Customer Reviews

My Fair Lord

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

 

 

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

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!

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!

This book was a really good read. It was fun and wasn't slow at any time. This isn't a book that you should really take too seriously as the plot is quite far-fetched but if you take it with a pinch of salt then you finish it with a goofy smile on your face. The only thing I feel I have to mention is the fact that other reviews and the synopsis made a big thing of the ghost(s) as characters in the novel where they really didn't play a big part. This isn't a criticism as the story didn't need that issue any more developed than it was. I would reccomend reading this novel.

I loved this book! The characters were charming, quirky, and unforgettable. Julie Beard has a marvelous gift for creating characters that come alive. I'm a fan of her medievals, but this is thoroughly enjoyable change for the talented Ms. Beard.

This is the second of Julie's books I have read . . . it was great!!! Just did catch myself before laughing out loud a few of times on the subway (Damme!) The story line was very imaginative, if somewhat farfetched; a couple of revelations came to me very early in the book (ie: Germaine house and Barrett's connection), but the characters and Lucas' lessons kept me reading. Like Caroline, I must admit I was more drawn to Lucas BEFORE "Barrett" conked him on the head; it was a little frustrating to follow his "recovering self." I think the GHOST versus PLACEBO ELIXIR had great, great potential, but it needed more thought and development to really contribute to the book. It kind of left me with the feeling of the PROMISE of an entertaining conundrum (you know, that makes you say hhmmm??) that never really delivered. On the whole, I enjoyed the book, read it in one day. I'm looking forward to the contuining story. What?? . . . of course you'll tell us what happened to Amanda's child . . .

Even though it has a totally improbable plot and some strange twists, I found My Fair Lord and entertaining read. The characters are sincere and they do not get too tangled up into gross misunderstandings.

Caroline Wainwright must marry in a week or lose her beloved estate. She is having the most horrid luck with suitors as they are all scared away by a supposed ghost that resides in her manor. Her luck changes when a common thief is brought to her, she him an offer; wed her and she will give him a yearly stipend but he must remain with her for a few weeks so she can prove to her brother she has a husband.

The thief is Lucas Davin and he is surprised that a member of the British ton would wager such a proposition to him, he is wary but at the same time realizes that he could do quite a bit of good with the money he would "earn" as Caroline's husband. He is willing to give it a go so he can help the street thieves he has been caring for over the years.

Very soon both Caroline and Lucas find they are attracted to each other but Lucas feels woefully inadequate to Catherine. She is refined and he knows his humble beginnings will only embarrass her ostracized her from her peers. He feels less than worthy in her presence but is protective and even a little jealous of her feelings for the ghost that allegedly walks the grounds.

This novel follows this couple's marriage and subsequent discovery of each other. Caroline is kind but sheltered and Lucas enlightens her to the poor living around her. Lucas makes Caroline feel desirable and she longs for a more permanent relationship with him.

There are secrets in Lucas's past that even is unaware of and when they start to resurface, it confuses everyone, including this reader. Lucas does go through quite a metamorphosis, I hardly recognized him. He still keeps his charming self but I missed the more irreverent man in the beginning of this novel. Still this novel is sweet and also demonstrated unconditional love on both Lucas and Caroline's part.

Despite some less than successful elements (like the exorcism & Lucas' total acceptance of Robbins' early beatings), this book successfully reworks the Pygmalion/My Fair Lady storyline, albeit with a twist that not all will find welcome. I do because anything else would have eventually unraveled. The secondary characters are nearly as well developed as the main ones. The secondary romance is off the beaten path. At times, the ghost element was a little strange and overly complex (confusing), but most of the book worked quite well.

Caroline must marry by her 25th birthday or lose the estate of father left her. It seems that ever since her 18th birthday and a prank she pulled alleging a ghost at the house, all her prospects for marriage have fled. If she does not marry, the house goes to her nasty brother George and his even nastier wife. So, with the help of her Uncle Teddy and her campanion, Amanda, she had delivered to her a horse thief from the goal and decides to marry him. She figures with the help of Teddy and Amanda, they can turn him from a seven dial thief to a gentleman. Along the way, she falls in love with him and he learns the role of a gentleman in surprising time. I know one must suspend belief in order to enjoy some stories, but this was tooooooo far fetched. Then he turns out to be an Earl? And his grandmother goes along with his return, after all those years of snobbery, just like that? Lucas was a cutie, Caroline naturally pretty, but there was a lack of sexual tension between them. Rather mudane, I would say.

Caroline and Lucas may be the lead characters in this wonderful romance, but it's Lord Barrett and his love interest Rachel who will haunt the readers once they turn the last page. I have read many ghostly romances, but this one had a way of haunting me without the constant presences of ghosts. As I read along, I tried to take in everything just as I would a mystery. I didn't want to miss one clue about Lord Barrett or Rachel or what was going on in Caroline's family home... well, I'm getting ahead of myself so let me explain.

Lady Caroline needs to marry before a certain time or she loses her family home and wealth to her brother and his cold, greedy wife. Since it's during the 1700's in England, there is always a Dandy to spare looking for a chance to marry for money, but as the reader will find out, there is a reason Caroline can't get a man to stay at her family home long enough to marry. She becomes desperate and reaches into the lowest place available to save her inheritance.

The Prologue begins the tale, and reading through will introduce you to some rich, substantial characters, but you won't know the truth until the last page.