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The Silver Foxes of Westminster #1
December Heart
At twenty-seven years old, Mariah Travers has become what she most feared—a spinster and a perpetual adolescent in the eyes of her family and the law. But her fortunes change when her father announces that he has promised her hand in marriage to an old friend and colleague in the House of Lords. Lord Peter deVere, Earl of Dunsford, is not at all who Mariah imagined marrying, but she is willing to take a chance on the older man in order to gain the freedom that only married women are allowed.
After a tragic marriage that stretched on for two decades, Peter is hesitant to marry again. But he needs an heir, or else his dastardly nephew, Lord William, will inherit everything he’s worked his entire life to build. But when he meets Mariah, sparks fly that neither of them expected. Their unlikely match stands a chance of giving each of them all the things they never realized they needed.
But trouble abounds when the mine that has provided Peter with his fortune is exhausted and the search for new veins of copper begins. On top of that, Lord William isn’t about to stand by and watch his inheritance disappear. His efforts to drive a wedge between Peter and Mariah cause havoc and heartbreak at Starcross Castle, which will take an act of heroic devotion to overcome as Peter sets out to prove that true love is ageless.
PLEASE BE ADVISED – Steam Level – Very Hot!
After a tragic marriage that stretched on for two decades, Peter is hesitant to marry again. But he needs an heir, or else his dastardly nephew, Lord William, will inherit everything he’s worked his entire life to build. But when he meets Mariah, sparks fly that neither of them expected. Their unlikely match stands a chance of giving each of them all the things they never realized they needed.
But trouble abounds when the mine that has provided Peter with his fortune is exhausted and the search for new veins of copper begins. On top of that, Lord William isn’t about to stand by and watch his inheritance disappear. His efforts to drive a wedge between Peter and Mariah cause havoc and heartbreak at Starcross Castle, which will take an act of heroic devotion to overcome as Peter sets out to prove that true love is ageless.
PLEASE BE ADVISED – Steam Level – Very Hot!
380 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2018
About the author
Merry Farmer
252 books1,116 followersUSA Today Bestselling author Merry Farmer lives in suburban Philadelphia with her two cats, Justine and Peter. She has been writing since she was ten years old and realized she didn't have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. It was the best day of her life. Her books have reached the top of Amazon's charts, and have been named finalists for several prestigious awards, including the RONE Award for indie romance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
December 9, 2020
Meh. I was sick at home and in the mood for a historical, and this was a freebie, so I went for it. May-December romance where both parties start as friends to lovers, which I did like the idea of. . . then the hero Peter mentions his loser nephew, and says to himself "Self, am I a fool for bringing Mariah into a situation that could be dangerous for her, with a potentially murderous nephew who's been depending on being my heir?" Why YES, Peter. You are. Exactly what you think happens, happens, and I got bored, real quick. But hey, it's free, and I didn't have anything else to do but hack up a lung, so there's that. The End.
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November 29, 2022
Another one of those books that the majority of readers loved, and I just thought all the characters were unlikeable. Mariah was the heroine and she got on my nerves; her sister acted like a bad character from a 1980's made for tv movie about the character most likely to get into trouble. The hero (I use that term loosely needed a backbone) Lord Peter seemed to be such a doormat that he should have had stamped welcome on his forehead. Then there was the maniac who seemed to terrorize the castle. So, 4* for great writing....2* for plot hence it's a 3* Plus there was some (ok a LOT of skimming) of the book.
March 7, 2018
An Entertaining story from beginning to end and encompassing something not seen too much in historical romance. Lord Peter, Earl of Dunsford is fifty years old and fears he will never have an heir. Having been married in the past for over 20 years and his wife had lost many babes before she passed away, he agreed to remarry when his old friend from the House of Lords arranged he marry his twenty seven year old daughter Mariah. Mariah felt she was firmly on the shelf after having been jilted by her former fiance and made a source of gossip by the Ton. After meeting Peter and realizing how much older his was, she became determined to marry and make the best of it because she would be able to gain the freedom of a married woman. But as fate would often have it, when she and Peter were together their was a strong attraction and it seemed all would be well. Step into the picture Peter's awful nephew, Lord William who was a total wastrel and had expected to inherit until Mariah came into the picture. William became determined to split Peter and Mariah up by any means possible so that there would be no heir to upsurge his title.
