In return for this ARC, I promised a fair and honest review. Nice read about a bluestocking, a rogue and a manuscript.

“More or less a countess” is a wonderful addition to The Somerset Sisters series; however, this story can be read as a standalone novel. Violet is such a dynamic woman but as with any bluestocking, she faces the ridicule of many in the ton. Consequently, she believes that she will never attract any notice and so, she begins to say exactly as she thinks. Nicholas Balfour, the Earl of Dare, appears to be the typical rake, only searching for a wife to appease his grandmother before he return to his mistress in Italy. However, this notion soon changes when he begins to spend time with Violet. The problem is that he believes her to be Hyacinth, not realising that Violet is another Somerset sister.
Both characters seem so polar in their personality, but they are soon captivated by each other and it begins to become apparent, that they complement each other. Nicholas, is hiding from the pain of losing his brother, believing himself to be of little worth to anyone. Violet soon has him believing that maybe life can begin afresh for him. Nicholas wears his ‘heart on his sleeve’ which makes for such a refreshing change in this genre whilst Violet’s determination to make him believe in them as a couple, had me cheering!
Once again, Anna Bradley writes so eloquently, with such delightful characters (and secondary characters), that it will be hard to tear yourself away from this book.
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The story revolves around Violet, a bluestocking and Nick, the Earl of Dare and their unexpected marriage and all of the secrets and deception that led up to their marriage. There are so many misunderstandings that it is a struggle but there is eventually a HEA. The story is very well written and a great read. I would highly recommend this book.

I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I loved how the author created a hero who appeared to be so confident and arrogant, yet had some deep emotional wounds. Nick as a character was very likable and I loved the contrast between arrogant rake and wounded, internally insecure man. The heroine, Violet, had some growing to do as well since her biases led her to make some decisions which caused the people around her some upset.

The interactions between the Nick and Violet were engaging.

This book is part of a series and I really enjoyed the appearance of characters from the other books in this one.

More or Less a Countess is the sweet, sometimes agonizing, relationship between blue stocking Violet and clearly a rake Nick, Earl of Dare. Their initial connection, not meeting, occurs in Lord Derrick’s library. Violet accidentally witness Nick being a very naughty rake. Violet, being an artist, draws a picture of Nick and identifies the rendering as The Selfish Rake. Violet, being a bit of a tease, does so later that same evening when she and Nick speak briefly.

Nick, having heard Hyacinth, Violet’s sister, play a Haydn piece, wants to get to know Hyacinth better. He begs an introduction to her from Lord Derrick. Nick, somewhat impatient, introduces himself to Violet, thinking she is Hyacinth. Violet and Hyacinth look enough alike that they have been mistaken for each other before. Violet is not going to let Nick get away with that at all and thus, proceeds with a bit of teasing.

To her credit, Violet, as Hyacinth, tries to discourage Nick from a relationship, but he is persistent. His aunt is insisting he marry and produce an heir. He believes the innocent Hyacinth will be perfect. He can 'get' an heir on her, then return to his life with his mistress on the continent. As these two begin to spend time together with Nick helping Violet research her book, they begin to develop a friendship that becomes more. All of this with Nick thinking Violet is Hyacinth. And, Violet keeping him away from Hyacinth. Well, you can imagine what happens when they are caught together with Nick still thinking Violet is Hyacinth. To make it worse, he later sees his picture.

There were times I laughed through pages of this book. Anna Bradley’s writings keeps you intrigued with her genuine characters. She allows Nick’s character to be true to be himself. He is a rake with a broken heart from the loss of his brother and mistreatment from his father, but still, he has a good heart that he does not let everyone see. His treatment of Violet throughout their relationship is an honest and loyal one if somewhat anguished. Violet’s reaction to Lord Derrick’s marriage is sincere at the time, but misinterpreted by Nick once he has seen her 'secret' pictures. Violet stays true to her blue stocking character, too. Both are strong, kind and honest, even when it hurts.

