What A Gentleman Wants (Reece Family Trilogy Book 1)

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Avoid series that cross authors, unless the authors were or became aware of the series identification eg. Also avoid publisher series, unless the publisher has a true monopoly over the "works" in question.

So, the Dummies guides are a series of works. But the Loeb Classical Library is a series of editions, not of works.

Paperback Editions

Home Groups Talk Zeitgeist. I Agree This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and if not signed in for advertising. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms. Reece Family Trilogy Series by cover. Before the Scandal Notorious Gentlemen. Marcus Reece, Duke of Exeter. Related places London, England, UK. How do series work?

Helpers smithli 3 , Conkie 2. Reece Family Trilogy Series by cover 1—3 of 3 show all. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing.

So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story. This one started quite well and had so much potential, it was sad to see that it never reached it. Though well written and interesting, it failed in the most important part: The hero and the heroine find themselves married because of a joke his twin brother played on them. Though their immediate reaction is to hide the fact and live their separate lives as before, they soon find that this is quite impossible and they have to act the happy couple for everyone to see.

There is also a This one started quite well and had so much potential, it was sad to see that it never reached it. There is also a subplot about some counterfeit money that the hero is trying to solve, which unfortunately points to his brother as the culprit. The heroine was nice and gentle and caring all right, but the hero was cold and unkind to her. And the bad thing is, we never see him acting differently before she starts to feel an attraction to him, as she sees him as the man he is, not the duke.

Well, she may have seen him but I didn't. I never saw how, why or when those two people fell in love; they suddenly do. How I may ask, since we only watch them in a couple of occasions together where he speaks barely two words to her. They have so little interaction with each other, it's impossible to feel their connection.

And they fight this 'attraction' again and again, succumbing only to a kiss for almost until the end; no chemistry, no sparks between those two. The ending was also dedicated to the suspense part of the plot, which I ended skimming in order to get it over. I bet I'm not going to remember anything from this book in a week or two. View all 5 comments.

Booklist | Caroline Linden

Feb 08, Ruth rated it really liked it Shelves: I really enjoyed this book. It's written in a moderately intense tone, with lots of point-of-view switches between the characters, which annoyed me very slightly at first, but actually made the whole story much more intimate. The basic plot is quite simple, but the internal dialogue of the hero and heroine, and the hero's naughty brother, is fabulous, and makes it quite an addictive read.

I even liked the heroine's daughter in it. Normally, I find that children have no place in HRs, but, like all I really enjoyed this book. Normally, I find that children have no place in HRs, but, like all the characters, she felt so realistic that it didn't bother me at all. The situation the heroine is placed in is awful, and, on the surface, sounds completely unbelievable, but actually marriage in this period was a much more haphazard, iffy thing.

Lots of people never did really get married at all, others used fake names if they had a previous marriage which turned into a mistake you couldn't divorce unless you were very wealthy , and anyone could be dubiously married in the Fleet Prison, for as long or short as you wanted. So, actually, the premise is more realistic than it sounds.

I also loved how the characters place the heroine into a completely impossible situation. She's been emotionally blackmailed into doing the most ridiculous thing, and is surrounded by a complete cold-fish, his matchmaking, shopaholic stepmother, and his step-sister, who is far too romantic for her own good, and clinging on to her last year as a child by her fingernails. She's been dumped in this situation by a man who's done a runner and her daughter loves it there. I can't imagine what I'd do in that situation.

The development of the romance itself is also well-written. They don't fall into bed at the first opportunity, and the steamy bits were kinda vague, but the sexual tension and attraction is smokin' hot. The plot switch and change of pace towards the end also surprised me a bit, mainly because it worked so well. Normally, when suspense is thrown into a Regency HR, after the romance bit is quite well-developed, it falls flat for me, but it really didn't here. So, maybe after writing this review, I'd give it closer to 4.

View all 4 comments. The suspense is decent, and it has such an intimate feeling to it, partly because we get so much of the hero's POV. The "newly married to a stranger" relationship starts off cool and distrustful, warms to friendship and trust, and finally blazes into passion. That first erotic love scene! The explicit love scenes felt honestly emotional. David, an irresponsible rogue with good inte 4.

David, an irresponsible rogue with good intentions, impersonates his older brother Marcus, the Duke of Exeter. Signing the duke's name, he marries Hannah, a widow with a young child. When Marcus discovers what David has done, he feels compelled to continue the farce, staying married to Hannah until David returns.

To protect his stepmother and sister from losing faith in their beloved David. Quite a stretch, yes? The problem is -- David has gone missing foul play! Long enough for Marcus to fall in love with Hannah. At first cold and aloof, our hero heats up nicely: Dark hair covered his chest, narrowing down to his stomach. His eyes never left her, those dark, dark eyes she couldn't look away from. He put her in mind of a powerful animal, muscles taut and coiled, ready to spring -- at her.

Sizzling, and the loving between Marcus and Hannah feels real.

He kissed her desperately, his hands shaking as they raced over her, too wild with urgency to linger anywhere. God in heaven, how long has he wanted this, to have her A decent suspense thread runs throughout the story: This thread did not fully develop until the second half of the book, but the author alluded to it in the first half.

