More or Less a Lady by Anna Bradley
The Somerset Sisters #3

Hyacinth Somerset has always been seen by her family as weak and in need of being protected to the point that she is losing sight of who she could be…until Lachland Ramsey comes on the scene, that is. Lachland runs into Hyacinth at a ball and the first words out of her mouth, followed by her swoon, make things a wee bit more difficult for all of them. But surprisingly enough it is Lachland who sees her inner strength and promotes it in ways that make her realize that there is more strength within her than she once thought.

This is a story of family and of doing what is best for those you love. It is the story of a woman coming into her own. It is also a love story and it was a fun one to read. Sure, there was a nasty female who though the belle of the season left much to be desired and a rather nasty man who was finally put in place but all in all it was the love story of Hyacinth and Lachland and a fun way to spend the day. It did leave me wondering about Lachland’s brother and sister and whether or not they would be getting stories of their own so I will be on the lookout because I do wonder who they will eventually end up with.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Passionate Pen for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I could barely put this book down. Seriously. I started it last night and didn't stop reading until 3 a.m. Then when I started reading this afternoon, I refused to stop until I was finished. Anna Bradley is definitely an auto-buy for me. I loved this story! It's the third book in the series, but can stand alone with absolutely no problem.

Hyacinth is now a favorite heroine of mine. At first she was very shy and timid. Her family dearly loved her, but treated her as if she was made of spun glass, fragile and ready to shatter from every small provocation. It obviously was not doing Hyacinth any favors. And then she met Lachlan...after seeing him at an inn at night and believing that she saw him murder someone.

Lachlan, together with his brother and sister, came to England to escape problems in Scotland after the death of their mother. Before her death, she disclosed to Lachlan that his father was not really his father, and that he was the full brother of an English Lord. Arriving in London to meet his brother, he discovers there is a ball in progress, and he spies a beautiful woman...who proceeds to accuse him of murder and faints.

Thus commences a beautiful story of secrets, change, family and love. This book brought tears to my eyes. It also made me snicker. I particularly found Lachlan's brother amusing. As for romance, Hyacinth and Lachlan were just perfect together. He saw her strength when no one else could. I don't want to give any more of the story away. Just read it! It was all things a good romance should be.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Anna Bradley’s “Somerset Sisters” are must-reads for me (as were the Sutherland Scandals before them!) She doesn’t disappoint with number 3 in the series. Hyacinth Somerset gets her season off to a really dreadful start when she wrongly accuses Lachlan Ramsey, newly arrived in London, of his very-much-alive brother. The Ramsays, Lachlan, Ciaran and Isla, have left a disastrous scandal in Scotland, to show up on the doorstep of Hyacinth’s brother-in-law, to claim him as family.

Despite Lachlan and Hyacinth's rocky beginning, a friendship quickly develops, and clearly Lachlan sees a Hyacinth that even her family doesn’t completely know. Although we’re out of Somerset sisters, we now have the very interesting Ramsay clan to explore and I very much look forward to their stories.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.25 Stars
Hyacinth Somerset’s debut is the most anticipated event of the season, as it will be the reclusive young lady’s first public appearance. But within moments of being asked to dance by a dashing stranger, Hyacinth calls him a murderer, then faints dead away! Now all the ton is a aflutter over Hyacinth’s baffling shun of their most intriguing newcomer—the wildly handsome Lachlan Ramsey. Recently arrived from Scotland, Lachlan only wishes to claim his place in society to secure his sister’s future. Yet it appears Hyacinth has only damaged her own hopes, inspiring the label of hysteric and ultimately inspiring Lachlan to shelter her from harm. Now if only there were a defence for the surge of feeling he has every time Hyacinth turns her gaze his way.
This is the third novel in the series & could easily be read on its own. I’d eagerly awaited this novel as the books featuring the Sutherlands & Somersets' have been great reads & I loved Iris & Violets’ stories. Whilst I really enjoyed this book it wasn't my favourite & to begin with I was a tad disappointed but the further I read the more I became engrossed. Hyacinth has been molly coddled by her grandmother & sisters so it was very satisfying how Lachlan brought out the best in her. I loved how she grew in confidence throughout the book. Lachlan is a strapping Scot hard on the outside but with a soft centre. They are like chalk & cheese but gradually mesh perfectly together. There were parts that I found hard to believe but it’s fiction so leeway has to be given.
I adored Ciaran & how he spent his time at balls only singling out the wallflowers, I hope he has his story. Isla also has to have her story.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. More Or Less A Temptress is the 3rd Book in Anna Bradley’s engaging Somerset Sisters series. It could be read as a stand-alone but I really enjoyed the other books in this series so recommend reading them all. Hyacinth is the youngest of the Somerset sisters, she has always been quiet and shy but lately is become a bit more and she fears losing herself as she retreats more and more from the world and as much as her family loves her their overprotectiveness is becoming quite smothering. The arrival of the boisterous Ramseys into her family circle shakes things up and her feelings towards Lachlan Ramsey are anything but sisterly. Forced to leave Scotland and to make a new life in England Lachlan Ramsey feels like a fish out of water and worries that the secrets he keep will prevent his family from being accepted into their newly discovered English family. I very much enjoyed this story and read with delight as Hyacinth was able to overcome her fears and grow into a secure and happy heroine. Mild to medium steam. Publishing Date November 13, 2018 #NetGalley #MoreOrLessATemptress

