Christi Caldwell really hit the mark with this book. Sylvia and Clayton are truly wonderful characters. Her world was not what it seemed before she was a widow. Now, determined to create her own life free of men, she moves into a house with her two friends and by accident create the Mismatch Society. Clayton lives with regret of the past and of now being able to do what his best friend had asked of him prior to his death. Now his sisters have all gone and joined the Mismatch Society and he learns the person in charge is his friends widow.

When their worlds collide again after so long a time, passion between the two explodes as well. Readers will enjoy this wonderful love story of two broken hearts mending into one.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After finding herself widowed while heavily pregnant, Lady Sylvia Elton has had to come with becoming a new mother while grieving, understanding the truth about her marriage, and uncovering an illegal underground boxing ring, run by her in laws, which resulted in her husbands death. While having all of this on her cards, she also has to be above reproach, lest her son is taken from her, but she's had enough of being a perfect lady, and along with two other scandalous woman - one of whom had been her late husband's mistress - and inadvertently starts a society of women who are against marriage, and the stiff rules society places upon them. Clayton Kearsley, the Viscount St. John, has always been in love with Sylvia, since he met her after her Come Out. Because of a family curse that says the men die young, he has never wanted his wife to suffer, so pushed Sylvia towards his friend, Norfolk, which led to her awful marriage. Feeling guilty, he never visited her after Norfolk's death, but when his sisters all proclaim they won't marry, because of the their society, he finds himself forcing his way in. To say he's shocked to discover that Sylvia is the de facto leader of the society, would be an understatement, but he's pleased for a reason to be close to her again. Both have never gotten over their feelings for the other, and it seems that they now might not be able to - or even want to - ignore the attraction any more.

This is somewhat of a sequel to another of Christi's books, In the Dark with the Duke, following Lila's older sister, Sylvia, and it touches on the topic of the Prendergast family, and the boxing ring. If you haven't already read that one, I highly recommend it, because it helps to understand some of the nuances between Sylvia's relationships with her in-laws, and her mother. Sylvia was never a diamond of the first water, rather a bit of a wallflower during her first season, but she became fast friends with Clayton when they met at a ball, and the friendship between them was once filled with care and admiration, and also love. Both clearly loved each other, and even thought that perhaps it would lead to marriage, but Clay got spooked, and ended up pushing Sylvia into Norfolk's arms, which set off a whole sequence of events that leads up to today. Now happy in her widowhood, even content living with her husband's mistress, and over the pain and hurt she felt at his betrayals, she wants to renew her friendship with Clay, but is also worried about the consequences. Clay never got over his love for Sylvia, and was punishing himself by staying away, especially after Norfolk told him on the day of his death that he was planning on abandoning her and their unborn child. If not for the society, and his sister's involvement, Clay probably would still be hiding away, but now that he's back with her, he doesn't want to leave. There is so much chemistry, and such a back story between the couple, that each of their moments was lovely, and full of joy and humour too. The conclusion blew me away, and I really hope we see more from the couple in book two!

Someone Wanton His Way Comes follows Sylvia, a young widow, as she moves in with two female friends and begins to build a life for her and her son. Sylvia becomes the leader of the Mismatch Society, a group of women determined to change societal rules. When she reconnects with Clayton, an old friend and a friend of her deceased husband, old feelings reignite, and the pair must examine their feelings and confront their pasts while also deciding if they have a future.

Sylvia is fascinating. Bold and independent, she refuses to be a victim and instead takes charge of her life. She does not want to be beholden to a man, nor does she want to have to answer to one. She is her own woman, and she won’t accept anything less than equality. Other women look up to her and her feminist ideals, and they all work together to change the rules of their society. I love how these women turn everything upside down!

Many of Clayton’s sisters are part of the Mismatch Society, and they continually manipulate Clayton into bending to their will. Clayton is such a wonderful brother, son, and love interest! He is self-sacrificing and honorable, and his attentiveness and easy comradery with his family is sincere and thoughtful. He is a good man with good intentions and is the perfect match for Sylvia, who he has loved for years. Unfortunately, Clayton fears the family curse so much that he denies himself a happy, wedded future.

