Got always in for a historical book but did not like this one at all which is quite sad as I was looking forward to this book

It was enjoyable. I expected a bit more but I liked the premise. It was fun. Read it if you lice the genre!

Overall, this was a sweet romance with likable characters, though it doesn't quite deliver on its promise. Aaron and Crystal (are those even remotely period names?) were admirable in their desire to do good in their community, and were very earnest (even if Crystal was a bit too naïve at times and Aaron went from "You've got to be nice to that undesirable man, he has connections" to calling that same man out and attempting to have him sent to a penal colony twelve hours later.) Aaron's grandmother, the dowager duchess, was a hoot, and the little girls in Crystal's school were heartbreaking.

I liked that Crystal let it slip twice in public that she thought that women should enjoy sex as much as men did--though surely it wouldn't have been such a shock to all the men in the audience? Sure, they were all members of the ton, but surely they were able to satisfy at least one woman once in their lifetimes...? Okay, maybe not, but surely it couldn't have been that much of a stretch. I get that they're not "supposed" to, but honestly, none of them experienced a woman enjoying herself, ever?

The ending of the story is very sweet--HEA achieved!--but it didn't actually feel as if their relationship obstacles were actually resolved, instead they were just...ignored, I guess? I did want them to be together, of course, I just wanted it to feel like more of a resolution was achieved.

First in a new series--it's not immediately obvious who might be featured in the next series book (honestly, I couldn't even guess--eligible friends and family members aren't exactly thick on the ground--Aaron's brother, maybe?), so I'll be interested to see what direction the author decides to go there.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars / C+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

A super fun Scottish romp. Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Lady Crystal is tired of living under the rule of men. When she talks to a group of men about educating women she catches the eye of Lord Aaron who while captivated about her wanting to change the idea around arranged marriages, he's even more intrigued when she mentions women have passion.

Now Aaron wants to see how much passion Crystal has, but he needs to help her first. Helping her fund the teaching od young girls and

I struggled with this one a bit. I think because it was trying to say something more than it did. I do think it shined a light on how people are more willing to sticking with the status quo rather than thinking about difficult issues.

That being said I didn't really like Crystal or Aaron. Crystal was so naive and it was just not...Idk progressive enough. I think with the times being what they are and hearing that Crystal was so upset about "white slaves," rather than slaves in general just didn't sit well with me. This was a fine enough story this just wasn't for me.

I was excited to read this as it was my first Cathleen Ross book but it was just not for me. There was nothing exciting or astonishing about this as everything felt predictable, boring, and slow. A duke needs to money and heirs so he marries off his son against his will.Suddenly there is a woman who has a voice and speaks her mind, This is the woman who Aaron (the hero) is forced to marry. This was a strong "enemies to lovers" trope, which I am normally a fan of, but it simply did not work in this story. It was poorly written with poorly developed characters. I could not cheer either of them on as they felt shallow and one sided. I will not be continuing with the series.

This book was just another book for me. Nothing that much memorable. It's not like I did not like it, but the plot was a bit predictable, and boring at times. I would say if you really don't have anything else to read - read this.

Sadly, this book was not for me, I was bored and didn't care or much like the characters, therefore, I wasn't invested in their romance or life...

This sounded interesting, but the execution was lacklustre at best. The characters were unlikeable, in fact, the hero turned my stomach. He was sex-obsessed and smarmy. I couldn't find any redeeming features. There are far better romances out there, this one is not worth the time. 

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cathleen Ross pits a bluestocking feminist with a passion for social reform and women’s rights against a man who had sworn never to marry in her Scottish historical romance, An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord.

