Ridiculous [Kindle Edition]

D.L. Carter (Author)

Book Description

Funny.
Sexy.
Cross Dressing.
Not your mother's Regency Romance.
After the death of her miserly cousin Antony North, Millicent Boarder is determined her family should never be poor or vulnerable again. To protect them she conceals her cousin's death and assumes his identity. Now she must face the Ton and the world as Mr. North and accept the price she must pay for her family's safety -- she will never be loved.
Which means, of course, at this point she will meet the perfect man.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Ridiculous! is a finalist in this years Golden Quill Awards.

"A fast-paced, unexpected and (dare I say it?) RIDICULOUS romp that will keep you snorting with laughter!"
~~Leigh Michaels, author of On Writing Romance (Writers Digest Books) and The Birthday Scandal  (Montlake Romance)

"Seriously, I wish I'd written this plot back when I was writing Regencies."  ~~ Rosemary Edghill, author of Shadow Grail, The Ill-Bred Bride.

"Ridiculous is a fun, Regency romp by a fresh new voice. D.L. Carter hooked me from page one! Shoffer and Millicent have an undeniable chemistry, a heat between them that leaves the reader turning the pages, longing for the moment when the charade between them will be unmasked and their passionate feelings will finally be realized." ~Joleen James, Winner Golden Heart Award

From the Author

2013 Golden Quill Finalist - Regency Romance division

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 647 KB
• Print Length: 399 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0985066385
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Corvallis Press (May 19, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0084VC2LC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,835 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm sad now - aren't there any more of these ridiculous books? June 7, 2012

By L. Dakin

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book had a surprise around every corner. I love that! It was generally true to Regency society rules, and when needed, customs were explained for the reader in a natural way that didn't break up the narrative. I loved the chance to spend some time in the male Regency world and hear the commentary of the main character as she experienced the differences of living as a man.

The description of the book really doesn't do it justice. It sounds all dramatic and like just a straight romance. I think it should be changed so more people will decide to buy this fabulous book.

Mr. North was hilarious, and I loved the dialogue whenever he decided to entertain. It was a nice contrast with the practical nature of Millicent.

I would have liked some more character development for the grandmother, who sometimes seemed as if she was there just to move the plot points. What motivated her style of discipline? Where did she learn it, and why did she believe in it? I also would have liked to see the scene in which Lady Beth finds out the truth.

D.L. Carter, please write more books, and soon. I know good writing takes time, so I'll wait. But don't make me wait too long.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good read. June 1, 2012

By Mik

Format:Kindle Edition

This book portrays a strong family tie in which the main character will do most anything to protect her family. Millicent is a very clever quick thinking gal. The hoops she walks through and the hurtles she jumps over are a serious matter, but you can't help having a good chuckle through-out the story. A very good read.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best historical romances I've read! June 14, 2012

By readrpumpkineatr

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have never left a review for a Kindle eBook before - in fact I had to create an account to leave this one! But this book was a truly wonderful find and I wanted other people to discover it too. I purchased this book while it was free due to some promotion by the publisher I think but I would have paid $7 or $8; it is far and away the best book I've ever read on my Kindle.

The book itself is laugh out loud funny. The characters are witty and like-able without straying into caricature territory. The plot treads several well worn tropes, but takes them on in a new and fresh way. For example, one of the female characters is masquerading as a man. It is clear that at some point, a reveal must be made. Even before starting the book, I felt confident that I knew how it would go, since all books that use this plot device are the same. But I was wrong! It was handled so differently from other books. I wish I could go into more detail without spoilers, but suffice to say, this book had several such pleasant surprises where the author turned tired plot devices on their ear.

This book is of the same quality as a mainstream novel by Sophie Kinsella or Meg Cabot book. It is well-polished, there are no typos that I remember, and it gave the sense that it had been carefully & lovingly edited before being published, rather than just being foisted on the unsuspecting reader like so many terrible eBooks these days.

This is definitely a stranded-on-a-desert-isle book!