You will laugh, maybe even cry as you read through Violet and Nick’s romance, but you will, also, thoroughly enjoy it.

Review excerpted from my blog post:

My Rating: 4 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library Romance collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.

Number of titles I have read by this author: 2

Love story speed: Slow burn (ish) – there are a fair number of teasing naughty bits

Relationship dynamics: The Emotionally Damaged Rake with a Title (H) / The Bluestocking Confirmed Spinster (h); elements of The Love Triangle.

Sexual content: A fair amount. Sex between H/h is mostly romantic, “onscreen,” and explicit; a fair amount of the sexual content consists of sexual acts other than intercourse.

Triggers: Some violence against h (not by H)

Grammar/Editing: There are a couple of typos. I hope that, as this is an ARC, they will be corrected in the published version. However, the typos in the first book in the series were not, so I’m not confident that these corrections will be made.

Review: My review for this book could be taken nearly verbatim from my review of the first book in the series (See review here: https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2018/07/27/more-or-less-a-marchioness-by-anna-bradley/). That is, this book suffers and excels mostly in the same ways, but to different degrees. The narrative is more melodramatic than the first book and it definitely seems as if the author has her own formula that she more-or-less sticks to. However, I would not rate the book lower than the first one because of that, as it is a formula that seems to work. It’s possible that it is only obvious because I read the novels back-to-back. The novel is still well-written and the pacing is good. The historical details, again, seem consistent and accurate. This book does include footnotes for some details.

Nick and Violet are both fascinating characters but, while very well-developed, some of the character development transitions almost have a “light switch” quality – one moment the characters act one way, and then suddenly they act another. Some of the conflict between the H/h therefore seemed slightly overdone. The supporting characters are now familiar, but re-introduced in a way that means that you would not need to read the first book to understand the second (although if you read this book first, you will probably end up going back and reading the first one as well).

I am still looking forward to the next novel.

Junk food version: This novel was the second bag of chips referenced in my review of the first book. I consumed it equally quickly, enjoyed it only slightly less, but now I think I’m going to switch to chocolate until the next book comes out.

Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This lovely romance is the story of a man with the lowest self-esteem I’ve read in a long time and a bluestocking who pursues knowledge for a book she is writing at almost any cost. It is well written, well-paced, and it is populated with well developed, very relatable characters. While it is part of a series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone. You’ll also appreciate many delightfully funny moments like a hilarious inappropriate discussion of ‘barrier devices’ (condoms) or – like –

“But damn it, how was a gentleman meant to embark on a courtship when the object of his pursuit was half-drowned in mud and so preoccupied with the skeletal remains of plague victims she hadn’t even noticed how utterly delightful he was?”

Nicholas Balfour, the Earl of Dare never expected to inherit the Earldom. That was to fall to his perfectly perfect brother Graham. No matter how hard Nick tried, he could never, ever be as good as Graham in anyone’s eyes – especially his father – and even his own. Nick had spent the last two years hiding from himself and presenting the picture of a debauched rake to everyone. Nick had tried to fill Graham’s shoes for a while, but nothing he did was ever good enough in his father’s eyes – so he left for the continent with no intention of ever returning to England. However, his aunt had different ideas – and she held the purse strings – because Nick’s father let the estate run into the ground and any monetary inheritance would come from her. So, if Nick wanted any income at all, he had to return to England, marry and produce an heir.

When Nick was first back in England he attended a social event at Lord Derrick’s home. There he notices a very shy young lady who plays the pianoforte like a virtuoso. Hmmmmm, Nick thinks he’s found the perfect bride – Hyacinth Somerset. He can marry her, get a child on her and leave for the continent once that duty is done. No fuss, no muss!

Violet Somerset endured one endless, tormenting season where she was ridiculed, mistreated and gossiped about because she was a bluestocking. There was no way Violet was ever going to endure another season and therefore, she would never marry. She was also heartbroken because the one man who had treated her well and who she had loved, had recently married her best friend. So, Violet’s one ambition was to finish the book she was writing and illustrating. All she needed were a few more sketches from places where ladies were not free to go.

