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Masters of Seduction #3
Твой соблазнительный обман
Безрассудную и дерзкую Оливию с соседом Гидеоном связывала давняя дружба. Его брат-близнец Джастин граф Кемпторн по прозвищу Торн искренне удивлялся, о чем можно говорить с этой дикой своенравной девицей. Когда сердечные дела Оливии зашли в тупик, она обратилась за советом к старому другу. Гидеон с радость согласился встретиться, и девушка поведала ему свои сокровенные тайны. Она не догадывалась, что перед ней Торн. А юноша неожиданно понял, что перед ним прекрасная сильная и чувственная женщина, без которой он теперь не сможет прожить и дня… Но как признаться Оливии в обмане? Как завоевать сердце непокорной девушки?
2017 pages, Hardcover
First published January 3, 2017
70 people are currently reading
869 people want to read
About the author
Alexandra Hawkins
16 books682 followersAlexandra Hawkins is an unrepentant Anglophile who discovered romance novels as a teenager and knew that one day she would be writing her own. In "The Lords of Vice" series, she has combined her love of English history, mythology, and romance to create sensual character-driven stories that, she hopes, will touch readers' hearts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
December 19, 2016
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thorn's twin Gideon has finally come home after abruptly taking off on his own. Finding Gideon and their neighbor Olivia back together as if they never lost a step, annoys Thorn in a way he doesn't fully want to think about.
Olivia has always had a good friendship with Gideon but his twin and the heir Thorn, always seems to find something at fault with her.
When Gideon starts kissing her at clandestine meetings, Olivia doesn't know what to think, especially when it's Thorn who she's starting to feel strange around.
Third in the Masters of Seduction series, you could read this as a standalone but there are characters with story lines that will be missed. The author seemed to want to focus on everything but the romance. In the beginning and most of the middle, the focus seemed to be on Thorn and Gideon's relationship. Thorn not understanding why Gideon left and the mystery of what Gideon did when he was gone. This could have been more powerful if the author would have had the brothers discuss more and have a scene where they aired their grievances or resolved issues. Towards the end Gideon disappeared and as a reader, I felt left adrift from a storyline that started off the focus. I also felt like the couple of Thorn's cousin Chance and Tempest (book 2) were focused on too much. Maybe not reading their story hurt me here but I didn't understand what was going on with them and neither did I care. The same can be said of Tempest's father (book 1) and her mother's relationship, obviously I was missing something there. I spent a good portion of this book not sure who the hero, heroine, or main couple was supposed to be.
Thorn has been celibate for a while, so calling him a rake wouldn't be quite right but his personality and way he treats Olivia is harsher. I felt this way because of his actions, constantly grabbing Olivia to kiss her and his thoughts; he seems more concerned with keeping her away from his brother than actually having any love for her. His pretending to be his brother to get closer to Olivia also went on too long; would have been cute in one or two scenes. As it dragged on and intimate situations where had, it felt devious and immature. When he is talking to her father, his first thought when they are discussing their betrothal, is how now his twin can't have her. This could be the "I can't admit to myself I want her" but since we're not given great loving thoughts and feelings from Thorn towards Olivia, I felt more of a cold drift than a heat wave from them.
Olivia gets kind of the shaft; she's not given much to work with. Thorn constantly says she's too naïve and her actions constantly prove him right; she's a bit TSTL. There were glimpses of her rising to the challenge of going back and forth with Thorn but they never fully materialized. I also question how she was able to traipse around London by herself and leave a ball alone with Thorn; the historical accuracy seemed a bit off.
I mentioned some of the focus on the past two main couples but there was also a big focus on characters that were clearly series baiting. There were cousins, brothers, sisters, and exiled princes constantly given the spotlight. I want my secondary characters to add to the story and main couple but the focuses given to them here did nothing but distract and detract. I will say though, the exiled prince may have intrigued me enough to read his story.
Quite honestly, I didn't fully know for sure I had the right hero and heroine paired up correctly toward the end of the story, definitely a problem. The sudden villain at the end, with a very 1980s bodice ripping deviance, and the way they info dumped their evil motivations and plans, felt out of nowhere. I appreciated how the author went a little darker with her male characters but wanted more layered heroines too. This story was way more ensemble piece with carnal leanings whispering in the wings, not an average light or sweet bedrooms scenes regency romance, so it did have some difference going for it. However, the lack of romance had me ultimately wondering what the point of the story was.
Thorn's twin Gideon has finally come home after abruptly taking off on his own. Finding Gideon and their neighbor Olivia back together as if they never lost a step, annoys Thorn in a way he doesn't fully want to think about.
Olivia has always had a good friendship with Gideon but his twin and the heir Thorn, always seems to find something at fault with her.
When Gideon starts kissing her at clandestine meetings, Olivia doesn't know what to think, especially when it's Thorn who she's starting to feel strange around.
Third in the Masters of Seduction series, you could read this as a standalone but there are characters with story lines that will be missed. The author seemed to want to focus on everything but the romance. In the beginning and most of the middle, the focus seemed to be on Thorn and Gideon's relationship. Thorn not understanding why Gideon left and the mystery of what Gideon did when he was gone. This could have been more powerful if the author would have had the brothers discuss more and have a scene where they aired their grievances or resolved issues. Towards the end Gideon disappeared and as a reader, I felt left adrift from a storyline that started off the focus. I also felt like the couple of Thorn's cousin Chance and Tempest (book 2) were focused on too much. Maybe not reading their story hurt me here but I didn't understand what was going on with them and neither did I care. The same can be said of Tempest's father (book 1) and her mother's relationship, obviously I was missing something there. I spent a good portion of this book not sure who the hero, heroine, or main couple was supposed to be.
Thorn has been celibate for a while, so calling him a rake wouldn't be quite right but his personality and way he treats Olivia is harsher. I felt this way because of his actions, constantly grabbing Olivia to kiss her and his thoughts; he seems more concerned with keeping her away from his brother than actually having any love for her. His pretending to be his brother to get closer to Olivia also went on too long; would have been cute in one or two scenes. As it dragged on and intimate situations where had, it felt devious and immature. When he is talking to her father, his first thought when they are discussing their betrothal, is how now his twin can't have her. This could be the "I can't admit to myself I want her" but since we're not given great loving thoughts and feelings from Thorn towards Olivia, I felt more of a cold drift than a heat wave from them.
Olivia gets kind of the shaft; she's not given much to work with. Thorn constantly says she's too naïve and her actions constantly prove him right; she's a bit TSTL. There were glimpses of her rising to the challenge of going back and forth with Thorn but they never fully materialized. I also question how she was able to traipse around London by herself and leave a ball alone with Thorn; the historical accuracy seemed a bit off.
I mentioned some of the focus on the past two main couples but there was also a big focus on characters that were clearly series baiting. There were cousins, brothers, sisters, and exiled princes constantly given the spotlight. I want my secondary characters to add to the story and main couple but the focuses given to them here did nothing but distract and detract. I will say though, the exiled prince may have intrigued me enough to read his story.
Quite honestly, I didn't fully know for sure I had the right hero and heroine paired up correctly toward the end of the story, definitely a problem. The sudden villain at the end, with a very 1980s bodice ripping deviance, and the way they info dumped their evil motivations and plans, felt out of nowhere. I appreciated how the author went a little darker with her male characters but wanted more layered heroines too. This story was way more ensemble piece with carnal leanings whispering in the wings, not an average light or sweet bedrooms scenes regency romance, so it did have some difference going for it. However, the lack of romance had me ultimately wondering what the point of the story was.
December 27, 2016
I think this is the first book I’ve wished I didn’t have the hero's POV.
***3.5 Stars***
I’ll start off by saying that I liked Waiting For an Earl Like You. Yes, there were parts that drove me bonkers and had me rolling my eyes but there were more times than not that I enjoyed the journey.
I’d have to say that my biggest complaint was getting to see the working mind of the hero. We get a glimpse of the hero and other titled gentleman acting like scoundrels and recounts of some of their previous mischief. I’m not sure about other readers but I am guilty of reading a story only from the heroine’s point of view and wishing for the hero’s as well. In this case, I wish I was spared from most of it. I didn’t want to hear about his feelings towards his past conquests or how his deprived mind worked.
If this had been a Contemporary Romance, I probably would have had fewer qualms about it. Because it was a historical romance, I have an expectation of being spared from the details of the heroes past. Maybe this has something to do with the time the story was set. I suppose you could say that I expected the same courtesy and respect that a lady of that time should/would be given. There is a wee chance I’m living TOO vicariously through the heroines I read about.
Olivia has lived next door to twins Justin and Gideon all her life. Justin, being the eldest is the heir and Gideon the spare. Justin Netherwood, Earl of Kempthorn, also known as Thorn takes his position very seriously. When they were children growing up, Justin thought Olivia and Gideon were silly and immature. He didn’t play with them but also resented the fun they had with each other. As time went on Olivia and Gideon formed a close friendship. This friendship lasted many years including the time Gideon left his family to create his own fortune. When Gideon returns, Thorn finds that their closeness (as twins) had been damaged but Olivia and Gideon’s closeness seems as strong as ever.
They plan to marry her off. Olivia’s father has been widowed for many years but has recently started a relationship with the Countess of Grisdale. It looks like there will be a betrothal soon and the Countess has serious plans to remove Olivia from the household so she can take over running it. The Countess goes out of her way to belittle Olivia and find fault in her actions and speech, but not in front of her father. Olivia holds her tongue, not wanting to upset her father. She also promises to try and act with decorum and dignity…but falling in the lake at a garden party is definitely not the way to go.
Thorn believes that Olivia has plans to trap Gideon into marriage. He must use every trick in the book to lure Olivia away…even if it means compromising her.
As I mentioned above, I enjoyed a lot of Waiting For an Earl Like You. There were times that Thorn seemed a little mean and judgemental. He uses his stiff upper lip and lordly manners to keep both Olivia and Gideon on the straight and narrow. There are definitely unresolved issues between Thorn and Gideon and I get the feeling that Gideon has a BIG secret he is keeping from his family. Thorn definitely convinced me that he lusted after Olivia, but he sometimes acted in a thoughtless way that frustrated me.