I especially liked the scene with the pearls, up on the roof. The few scenes with young Molly were sweet -- especially when she is talking with the Duke, calling him Extera. Linden writes decent children's dialogue. View all 11 comments. This is a re-print of a previously published work, I read a digital ARC of this reprint Hannah is about to lose her home having been recently widowed. Her only option is to move her and her daughter back to her father's house which is a daunting prospect because he is recently remarried and doesn't really want them.

As she is preparing to move there is a carriage accident and she takes care of the victim David. After learning of her problems and feeling grateful, David offers 3. After learning of her problems and feeling grateful, David offers her a marriage of convenience promising to look after her and her daughter. However, the night before the wedding David has second thoughts and on the day of the wedding signs his twin Marcus, Duke of Exeter's name in the marriage register. Unaware of the deception, Hannah goes to London with him where David dumps her but not before telling the newspapers and family of the Duke's marriage.

Marcus is absolutely furious and plans to send Hannah away immediately but can't because of the notice in the paper and his family's arrival in town to congratulate them. I have to admit that I found the beginning of the book a bit unbelievable and read much of it with a raised eyebrow but what followed was a really enjoyable read. The relationship build-up between Marcus and Hannah was very well done, we see the haughty Duke slowly softening towards Hannah and her daughter and watch Hannah come to realise that the man behind the Duke is a really good man.

He does his best to look after everyone, they talk to each other, there are no big misunderstandings between them. There is a side story about a counterfeiting ring and a jealous cousin who is trying to get rid of the twins so he can be Duke which gives some drama towards the end of the book and is wrapped up very neatly. All in all I enjoyed this book, it wont be added to the favourites list but it was fun while it lasted. Once the story focuses on the relationship between the heroine and the older twin, I found it really enjoyable, their journey from married-by-"mistake" to married-for-real was slow and believable, but I would've loved it more if it hadn't been for the last-minute kidnapping, blackmail, and rescue mission.

View all 19 comments. Jul 21, namericanwordcat rated it it was ok Shelves: This is a re-print of a previously published work, I read a digital ARC of this reprint I like forced marriage romances very much. This was a decent read but I didn't love the romance. The pace and logic of this romance was off somehow. I was given this book for my honest review and there you have it. Sep 30, Jane Stewart rated it liked it Shelves: I enjoyed it even though there were logic problems. More romance development would be good.

I had trouble with Hannah seeing the maid sneaking around at night like a spy.

Yet Hannah continues to trust the maid to take care of her precious 4-year-old daughter? Toward the end the author wanted a crisis, so she added some bad guys doing counterfeiting. That was ok, but it was like the last half of a different story. That story was not develop I enjoyed it even though there were logic problems. That story was not developed. It was a way to put the hero in danger, and he did something stupid. He went somewhere alone to confront a group of bad guys with no weapon. He should have taken some guys with guns as back up.

That action did not fit. He was smarter than that. Several times I did not know who was speaking because of illogical line breaks. It caused me to go back and reread a paragraph to figure out who was talking. That should not be required. For example page Some descriptive words follow She could sense rather than hear him approaching. Number of sex scenes: The author is new to me so I am really glad that I got this copy from Netgalley to review it. David is a rake, a unscrupulous rake so his twin brother Marcus Reese, the duke of Essex, who has saved him all the time, sends him off.

On the countryside David has a carriage accident, breaks his leg and a young widow, Hannah, takes him in to nurse him to health. In the end he offers her marriage, in exchange for all the time she spent with him and because she is about to lose her house to the new pastor and has to move back in with her father and his new wife. Were David is charming and warm, Marcus is distanced and cold.

You have to love Hannah, who is a cute and lovely woman, a strong young woman.

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But she also sees his other sides, the caring one for his stepmother and sister. Next to this two there have been other great characters in this book — my favorite was Molly. It was a quick read and took my mind off work, which is something not every book is able to do lately. I liked the developments, it was the right timing — not too quick, not to slow, just right. Oh and those love scene … oh my God … I love them.

They were a new definition from hot, especially their first night. I read it on the bus and had to re-read it at home because …I mean a scene likes this on the bus … Rating: Caroline Linden books almost always work for me. So it was cool to look back on one of her earlier stories with this reissue from 10 years ago.

Series by cover

In fact, I plan to pick up the other two parts of the trilogy. But this takes the cake. The thing is, Hannah thought she was really marrying David. Marcus comes off as a cold guy. He is not interested in love. He saves his brother, but he has little patience for him. He is aloof and controlling —and when he first meets Hannah, he is pretty much a jerk to her. But what I liked about him was the man we saw as the ice melted. We watch him learn how it feels to be valued and desired for who he is, rather than what he is.

Meanwhile, Hannah is a likeable heroine.

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She is put in an untenable situation, but she does the best she can for everyone involved, especially her child. She is honorable and honest with Marcus. I liked the heat between them, even when they were at odds with each other. And as they began to see each other as people, I really enjoyed the vulnerability she brought out in Marcus. There is a mystery plot surrounding David and some counterfeiters that brought along some tense moments late in the story.

