what I've seen here, there must be a large number) but this one has to be one of the better ones. Perhaps that because the murder mystery it centers around kept my attention more than just a normal romance plot would. Not as much historical information about the lost rivers of London as it would initially have you believe it contains, but there was enough interesting information about the arcane social customs of the era to compensate.
This is about a fiesty and compassionate young woman whose stepfather loses her family fortune, forcing her to seek employment. A rich and mysterious Earl seeks a woman to pose as his fiance so he will not be bothered by the many families that would seek to throw their eligible daughters at him. There are many similarities between this couple and the famous Mr. Darcy/Elizabeth Bennett pair.
This is about a fiesty and compassionate young woman whose stepfather loses her family fortune, forcing her to seek employment. A rich and mysterious Earl seeks a woman to pose as his fiance so he will not be bothered by the many families that would seek to throw their eligible daughters at him. There are many similarities between this couple and the famous Mr. Darcy/Elizabeth Bennett pair.
Another excellent story, You will enjoy this one!
First and foremost, this is a good Romance novel. It has an added twist: a dangerous, murderous madman who has a secret weapon. There is a secondary romance and a number of female characters that are quite non-conformist. And, did you know that the author, Amanda Quick, also writes under two other names? She is Jayne Krentz and Jayne Castle!
Humor, suspense and great historical detail in an old-fashioned love story.
suspence is pretty good, romance is a little weak.
FABULOUS!! I simply love Amanda Quicks writing and this book was wonderful. Enjoyed the entire thing.
Another great read by this author.
Thoroughly enjoyable read. Historical London setting, proper society, arranged marriages and a lonely bored vampire. A bit off the beaten bath , not your same old, same old vampire stuff. Entertaining and worth the time.
Fun historical romance with a spunky heroine.
Another wonderful Amanda Quick novel that I just couldn't put down!
A little predictable, but enjoyable for a light read.
An intersting read for those that like elegance as a backdrop.
The Earl of St. Merryn seeks a woman to pose as his fiance to keep the husband-hunters at bay while he goes about his business. His plan never included falling in love.
great book, you will fall in love with Elenora.
Immensely entertaining very good
"Sexy, charming, intelligent fun." - Kirkus Reviews
Shows you that woman have a stron bone even when soft.
It has humor and suspense and excellent historical detail.
LOVED THIS BOOK!
A must read
One of the best books I have read in a while!
Great historal/romance fiction book.
This is the best one of her books I've read so far.
O' I really liked this book, it is one of my favorite AQ books. I like the storyline and the characters, lots of history and information woven into the story.
Truly a cute & romantic story.
I enjoyed this one.
This book was billed as a mystery but it really turned out to be another soft-core romance novel. There isn't much mystery to that. I didn't even bother to finish it.
great book. I loved it
Humor, suspense and tantalizing historical detail
Another great book by Amanda Quick!
Another good book from Amanda Quick! Set in Regency England.. a story of opposites attracting. A great summer read!
A Regency romance that has more to it than most, a delightful mystery story.
A great Quick read. Love her books.
Very, very good!! Her books get better and better.
Arthur Lancaster, the Earl of St. Merryn, wants to hire a paid companion. Since his last fiancée ran away with her lover, desperate mothers have been throwing their eligible daughters at him. He is looking for a woman to pose as his fiancée. That way the mothers will leave him alone and allow him time to figure out who murdered his uncle a few weeks ago.
Eleanora Lodge lost everything when her stepfather died and she was thrown out into the streets. She is in desperate need of a job and interviews for the position of a paid companion. She is surprised when the Earl tells her that he will pay her to pose as his fiancée; but the money is good, so she quickly agrees. Arthur is surprised to find that Eleanora is both independent and very smart. He believes she may be able to help him in his goal of finding his uncle's killer.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Bianco Amato. I thought the first twenty percent of the book was slow and I was bored with the story. But, once Eleanora was in place in the St. Merryn household, the story became interesting. I enjoyed both the romance and the unfolding mystery. My rating: 4 Stars.
Eleanora Lodge lost everything when her stepfather died and she was thrown out into the streets. She is in desperate need of a job and interviews for the position of a paid companion. She is surprised when the Earl tells her that he will pay her to pose as his fiancée; but the money is good, so she quickly agrees. Arthur is surprised to find that Eleanora is both independent and very smart. He believes she may be able to help him in his goal of finding his uncle's killer.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Bianco Amato. I thought the first twenty percent of the book was slow and I was bored with the story. But, once Eleanora was in place in the St. Merryn household, the story became interesting. I enjoyed both the romance and the unfolding mystery. My rating: 4 Stars.
