Lady at Last

Lord Love a Lady #4

by Annabelle Anders

She can't make a baby without a husband! Or can she?

After witnessing the miracle of birth, self-determined spinster Miss Penelope Crone is having second thoughts about swearing off marriage. She wants – no, she needs – to experience the blessed event herself. Dear God, she’s practically thirty! Time is running out!

Hugh Chesterton, Viscount Danbury, is relatively intelligent, good looking, unmarried, and most importantly, close at hand. With a little décolletage, a sway of the hips, and a few drinks of brandy, Penelope is certain she can extract a respectable offer.

If only she’d accounted for the power of passion.

Because unchecked lust takes over, leaving Penelope in a most precarious predicament. And Lord Danbury –– the goose-brained jackanapes –– is proving far less attainable than she’d imagined.

Is Penelope to be cast out of society or will Lord Danbury take a leap of faith and save her from ruin? He'd better act fast if he's going to make her his lady. His Lady At Last...

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Regency, Historical Fiction, Friends To Lovers, Amazon

301 pages, ebook

First published April 27, 2019

About the author

Married to the same man for over 25 years, I am a mother to three children and two Miniature Wiener dogs.

After owning a business and experiencing considerable success, my husband and I got caught in the financial crisis and lost everything in 2008; our business, our home, even our car. 

At this point, I put my B.A. in Poly Sci to use and took work as a waitress and bartender (Insert irony). Unwilling to give up on a professional life, I simultaneously went back to college and obtained a degree in Energy Management.

And then the energy market dropped off.

And then my dog died.

I can only be grateful for this series of unfortunate events, for, with nothing to lose and completely demoralized, I sat down and began to write the romance novels which had until then, existed only my imagination.
After publishing over twenty novels now, with one having been nominated for RWA’s Distinguished ™RITA Award in 2019, I am happy to tell you that I have finally found my place in life.

Thank you so much for being a part of my journey!

To find out more about my books, and also to download a free novella, get all the info at my website!

www.annabelleanders.com
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Reviews

[Janet Newport · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Tale of Two Idiots

[Suzanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't even with this book. First she rapes him, then she's upset he doesn't remember they slept together while he was drunk as hell and she was sober and conniving, and that he got her pregnant. The rest of the book is driven by lack of communication, misdirection, too many characters, too many subplots, and lots of talking about how characters are intelligent with little evidence.

[Luana ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐
Oh boy, WHAT A MESS the heroine brought to her and the hero's life! Wow.

I personally thought the hero was a useless fool and drunkard that kept running away from his responsibilities... while the heroine is a doer. That is a great way of describing her.

While this book was great, this story had no morals whatsoever. She literally seduced the hero while he was so drunk he passed out right after and couldn't remember a thing later. And he had to pay for her actions later...

I disliked that she changed personally while she was pregnant, although that is bound to happen with emotions running wild. But she promised something to her mother that eventually was very bad and she knew it, but did nothing against it. It even made me cry with the consequences... but well.

[Gloria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Update: finished reading 08/2024 as part of a Bingo challenge. To my original review below I’d only like to add that the 20% I originally read was just the tip of the iceberg. The remainder of the book was such a conglomeration of lies, deceit, cowardice, stubbornness, miscommunication, lack of communication, betrayal, and self-serving stupidity that I couldn’t sort it out if I tried, and I’d rather have bamboo shoots driven under my toenails than make the attempt. To my past self that DNF’d at 20%: good call.

Original review:

DNF at 20%

She seduced a handy sperm donor too soused to remember he’d had sex with a “lady”, which wasn’t hard because, you know, soused. Just her bad luck, he takes off without remembering he owes her marriage. She gives chase but when she catches him, she seems unable to tell him that they had sex and she’s pregnant.

But I don’t blame her, because he’s irresponsible about accepting responsibility for his estates and kind of drifts along, drinking and carousing. Which made him the ideal candidate for baby daddy, I suppose.