Another home run by Ms. Bradley. I have always been a fan of this author and her stories pretty much tell their own. Beautiful characters and a believable story line...an excellent love story. Beautiful!

"More or Less a Temptress" by Anna Bradley
What an enchanting romp in Regency England. The danger of secrets kept and the empowering strength of bravely believing in oneself. I really liked this story with its twists and turns through a ton season. I was gifted an ARC via NetGalley by the author. And I truly enjoyed my time with the Somerset sisters' family and the Ramsey siblings from Scotland as they managed their way among the ton.

I really love Anna Bradley, but More or Less a Temptress felt a bit lackluster, especially coming after the previous two great Somerset Sisters books.

Anna Bradley's writing is always solid, but I didn't like Hyacinth Somerset from the start, which is sort of a problem... it's kinda a good thing if you enjoy your heroine.

Hyacinth was tiresome and underdeveloped, and while she was made to be meek and coddled by her overprotective family, I didn't like how she just... let them. She got better as the story progressed, but at times she didn't even seem like the same character- her personality changes didn't ring true. And I couldn't see the person from the start of the book getting involved and reacting as she did to the (unnecessary) drama that happened at the end of the story.

The male MC was okay, and I liked him more, but I think his character could have been taken even farther. I was really intrigued about him at the start, but the strange fighting scene seemed to peter out and not amount to much of anything by the end. I mean, the author made it seem like it was a regular thing and then... not really.

I thought the plot moved along smoothly, and I enjoyed the story, but I just found this one to be less than the others in the series.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

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

I really enjoyed watching Hyacinth’s transform in this story, conquer fears and show her true self to others. Lachlan plays a role in this but Hyacinth was ready to make the change. Lachlan is protective but is supportive and doesn’t coddle Hyacinth.

Lachlan’s family backstory is interesting and I found his siblings, Ciaran and Isla, to be compelling characters. I’m looking forward to reading their stories.

This was the first book I read by this author and I had a hard time getting into the story. I felt like it was necessary for me to have read the previous two books in the series to have a good understanding of the deeper plot of the series. I think there were some plot details that would have made more sense had I known the backstory.
Even though the heroine admitted that she felt like she was two people, there were times when her behavior didn't seem to go with her personality - either one of them. She was at times very timid and other times really daring. I had a hard time believing it. I felt that the two parts of her personality were too extreme.
I also felt that there was a lot of overly dramatic dialogue that went on for longer than necessary. I found myself skipping pages and not really missing anything. On the flip side, there were characters who experienced some major life changing events and the book skipped over the impact on the character. For example, a hero from earlier in the series finds out he has siblings he wasn't aware of. We don't really find out how he feels about it other than being pleased. I wanted to know more about how this affected him.
Despite that, I plan on purchasing the previous two books in the series to see if the plot of this book makes more sense.

This book was just OK. I found myself skipping parts of it to get to the more interesting ending. The book spent a great deal of time in ballrooms, not my favorite setting.

