Review: Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean

Posted January 13, 2011 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLeanReviewer: Holly
Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord (Love By Numbers, #2) by Sarah MacLean
Series: Love by Numbers #2
Also in this series: Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord (Love By Numbers, #2), Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart (Love By Numbers, #3), Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart (Love By Numbers, #3), Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Love By Numbers, #1), Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart (Love By Numbers, #3)
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: October 26th 2010
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Since being named “London’s Lord to Land” by a popular ladies’ magazine, Nicholas St. John has been relentlesslypursued by every matrimony-minded female in the ton. So when an opportunity to escape fashionable society presentsitself, he eagerly jumps—only to land in the path of the most determined, damnably delicious woman he’s ever met!
The daughter of a titled wastrel, Lady Isabel Townsend has too many secrets and too little money. Though she is used to taking care of herself quite handily, her father’s recent passing has left Isabel at sea and in need of outside help to protect her young brother’s birthright. The sinfully handsome, eminently eligible Lord Nicholas could be the very salvation she seeks.
But the lady must be wary and not do anything reckless and foolish…like falling madly, passionately in love.

Although this was a good read (I even stayed up late to finish it in one sitting) it wasn’t as well done as her first release, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake.

Lady Isabel Townsend is at her wits end. Her wastrel of a father has died, leaving nothing behind for her or her brother, the new earl, to live on. The guardian he selected is no where to be found. And she has a house full of women she’s given sanctuary to. Other than marriage, something she flat out refuses to consider, her only available option for keeping everyone fed, clothed and in shelter is to sell the marble statues she inherited from her mother. The collection should bring her enough to start a new life, in a new house, where she, the girls and her brother will be safe and happy. The problem is finding someone who can value the collection while still keeping all her secrets and those of the manor safe.

Nicholas St. John is desperate to get away from London. Ever since a ladies magazine named him on the list of ‘Lords to Land’, he hasn’t had a moments peace from the unmarried ladies and matchmaking mamas. When his friend the Duke of Leighton asks him for help locating his missing sister he agrees just to get out of town. He ends up meeting Lady Isabel and agreeing to look at her statues, mainly because he’s suspicious of her and curious. He’s surprised to find that he truly likes her, however, and it isn’t long before they’re both fighting a strong attraction. But is it real, or is Nicholas just trying to rescue another damsel in distress? And can Isabel let go of her past and learn to trust him?

Isabel was a well rounded character, excepting that her reasons for avoiding marriage, especially her final denial, didn’t ring true to me. Her constant claims that she could take care of herself carried less weight than they should have, since she obviously couldn’t do it alone. In the beginning of the novel I applauded her independence, but as the novel wore on she seemed more stupid than strong.

Nicholas wasn’t quite what I expected based on the previous novel. For someone who wanted to save women, he was rather harsh with Isabel. Though he wasn’t dishonest, his words, and the way he spoke them, hurt. Not only the heroine, but the reader as well. He was a likable character with a strong sense of responsibility, but I thought he lashed out a little too often.

Naturally there was much to like. The secondary characters balanced the story well, especially Isabel’s ‘girls’ and the young earl. The scenes where he and Nicholas bonded were very touching.

My heart broke for Isabel’s plight. The lack of caring shown by her family was appalling, and explained much about her attitude toward marriage. Seeing her and Nicholas come to trust one another was compelling, though somewhat lessened by the actions of both.

Overall a strong read, but not as good as the first.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Love By Numbers

four-stars


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