So, to recap, she’s without honor and he’s without sense. I bet they end up together and baby makes three, but I’m not going to stick around for the rest of the silliness.

[Els · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book I read from this author and I liked it very much.

[🦉Maggie Whitworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
💋💋
My anxiety kicked into overdrive with these characters.
I felt every emotion,
I cried when they did,
I was distraught when they were,
I laughed at their triumphs.

To me this is the perfect book.
Annabelle is at the very top of my list as awesome writers , and I highly recommend that you get her books in your library, she will never disappoint you .
Annabelle Anders stories have it all , and more , and they give what most don’t,
Satisfaction in spades .

Penelope has been a guest in a couple of stories in the series, and it was time for the bluestocking spinster to find her happy place , that she picked Hugh Danbury was a surprise at first , she’s constantly been pining for him, secretly she thinks .

Hugh is the consummate gentleman , honour, manners , bit of a ladies man , handsome, but always keeps his word .

The two just don’t seem to gel on paper but when Pen get the idea in her head and her heart that she want a baby , Hugh being the only one in the house at the time seems to her to be the greatest opportunity, she knows him , they’ve been friends for 10 years or more, who could be better .

Hugh is in his cups and has no recollection of the evening in question, and this is ultimately the problem, he’s convinced that he’s not responsible, but is he so convinced that he’d walk away from Pen , his child , and his happy ever after ?

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

After witnessing the miracle of birth of Michael & Lilly’s son, twenty eight year old Miss Penelope Crone is having second thoughts about swearing off marriage. She wants – no, she needs – to experience the blessed event herself. Hugh Chesterton, Viscount Danbury, is relatively intelligent, good looking, unmarried, and most importantly, close at hand. With a little décolletage, a sway of the hips, and a few drinks, Penelope is certain she can extract a respectable offer but unchecked lust takes over, leaving Penelope in a most precarious predicament. Then Hugh is proving far less attainable than she’d imagined.
I just love the author’s books so much so that I need to give myself a completely uninterrupted few hours as I know I won't want to put it down. Also no starting one of her books late at night, done that & not slept until I finished!. This book once again drew me in from the first page. Penelope entering the study to seek out a drunk Hugh was priceless & had me laughing out loud but then further into the book I shed tears - both sad & happy ones & by the time I was finished I was streaming. Very well portrayed characters & a story that flows so well that the hours flew by. I love it when characters from earlier books make appearances & it was great to see that their lives were still happy. I loved Pen & Hugh but wanted to shake them both at times but if they’d really talked at the beginning there wouldn't have been this brilliant read
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

[Lori D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story I read by this author has totally charmed me with her wonderful plots, unforgettable and believable characters, charming dialogues and emotions that always warm my heart! Did I say Amazing? Yes that is Annabelle Anders. Each book becomes my favorite until the next comes out.
"A miracle. It had taken a miracle to change Penelope Cross's mind about spinsterhood, but her mind had changed, nonetheless." This after Pen had witnessed the birth of her wonderful friend's baby. Now she wants a baby and goes about trying to make that happen! To say she is determined and works fast does not even describe it! Her sights set on Hugh, Viscount Danbury, who she had known for years and was handsome, intelligent and nearby!
With a seductive dress showing off her assets, a little flirtation and a lot of alcohol, she basically took advantage of him! But the problem is he passes ot and does not remember their encounter! Plus he leaves the next morning before she can speak to him.
Talk about an unexpected adventure! As Pen takes off to find Hugh and I turned the pages, I could not help but laugh, and yes out loud, become almost tearful at times and want to shake them to realize they were perfect for each other!!
Did I say I adored this book? It seriously touched my heart and think it is my favorite book by ths author. I reread the last several pages three times. I know I will be thinking about Hugh and Penelope for awhile and anxioiusly awaiting to read more by one of my favorite authors of Historical Romance!!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penelope has known womaniser Hugh for ages. She seduces him when he's inebriated, and later realises she is pregnant. They marry, but Hugh doesn't remember being with Penelope - so there's a bit of angst. I love this story. I especially loved the emotional ending. 5☆

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a weakness for historical romance and am always happy to give new authors a try. This is especially true when the books are full-length stories, not novellas, as I often find myself reading the latter in the genre. Hence, I was more than willing to dive into Lady At Last by Annabelle Anders.

