Series: Bow Street Runners

Throwback Thursday Review: Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas

Posted May 27, 2021 by Holly in Reviews | 10 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: Worth Any Price by Lisa KleypasReviewer: Holly
Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas
Series: Bow Street Runners #3
Also in this series: Worth Any Price
Publisher: Harper Collins, Avon
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 388
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
five-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

Nick Gentry is reputed to be the most skillful lover in all England. Known for solving delicate situations, he is hired to seek out Miss Charlotte Howard. He believes his mission will be easily accomplished - but that was before he met the lady in question.

For instead of a willful female, he discovers one in desperate circumstances, hiding from a man who could destroy her very soul. So Nick shockingly offers her a very different kind of proposition - one he has never offered before.

He asks her to be his bride.

And he knows that this will be much more than a union in name only. For he senses what Charlotte does not yet know - that her appetite for sensuality matches his own. But what Nick learns surprises him. For while London's most notorious lover might claim Charlotte's body, he quickly discovers it will take much more than passion to win her love

This is another novel I recently re-read. It was just as wonderful this time around. I adore Nick and Lottie.

This review was originally posted on June 24, 2009.

Worth Any Price is the 3rd book in Lisa Kleypas’ Bow Street Runners series. I read this book before I read any of the others (naturally) and Nick immediately grabbed me. Right from the beginning I adored him, and that hasn’t changed in all my years of reading romance. I recently re-read this book because of a discussion on Good Reads and I was just as impressed with it this time around.

Lottie Howard has escaped a fate worse than death: Being married to Lord Radnor, a peer of the realm who thinks he’s purchased her and now owns her lock, stock and barrel. Even though it puts her family in a bad position she knows her life will be over if she goes forward with the marriage. She finds a position as a lady’s companion to Lord Westcliff’s mother.

Which is where Nick Gentry finds her. Nick is a bow street runner who takes private commissions on occasion to supplement his income. He was hired by Lord Radnor to find Lottie and bring her back. Radnor has hired several others before Nick to find her with no luck, but Nick is the best of the best and it isn’t long before he locates Charlotte. The problem is that he seems to be completely taken with her himself.

Although he has every intention of taking her to Radnor, he surprises everyone, himself included, by offering for her instead. Although Lottie would prefer to remain single and independent, she knows she needs the protection of marriage if she’s to avoid marriage with Radnor. And if anyone is strong enough to keep her safe from Radnor, it’s Nick Gentry.

They enter into a marriage of convenience, but both are surprised by the depth of passion they feel for each other. Despite their steamy, passionate nights, however, they each hold part of themselves back.

I think the thing I love most about this book is what a unique and unconventional hero Nick is. He’s only had one lover prior to Lottie (though admittedly the madame of a brothel is probably like the equivalent of like sleeping with all of London) and he is very content with his lot in life. He thrives on the rush of being a Bow Street Runner and isn’t just playacting when it comes to his past. He’s very scarred from things that happened in his youth. The only person he really allows himself to be close to is his young niece, and to some extend his sister (who’s story is told in the previous book, Lady Sophia’s Lover).

In this case it’s Lottie who is the strong one. She’s the more balanced of the two, despite her childhood under Radnor’s thumb, and she’s the one who steadies Nick, though he doesn’t realize it. I love that they were able to lean on each other – Lottie on Nick for protection and Nick on Lottie for emotional support.

Plus, the sex is totally hot. Tantric Love-making takes on a whole new meaning with Nick Gentry.

There are issues with it. I hate it ends as abruptly as it does, without giving us more of the story with Charlotte and her family. Particularly her younger sister. I think I really wanted to see her family brought low after they way they treated her, and I never got that. The problems are few and the rest of the story really makes up for them, in my opinion.

Overall this is an emotionally appealing novel about love, redemption and the strange connections formed between two polar opposites. I was sucked in from page one the first time I read this years and years ago, and that didn’t change upon this re-read.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Bow Street Runners

Book CoverBook CoverBook Cover

five-stars


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Review: Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas.

Posted December 10, 2007 by Rowena in Reviews | 7 Comments

Review: Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas.Reviewer: Rowena
Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas
Series: Bow Street Runners #3
Also in this series: Worth Any Price
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: May 26th 2015
Pages: 388
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

Librarian note: an alternate cover for this edition can be found here.