Full of many twist and turns and strong emotions, this story help my attention until the very end. What a delight to see an older gentleman in a story and both he and Mariah having a second chance at happiness. I cannot wait to read more in this series and want to thank Merry Farmer for stepping out of the normal younger H & H and bringing this story to life.
Full of many twist and turns and strong emotions, this story help my attention until the very end. What a delight to see an older gentleman in a story and both he and Mariah having a second chance at happiness. I cannot wait to read more in this series and want to thank Merry Farmer for stepping out of the normal younger H & H and bringing this story to life.
July 28, 2021
Overall: 2.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 (mostly)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 (There are two towards the beginning and two towards the end – the two at the end happen directly after each other so to some it may feel closer to 🔥🔥 🔥 🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit, especially towards the beginning but the overall tone of the book was heavier
(This is all personal preference on a scale of 1-5, except steam, which follows our chart in The Ton and the Tartans facebook group)
Mariah lost her fiance 5 years prior and still wears half mourning. She would prefer everyone believe the death of her fiance has left her bereft, instead of the truth behind what happened. Yet she longs for the freedom she believes will come with marriage. She is not even allowed to buy a book of poetry without her father’s permission as an unmarried woman. Peter still longs for a family after losing his wife. He attends parliament with Mariah’s father and they decide to offer Mariah marriage to Peter.
Give this book a try if you want:
- Age gap – hero is 50 and described as muscular but with white hair and laugh lines, heroine is 26/27?
- Moderate steam – This book is pretty steamy with 4 scenes, but there was such a long dry spell in the whole middle of the book, it just didn’t ‘feel’ quite as steamy for me? The scenes are long though and explicit.
- You like lots of plot devices, side characters, and a villain that just won’t quit.
- Arranged marriage – The hero talks to the heroine’s father about marriage and the heroine agrees to the arrangement
- Victorian time period (takes place in 1879), with most of the page time at family manors in the country setting.
- The hero is a soldier, though it’s not a huge part of his character description (he served in the Crimean war, and does have a scar on his leg)
- Zero consent issues with intimacy – in the beginning the hero asks permission too
The beginning of this story was so promising! I was really enjoying the older hero, and actually being markedly older (not your normal 20 year heroine and 30 year hero). I was liking getting to know both characters and they seemed like it would be a good match.
Then, we meet William. William the nephew of Peter, who believes he should be the one to inherit Peter’s estate. And unfortunately for Peter, he can’t kick him out of his house or else William will inherit half of his things. This is written into a will between Peter and his brother. If William is turned out for any reason, he inherits half the estate.
I found this book to not be for me for a number of reasons. This is just my personal preference for what I like to see in romance. If you think it sounds good to you from the above details then please give a try! Below are some specifics that turned me off from the book (spoilers – please read at your own risk)
Content warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 (mostly)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 (There are two towards the beginning and two towards the end – the two at the end happen directly after each other so to some it may feel closer to 🔥🔥 🔥 🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit, especially towards the beginning but the overall tone of the book was heavier
(This is all personal preference on a scale of 1-5, except steam, which follows our chart in The Ton and the Tartans facebook group)
Mariah lost her fiance 5 years prior and still wears half mourning. She would prefer everyone believe the death of her fiance has left her bereft, instead of the truth behind what happened. Yet she longs for the freedom she believes will come with marriage. She is not even allowed to buy a book of poetry without her father’s permission as an unmarried woman. Peter still longs for a family after losing his wife. He attends parliament with Mariah’s father and they decide to offer Mariah marriage to Peter.
Give this book a try if you want:
- Age gap – hero is 50 and described as muscular but with white hair and laugh lines, heroine is 26/27?
- Moderate steam – This book is pretty steamy with 4 scenes, but there was such a long dry spell in the whole middle of the book, it just didn’t ‘feel’ quite as steamy for me? The scenes are long though and explicit.
- You like lots of plot devices, side characters, and a villain that just won’t quit.
