Vivienne Lorret is a revelation for me! This is one of those books you will not easily forget, or at all! Where to start?

The writing is so accomplished, descriptive, evocative, emotional and at the same time entertaining and even funny at times. The characters are such a delight. Thea, who has been looking for her place in this world, who has been hurt by an egotistical narcissistic man, but still finding the light in herself to open up to Jasper, to see through him, to love and accept. And Jasper, who is so used to rejection that he had built solid walls around his heart, struggles to open up to possibility of love and to believe and to hope, yet finding strength to do it anyway.

The story is sweet, emotional, so romantic (the paper roses he makes and delivers to her were such a great touch!). The supporting characters have added so much to this, I hope to read stories about many of them. In short - WOW is all I have to say!

My favorite entry in The Liar's Club series! I loved Althea as the lead and had enormous empathy for her feeling like an outsider in her family and dealing with the fallout from her involvement with a narcissist. Her and Jasper's relationship evolved nicely as well - two lonely people finding support and understanding with each other. A minor quibble, but I would've liked an epilogue!

Quite a bit disappointed with this one, to be honest. Books 1 and 2 were solid 4-star reads for me, but This Much Is True was less fun.
I am realising that Lorret writes subplots that take a lot of estate, here to the point of taking over the romance. I wish we had had more Thea × Jasper, because I loved their interactions. I think the subplot could have been more concise, and had given more room to the love story between Thea and Jasper.
Also, the kid in this story did not talk like a kid - he spoke like an adult.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This much is true is a delightful read! It’s the 3rd book in the series and I’m eager to go back and read the first two novels to learn more about the Hartley family. This regency romance was funny and engaging!

Another solid addition to The Liar's Club series! Vivienne Lorret is very good at writing an engaging ton-centric romance, and she always brings her trademark humor, but I was still surprised by how dark this This Much Is True was compared to the rest of this series thus far, just because of the extent of the villain's abuses, even if it is (mostly) off-page.

The other thing you can always count on Vivienne Lorret to deliver is a certain kind of heroine— quirky without being irritating, and containing a lot more depth than than you expect. Althea comes off as a bit of a ditzy theater geek, ready to go wherever her muse takes her, but she has some very real confidence issues after a suitor wrecked havoc on her self-esteem the prior year. Still, she's coming out of her rut and ready to tackle her third season except she's held up by a hot highwayman, which both bolsters and fucks with her reputation, plus she's weirdly into the shy, bumbling Jasper Trueblood, Viscount St. James...

....who isn't shy or bumbling at all, as you can guess if you read the blurb. But for all that he metes out vigilante justice and is determined to bring is evil uncle down, he's ultimately a softhearted guy... a nice guy without being a Nice Guy. Even his (immediate!) obsession with Thea feels gentle, if that makes sense, and it's exactly what Thea needs, as someone who grew up with the example of openly-affectionate parents, but only ever had romantic disappointment herself. Plotwise, it doesn't take Thea very long to figure out Jasper's secret identity, so much of it is focused taking down the evil uncle while Jasper is unable to make Thea any promises out of fear for her safety, but can't stop himself from wanting her either..

The sex:

Despite getting some of the more comprehensive sex ed I've read in a historical (with puppets!) Althea did not.... quite comprehend what it was all about until she meets Jasper. Like, Jasper is pretty much her sexual awakening. The sex itself takes a little longer to get to (there's more than one self-cock-blocking scene because Jasper feels like he has too much baggage to bang her lol), but standout moment for me is the oral-vaguely thrusting in-BACK TO ORAL-back to sticking it in sequence because Jasper is a big big man and Althea isn't complaining about being eaten out twice over.

Overall:

As far as traditionally published historicals go, Vivienne Lorret's works remind me the most of books from ten... twenty years ago— there's a certain amount of slapstick humor and general comedy, it's still fairly light even when shit gets dark— but the actual romance and sex positivity feel very 2020s. If that's your jam, you'll enjoy The Much is True.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the advanced copy.

Rating: 4/5
Heat Level: 3.25/5
Pub Date: July 1st

This was actually so good and quite fun!

Althea is in her third season (gasp!!!!) and trying to find herself after falling for the WORST man. She also writes plays! St. James is a viscount but his uncle has everyone thinking he’s mentally incompetent. He has also taken in an orphaned boy and a wolf dog and takes care of his aunt and cousins.

