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66th out of 261 books
—
326 voters
As Luck Would Have It (Providence #1)
PA Regency romance in the tradition of Julia Quinn about a young woman who returns to London after several years abroad to discover her family nearly destitute, the Prince Regent determined to engage her services as a spy, and a darkly delicious duke ready to foil her at every turn.
Mass Market Paperback, 300 pages
Published
September 30th 2008
by Leisure Books
(first published 2008)
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Jul 30, 2010
Dina
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Dina by:
Rane Aria
Shelves:
historical-romance
I just found a new author to glom. :D
Sophie Everton is returning to London after 12 years away traveling the world with her father. On her journey home, she's approached by a Mr. Smith who tells her that her father's estate is in financial trouble and her father is basically broke (thanks to her idiot cousin, Lord Loudor, who was left in charge of running the estate 12 years ago). Mr. Smith, who's a government agent, is willing to pay her a hefty sum of money, that will save her father's estate,...more
Sophie Everton is returning to London after 12 years away traveling the world with her father. On her journey home, she's approached by a Mr. Smith who tells her that her father's estate is in financial trouble and her father is basically broke (thanks to her idiot cousin, Lord Loudor, who was left in charge of running the estate 12 years ago). Mr. Smith, who's a government agent, is willing to pay her a hefty sum of money, that will save her father's estate,...more
26 likes · like · see review
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Well that settles it, Alissa Johnson's books go on my 'auto buy' list. After my first read by her, I went out and got her other book and it's every bit as humorous and funny and well written as the first one I read. And even though I read them out of order, it didn't affect my enjoyment one little bit...they're both going on my keeper shelf!
Sophie's got luck--both sides of it. It seems like for everything good that happens to her something bad happens--and vice versa. After years of traveling th...more
Sophie's got luck--both sides of it. It seems like for everything good that happens to her something bad happens--and vice versa. After years of traveling th...more
13 likes · like · see review
AJ is a NTM author and this won't be my last. This was a fun read and the verbal play between Sophie and Alex made the book. We got to really see their romance bloom. For the most part of the book Sophie and Alex had to deal with one another only. There was a small mystery, but didn't detract from the over all feel of the book. We also got a glimpse of our next couple.
This review was originally posted on The Historical Romance Critic.
Ever since reading Johnson's An Unexpected Gentleman (an excellent novel, if I remember correctly) I've been wanting to read some of her other works. The first of these, As Luck Would Have It, was a bit of a mixed bag.
I liked that the novel had lighthearted charm and wit, somewhat reminiscent of a Julia Quinn book. I liked that the heroine was competent on her own (knife-throwing, lock-picking, etc). I also liked that heroine did...more
Ever since reading Johnson's An Unexpected Gentleman (an excellent novel, if I remember correctly) I've been wanting to read some of her other works. The first of these, As Luck Would Have It, was a bit of a mixed bag.
I liked that the novel had lighthearted charm and wit, somewhat reminiscent of a Julia Quinn book. I liked that the heroine was competent on her own (knife-throwing, lock-picking, etc). I also liked that heroine did...more
I reviewed Ms. Johnson’s Tempting Fate a couple of months and she’s become a favorite of mine with just one book. I absolutely love her voice and her characters are quite engaging. Tempting is her second book, so when I happened across Luck in my TBR pile, I pulled it out, determined to get to it as soon as I could. I’m glad I did. Once again I was drawn into the lives of this family of characters who get a little help in love, even though they probably don’t need it in the long run.
I have read...more
I have read...more
Sorry, but I just didn’t like it.
STORY BRIEF:
Sophie and her father have been traveling the world for 12 years. Sophie returns to England for a short stay. She has certain skills like knife throwing and lock picking. A government agent tells her that her family’s estate is in financial trouble, and he will pay her a large sum of money if she will spy on a specific group of men in London. She agrees. Alex is single and plans not to marry until age 40. A government agent asks him to spy on some peo...more
STORY BRIEF:
Sophie and her father have been traveling the world for 12 years. Sophie returns to England for a short stay. She has certain skills like knife throwing and lock picking. A government agent tells her that her family’s estate is in financial trouble, and he will pay her a large sum of money if she will spy on a specific group of men in London. She agrees. Alex is single and plans not to marry until age 40. A government agent asks him to spy on some peo...more
3.75 stars.
This book went from a solid 4 star rating to 3.75 in the time it took for me to read the last 3 or 4 chapters. Good grief, what a silly way to end what had been an entertaining read!
Good Stuff:
- Alex proved himself to be a witty and rakish hero. I loved how he was instantly attracted to Sophie and did all he could to ensure their paths crossed as much as possible.