- Arranged marriage – The hero talks to the heroine’s father about marriage and the heroine agrees to the arrangement
- Victorian time period (takes place in 1879), with most of the page time at family manors in the country setting.
- The hero is a soldier, though it’s not a huge part of his character description (he served in the Crimean war, and does have a scar on his leg)
- Zero consent issues with intimacy – in the beginning the hero asks permission too
The beginning of this story was so promising! I was really enjoying the older hero, and actually being markedly older (not your normal 20 year heroine and 30 year hero). I was liking getting to know both characters and they seemed like it would be a good match.
Then, we meet William. William the nephew of Peter, who believes he should be the one to inherit Peter’s estate. And unfortunately for Peter, he can’t kick him out of his house or else William will inherit half of his things. This is written into a will between Peter and his brother. If William is turned out for any reason, he inherits half the estate.
I found this book to not be for me for a number of reasons. This is just my personal preference for what I like to see in romance. If you think it sounds good to you from the above details then please give a try! Below are some specifics that turned me off from the book (spoilers – please read at your own risk)
Content warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Shelved as 'dnf'
December 23, 2022DNF, can’t keep going with this - the whole book is focused on the hero and his first wife. There are TONS of mentions of her, including a lot of discussion about their sex life and comparisons between her and the heroine. Do I really need to know about all the sex positions the hero tried with his wife and/or mistresses? Sorry, but that shit really takes away from the romance. No thanks.
SWE; virgin heroine, nonmanwhore widowed hero, no cheating, no scenes with OP, no OM drama, OW drama with regard to the hero’s first wife and her death, she had many miscarriages throughout their LONG marriage and even though they were told not to be together anymore, he couldn’t resist her when she begged him for it, and she eventually died from blood loss during a miscarriage. Hero blames himself for her death.
SWE; virgin heroine, nonmanwhore widowed hero, no cheating, no scenes with OP, no OM drama, OW drama with regard to the hero’s first wife and her death, she had many miscarriages throughout their LONG marriage and even though they were told not to be together anymore, he couldn’t resist her when she begged him for it, and she eventually died from blood loss during a miscarriage. Hero blames himself for her death.
November 6, 2023
Disclaimer- I write these reviews for me and they are not "professional" . I do this so I can remember what books I have read and this may contain spoilers.
Two stars because I was able to finish it. It started off good and then became a train wreck. Literally I got to the villain piece of the plot, put down my kindle and in disbelief thought what the heck. (actually must stronger words) . It was surreal.. Warning spoiler....
So, the evil ward tries to make the hero's bride sick and the hero just is like..whatever.. so sorry sweetie, whom I love.. there's nothing I can do.. Just keep living in this house with me and I'll get some of my old friends who will try and trick him..
HUH!!!! Maybe he could of hired a private investigator, bow street runner.. an assassin.. had him suffer a hunting accident or be thrown from a horse????!!
Then two "ruffians" show up at the door , pretending to be "guest's" of the villain, and the heroine gets mad because her husband doesn't let her greet them , since she says that they are guests?
Let me get this.. the women knows the villain is out to get her and two guys show up at her door during a house party dressed as ruffians, with a lower class accent and she somehow thinks these guys are true "guests"? sure.....
Then it gets more unbelievable and silly....For instance, they then play hide and seek... yup.. let's play hide and seek my villain friend.. I know that my lovely sister is here and you are intent on harming us.. but since spy friend said it was a good idea, let us all split up and hide over my 1 million acre estate.. what could go wrong....
I lost all respect for the book by then.. It was surreal. The hero and his old spy friend were like the keystone cops trying to trick the villain. It was unbelievable..
It's a shame really, because the romance piece of the book was wonderful and then 1/2 way through it was like a new author took over.
sex- medium
Violence- Fist a cuff
Two stars because I was able to finish it. It started off good and then became a train wreck. Literally I got to the villain piece of the plot, put down my kindle and in disbelief thought what the heck. (actually must stronger words) . It was surreal.. Warning spoiler....
So, the evil ward tries to make the hero's bride sick and the hero just is like..whatever.. so sorry sweetie, whom I love.. there's nothing I can do.. Just keep living in this house with me and I'll get some of my old friends who will try and trick him..
