My Fair Lord [Paperback]

Julie Beard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2000

To hold onto her inheritance, Caroline must marry. But getting a husband isn't easy, because her estate is haunted by Lord Hamilton. Desperate, she marries a rake from one of the worst criminal districts in London. As she falls in love with him, she wonders if he is possessed by the ghost. This lighthearted Regency romance is a departure for Beard.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Soldering together the usual Regency-historical conventions, Beard (The Maiden's Heart) creates a work that fails to consistently entertain, even as escapist lit. A prim yet passionate heroine, Caroline Wainwright, must find a husband or lose her home. Her friend Dr. Theodore Cavendish comes to her rescue by locating a devilishly attractive London thief in jail, transforming him into a gentleman and bringing him to Caroline, who straightaway falls in love. Actually, the former thief, Lucas Davin, is the cast-off son and heir of the neighboring earl. Thus far the novel remains reasonably entertaining, but the author proceeds to convolute its dramatic line by tacking on a heavy subplot involving ghosts and exorcisms. The book is also marred by several racist remarks. (Pointing to his African servant, Dr. Theodore declares, "I have civilized the most uncivilized natives imaginable. Look at Shabala here. When I found him he was hunting in the jungle. Now he is the best butler in England.") Perhaps this flaw can be excused as a reflection of the age's attitudes, but in this poorly structured work readers may decide it's the straw that breaks the book's back. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 358 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (June 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425174816
• ISBN-13: 978-0425174814
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,560,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pygmalion with a supernatural twist... utterly delightful!, June 12, 2000

By 

Julianne "bicoastalite" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Fair Lord (Paperback)

As the saying goes, desperate situations call for desperate measures... And Caroline Wainwright was desperate. Very very desperate. She had one week til her 25 birthday to get married and find a husband. Otherwise, she would lose her beloved home, Fallingate, to her greedy brother and sister-in-law. As a last resort, Caroline seeks help from her father's best friend, Uncle Teddy, who finds her a common thief to marry! She has no choice but to marry Lucas Davin. You see, every suitor who has come to court her and her wealth has been chased out by the ghost of Fallingate. It seems that the legend of her haunted house is keeping her from getting married.

Lucas Davin is a common thief caught for stealing a horse, supposedly a dangerous and cunning rogue, if not charming to the bone. Although, he may be crude on the outside... the antics of Uncle Teddy, Caroline and her governess try to change him into a "fair lord". With the help of ghost of Lord Barrett Hamilton and some African potion Uncle Teddy conjured up... things go smoothly... sort of.

This book was far more entertaining than I had hoped. I could not put this book down! Ms. Beard's writing is superb and the reader was easily able to see the heart and the soul of the hero and the heroine. The suspense surrounding the ghost and Lucas' past was well done and had me glued to the pages. It was a wonderful book and I highly recommend this exciting novel with a supernatural twist.

Julianne

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enticing, Compelling, Enchanting, July 6, 2000

By 

Deborah L. Kepler "Deb Kepler" (Carthage, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Fair Lord (Paperback)

It is a week before her 25th birthday and Miss Caroline Wainwright still has not found a husband. If she doesn't marry by her birthday, she will lose her precious home; Fallingate, her inheritance, her very life! What's a girl to do when every sutior who comes to court her is scared away by Lord Barrett Hamilton, her 300 year old resident ghost? She recruits the help of her fathers best friend, Uncle Teddy and he searches about to find a suitable man whom he can manage to pull off as a member of the ton. Where to find a man of this ilk, why the jail of course! Enter Lucas Davin, a thief from one of London's most notorious cutpurse gangs. He's in the local jail for stealing a horse when Uncle Teddy finds him, gains his release, and talks him into conducting an 'experiment', to change a common thief into 'quality', and if they don't pull it off, all that Caroline loves will go to her greedy brother and sister-in-law. Lucas' training comes fast and sure, he takes to being a gentleman like he was born to it. Too fast for Caroline's senses, she comes to believe that her ghost has posessed Lucas into becoming the 'lord' they need him to be. Can they all pull off the charade in time to convince; without a doubt, that Caroline and Lucas' marriage is what it seems, a match made of equal rank in the ton's eyes, or will they fail and lose everything, including themselves?

Anything with Julie Beard on the cover is worth reading. Her style flows and it's so hard to put one of her books down. I read this in a single sitting and was still thinking about it when I finally went to bed. Try it, you'll be glad you did!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful romance, October 3, 2000

By 

S. Richardson (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Fair Lord (Paperback)

This is the first book of Julie Beard's that I have read.I picked it up at the store because it sounded interesting, and I had never read anything by her.Once I opened it I couldn't put it down.It has a good storyline.Actually more than one.The way Beard ties Mrs.Plumshaw's and Uncle Teddy's romance in right along with Caroline's and Lucas's is wonderful.The ghost of Barrett Hamilton is a good twist to it.It was fun to watch Lucas be transformed from a criminal to a Lord.And the fact that it takes place in medieval times makes it more intriguing and mysterious.It's as if you can feel the characters come to life right in front of you.A job well done on Mrs. Beard's part.Keep the novels coming!