Now, Olivia, for the most part, was witty and charming but towards the end, acted like a ninny. Naïve is being too generous towards her actions. Sure, sure, I believe she can lose her senses after a steamy kiss but she definitely turns hot and cold towards Thorn on a whim. I was never really convinced that she was feeling love or plain old lust towards Thorn.
In the end, it was a pleasant tale about love that started with a little girl who followed around two brothers who took the time to include her. I read this story in one day and it kept my interest from start to finish. I would recommend Waiting For an Earl Like You to readers of historical romance who don’t mind hearing about a rake, his mates and their lives of debauchery..until they find their ONE.
I’m an Aussie chick who loves to read and review romance, drink coffee, be a Style Setter and stalk David Gandy. To see more of my reviews, fashion, food and pervathons -
February 8, 2017
ARC provided by NetGally for honest review.
2.5
Olivia has been friends with Gideon and Thorn, who are identical twins, since she was a little tagging along after them wherever they went. Well to be fair she was more Gideon's friend then Thorn's. Thorn was to high and might, he barley tolerated Olivia at times when she was around.
Oliva is all grown up now and needs to marry as her widowed father has found someone and plans to marry. Her fathers possible intended is not a very warm or loving individual and seems to foster a dislike for Olivia.
Gideon has be gone abroad for many years and has returned home a very wealthy man. Olivia and Gideon resume there friendship. Thorn isn't too happy and believes that Olivia is out to ensnare Gideon and need to protect his twin.
A situation takes place that puts Thorn and Olivia in a compromising position by her father and the consequences are that they are now engaged to each other. Olivia believes the engagement is temporary. And Thorn, well thinks it's fake, no he thinks it's a real engagement actually he's not too sure what he thinks.
I found the premise of this story to be good but the execution was sadly laking. The dual roles that Thorn plays as himself and then Gideon was confusing at times and bothered me in the truth department for their relationship. I didn't feel I really knew Thorn as the two twins at times seemed mixed up in their characterization. Olivia I liked fine as she came across strong and sweet. The relationship as a whole was not really satisfactory due to how it played out with the Thorn/Gideon tricked that was played.
I enjoy Ms. Hawkins writing and romances but this was a miss for me. I will continue reading her future books.
2.5
Olivia has been friends with Gideon and Thorn, who are identical twins, since she was a little tagging along after them wherever they went. Well to be fair she was more Gideon's friend then Thorn's. Thorn was to high and might, he barley tolerated Olivia at times when she was around.
Oliva is all grown up now and needs to marry as her widowed father has found someone and plans to marry. Her fathers possible intended is not a very warm or loving individual and seems to foster a dislike for Olivia.
Gideon has be gone abroad for many years and has returned home a very wealthy man. Olivia and Gideon resume there friendship. Thorn isn't too happy and believes that Olivia is out to ensnare Gideon and need to protect his twin.
A situation takes place that puts Thorn and Olivia in a compromising position by her father and the consequences are that they are now engaged to each other. Olivia believes the engagement is temporary. And Thorn, well thinks it's fake, no he thinks it's a real engagement actually he's not too sure what he thinks.
I found the premise of this story to be good but the execution was sadly laking. The dual roles that Thorn plays as himself and then Gideon was confusing at times and bothered me in the truth department for their relationship. I didn't feel I really knew Thorn as the two twins at times seemed mixed up in their characterization. Olivia I liked fine as she came across strong and sweet. The relationship as a whole was not really satisfactory due to how it played out with the Thorn/Gideon tricked that was played.
I enjoy Ms. Hawkins writing and romances but this was a miss for me. I will continue reading her future books.
June 7, 2025
This story had a lot of potential. Thorn taking his twin Gideon’s place and falling for his brother’s bestie Olivia was the perfect set up. There was something missing for me in the execution. Still I enjoyed it.
February 9, 2017
Bottom Line. Don't waste your time. First book by this author, and I was far from blown away; kept wanting to put it down, but received it as an ARC so felt like I should try and finish it.
My Thoughts. I wanted to try and provide a summary, but frankly that’s really difficult, because sometimes I had no idea what the hell was going on (to be blunt, lol). I don’t know if any of you watch Top Chef (I’m addicted), but there’s this one Quickfire Challenge they do where they split into groups, each person has 10 minutes to work on the dish before passing it on to the next person, they can’t communicate with one another in between, and hopefully at the end they have a cohesive, good-tasting dish! Obviously, some teams are not super successful at it, and honestly it sometimes felt like this book was written that way, in that the author couldn’t decide how to characterize someone or something and so kept going back and forth.
For example: I’m super unclear on how to categorize Justin/Thorn/Lord Kempthorn and have no idea which GR hero shelves I would put him on … at times we’re told he’s known for being a ladies’ man, then we’re told that he’s known to be very discreet and reserved in his affairs, then he’s a man-whore again, then he’s not and a character makes fun of him never having sex—which is it?!?! I have absolutely no idea.
The love scenes also seemed like they had been written by a completely separate person and then inserted after the fact. Yes, Thorn admires Olivia's physical attributes and we read his admiring thoughts (all the usual things), but then he gets super explicit in their first encounter and because it's so different from what we've seen thus far, it kind of seems random and took me aback. One would think if anything, a guy's thoughts are more explicit than what he actually says out loud, not the reverse.
In addition to the frenetic pacing and halting plot development, the book sometimes seemed like a caricature of a historical romance. The group of 5 male friends that this series revolves around all have nicknames and are all man-whores (but not? because again, it’s sometimes unclear; we hear that one of them is especially known for his sexual appetite above all others and etc., but then we’re told the same about another one as well). Every single one of them has a nickname that they go by, which is of course not unusual, but if you have a group of friends that are the heroes for your series, then maybe spread it out a bit, you know? Otherwise it just seems forced; they ALL have short little nicknames (that are sometimes random), they're ALL charming rogues, etc.
One big problem for me was that I did not at all understand the relationship between Thorn (the hero) and Gideon (his identical twin brother). Thorn is hurt that Gideon left (still not clear on for how long or why) and doesn’t confide in him anymore; they’re fighting each other and then joking around; Gideon is angry at how Thorn is deceiving Olivia and then he’s not; he punches Thorn over her and then he disappears. Also, Thorn’s supposed reason for getting near Olivia is to put Gideon off of her … but why?? She's not unacceptable, she's not of a bad family, she's not scandalous—there would be no problem if she and Gideon liked each other—but the way Thorn talks and thinks about it, one would think all three of those things were the case! So why does he care? I. Have. No. Idea.
And lest you go to the "well he wanted her for himself" reason, that's not the case. At least, for most of all the book that's not the case, because for the entire book we are constantly hearing from Thorn about how he has always been annoyed by Olivia, she's always bothered him, etc. etc. etc. Until we reach the end that is, and we learn that apparently Thorn has always been in love with her (say what??). For 98% of the book we’re led to believe that he has always disliked her, but couldn't control his randiness and then that led to him seeing her in a different light, but then apparently that's not true ...? And no, this didn't feel like an instance of something being kept from the reader by it-turns-out an untrustworthy first-person narrator, this felt like an instance where for 98% of the book the hero didn't like the heroine for all of their childhood history, and then the author decides that she shouldn't have done it that way and so throws in a random memory to make it not so.
There were so many problems. Just so, so many problems. If you couldn't tell. Lol. Yeah, I really didn't like it, and was quite disappointed, because I thought it had promise given the book summary and premise. I was a bit apprehensive going in to it as to the whole twin-deception thing, because if she's SUCH good friends with Gideon, she would be able to tell him and Thorn apart, but Gideon has been gone for years, so I would have been able to suspend belief if that was the only thing.
This was my first book by this author and it has left me a bit gun-shy of trying her again, but looks like she has a bit of a back-list, so maybe I'll go with one of her books that has overwhelmingly high ratings and see if that works better for me. Some of the writing also annoyed me though; if it's just the plot, fine, that can be a one-off and there are books by even my favorite romance authors that I didn't like, but there were some stupid-ass scenes/lines in this book. Like:
My Thoughts. I wanted to try and provide a summary, but frankly that’s really difficult, because sometimes I had no idea what the hell was going on (to be blunt, lol). I don’t know if any of you watch Top Chef (I’m addicted), but there’s this one Quickfire Challenge they do where they split into groups, each person has 10 minutes to work on the dish before passing it on to the next person, they can’t communicate with one another in between, and hopefully at the end they have a cohesive, good-tasting dish! Obviously, some teams are not super successful at it, and honestly it sometimes felt like this book was written that way, in that the author couldn’t decide how to characterize someone or something and so kept going back and forth.
For example: I’m super unclear on how to categorize Justin/Thorn/Lord Kempthorn and have no idea which GR hero shelves I would put him on … at times we’re told he’s known for being a ladies’ man, then we’re told that he’s known to be very discreet and reserved in his affairs, then he’s a man-whore again, then he’s not and a character makes fun of him never having sex—which is it?!?! I have absolutely no idea.
The love scenes also seemed like they had been written by a completely separate person and then inserted after the fact. Yes, Thorn admires Olivia's physical attributes and we read his admiring thoughts (all the usual things), but then he gets super explicit in their first encounter and because it's so different from what we've seen thus far, it kind of seems random and took me aback. One would think if anything, a guy's thoughts are more explicit than what he actually says out loud, not the reverse.
In addition to the frenetic pacing and halting plot development, the book sometimes seemed like a caricature of a historical romance. The group of 5 male friends that this series revolves around all have nicknames and are all man-whores (but not? because again, it’s sometimes unclear; we hear that one of them is especially known for his sexual appetite above all others and etc., but then we’re told the same about another one as well). Every single one of them has a nickname that they go by, which is of course not unusual, but if you have a group of friends that are the heroes for your series, then maybe spread it out a bit, you know? Otherwise it just seems forced; they ALL have short little nicknames (that are sometimes random), they're ALL charming rogues, etc.