- Sophie was also quite witty. I liked how intelligent and sensible she was (save for the last chapter & epilogue); I a...more
This book went from a solid 4 star rating to 3.75 in the time it took for me to read the last 3 or 4 chapters. Good grief, what a silly way to end what had been an entertaining read!
Good Stuff:
- Alex proved himself to be a witty and rakish hero. I loved how he was instantly attracted to Sophie and did all he could to ensure their paths crossed as much as possible.
- Sophie was also quite witty. I liked how intelligent and sensible she was (save for the last chapter & epilogue); I a...more
1 like · like · see review
This is the first in the "Providence" series which focuses on the HEAs of a group of people who grew up together (as a result of being orphaned or related). I've read two of them and so far I've been consistently impressed.
I read the second book, "Tempting Fate", before this one and I kind of wish I hadn't. There are a few things that make more sense if you read in order. Especially because there is a "spy" through line. It doesn't ruin the experience, I just think it's probably better going in...more
I read the second book, "Tempting Fate", before this one and I kind of wish I hadn't. There are a few things that make more sense if you read in order. Especially because there is a "spy" through line. It doesn't ruin the experience, I just think it's probably better going in...more
8 likes · like · see review
First of all, I don’t like spy/espionage historical romances. They are always too contrived and kinda lame even during the first time you read one. Which is why I didn’t expect to like this book. I wanted to read it simply because everyone else on my friends list seems to have enjoyed this book.
Obviously, it did end up having some merit, though none of it came from the highly contrived spy/espionage situation. The couple, Sophie and the Duke of Rocke__, or Alex, had great chemistry and constan...more
Obviously, it did end up having some merit, though none of it came from the highly contrived spy/espionage situation. The couple, Sophie and the Duke of Rocke__, or Alex, had great chemistry and constan...more
One of the better romances I have read lately. I loved Alex the hero. He was sweet and charming. Sophia, on the other hand, was a hit or miss character. There were moments that I found her very funny and likable. Other times, I thought "Ugh!" I never understood her rationale in compiling her potential husband list and not including Alex at all. So she's OK with marrying random strangers as opposed to someone who is present in her daily life, lavishing a lot of adoring attention, etc. It seemed f...more
That was hilarious!!!!! I recommand it to every romance lover!
Alex was so cute when jealousy ate him over!!!! Here is a small apetizer:
"Enough was enough, he decided. He’d shown the patience of Job these last few weeks, stifling every instinct that screamed at him to set himself between Sophie and her admirers and yell, “Mine!” Maybe even thumping his chest once or twice. Certainly, he’d wanted to thump their chests a few times, and what he ached to do with her chest didn’t bear pondering in pub...more
Alex was so cute when jealousy ate him over!!!! Here is a small apetizer:
"Enough was enough, he decided. He’d shown the patience of Job these last few weeks, stifling every instinct that screamed at him to set himself between Sophie and her admirers and yell, “Mine!” Maybe even thumping his chest once or twice. Certainly, he’d wanted to thump their chests a few times, and what he ached to do with her chest didn’t bear pondering in pub...more
Sep 28, 2010
Catherine
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Catherine by:
Dina
Shelves:
comedy,
england,
historical,
manipulation-plot,
matchmaker,
read-2010,
romance,
series,
spy
I closed this book with a happy sigh. I had so much fun reading this! I have to admit something... I am a total sucker for snappy dialogue. I love banter, and if I end up constantly giggling over the snappy exchanges, chances are it's going to be a winner for me. That's exactly the case here.
Sophie is an extremely lucky person. Unfortunately for her, that luck can be either good or bad. Sophie lives a life of checks and balances. For every good thing that happens to her, a bad thing is waiting i...more
Sophie is an extremely lucky person. Unfortunately for her, that luck can be either good or bad. Sophie lives a life of checks and balances. For every good thing that happens to her, a bad thing is waiting i...more
14 likes · like · see review
I really wanted to like this, and some parts of the dialogue did sparkle, especially at the beginning, but overall I found it forgettable/irritating. There were a few errors in editing, mistaking "epitaph" for "epithet", for example, and using "fall" instead of "autumn" (this is set in England, for heaven's sake), but mainly I just couldn't really get interested in any of the characters beyond the hero and his best buddy. It's a real shame, because the basic premise, and also the twists and turn...more
4 likes · like · see review
This is the kind of book I love. A total riot. I loved the characters, the action, all of it. It reminded me a lot of Charade with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn (only one of the best films EVER) but set in Regency London (er, and without anyone actually getting killed). I was laughing out loud several times, especially at Alex's thoughts/internal dialogue. The dialogue was brilliant. Light-hearted but not overly fluffy. I hope the rest of her books are just as good.
Jan 04, 2013
Claudia
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Claudia by:
Rane
Shelves:
historical-romance
this book was a little bit unexpected as the characters are not different than in most books - especially Sophie, who is returning to London after twelve years of traveling around the world. the mistery bit in this book is not what it seems, what was a bit disappointing for me.
