I’m pleased to have found a Regency romance where the feisty female protagonist is neither TSTL nor grossly anachronistic, and her love interest isn’t grossly misogynist to start. It was a fun read, and I liked having a couple of male protagonists who really just needed some responsibilities and something constructive to do, to help them discover that they aren’t useless boozy boors after all.

I read this for 2017 Romance Bingo, for the Rogue square. The title is an apt descriptor of both the primary male protagonist and his brother, who are both lazy, selfish, womanizers, who intend to dump an entire estate with dependent female relatives, tenants, and servants, because they can’t be bothered, but finally come around and become responsible and loving, decent men.

Audiobook, borrowed from my public library via Overdrive, with an excellent performance by Mary Jane Wells. I admit to forwarding over the explicit sexy times scenes, though, as I somehow find those a bit cringeworthy when read aloud, especially when it’s going on in my earbuds while I’m wandering the canned goods aisle at the grocery store.
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This book is like a fruit that's not ripe yet. There are so many promises, and you're sure it'll get sweeter and better. Unfortunately, it's not there yet. This book holds up an interesting couple of Kathleen and Devon, two people determined not to get into a commitment, whether that's a committed relationship or a full-blown affair. There's an eccentric family isolated from London society very similar to the Hathaways. So, when I opened this book, I expected a sweet but moving romance with some slapstick humor thrown in. I almost got that.

Because this is the first book of a series, Kleypas has to introduce everyone who will someday have their own book. Here, we meet two brothers and three sisters, and you can bet they all have show-stealing personalities. As a result, the story feels busy and muddled with everyone trying to get a word in edgewise, and the leads don't get the page-time they need to fall in love and us with them. The exchanges between Kathleen and Devon were cute, but they were so rarely together that I didn't really buy it when they fell in true love. Truthfully, I feel like Kathleen should've ended up with the younger brother, West. He understood her better and respected her opinion, unlike Devon who was gone too often to really get to know the widow. Neither of them moved beyond the lust stage.

Hopefully the next books focus on just the couple more. Aside from that, the writing was descriptive and immersive. Kleypas's usual tools are here: the sudden danger, the brute of a hero, the short heroine, and some wonky pacing. Overall, I enjoyed this, but it could've been and should've been so much more.
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Per me la Kleypas è la garanzia di leggere sempre storie avvincenti e ben scritte e anche questa volta non si smentisce con questa serie che mi è piaciuta tantissimo, dalla prima riga del primo libro fino all’ultima dell’ultimo.
In questo primo volume, dove facciamo anche la conoscenza con i personaggi che animeranno tutta la serie, i principali protagonisti sono Devon Ravenel - affascinante scapolo e impenitente donnaiolo che, per l’improvvisa morte del cugino, si ritrova erede di una contea sommersa dai debiti - e la giovane e bellissima vedova del defunto conte, Lady Kathleen Trenear.
La particolare e catastrofica situazione in cui versa la contea ereditata metterà Devon difronte a responsabilità che mai avrebbe pensato e voluto affrontare compresa l’irresistibile attrazione che prova nei confronti della bellissima vedova, Lady Kathleen, che cercherà di contrastare la sorgente passione.
Bellissimo e imperdibile.
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I feel as though I got more out of this reread than the first time I read it. It’s still a bit difficult to see the falling in love between Devon and Kathleen, and I definitely appreciate them more as a couple in later books. It’s a good start to the series and kind of like the Hathaway’s first book also introduced a lot of Helen and Rhys here; I do wish the abrupt ending had been expanded, but it does allow for one wanting to immediately jump into Winterborne.

Being of an age where it was the soundtrack of my middle school years, every time I glance at or think of the title, I get Paula Abdul stuck in my head. ( )

I forgot how much I enjoyed ms Kleypas’ historical romances. Lovely characterizations and believable relationships. Good historical details etc. ( )