One big problem for me was that I did not at all understand the relationship between Thorn (the hero) and Gideon (his identical twin brother). Thorn is hurt that Gideon left (still not clear on for how long or why) and doesn’t confide in him anymore; they’re fighting each other and then joking around; Gideon is angry at how Thorn is deceiving Olivia and then he’s not; he punches Thorn over her and then he disappears. Also, Thorn’s supposed reason for getting near Olivia is to put Gideon off of her … but why?? She's not unacceptable, she's not of a bad family, she's not scandalous—there would be no problem if she and Gideon liked each other—but the way Thorn talks and thinks about it, one would think all three of those things were the case! So why does he care? I. Have. No. Idea.
And lest you go to the "well he wanted her for himself" reason, that's not the case. At least, for most of all the book that's not the case, because for the entire book we are constantly hearing from Thorn about how he has always been annoyed by Olivia, she's always bothered him, etc. etc. etc. Until we reach the end that is, and we learn that apparently Thorn has always been in love with her (say what??). For 98% of the book we’re led to believe that he has always disliked her, but couldn't control his randiness and then that led to him seeing her in a different light, but then apparently that's not true ...? And no, this didn't feel like an instance of something being kept from the reader by it-turns-out an untrustworthy first-person narrator, this felt like an instance where for 98% of the book the hero didn't like the heroine for all of their childhood history, and then the author decides that she shouldn't have done it that way and so throws in a random memory to make it not so.
There were so many problems. Just so, so many problems. If you couldn't tell. Lol. Yeah, I really didn't like it, and was quite disappointed, because I thought it had promise given the book summary and premise. I was a bit apprehensive going in to it as to the whole twin-deception thing, because if she's SUCH good friends with Gideon, she would be able to tell him and Thorn apart, but Gideon has been gone for years, so I would have been able to suspend belief if that was the only thing.
This was my first book by this author and it has left me a bit gun-shy of trying her again, but looks like she has a bit of a back-list, so maybe I'll go with one of her books that has overwhelmingly high ratings and see if that works better for me. Some of the writing also annoyed me though; if it's just the plot, fine, that can be a one-off and there are books by even my favorite romance authors that I didn't like, but there were some stupid-ass scenes/lines in this book. Like:
After Olivia's father suspects that she and Thorn were up to something naughty during a carriage ride, Thorn tells him that she's not ruined and that they can summon a physician to confirm. Umm, excuse me, wtf?? The dad has an appropriate response to this (The baron slammed his fist on the desk, toppling a silver candlestick over. "I would never humiliate Olivia in such a fashion."), but why is it that the so-called hero is the one suggesting it in the first place??*This review is of an ARC provided by Net Galley and the publisher
Or:
Although she was oblivious to the significance, theirs had been a fair exchange. She had never taken a lover, and he had never permitted himself to come in a woman.
January 4, 2017
FINAL DECISION: This book was fine, but I never felt compelled to find out what happened. The story moved too slowly to build up interest and the premise of twin switching without the heroine knowing the difference seemed too unlikely unless the men dressed identically all the time.
THE STORY: Justin Reeve Netherwood, Earl of Kempthorn nicknamed Thorn has a twin brother Gideon. The two have been at odds for years. Now that Gideon has returned from his travels, a woman from their childhood has returned to their lives. Miss Olivia Lydall has been friends with Gideon for years. When she seeks him out asking for advice, Gideon kisses her instead. What Olivia doesn't know is that it is actually Thorn who is kissing her. Thorn can't tell her but intends on nudging her away from any potential interest in Gideon. Unfortunately for Thorn, he wants her for himself but can't tell her the truth.
OPINION: The premise of this book interested me, but the execution left me finishing the book but having little interest in reading more.
The idea of a man impersonating his twin and falling for a woman while he becomes twisted in his own lies seemed intriguing as a premise. But the execution of the story left me stopping and starting this book and instead of being wrapped up in the story, I started nitpicking it. I never got past the idea that a grown man could impersonate his own twin brother again and again -- while the two men were in the same place. I kept thinking that either these men strangely dress identically as adults or the heroine must be incredibly unobservant.
I never could care very much about these characters. The idea of the reserved, brooding brother being in love with the woman who has a friendship with the reckless more open brother seemed interesting, but I didn't like Thorn much for how he was entirely willing to impersonate his brother. He didn't seem as heroic because it seemed that he had no good reason for doing so other than the fact that he and his brother have switched before.
This was an okay read. The story itself was well written and there were some very funny moments, but it isn't a book I would pick up again.
WORTH MENTIONING: There are appearances by characters from the other books in the series.
CONNECTED BOOKS: WAITING FOR AN EARL LIKE YOU is the third book in the Masters of Seduction series. I have not read any of the other books in the series. This book works fine as a standalone.
STAR RATING: I give this book 2 stars.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.This review was originally posted on Top10RomanceBooks.com
THE STORY: Justin Reeve Netherwood, Earl of Kempthorn nicknamed Thorn has a twin brother Gideon. The two have been at odds for years. Now that Gideon has returned from his travels, a woman from their childhood has returned to their lives. Miss Olivia Lydall has been friends with Gideon for years. When she seeks him out asking for advice, Gideon kisses her instead. What Olivia doesn't know is that it is actually Thorn who is kissing her. Thorn can't tell her but intends on nudging her away from any potential interest in Gideon. Unfortunately for Thorn, he wants her for himself but can't tell her the truth.
OPINION: The premise of this book interested me, but the execution left me finishing the book but having little interest in reading more.
The idea of a man impersonating his twin and falling for a woman while he becomes twisted in his own lies seemed intriguing as a premise. But the execution of the story left me stopping and starting this book and instead of being wrapped up in the story, I started nitpicking it. I never got past the idea that a grown man could impersonate his own twin brother again and again -- while the two men were in the same place. I kept thinking that either these men strangely dress identically as adults or the heroine must be incredibly unobservant.
I never could care very much about these characters. The idea of the reserved, brooding brother being in love with the woman who has a friendship with the reckless more open brother seemed interesting, but I didn't like Thorn much for how he was entirely willing to impersonate his brother. He didn't seem as heroic because it seemed that he had no good reason for doing so other than the fact that he and his brother have switched before.
This was an okay read. The story itself was well written and there were some very funny moments, but it isn't a book I would pick up again.
WORTH MENTIONING: There are appearances by characters from the other books in the series.
CONNECTED BOOKS: WAITING FOR AN EARL LIKE YOU is the third book in the Masters of Seduction series. I have not read any of the other books in the series. This book works fine as a standalone.
STAR RATING: I give this book 2 stars.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.This review was originally posted on Top10RomanceBooks.com
January 13, 2017
" Waiting for an Earl Like You", is what our heroine Olivia Lydall has been doing, well maybe not the Earl in particular. Olivia has been waiting eight years for her freinds the Netherwood twins to return home to Malaster Park. Olivia would spend her days running around Malaster park with them, mostly Gideon the two of them thick as thieves , but his brother Justin ( Thorn ) his nickname being the Earl of Kempthorn, and first born heir has always treated her with an aloofness which has grown over the years .
Gideon is finally home from traveling and making a fortune of his own and a huge fete has been planned, but Olivia is no longer the twelve year old little girl they left eight years ago; she is a beautiful young women . A beautiful women that when Thorn goes looking for Gideon at the party at his mother's request he finds out on the lake with Olivia once again like they never was separated .
Of course this bothers Thorn , more than it should and he still can no understand after all these years why she preferred his brother over him especially when they are identical twins.
However to make matters worse, while assisting Olivia from the rowboat at the dock the three of them find themselves in the lake, leading. To emabaressment for Olivia , since she already does not see herself as fitting in with the members of the ton present . But what she does not expect is for Thorn to defend her to the other young women and Lady Grisdale , her father's fiancée who seems always to find fault with her.
As it turns out , Thorn is attracted to the lady , always has been and just never been able to face it , so when he wants to spend time with her now he employs an old trick and allows Olivia to believe that the man who visits her and is sneaking forbidden kisses is Gideon, but when Gideon finds out his brothers deception he is adamant with Thorn that he not hurt Olivia, his freind, the girl he will always look out for. Leaving Thorn to continue to believe that Gideon has a tender for her and she him. What Thorn is coming to understand is that he wants her for himself and will no longer be denied.
The story line not only pits brother against brother, but also includes family feuds, and a deeper plot line, one that could lead to disasterous consequences. Difficult to put down romance even if a little slow at parts.
Arc Graciuosly supplied by St Martins via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Gideon is finally home from traveling and making a fortune of his own and a huge fete has been planned, but Olivia is no longer the twelve year old little girl they left eight years ago; she is a beautiful young women . A beautiful women that when Thorn goes looking for Gideon at the party at his mother's request he finds out on the lake with Olivia once again like they never was separated .
Of course this bothers Thorn , more than it should and he still can no understand after all these years why she preferred his brother over him especially when they are identical twins.
However to make matters worse, while assisting Olivia from the rowboat at the dock the three of them find themselves in the lake, leading. To emabaressment for Olivia , since she already does not see herself as fitting in with the members of the ton present . But what she does not expect is for Thorn to defend her to the other young women and Lady Grisdale , her father's fiancée who seems always to find fault with her.
As it turns out , Thorn is attracted to the lady , always has been and just never been able to face it , so when he wants to spend time with her now he employs an old trick and allows Olivia to believe that the man who visits her and is sneaking forbidden kisses is Gideon, but when Gideon finds out his brothers deception he is adamant with Thorn that he not hurt Olivia, his freind, the girl he will always look out for. Leaving Thorn to continue to believe that Gideon has a tender for her and she him. What Thorn is coming to understand is that he wants her for himself and will no longer be denied.
The story line not only pits brother against brother, but also includes family feuds, and a deeper plot line, one that could lead to disasterous consequences. Difficult to put down romance even if a little slow at parts.
Arc Graciuosly supplied by St Martins via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 10, 2016
*I am voluntarily reviewing an eARC given to me by NetGalley and the publisher*
2.5 stars
I will be honest - I knew at 15% this book was not going to be a keeper for me. I dislike reading about a "hero's" previous sexscapades and I didn't really care for the hero kissing another woman (or in this case being kissed by another woman - but not wanting to hurt her, doesn't push her away - I guess that's his story and he is sticking to it).