Lady Crystal Wilding might have been born to great wealth and privilege, but that does not mean that she isn’t aware of the struggles and deprivations working class women face on a daily basis as they do their best to survive in a society that is often hostile and cruel to them. Crystal wants women to have autonomy and agency and not to be treated like mere possessions by men who use them for their own ends. She wants to educate young girls and teach them how to read and write so they can have options and she wants women not to feel embarrassed about their bodies and sexuality and to celebrate their femininity and revel in their womanhood. But in a conservative society, Lady Crystal is seen as an outrageous provocateur who loves nothing more than to shock and scandalise. Her fame has spread all throughout Scotland and although she has her fair share of supporters, she has also plenty of detractors who believe that her views are not fit for public consumption. A woman who practises what she preaches, Crystal vows never to get married, however, when she meet Lord Aaron Lyle, she finds all of her resolves to remain single and unattached crumbling…

Aaron is feeling the weight of his father’s expectations weighing heavily upon his shoulders. With his dukedom on the verge of bankruptcy, Aaron needs to find a rich wife so that he can benefit heavily from her dowry and restore the estate to its former glory. But so far all the simpering misses that have come his way have failed to elicit even the merest twinge of interest or desire – until he meets Lady Crystal. Crystal is strong, feisty, intelligent and opinionated and the more time he spends with her, the more he finds himself falling for her. Yet, Crystal makes it perfectly clear that she is not ready to give up her activism or her freedom to become another man’s possession. But as her feelings for Aaron intensify, is she ready to watch the man she loves wed another woman?

Will Crystal take a leap of faith and a chance on love for a lifetime with Aaron? Or will she let her fears and insecurities get in the way of this unexpected chance of happiness?

Cathleen Ross has a very engaging writing style and a terrific ability to create interesting and well-drawn characters that leap instantly to life. An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord is a funny, dramatic, emotional and sensual historical romance peppered with humor, passion and intensity. Aaron and Crystal were wonderful characters who were strong, independent, opinionated and honorable and their love story is entertaining, compelling and enjoyable. My only qualm about An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord is that the pace often felt a little frenetic and some scenes felt rather rushed, particularly towards the end.

Nonetheless, a Scottish Regency romance featuring a resilient and resourceful heroine and a sexy swoon-worthy hero, Cathleen Ross’ An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord makes for enjoyable escapist reading.

DNF

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. It failed to grab me and after setting it down and picking it up two more times, I decided to not finish it.

I didn't care for this title. It just didn't capture my interest or drag me into it's world. I was just bored at times and I didn't fall in love with the characters. It just ended up being a really tough read.

This book just didn't work for me. I wasn't very interested in either character. I struggled to finish it.
Thank you for the ARC. This was my honest review.

I found this book very difficult to finish. They premise was fine, and one I’ve read and enjoyed before, but the actual writing was not to my taste. Lord Lyle was extremely one dimensional, really only thinking about bedding Lady Crystal. The names felt anachronistic and not of the period, The segue from Crystal thinking about her mission to educate and emancipate women and herself, to quite graphic descriptions of sex were strange, I’m not prudish so I’m not objecting to the sex at all, but these episodes felt jarring, shoved in rather than part of the flow of the story. The problems besetting them being together were also resolved far too easily, and all in all I felt the book felt cobbled together and not a satisfying or compelling read at all.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

This was my first book by Ross and I wish I could say I'd be back for more...but I don't know that I will be. I was drawn to this book because of the beautiful cover and the write up on it sounded like it would be a good read. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my hopes for it. While I really wanted to like the H/H, they just fell flat for me and aspects of their character just turned me away from wanting them to get their HEA. I just couldn't root for them...

A clever, fun Regency romance with a unique heroine and a delicious hero. Ms Ross manages to capture the Regency spirit while giving it a modern twist.

It was such a delight to read this book. I read it in one sitting, not necessarily because of its short length, but because I was so mesmerized by the characters, their story and their fun conversations. It’s one of those books that can offer a great reading time.

Ok, why do I like it? We have one lord under pressure from his father to choose one of the proper ladies he has in store to be his wife. Still, Aaron Lyle is not particularly fond of the idea, or any of those young women for that matter. An encounter with Lady Crystal Wilding determines him to form a plan that would benefit both. However, she is very outspoken and her ideas are too bold for a society built on morals, strict rules and led by men.

