Lord Holt Takes a Bride
Series: The Mating Habits of Scoundrels #1
Author: Vivienne Lorret
Published March 31st 2020 by Avon

Goodreads Synopsis
USA Today Bestselling Author Vivienne Lorret launches a charming new trilogy about three debutantes who get more than they bargained for when it comes to the mating habits of scoundrels...

Heiress Winnifred Humphries refuses to marry the odious man her parents have chosen. She’ll marry for love or not at all. But how does a woman know a man truly loves her? Needing answers, she sets out to discover the marriage habits of London’s aristocrats. Yet when her friends kidnap a lord for research, Winn knows they’ve gone too far. Now she’s facing a wickedly handsome scoundrel who wants revenge.

Lord Asher Holt has the perfect plan to free himself of his father’s debts. But when a trio of foolish debutantes abducts him, their scheme ruins everything! Fuming and tied to a chair, Holt overhears that one of them is an heiress. Perhaps he isn’t above a little kidnapping either.

Yet, when the heiress runs away from her own wedding and straight into his waiting carriage, Holt finds himself on an adventure he’ll never forget, falling in love with a woman worth more than any treasure. But will Winn ever believe his heart only desires her... and not her fortune?
Goodreads

Review
When her parents tell her she has to marry an odious buffoon, who's only after her for her wealth, and will be keeping his mistress once he's got his hand on the money, Winnifred Humphries will do just about anything to stop the wedding - even climbing into a waiting carriage and fleeing her own wedding. It just so happens, though, that the lord who she and her two friends 'accidentally' kidnapped the night before was waiting outside the church, and it was his carriage she got into, not the one she expected. For Asher, his father is ruining his life, and is planning on draining the family's coffers, and leaving Asher with nothing, before he dies. Asher has a plan, though, but it all goes wrong when he's kidnapped by three debutantes who want to learn about 'the mating habits of scoundrels', and he's out for revenge. When he hears Winn is an heiress, and suddenly jumps into his carriage, he thinks luck might finally be on his side, and he'll do just about anything to get his hands on her money, and be free from his father, once and for all. But, neither expect to fall for the other, not least throughout a tumultuous series of events across the English countryside.

I've never read one of Vivienne's books before, but this one is one I've been eyeing up for a while, and when I was gifted a copy at Christmas, I couldn't wait to read it! The main premise of the series is that three debutantes: Winnifred, Jane, and Elodie want to create a sort of guide book for other debutantes, after their friend, Prudence is ruined at a party, and sent to live with strict relatives in the countryside. They hope to write their tome as a way to help guide others, and even themselves, on what makes a rake tick. So, Jane and Elodie kidnap Asher, and think to question him. I liked this aspect of the story, and it's definitely setting up the others in the series. For both Asher and Winn, we see that their childhood's weren't too happy, and the three parents we meet are all awful characters. Asher's father hates him, and his mother's memory, and will do anything to make him suffer, whereas Winn's parents treat her abominably. Her mother laments the fact she has a fat daughter, and constantly berates her; her father only cares about selling her off to the highest bidder. When Winn finds the gift that was meant for her fiancee's mistress, her father shrugs it off, and even though both her parents improve with time, I still hated them.

The chemistry, though, between Asher and Winn was fantastic. They get off to a bad start, admittedly, but as they journey together, toward's Asher's aunt, they come to an easy friendship, and then their feelings get too much. I loved the way they were together, how open and honest (about most things) they were about themselves and their lives. They truly cared for one another, and proved it again and again. I will admit, the angsty portion towards the end, when they were separated, took a turn I never expected, and I wanted to shake Winn a little, but the final conclusion was perfect! Roll on book two, and Jane's story!

Dates Read:
January 5-8, 2021

Rating
4 Stars