I am not even going to get into the plot - while the writing is fine, there are so many unbelievable scenarios that I just couldn't take this book seriously. I failed to connect with either Olivia or Thorn - in fact, I really didn't like Thorn. Olivia was OK, but she was TSTL and it bothered me that she couldn't tell the twins apart - I know they were identical and even their mother had problems telling them apart - but I still wanted to see her connect with Thorn past the physical and that didn't happen.
I have no idea when Olivia and Thorn fell in love, why they fell in love or if they will remain in love and by the end of the book, I just didn't care.
This book just was not for me and I won't be reading the rest of the series.
2.5 stars
I will be honest - I knew at 15% this book was not going to be a keeper for me. I dislike reading about a "hero's" previous sexscapades and I didn't really care for the hero kissing another woman (or in this case being kissed by another woman - but not wanting to hurt her, doesn't push her away - I guess that's his story and he is sticking to it).
I am not even going to get into the plot - while the writing is fine, there are so many unbelievable scenarios that I just couldn't take this book seriously. I failed to connect with either Olivia or Thorn - in fact, I really didn't like Thorn. Olivia was OK, but she was TSTL and it bothered me that she couldn't tell the twins apart - I know they were identical and even their mother had problems telling them apart - but I still wanted to see her connect with Thorn past the physical and that didn't happen.
I have no idea when Olivia and Thorn fell in love, why they fell in love or if they will remain in love and by the end of the book, I just didn't care.
This book just was not for me and I won't be reading the rest of the series.
December 8, 2016
More like 3.5 stars. I enjoyed this title. It was a lot of fun and flowed very well.
Miss Olivia Lydall and her neighbor, Justin Reeve Netherwood, Earl of Kempthorn, known as Thorn, have never much liked each other. Thorn has always considered Olivia a nuisance that trailed after he and his twin brother, Gideon. Olivia has always found Thorn to be too serious for his own good and instead befriended Gideon.
Deciding Olivia is too smitten with his brother, Thorn pretends to be Gideon in an effort to steer her away. This plan backfired, however, as Thorn gets to know Olivia better and finds himself attracted to her. The only problem is that Olivia believes Thorn to be Gideon. How can he convince her to love him for himself instead of who she believes him to be?
I found this book to be entertaining from the very beginning. I really liked Thorn and his reserved personality. I thought he was perfect for Olivia's more reckless nature. Trouble followed her everywhere! I fell in love with Thorn and the way he was a much sweeter man than he let on to everyone but Olivia.
Hawkins definitely did the twin switcheroo right! There were some consent issues (more on that in a moment) but they weren't due to Olivia not knowing who she was with. That is usually the worst part about twin switch romances; the heroine can't really consent because she doesn't really know who she's consenting to. That was not a problem here and it was so refreshing.
Now, I did have a few issues with this book. I have not read the first two books in this series and there were so many characters in both of the feuding families that at times it was hard to figure out who was who and it brought me out of the story every time.
I mentioned consent issues. During one scene Olivia keeps telling Thorn no and he just continues kissing her and touching her until she gives in. That's not okay. She should've been able to say no and get him to stop. I did not like that at all.
The word "quim". It makes me want to barf. You can tell me until you're blue in the face that that was an actual word they used and I still wouldn't care. It's still disgusting.
Easily the worst thing in the entire book was Olivia's complete TSTL moment. She'd been intelligent but reckless the entire book but her stupidity in one scene negated all of that. Her lack of propriety during the same scene made me grind my teeth. She did the same thing that had gotten her in trouble before!
I will be honest; I enjoyed this book but I don't know that I'll be rushing out to read the rest in the series but I also haven't ruled it out.
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Miss Olivia Lydall and her neighbor, Justin Reeve Netherwood, Earl of Kempthorn, known as Thorn, have never much liked each other. Thorn has always considered Olivia a nuisance that trailed after he and his twin brother, Gideon. Olivia has always found Thorn to be too serious for his own good and instead befriended Gideon.
Deciding Olivia is too smitten with his brother, Thorn pretends to be Gideon in an effort to steer her away. This plan backfired, however, as Thorn gets to know Olivia better and finds himself attracted to her. The only problem is that Olivia believes Thorn to be Gideon. How can he convince her to love him for himself instead of who she believes him to be?
I found this book to be entertaining from the very beginning. I really liked Thorn and his reserved personality. I thought he was perfect for Olivia's more reckless nature. Trouble followed her everywhere! I fell in love with Thorn and the way he was a much sweeter man than he let on to everyone but Olivia.
Hawkins definitely did the twin switcheroo right! There were some consent issues (more on that in a moment) but they weren't due to Olivia not knowing who she was with. That is usually the worst part about twin switch romances; the heroine can't really consent because she doesn't really know who she's consenting to. That was not a problem here and it was so refreshing.
Now, I did have a few issues with this book. I have not read the first two books in this series and there were so many characters in both of the feuding families that at times it was hard to figure out who was who and it brought me out of the story every time.
I mentioned consent issues. During one scene Olivia keeps telling Thorn no and he just continues kissing her and touching her until she gives in. That's not okay. She should've been able to say no and get him to stop. I did not like that at all.
The word "quim". It makes me want to barf. You can tell me until you're blue in the face that that was an actual word they used and I still wouldn't care. It's still disgusting.
Easily the worst thing in the entire book was Olivia's complete TSTL moment. She'd been intelligent but reckless the entire book but her stupidity in one scene negated all of that. Her lack of propriety during the same scene made me grind my teeth. She did the same thing that had gotten her in trouble before!
I will be honest; I enjoyed this book but I don't know that I'll be rushing out to read the rest in the series but I also haven't ruled it out.
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2017
Waiting For an Earl Like You is the third book in the Masters of Seduction series by Alexandra Hawkins. I haven't read the previous books so can happily report that this can easily be read as a stand alone novel.
This is the story of Thorn, his proper title being Justin Reeve Netherwood, Earl of Kempthorn. He has a twin brother, Gideon who for the most part he gets on famously with. That can't be said when it comes to a certain female.
Miss Olivia Lydall is the female in question. She and the boys have known each other since they were children. Gideon and Olivia had great fun together, running around and just being silly. Thorn used to watch them and make out their playing was beneath him, when secretly he was jealous of their closeness because he was growing very fond of Olivia. When an opportunity arose before he had to leave for college, an 18 year old nervous Thorn, kissed Olivia in the garden before taking his leave. Being close to Gideon and not Thorn, Olivia believed that it was the former that kissed her rather than the latter, and Thorn let her carry on believing that.
Now that they are all grown up, Thorn finds himself amongst the 'ton' and Olivia again. She still seems to favour his brother, and once again Thorn takes up the twin advantage and shares a few more intimate moments with Olivia with her thinking he is Gideon. His brother isn't happy at all when he finds out what Gideon has been doing. Both brothers have feelings for her, and at one point, they both kiss her, can she tell the brothers apart? Will she realise that she has been kissing Thorn and Gideon. Which brother does she have feelings for?
This story got off to a slow start for me, and despite loving the main characters, especially Thorn, I debated whether or not I would finish it. Thankfully I carried on because at about half way read the story really picked up and was exciting. Not only did we have the possible romance between Olivia and one of the twins, but there was also some evil going on in the background too. A drama arose that I did not see coming and which was moving to read. For me, the last few chapters of the book absolutely turned this book around from maybe a 2 and a half star rating to a 4 star one. It was a pleasure to read, despite the slow start, and I recommend it as long as you know that things don't really get exciting until the second half.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.
This is the story of Thorn, his proper title being Justin Reeve Netherwood, Earl of Kempthorn. He has a twin brother, Gideon who for the most part he gets on famously with. That can't be said when it comes to a certain female.
Miss Olivia Lydall is the female in question. She and the boys have known each other since they were children. Gideon and Olivia had great fun together, running around and just being silly. Thorn used to watch them and make out their playing was beneath him, when secretly he was jealous of their closeness because he was growing very fond of Olivia. When an opportunity arose before he had to leave for college, an 18 year old nervous Thorn, kissed Olivia in the garden before taking his leave. Being close to Gideon and not Thorn, Olivia believed that it was the former that kissed her rather than the latter, and Thorn let her carry on believing that.
Now that they are all grown up, Thorn finds himself amongst the 'ton' and Olivia again. She still seems to favour his brother, and once again Thorn takes up the twin advantage and shares a few more intimate moments with Olivia with her thinking he is Gideon. His brother isn't happy at all when he finds out what Gideon has been doing. Both brothers have feelings for her, and at one point, they both kiss her, can she tell the brothers apart? Will she realise that she has been kissing Thorn and Gideon. Which brother does she have feelings for?
This story got off to a slow start for me, and despite loving the main characters, especially Thorn, I debated whether or not I would finish it. Thankfully I carried on because at about half way read the story really picked up and was exciting. Not only did we have the possible romance between Olivia and one of the twins, but there was also some evil going on in the background too. A drama arose that I did not see coming and which was moving to read. For me, the last few chapters of the book absolutely turned this book around from maybe a 2 and a half star rating to a 4 star one. It was a pleasure to read, despite the slow start, and I recommend it as long as you know that things don't really get exciting until the second half.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.
February 4, 2017
Justin Netherwood, Earl of Kempthorn, better known as Thorn, has some grievances with his identical twin Gideon who has returned to England from his travels. He has never been sure of why Gideon left England. They are both attending a party at their parents’ country estate along with friends and family.
Olivia Lydall is also attending the party. She lives on the neighboring estate and has been friends with Gideon since childhood. Even as a child, Thorn, as the heir, was more reserved and somewhat envious of her friendship with his brother.
Lady Felstead, the twins’ mother, insisted Olivia, whose mother had died when she was very young, come to London with them as she wanted to help Olivia with her wardrobe.
In London, Thorn and Chance rent a house behind Olivia’s father’s townhouse to keep an eye on her until her father arrives. The garden has a gate between the two and Thorn takes advantage of that to see Olivia. But she thinks Gideon is the twin checking on her. Until the night Thorn escorts her home from a ball and her father opens the carriage door and finds them in a compromising position!
