Meara Platt

Ugh, no. I like romance, and Regency romance - but I like some characterization, plot, and logic to the story, too. Why is he keeping this a deep dark secret from his family? He's apparently not worried about anyone else (as he chats about it on the street, with just one glance around to make sure no one's close). Like maybe French spies. But he can't possibly tell anyone in his family that he's not a complete wastrel. Then he meets the girl and falls instantly in lust, as does she (half a show more chapter on his responses to her, and nearly a full one on hers to him). They don't _like_ each other, what they know of each other they dislike and despise - but ooh he looks good, oh, she's gorgeous, brain goes by the wayside. I started skipping at that point. Apparently she is wooed by, and her family is in favor of, someone who's unrelievedly nasty about everyone around him (OK, he's rich and titled. But with his attitude...). Our Hero and Heroine end up married, in a shotgun-style wedding (I missed that part, but it's thoroughly re-described later), whereupon he goes off to be heroic and she chases after him and insists on a real marriage night (riiiiight. Because that's such a Regency attitude). And of course happy ever after, as he returns and they express their mutual lust. I still don't see any reason other than said lust for them to be together. Possibly the worst example I've yet encountered of two tropes I hate - insta-lust and misunderstandings (complicated here by flat-out lies). Yuck, not for me. The sex (what little I saw) is pretty hot, if that's enough for some people. show less

It’s always enjoyable when Regency reads pair themselves with another genre. In this case, the author delights her audience in the small village of Borrowdale, where the king of the Fae makes his court in the bluebell garden of Julia Marsden, unseen by all except, Charlie. Charlie is so engrossed in the king’s court, he draws, in great detail, what he sees. Charlie isn’t an ordinary boy. He has been unable to walk and move about since he was four. The bluebell flowers bloom all year show more round, easily explained as fed by a warm underground spring. But is that explanation true?

When Douglas Hawke shows up at the cottage, Julia is angry. She knows he wants to take Charlie from her. Douglas is confused. Julia doesn't appear to be anything but a sweet, kind soul who obviously loves Charlie very much. Strange incidences begin happening. The Fae king shows himself in obvious ways. He manipulates Douglas’s feelings. Julia begins feeling trapped. But my whom? Is it Douglas, whom she is attracted to, even though she doesn’t trust him, or is it the strange events that are occurring around her? One thing for certain, she won't let the earl have Charlie. She will protect him with her life.

Douglas Hawke, sixth Earl of Eastbourne has secrets and appears his facts aren't in order. Julia has secrets and is very critical of the Eastbourne family as we learn why throughout the story. Will all these secrets prevent them from saving themselves and Charlie? Is love enough when trust is lacking? Will the powers of the faerie realm destroy them all?

Ms. Platt writes a tight read--pacing, action and dire circumstances with very few clues about how this story will resolve itself—keep you reading and questioning a world both beautiful and cruel. The ARC of the read brings Julia, Douglas, Charlie and the faerie king in a showdown you won’t want to miss!

If you like your romances with an HEA, this one has it, however, enough threads are dangling, you won’t be satisfied until you read the rest of the series. I know I won't! show less

I won this title through LibraryThing. Overall this was a cute little story. I liked the characters; they seemed like real people. They were developed so that you could be curious about what else was going on in their lives. There was enough of a plot to be interesting and move the story along. Unfortunately, there two things that detracted from the story. It seemed as if there was a bit of a mismatch between the action of the story and the historic time period. I understood it to be a show more Regency Romance but there were parts that seemed more Victorian in nature (not horrible just a bit off) and there were too many "sexy" parts. I got tired of reading about aching body parts, straining clothing, and wishing to touch each other. It never quite developed to titillating - just sort of would be there almost as filler. But then the actual story would pick up again, the plot would move along, the characters would interact, and all would be interesting and delightful until the next "sexy" part. The overall plot was good but I would have liked to see it developed a bit more. The story part was a really interesting premise and more details would have be better. I will probably read another of this authors novels. show less

I received a copy of My Fair Lily Meara Platt for Kindle through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. I was initially drawn to this book because I liked the setting of the novel and enjoy reading books in this time period. I also thought the premise of a bookish young lady and a Scottish rather brutish laird would be an interesting read, since initially the characters seem to have not much in common on paper. I have to say that I did enjoy this novel. Now, there are some moments in the show more novel that are not historically correct and some moments where the writer used modern slag but despite this I really did enjoy the story. I thought the characters were well developed and funny. There were times while I was reading this book that I found myself laughing out loud. The writing is also good and the transitions in the story are smooth and easy to follow. I thought it was a very good debut to an interesting series and I will probably purchase the next novels in the series. The novel kept me engaged and I was sad when it was over. show less