I loved how the two interact and I love Crystal’s ideas and her desire to help educate the women of the society. Faced with the loss of their husbands, many of them have fallen to poverty and have difficulties providing a future for their daughters. Our heroine believes women should learn to read and write at a young age, have marriages based on love, not convenience and is not afraid to voice this opinion in front a room full of men that believe women are good just to sit tight and do nothing much. Aaron is willing to support Crystal and her cause, not only because he agrees with her views, but also because he is mesmerized by her as a person. Her intelligence and good manners are a match for his arrogance and good heart.

As much as I have enjoyed the couple, I would have liked a better ending. It felt a little rushed and we could have seen a little more struggle. Also, for a lady with principles, despite her views, Lady Crystal is not afraid to break customs when meeting with Aaron and is quick to accept a second place in his life at some point.

Having said all these, I am giving 4 stars to “An Unsuitable Lady For A Lord”, with my entire love and appreciation for the author. It was such a pleasant read and I cannot wait to go through the next books in the series 😊

This might work well for a casual HR reader, but for avid readers like me, it doesn’t really work. It was readable, and that is the most positive I can really say about it. For the most part, this felt rather green. It was ok but nothing gripping or exciting about it. Some of this is going to get rather spoiler, so be forewarned.

The heroine, Lady Crystal, is an advocate for women’s rights in Regency-period Scotland. She is also the daughter of a celebrated war hero. The hero, Lord Lyle, is being pressured by his father, a Duke, to marry. They meet in Edinburgh on the way to a salon being held by Sir Walter Scott. Lord Lyle is surprised to discover Crystal is the speaker. She shocks and awes with blunt speech that proclaims women should have freedom and choose their own fate, and if marrying, have a choice in the matter. Plus, she boldly claimed ladies can feel feel sexual desire/pleasure. The reaction was as if these sentiments had never been uttered before, which I felt was rather absurd. The hero’s thoughts on the last bit was that proper ladies didn’t like sex — only whores and the “mentally unstable”. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Lyle sees Crystal as the answer to his problems with his father — from a genteel background but with unsuitable ideas. They are both extremely attracted to each other. I don’t believe it ever moved beyond lust. He ends up assisting becoming a patron of some of her ideas by allowing girls in one of his factories attend school while still getting paid. She was apparently a marvelous teacher, high praise. There was one plot point that left a rather sour note for me. There was a subplot on “white slavery” that was presented in a way that was rather off-putting. When the heroine learns that one of her students’ mother and sister had been stolen and sold, the heroine is in disbelief because white slaves don’t exist. It was a heavy subject to introduce halfway through and not enough page space was given to explore the topic and clearly not enough finesse.

In the end, the conflicts were resolved with a big pretty bow. The Duke was against the match but came around and the heroine was great. There were a number of ingredients here that could have turned into a compelling story but it fell flat for me.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this story. This review is my honest opinion.

Synopsis was great but the actual writing of the story fell flat for me. There is a great storytelling waiting here it just was not well developed which was disappointing. This book needed more all around -more story (it is short), more character development (they are all just too shallow), more scene development. The whole premise that a well bred lady at this time would even think to compromise herself by possibly becoming a mistress just was off, Crystal started off being this hard hitting, I know what I want, outspoken character and then just melted. Aaron was only ever interested in bedding her which made me dislike his character because he was so obtuse- spoiled even. Sure Crystal had a desire and a want to find out about sexual things but honestly it didn't fit her character. Then there was her whole suffragette movement which needed work, I think the thought was there but again, not developed.
I dont want to be a downer about this novel, the author worked hard on it but it just needed more thought and planning, it could have been outstanding but it felt rushed. The one thing I will say positive is that the author can write sex scenes that are good.
It will not be one I would read again, but if you like a quick, steamy, sex scene book, not really caring about a great story line then this would suit.
I received an ARC in exchange for a review

If you love historical romances that push the bounds of the era, you may be captivated by this one!

We follow the two characters as they are pushing the limits, a hero who doesn't want to settle for the girl his father wants him to marry and a heroine who tests the gender-roles in a scheming way. It's a book that has a little bit of humor despite it not being a romcom. Their rebel ways just bring that right amount of devious, strong plot twists that create a well-rounded, cute romance. 

Even though it's not a story that completely blew me away, I give it a high 3 out of 5 stars. It was a fun historical read that will completely suck you in!