Mostly it was a vehicle to get all of the characters where they needed to be, emotionally. But overall, it was a quick and engaging read, with a satisfying ending. Sep 27, Kusanagi rated it really liked it Shelves: Donc me voici ayant lu le tome 1 de la Reece Family. Lequel David, boulet si il en est Donc me voici ayant lu le tome 1 de la Reece Family. Cela reste la rencontre entre Monsieur je suis Duc d'ahbitude je commande et les gens me suive pourquoi pas elle et Madame Euh, je fais ce que je veux, d'abord Mar 01, kris rated it liked it.

Hannah is the widow of a vicar and is about to be evicted by the new vicar. David is the twin brother of the Duke of Exetar and proposes marriage. Marcus, the duke, is enraged but allows the farce to stand. I thought there were some really, really well done parts, especially the scene where they have tea together and talk, and when they discuss what's to be done now that David's ruined everything. Much conflict could have been had, but Linden chose to circumvent it and it was refreshing and delightful. Overall, intriguing but not light-me-on-fire great.

Will probably check out additional books by Linden if I come across them, but am not in any great rush to seek them out at this time. View all 3 comments. Jul 01, Steelwhisper rated it really liked it Shelves: Delightful, intelligent and lovely. Oct 25, Gawelleb rated it really liked it.

Reece Family Trilogy by Caroline Linden

Jul 16, Jocelyn rated it liked it Shelves: I'm on a Caroline Linden kick right now Dire s I'm on a Caroline Linden kick right now So this one was interesting. I'm still undecided whether I really liked it or not. First impressions are not always reliable either. And I hate that there was a very minor character named Jocelyn who apparently loves to sleep around on her hubby David is a scoundrel and rake in the first degree who doesn't take any aspect of life seriously. He gambles, sleeps with married women, races his carriage etc. Marcus has always bailed little brother out for the good of the family and especially recently because their younger sister will be making her debut in the next year and he wants her to have the best possible Season.

David is exiled to the country until his latest scandal dies down and while racing She is a widow of 6 months and is facing having to move back with her father as the new vicar comes in and she has no other options. She has the unfortunate task of nursing our resident idiot David back to health after his crash.

He has a second of maturity and offers for Hannah to repay her kindness. He wants to support her and her 4 year old daughter Molly as a thank you and he also hopes he can grow up a bit. And then he has a relapse of idiocy. He purposefully signs his twin brother's name to the registry, takes Hannah and her daughter to London and drops them in the house belonging to Marcus' former mistress Needless to say, both Hannah and Marcus were royally pissed off at David.

However, Marcus was a complete and total bastard of an ass to Hannah when she didn't deserve any of it. She's hurt and humiliated and has to try to explain to her daughter that David decided that he didn't want to be her new dad. On top of that, we have idiot Marcus basically coerce her into lying to his stepmother, sister and the rest of society for the remainder of the Season and then "fade away" into the country to live separate independent lives.

Hannah wants the independence and so she reluctantly agrees. So he acts all bastardy because she unknowingly distracts him, shakes up his monotonous world etc. She's confused because she didn't feel anything for the brother that originally proposed but she gets that special spark when she's near bastard duke. Thrown in a little mystery illegal activity that David may or may not be a part of and voila, you have this quickie read. I definitely hated David for what he did to Hannah and his brother. I know the HEA depended on it but still I originally hated Marcus but in the end I was happy to report that he won me back over to his side.

She thought to sacrifice a potential marriage in the future to make sure that when her daughter was of age, she wouldn't be forced into a marriage in order to survive. She stood up to Marcus when she needed to and I think brought some humanity back to him in the end. I don't know, I just felt a little rushed especially towards the end. Everything was dragging out and then all of a sudden everything came together and then was resolved lickety-split.

I guess this one sets up the next book for idiot David I may have to keep that one on the TBR pile for a little while longer Lately, historical romance novels have been my comfort reads. The men are all very aristocratic Dukes and Earls and the women are often of good breeding but impoverished and needing to make an advantageous match. This one is a little diffe Lately, historical romance novels have been my comfort reads.

However her groom, the feckless twin of the Duke of Essex gets cold feet at the last moment. Instead of fleeing he goes through with the marriage but signs the name of the Duke instead of his own. And our heroine, Hannah, finds herself a very unexpected Duchess. And even more surprised is the Duke himself. The Duke is responsible.

So he convinces Hannah to stay and reside in his home for a while before they will quietly separate and go their ways. Sarah agrees but makes sure that she gets the Duke to acquiesce to her one request. Despite the fact that Marcus is occasionally a little frustrating in his rigidity, I absolutely adored the two of them together. She has raised her daughter herself too — no nurseries, no nannies or governesses.

I really loved how this played out, the story became more and more intriguing with more touches of suspense. Marcus and Hannah had great chemistry and each somehow managed to bring out the best in each other when they were bringing out the worst. The strength of the development of the relationship between Marcus and Hannah, two strangers who end up married to each other was definitely the highlight of the novel and a joy to read.

My review cross-posted from Wit and Sin:

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