A series of events leads Althea to 1. Start telling this story about a highwayman that maybe hits too close to home for St. James and 2. Realizes that St. James is actually her playwriting muse. The more time they spend together, the harder they fall. But he is convinced they can’t be together without 1. Her becoming a social pariah 2. His evil uncle stepping in to make sure it doesn’t happen and 3 the ton accepting him.

There is DRAMA. There is INTRIGUE. I loved the ROMANCE. They were actually so uplifting to each other and both such great people to everyone around them. You honestly can’t help but root for them from the moment they meet.

I live Vivian Lorret's books . She always has a great storyline and great character development. This book was no different. I loved Althea and Jasper. These were two lost souls . One who was abused emotionally and the other physically and mentally.
This story had chemistry, humor, twists and turns. I really enjoyed it, right up until the end.
The ending fell flat. I felt like it just ended. There was so much of the story left unsaid
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Althea has writer's block until she meets Jasper. While Jasper is considered a dim-whited clumsy oaf, Althea realizes there is more to him than people think. Attracted to each other, she helps him to battle his evil uncle's accusations. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Avon for my honest review.

It is always a pleasure to change up the genre of books I read, so I can enjoy something different from time to time. I was very happy to read Vivienne Lorret’s newest story in the Liars’ Club series with thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of the book in exchange for sharing this review. This is a love story that for the two main characters doesn’t seem like it is destined to even happen! Althea is in London for her third season, and is challenged with finding the correct suitor and potential husband. Does she marry for status or for love? All she knows about love comes from a puppet show her parents used to put on for her and her sisters when they were growing up. Where is she going to find her happiness? Throughout the story Jasper and Althea are fighting their growing attraction to each other as well as having to deal with Jasper’s corrupt and malicious uncle who is trying to control his nephew’s inheritance. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I really enjoyed the description of the characters in the puppet show. (You’ll have to read the book to understand this last sentence!)

Thea is the playwright in the family though after a disastrous courting the previous season, her ability to write has all but dried up. The only person that seems to provide inspiration is Jasper, known in the town for being a bumbling idiot but in actually, he uses it as a disguise so that he can work as a Robin Hood-type highwayman in the evenings. Unfortunately, when Thea starts telling tales of the highwayman, Jasper's secret identity is threatened and the family members that he is trying to protect through the subterfuge are put at risk.

This is such a great series and I'm so excited to see where it could possibly go next. Some major highlights include: two (kind of) nerds falling in love, a hand clench to rival Mr. Darcy's, and some really fun banter to bring it all together. Thea and Jasper work so well together and their journey to falling in love is absolutely swoon-y, while also being filled to the brim with the dramatics that readers of the series have come to expect from the Hartley family. Jasper is pretty unique for a romance hero because while he leads a life of intrigue and has a fun, dry wit, he's actually pretty shy, all things considered. It's great watching him be taken by surprise at how much Thea likes him, and it's equally heartwarming that he sees all the great qualities that Thea has and makes sure that she sees them in herself too.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thea and Jasper. The wannabe playwright and a highwayman. He’s her muse and she is his everything.

This book was romantic and humorous. I really feel for the plight of Jasper with his horrible uncle and Thea’s ambitions. This was a solid continuation of this series.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 (the paper flowers were really romantic to me)
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: third person perspective from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? slow to medium
When mains are first on page together: It takes a touch – about 11% in
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever
Epilogue: No

Should I read in order?
Ideally yes, because the family is adorable and you get a feel for the whole family structure and their love for drama – there are some sections with mentions of previous events from prior books as well as page time with the other couples. BUT overall this romance does stand alone and I don’t think you will lose anything from their story necessarily to pick it up alone.

Basic plot:
Jasper and Althea keep meeting in clumsy encounters, but Althea quickly sees there’s more than meets the eye after a night with a highwayman.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency?
- author/playwright heroine
- viscount hero
- highwayman
- pets – hero has a dog
- hero makes paper flowers
- he’s her muse
- size difference – this hero is huge
- secret identity
- celibate hero
- medium steam – 3ish scenes with a slower burn

My thoughts:
So, I did like this one. But I just felt like it wasn’t as good as the other two in the series, or the many other of Lorret’s that I have adored.

It’s still funny, sweet, romantic, and heart pulling and I definitely recommend – but for me personally I felt like a lot of their interactions felt like the same thing the first 3-4 meetings and this made their relationship feel more stagnant and repetitive to me. I loved this more unique hero – he steps back a bit from the heroine, definitely letting her take the lead in many situations. But I found I wanted him more motivated and not always running away from her.