HUH!!!! Maybe he could of hired a private investigator, bow street runner.. an assassin.. had him suffer a hunting accident or be thrown from a horse????!!
Then two "ruffians" show up at the door , pretending to be "guest's" of the villain, and the heroine gets mad because her husband doesn't let her greet them , since she says that they are guests?
Let me get this.. the women knows the villain is out to get her and two guys show up at her door during a house party dressed as ruffians, with a lower class accent and she somehow thinks these guys are true "guests"? sure.....
Then it gets more unbelievable and silly....For instance, they then play hide and seek... yup.. let's play hide and seek my villain friend.. I know that my lovely sister is here and you are intent on harming us.. but since spy friend said it was a good idea, let us all split up and hide over my 1 million acre estate.. what could go wrong....
I lost all respect for the book by then.. It was surreal. The hero and his old spy friend were like the keystone cops trying to trick the villain. It was unbelievable..
It's a shame really, because the romance piece of the book was wonderful and then 1/2 way through it was like a new author took over.
sex- medium
Violence- Fist a cuff
Shelved as 'dnf'
February 9, 2024I've lost interest. The heroine's sister's behavior is too modern for me. I read reviews with spoilers and know that I will not enjoy the book, so DNF.
April 27, 2018
Not much development re~character arcs so the reader is left with following the newlyweds to Starcross Castle to meet the deadly albatross hanging down Peter's dutiful neck. Having already established that Victoria is on the brink of exploring her rampant sexuality (without thought of self~preservation) and that William is an overindulged indolent parasite trading on his expectations capable of murder when thwarted, the outcome is then inevitable. No surprises there. And of course, the Sex (which is what this work is mostly about). Never mind that Contemporary American evolved language (like 'from here on out') found its way into the pages of a book set in 1879 Victorian England. Wrong timeline and wrong country, maybe it is an editing flaw? Sloppy research? There are other present day words and phrases but I do not care anymore. This is a pseudo~Victorian historical romance making the author a dilettante. Not recommended for those who truly appreciate a Fine well~written historical romance authored by someone who really knows her stuff.
August 26, 2018
DNF at 29% when this morphed into a historic FSoG (euw)
I do wish authors would put warnings at the start of a blurb instead of way, way down at the end (I usually read the start of a blurb and either 'pick' the book or 'put it back on the shelf'
This had all the promise of a decent romance with an older man and a 'spinster' who is still young
However. It turned into FSoG pretty early on.
No. The 'Steam' level is not 'Hot' - its more..... tepid, boring and totally ridiculous. A hotel porter who tells them where to find the BDSM items in a hotel drawer?? A hotel that actually HAS such things available in a room?? WTF???
I wanted to laugh., but it was all too pathetic.
I do wish authors would put warnings at the start of a blurb instead of way, way down at the end (I usually read the start of a blurb and either 'pick' the book or 'put it back on the shelf'
This had all the promise of a decent romance with an older man and a 'spinster' who is still young
However. It turned into FSoG pretty early on.
No. The 'Steam' level is not 'Hot' - its more..... tepid, boring and totally ridiculous. A hotel porter who tells them where to find the BDSM items in a hotel drawer?? A hotel that actually HAS such things available in a room?? WTF???
I wanted to laugh., but it was all too pathetic.
August 26, 2018
No comment
Any review I would give this book would have to be awful so I will do as I was taught and say nothing.
Any review I would give this book would have to be awful so I will do as I was taught and say nothing.
August 14, 2024
Okay. I could not understand why her sister liked the nephew. When everyone knew how evil he was.
August 30, 2022
4 Stars
This was difficult to rate. There were parts of it that I loved, like the silver fox, gentle hero, a sprightly heroine, the mystery, the romance and the steam. Well, that's almost everything a book has to offer, but here's the thing, Peter was a wimp, for most of the second half of the book. I don't mind a beta hero, but buckle up man, someone is trying to kill your new wife! WTF is wrong with you? The epilogue was cute though.
