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Siddons Sisters #3
A Practical Partnership
Duty-Bound Bachelor John Reed has no intention of changing his carefree lifestyle—until his father's death forces him to return home. Now he's in charge of the family estate and preparing his reluctant sister for her London Season. And he's convinced millinery shop owner Nan Siddons will make his perfect partner in this task. Nan prides herself on her independence, but with a rival stealing her clients, she needs a new means of support. So when John hires her to see his sister through her debut, she accepts. She never expected their working relationship to become something more, yet soon Nan can't imagine her life without John in it. The bachelor has captured her heart, but can she tame his?
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2016
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March 14, 2024
“A Practical Partnership” (Siddons Sisters Series • 3 primary works • 3 total works)
(Book #3) by Lily George – Book Review
3 stars
The ‘hero’ of this story is a sad muck-up that is not even quite past infancy, emotionally speaking. He is used to living every day only for fun, and when he gets hungry, he summons someone to feed him, though he is a grown man.
His father has died, his mother is also dead, and he is left with the running of the estate, though he has never so much as lifted a pen in training for the ‘job’. He detests being in the estate and can’t stand the feel of his father or mother in it. His sister is due to debut at a coming-of-age event. She needs a full wardrobe; hence, the hiring of the heroine to see to it.
The womanizing hero has an anger problem, more appropriately, rage issues, since he doesn’t like not being able to do nothing and not having people to do nothing with, although he readily admits that he wouldn’t trust any of them ‘as far as he can throw them’.
The heroine is from a family of sisters that have done nothing but disrespect her. Now she is working for a male (can’t call him a man) who wants to do nothing and blows up at the slightest provocation, because he resents having to do anything. He likes to engage in passive-aggressive goading, because he is bored. He calls it having ‘great fun’. The heroine is depicted as infantilizing the ‘hero’, fondly saying he looks like a schoolboy while he is holding puppies.
Thankfully, the book did turn a corner. Though it was frustrating to wade through all of the immaturity, the characters and the story found their way, and it ended on a more positive note. I still do not care for the hero’s sister, I find her manipulative and selfish; however, the hero made great strides, and the heroine was able to find a more suitable outlook and viewpoint for herself, setting her free.
While I would have given this book a 1 or 1.75 at the beginning, it finishes at a 3 for me.
It is worth noting that this is Book #3 of a series, as mentioned at the beginning of this review. I am confident that if the three are read near the same time and in sequence, this book would fare much better.
(Book #3) by Lily George – Book Review
3 stars
The ‘hero’ of this story is a sad muck-up that is not even quite past infancy, emotionally speaking. He is used to living every day only for fun, and when he gets hungry, he summons someone to feed him, though he is a grown man.
His father has died, his mother is also dead, and he is left with the running of the estate, though he has never so much as lifted a pen in training for the ‘job’. He detests being in the estate and can’t stand the feel of his father or mother in it. His sister is due to debut at a coming-of-age event. She needs a full wardrobe; hence, the hiring of the heroine to see to it.
The womanizing hero has an anger problem, more appropriately, rage issues, since he doesn’t like not being able to do nothing and not having people to do nothing with, although he readily admits that he wouldn’t trust any of them ‘as far as he can throw them’.
The heroine is from a family of sisters that have done nothing but disrespect her. Now she is working for a male (can’t call him a man) who wants to do nothing and blows up at the slightest provocation, because he resents having to do anything. He likes to engage in passive-aggressive goading, because he is bored. He calls it having ‘great fun’. The heroine is depicted as infantilizing the ‘hero’, fondly saying he looks like a schoolboy while he is holding puppies.
Thankfully, the book did turn a corner. Though it was frustrating to wade through all of the immaturity, the characters and the story found their way, and it ended on a more positive note. I still do not care for the hero’s sister, I find her manipulative and selfish; however, the hero made great strides, and the heroine was able to find a more suitable outlook and viewpoint for herself, setting her free.
While I would have given this book a 1 or 1.75 at the beginning, it finishes at a 3 for me.
It is worth noting that this is Book #3 of a series, as mentioned at the beginning of this review. I am confident that if the three are read near the same time and in sequence, this book would fare much better.