Violet, Hyacinth and their grandmother attend a dinner at Lord Derrick’s home. Violet is a bit upset because Lord Derrick is the man she has loved and who is now married to her best friend. Then, a latecomer appears and is seated directly across from Violet’s sister Hyacinth. He is the notorious rake, Lord Dare. Then, later Lord Dare approaches Violet and asks if he can call on her – she knows he has mistaken her for Hyacinth. Well – there is absolutely no way she’s going to let this rake anywhere near her sweet, shy and lovely sister. So, she lets him continue to think she is Hyacinth and tells him he is not welcome to call on her. That, of course, doesn’t stop Lord Dare.

Nick becomes more and more intrigued with ‘Hyacinth’ and Violet continues to let him believe she is Hyacinth while she allows him to escort her to places she wouldn’t normally be able to go. She also begins to care for Nick and knows that she has to tell him who she really is – but she’s afraid she’ll lose him and he’ll pursue the real Hyacinth. She knows he’ll find out sooner or later and when he does . . .

Poor Nick is so troubled and if it was possible to grab his father from the grave and murder him – I would. He always made Nick feel as if he were second best and was unworthy of love – especially his father’s. I hate all Nick had to go through to get his HEA, but he is a lovely, lovely hero and I really liked him.

For me, this was a 5-star read for most of the book. I did deduct a half of a star because the ‘big misunderstanding’ scene seemed contrived to me. For an overnight stop, there is no way a footman would mistakenly unload ALL of the trunks from the carriage. I mean – goodness – he’d just be creating work for himself and then he’d have to re-load them all the next morning. Then – the maid employed by the coaching inn wouldn’t be unpacking ALL of those trunks for an overnight stay. Actually, she wouldn’t be unpacking them at all – Violet’s lady’s maid would unpack only what she needed. So – half a star deduction.

I highly recommend this book – and this series.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

Wonderful story of a bluestocking, Lady Violet, who has simply decided that since she was unsuccessful in her single foray into romance, she will remain forever a spinster. Lady Violet’s formidable grandmother isn’t having any of it, or any of this business of her writing a peculiar tome for other bluestockings like herself. At an evening gathering,Violet is mistaken for her more timid sister, by an exceedingly attractive rake, Lord Nicholas, and the two end up in a plot that involves a series of misunderstandings, curious slip ups, and bald faced lies- along with huge doses of hilarity!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book that had exceptional banter, a unique heroine, a rake who was better than one ought to be, as well as a cast of colorful characters to assist in the tale. The story had humor, and depth, as the author wrote a narrative that gave reason for the behavior and feelings of both the main characters that also brought a wealth of emotion into the story.
I highly recommend this book to readers of regency romance and am so looking forward to a match for Hyacinth.

"More or Less a Countess" by Anna Bradley
I loved this story. I was gifted a copy of this story via NetGalley and I had a most wonderful 8 hours or so in the world of Violet & Lord Dare. Two people who truly fit together like a hand and a glove. But will they have what it takes to find their way through to the perfect fit.

Watch out for promises to Grandmothers!
She’d rather be a spinster but promises she’ll attend one London season.
He enjoys the life of a rake but promises he will wed.
Nicholas Balfour, Earl of Dare, has found the perfect meek, mild miss to be his wife. He’ll marry her and place her in the country leaving him free to return to his rakish ways in London. Except his miss isn’t as mild and meek as he thinks.
A case of mistaken identity gives Violet Somerset the perfect opportunity to protect her sweet and innocent sister from the Devil of Dare. What she learns about the man goes against all she knows.
As Violet’s ruse and Nicholas’ pursuit continues, feelings start to change. When the truth comes out can love conquer all?
Delightful tale by Anna Bradley! A heroine with a spine of steel and the will to protect a loved one and a hero who’s tough on the outside with a deep sense of family love, loyalty, and enough compassion to forgive.