This is my fair and honest review for this ARC. what a busy tale. Two Scottish brawling brothers and a sister who find out that they are really only half related, forced to leave the family home due to a false accusation find another brother who is English and a Marquess with a sister-in-law who is "fragile" discover nothing is as it seems. Well written and cheeky story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this third book in the Somerset Sisters series. It is excellently written and the characters were very likable. I say that with just a little surprise because I had read some of the reviews and had expected to thoroughly dislike the heroine. That was not the case, but maybe that is because I actually knew a person with many of the anxiety and panic issues with which our heroine dealt. It wasn’t a situation she chose, it was just who she was. She was not my favorite heroine, but I loved seeing her grow and learn to handle her issues.

Hyacinth Somerset is the last unmarried Somerset sister. All of her other sisters have married in love and scandal, but surely that won’t be the case for sweet, kind, loving, excessively shy and panic driven Hyacinth. Hyacinth had been extremely shy and reserved all of her life. She also had a stutter and was teased mercilessly by other children. Then, at the tender age of fifteen, the fragile and emotionally vulnerable Hyacinth lost her parents suddenly and tragically. Hyacinth just withdrew into herself. She even quit speaking. As she was rebounding from that tragedy, her sisters and grandmother began to coddle her – excessively. They were constantly making her rest or taking her to Brighton to keep her from being ‘overwrought’. After so many years, Hyacinth just bought into all of that, because her family loved her and knew her best, so surely they knew what was wrong with her – besides, it was just easier to go along than it was to actually deal with problems, people and issues.

Lachlan Ramsey, his brother, Ciaran, and his sister, Isla needed to escape Scotland. A horrible event had ruined them in the eyes of their community. As their mother lay dying, she grieved for the tragedy that had engulfed her family, so she imparted some family secrets to Lachlan so he could save them all. That information shocked, saddened and dismayed Lachlan, but he had to share it with his siblings and then do as his mother asked.

Ciaran and Isla were shocked to learn that their parentage wasn’t what they’d thought. Ciaran was particularly belligerent because his betrothed had just dumped him in a cruel and hateful way, and now he learns his family isn’t what he thought it was. Being a big, brawny Highlander who was constantly enraged, he started drinking to excess and brawling with Lachlan.

Coincidentally, the Ramsey’s and Hyacinth’s family were at the Horse and Groom Inn as each family was making their way to London. As had become his habit, Ciaran got very, very drunk. Then, he accused a Lord of cheating at cards and Lachlan had to drag him out before Ciaran ended up in a duel. Ciaran chose to start a brawl, a brutal and bloody one, with Lachlan right in the Inn-yard. Hyacinth had snuck out of her room and stepped outside for some fresh air – just in time to witness the brawl. As she watches, both men become bloodier and bloodier. When one of them is finally knocked out, the other drags him off. Hyacinth immediately believes she’s witnessed a murder – there was just too much blood for him not to be dead – and he didn’t get up again.

A couple of days later, Hyacinth is at a ball, hiding behind a large column, and she sees the murderer. He is staring right at her. Then, he starts toward her! Panic!!! Will he murder her too? Everybody in the ballroom seems to be watching and listening. Especially when Hyacinth says, “You… you k—killed him. You’re a m—m—murderer.” Then she promptly fainted.

That was the beginning of Lachlan and Hyacinth’s relationship. It is hard to picture those two managing to get together and fall in love, but they manage to do it. What I loved was seeing Hyacinth’s struggle and growth and seeing Lachlan encouraging and supporting her. I thought it was a lovely, lovely story.

Was it a perfect story? No. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and nothing about it troubled me overmuch. I thought Lachlan was a little too quick to forgive Hyacinth. Then, at one point, when explaining the Ramsey family, the author says that Ciaran is a bastard. That would NOT be correct – at least not legally. Ciaran’s mother was legally married and that husband did not renounce the child. So, legally Ciaran is the legitimate son of his mother and her husband, even though that husband is not the physical father.

I also had trouble swallowing the details behind the Ramsey’s need to flee Scotland. Given what happened, I absolutely cannot fathom every person in that village turning violently against the Ramseys – especially those friends they had known and loved all of their lives. I just don’t buy it. There were a couple of other things – but – all were minor.

I thoroughly enjoyed the read and absolutely loved Hyacinth’s journey into strength and self-reliance.