I also would have loved a bit more extensive ending.
Nevertheless it is a funny read and the dialoges are really witty. the story leaves you wanting more of it because the secondary characters are so much fun as well.
I also would have loved a bit more extensive ending.
Nevertheless it is a funny read and the dialoges are really witty. the story leaves you wanting more of it because the secondary characters are so much fun as well.
A.J. was compared to J. Quinn so I had to give her a try. Wow! So glad I did because this book was amazing and set up the series very nicely. I am hopeful that the next books continue to be as great.
I loved the book. I couldn't say that it was perfectly written because it had some mistakes that could be forgotten because it is the author's first book
The reason I gave 4 stars is the fact that the ending pissed me off...The last pages and the explanations for her obsession with "a good thing is followed by a bad one".....
In rest it was really great
The reason I gave 4 stars is the fact that the ending pissed me off...The last pages and the explanations for her obsession with "a good thing is followed by a bad one".....
In rest it was really great
a fun romance novel, very quick read. I liked the main characters, and really enjoyed the plot (of course it's not all that believable, but that's to be expected).
One of that rare breed, a funny Regency. Loads of laughter, likable hero, an unconventional heroine, and a bit of mystery. Everything I like.
This book reminded me that the ending is so important. The book started out great with a lot of amazing bantering between Alex and Sophie and plenty of lols :-).
She was a great heroine and he was just obsessed and sexy possessive of her. Alex was just a rakish duke and he was hot! Sophie's chaperon does a pretty poor job and they have plenty of time together. Then, Sophie turned into this annoying TSTL coward which didn't fit her character at all. And it was definitely reformed-rake-overkill whe...more
She was a great heroine and he was just obsessed and sexy possessive of her. Alex was just a rakish duke and he was hot! Sophie's chaperon does a pretty poor job and they have plenty of time together. Then, Sophie turned into this annoying TSTL coward which didn't fit her character at all. And it was definitely reformed-rake-overkill whe...more
Very cute... The ending was very clever and tied a lot of things in. I am looking forward to finding the next in this series!
Charming read but the end left me uninspired especially when Fletcher and Summers revealed all...
Absolutely delightful and I recommend to anyone who enjoys Regency romances.
Light and adorably silly, just what I needed :D
This book made me want to pick up historical fiction again. Love it.
Good fun. I would add her to my To Look Out For author list.
Three-minus.
Starts off really entertaining. You start to realize that this author likes to concentrate on the "chase" between the h/h. It will start to get frustrating....and then finally they at least go past 1st base about 20 pages from the end of the book. Pretty tame. Then the climax of the plot (spying) is totally thrown out the window and makes the reader feel stupid for even being caught up. This book was okay. Not anything memorable. Recommended read if you have absolutely nothing else within reach.
good humor. and good plot! can't wait for whit's adventures with mirabelle.
Alissa Johnson writes very sweet stories.
I really enjoyed this book, although in my opinion the Big Misunderstanding dragged for too long.
Each time Alex asked Sophie to explain her behavior, I hoped she would get it over with already.
Tell him, tell him, tell him. Noooo. You haven't told him. Again. And this motif had been repeated five times.
I loved secondary characters and their parts in the plot. I hope I'll get to see more of Mr. Wang in next books.
I really enjoyed this book, although in my opinion the Big Misunderstanding dragged for too long.
Each time Alex asked Sophie to explain her behavior, I hoped she would get it over with already.
Tell him, tell him, tell him. Noooo. You haven't told him. Again. And this motif had been repeated five times.
I loved secondary characters and their parts in the plot. I hope I'll get to see more of Mr. Wang in next books.
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Alissa Johnson lives in the rolling hills of the Ozarks, where she is hard at work on her next romance.
http://alissa-johnson.blogspot.com/
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“Let me enlighten you. We are a pack of liars, thieves, and wastrels, the lot of
us...There is not an honestly gained parcel of land in the whole earldom. Every acre, every village was stolen through one reprehensible manner or another. Deceit, blackmail, extortion, all of
it. It’s disgusting.”
Alex waited a moment to make sure Whit was quite through before asking, “How long ago?”
“Did we steal the land, do you mean?”
Alex nodded.
“Up until about a hundred years ago, then the wastrels took over.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
us...There is not an honestly gained parcel of land in the whole earldom. Every acre, every village was stolen through one reprehensible manner or another. Deceit, blackmail, extortion, all of
it. It’s disgusting.”
Alex waited a moment to make sure Whit was quite through before asking, “How long ago?”
“Did we steal the land, do you mean?”
Alex nodded.
“Up until about a hundred years ago, then the wastrels took over.”