The love story is a great friends-to-lovers romance mixed with a bit of unrequited love and angst. Clayton has loved Sylvia for years but never acted on his feelings. Throughout the story, he continues to resist his feelings. Sylvia does as well because of her failed and loveless marriage and her feelings about love. I liked seeing this couple rekindle their friendship and how it grew into something more. Plus, their chemistry is fantastic!! Sylvia often makes the first move with Clayton, which is so fitting with their characters. He is trying to do right by everyone, and she is finally in a place where she feels confident and comfortable acting on her needs and desires.

Something else I liked about both Sylvia and Clayton is how willing they were to listen to opposing ideas and learn and grow from others. Sylvia has very strong and negative feelings toward love and marriage, which isn’t shocking considering the terrible marriage she had. Leading a society of women who support these assertions solidifies her feelings. However, the more time she spends with Clayton, the more she realizes that her ideas are too broad and don’t apply to everyone. I like that Sylvia is willing to see things from other people’s points of view. Clayton does the same when addressing his fears of an early death and his feelings of failing Sylvia. Seeing how they grow and change speaks to their love and respect for each other and those they love.

I love the Kearsley family. Clayton, his sisters, and his mother are a fun, loving, and lively group, and I enjoyed their humorous antics and time spent together. Their conversations and easy way with each other show how much love and respect they have. It also shows how close they are. Clayton’s sisters are hilarious, each unique and memorable in her own way. This strong family unit is one of the highlights of the story.

Though it’s the first in a series, there are many references to people and events from other books, so I assume this is a spin-off series. The author provides ample context to understand what happened before this book, but I wish I had read the other series to better understand different things that happened. I’m also curious to learn more about Sylvia’s two housemates. They had minor roles in this story, but I am hoping that they will be the focus in future books.

Thanks so much to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I found this book difficult to follow at the beginning. It seemed like it was part of a series and you needed to know some of the back story of some of the characters. I found the storyline  dragged and was repetitive at times. I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them. I was not a fan of this book.

This is the first try for Christi Caldwell.  I do enjoy her writing.  
But I don’t know why this story is no satisfied me.  I lost my interesting from 30% into the book. I don’t feel the romance, don’t see the chemistry between Sylvia and Clayton. 
 I finished book anyway.  I will gave this author an other try.

Thanks to Netgalley, for providing this arc. The following is my honest review;

 This is my first time reading Christi Caldwell and I enjoyed this book. It was a fun quick read and I enjoyed the writing style of the author. There were some truly entertaining moments, and our heroine and hero had potential and so too the premise. 
 
However, I did think that this book perhaps needed to be a bit longer the story felt like it was not fully fleshed out especially for the number of characters introduced throughout the plot. The romance was definitely rushed but I wouldn't say the characters had no chemistry and the premise for the mismatch club may be noble but the discourse and dialogue were a bit too oversimplified and I would have loved to see them delve deeper into the constraints on women in that time, though they do show growth throughout the book.

Overall 3.5

Would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy feel-good read, and I am certainly interested in reading other works from this author.

Lady Sylvia Elton was widowed when pregnant with her son.  Her marriage was not a happy one and she felt she was only a responsibility to her husband.  She decides to create the Mismatch Society promoting the idea of marriage, if needed at all, as more of a partnership and less of an arrangement.  It is throwing a wrench in the marriage market and annoying the peerage who wants to continue with the status quo.  

Viscount St. John (Clayton) is pushed by his peers to infiltrate the society to shut it down.  When he interrupts a meeting he finds Lady Sylvia.  He has loved her since before she married his best friend.  Lady Sylvia invites him to join the society to stop gossip about the purpose of the group.  It allows Clayton and Sylvia time to meet together.

This is my first Caldwell book and the first of a new series.  (She has numerous other books.)  I enjoyed the story but had a harder time with the writing style.  It didn't flow easily for me.  I did enjoy the discussions on marriage and what options were available to women in the time.  But it got repetitive.  I liked the society members themselves.  I was also confused that a lot of story referenced storylines that must have been from another series because it isn't part of this one.  Clayton seems stiff at first but I warmed up to his character and his devotion to his family and Sylvia.  