This was difficult to rate. There were parts of it that I loved, like the silver fox, gentle hero, a sprightly heroine, the mystery, the romance and the steam. Well, that's almost everything a book has to offer, but here's the thing, Peter was a wimp, for most of the second half of the book. I don't mind a beta hero, but buckle up man, someone is trying to kill your new wife! WTF is wrong with you? The epilogue was cute though.
May 28, 2022
Fairly well done historical, May/December, she’s 27 and he’s 50.
Enjoyed the first 125 pages and the last 100, but the middle bogs down with too much emphasis on the evil nephew.
3 stars.
Enjoyed the first 125 pages and the last 100, but the middle bogs down with too much emphasis on the evil nephew.
3 stars.
July 5, 2024
Mariah and Peter
This is such a lovely story! Miss. Mariah is worried about becoming a spinster. And then she finds out from her father that she is to married.
At first she was upset for not being told awhile ago. When she meets Lord Peter a widowed Earl she likes him.
He has a sad past because of his deceased wife. Mariah and Peter go through a lot because of his irresponsible nephew.
There’s a lot of drama and tragedy in the book. But their love and good news overcomes all!
I really enjoyed reading this book!
This is such a lovely story! Miss. Mariah is worried about becoming a spinster. And then she finds out from her father that she is to married.
At first she was upset for not being told awhile ago. When she meets Lord Peter a widowed Earl she likes him.
He has a sad past because of his deceased wife. Mariah and Peter go through a lot because of his irresponsible nephew.
There’s a lot of drama and tragedy in the book. But their love and good news overcomes all!
I really enjoyed reading this book!
August 30, 2018
Nearly all the charcters are despicable:
- the hero, a fifty year old ex soldier now earl for at least the last 20 years, has no backbone and is just a doormat;
- the nephew, an over the top spendthrift having gone through his inheritance of an estate by his ducal mother, impertinent and rude;
- the heroine's sister, a foolish, selfish, ignorant, impertinent young woman without any manners;
- the heroine, a self imposed spinster, bookworm
Instead of putting his nephew in his place the earl tolerates his nephew humiliating his wife, the countess, always afraid to utter the phrase"leave my house". I did not get the plotline that the earl's younger brother wrote in his will that the earl had to provide shelter in his castle for the wayward nephew otherwise said nephew would get half of the earl's estate. It was never explained why the earl would agree such a clause and why this clause in his brother's will would be binding for him.
The earl never defended his wife against rude behaviour of other dinner guests.
It was no fun reading this book. The language was too contemporary as well.
- the hero, a fifty year old ex soldier now earl for at least the last 20 years, has no backbone and is just a doormat;
- the nephew, an over the top spendthrift having gone through his inheritance of an estate by his ducal mother, impertinent and rude;
- the heroine's sister, a foolish, selfish, ignorant, impertinent young woman without any manners;
- the heroine, a self imposed spinster, bookworm
Instead of putting his nephew in his place the earl tolerates his nephew humiliating his wife, the countess, always afraid to utter the phrase"leave my house". I did not get the plotline that the earl's younger brother wrote in his will that the earl had to provide shelter in his castle for the wayward nephew otherwise said nephew would get half of the earl's estate. It was never explained why the earl would agree such a clause and why this clause in his brother's will would be binding for him.
The earl never defended his wife against rude behaviour of other dinner guests.
It was no fun reading this book. The language was too contemporary as well.
May 8, 2022
I enjoyed Peter in the earlier stories and it was great to see him happy again.
Tagged sexual abuse and dubcon because what Peter's late wife did to him was dubious consent at best.
Tagged sexual abuse and dubcon because what Peter's late wife did to him was dubious consent at best.
February 5, 2018
Started out decently, but the plot and the characters of the newphew and sister got more and more ridiculous as the book went along. Everything became rather one dimensional and OTT after Peter and Mariah returned to Starcross Castle.
The editing was good and the scenes between the H and h that built their romance were interesting. Unfortunately, a thinly developed plot got in the way.
The editing was good and the scenes between the H and h that built their romance were interesting. Unfortunately, a thinly developed plot got in the way.
June 7, 2019
Too much angst
The manipulation by William in the story is over the top. There is conflict and there is this type of basic evil. Writers of Historical novels, your readers don’t read Romances to be anxious over the threat of evildoing to the hero or heroine.