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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."

Was I supposed to like our heroine? Hyacinth is afraid of her own shadow! Our hero, Lachlan, deserved much better than her. Good grief. It’s one thing if the heroine acts as she does because she’s hiding something. Not the case here - our heroine could best be described as a doormat. When she finally does show some fire, it’s so far in the opposite direction it’s hardly believable. The romance seemed forced too. So many pages dedicated to the indecision over keeping a blue dress she really liked and didn’t want to say, but then the big HEA at the end is super short and more described how it occurred by the author rather than having a dialogue conversation between the two.

I like Anna Bradley’s novels, but this is probably the least favorite I’ve read. That said, I really hope Isla and Ciaran get a book because I loved their characters.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

Book 3 in the Somerset Sisters series, is Hyacinth Somerset and Lachlan Ramsey’s story; a standalone, happily ever after, historical romance with sizzle.
Two of the most unlikely characters find love in the ballroom of life; Hyacinth is so painfully shy, afraid of the world, dare I say, close to becoming agoraphobic, and Lachlan, a gruff, almost menacing man running from his past, searching for a better future for his sister and brother. The supporting cast, hero and heroine are likeable and well written; the plot is believable; the romance, is well developed and heartfelt. Hyacinth’s coming out of her shell and Lachlan’s tenderness with Hyacinth is so sweet.
I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more of this author and this series.
I received a copy of this story through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

A small thing, but I have loved how the Somerset Sisters are named after flowers, with More or Less a Temptress’s heroine being Hyacinth, following Iris and Violet. Each of the books in the series could be a stand alone, but I have enjoyed reading them in order. Hyacinth comes into her own in this book, but does so pulling and screaming, not literally. We have watched her stand in the corner behind her sisters. Yet, there is a strength in her that she did not even realize was there. Lachlan, our tempting hero, introduces her to herself. At the point Hyacinth realizes she has not really changed, she has just awakened; she takes off and nothing can stop her.

In the prologue, Lachlan finds out his whole life is a lie. Almost on his mother’s deathbed she confesses that he is not really Scottish, nor is the man who raised him his father. Lachlan is an English lord with a marquess for a brother. His mother makes him promise to leave Scotland behind taking his siblings to England to meet the marquess.

Yes, Hyacinth accuses him of murder to start their relationship. The instant confusion is paramount. This romance stirs in Lachlan’s concern for Hyacinth, for Isla, his mischievous brother Ciaran and Lachlan’s desire to keep their past secret, you now have a whirlwind romance.

I loved this book, as well as, the series and would like to see it keep going for Isla and Ciaran. It is an entertaining, delightful read. Anna Bradley has become one of my favorite authors!

The story revolves around Lachlan as he leaves Scotland with his half-brother Ciaran and his half-sister Isla and they arrive in London at the home of his brother Finn who is the Marquess of Huntington. Lachlan only learned of his relation to Finn on his mother’s death bed. Arriving at Finn’s home, Lachlan meets and becomes intrigued with Hyacinth. There is a HEA but before that happens a secret is revealed that could tear this new family apart, a card cheat is revealed and a love is revealed. There are several comical episodes in this book that are exceptionally well written. The book is a good read and I would recommend it. The only thing I would have liked is to have an epilogue at the end of the story.

I enjoyed reading More or Less a Temptress as I do all Anna Bradley books. This is another good book from The Somerset Sisters series. You have the brooding hulk of a Scotsman in the character of Lachlan. You have the debutante in her first “season” coming into her own.
“caught somewhere between the old Hyacinth and the new. Or the old Hyacinth, and the real Hyacinth.”
Always nice to catch up with characters from the previous books. Bradley has also introduced a new family in the Ramseys. Lachlan and his brother Ciaran and his sister Isla are welcome additions to the Somerset extended family. I enjoyed the brotherly teasing between Lachlan and Ciaran and hope to see more of the Ramseys in subsequent books.
All in all, “good ton”.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I very much enjoyed this one! Love the introduction of the Ramseys. Lachlan was the perfect hero. Hyacinth turned out to be strong and witty. I really look forward to reading the rest of this series!

As usual Anna Bradley puts out a great story. Love the characters and hero. A little different but still a great read.