Nick Gentry is reputed to be the most skillful lover in all England. Known for solving delicate situations, he is hired to seek out Miss Charlotte Howard. He believes his mission will be easily accomplished - but that was before he met the lady in question.

For instead of a willful female, he discovers one in desperate circumstances, hiding from a man who could destroy her very soul. So Nick shockingly offers her a very different kind of proposition - one he has never offered before.

He asks her to be his bride.

And he knows that this will be much more than a union in name only. For he senses what Charlotte does not yet know - that her appetite for sensuality matches his own. But what Nick learns surprises him. For while London's most notorious lover might claim Charlotte's body, he quickly discovers it will take much more than passion to win her love.

I went into this book, knowing it was going to be a good book and that Nick Gentry was going to give Derek Craven a run for his money in the stud muffin department and though I rather enjoyed Nick Gentry’s studliness, I have found that I prefer Derek over Nick…and I think I blame Dain from Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels because I have found that I’ve still got him on the brain.

Funky, huh?

Goodness, I enjoyed this book well enough but I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I probably would have, had I not read LOS before this one, which makes me feel bad because Lottie and Nick’s story was quite the romantic story and by the end of the book, I had forgotten about Dain in my OMGOSH I LOVE ME SOME NICK GENTRY love. So, without further adieu, here’s the review.

This book started off with my eyes dang near popping free of my eye sockets with Nick going to Gemma Bradshaw for some lovin’ lessons. I wan’t expecting that because usually in my romance novels, the heroes are born with the ability to pleasure ALL women, whenever and wherever…to see the beginnings of Nick’s lovin’ ways was frickin’ great and to see that Lottie was only the SECOND girl to find her way into Nick’s bed should have shocked me but I loved it!

Downright, effing loved it!

I haven’t read any of the other Bow Street Runner books so I don’t know if they’re any good or anything but I’m going to read the rest of them just so that I can read about Ross and Sophia and then Grant and his wife. Those are the couples of the other books, right? Hmmm…and plus, I can only imagine that there’d be plenty of Nick in Ross and Sophia’s book, which is always a bonus.

I can’t wait, but I don’t have those books anywhere near me so I’m going to read another book before I tackle those books.

I really enjoyed Charlotte and Nick’s story. Even though I knew what was going to happen with the whole Lord Radnor thing and I even knew what was going to happen to HIM, I still enjoyed this book quite a bit. I love the way Lisa Kleypas can draw you into whatever world she’s writing about and make you fall in love with her characters and the stories she writes.

Besides the predictability of this book, I still enjoyed it a great deal. I loved Nick’s strength and Lottie’s understanding of the way Nick was and wanting to be with him anyway, the way she accepted him flaws and all, even though he knew that she was going to turn away from him made me love the heck out of them all the more. The scene at the ball when Lord Radnor shows up and the wealth of love these two just showed each other when Nick wasn’t being a butthead was just fantastic. I loved the sense of family between Ross Cannon, Sophia and Nick…Ross knew that Nick couldn’t stand his ass and yet they were family and he wanted what was best for him and went about putting everything together because he knew that Nick would never do it. It was great stuff.

I enjoyed Lottie coming to Ellie’s rescue the way she did and I enjoyed watching her stomp through her old home like she owned the place and putting her money hungry, spineless parents in their place while she announced that she was taking Ellie home with her..and when she told Ellie that she will always come to her rescue, I was cheering her the heck on.

I loved how LK had Lottie fight her own demons that came in the form of Lord Radnor instead of having Nick coming in and swooping to her rescue, I loved how Lottie was true to her love for Nick through the most trying of times…I only wished I knew what happened at the house after Radnor took Lottie away, what happened with the parents? What happened to Ellie? WHAT HAPPENED?

On the whole, this book was a pleasant few hours of reading. It had lots of things that made me laugh, wistful and all things romantic. Nick was a fabulous hero and Lottie was a fantastic heroine, the secondary characters were great, not overpowering of the story as a whole and it was a very pleasant book.

Good read, if you haven’t read this series, you should definitely check it out…I’m glad that I did.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

four-half-stars


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