It's hot outside. Summer refuses to cool down. My best advice is to kick back in an air-conditioned room with a comfy chair and read a good book. On August 7th you can pick up a copy of More Or Less A Countess by Anna Bradley and enjoy the, once again, lovely journey she's given us. Ms Bradley knows how to make the early 1800's seem heavenly with come-out seasons and house parties.

Our hero is Nicholas Balfour, Earl of Dare. He's a lovely guy but he's sad and angry inside and not on the cover darn it. Nick is trying to control things around him since his life seems to be a mess. His aunt has decreed Nick will marry and do it asap. Our heroine is Violet Somerset, a self-confessed bluestocking. All the Somerset sisters are knock-outs, golden haired, blue-eyed ladies the men are crazy for. Except Violet who can't manage to act like a simple minded damsel in distress. Our hero mistakes Violet for her sister, Hyacinth, she doesn't correct him and here we go..

Nick and Violet each have their secret reasons for playing this "courting" game. As time passes Violet realizes Nick isn't like other rogues and she begins to fall in love with man he really is. In getting to know each other guilt sets in about the game but neither can fess up and say goodbye. When they're caught together a hasty marriage occurs. Violet wants to help the man she loves and married, but how to soothe his hurt and bring joy to his life again is a wonderful part of this story. Violet turns out to be a wise woman and Nick finally realizes that the bluestocking was just the mate for him. The journey of these two characters involves emotions from A to Z..

The Somerset and Sutherland families have been twining together since 2015. The handsome man on the cover of the first book caught my attention but the story kept me coming back again and again. More Or Less A Countess has a marvelous romantic ending. I'm not telling so you'll have to get your hands on the book to read the journey and the happily ever after we readers demand. Stay cool, hydrated and happy reading.

More or less nothing..I loved this book! Why has this author not been on my book radar? Even though this is the second in a series, you do not have to have read the first book! But like me, you will want to after reading this one! This book had me from the beginning and never let go. I was seriously reading everywhere (work, the grocery, you get it) and I could not put it down! I always like a bluestocking heroine and Violet did not disappoint. She had me laughing out loud several times, which is very weird when you are supposed to be working, and your coworkers are staring! Go get a book will ya, geez! Anyway, Violet pretends to be her sister, Hyacinth, to keep her away from our loveable rake, Nick, Lord Dare. Poor Nick just needs a wife, any wife, so he doesn’t even notice the bait and switch. In his mind, aren’t they all the same? Well, not Violet, who is interested in some very unusual things and unlike anyone else he has ever met. Of course, she does play up the weirdness a bit to run him off but it doesn’t work and you can imagine the rest! The whole ‘courtship’ between these two was so much fun! This book also had several swoon worthy moments, “desire, it’s not something an innocent young lady like you should trifle with, especially not with a man like me.” (as his hands close over her shoulders and…) You will just have to read it! The last 1/3 of the book played up the tortured hero a bit when I didn’t think he was so tortured at the beginning, but it did nothing to distract how much I enjoyed reading this book. Can’t wait to read more from this author! I received a free copy from the publisher for my honest review, and here it is! Get it, read it, laugh, swoon, and really love it!

I really enjoyed this read. Anna Bradley is such a talented writer. The author’s note she included is a great example of the research excellent writers undertake in order to craft rich characters and situations. Another of my favorites, Lisa Kleypas, does this as well.

This book did have echoes of a book I feel like I've read before, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the read. The hero, Lord Dare, and the heroine Lady Violet, are a perfect example of how opposites can enrich one another.

Great read!

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When I first started this book I thought, oh no I can see a not so glowing review coming. I did not like Violet at all. She was manipulative and not caring and immature. But as the story progressed I found that she was remorseful and tried to do what she could to show that she was not unfeeling. Nick, on the other hand, I loved right away. He was funny, a rake of the worst sort, and his life was not as simple as he portrayed to the rest of the world. The relationship between Nick and Gibbs is worth the price of reading the book alone. There were some twists that did not follow the “romance novel” norm that I particularly liked. In the end I really liked the story and I was touched by their HEA.

