Reviewer: Tracy 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 26, 2010
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating:
“Lord Nicholas is a paragon of manhood. And his eyes, Dear Reader! So blue!” Pearls & Pelisses, June 1823
Since being named on of London’s “Lords to Land” by a popular ladies’ magazine, Nicholas St. John has been relentlessly pursued by every matrimony-minded female in the ton. So when an opportunity to escape fashionable society presents itself, 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 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… like falling madly, passionately in love.
When Nicholas St. John gets named as one of THE Lords to Land in a woman’s magazine he is not happy. The last thing he wants are simpering maidens who giggle behind their fans coming after him. And they seem to be getting mighty forward! When he is approached by an acquaintance who requests his assistance in finding his missing sister, he’s all for it. Anything to get him out of London. His tracking (which he learned in the Crimean war) finds him Yorkshire and he ends up finding her in a most unexpected way.
Lady Isabel is the daughter of an Earl but really, how happy are you to be that daughter when your father has been dubbed the Wastrearl? Not very. Her father not only left her and her dying mother alone and in financial straits, but also her brother, the heir to the Earldom. Now her father is dead and though she’s been taking care of herself for many years things have reached an extreme. You see, Isabel not only takes care of herself and her brother, but a house filled with women who are secretly staying there. They are runaways from abusive husbands or fathers, etc. and though they all work to keep the house in good working order they still rely, ultimately, on Isabel.
At a chance meeting in town, Isabel asks Nicholas to appraise some marble statues that are her only, yet extremely prized, possessions. She needs them priced and sold as soon as possible so that she can find new lodgings for her girls as well as have enough money for her brother to attend school. What she didn’t need was to have Nicholas taking up all of her thoughts and attention but that’s exactly what happens.
I have to say that I very much admired and liked Isabel in this book. She was strong and resourceful – even though she really was quite terrified on a regular basis that she wouldn’t be able to handle it all. Her parents were not ever kind, nor supportive people and she’d been holding her life as well as the many others in her house together for years. She was just a gutsy woman – especially for the time period.
Nicholas, as well as his friend Rock and Isabel’s cousin Lara were great characters as well. I have to say, and I’ll get bombed for this I just know it, but I truly didn’t care for the women who lived at the house that Isabel had saved (except for Georgiana, I really liked her). I admired their support of Isabel I just found them pushy and a bit controlling. IDK, they didn’t sit well with me.
Though I liked most of the characters in the book the story itself just came across as unremarkable to me. While parts of the romance were very sweet it was pretty slow in places and I found myself putting it down quite a few times. I just didn’t feel that the book had that je ne sais quoi that a truly wonderful romance novel has for me.
So while it was a good book it wasn’t great for me. I think I’m in the minority here in my feelings but some books have a better fit for some than others. I still absolutely plan on reading Juliana’s story as she’s got such an attitude and I just love the parts of Nine Rules and Ten Ways that she was in.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.
Love By Numbers
Great and honest review, Tracy LOL. For some reasons, I thought this book was taking place in a more exotic location. I'm glad it's set in England.
I think Ms MacLean is missing the humph factor. Could be the chemistry or just the storyline being a bit too much.
Nath – Thanks! I thought Nine Rules to Break had a lot of umpf and very much enjoyed it. This one just didn't have that…spark for me. You know that feeling that you get when you truly love a book?
Yep – set in England. I think the next book will be sent there too but I could be wrong. 🙂
The rhyming title is a win. 🙂
LOL Chris, most definitely. The first book was Ten Rules To Break When Romancing a Rake. I'm sure book 3 will have an equally enchanting title. 🙂
Good review. I really want to read this one b/c I loved her first book. 😛
Thank you Tracy. Hmm, it sounds like the author is allowing the heroine to…live within the strictures of period society (just read a book in which the heroine was getting up to all sorts to force her husband to divorce her, but forgetting [or perhaps the author did] that such behaviour would completely ruin the heroine's reputation…and since reputation was all women had, but I digress 🙂
Sounds like the story had potential, but…the connection wasn't all there? (If that makese sense?)
I have to say like some above me… Great review… and love the honesty!
You do a great reviewing job honey!!!
I hope all has been well for you honey! Hugs to you!
Don't like some of the characters? Why should you? We know that books are like every gathering of people–some you like and some are just forgettable or not even likable. And being honest is one of the first requirements of being a reviewer, IMHO. I have this one to read now, but the pile is pretty high at my house as you know. Thanks for a very good review.
Ames – I really loved the first book as well. Ralston was a great hero and it was just an overall fun book.
Orannia – Since the heroine had lived in Yorkshire her entire life and had never had a season, etc., she was worried about her rep, but probably not as much as she would have was she living in London. IDK, that's definitely something to think about.
Cecile – You're so sweet, thank you. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Dr.J – Thank you. Yes, I tend to forget that it is like a gathering as you say. I tend to WANT to like all of the characters – unless they're villains, of course. I did feel for the ladies' plights and admired them for their strength of character but I did find them to be a bit too meddlesome, unfortunately.
Ahh. Thank you for the explanation 🙂