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Someone Wanton His Way Comes is the story of Clayton and Sylvia. Clayton has been in love with Sylvia since they first met, but believes in a curse, so he encourages her to be with his best friend. Sylvia is now a young widow with a son to care for and completely against marriage. She forms the "Mismatch Society" along with some of her friends and they crusade to empower women to stand up against marriage and stand for equality with the aristocracy.

This is one of my favorite Historical Romance authors but this one fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed Clayton and his family as the "hero" of the story but had a hard time with Sylvia's storyline. As someone who spent half the book crusading adamantly against marriage, only to sleep around and essentially enjoy men as a married woman would have back in Regency times. This was not my favorite Christi Caldwell book. I always enjoy her writing, and will always pick up her latest book, but this one fell short for me. 

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review and honest opinion.

I almost lost interest in the book. I say almost because after picking it up again the third time to finish what I started, I found myself embroiled in everything that was happening in the book. I enjoyed the characters so much. i could be friends with. This was a very enjoyable read!

Christi is one of my top go to author. Absolutely love love her. This was a Great book, amazing characters !

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 
Unfortunately this historical romance novel by this popular author fell flat for me. Uninteresting characters despite the scandals. Just not what I was expecting.

I love Christi Caldwell and I enjoyed this book, however I did find some parts of it a bit problematic.

Don't get me wrong, I love historical romances that have strong female characters that are progressive and fighting for a change for women but these women really went throughthe first half of this book saying that marriage was a shit idea and that all women should avoid it and that men should be the ones to marry... Who exactly were they expecting these men to marry?!

I also didn't like the fact that this book referenced a lot of things that had happened previous to this book which, considering this is the first book in a new series, was very annoying. I didn't love the lost lords series and only read one and a half of the books so to keep referring to what had happened in those books, namely in Lila's story, made it a little hard to keep up.

Ultimately, I love Ms. Caldwell's writing enough to give the next book a try but, for me, this really wasn't her best work.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Missed chances. Sylvia and Clayton have known eachother since her come out. He did not think he was worthy and his best friend swept her off her feet. But that was just to get the heir. Now she is a widow and he gets another chance., Aslow build to an HEA.

3.5 stars

I like Christi's writing so I wanted to like this story unconditionally.  I liked the hero, Clayton.  He was modest, caring sibling, good provider and because of family curse had given up his relationship with the heroine Sylvia, to his good looking best friend in an altruistic act.  This backfired when he found that Norfolk had a mistress and he was going to desert both his heir and his marriage to Sylvia.  Norfolk is killed and this is where the story went a bit awry.  I had read a previous book about Lila, Sylvia's sister (Lost Lords of London) and the fighting club and this has a part to play in this book, though I couldn't find the pdf file on Christi's web site which helps show this interconnectivity! I found the plot with Norfolk's mother a bit over the top and if I'm honest not credible.  Sylvia the heroine is an odd mix.  On one level keen to be self sufficent andd promoting a life without husbands and then keen to jump sexually on Clayton every opportunity she's got.  I think it's Sylvia's character which for me lets the story down, perhaps I just didn't relate to her. 

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

Christi Caldwell is one of my favorite authors so I was excited to read this book. This book was a great read! I really liked Sylvia and the society (not club, ha) that she helped to create. I understood how her first marriage made her wary of men and remarriage. I felt for her and all she had to go through. I did not like Clayton as much (thus the reason for the one-star deduction) as I felt he was a little cowardly in his life and decisions. I also remember that a family curse was a plot line in one of Caldwell’s other stories and I did not like to see it reappear here. But other than those minor issues, I really enjoyed the book. I wish there were an epilogue, but I’ll settle with hearing about Clayton and Sylvia in future books. This was a read I’d recommend!