I absolutely loved the book. I did think at first that it was going to be just another typical rake falls in love with bluestocking and they get married novel, but boy was I wrong. It is so much more than that! Yes Nicholas Balfour, the Earl of Dare, is a rake, and yes Violet Somerset is a bluestocking that is only the beginning of their story.
Violet is the epitome of an english bluestocking, she can't dance, can't make smalltalk, would much rather be reading a book or out having an adventure and learning somthing then standing in a crouded ballroom talking with eligable bachalers. Noone, including herself, would ever expect her to be courting a handsome young Earl, until she decides to save her younger sister from the Devil of Dare, and have some fun of her own in the process. Nicholas, Earl of Dare, is not at all what she expected him to be, but then he also thought he was going to be courting shy and quite Hyacinth Somerset, not at all the person he now has.
This is an incredible store of two people who, despite so much deception, and secrecy, learn to love each other and overcome so much together. I laughed out loud, scaring my husband awake a few times:) I cried, I cheered them on, it was just a great book and I will definitely be looking for more books in the future from Anna Bradley

I really enjoyed this read. I liked Violet's pursuit of knowledge and I even learned a few things myself (like who Charles Byrne was). Her adventures in London make me want to visit there to see the places she sketched. I liked how protective Lord Dare was of Violet. I thought the little things he did to ensure her safety were sweet and showed what a caring person he was. I thought they had great chemistry as a couple. I also liked Violet's sisters and look forward to Hyacinth's story, which is hopefully next. The reason for my star deduction is that I disliked the scene with Lord Dare in the library in the beginning of the book. This scene didn't set up Lord Dare for the reader to like him and I just kept thinking how awful it would be to see your future husband be with someone else. I also wished they'd talk to each other more as their misunderstandings seemed too numerous and could have been avoided had they spoken to each other more. Those elements aside, I enjoyed the read and would recommend it!

I had been ready to give up on Anna Bradley, because while her books are always well written, she seems intent on punishing female characters via revenge plots. The last 2-3 books in the Sutherland series were particularly bad in this regard and had me at the point at which I didn’t think I would read her again. I decided to give More or Less a Countess one last chance, and I’m very glad I did. For the most part, I loved this book. Violet and Nick were wonderful characters—especially Violet, Yes, at times the “big misunderstanding” device grew tiresome, and there were a few moments where it felt like Bradley was falling back into the punishing the heroine trope. Fortunately, that didn’t go too far. Glad I gave her another chance.

Violet Somerset looks so much like her younger sister Hyacinth that the rakish new Lord Dare, in need of a wife and determined to get it over with in speedy fashion, begins to court her under the mistaken impression she is the shy musical prodigy he had heard such wonderful things about. Instead, it is the bluestocking, trouble-prone Violet who becomes the object of his perfectly inappropriate attention, which is fine by her – she wants to learn more of the world, and Dare has little compunction about teaching her things delicate unmarried ladies aren’t supposed to know. But when they are caught out, Dare insists they marry, and while Violet is furious that he has blackmailed her into the match, she is still very curious about all those things she has yet to learn... This book is just like Violet herself: amusing, maddening, improper and quite captivating. – Clara Shipman

This review appears in Romantic Intentions Quarterly #2.

I loved the characters in this story. Violet was engaging and interested in more than just balls and gowns. While I also liked Nick, I was frustrated with his behavior and I think the author meant for me to be. 4.5 stars.

Wow! I was so enthralled by this story and wrapped up in the characters that I cringed at times, cried at others, but, more importantly, I rejoiced in the true love that enveloped Violet and Nick. After the lies, secrets, drama, selfishness, and stubbornness exhibited by Violet and Nick, it’s a wonder they ended up tolerating each other let alone fall in love. Impossible. But the author weaves an unlikely story into an satisfying outcome.