I don’t like plot spoilers, so you’ll have to read this wonderful book to find out if they do get their HEA. It’s a very good story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.
Olivia Lydall is also attending the party. She lives on the neighboring estate and has been friends with Gideon since childhood. Even as a child, Thorn, as the heir, was more reserved and somewhat envious of her friendship with his brother.
Lady Felstead, the twins’ mother, insisted Olivia, whose mother had died when she was very young, come to London with them as she wanted to help Olivia with her wardrobe.
In London, Thorn and Chance rent a house behind Olivia’s father’s townhouse to keep an eye on her until her father arrives. The garden has a gate between the two and Thorn takes advantage of that to see Olivia. But she thinks Gideon is the twin checking on her. Until the night Thorn escorts her home from a ball and her father opens the carriage door and finds them in a compromising position!
I don’t like plot spoilers, so you’ll have to read this wonderful book to find out if they do get their HEA. It’s a very good story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.
January 3, 2017
This was my first book in this series, and I think that perhaps I should have started with the others.
The Story-
The premise of false twin identities is really cute. These brothers, Gideon and Thorne, have known Olivia since childhood, but she has always been closer to Gideon. When the guys swap places around her, all are surprised by the results.
My Thoughts-
As much as I really wanted to enjoy this... you know I love historical, I was bogged down and confused by secondary characters and storylines. I feel like this would have been reduced if I had read the previous books in the series.
The Bottom Line-
I would be willing to try other books by Ms. Hawkins. In fact, I might start this series over to see what I am missing. 3 stars
St. Martin's Press offered this book through Netgalley for an honest review.
The Story-
The premise of false twin identities is really cute. These brothers, Gideon and Thorne, have known Olivia since childhood, but she has always been closer to Gideon. When the guys swap places around her, all are surprised by the results.
My Thoughts-
As much as I really wanted to enjoy this... you know I love historical, I was bogged down and confused by secondary characters and storylines. I feel like this would have been reduced if I had read the previous books in the series.
The Bottom Line-
I would be willing to try other books by Ms. Hawkins. In fact, I might start this series over to see what I am missing. 3 stars
St. Martin's Press offered this book through Netgalley for an honest review.
December 3, 2016
Received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
I love historical romances and I read a lot of them. As a result I get bored if the book is repeating the same kind of plot as some other book I've read but, this book, oh my god, it kept me on my toes trying to anticipate the next move of the characters.
I was in love with the characters and the story, the deviations were well thoughtout and necessary to the development of the plot.
A mandatory read for all fans of Historical Romances and Julia Quinn (aka my favourite Historical Romances author).
Thank you for the publishers for allowing me to read this amazing story <3
I love historical romances and I read a lot of them. As a result I get bored if the book is repeating the same kind of plot as some other book I've read but, this book, oh my god, it kept me on my toes trying to anticipate the next move of the characters.
I was in love with the characters and the story, the deviations were well thoughtout and necessary to the development of the plot.
A mandatory read for all fans of Historical Romances and Julia Quinn (aka my favourite Historical Romances author).
Thank you for the publishers for allowing me to read this amazing story <3
January 4, 2017
I adore the regency romance subgenre - it has a lot of my favorite tropes: the marriage of convenience, the abundance of roguish rakes thrown together with the oft-overlooked spinster/wallflower/bluestocking, the self-made American upstart seeking a prim & proper heiress, etc. etc. But my goodness, it can be rife with some really unpleasant sexist, misogynistic messages and unfortunately that's what prevented me from enjoying this particular story.
The synopsis is misleading, for starters - it suggests that Olivia innocently approaches Thorn believing he is Gideon and that Thorn takes advantage of that mistake. Nope, our 'hero' deliberately approaches as Gideon, knowing full well she wouldn't give him the time of day as himself, and flirts with her before stealing a kiss. This happens not once, but MULTIPLE times. The synopsis also suggests that he falls for her while he's masquerading as his brother, presumably because he gets to know the ~real Olivia~ and yet their major interactions involve him swaggering up, acting familiarly with her and taking liberties with her. There isn't much opportunity for him to 'deepen their connection' when he's solely occupied with pressing kisses upon her.
We're lead to believe that Thorn is contriving to keep Olivia and his brother apart for Gideon's own good, and yet no solid reason is given for that. The brothers behave more recklessly and buck society's conventions more than Olivia does, so his motivation to deceive her as to his identity doesn't even have an altruistic basis. If there was a misunderstanding that made him believe Olivia was a gold-digger or to suspect she'd lead Gideon astray, that would make his charade more understandable, but we're just supposed to take it for granted that he has a good reason to behave as he does with no basis for it. So he's extremely hypocritical for trying to keep Olivia and Gideon apart, while throwing himself in her path and trying to seduce her at every turn when he doesn't care for her at all.
There are a couple instances where Thorn behaves decently to Olivia and made me warm to him (even though that's a very low standard to hold him to - NOT being a jerk), but then he reverts to type, for instance, when he rips the bodice of her dress because he thinks it's hideous!
Then he condescendingly tells Olivia that if she's a good girl, he'll take her shopping and advise her on a more flattering gown. Surprisingly, she's not thrilled at the notion!
What a bastard! That might seem like flirty banter, but my view of his threat is colored by a) the fact that he just DESTROYED HER CLOTHING in the most arrogant, douchey manner possible because she wasn't dressed stylishly enough for him and b) the fact that when she was a CHILD, he actually did spank her for the mortal sin of climbing a tree!
We're not given Olivia's age on this occasion, but Gideon is six years older than her - since she's described as a young girl, she may have been about ten at the time, which puts Gideon at around 16. What business does a teenage boy have dragging a child out of a tree and HITTING HER?!
What's worse is that we find out later that Thorn has a history of masquerading as his brother around Olivia - he was her first kiss when she was twelve and he was EIGHTEEN. He's legally an adult kissing a prepubescent girl, W. T. F. :O Not only was he always overbearing and ill-mannered even as a teen, but he's been trampling all over her ability to consent her whole life!
Oh, okay, so he knows he's wronged his brother - but no thought to the lady involved in this mess! Because she is, after all, Thorn's property and belongs solely to him, which is why he can feel free to interfere with the possibility of her forming relationships with other men who might actually have some respect and treat her with the courtesy she's due! Not the man who responds to her rightfully setting him in his place or sassing him by lunging at her and trapping her in his arms, caressing her against her will and then blaming her for provoking him.
Overall, I have a ton of issues with the 'hero' of this novel and loathed him too much to be able to invest in the romance which is central to the plotline. I pitied the heroine for being shackled to him and even buying into his toxic behavior, thinking she deserved the way he treated her. In terms of positives, I will say that on a technical level, the writing is skillful, the characters are lively and three-dimensional and it is a quick read (thankfully).
Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC free from St Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis is misleading, for starters - it suggests that Olivia innocently approaches Thorn believing he is Gideon and that Thorn takes advantage of that mistake. Nope, our 'hero' deliberately approaches as Gideon, knowing full well she wouldn't give him the time of day as himself, and flirts with her before stealing a kiss. This happens not once, but MULTIPLE times. The synopsis also suggests that he falls for her while he's masquerading as his brother, presumably because he gets to know the ~real Olivia~ and yet their major interactions involve him swaggering up, acting familiarly with her and taking liberties with her. There isn't much opportunity for him to 'deepen their connection' when he's solely occupied with pressing kisses upon her.
We're lead to believe that Thorn is contriving to keep Olivia and his brother apart for Gideon's own good, and yet no solid reason is given for that. The brothers behave more recklessly and buck society's conventions more than Olivia does, so his motivation to deceive her as to his identity doesn't even have an altruistic basis. If there was a misunderstanding that made him believe Olivia was a gold-digger or to suspect she'd lead Gideon astray, that would make his charade more understandable, but we're just supposed to take it for granted that he has a good reason to behave as he does with no basis for it. So he's extremely hypocritical for trying to keep Olivia and Gideon apart, while throwing himself in her path and trying to seduce her at every turn when he doesn't care for her at all.
There are a couple instances where Thorn behaves decently to Olivia and made me warm to him (even though that's a very low standard to hold him to - NOT being a jerk), but then he reverts to type, for instance, when he rips the bodice of her dress because he thinks it's hideous!
There was a harsh tug and the sound of ripped fabric. Olivia gasped against his lips as the night air seeped between them and cooled her flesh.
"A fitting end to your ugly dress," he said smugly. "Have your maid toss it in the rag bin in the morning."
She glared at him in disbelief. "You kissed me so you could get close enough to ruin my dress?"
Then he condescendingly tells Olivia that if she's a good girl, he'll take her shopping and advise her on a more flattering gown. Surprisingly, she's not thrilled at the notion!
"Do not behave like a silly goose, Olivia. You could benefit from my advice." He frowned down at her. "Don't forget to get rid of that dress."
"I will do what I please."
"Careful, Olivia. Wear that dress again and you will not like the consequences."
"How will you punish me? With a kiss?"
"Perhaps. Or I might spank you."
What a bastard! That might seem like flirty banter, but my view of his threat is colored by a) the fact that he just DESTROYED HER CLOTHING in the most arrogant, douchey manner possible because she wasn't dressed stylishly enough for him and b) the fact that when she was a CHILD, he actually did spank her for the mortal sin of climbing a tree!
Muttering a curse, he had grabbed her by the waist and hauled her off the tree limb. When her feet had touched the ground, he had done the unthinkable. He delivered a hard smack to her backside and told her that he would use his father's horsewhip if he ever caught her dangling from another tree. His fury and rough handling had frightened her. Her backside burning from his hand, she had kicked him in the shin and ran back to to her father's lands.
We're not given Olivia's age on this occasion, but Gideon is six years older than her - since she's described as a young girl, she may have been about ten at the time, which puts Gideon at around 16. What business does a teenage boy have dragging a child out of a tree and HITTING HER?!
What's worse is that we find out later that Thorn has a history of masquerading as his brother around Olivia - he was her first kiss when she was twelve and he was EIGHTEEN. He's legally an adult kissing a prepubescent girl, W. T. F. :O Not only was he always overbearing and ill-mannered even as a teen, but he's been trampling all over her ability to consent her whole life!
