Customer Reviews

Lady Be Bad: The Merry Widows Series

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Debauched Libertine and prolific gambler John Grayston, Lord Rochdale, knows that there is not a woman in London that he can't seduce. He's known for his prowess in the bedroom and the countless women he's had, even bringing some to ruin. It is simply a fact is that no one can resist the handsome devil's charms. So when a sceptical friend decides to put that theory to a test, Rochdale is more than willing to accept the wager especially when the prize is a racing horse he's had his eye on. It doesn't matter that the object of his seduction is the prim bishop's widow who despises him. Some seductions take more time than others and he is determined to get past this lady's defenses.

Taught by her famous bishop husband to repress all wanton urges, widow Grace Marlowe is unnerved when the scoundrel's attentions seemed to be focused on her. Like a predator, Rochdale slowly circles his prey. Bit by bit he breaks down Grace's virtuous walls with a look here and a subtle touch there. But she is not fooled. There has been more than one woman who has been cast aside and ruined by this libertine and Grace is not about to be the next. She simply must remind herself of her late husband's moral teachings.

But how long and how much can a lady really resist? And how far will a man go to win a wager and get this lady into his bed? Temptation is a powerful force. And when the Hero/Heroine true nature is finally revealed who exactly is the seducer; the wicked one?

Simply one of the best reformed rake books I've ever read. Rochdale is the ultimate no-good deliciously handsome scoundrel that every historical romance reader loves. Thankfully not as dark and cruel as some. He's the proverbial bad boy that doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself. His life revolves around drinking, gambling and women with the world at his finger tips. A seemingly 'happy' man that isn't about to changes his ways for anyone.

Enter: the ultra pious bishop's widow. Grace is polar opposite of Rochdale. She's the queen of do-gooders and as priggish as they come. So much so that this reader was surprised she didn't sprout angel wings and a halo.

But of course they are the perfect match. He may not be so wicked and she may not be so good. Hern's (authors) characterizations are fabulous. I loved reading about Grace's struggle to suppress her wanton cravings and Rochdale's confusion over his less than bad behavior. There really isn't much going on besides the seduction, but that didn't matter to me. The more I got to read about Rochdale the better.**Major eyebrow wiggling here**;).

Highly recommended and sitting firmly on my keeper shelf. A near perfect love story that had this reader sighing at the end.

If you love reformed rakes, I also recommend 'Devil in Winter'(my all time fav rake) by Kleypas, 'The Rake' by Mary Jo Putney and 'Lord of Scoundrels' by Loretta Chase.

i've truly enjoyed this 'merry widows' trilogy. in order:

in the thrill of the night
just one of those flings
lady be bad

LADY BE BAD features a love story between a jaded 'duke of slut' and a physically and emotionally repressed bishop's widow. john grayston, lord rochdale, is a true rake. he's a professional gambler who lives a debauched lifestyle which includes intimate relations with many women and he's unapologetic about it. he has even ruined a debutante or two (according to the rumors). one of his colleagues challenges the widely accepted belief regarding rochdale's prowess in bed, and bets him he cannot bed the bishop's widow, known for her pious nature. rochdale accepts the wager and the seduction begins.

grace marlowe was taught by her late husband, the bishop of london, that giving in to one's emotions or desires is sinful. he had an image to uphold and therefore, grace was expected to put up an emotionless front at all times. because of this, she has become an expert at denying all of her urges, sexually or otherwise. so when rochdale begins following her with his smoldering eyes, she's put out of sorts.

please note that their first meeting actually takes place in the first book of the series, IN THE THRILL OF THE NIGHT and actually sets up the very beginning of this story where they find themselves together alone. i think it's important to read that book first so that the reader can better appreciate the differences in the hero and heroine and the challenges they will face as they find their way towards each other.

i loved the fact that the hero did not change his stripes immediately. for most of the book he was unrepentant. the exposing of his more sensitive and caring nature takes place in a believable manner. initially he's resistant to it, but it is grace who brings out his better nature.

grace also finds herself being positively influenced by rochdale, although she doesn't think so at first. he encourages her to be more self-empowered, a rarity for a man during this era. during this time the sexual attraction for them continues to grow in strength until neither is able to deny it.

it is around the point of the first intimate encounter where i felt the book is weakened. while it does showcase just how the hero and heroine are changing towards each other, it comes across as a bit melodramatic. the intimate scenes themselves are well written though and build up of the sexual tension throughout the first part of the book kept me on the edge of my seat.

why the four stars instead of five? the last couple of chapters feature the fallout from the discovery of the wager, which i expected. however, there was one more totally unnecessary misunderstanding tossed in at almost the very end and the hero and heroine behave in a way that almost erases the believability in the emotional growth they supposedly experienced through the story. although the misunderstanding does lead to an extremely romantic moment between them, i was willing to sacrifice that moment if it meant not having to deal with the foolishness behind that misunderstanding.

so it gets a solid 4 stars for a mostly mature romance between two emotionally dynamic characters who end up bringing out the best of each other, both sexually and emotionally. it also features well-written and engaging sexual tension and intimate scenes.

definitely recommended.