The manipulation by William in the story is over the top. There is conflict and there is this type of basic evil. Writers of Historical novels, your readers don’t read Romances to be anxious over the threat of evildoing to the hero or heroine.
Want to read
April 18, 2024💝 FREE on Amazon today (4/23/2018)!💝
September 3, 2023
So there are a few authors I read that I call my “go to” authors. Merry Farmer is one of those authors. I have read all my "regular read" authors new releases and looking for more to read until the next group of new releases come out. Nothing against not calling her one of my “regular authors” because I really enjoy her books and always get a good read. I just picked up her books way later than some of the other authors I read. I like to know I have some good authors to fall back on and also I can actually read a whole series back to back and not have to wait in-between each new release within the series. This is actually my 14th book by her. I read her the first time when she wrote Second Chance Manor series that she wrote with Scarlett Scott and Caroline Lee.
I loved Mirah and Peter. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the age gap but it didn't bother me at. I really enjoyed this story and their chemistry. I liked the intrigue and their dealing with Peter's asshole nephew. I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Can't wait for Book 2.
I loved Mirah and Peter. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the age gap but it didn't bother me at. I really enjoyed this story and their chemistry. I liked the intrigue and their dealing with Peter's asshole nephew. I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Can't wait for Book 2.
April 28, 2024
3.5/5
I was really enjoying this book. Even Mariah's annoying sister I could deal with at first. Peter and Mariah really are a good match personality wise. She seems quiet and docile, but she is intelligent, quick-witted, with a strong sense of self. I admire that so much. She did what was best for herself and showed kindness and compassion for Peter that he needed in his life. Peter was also a stand up gentlemen. A good match for Mariah. He suffered unimaginable loss and was stuck with the worst type of family. Both Mariah and Peter had that in common, too. I hate William. He was awful and honestly should have been killed from the get-go. Victoria is also the most horrible person. I hope she doesn't get a happy ending because she sure as hell doesn't deserve it. She was horrible to Peter and her sister and did everything in her power to ruin any semblance of happiness for Mariah. Then the dumb ass decisions she made when at Mariah's home. She has no respect and doesn't care about anyone but herself. William got what he deserved. I just wish he would have had a bit more pain and torture before he 💀. He deserved a hell lot more. Both William and Victoria ruined the book for me. Luckily, there were enough good parts for me to rate it higher than some other reviewers.
I was really enjoying this book. Even Mariah's annoying sister I could deal with at first. Peter and Mariah really are a good match personality wise. She seems quiet and docile, but she is intelligent, quick-witted, with a strong sense of self. I admire that so much. She did what was best for herself and showed kindness and compassion for Peter that he needed in his life. Peter was also a stand up gentlemen. A good match for Mariah. He suffered unimaginable loss and was stuck with the worst type of family. Both Mariah and Peter had that in common, too. I hate William. He was awful and honestly should have been killed from the get-go. Victoria is also the most horrible person. I hope she doesn't get a happy ending because she sure as hell doesn't deserve it. She was horrible to Peter and her sister and did everything in her power to ruin any semblance of happiness for Mariah. Then the dumb ass decisions she made when at Mariah's home. She has no respect and doesn't care about anyone but herself. William got what he deserved. I just wish he would have had a bit more pain and torture before he 💀. He deserved a hell lot more. Both William and Victoria ruined the book for me. Luckily, there were enough good parts for me to rate it higher than some other reviewers.
November 7, 2018
Really enjoyed this one! The hero is much older than the heroine (like close to her dad’s age) and is actually a friend of her dad. But oh boy the chemistry between the two!! He is a widow with no kids and has to get an heir or his nephew who is the villain for the story would inherit. So the drama unfolds as he tries to create issues between the H and h.
Highly recommend
Highly recommend
July 6, 2019
This was a very enjoyable read, the main characters, Peter and Mariah were very likeable characters and I loved their growing relationship. I also enjoyed that they were an older couple, particularly with regards to Peter. However, Peter had kept himself fit and active. However, there are many events that cause them trouble when they arrive at their home, mainly caused by his nephew, William. I know one reviewer mentioned that a number of things wouldn’t have happened at this time but this was such an entertaining read that I found it easy to overlook these. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series.