May 19, 2017
I enjoyed this book very much.This story is well written and will touch your heart. I'm sure you are going to love it. I have to admit I didn't really care for John at the first but he did grow on me.
Hannah Siddons, Nan to her friends and family, runs a millinery shop. Nan and her two elder sisters opened the shop years ago to keep from starving. Both of her sisters have married and left the running of the shop to Nan. Nan is a practical, independent woman and she has managed the shop as best she could but a French milliner has come to town and stole her business. A couple is visiting her brother-in-law and he asks her to sew a new wardrobe for his young sister's debut. Fearing for her business she agrees.
John Reed has inherited his father's estate and must give up his carefree life. He also must make sure his young sister has her debut in London even if she doesn't want any part of it. His sister is taken with the local seamstress so he asks her to sew up the wardrobe she would need for her season. He brings the Nan to his estate not realizing she will steal his heart.
A journey of two souls each in a place they don't want to be but soon find this place is good as long as they are together. God has a plan for these two, a plan for a hope and a future. God is so good, He has a plan for you too. Surrender your will to Him and watch Him work in your mess.
Hannah Siddons, Nan to her friends and family, runs a millinery shop. Nan and her two elder sisters opened the shop years ago to keep from starving. Both of her sisters have married and left the running of the shop to Nan. Nan is a practical, independent woman and she has managed the shop as best she could but a French milliner has come to town and stole her business. A couple is visiting her brother-in-law and he asks her to sew a new wardrobe for his young sister's debut. Fearing for her business she agrees.
John Reed has inherited his father's estate and must give up his carefree life. He also must make sure his young sister has her debut in London even if she doesn't want any part of it. His sister is taken with the local seamstress so he asks her to sew up the wardrobe she would need for her season. He brings the Nan to his estate not realizing she will steal his heart.
A journey of two souls each in a place they don't want to be but soon find this place is good as long as they are together. God has a plan for these two, a plan for a hope and a future. God is so good, He has a plan for you too. Surrender your will to Him and watch Him work in your mess.
May 7, 2016
A Practical Partnership by Lily George is a historical romance that was released in February 2016 by Harlequin's Love Inspired line. It is a sequel to The Nanny Arrangement, which is a sequel to A Rumored Engagement. The three novels cover the romances of the Siddons sisters, Nan, Becky, and Susannah. A Practical Partnership is Nan's story about her relationship with John Reed, a man with a roguish past. It is a tale about opposites who are attracted to each other.
Nan is now the sole proprietor of the millinery shop in Tansley that she had previously shared with her sisters before Susannah and Becky made advantageous marriages of their own. Nan has always seen herself as being the plainest and most sensible of the sisters, and has resigned herself to the life of a spinster. However, with the arrival of a new French milliner in town, Nan has been facing competition for business, and is left wondering how she will be able to continue operating her shop. She desperately wants to avoid being a financial burden to her sisters.
John Reed has been reluctantly running his family's estate now that his father has passed on. The whole idea of assuming these responsibilities is simply not fun or enjoyable to him. However, he is forcing himself to do his duty. In his eyes, this also means launching his sister, Jane, into her London season, even though Jane has no wish to have one. When he sees how comfortable Jane is with Nan, he makes an offer to Nan: come with the Reeds to create Jane's wardrobe. Nan doesn't really want to leave her shop, but can't stay in Tansley if she is to work on Jane's wardrobe. However, with dwindling orders for her shop, Nan agrees to take up John's offer, and leaves town so that she can begin working with Jane at the Reeds' estate, Grant Park.
While Nan is at Grant Park, she discovers the reason why Jane doesn't wish to have a London season, in addition to discovering that John has depths beyond that of a debauched, carefree bachelor. John teaches her to have a bit of fun instead of being serious all the time. Being with him encourages her to dream of greater things for her life.
John finds himself growing intrigued with a woman who isn't going out of her way to attract his attention. However, being at Grant Park forces him to look deeply into the reasons why he doesn't want to take on the responsibilities of running the estate and why he is at odds with the Lord. Spending time with Nan helps him to find faith again. However, he finds it difficult to reconcile his romantic attraction to Nan with his perceptions about the class of woman that duty requires for him to marry, and unfortunately, Nan doesn't measure up to those demands. In addition, a situation arises which leads John to feel betrayed by Nan, making it difficult for him to trust her. Will this practical partnership ever grow into a romantic one?