The basic premise of the story -- the Libertine accepts a wager to seduce the Bishop's Widow in order to win a coveted horse --could have been so much better.

A little over 300 pages, a quick read in all, there wasn't much depth to the story. I was unable to suspend my belief long enough to be swept away. How could a young woman who had been married to the Bishop of London, a vicar's daughter, succumb so quickly to the temptations of a known reprobate? This plot should have been filled with angst and longing; it needed to be more playful, a ride filled with pitfalls, naughty even, but instead was predictable down to the point of who would reveal the secret wager to the newly-in-love Widow.

The other two books in the series were much better, especially Beatrice's story. Wilhelmina's story deserves to be told. She is a character whose life has been difficult and has risen above it all to find a shaky foothold in society's upper class.

First, I'd like to say that this book--all three books in this series, actually--have the most beautiful covers I've seen recently in paperbacks: clean, elegant, simple & artfully drawn. They really stand out and I hope they will start a trend.

The contents of the books, however, while entertaining, don't have any of the attributes of the covers, and that's a shame. The first two books (my firsts by this author) were moderately entertaining as fiction & stretched probability about as far as they could go & still be based in the Regency period.

This last book, the one which I expected to be the best, somehow missed. I'm having a hard time figuring out why I found it almost embarrasing to read.

Was it the naive assumption that someone as "bad" as the hero was, in reality, a far better & truer person than most? (Maybe I have to start looking at Hugh Hefner in a totally different light?)

Was it the assumption that those who appear to be good and follow the rules of society and their faith, are actually all hypocrites, have an agenda or are, at best, fools?

Are we to believe that they only true way to happiness is to break away from all previous retraints, reject what you previously believed & reinvent yourself as your polar opposite?

Are we to believe that all this change that took place is a matter of weeks is deep and sincere & will actually last, (not just lust at first sight) & that neither main character will later regret it & revert to form?

I couldn't buy it, in spite of all the modern psycho-babble spouted by the other widows, I think both these people have made a major mistake & that the author forced square pegs into round holes just to make the story end the way she wanted it to.

If you do you'll probably really like this book. It's a good book. Well written, and the characters are fully drawn. The only problem I had with the book is that I'm about Raked out.

Lord Rochdale is one of those truly bad rakes. Every rumor about him is true and when we meet him he is about the most self-obsessed and vain creature I've ever seen. Yes, he changes during the book, to the point where I actually like him and yes we see he has 'reasons' for turning into a cold heartless debaucher. But be that as it may, the reasons don't seem quite that solid to me. And it gives me little assurance that down the road, when the going gets tough, he'll be all he can be and won't turn around and be up to his old tricks.

Grace really did need to come out of the shell her late husband built for her. But for her to do a 180 from the woman she was is a little hard to swallow, especially in that day and age. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the book at all and I think a lot of people will really love it. I'm just at the point now in my reading where I'm looking for a hero who hasn't bedded hundreds of women and a woman who doesn't come completely undone by the mere touch of a rakes hand. Maybe I'm looking for something a little more realistic...or just something that will allow me to believe that 20 years from the end of the story they'll still be together and happy.

The third and final full length novel in The Merry Widows series Lady be Bad spins a fantastic story. The other books have been engaging and exciting, but Lady be Bad throws together two people who you would never expect to see together. Grace Marlowe the respectable Bishops widow and the most notorious rake in all of London Lord Rochdale.

Lord Rochdale had never given Grace Marlowe much thought, she was not the type of woman he usually looks at. But thanks to a little bet with the gambler Lord Sheane he has set his eyes on the uptight widow. Or is she uptight at all? Once he sees her he sees just how beautiful Grace Marlowe truly is, with locks of blonde hair that fall like a golden waterfall, and figures that are classically perfect.

Follow this story as it takes us through the ups and downs, the worries and the possibilities. Hern has wrapped this one up in a nice little package and it is the perfect way to end the series on a high note. If I had to pick a favorite of the books I would pick this one. I am almost sad to see the series end but if it had to this was the perfect way.

