The Story of a Baron (The Sisters of the Aristocracy #1)

I only gave it two stars because (as far as I have read it , about half lenght) the hero and heroine don’t do anything truly despicable. Not that they do too much at all, the story being about them reading the book sitting next to each other.
My first problem was what others also mentioned: that the main story and the embedded one (the book written anonymously by the hero) were so similar that I got confused all the time what happened really and what they only read about. Also, the scenes and the style was repetitive to the point of boring: the hero and heroine met at the bookshop, they both felt attraction/lust; soon they were reading about a heroine described by the very same words (willowy blonde) in the exact same situation and the couple having lustful thoughts. The real couple prepares for a ride to an acquaintance’s outdoors party, and in the next chapter we read about the (doubly) fictional couple actually taking a ride to an outdoors party. The only clue is the names (Evangeline and Jeffrey vs Geraldine and Mathew – and even there, the female names are similar).
My next complaint was the total impossibility of several situations in Regency. A young lady was left to live alone without a female relative or chaperone because her brother (the head of the family) travelled on scientific expeditions. She had a godfather who secretly followed her to her outings “to protect her”, and who spied on her through the butler, but did not think to take her around in society, although he was married. Several times it’s remarked that she doesn’t go to parties and balls because there is no one to take her (and yet, suddenly she is to go to the aforementioned morning outing). She was (although the butler was reluctant) allowed to entertain a male caller (the hero). After so many breaches of acceptable Regency conduct, the H is rigidly avoiding admitting his love to the h and proposing because he had not asked her brother’s permission. As if in any Regency romances it would have been necessary!
Now for the H’s inconsistent behavior. He writes a book (and hopes to gain substantial money from it – unlikely in itself) but he writes all his contemporary ton society members into it with minimal name changes, salacious gossip bits, openly described crude male talk in clubs or the lustful explicit thoughts of his character – and expect no one will call him out for slander? Or for writing scandalous material unfit for ladies? But the most improbable thing of all: does he not know that his heroine is modeled on the young lady he is reading the book with, and he desribes himself hving sexual fantasies about her, as well as her having sexual thoughts about him – for all society to see and for the lady to discover it sitting next to him? He is constantly suprised to see what he had written…

After that the sheer impossibility of a sex scene where they fall innocently asleep next to each other reading, then half awake, they start fondling each other until the h (an inexperienced sheltered virgin) makes the H spend himself inside his clothes, but she does not realize what happened, and he does not feel the least bit uncomfortable with the consequences when he walks out- while the butler snores in a chair a few feet from them? Oh no thanks. I had enough. I’m glad it was free or I’d be returning ot for refund.
And the book is peppered with names of aristocratic couples presumably from the author’s previous books who we know nothing about and seem to play no further role than being mentioned as having their happily-ever-afters. This was subtitled to be Book 1 of a series!

What I was expecting is a real bodice-ripping book with a gorgeous woman and a hunky guy. It wasn’t like that but it was still good.

Jeffrey Sommers is a baron down on his luck with debt that’s not actually his. In an attempt to increase his coffers, he writes a book about a man and a woman of the aristocracy, modeling his characters from people he knew and places he frequented. He doesn’t put his name down as the author and merely uses the name, Anonymous.

On release day, he rushes to the book store to buy the first copy. He desperately wants to see what changes his publisher has made. When he arrives at the store, he finds the book in the hands of a woman who has every intention of buying it.

He tries to bargain with her, telling her he will buy her another copy if he can have the one she has. She refuses. They decide to read the book together.

Evangeline is a part of the ton and finds the book, “A Story of a Baron”. Pegged as a “bluestocking” (an intellectual or literary woman. Yes, I looked it up), she thinks she will never marry because basically everybody thinks she’s boring.

As Lord Sommers and Lady Evangeline read this book, she starts making connections between her brother, who is an adventurer, and herself. She eventually draws the conclusion that Matthew Winters is actually Jeffrey Sommers.

This is a cleverly written tale and I would have given it five stars but the ending dragged and there were a few typos. The story overall was very good, the plot never wavered, and it was just fun to read.

It made me laugh sometimes, especially when Sommers would think, “I’m going to hell”. I don’t know why but that cracked me up!

*This book was a free download.

A story within a story, this lighthearted Regency romance has a well thought out plot and is very entertaining. I personally found the number of characters confusing and considering so many names in the parallel stories were close in nature, I had a problem at times differentiating between them. The romance between Jeffrey Althorpe and Evangeline Tennison built slowly and the ancillary characters in this book played an important role in the storyline. Although humourous, the book nevertheless has depth and the stories of the two barons both portray the mores of the era. It leaves one feeling grateful for the hard-won rights and privileges we enjoy today. There are some steamy passages in this book but they do have their place. Although this book is part of a series and some of the characters overlap, it is nevertheless a standalone and comes to a happy and satisfying conclusion. I purchased and read this book some years ago, but also received a review copy from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.

An anonymously written tome, The Story of a Baron, has the reader yo-yoing between perspectives. What is real? Who is real?

Jeffrey Althorpe has secretly written a book about his own imagined romance with a girl he has become infatuated with, yet doesn’t really know. Because of this very book, he comes to know her and learns that he likes her very well indeed.

Evangeline is a sweet, lonely and lovely bluestocking who has unknowingly garnered the baron’s attention. So much so that he has made her the heroine in his book. Over the course of a week’s encounters they get to know one another and naturally sparks fly.

I find Linda Rae Sande’s books to be just the right type of quirky for me. This story was no exception. Her characters are very likable and you just want them to succeed.

What I like most is that she has so many to explore and I have not even scratched the surface yet.

Light reading for long winter nights. Found the dipping in and out between the real characters and the characters in the book a trifle confusing at first but that soon settled down.
The characters soon grow on you and there are some engaging chapters.
A light, enjoyable read.

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