Although Lady At Last is the fourth book in the Lord Love a Lady series, it works perfectly fine as a standalone novel. There were references to characters that were clearly references to their stories, but it was done in such a way that it did not take away from Lady At Last. In fact, it was done in such a way that when I go and read the prior books in the series – something I plan to do, as I need more – I do not have very many spoilers. It’s always great when such a thing happens, as I often find starting a series partway through, even when each book is a standalone, results in numerous spoilers.

With Lady At Last, we have a story that grips from the very first page. In no time at all, I fell in love with our main characters. They were so much fun, and the connection was instant. My love for them only grew as the story developed, with each new element leaving me more addicted to their story. Each time I thought we were reaching the point where things would come together, a new problem was thrown in the way. It made for a lot of fun, making it extremely difficult to put the book down.

Without a doubt, Annabelle Anders is an author I need to read more of. If her other books are like this one, I’m going to have a new historical romance author addiction.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

She can't make a baby without a husband! Or can she?

After witnessing the miracle of birth, self-determined spinster Miss Penelope Crone is having second thoughts about swearing off marriage. She wants – no, she needs – to experience the blessed event herself. Dear God, she’s practically thirty!
Hugh Chesterton, Viscount Danbury, is relatively intelligent, good looking, unmarried, and most importantly, close at hand. With a little décolletage, a sway of the hips, and a few drinks of brandy, Penelope is certain she can extract a respectable offer.
Penelope is determined to never marry until she is witness to her friend's miracle of birth. The newborn propels her into a scenario that is at times comical and at others tear jerking.
You will find yourself laughing out loud in the beginning then crying unstoppable tears near the end of this book.
It is without a doubt a masterpiece! I read it in one sitting stopping only for brief breaks until I had finished it a 4 am.
I gave this book 5 of 5 stars for story line, plot and characterization.
I received a complimentary copy of this book to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

[Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" · Rating 5 out of 5]

After helping her friend Lily Duchess of Cortland give birth to her son Edward. Penelope Cross decides that at the age of 28 she indeed wants to be a mother. But she needs a husband first. The birth of the baby Marques Edward Penelope's maternal self awakens. Penelope decides that very night that she will seduce and give her virginity to Hugh Chesterton Viscount of Danbury. She knows is honor will make him marry her. Penelope didn't think she would become pregnant her first time.

Unfortunately Huge is so drunk that night he never remembers taking his long time friend Penelope the Spinsters virginity let alone getting her pregnant with twins. He think Penelope is trying to foster her baster babies on to him. Which leads the couple on a tumultuous path of distrust.

I don't usually read stories about Spinsters especially ones as old as Penelope. I didn't realize this when I downloaded the story. I loved the way Hugh got his revenge on his thieving Steward Matthew Periwinkle. Now that was a just end for a thief!!

Hugh and Penelope get there HEA but the end of the story was sad and scary for a time there!

[Kari Maass · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book runs you through the gamut of emotions. From the first line of the book, Penelope had me in her corner. I felt her need and understood her trying to rationalize her actions, which only lead her down the path of heartbreak and then redemption. Hugh, was also a fascinating hero with a lot on his emotional plate. Annabelle Anders always writes an excellent road to HEA!

[Dee Deacon Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, where to begin with this tale by Annabelle Anders??? Fabulous, stupendous, amazing, outstanding…none of these do justice! This is a breathtaking tale of a once confirmed spinster and her wayward plan to obtain something she never thought she wanted…a family of her own. The only man she would contemplate this with is proving to be a major pain. The writing, the characters…exceptional!!