Candice Hern is a good writer, her words flow wonderfully well, she is historically accurate and also historically convincing. I just wish she hadn't written this book. Her writing deserves better.
This is the third in her "merry" widow series and that's an annoying cover all title for a start. The best Merry widow is Franz Lehars and these ladies just are nowhere near that charming creature for sparkle and wit.
Here we have Grace Marlowe, the widow of the Bishop of London, beginning to wonder if her two widowed friends have something she does not and might want, in their pursuit of love outside of wedlock. Naturally fate drops an appropriately rakish gentleman in her path, in the person of John Grayson, Viscount Rochdale. These seeming oppisates then proceed down a well worn path of tussle regarding Grace's virtue.
As usual, the said virtue is predicated upon the dreary prejudices of the Bishop and our unheroic hero proceeds to demolish them for Grace with graceful ease. Mind, it takes a while and alas, it is a rather tedious journey into Grace's decision to forsake the narrow path. Very tedious, alas.
This is not really due to Hern's writing, but rather the nature of this morality tale turned on its head. We've read it too many times and as a result, it appears there will never be a widow without a rake in hot pursuit of her fluttering weeds. I really do wish there would be a genuinely 'virtuous' widow who is so for reasons that don't point modern, accusing fingers at 19th century ideas on sexuality. It's almost like post WW1 moderns pulling down the eminent Victorians.
So, good writing, but not much merriment.

I have enjoyed the Merry Widows Series, and Candice Hern saves the best for last with Lady Be Bad! Okay, so maybe this story is a bit predictable, but how can one go wrong with the "Reformed Rake" storyline combined with a "Bet" storyline.

Grace Marlowe is a repressed woman with a capital R! She is the widow of the late Bishop and has been brainwashed into believing that passion is synonymous with sin! John Grayston is a jaded rake who has sworn off women for any other purpose besides pleasure. He has a horrible reputation in contrast to Grace's impeccable reputation.

John accepts a bet (over a horse!) to seduce Grace which is the premise of this book.

This unlikely couple is made believable by the skilled writing of Hern. She develops this relationship slowly and carefully....first developing a friendship before developing their romance. I appreciate this tactic. We are allowed to "get to know" both of these characters in a way that highlights their similarities rather than their outward differences. I love a reformed rake, and John Grayston may rank up there as one of my all time favorites!

This is a sweet and convincing romance that will have you smiling, sighing, and wanting to read it again!

John Grayston, Lord Rochdale, is a notorious rake and consummate gambler, whose good looks and `bad boy' behavior are ever popular with the ladies. "There is not a woman in London whose bed I could not seduce my way into with very little effort," he boasts to his drinking companion, Lord Sheane. Sheane make him prove his words. He names the oh-so-proper Mrs. Grace Marlowe, widow of a high-ranking bishop, and bets John that he cannot seduce her. The stakes are set very high. If John succeeds, he will win Sheane's highly coveted racehorse; if he fails, John must forfeit his own prize-winning racehorse - his beloved Serendipity.

Grace is young and beautiful but has no interest in men - or, rather, represses any yearnings she may have. She spends her days modestly garbed, doing good deeds, visiting with lady friends, and editing her late husbands sermons. Although wed for ten years, her carnal experience is extremely limited. Her husband was much older and very controlling, and molded Grace into a 'separate bedrooms' perfect Christian wife. He taught her that only sinful women have sexual desires or passionate feelings. Needless to say, Grace is not John's usual type of female prey. Selfish, manipulative and deceitful women are more up his alley - yet privately he despises them. Grace is honest, sincere and giving - with an endearingly artless allure and an unexpected soft spot for her would-be hero. John is surprised how much he truly likes and admires her and how much he craves her. Which makes his task to win the wager all the more appealing... unless of course Grace catches on.

This is a wonderful opposites attract story where the lovers are not really so mismatched as they first appear, and there is more to each of them than first meets the eye. Grace is not so passionless nor John so dispassionate as they would have the other believe. Their attraction seems real, their intimacy genuine, and their conversations funny and poignant. The story is well-paced with good sexual build-up, and strikes all the right emotional notes. The leads are disarmingly charming, and the looming wager adds a nice dimension to their courtship...with a clever twist at the end! This is the third book in the Merry Widow series, and all are good reads - fun, touching, sensual and satisfying.

I really liked the premise of this book - a rake and a virtuous lady, what an unlikely combination :) But a good one nonetheless. I liked the way Graces icy facade slowly melted, and the way Rochdale (I simply can't think of him as 'John') reacted to her. It was exciting, and it was amazing. And the imminent discovery of the wager added a sense of doom to their relationship and had me wondering what will happen next. And what happened did not disappoint me. I really liked this book.