*4.5 Not only is the title clever. The entire book is just as clever. Sylvia was married  to Viscount St. John's friend Norfolk but he loved her. He was upset when Norfolk decided to leave her. Clayton and Sylvia are basically broken friends with benefits in denial. There's tons of heat wrapped in confusion. Slyvia finds a way to help empower women. The Kearsley's are a great family and help them along the way. Second chance lovers trope. The book is definitely worth the read and have some laugh out loud moments. I don't want to be spoiler, so you'll just have to read it for yourself.


I received an ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Sylvia is a widow of a man that never loved her. She becomes involved in trying to better a woman’s rights. Clay, who has always loved her, gets a second chance at love. I thought Clay was too weak a character who was easily manipulated by the many women in his life. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Montlake for my honest review.

To be honest, this was not one of my favourite Christi Caldwell's stories, it just seemed to drag and it was the same thing over and over again. It really was a struggle to keep my interest in the book. Saying that, I did like the characters, especially Clayton's sisters, they were a hoot! 

Clayton has been in love with Sylvia from the first time he met her but with the thought of the curse that he'll die young like the rest of his male ancestry, he pushes her towards his best friend. Years later, she's now a widow with a young son and completely against remarrying again. Clayton tries to stay away but soon finds himself confronting her about her "Mismatch Society" that she's formed and that some of his sisters, even his mother, are attending the meetings. After all, it just won't do for the ladies to take themselves away from the marriage mart and expect equality with the men! 

Between saying they are "just friends" and yet having sex all over the place, Clayton and Sylvia's relationship is a bit confusing, especially when she says she's going to find him a wife right after one such episode! Oh well, maybe it's just me but this just didn't feel like the usual Christi Caldwell story. 

3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

In the novel we see our main protagonist Sylvia make the bold move of moving out with two of her unmarried friends. The scandal of such an action leads her to be sought out by other women, who feel trapped and in need of empowerment, and come together to create the Mismatch Society or Wantons as they come to be known. I must admit that I experienced a devilish glee in reading about the impact this society was having on the aristocratic men, who suddenly face women willing to stand up to them or refuse proposals. It led to some great scenes. 

In fact while the heart of the novel deals with the emotional impact of betrayal, trauma and fear in both the heroine and hero, the reader is provided with some wonderfully farcical scenes that had me really laughing. A real strength of Christi Caldwell's writing is how power in writing clever and amusing dialogues as well as her amazing characterisation. Her characterisation means that the reader is swept into the lives of more than just the main protagonists but in many, if not most of the  secondary characters. You care about them and want to read their stories. Some of the star secondary characters are the tragic Annalee, and all of the Kearsley sisters who are a real source of energy and comedy. I hope to read more about them in the future.

I found the hero Clayton very enjoyable and charming, his natural awkwardness and love for his family was a nice change from the normal rogue you encounter. Sylvia, the heroine, is strong and has an understandable bitterness towards men, very much formed by her experiences, and it takes time to discover the character under the protective shell she's created for herself. They make a great couple, with lots of chemistry and hot scenes. 

The narrative starts off lighter and full of humour as we are introduced to the characters and world and then starts to deepen and explore the repressed emotions and fears of the main characters leading to a dramatic and tense cathartic ending. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys romance, social humour or just a good enjoyable read,

The cover? HOT. The story? LIT. The Characters? AWESOME. The plot? HITS.
This one is real good you guys. I know, I know, I say it all the time. Christi is amazing. Seriously, I think they're just getting better. I really loved this one. I LOVE this new family, the Kearsleys. Christi always gives us great families, but this one is by far my favorite. There are six sisters and one brother. Shenanigans. For. Days. I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am to read more about this family. I want them all to have a story! (Especially Daria, who is obviously my favorite.)


This book hits all the right notes. The characters are awesome. They feel very real. While I do love a good redeemed rogue, sometimes what you need is just a genuinely good hero. *happy sigh* Clayton is just a good hero. Is he perfect? Of course not. He messes up. He is human, after all. He is a genuine good guy. Sylvia is also a great character. She has quite a journey of self discovery. I loved every second of it.


The side characters are (as usual) my particular favorites. I especially love Sylvia's butler. All of the "Wantons" are excellent as well. I can't wait to read the rest of this series! This is a very auspicious beginning to what is sure to be an excellent series.