[Carrie Harper-Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read. I didn't want to put it down. The characters were very real and the story kept you on the edge. I love this author!

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've thoroughly enjoyed all if the Lord Love a Lady books, but this one is my favorite.

Penelope Crone is resigned, nay, determined to be a spinster. The love of her life has never returned her devotion and she wants no other. Until her friend has a baby. Being there and seeing new life come into the world is more overwhelming than she knew, and now she wants to have a baby. Just one problem. She has no prospects for a father. Or does she?

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Her friend, and confirmed bachelor, Hugh Chesterton, Viscount of Danbury might just be perfect. If he'll agree. Bent on convincing him that they would be well suited for matrimony, Penelope gets more than she bargains for. Now she'll have to convince Hugh to marry her.

Annabelle Anders writes funny, quirky, heartfelt tales about characters who are believable. You can laugh at their antics, shake your head at their mistakes, and cry when things go wrong for them. I did cry, and I could totally understand Penelope's desperation to have a child and the lengths she would go to achieve it. Another keeper!!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unusual premise for a regency romance. I love Penelope, she is a bad a** for sure. She’s unsinkable in a lot of ways, she has a brilliant mind, thinks outside of the box and makes zero apologies for her brilliance. She thrives in being an independent woman who snubbs the idea of a conventional marriage. Giddy with joy after an amazing event she witnessed, Penelope follows her impulses and does something that’s irresponsible, and then spends the next few months trying to overcome the ton’s socital traditions to inform Hugh of what she’s done. Because Penelope has let things go, ahe bears the burden of rumors, accusations and assumptions. But, at the end of this Penelope is triumphant, she is the very definition of resilient, confident and super smart. I really love that Hugh tries, but he’s such a man, but a man with a good heart even if he is trying to erect walls.

[Rosemarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters in this book. However, the miscommunication in this book got a little ridiculous. The heroine, Pen, becomes pregnant within the first chapter of the book, but she takes forever to tell the hero, Hugh, about her condition, I'm taking about 100 pages worth. In fact she wastes months, and of course by that point he doesn't believe the children are his. It was little frustrating as a reader because we all know what terrible predicament she is in, but Pen just doddles, and that seemed a little strange considering the heroine was supposed to be usually forthright. I am glad I read it through til the end, because I was glad to see them get their HEA, but I think a lot of conflict could have been easily resolved if they had had a frank discussion early on.

[Annbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF - 50%

First, there’s a rape-like situation. She started it. He finished it. Now, she was sleep deprived and he was drunk. So, neither of them were lucid enough to really provide consent. So, I don’t know what that counts as, but it was rape-y enough to put me off.

But that’s not the end of it, he doesn’t remember the encounter (because drunk) and she doesn’t tell him. Even though she’s pregnant, wants to marry him, and he keeps offering to help her...multiple times. Like at least 3 and each time is more earnest.

I was expecting a marriage of convenience story with a rocky start but this was too much for me.

Trust and consent are important for any good relationship.

[Topastro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Annabelle Anders book and I did enjoy what I read. I think she has a unique writing style and distinct voice. I do wish there was a little more character building, I found it hard to connect with the H or h. Also the story would have been more successful if every other page wasn't the hero running off to another estate and the heroine chasing him, one time is ok but after 5 times it gets old.

The plot was interesting but I don't consider what Penelope did to be "seduction"; there was some consent issues that made it all feel a little sad.

[Nicole LaBoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read from this author and I can tell you is was AMAZING! I was unable to put it down. I had to finish it because I needed to found out if the characters were going to work everything out! It will make you laugh, cry and scream with frustration and in the end you with smile with joy and happiness. I totally recommended it! I can't wait to read all the books in the series.