May 6, 2020
3.5 Stars
This was a new author for me and I really liked her writing. The May-December romance is a favorite trope of mine, so with a hero at 50 and heroine at 27, I was ready for it. If that’s not for you, walk away right now. This however, was not the issue for me. There just wasn’t enough angst or issues here for me to get overly invested. The chemistry in and out of the bedroom was on fire though. :)
This was a new author for me and I really liked her writing. The May-December romance is a favorite trope of mine, so with a hero at 50 and heroine at 27, I was ready for it. If that’s not for you, walk away right now. This however, was not the issue for me. There just wasn’t enough angst or issues here for me to get overly invested. The chemistry in and out of the bedroom was on fire though. :)
April 1, 2024
I’m very torn in my thoughts about this book. There were parts I absolutely loved, such as the tender moments between Mariah and Peter. Then there were the moments that left me utterly dumbfounded, such as every scene involving Mariah’s sister or the ones involving the villain. I enjoyed the story; it kept me entertained, but I’m amazed that so much of this cast survived to see the end of this book.
January 24, 2023
I skimmed a lot. The writing seemed too modern to be late 1800s. I hated Victoria (h’s sister) and William (H’s nephew). They were just too irritating for me to be able to like the story. The whole thing with the villainous nephew situation was pretty ridiculous and just made me not like the story.
October 31, 2018
BORING! made it to 20%, fast forwarded to end and deleted it from my Kindle! If I could give it a score of less than 1 I surely would. Could not get into the story, dull boring characters, except for Virginia who needs an attitude adjustment - never stayed with the book long enough to learn if Lord Peter was able to follow through on his threat to let his housekeeper tune the impetuous brat in! Nearly puked at the constant sexual references and an uncountable number of pages describing Peter and Mariah's first night as husband and wife, and the smirking proud mother who had to comment on the success of her daughter's loss of virginity! As I quickly scrolled through the next 80% and caught numerous other references to their sex life and I got to wondering if the author has any other thoughts for a story line to hold the readers attention.
Again, another series of books I am not going to waste my time and energy on. Will leave all the sexual romanticized prose to the younger generation
Again, another series of books I am not going to waste my time and energy on. Will leave all the sexual romanticized prose to the younger generation
August 28, 2018
May/December romance
Mariah is in her late 20’s, unmarried with few prospects thanks to a fiancé who ran off before the wedding. Her father arranges a marriage for her with Lord Peter, an old friend. Their sense of humor and compatibility was refreshing. At times Mariah was insecure and self centered which was understandable for a new bride. And Peter could have used a backbone when dealing with his nephew. As irritating as these character flaws were, they were nothing compared to Mariah’s younger sister who was silly and stupid. And Peter’s nephew was over the top rude and worthless.
Mariah is in her late 20’s, unmarried with few prospects thanks to a fiancé who ran off before the wedding. Her father arranges a marriage for her with Lord Peter, an old friend. Their sense of humor and compatibility was refreshing. At times Mariah was insecure and self centered which was understandable for a new bride. And Peter could have used a backbone when dealing with his nephew. As irritating as these character flaws were, they were nothing compared to Mariah’s younger sister who was silly and stupid. And Peter’s nephew was over the top rude and worthless.
March 19, 2019
This was a lovely read, and I'll definitely be back to try more from Merry Farmer. The romance is sweet, the writing is nicely done. In the case of this story, much of it is taken up by the plot revolving around the evil nephew as he tries to get rid of the heroine (as any heir she has, obviously, will knock him out of the running for the title and money). I very much enjoyed these two, it was nice to see an older hero (50), though I suppose one could argue that this is more historically accurate anyway, having such an age gap in a marriage during that era.
CW for talk of miscarriages (not the heroine).
CW for talk of miscarriages (not the heroine).
January 27, 2018
A good story.
Older hero who is a dream. Things are really good til they get to the house and his nephew turned up.
Sagged a bit in the middle but will try next book.
HEA.
Older hero who is a dream. Things are really good til they get to the house and his nephew turned up.
Sagged a bit in the middle but will try next book.
HEA.
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