His brother stared at him in disbelief. "She believes I kissed her."
"Well, I could not kiss her," Thorn countered. "She would have slapped Lord Kempthorn. She actually likes you so she is more forgiving when you misbehave."
"When I kiss a lady, I want to be the one who does it. Not you."
Thorn nodded, accepting that he deserved his twin's anger.
Oh, okay, so he knows he's wronged his brother - but no thought to the lady involved in this mess! Because she is, after all, Thorn's property and belongs solely to him, which is why he can feel free to interfere with the possibility of her forming relationships with other men who might actually have some respect and treat her with the courtesy she's due! Not the man who responds to her rightfully setting him in his place or sassing him by lunging at her and trapping her in his arms, caressing her against her will and then blaming her for provoking him.
Overall, I have a ton of issues with the 'hero' of this novel and loathed him too much to be able to invest in the romance which is central to the plotline. I pitied the heroine for being shackled to him and even buying into his toxic behavior, thinking she deserved the way he treated her. In terms of positives, I will say that on a technical level, the writing is skillful, the characters are lively and three-dimensional and it is a quick read (thankfully).
Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC free from St Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 6, 2017
Men, some to business, some to pleasure take;
But every woman is at heart a rake
—Alexander Pope
September 23, 2017
Pages Survived: 158
Reason Dropped: Lack of respect for hero, lack of compelling OTP dynamic, and discombobulated plot.
Reason Dropped: Lack of respect for hero, lack of compelling OTP dynamic, and discombobulated plot.
January 14, 2017
I really liked this book, but to be honest certain parts were really mixed up.I enjoyed the writing but at many points the characters would do something really uncharacteristic, almost as if they couldn't decide on who they were.Looking at the blurb I had thought the story would be going in a certain way, when it wasn't. Quite misleading!
Thorn and his twin Gideon have always looked very alike, and have used it to their advantage by switching places at many times.But, one thing they don't have in common is Miss Olivia.She has been best friends with Gideon since childhood, but Thorn always kept her at a distance with his rudeness and she never liked him back.When Gideon returns after making his own fortune, Thorn is quite perplexed by the distance between them now.And to be honest he's always been jealous of the bond between Gideon and Olivia.So, convincing himself that he needs to keep Olivia away from Gideon, so that she doesn't end up snaring Gideon, Thorn pretends to be his twin.But, the attraction between them is very powerful and is hard to resist.Will Thorn end up falling for Olivia in his own game?
Even though it looks like the story might be about twins switching places, it actually isn't!As far as I could tell Olivia didn't think of Gideon as more than a friend, and was attracted to Thorn alone.She doesn't even care much about the fact that Thorn pretended to be Gideon and kissed her, after she discovers it halfway in the book.Olivia's father was courting a countess who was quite rude in the beginning with her goal to marry Olivia off.I couldn't even understand what her father saw in that woman and how could he be so blind!
And at one point when Olivia and Thorn are found in a compromising position they go into an engagement, which Olivia thinks is fake.And noone seemed to care about the fact that Thorn was taking advantage of Olivia!Um!Hello! Not even Gideon or Olivia's father.Yes, they threatened him and Gideon fought with him.But nothing serious!That was quite unbelievable!
Gideon and Olivia hardly ever interacted, so I couldn't really see their close friendship.
And I really can't pinpoint the moment when Thorn started loving Olivia?At the beginning it's lust which was fine by me.But, honestly he couldn't make up his mind about what he wanted to do with her,even almost till the end!And then suddenly he is in love with her?How?Why?That was a little irritating.
The reason I liked this book inspite of all these things was the writing, and the unexpected twists.Though they came out of nowhere, they were quite entertaining!And what is Gideon doing and what has he been hiding?I really want to know!Looking at his weird behaviour it appears to be something quite big!I hope we find out soon!
Thorn and his twin Gideon have always looked very alike, and have used it to their advantage by switching places at many times.But, one thing they don't have in common is Miss Olivia.She has been best friends with Gideon since childhood, but Thorn always kept her at a distance with his rudeness and she never liked him back.When Gideon returns after making his own fortune, Thorn is quite perplexed by the distance between them now.And to be honest he's always been jealous of the bond between Gideon and Olivia.So, convincing himself that he needs to keep Olivia away from Gideon, so that she doesn't end up snaring Gideon, Thorn pretends to be his twin.But, the attraction between them is very powerful and is hard to resist.Will Thorn end up falling for Olivia in his own game?
Even though it looks like the story might be about twins switching places, it actually isn't!As far as I could tell Olivia didn't think of Gideon as more than a friend, and was attracted to Thorn alone.She doesn't even care much about the fact that Thorn pretended to be Gideon and kissed her, after she discovers it halfway in the book.Olivia's father was courting a countess who was quite rude in the beginning with her goal to marry Olivia off.I couldn't even understand what her father saw in that woman and how could he be so blind!
And at one point when Olivia and Thorn are found in a compromising position they go into an engagement, which Olivia thinks is fake.And noone seemed to care about the fact that Thorn was taking advantage of Olivia!Um!Hello! Not even Gideon or Olivia's father.Yes, they threatened him and Gideon fought with him.But nothing serious!That was quite unbelievable!
Gideon and Olivia hardly ever interacted, so I couldn't really see their close friendship.
And I really can't pinpoint the moment when Thorn started loving Olivia?At the beginning it's lust which was fine by me.But, honestly he couldn't make up his mind about what he wanted to do with her,even almost till the end!And then suddenly he is in love with her?How?Why?That was a little irritating.
The reason I liked this book inspite of all these things was the writing, and the unexpected twists.Though they came out of nowhere, they were quite entertaining!And what is Gideon doing and what has he been hiding?I really want to know!Looking at his weird behaviour it appears to be something quite big!I hope we find out soon!
January 6, 2017
Waiting For an Earl Like You could easily be an old school historical romance, it was highly retrograde for its time.
This was the first book I’ve read by Alexandra Hawkins. I didn’t read the previous two books in the series. I became lost at times because of all the characters (clearly from the previous books). It was complicated to figure out who was who and it brought me out of the story.
I have no idea what happened here, the synopsis had nothing to do with what actually happened in the book and it bothered me. Thorn pretended to be his brother with no good intentions in mind (he’s no victim), it’s not Olivia who mistakes one for the other (and tons out she doesn’t care about the switch at all). The big conflict isn’t about the twins switching places, it’s the situation Olivia and Thorn find themselves in later in the book.
I enjoyed the times all the gentleman were together, it’s not often that we read raw scenes like that in historical romance. The banter between hero and heroine was entertaining. Overall it was slow paced and very descriptive, while it wasn’t not a bad thing, I wanted more dialogue.
Olivia was great until she became reckless. By the end of the book, I could only see her actions as stupid and naive since made the same mistakes over and over again.
To be honest was really ruined this book was the hero’s POV. He was misogynistic, inconsiderate, and plain nasty toward the heroine. His actions were sexist, I loathed him. Unfortunately, that’s what kept me from liking this book.
I was surprised by the unexpected twist. The love scenes were steamy but I wanted more romance. I was sad that in the end I wasn’t convinced they loved each other.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
December 7, 2016
The Earl of Kempthorn (Thorn) and Gideon, his identical twin have grown up as neighbors of Olivia. She was a tag-along when they were children. Gideon and she were friends, Thorn just tolerated her and at times not even that.
Now they are grown. Olivia is looking for a husband, because her widowed father has found a bride-to-be. Thorn is not in the market for a wife. Gideon has returned after being gone from London for a long time and he has become very wealthy.
After Thorn has compromised her, her father has insisted on a betrothal. Olivia believes it is a fake, Thorn believes it may be a fake, but he intends to take advantage of any opportunity that arises
This is an interesting plot. At times, I felt that there were too many people and too many plot lines. It seemed that the characters in the story had enemies and friends and it was hard to tell one from the other.
The relationships between Olivia and Thorn, Olivia and Gideon and Thorn and Gideon left me with questions at times. I believe there could have been more explanations provided or less angst.
I liked Olivia. She was not a retiring and shy young miss. She was smart and witty. But, at times, she behaved in rather careless ways that created situations which were not safe. I did not understand that. I felt she was too smart for that.
Thorn is an interesting character. He is not always forthcoming with his intentions. He cares for family and friends and makes every effort to respond to them, but at the same time he treats his identical twin brother as though he were a child.
The secondary characters add a great deal to the story. They help move the plot forward and provide texture.
I like Ms Hawkins writing. She creates stories which hold my interest. But, some of this book confused me.
I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Now they are grown. Olivia is looking for a husband, because her widowed father has found a bride-to-be. Thorn is not in the market for a wife. Gideon has returned after being gone from London for a long time and he has become very wealthy.
After Thorn has compromised her, her father has insisted on a betrothal. Olivia believes it is a fake, Thorn believes it may be a fake, but he intends to take advantage of any opportunity that arises
This is an interesting plot. At times, I felt that there were too many people and too many plot lines. It seemed that the characters in the story had enemies and friends and it was hard to tell one from the other.
The relationships between Olivia and Thorn, Olivia and Gideon and Thorn and Gideon left me with questions at times. I believe there could have been more explanations provided or less angst.
I liked Olivia. She was not a retiring and shy young miss. She was smart and witty. But, at times, she behaved in rather careless ways that created situations which were not safe. I did not understand that. I felt she was too smart for that.
Thorn is an interesting character. He is not always forthcoming with his intentions. He cares for family and friends and makes every effort to respond to them, but at the same time he treats his identical twin brother as though he were a child.
The secondary characters add a great deal to the story. They help move the plot forward and provide texture.
I like Ms Hawkins writing. She creates stories which hold my interest. But, some of this book confused me.
I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
January 6, 2017
This book was alright for me, I've been binge reading a lot of Regency Romance novels lately [blame it on the winter,] and this one was just "Alright."
Now, admittedly I've never read the prior books so all of the characters that were tossed into this book meant little to me and on top of it just served to confuse me, I could gather the hint that what transpired with these characters had something to do with prior tales. The end result for me was just confusion and frustration, because I wanted to know about the characters in THIS story and cared very little for all the supporting ones.