I found A Practical Partnership to be a safe and clean read. For a man who supposedly has spent much of his life before in the pursuit of pleasure, I didn't find John to be much of a rogue. The hints of the romantic attraction between the two leads are dropped fairly early in the book, but John and Nan don't get anywhere near to a kiss until close to the end of the book. As for his prankster reputation...well...it seemed to be on the tame side. He came off as a fairly respectable person who might joke around a bit here and there, using a jovial cover to mask the anger that he had deep inside.
I liked Nan. She is a sensible and practical person, who has a dash of stoicism. She needs to loosen up, and John is able to get her to do that. It would seem that the two of them are able to bring out the best in each other.
Even though A Practical Partnership is the third in a trilogy about the Siddons sisters, I think that it can be considered a stand alone novel, as it can be understood and enjoyed without needing to read the other books for more background information.
This review also appears on my blog at:
http://whatiscbreading.blogspot.ca
Nan is now the sole proprietor of the millinery shop in Tansley that she had previously shared with her sisters before Susannah and Becky made advantageous marriages of their own. Nan has always seen herself as being the plainest and most sensible of the sisters, and has resigned herself to the life of a spinster. However, with the arrival of a new French milliner in town, Nan has been facing competition for business, and is left wondering how she will be able to continue operating her shop. She desperately wants to avoid being a financial burden to her sisters.
John Reed has been reluctantly running his family's estate now that his father has passed on. The whole idea of assuming these responsibilities is simply not fun or enjoyable to him. However, he is forcing himself to do his duty. In his eyes, this also means launching his sister, Jane, into her London season, even though Jane has no wish to have one. When he sees how comfortable Jane is with Nan, he makes an offer to Nan: come with the Reeds to create Jane's wardrobe. Nan doesn't really want to leave her shop, but can't stay in Tansley if she is to work on Jane's wardrobe. However, with dwindling orders for her shop, Nan agrees to take up John's offer, and leaves town so that she can begin working with Jane at the Reeds' estate, Grant Park.
While Nan is at Grant Park, she discovers the reason why Jane doesn't wish to have a London season, in addition to discovering that John has depths beyond that of a debauched, carefree bachelor. John teaches her to have a bit of fun instead of being serious all the time. Being with him encourages her to dream of greater things for her life.
John finds himself growing intrigued with a woman who isn't going out of her way to attract his attention. However, being at Grant Park forces him to look deeply into the reasons why he doesn't want to take on the responsibilities of running the estate and why he is at odds with the Lord. Spending time with Nan helps him to find faith again. However, he finds it difficult to reconcile his romantic attraction to Nan with his perceptions about the class of woman that duty requires for him to marry, and unfortunately, Nan doesn't measure up to those demands. In addition, a situation arises which leads John to feel betrayed by Nan, making it difficult for him to trust her. Will this practical partnership ever grow into a romantic one?
I found A Practical Partnership to be a safe and clean read. For a man who supposedly has spent much of his life before in the pursuit of pleasure, I didn't find John to be much of a rogue. The hints of the romantic attraction between the two leads are dropped fairly early in the book, but John and Nan don't get anywhere near to a kiss until close to the end of the book. As for his prankster reputation...well...it seemed to be on the tame side. He came off as a fairly respectable person who might joke around a bit here and there, using a jovial cover to mask the anger that he had deep inside.
I liked Nan. She is a sensible and practical person, who has a dash of stoicism. She needs to loosen up, and John is able to get her to do that. It would seem that the two of them are able to bring out the best in each other.
Even though A Practical Partnership is the third in a trilogy about the Siddons sisters, I think that it can be considered a stand alone novel, as it can be understood and enjoyed without needing to read the other books for more background information.
This review also appears on my blog at:
http://whatiscbreading.blogspot.ca
March 24, 2016
You don't expect, nor do you ever get, any surprises in this genre of novels. Even if the hero or heroine was, literally, in the muck and mire of the gutter on page one by the last page they would be living 'happily ever after'. That's why they're so popular, they are feel good stories in a world that is becoming increasing uncertain and even dangerous. However, the eventual resolution can be achieved smoothly or can appear false – this novel is one of the former.