Just finished this book, it's great! I love Amanda Quick...
One of the most fun books I've read in a long while. I couldn't put it down! Light and spunky - which is rare for a historical romance...
Very exciting book!
Another great read from Amanda Quick. I recommend the book.
I loved this story. It was a true romantic novel, with a mystery in-between. The first one of this author's novels I've read, so it was a fresh, fun read.
Another great book and a quick read.
Pretty good book for a Romance: ) Characters were a bit one sided- but it made for an interesting evening.
I love her books and this one didn't disappoint me
She's written better...
A governess hired to be a paid companian by a handsome rouge. Good but not original story line for a romance novel.
This book is a historical romantic suspense. It has the humor for which Quick is best known, and it moves quickly. It was exciting and well-written as well as well-performed. I really enjoyed it.
A guilty pleasure for romance fans
I was a great read.
I really enjoyed this one - but then, I always like Krentz's books.
I like the avenues of solving the crime and finishing all the other plots going on at the same time.
This is first time I have read a book from this author. Pleasant and enjoyable reading - not too sappy or strong love story but very predictable. Good fast reading
This unique story was a page-turner! It kept me interested all the way through.
Great book.
Really enjoyed this book
Love Amanda Quick!
A good book
WOnderful book!
I enjoyed this book alot.
Good read.
Elenora Lodge is forcibly expelled from her comfortable life and forced to find work to survive, rather than joining a brothel she becomes a "paid companion" but does poorly as she has too much spirit. Arthur is introduced as a cold-blooded man who won't even chase after his fiancee when she runs off with another man. His decision to obtain a "pretend" fiancee by simply paying for her services makes complete sense. The two of them meet in a striking scene that sends sparks and gives a delicious tingle of anticipation. The reader knows that these two are destined for each other but they will both fight it until the end.
The earl of St. Merryn needs a bride and this time he will hire a paid companion to pose as his fiance. The arrangement starts out as a buisness deal but things soon get heated.
The Earl of Merryn needs a woman. His intentions are purely practical- he simply wants someone sensible and suitably lovely to pose as his betrothed for a few weeks among polite society. He has his own agends to pursue, and a false fiancee will keep the husband-hunters at bay while he goes about his business. The simplest solution is t hire a paid companion. After all, the sorry women who must accept such employment are sure to be grateful for any favor... When he encounters Miss Elenor Lodge, he believes his problems are solved. Her dowdy attire and pinned-up hair cannot hide her fine figure and the fire in her golden eyes. And her unfortunate circumstances- and secret dreams of a life onstage- make the Earl's offer undeniably appealing. but St. Merryn is clearly hiding something, and things seem oddly amiss in his gloomy Rain Street home. Elenora is soon to discover that his secrets are even darker than his decor--and this lark will be a more dangerous adventure than she'd been led to believe. And Arthur, Earl of St. Merryn, will find that the meek and mild companion he'd envisioned has become both a parter in his quest to catch a killer-and an outspoken belle of he ball who stirs a bothersome passion in his practical heart.
Worth the read.
hard back with no outer cover
During an investigation into a woman's death, gentleman thief turned private inquiry agent Ambrose Wells finds himself at Aldwick Castleand in the middle of chaos. The building is in flames. Men are dead. And a woman and four young girls are fleeing on horseback...
Concordia Glade has never met anyone like Ambrose Wells. He is bold, clever, and inscrutableeven to the perceptive gaze of a professional teacher such as herself. He is also her only hope to protect her pupils from the unscrupulous men who are after them, powerful, shadowy figures who will stop at nothing to get what they want...
During an investigation into a woman's death, gentleman thief turned private inquiry agent Ambrose Wells finds himself at Aldwick Castleand in the middle of chaos. The building is in flames. Men are dead. And a woman and four young girls are fleeing on horseback...
Concordia Glade has never met anyone like Ambrose Wells. He is bold, clever, and inscrutableeven to the perceptive gaze of a professional teacher such as herself. He is also her only hope to protect her pupils from the unscrupulous men who are after them, powerful, shadowy figures who will stop at nothing to get what they want...
Duplicate copy!
Missing book jacket
I really liked the characters an the setting of this book. It seemed a slow read to me, but I still enjoyed it. Listed on Bookcrossing, I'd appreciate a journal entry there. :)