The book did have potential, but it was lost on me, sadly, Justin "Thorn" Netherwood the Earl of Kempthorn is the twin to Gideon, who recently has returned after his leave of absence. Thorn is a serious man, with a strong opinion and though he grew up with Miss Olivia Lydall, he was not her favorite - Gideon was - and her senseless, reckless behavior always seemed to irk Thorn.
Flash forward numerous years and he's still put off by her senseless behavior, but he now sees her beauty and soon feelings begin to develop so he decides to pose as Gideon to convince her to love him [Thorn.]
The entire thing was just "ok" to me, I wish I could give it a higher rating, but aside from the frustrating bits of where there were too many cooks in the kitchen, Olivia just annoyed me rather than amused me. Gideon was by far my favorite but even he couldn't make this book superb in my mind.
2.5 Savvy Crowns
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Now, admittedly I've never read the prior books so all of the characters that were tossed into this book meant little to me and on top of it just served to confuse me, I could gather the hint that what transpired with these characters had something to do with prior tales. The end result for me was just confusion and frustration, because I wanted to know about the characters in THIS story and cared very little for all the supporting ones.
The book did have potential, but it was lost on me, sadly, Justin "Thorn" Netherwood the Earl of Kempthorn is the twin to Gideon, who recently has returned after his leave of absence. Thorn is a serious man, with a strong opinion and though he grew up with Miss Olivia Lydall, he was not her favorite - Gideon was - and her senseless, reckless behavior always seemed to irk Thorn.
Flash forward numerous years and he's still put off by her senseless behavior, but he now sees her beauty and soon feelings begin to develop so he decides to pose as Gideon to convince her to love him [Thorn.]
The entire thing was just "ok" to me, I wish I could give it a higher rating, but aside from the frustrating bits of where there were too many cooks in the kitchen, Olivia just annoyed me rather than amused me. Gideon was by far my favorite but even he couldn't make this book superb in my mind.
2.5 Savvy Crowns
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December 5, 2016
Olivia has known the Netherwood twins since she was a young girl. Although its nearly impossible to tell them apart physically, their over all personalities are seemingly opposite. Where Olivia finds Gideon to be charming and kind, she sees his slightly older brother Justin--the Earl of Kempthorn (a.k.a Thorn)--as a stick in the mud. Not to mention, she can deal without his chastising ways.
Already, I loved Thorn. What can I say? I love the brooding types.
Now, Olivia's long time attachment to Gideon tends to grate on Thorn's nerves. Especially after Olivia mistakenly believes Thorn to be Gideon and the two share a kiss....
Knowing that Olivia dislikes him, Thorn finds himself continuing the charade of often pretending to be his brother simply to steal moments with Olivia. The more he really gets to know her, the more in love he falls, and from Olivia's reaction he believes she feels the same.
But you see, Thorn is in a pickle...he may be falling more and more for Olivia, but Olivia is falling more and more for Gideon?
I can tell you there is a bit of a conspiracy and mystery which is also involved and added an unexpected twist. If you've followed the entire series, you will also be reunited with several characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story.
This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Already, I loved Thorn. What can I say? I love the brooding types.
Now, Olivia's long time attachment to Gideon tends to grate on Thorn's nerves. Especially after Olivia mistakenly believes Thorn to be Gideon and the two share a kiss....
Knowing that Olivia dislikes him, Thorn finds himself continuing the charade of often pretending to be his brother simply to steal moments with Olivia. The more he really gets to know her, the more in love he falls, and from Olivia's reaction he believes she feels the same.
But you see, Thorn is in a pickle...he may be falling more and more for Olivia, but Olivia is falling more and more for Gideon?
I can tell you there is a bit of a conspiracy and mystery which is also involved and added an unexpected twist. If you've followed the entire series, you will also be reunited with several characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story.
This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
February 5, 2017
I enjoyed this book!
April 19, 2017
I enjoyed parts of this book. The main character Olivia, I felt was very charming and lovable. While she was naive, I felt that is the normal for these historical romances. But in that era young ladies led very sheltered lives than today.
I did not care for Thorn. I felt that his character and those of his friends were very immature. It is hard to fall in love with a hero when he acts like a teenager.
I also found it very hard to believe that she couldn't tell the twins apart. She was best friends with the brother their whole lives and always knew who he was when they would meet in the story. Thorn never changed his personality when he was pretending to be his twin brother.
While reading the book you never felt the love grow between the characters. Which is why I like to read romance, so I would have to give this book 2.5 - 3 stars.
I did not care for Thorn. I felt that his character and those of his friends were very immature. It is hard to fall in love with a hero when he acts like a teenager.
I also found it very hard to believe that she couldn't tell the twins apart. She was best friends with the brother their whole lives and always knew who he was when they would meet in the story. Thorn never changed his personality when he was pretending to be his twin brother.
While reading the book you never felt the love grow between the characters. Which is why I like to read romance, so I would have to give this book 2.5 - 3 stars.
January 6, 2017
Thorn and Gideon were identical twins. Even adults, people around still had a hard time figuring out who was who, including their mother.
However, for a more observant person it would be easy to identify one from the other.
Thorn, the heir, Earl of Kempthorn, was more serious, didn't indulge in pleasures so easily and seemed to harbor a dislike of his childhood neighbor, Olivia.
Gideon, the second son, who had spent several years away from home in search of his own fortune, was more expansive, playful, and adored Olivia. Maybe she was the only person he could be himself.
At the welcome party offered to Gideon by his mother, Gideon only felt fine when he was able to be alone with Olivia on a boat trip. But soon Thorn appeared, with all his arrogance, and what was to be a pleasurable afternoon, ended up becoming the three of them falling into the lake.
Miss Olivia Lydall, six years younger than the twins, loved to play on their property. Having lost her mother at very young age, she felt better in the company of the twins, much more in Gideon's presence than in Thorn's, of course.
Now Olivia was about to get married.
Her father, Baron Dewick, was betrothed to Lady Grisdale, a disgusting woman, who made a point of showing Olivia's flaws at all times and how hard it would be for her to find a good husband. Not wanting to cause any confusion with her future stepmother, Olivia was silent. But Gideon and Thorn soon realized the situation.
The twins took upon themselves the duty to protect Olivia not only from Grisdale's attacks, but from any ill-intentioned London male.
Thorn heard from his brother the confession that he would go away again. Knowing of the friendship between Gideon and Olivia, Thorn suspected that the girl knew Gideon's plans and decided to discover everything. However, in this dangerous game, Thorn realized the beauty that Olivia kept hiding, her strong genius and personality challenged him and the presence of predators made Olivia become, in Thorn's eyes, a rare jewel that he would do everything not to lose ... nor even for his twin brother...
I had read other historical romances with twin brothers, but this was the first I saw two brothers fighting for the same woman. Would they have different reasons? It doesn't matter! Thorn felt challenged to have the love of the woman whose friendship with his brother made him feel excluded for years.
Olivia loved the Netherwood brothers (more Gideon than Thorn), and although she never imagined herself having a romance with Gideon, she felt unworthy to have anything else with Thorn, after all, she was simply the daughter of a Baron, while Thorn was an Earl and would inherit a marquisate from his father one day.
Many are the intrigues in which the couple is involved, and Thorn more than ever has to overcome his pride and show Olivia his feelings. But before that, they would have to get rid of some harpies, and show that the Ugly Duckling had become the most beautiful swan...
5 stars
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review
However, for a more observant person it would be easy to identify one from the other.
Thorn, the heir, Earl of Kempthorn, was more serious, didn't indulge in pleasures so easily and seemed to harbor a dislike of his childhood neighbor, Olivia.
Gideon, the second son, who had spent several years away from home in search of his own fortune, was more expansive, playful, and adored Olivia. Maybe she was the only person he could be himself.
At the welcome party offered to Gideon by his mother, Gideon only felt fine when he was able to be alone with Olivia on a boat trip. But soon Thorn appeared, with all his arrogance, and what was to be a pleasurable afternoon, ended up becoming the three of them falling into the lake.
Miss Olivia Lydall, six years younger than the twins, loved to play on their property. Having lost her mother at very young age, she felt better in the company of the twins, much more in Gideon's presence than in Thorn's, of course.
Now Olivia was about to get married.
Her father, Baron Dewick, was betrothed to Lady Grisdale, a disgusting woman, who made a point of showing Olivia's flaws at all times and how hard it would be for her to find a good husband. Not wanting to cause any confusion with her future stepmother, Olivia was silent. But Gideon and Thorn soon realized the situation.
The twins took upon themselves the duty to protect Olivia not only from Grisdale's attacks, but from any ill-intentioned London male.
Thorn heard from his brother the confession that he would go away again. Knowing of the friendship between Gideon and Olivia, Thorn suspected that the girl knew Gideon's plans and decided to discover everything. However, in this dangerous game, Thorn realized the beauty that Olivia kept hiding, her strong genius and personality challenged him and the presence of predators made Olivia become, in Thorn's eyes, a rare jewel that he would do everything not to lose ... nor even for his twin brother...
I had read other historical romances with twin brothers, but this was the first I saw two brothers fighting for the same woman. Would they have different reasons? It doesn't matter! Thorn felt challenged to have the love of the woman whose friendship with his brother made him feel excluded for years.
Olivia loved the Netherwood brothers (more Gideon than Thorn), and although she never imagined herself having a romance with Gideon, she felt unworthy to have anything else with Thorn, after all, she was simply the daughter of a Baron, while Thorn was an Earl and would inherit a marquisate from his father one day.
Many are the intrigues in which the couple is involved, and Thorn more than ever has to overcome his pride and show Olivia his feelings. But before that, they would have to get rid of some harpies, and show that the Ugly Duckling had become the most beautiful swan...
5 stars
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review
January 4, 2017
Although I enjoy this author’s writing and there were some pretty good and laugh-out moments in this book it was also a bit confusing and muddled.
So, overall I don’t think it’s the best I’ve read by the author but like I said it has its good moments. In all honesty I’m just a little disappointed that the main romance was not as good as I’d hoped and that there were too many characters taking over their storyline.