In the past the 'heroine' would more as like be a whimpering and simpering mouse, uncertain of herself, afraid of everything around her who gets swept up in the strong and powerful (and wealthy) arms of Mr Macho to take her to a life of everlasting joy. That doesn't happen so often now.
In the now more (but not entirely) 'feminist' world the female characters – not all of them, some must still exhibit 'backward' ideas, especially in historical romances – are more feisty, independent in their thinking and their acts and have a mind of their own and Nan (or Hannah as she is known at the end of the story) is one of those new breed.
But matters aren't easy. We are introduced to Nan's predicament on page one and, although neither of them realise it at the time, we are introduced to the love interest on page three. The next 270 or so pages contain all the reasons why this happy resolution might not actually take place.
Nan has serious economic problems but she's a fighter and won't go down without doing all she can to save the shop she and her sisters had built into a successful business. The two other sisters have married well, i.e., into money, but she considers herself to be too much of a 'plain Jane' to have a similar future and the shop is her only chance for an independent future. But struggle as she might things go from bad to worse and the offer of becoming a servant to a womanising, ne'er do well, gambling man about town is the best way out she has.
Even as she falls for him, and he for her (although he doesn't know it until quite late on) she continues to belittle her achievements, attractiveness and charm. It's this self deprecating attitude that I found most annoying about the novel. To make her attractive to the reader, as well as to the hero, she has to have 'faults' but her constant harping on about her failings, both to herself and to those around her, becomes slightly tiresome.
I thought that George's grasp of economics in early-19th century capitalist Britain was a little bit weak, to say the least, and it's a good job she's a writer as if she went into business she would soon be in the bankruptcy court – but then historical and factual accuracy is not a pre-requisite for these romantic stories.
The writer also has a religious agenda which appears first in a subtle way but comes over with more force towards the end. Nan (on the road to becoming Hannah) starts to question her faith as life keeps on throwing obstacles in her way. John (as the hero is named) has rejected God for taking away his beloved mother, when all she did was good, at an early age. By the end these doubts are allayed as they find each other.
The child Nan is in the past. Hannah will now go forward, as an equal with her beau, both of them under the protection and love of God.
In the past the 'heroine' would more as like be a whimpering and simpering mouse, uncertain of herself, afraid of everything around her who gets swept up in the strong and powerful (and wealthy) arms of Mr Macho to take her to a life of everlasting joy. That doesn't happen so often now.
In the now more (but not entirely) 'feminist' world the female characters – not all of them, some must still exhibit 'backward' ideas, especially in historical romances – are more feisty, independent in their thinking and their acts and have a mind of their own and Nan (or Hannah as she is known at the end of the story) is one of those new breed.
But matters aren't easy. We are introduced to Nan's predicament on page one and, although neither of them realise it at the time, we are introduced to the love interest on page three. The next 270 or so pages contain all the reasons why this happy resolution might not actually take place.
Nan has serious economic problems but she's a fighter and won't go down without doing all she can to save the shop she and her sisters had built into a successful business. The two other sisters have married well, i.e., into money, but she considers herself to be too much of a 'plain Jane' to have a similar future and the shop is her only chance for an independent future. But struggle as she might things go from bad to worse and the offer of becoming a servant to a womanising, ne'er do well, gambling man about town is the best way out she has.
Even as she falls for him, and he for her (although he doesn't know it until quite late on) she continues to belittle her achievements, attractiveness and charm. It's this self deprecating attitude that I found most annoying about the novel. To make her attractive to the reader, as well as to the hero, she has to have 'faults' but her constant harping on about her failings, both to herself and to those around her, becomes slightly tiresome.
I thought that George's grasp of economics in early-19th century capitalist Britain was a little bit weak, to say the least, and it's a good job she's a writer as if she went into business she would soon be in the bankruptcy court – but then historical and factual accuracy is not a pre-requisite for these romantic stories.
The writer also has a religious agenda which appears first in a subtle way but comes over with more force towards the end. Nan (on the road to becoming Hannah) starts to question her faith as life keeps on throwing obstacles in her way. John (as the hero is named) has rejected God for taking away his beloved mother, when all she did was good, at an early age. By the end these doubts are allayed as they find each other.