[Roslyn Stillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a deep breath and be ready for a rollercoaster of emotions. Mss Anders has the perfect way to write so much emotion into a lovely read. She also knows how to tackle delicate situations. This book had be laugh out loud and cry. This is one of those books you just can’t read fast enough but am really sad when it was finished. You could relate to both the hero and the heroine but I did get annoyed with the hero on more than one occasion. I loved this book even though there was a fair bit of sex, which this reviewer always skips, it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. I received this book as an ARC and was more than happy to do a review.

[Josee A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I absolutely love Penelope and Hugh. I also thoroughly enjoyed the fact that there wasn't A prelude and you immediately jumped into the storyline.Info admit to not knowing if Hugh could redeem himself but he did in a remarkable fashion. I had not read the previous stories in this series and definitely didn't feel lost. This can be read as a stand alone.

[Annabelle Anders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author NOTE! This book.
Was SOOOO fun to write! I hope you enjoy reading it just as much!
Now available in KU!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q6TJJRD

[Lesanamar · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven't read this one, buy it TODAY! OMG OMG OMG! BEST book I've read in forever!!!
This heroine, WOW. I've not read anything like this one. This author just doesn't stop impressing me!

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger alert: dub con/date rape-ish scene (not exactly, but this is closest to what it felt like while reading it)

I have mixed feelings about this book, so it has low stars. Usually I love Annabelle’s books, but every now and then she strays into territory I’m not entirely comfortable with, and this is one that goes there. I like her writing enough to give the book stars, but the content here lost stars too.

Why don’t more reviews mention that Penelope raped Hugh? I’m not even as militant about consent in hist roms in general as some, but he was far too drunk to consent, as evidenced by the fact that he didn’t remember the encounter at all and adamantly denied being the father of her children because he was so positive he had never had sex with her. Penelope may not have “intended” for things to go so far, but she most certainly started the encounter and took advantage of Hugh and by the time she changed her mind it was too late to get a blind drunk Hugh to stop. Does that mean they raped each other? Even by the end, I couldn’t decide that one. I looked at the other reviews after I finished and was honestly surprised to see so few mentions of this in the other reviews. If it had been noted more, I probably wouldn’t have even bothered to write a review at all, but nobody listed a trigger alert and only one person called the situation out as rape.

So for most of the book Pen is chasing Hugh to get him to marry her since she’s pregnant, but she doesn’t tell him for a long time (not until after a couple of proposals), and once she does, he’s sure he’s not the father, so she’s hurt that he doesn’t believe her, he’s furious that she has trapped him into marriage and responsibility for someone else’s bastards, and I’m just not sure if either of them deserve forgiveness.

We have a TV drama season ending cliffhanger worthy birth scene and then they forgive each other and have their happily ever after. And then, the extended epilogue sees Pen and Hugh re-enacting the rape scene several months later—so Hugh can remember it? The whole thing left a bit of a bad aftertaste for me. I’ll still read her other books, but even if you’re a fan, you might not enjoy this one. Sorry, Annabelle, but this one was a miss for me.

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it but not as much as others in the series. The h is clever and prickly, and then falls in love. Not with a man but with her friend's new born baby and that's it, the h loses her mind. Her actions were so wrong and she causes the H significant angst when he was grieving his father. I could not like the h for her actions but I did like this book as it pushes the boundaries of traditional romance. Not my favourite book in the series, but it has a lot of competition as this is one of my favourite series.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Real Page Turner! 💙💙💙💙💙
Absolutely loved Penelope and Hugh! Couldn’t get enough, couldn’t put it down! Read until 4:00 AM, as the glorious ending would not wait! This author is an amazing talent, writing characters that steal our hearts. It was wonderful revisiting all those we have come to love in this series, and so excited to hear there are many more to look forward to!

[Karen Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

The heroin got on my nerves. She gave her virginity to the hero when he was drunk, and of course he doesn't remember it. When she realizes that she is pregnant, she is too much of a chicken to tell him. I did not finish this book.

[Pam Bereznak · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE...