Monday, August 13, 2018

Susan's review of Born to be Wilde by Eloisa James




The richest bachelor in England plays matchmaker…for an heiress he wants for himself!

For beautiful, witty Lavinia Gray, there's only one thing worse than having to ask the appalling Parth Sterling to marry her: being turned down by him.

Now the richest bachelor in England, Parth is not about to marry a woman as reckless and fashion-obsessed as Lavinia; he's chosen a far more suitable bride.

But when he learns of Lavinia's desperate circumstances, he offers to find her a husband. Even better, he'll find her a prince.

As usual, there's no problem Parth can't fix. But the more time he spends with the beguiling Lavinia, the more he finds himself wondering…

Why does the woman who's completely wrong feel so right in his arms?






The attraction between socialite Lavinia Gray and business man Parth Sterling has been sizzling since the first book in the Wilde series. The couple bickers constantly. Parth believes that Lavinia is a vapid socialite who collects bonnets; while she tells Parth he is rude and calls him “appalling Parth”. Even though Parth and Lavinia claim they don’t like each other-they can’t stay away from each other.

Lavinia has discovered that her mother has stolen her inheritance. Lady Gray spent the dowry and took Lavinia’s jewelry and her niece Diana’s emeralds sold them and replaced them with copies. Lavinia decides to marry a wealthy man and proposes to Parth who turns her down flat. However, he does offer to find her a husband! This well- written scene had me laughing out loud and drew me into the novel.

Lavinia eye for color, fabric and fashion earns her a paying job at Felton’s fabric shop. Lavinia has been tasked with designing the future Duchess of Lindow’s wedding gown and trousseau and the gowns for the entire Wilde family. Lavinia becomes immersed in her job designing and sewing the gowns needed for North and Diana’s wedding. She is able to repay some of her mother’s debts. Parth‘s feelings toward Lavinia change when he acknowledges Lavinia’s talent as a designer and his desire for her. I adored the scene when Parth brings Lavinia to the castle’s solar. This scene is touching, emotional and perfectly written.

Eloisa James weaves several important themes in Borne to be Wilde. She carefully balances Lavinia’s desire to earn her own dowry and payback her mother’s creditors with Parth’s overwhelming desire to solve her financial issues. Ms. James also weaves in Lady Gray’s addiction to laudanum, Lord Jeremy’s PSTD and North and Diana’s wedding into the plot. I adored all of the characters in the novel; especially the pragmatic Lady Knowe.

Eloisa James has written a fabulous romance; it’s emotional, poignant and the dialogue is fabulous. This romance captivated me because it was so much fun to see this couple fall in deeply in love! I adore Ms. James’ epilogues and this one was perfect especially the last sentence!

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

Book purchased from Amazon

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for stopping by!