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Read Not Quite A Lady (2007)

Not Quite a Lady (2007)

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Rating
3.83 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
0061231231 (ISBN13: 9780061231230)
Language
English
Publisher
avon

Not Quite A Lady (2007) - Plot & Excerpts

IRRESISTIBLE FORCEDarius Carsington is a spectacularly handsome rake with a rare intelligence and no heart, a man who divides his time between bedding loose-moraled women and writing scholarly papers. He finds society's “perfect darlings”....exceedingly boring. But there’s something intriguing, and not quite perfect, about faultless Lady Charlotte Hayward. He senses a crack under her polished surface, and finding it is a temptation he can’t resist.IMMOVABLE OBJECTLady Charlotte is so beautiful, charming, and gracious that no one has noticed what an expert she is at Not Getting Married. Early on, she learned a painful lesson about trust....and temptation. In the years since, she’s devoted her life to all she ought to be--and she’s not about to let a man like Carsington entice her to do everything she shouldn’t.A SPLENDID COLLISIONBut the laws of attraction can easily overpower the rules of manners and morals, and sometimes even the best -behaved girl has to follow her instincts, even if it means risking it all.It's been a while since I read a Loretta Chase book and I didn't even read the previous one in this series, in fact I think I only read the first one, Miss Wonderful. However that didn't detract from my enjoyment at all.I really liked Charlotte and Darius, they were nice and interesting people. Not exactly perfect but trying what to do what they think is the right thing. Darius wants to make the estate he is responsible for profitable and Charlotte is very tactfully trying not to get married as she feels her past doesn't allow her to be someone's wife. The problem is, they feel very attracted to each other from the minute they meet.Charlotte's problem is that she gave birth to an illegitimate child when she was sixteen, she child was taken from her to be raised by a childless couple and it's been a well kept secret but she knows that if she would marry she would have to explain it to her husband on her weeding night.Oblivious to this her well meaning father keeps trying to find her a husband and decides to host a house party for several suitors, including Darius. At the same time Charlotte's stepmother decides she is going to help Darius with the redecoration of the estate thus making them spend much more time together.And then, one day, as they are overseeing the redecoration Charlotte sees a boy that she immediately feels could be her long lost son.I really liked that Darius decides to help the boy even before knowing of his parentage. And then I enjoyed that Charlotte tells him the truth and Darius promises to help her getting her son back. What I found odd was that for what it seemed a long time Charlotte believed the boy to be her son but never looked for him or tried to talk to him. It was almost as she was afraid to find out the truth and although that might be believable in a way I couldn't believe a sensitive woman like her wouldn't rush to be sure and welcome the child.The situation wasn't that easy to solve as the child had lost his adopted parent and was now being an apprentice with one of the working men. This means there was a contract between them which must be made void or his apprenticeship bought. At the same time one of Charlotte's suitors, having found out the truth tries to blackmailer with that knowledge. Fortunately she doesn't give in, the child is safe and we have our happy ending with Charlotte deciding to marry Darius and raise her child openly.I have some doubts that the child could be easily acknowledged but I did enjoy the characters so much that it didn't prevent me from enjoying the story.Grade: B

I think this is not one of Chase's best efforts. This book just never quite gets all the way there. Darius is supposed to be this insufferable rake, but there's not really any evidence of it, beyond the characters telling us repeatedly that he is. The only woman who ever even enters his thoughts in the whole novel is Charlotte, and once they meet, hardly anything is made of his alleged history of bedding and abandoning women. He also has a Vulcan-esque reliance on logic in the early parts of the novel, and not much is made of it when he realizes he can't be logical where Charlotte is concerned. I guess I would have liked to see more from Darius, some realization that something in him has changed. (He makes a big deal out of calling love a farce at the beginning of the novel, but then there's this weird scene where he says, "I love you" to Charlotte out loud without even thinking about it, and then it's no big deal, they just move on.) Morrell is not a terribly effective villain, and I'm wondering if his scenes could have been cut without affecting the novel. Charlotte is probably the best drawn character, but her most emotional scenes are almost all from Darius's perspective, so mostly we just see her crying a lot. And I kind of wish there had been more Pip. And maybe an epilogue; everything gets sorted then the novel ends abruptly.

What do You think about Not Quite A Lady (2007)?

Having enjoyed every book by Ms. Chase I've read so far, I'm always a bit wary when I start reading a new (to me) release. I mean, I can't possibly love everything she writes, so I can't help thinking the book I'm about to read is going to be "the dreadful one", the one that doesn't live up to my expectations... Well, I'm happy to say that this isn't "the one" yet. Phew! :)This is the 4th book in the Carsington Brothers series, and it's youngest brother Darius' turn to find his HEA.Darius Carsington is the Earl of Hargate's youngest son, the intellectual one, always ruled by Logic and Reason. He's one of the most highly regarded members of the Philosophical Society and he's well known for: (1) studying animal behavior, especially breeding and mating behavior, and (2) devoting his leisure hours to emulating this behavior. Item One gives Darius respectability but no income. Item Two gives him a reputation - not necessarily a bad one among the ton, but an aggravating one in his father's eyes. So Lord Hargate decides to "tame" his rakish son and gives him an ultimatum: Darius must either (1) take charge of Beechwood, a neglected property, and make it produce income in one year, so he can support himself and stop bleeding his father's purse, or (2) marry an heiress, so he can support himself and stop bleeding his father's purse. Darius chooses the lesser of two evils: Beechwood. However, Fate has other plans for him and puts an heiress on his way...Lady Charlotte Hayward, Darius' new neighbor the Marquess of Lithby's only daughter, is a puzzle Darius can't solve. She's titled, wealthy, beautiful and seemingly placid - the perfect wife for any gentleman. Yet, she's still single at the advanced age of seven and twenty and, even though she isn't obvious about it, she isn't interested in marriage and deflects all her suitors' attentions with easy politeness. What's behind her "strange" behavior? Logic, Darius' best friend and mentor, can't rest until he solves that puzzle. Naturally, it doesn't take long until Logic abandons Darius and gives way to Feelings - like Lust and Love. Unfortunately, that's when this book lost one star.What can I say? As always, I loved Ms. Chase's humorous writing, Darius and Charlotte were likable, their witty banter and playful tricks made me laugh, and their loves scenes made me sigh. But why, oh why, did Ms. Chase decide to throw coincidence after coincidence halfway through the story? Not to mention that unbelievable plot twist near the end of the story. All of a sudden, Logic left not only Darius, but the plot altogether. I can't say more because I don't want to give any spoilers away, but that almost ruined the book for me. Luckily, I'm a sucker for a HEA, so I just reminded myself how much I had enjoyed the story up until that point and decided to let it go. Yes, I can buy (almost) anything in Romancelandia when the author does his/her job and makes me care for the H/h and root for their HEA. :)All in all, this was a very fun read. I'm still a devoted fan of Ms. Chase and can't wait to read the next book in the series, the most awaited Last Night's Scandal.
—Dina

Angelc wrote: "I honestly only read 10 or so pages, so I'm definitely willing to give her books another try."oh my you should if you have time. Happy reading.ü
—Poetry to Prose

More CarsingtonsI wasn't going to reread Not Quite a Lady, but I don't like to read books in a series out of order so I did.It is time for Darius Carsington to put in his Mr. Spock appearance. The ears may not be pointy, but everything else about Darius is Mr. Spockish. He is a rake, however, he is also an emotionally vacant hero. He's a cold-hearted logical man and his father is fed up with him. You know the Carsington brother's father is one controlling guy who expects an awful lot from his gr
—SidneyKay

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