I also wasn’t super sold on the ending. I wish it had been just a touch different in a few ways.

Still I will always give Lorret a chance and this one was still a run read! It’s just not my favorite of the series.

I had read and enjoyed the previous books in this series, so there was no way I was going to miss this one.

I really liked Thea and Jasper. They're both good people who feel alone and it was nice to read them connect to each other. The interest between them is instant and the chemistry builds throughout their meetings. There are a good amount of characters in this one, but nothing too confusing.

Plot wise, it was okay. There are a lot of moving pieces and at times it did feel like not everything was as fleshed out as it could have been. I wanted a bit more: more with the highwayman, more of Thea standing up for herself, more at the ending.

Overall, it was a great addition to the series and I can't wait for whatever is next.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

2.5 stars rounded up. This is the first Vivienne Lorret book I've read, so I'm not sure if it's the author's writing style or just these particular characters, but I had difficulty getting into the story. I found both Jasper and Althea to be grating characters, and it made it hard to root for either of them individually or as a couple. Since this is several books into the series, it's possible that long-time readers will find Althea at least more sympathetic having more context. I do think this will appeal to some readers, hence the rounding up to 3 stars, but unfortunately it didn't work well for me.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

I enjoyed the first third of this book very much. I enjoyed the banter between Jasper and Althea and got a kick out of his oafish persona. The middle dragged, however, and when Althea's family appeared toward the end, I realized I just don't like them at all. Still, it was an enjoyable read and a fun conclusion to the series.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Althea has lost her spark for playwriting after having her self esteem crushed by a man who destroyed her confidence. Now on her third season, she finds her muse once again in the form of a highwaymen.

Jasper has pretended to be a fool in order to protect those he cares for from his evil uncle, while acting as a highwaymen at night.

I liked relationship between Jasper and Althea. Althea was the only one who could see the real Jasper right away and he could not stay away from her.

While a lot of the plot seemed to fall away for the romance, I didn't mind because the romance was great.

4 stars

I assume this is the last in the series, unless the eldest brother gets a HEA book, which would be lovely! This one was a lot less ridiculous than the other ones, a bit darker and heavier. But still, could one man be a highwayman by night and a bumbling, lisping, impoverished lord by day? I'm not sure his secret could be kept so thoroughly - but then I don't believe people couldn't recognize Superman as Clark Kent without his glasses, but what do I know? It was a fun story with some good laugh out loud bits.

This Much is True includes wonderfully witty main characters who do not necessarily fit into polite society. Having come to London for yet another season, Althea gains more than she bargained for when a mysterious highwayman awakens the very thing she's been missing. Jasper Trueblood isn't what he seems, intriguing the young woman despite his best efforts to avoid her. Both characters are well developed with unique characteristics that set them apart from others. The pacing of this book is a bit slow to start, with the majority of cataclysmic events occurring at the 70% marker and after. Still, despite the slightly rushed feeling to the end of this book, it was a good read and I really loved the two main characters, Althea and Jasper.

I am an avid Regency era romance reader and this one was right up my alley! I truly enjoyed the main characters and the plot was not predictable or overdone. I swooned and laughed and will definitely be reading another of Vivennes books! Thank you so much for the ARC

I just love this series - the eccentric and dramatic Hartley family gets me every time. This book is a solid third entry in the series, featuring Althea Hartley, the youngest of the Hartley sisters, who is beginning her third season in London and finding herself totally plagued by writer's block. Althea is a playwright, though she's lost some of her confidence after a former suitor negged her into oblivion as both a person and an artist. Quite by accident, she discovers a temporary cure to her creative block - being around the mysterious Jasper Trueblood, Viscount St. James. Jasper, who has been playing the part of a hulking, clumsy man of low intellect both out in society and in the presence of his totally villainous uncle, can't seem to pretend around Althea, and she's delighted by his quick wit and the lovely paper flowers he likes to bring her. Jasper's attention to Althea is initially related to a sensationalized tale that she shared at a society party about being stopped by a highwayman. Her (totally fictional) story is disturbingly close to the truth of what actually happens when Jasper dons a disguise and becomes a highwayman targeting wealthy gentlemen who are selfish, morally bankrupt, and often cruel to others. The more Althea learns about Jasper, the more intrigued she becomes, and the harder it is for him to stay away from her, even though he thinks it's all of her safety. I don't think I've read a storyline quite like this in a historical romance, and I really enjoyed it and was rooting for Althea and Jasper from the start. Also, I loved reading about another Hartley family performance - in London, this time!