The child Nan is in the past. Hannah will now go forward, as an equal with her beau, both of them under the protection and love of God.
February 23, 2017
I have two sisters, and i just love when i found a serie of sisters!. And this one it's a great choice, i like the end.Lovely :)
April 5, 2016
John has been living the carefree and easy life until his father dies. Now duty calls. John must return to the family estate and take over his father's duties. One of those duties is getting his sister, Jane, ready for her season in London. While visiting a friend, John and Jane meet a bonnet maker named Nan. Nan is running the hat business that kept her and her two older sisters from poverty. But now that the sisters are married, Nan must find a way to keep the business alive. She's sure that she'll never marry, so she needs this business to keep from being dependent on her sisters. John thinks Nan would make the perfect person to convince his sister to change her wardrobe and have a season in London. Neither of them intend to marry so the arrangement should be perfect.
This was a sweet, enjoyable story. While the ending was predictable, as is often the case in romances, it was a pleasant journey to get to that ending. The characters were well fleshed out and relatable. The interaction between the family members was sweet. The two romances woven throughout the plot were sweet, clean, and with some humor. Overall, I enjoyed the story and will definitely read more by this author.
This was a sweet, enjoyable story. While the ending was predictable, as is often the case in romances, it was a pleasant journey to get to that ending. The characters were well fleshed out and relatable. The interaction between the family members was sweet. The two romances woven throughout the plot were sweet, clean, and with some humor. Overall, I enjoyed the story and will definitely read more by this author.
March 9, 2016
I received this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This is a sweet gentle historical romance in Harlequin's "Love Inspired" series. Hannah "Nan" Siddons is the youngest and most practical of the Siddons sisters. She has been left to run the family's millinery shop alone after her sisters' marriages. However, the shop has fallen on hard times due to competition from a new milliner in town, and Nan has to find a way to support herself in order to maintain her independence. She takes a position with John Reed to create a wardrobe for his sister Jane who is about to make her debut in London. Initially John and Nan clash, but eventually they influence each other for the better.
I found the ending especially gratifying as it didn't end abruptly with a happily ever after, but rather allowed us to experience the joy a little longer. It really wrapped up the series very nicely.
This is a sweet gentle historical romance in Harlequin's "Love Inspired" series. Hannah "Nan" Siddons is the youngest and most practical of the Siddons sisters. She has been left to run the family's millinery shop alone after her sisters' marriages. However, the shop has fallen on hard times due to competition from a new milliner in town, and Nan has to find a way to support herself in order to maintain her independence. She takes a position with John Reed to create a wardrobe for his sister Jane who is about to make her debut in London. Initially John and Nan clash, but eventually they influence each other for the better.
I found the ending especially gratifying as it didn't end abruptly with a happily ever after, but rather allowed us to experience the joy a little longer. It really wrapped up the series very nicely.
March 17, 2016
A Practical Partnership by Lily George is a wonderful story telling how things do not always work as planned. The heroine is the youngest Siddons sister who has decided that she will be a milliner with the shop and the spinster aunt. John Reed has forgot the important things from his family past and has to learn that work can be fun and gives a sense of purpose. His sister Jane plays an important role in the two getting together. The story gives a sense that you need to review things with all that you have learned and that as children we see things without understanding. A wonderful story with a gentle lesson.
May 13, 2016
I have not read the previous two books in the series, but as a standalone I didn't feel like I missing parts of the story. I am planning on reading the other two because I enjoyed "A Practical Courtship" and want to know Nan's sisters' stories. I enjoyed all of the characters and their personalities shown off the pages. I really enjoyed that the plot wasn't 'happy go lucky' - IE that there were realistic disagreements between the protagonist and love interest.
April 19, 2016
I really enjoyed this book, it was sweet and I really like the characters, it was a little predictable but I didn't mind as it was so sweet. I also enjoyed the writing and really want to read more by this author.
February 8, 2016
My favorite of the Siddons women finally realizes her worth. This book has the strongest, most realistic of the 3 books. The characters are ALL better at the end of the story than at the beginning.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews