Review: How to Woo a Reluctant Lady by Sabrina Jeffries

How to Woo a Reluctant Lady (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Book 3) by Sabrina Jeffries

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star (January 18, 2011)

Goodreads Description:

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.
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Of all the Sharpe siblings, I have been looking forward to Minerva's story the most. I think a lot of it has to do with her being a popular gothic romance writer. It is a bit scandalous for her to do that, not to mention she uses her real name instead of a pen name. Minerva isn't some simpering weak-minded female you find in many historical romances, she has a backbone and is intelligent.

In order for the Sharpe sibling to get their inheritance, their grandmother Hettie has made it a condition that they all must marry. That is a tall order for them because they are a bunch of hellions who don't seem to want to marry. When they were children their parents were killed. Speculation is that their mother shot their father, then killed herself because her husband was blatantly faithless to her so much. The Sharpe's feel there is more to the story and are trying to solve the murders because there is so much mystery about what happened that night.

Minerva's main fears about marriage are that her husband will make her stop writing and that he will turn out to be just like her father. Those reasons are all very valid, however when she puts in ad in the paper for a husband (to annoy her grandmother in hopes she will make an exception for Minerva) a man she used to love answers. Giles Masters is a friend of Minerva's brothers and she was in love with him since she was nine until she was nineteen when he broke her heart. Another nine years have passed and in that time she has created a villain in her books that bears a striking resemblance to Griffin which is part of the reason Griffin answered her ad for a husband. He wants to marry her in part because he figures he can get her to stop writing about him and in part because he has had some feelings for her for a long time.

Minerva and Giles's story was a lot of fun to read. They had a lot of personal issues to overcome and things got rocky for a bit but they make a great match. I think it is pretty obvious now after reading this book who the two remaining unmarried Sharpe siblings will end up with and I can't wait to read how it all goes down. The mystery surrounding their parents death seems to get even more mysterious and I have a feeling it won't be cleared up until the last book. In the meantime I will wait impatiently to find out what really happened that night.

5/5

I received this book for review from the publisher. Any opinions expressed are my own.