I couldn't put this book down! Lily and Wulf were fantastic! I love how he pursued her even when she was having to marry someone else for money. I was worried a bit on how it would turn out. I could only see one solution and it woulda knocked a star from my rating. But Hawkins pulled it off great! I am just about to go buy the next in the series! It sounds good! ( )

The Aunt character adds something special to each story in the series (which includes one of my favorite books, How to Capture a Countess).

In the second title in Hawkins’ Duchess Diaries series (How to Capture a Countess, 2012), Lily Balfour’s father borrows a great deal of money from a neighbor and can’t repay it. So Lily decides she must marry a rich man to cover the loan, despite the fact that he wants to marry her younger sister. Lily’s godmother, the Duchess of Roxburghe, fresh off the triumph of marrying Lily’s older sister to a man of wealth, is eager to arrange a house party with a bachelors-of-means guest list for Lily. Into the duchess’ neighborhood move the Grand Duchess Natasha Nikolaevna and her grandson, Prince Wulfinski. When Wulf accidentally meets Lily, he recognizes her as the woman of his dreams, but her godmother intends for another man to be her mate. Though Hawkins’ story never veers from classic Regency romance conventions, her writing is lively and fans of the genre will be satisfied.
— Pat Henshaw ( )

Neat take on Little Red Riding Hood. Lily's father has put them in debt and she feels the only way out is for her to marry a rich man. Her godmother finds the perfect candidate and sets up a house party for them to get to know each other. This gets interfered with when Prince Wulfinski sets his sights on Lily. He portrays himself as poor because he's tired of being pursued for his money not himself. She is drawn to him but determined to save her family. The fun comes as he tries to persuade her that loves matters more, she tries to resist, and her godmother and his grandmother try to keep them apart.

I liked Lily and Wulf. Lily's decision to help her family is commendable, but she goes into it without having truly looked for any other solution. Her meeting with Wulf shakes her up because he stirs feelings in her that she's never had before. She isn't really looking forward to meeting the Earl of Huntley because she wanted to marry for love, like her sister (How to Capture a Countess). She was sure that if she spent enough time with him she would fall in love with him. The problem is that every time she turns around Wulf is there scrambling her senses. He states his love for her early on but she refuses to believe that love that quickly is possible. She fights him all the way determined to stay on her course to save her family from ruin. It was interesting watching Lily cope with the two men. She couldn't help comparing them and the one she was chasing never measured up to the one she really wanted. The times she spent with Huntley were pretty darn boring, especially since she couldn't even get him to kiss her. Times with Wulf usually involved some lively conversation, some kisses and him still trying to convince her. She spent a lot of time wishing it were possible but still not trying to find a solution herself or asking Wulf to help her find one. Her use of the tea that Wulf's grandmother gave her surprised the old lady and went a long way toward changing her attitude toward Lily. I saw her actions at the end coming but they were satisfying anyway.

Wulf was quite a character. He is handsome, wealthy and confident. He's also tired of women coming after him because he's rich. He's come to the area to live as if he is poor to see if someone will love him just for himself. When he rescues Lily after she's fallen from her horse he is immediately smitten by her. He sets out to woo her and is surprised when she denies him. He is not accustomed to being denied something he wants and pretty much ignores her demands. I really enjoyed seeing him run up against society's rules and how Lily won't ignore them. It only increases his determination to win her. I liked the way that he is so open about his feelings to her. He is very protective of her and always seems to be around when she needs rescuing. I also enjoyed his scheme to distract both Huntley and Lily from each other. I loved his frustration with her and how it made him change the way he looked at some things and eventually understand her a little better. I had great fun reading the ending and how it all worked out.

The Duchess and her friend Charlotte were also instrumental in this story. She was so sure that she had everything under control and that it was going the way she wanted. Loved seeing her take credit for the ending even though it wasn't her original plan. I also loved her feud with Wulf's grandmother. The two of them were so much alike that it was fun seeing them butt heads. I also enjoyed the secondary character of Emma and how she helped Wulf along with his plans. ( )

I guess in the bigger scheme of things, this wasn't a terrible book at all. However, this book's greatest failing is that it follows it's predecessor, [b:How to Capture a Countess|13547421|How to Capture a Countess (The Duchess Diaries, #1)|Karen Hawkins|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1338390354s/13547421.jpg|19112561], which was delightful.

Indeed, if you read this book first, you can tolerate it. However, like me, if you read it after the first, you are left with a distinct unfulfilled feeling.

The characters are not assertive enough- and that's my main problem. They could be ANYBODY from the Regency era. Lily could be any protected miss. Yes, she wishes to marry for money, and is distraught at her feelings for a seemingly penniless foreign prince. However, her constant feelings of 'I should stay away from him, I can't resist him' stop being adorably confused (as intended) and get annoying.

The prince as well. I can't tell anything about his character, his personality. There are no details, and the two don't seem to get to know each other, like Rose and Lord Sin from the first book. Now, there was a fine piece of novel writing.

My advice? Read this book first if you're starting with the series. And then you'll absolutely love the first book. Otherwise, you'll love the first anyway, but end up horribly unsatisfied with this one. ( )