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Spoke too soon, finished the book and 2nd half let me way down July 10, 2012

By Dangerous when Cooking

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

42% in, this is what I thought: 5-stars! Personally, I detest the 'heroine wears breeches' premise in Regencies but this author makes the ruse a high-stakes gamble to provide her mother and sisters with a solvent future. Later: Given the heroine's plausible 'masculinity,' the author should've made the heroine's attractiveness equally believable when the time came to reveal her gender. She didn't and s/he wasn't. The last half of the book fell flat for me as a result.

I paid four dollars for this, unlike many reviewers, so I have skin in the game and I bought it because it started so well. I really got a wonderful sense of the time and the social mores but the story simply lost my interest because the original, excellent plausibility wasn't sustained through the inevitable reveal/reconsideration/relationship. Then it got worse.

The author convinced me the heroine was masculine-looking enough to pass as male among men. She was not pretty, was tall, rangy and small breasted enough to be able to wear loose clothing with a stock wrapped around her chest. In test after test of her disguise, no man doubts her gender at all. Even the hero. That puts up a high hurdle to clear when it comes time for the big reveal and next, romantic phase. The story didn't clear it for me. The author convinced me too well of the heroine's masculinity, but not of her attractiveness or femininity.

Worse there was no hint of mutual chemistry between H/h prior to the revelation. How is that a basis for a romance?

Isn't believability of the developing romance between H/h at the heart of a romance novel? While she's secretly drooling over him, the hero's only ever seeing Mr. North. Until, like magic the butch heroine becomes femme fatale instantly.... A gold silk gown without much underwear, a mask and a blonde wig just didn't cut it for explaining her instant sex goddess incarnation. It started to fizzle out then.

This brings up my other disappointment. Did the hero really have no idea there was something a little effeminate or off about her/him? The author makes a strong case in the first section, no one did. Then for no compelling reason, there's a plot twist of a malicious "homosexual" rumor about Mr. North, which the hero again dismisses but nevertheless distances himself from Mr. North for sis' sake. Is this chemistry? The hero's reaction to her/his unmasking was underwhelming, unsatisfying and incomprehensibly blase. Sort of "Gee, Mr. North's got boobs. Let's look under the sheet a couple times. Yup. Okay. Let's get busy." From that scene on, he was TSTL. What began with so much promise as a madcap ridiculous romp lurched into ludicrous and ultimately unpleasantly incredible territory.

Update: I finished it and really choked on Millicent first becoming his bit 'o muslin then his lawfully wedded wife. Why oh why did I keep turning the kindle on and advancing to the next frame? I think I admired the author's writing ability no matter how off the rails the story went.

After this, I will observe my no "She's in breeches!" plots rule. But to each his/her own. Almost everyone else had a better experience reading it. Given the author's skill, another Regency romance by her might suit me better. But only if I get it free. Read more ›

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A very mixed opinion on this book..... July 9, 2012

By A. M. Edwards

Format:Kindle Edition

First, the pros: This book is exceptionally well written and well researched. The characters do and say things that would be consistent with the time period. The author does an excellent job of illustrating the style of dress, the differences between social classes and takes the reader on an adventure all over England. The dialogue is good, but not the best I've read. In a lot of ways the dialogue was forced at times. The cons: the plot is rather unbelievable. Millicent, the main female character, dresses as a man to save her sisters and mother from the poor house. While at first she is described as not the most beautiful and easily able to be taken as a man she somehow manages to fool a very virile and observant man. We are then supposed to believe that once the ruse is discovered this man wants to leap into her bed proclaiming her a great beauty. This just simply doesn't work in my mind. Either she is a great beauty and very feminine or she is masculine and easily seen as a man. I found the fact that Timothy finds humor in the situation and is still lusty immediately after the discovery to be, well, ridiculous!

More About the Author

D.L. Carter was decanted from her incubation pod in the outback of Australia many decades ago. This terrifying event was closely followed by shrieks of "there, there it goes. Hit it with a brick!"

These valiant attempts to correct the existence of D.L. were, unfortunately, unsuccessful and she now resides in New Jersey, US., in a box with her toys, two human beings and three cats.

https://www.facebook.com/deeleana.carter
www.funwithghoulsandgoblins.com
http://funwithghoulsandgoblins.blogspot.com