How to Woo a Reluctant Lady
Series: Hellions of Halstead Hall #3
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Published January 18th 2011 by Pocket Star

Goodreads Synopsis
The third novel in Sabrina Jeffries's “Hellions of Hallstead Hall” series, featuring the independent and talented Lady Minerva Sharpe.

When a charming rogue proposes she marry him to meet her grandmother's ultimatum, the Sharpe clan's strong-willed sister makes a tempting counter-offer that preserves her inheritance and ignites his imagination.

Lady Minerva Sharpe has the perfect plan to thwart her grandmother's demands: become engaged to a rogue! Surely Gran would rather release her inheritance than see her wed a scoundrel. And who better to play the part of Minerva's would-be husband than wild barrister Giles Masters, the very inspiration for the handsome spy in the popular Gothic novels she writes? The memory of his passionate kiss on her nineteenth birthday has lingered in Minerva's imagination, though she has no intention of really falling for such a rakehell, much less marrying him.

Little does she know, he really is a covert government operative. When they team up to investigate the mystery behind her parents' deaths, their fake betrothal leads to red-hot desire. Then Minerva discovers Giles's secret double life, and he must use all the cunning tricks of his trade to find his way back into her heart.
Goodreads

Review
Intending to thwart her grandmother's ultimatum, renowned novelist Lady Minerva Sharpe puts out an advertisement for a fiancee in the paper, and when her arch-nemesis, Giles Masters, turns up, furious, he may just be the perfect option. Giles has always had a love hate relationship with Minerva, and her latest books seem to play a little too close to home, and he agrees to be her suitor, and try and get Minerva's grandmother off her back, in return for Minerva to stop writing about him. Years ago, they kissed, and it affected them both in so many ways, and turned Minerva into a jaded young lady, who despises Giles' rakish ways, and wanted to hurt him like he hurt her. But, she doesn't know that Giles has been living a double life for so long, trying to find the evidence he needs to restore his family's honour following his father's death, and to change his ways in order to be the respectable figure necessary to become a King's Counsel. So, to suit them both, they form a pretend courtship, that is soon anything but pretend, and they need to deal with the fall out.

I've enjoyed each and every book in this series, and they are getting better and better. Minerva was a hoot, and I adored her. Because of what happened with her parents, and losing them when she was 9, she's been changed irrevocably, and fell for Giles when he was kind to her at the funeral. Falling even harder when she was just entering society, and losing her heart, forced her to create the wicked Lord Rockton figure - most people think it's a parody of her older brother, but it's actually Giles, and it's a way for her to release all her feelings in a somewhat healthy way. Giles, for his part, has been living this double life, spying for the government at night, using his rakish persona to help him hear gossip, etc., and being the respectable barrister by day. He's sick of his double life, and is now trying to recover his reputation, to become an esteemed King's Barrister. To do so, he needs to shrug off his reputation, and marry well, and his own feelings for Minerva mean she's the only one he wants. Of course, because of their history, they rub each other up the wrong way at first, but their arguments soon turn to flirtation, and it's clear that neither is pretending any longer. They come into their relationship from the wrong angles, but it's soon a true melding of minds, and the added bonus of learning more about the Sharpe siblings, and discovering more about the truth about their parent's deaths was excellent. I can't wait for the other books!

Dates Read:
September 9-11, 2020

Rating
4 Stars