ARC REVIEW: THE LEGENDARY LORD (PLAYFUL BRIDES) BY VALERIE BOWMAN  
 
 
THE LEGENDARY LORD (PLAYFUL BRIDES) BY VALERIE BOWMAN
 
 
Release Date:  November 1, 2016
 
 
SYNOPSIS
 
THE MAKING OF A LEGEND…When Christian Bancroft, Viscount Berkeley, flees the stuffy ballrooms of London for his Scottish hunting lodge, the last thing he expects to find ensconced before his fire is an incredibly beautiful woman. But the plight of lovely young Sarah Highgate, who has run away from an unwanted betrothal, inspires an eminently practical exchange. He’ll safeguard her reputation with the ton while she advises him how to best attract a proper bride…As the undisputed belle of the season, Sarah has enchanted plenty of suitors. Still, she isn’t interested in marriage, especially not to the pompous bore her father has chosen for her. But her hasty escape seems reckless now that she’s estranged from her family and has no one to count on besides Christian. Turning the lucklesslord into such a catch has another unplanned consequence for Sarah: Has he run away with her heart?
 
 
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REVIEW:  THE LEGENDARY LORD (PLAYFUL BRIDES) BY VALERIE BOWMAN
 
The Legendary Lord by Valerie BowmanMy rating: 5 of 5 starsARC Review: The Legendary Lord (Playful Brides) by Valerie BowmanImpractical, contagious, illicit but boy were Christian and Sarah heartstoppingly irresistible. Sarah leads with her heart. Acting before thinking has left her in a predicament. Estrangement, loneliness and worry have become her only friends until out of necessity she stumbles into Christian's life. With a little tutoring Christian can be the catch of the season, if he doesn't lose his heart along the way. The Legendary Lord is a rapturous saga that mixes classic romance with tempting pleasure. View all my reviews
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Let me start by saying that I’ve read this author before and I like her writing voice. She writes fun and engaging stories with witty dialogue and good plots. Her début and the books that followed were well written and paced and they held my attention throughout.

The chemistry between her main characters had me spellbound with its tension and sensuality. And the love scenes were emotional and moving. I also found their characterization and situations they found themselves in, entertaining, funny and tension filled which kept me glued to their stories.

That’s why this story left this reader underwhelmed. The story wasn’t bad, far from it. It was well written, yet I had a hard time connecting to Christian and Sarah. Unlike the previous heroes and heroines who were fun and funny, these two felt forced and fell flat.

In the end, if you’re a fan of this author, you’ll want to read it but if you’ve never read her before, this is the story you should check out, ‘A Secret Proposal’ by Valerie Bowman.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
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Hunting lodges and fleeing ladies!

So what do you do when your parents have inveigled you into an engagement that you don't want, but that gives them no end of pleasure and lofty feelings of having done well? After all their daughter has landed Lord Brantford, the catch of the season, and a close companion of the Prince Regent. Lady Sarah Highgate, feeling the walls closing in, ran away to Scotland of course! Although it didn't help that she ended up in the wrong place in the middle of a snow storm knitting doggie capes and fending off apparent would be mayrauders with a sword she could hardly lift. (I must admit to falling in love with Sarah in the hunting lodge stage!)
And if your the owner of a hunting lodge that you've repaired to looking for a time of respite aware from the rapacious members of the ton, you don't expect to find a 'would be goldilocks' sleeping in your bed.
What starts out as a mistaken encounter, endures into friendship that seems to never be able to become any more than that, due to the dratted fiancée and the parental pressure.
Still when Lucy Hunt, the Duchess of Claringdon, decides to help her dearest friend Christian Forester, Viscount Berkeley, and her new friend Sarah Highgate find true love--well all bets are off, even if the eleventh hour is nigh upon them. Another rollicking bit of fun from the Playful Brides series.

A NetGalley ARC ( )

A lovely Regency romance, sparkling with wit and humour.
Christian and Sarah make a delightful couple right from their first meeting. Sarah is young and full of cheer and has plenty of ideas to help Christian make a match in society. It left me tingling with anticipation for what was to come when the pair made their way back to London.

I haven't read any of the other books in the series but it certainly didn't prevent me from thoroughly enjoying this one. This is a series I will enjoy reading from the beginning.

I couldn't put this book down and I would definitely recommend it to all Regency romance fans. ( )

Christian Forester, Viscount Berkeley enters his Scottish hunting lodge to find an intruder. Who is it? Lady Sarah Highgate. What is she doing in his house? She ran away, got lost and ended up in his place instead of her father’s. Their time in the lodge was temperate and filled with talk and lessons on how to woo a woman – but not Lady Sarah. A plan is made for Sarah to retain her good name and return to London to carry on with her life and for Christian to become the bachelor of the spring season on the marriage market. The story is filled with simple every day events and the big decision is whether to marry for love or for duty. Figuring it out for the two of them takes quite some time and involves characters from previous books in the series and an introduction to the man who will have his story told next.

This is a fun read for a day you want to escape. It is not very deep but it is entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is my honest review. ( )