Perhaps if the plot had focused more on the main couple’s relationship instead of jumping from one storyline to another and had given it more depth I would have enjoyed it more. Either way I'll probably be reading the rest of the series because I like the author enough and I'm actually intrigued by the other characters (yeah, I'm a masochist hehe)
*** I received a copy of this book via Netgalley at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.***
So, overall I don’t think it’s the best I’ve read by the author but like I said it has its good moments. In all honesty I’m just a little disappointed that the main romance was not as good as I’d hoped and that there were too many characters taking over their storyline.
Perhaps if the plot had focused more on the main couple’s relationship instead of jumping from one storyline to another and had given it more depth I would have enjoyed it more. Either way I'll probably be reading the rest of the series because I like the author enough and I'm actually intrigued by the other characters (yeah, I'm a masochist hehe)
*** I received a copy of this book via Netgalley at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.***
February 6, 2017
I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
3 Stars.
With an intriguing premise, I was eager to read Waiting for an Earl Like You. Sadly, I had difficulty getting into the novel, putting it down several times, and having it take weeks to complete. This is simply a book and a reader not being a good fit situation.
Thorn and Gideon are identical twins. As a neighbor, Olivia is several years younger than they are, but was the twins' shadow when they were growing up, with her liking Gideon's charismatic personality best while feeling harassed by Thorn.
This novel features a popular premise of being 'compromised' leading to the alter, combined with the angst and intrigue with the twist of twin-switching. Thorn plays both himself and his brother, and this is where I had great difficulty with the novel due to the execution of this portion. It muddied the narration, as if the narrator was picking up traits from one twin to the next, not keeping to a solid characterization. Plus, the issue with both twins in the same location but not dressed the same, making me fear for both Olivia's and everyone else's intelligence if they can't take note of the clothing choices to determine who is whom.
As for the romance, Thorn wasn't truly himself, so I couldn't buy into Olivia's and his great love affair as she wasn't falling for the 'man' he was. It's hard to develop a connection to a character when he's a bald-faced liar, with the heroine not falling for who he truly is. This also played into the muddied characterization of Thorn, because his traits weren't consistent due to the impersonation- as a reader, I felt I didn't know him either.
With the suspension of belief and those happier with a slower paced storyline, I feel readers could fall in love with the story. Sadly, it wasn't my cup of tea.
3 Stars.
With an intriguing premise, I was eager to read Waiting for an Earl Like You. Sadly, I had difficulty getting into the novel, putting it down several times, and having it take weeks to complete. This is simply a book and a reader not being a good fit situation.
Thorn and Gideon are identical twins. As a neighbor, Olivia is several years younger than they are, but was the twins' shadow when they were growing up, with her liking Gideon's charismatic personality best while feeling harassed by Thorn.
This novel features a popular premise of being 'compromised' leading to the alter, combined with the angst and intrigue with the twist of twin-switching. Thorn plays both himself and his brother, and this is where I had great difficulty with the novel due to the execution of this portion. It muddied the narration, as if the narrator was picking up traits from one twin to the next, not keeping to a solid characterization. Plus, the issue with both twins in the same location but not dressed the same, making me fear for both Olivia's and everyone else's intelligence if they can't take note of the clothing choices to determine who is whom.
As for the romance, Thorn wasn't truly himself, so I couldn't buy into Olivia's and his great love affair as she wasn't falling for the 'man' he was. It's hard to develop a connection to a character when he's a bald-faced liar, with the heroine not falling for who he truly is. This also played into the muddied characterization of Thorn, because his traits weren't consistent due to the impersonation- as a reader, I felt I didn't know him either.
With the suspension of belief and those happier with a slower paced storyline, I feel readers could fall in love with the story. Sadly, it wasn't my cup of tea.
October 28, 2017
I found this book through netgalley. I love historical romance and the cover caught my eye. I haven't read the earlier books in the series, or anything else by the author, but I enjoy other books and authors from the publisher (St Martin's Press) and thought I'd give this one a whirl. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
And, as the two star review indicates, it was ok. While the writing had humor and the book had a fast pace and lots of action, there was nothing new here. The plot was fairly predictable and requires quite a lot of suspension of disbelief. For example, some of the common writing tropes used are: the wallflower with inner (and overlooked outer) beauty, the scheming widow, the absent father and brothers, the boy next door as hero, kidnapping from a nearly mustache twirling villain, etc. The biggest issue I had, though, was with the notion that even close friends and lovers could not tell a set of identical twins apart. They even had a history of impersonating each other and meddling with ladies hearts as the other twin. I find that too preposterous to believe that a woman that is best friends with one twin can not tell the two of them apart. That is the main part where the suspension of disbelief was required.
If, however, the idea of twins posing as each other is titillating to you, then you should absolutely read this book! Just be sure to read the earlier books first. The list of secondary characters is quite long and they all go by multiple names, titles, and sorting out the relationships took quite a bit of mental effort.
And, as the two star review indicates, it was ok. While the writing had humor and the book had a fast pace and lots of action, there was nothing new here. The plot was fairly predictable and requires quite a lot of suspension of disbelief. For example, some of the common writing tropes used are: the wallflower with inner (and overlooked outer) beauty, the scheming widow, the absent father and brothers, the boy next door as hero, kidnapping from a nearly mustache twirling villain, etc. The biggest issue I had, though, was with the notion that even close friends and lovers could not tell a set of identical twins apart. They even had a history of impersonating each other and meddling with ladies hearts as the other twin. I find that too preposterous to believe that a woman that is best friends with one twin can not tell the two of them apart. That is the main part where the suspension of disbelief was required.
If, however, the idea of twins posing as each other is titillating to you, then you should absolutely read this book! Just be sure to read the earlier books first. The list of secondary characters is quite long and they all go by multiple names, titles, and sorting out the relationships took quite a bit of mental effort.
January 10, 2017
Waiting For an Earl Like You by Alexandra Hawkins
Masters of Seduction #3
Olivia Lydall grew up next door to the twins Gideon and Justin Netherwood. Justin, the Earl of Thornwood, and his brother have not seen one another for several years because Gideon left to make his mark on the world and perhaps acquire a fortune, too.
At first it seemed that the brothers might be vying for Olivia’s attention or even might consider sharing her BUT that is not at all what happened. Both brothers care for Olivia but only one really loves her and has loved her for quite some time. Olivia is not always aware of which twin she is with and the fact that they pretend to be their sibling rather than themselves leads to misconceptions from time to time. There was some romancing, a compromising position that caused a betrothal, a kidnapping and a few other surprises in the story before a HEA was found for Olivia and Thorn.
The story had promise and was a fair read but never really fully drew me in. I think I was more interested in finding out who Gideon might be in love with or who some of the other characters might end up with in the future than reading the ups and downs of the main characters in this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is my honest review.
3 Stars
Masters of Seduction #3
Olivia Lydall grew up next door to the twins Gideon and Justin Netherwood. Justin, the Earl of Thornwood, and his brother have not seen one another for several years because Gideon left to make his mark on the world and perhaps acquire a fortune, too.
At first it seemed that the brothers might be vying for Olivia’s attention or even might consider sharing her BUT that is not at all what happened. Both brothers care for Olivia but only one really loves her and has loved her for quite some time. Olivia is not always aware of which twin she is with and the fact that they pretend to be their sibling rather than themselves leads to misconceptions from time to time. There was some romancing, a compromising position that caused a betrothal, a kidnapping and a few other surprises in the story before a HEA was found for Olivia and Thorn.
The story had promise and was a fair read but never really fully drew me in. I think I was more interested in finding out who Gideon might be in love with or who some of the other characters might end up with in the future than reading the ups and downs of the main characters in this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is my honest review.
3 Stars
December 11, 2016
I devoured this steamy historical romance. I was captivated by the story and the characters and the mystery.
I had read the previous book in the Masters of Seduction series and was already intrigued by Thorn. He seemed intense, while acting like a rascal at the same time. Then Alexandra Hawkins revealed his sweet protective side and I knew that he would become one of my favorite heroes by the end of this story. Olivia grew up with the Netherwood twins but was always closer to Gideon. Thorn had some very mixed feelings about the relationship and wanted to keep her away from his brother. Thorn insinuates himself into Olivia's life and at first it isn't crystal clear exactly what his motive is ..... especially when he allows her to go on believing that she is kissing Gideon.
I liked both of these characters and felt that they grew a lot during the story. Olivia learned to stand up for herself more, and Thorn discovered that hiidng his true feelings could bring disasterous results. There was also a bit of mystery that jumped out to surprise me towards the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to read the next book in the series. I would give this one 4.5 Flying Stars.
I voluntarily reviewed a Netgalley copy of this book.
February 10, 2017
Although I have enjoyed the previous book in this series, "Waiting for an Earl Like You," fell a little flat for me. My biggest complaint is the "why" Thorn is trying to keep Olivia away from his twin brother Gideon. She's not a gold-digger by any means so not being privy to a good reason why Thorn must protect his brother was never explained.
I found Thorn to be both overbearing at times and the next moment, he's sweet to Olivia. I didn't like his arrogance that he alone knew what was best for Olivia. I also had a problem with Thorn pretending to be his brother on too many occasions when he was stealing kisses. His reasoning was that Olivia liked Gideon better than him and so it was easier to bend her to his will as Gideon. That didn't sit well with me and it's no way to start off a relationship. Nothing good ever comes of lying.
Ms. Hawkins is a talented writer and I hope the next book in the series is about Gideon. There was no much mystery surrounding Gideon's action in this book and I'd love to learn what he's so angry about.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I found Thorn to be both overbearing at times and the next moment, he's sweet to Olivia. I didn't like his arrogance that he alone knew what was best for Olivia. I also had a problem with Thorn pretending to be his brother on too many occasions when he was stealing kisses. His reasoning was that Olivia liked Gideon better than him and so it was easier to bend her to his will as Gideon. That didn't sit well with me and it's no way to start off a relationship. Nothing good ever comes of lying.
Ms. Hawkins is a talented writer and I hope the next book in the series is about Gideon. There was no much mystery surrounding Gideon's action in this book and I'd love to learn what he's so angry about.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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