Well Favored Gentleman [Hardcover]

Christina Dodd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1998

Where has she been? The rumors fly throughout the Scottish countryside about Lady Alanna, the beautiful and mysterious displaced mistress of Fionnaway Manor. And now she has emerged from hiding, only to find her beloved estate besieged by greedy relatives. . .and coveted by a darkly handsome Englishman.

Ian Fairchild knows that Fionnaway belongs to him alone. For years he yearned for the cherished place where he passed his childhood. He can secure his rights to the manor only through marriage with the enigmatic Alanna, but the exquisite hellion has warned him at knifepoint to leave her house.

Now with skill and charm, Ian must penetrate the lady's defenses, and boldly lay claim to her body and spirit. But first he must prove himself worthy, and he holds the power to enchant and delight, inflame and inspire. . .and to convince this lady her true home is in her lover's heart.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Powerful Ian Fairchild is a man with magical powers and dark secrets--and he covets Fionnaway Manor. But the Scottish estate is owned by beautiful Lady Alanna, and Ian must marry her to gain the right to claim Fionnaway as his own. Alanna doesn't trust the handsome Ian but all too soon she finds herself falling in love with him. The secrets Ian holds may make it impossible for him to love her in return and despite Alanna's faith, his past and dark heritage threaten a happy ending for the two lovers. Complex characters and a touch of Selkie myth and magic make this an intriguing novel not to be missed. --Lois Faye Dyer --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

Continuing the saga of the decadent Fairchilds begun in A Well Pleasured Lady (LJ 8/97), this intricately plotted story set along the windswept Scottish coast pits enigmatic Ian Fairchild against Alanna MacLeod, the beautiful, determined Lady of Fionnaway, in a struggle for love and property that threatens a legendary agreement, answers an old question, and almost ends in disaster. Yet, for all its underpinnings of greed and broken promises, this is a gentler, more magical book than its predecessor. Well-matched protagonists, several memorable secondary characters, and a full measure of selkie lore and mysticism combine to recommend this sensual romance.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: San Val (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417710152
• ISBN-13: 978-1417710157
• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,055,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chat with Christina via Facebook and Twitter, and even better, join her mailing list to have her news delivered right to your inbox! http://christinadodd.com/lists/?p=subscribe

Readers become writers, and Christina Dodd has always been a reader. She reads everything, but because she loves humor, she likes romance best.

A woman wants things like world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants things like a Craftsman router with attachments, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will miraculously make his bald spot disappear. So when Christina's first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to quit work and write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?

Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before her first novel, CANDLE IN THE WINDOW, was published. In the twenty-two years since, her novels have been translated into 25 languages, won Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart and RITA Awards and been called the year's best by Library Journal. Christina Dodd herself has been a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle (11/18/05, # 13 Down: Romance Novelist named Christina.) Publishers Weekly praises her style that 'showcases Dodd's easy, addictive charm and steamy storytelling.'

Christina's 2011 releases include TAKEN BY THE PRINCE, #9 in the Governess Brides series, and in the tradition of Nora Roberts, a new romantic suspense series starting with SECRETS OF BELLA TERRA and REVENGE AT BELLA TERRA.

Christina Dodd is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Magical Story, July 30, 2002

By 

M. Rondeau (West Springfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Well Favored Gentleman (Mass Market Paperback)

For those of you who like a little fantasy and magic thrown in with some VERY hot and sensually stimulating love scenes - then look no further - this has to be the one.

He is Ian Fairchild, darkly handsome and tortured with secrets he does not want revealed. Ian is summoned home to Fionnaway by his dying father that despises him. He is led to believe that once his father dies Fionnaway would be his - just one of the many lies his father Leslie Fairchild (truly a despicable waste of human flesh)tells him.

She is Lady Alanna - the beautiful and mysterious mistriss of Fionnaway who disappeared 4 years prior and waits to come back to reclaim her heritage. Ian desperately wants Fionnaway as well and will use whatever tricks he has to to gain the home that he has never had his entire life.

There is a lot of intrigue, magic, and legends that the story evolves around - it is simply wonderful and you will no doubt not be able put it down once you have started it. I absolutely sobbed BIG tears at the end... Loved it and will definitely read it over again. This had some of the most exquisitely beautiful love scenes - with WORDS - that I have not seen in some time. A rare treat for the hopeless romantic - I was well and truly touched!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Wonderful Wonderful!, June 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Well Favored Gentleman (Mass Market Paperback)

This book gives me the chills, I love it! Ian Fairchild, lost and lonely, has magical abilities to look into a person's true emotions and personality. His mother is a selkie. Alanna is the long-lost heir to Fionnaway, back to regain her inheritance. Thus began a cat-and-mouse game to gain control of the land. The sexual tension between these two is absolutely scorching, and believe me, the pages burn. Ian is lovingly detailed by Ms Dodd - he is a lonely man finally finding a place where he belongs, if only he can get Alanna to be his. Alanna is less vividly-drawn, but she is a woman of strong will, if afraid of Ian's searing passion.

Add to this mix a lovely young woman who is Ian's half-sister Wilda and her touching quest for "goodness", a truly evil man, and the magic of the selkies, you get a truly special book.

And the climax is truly breathtaking when Ian finally proves his love for Alanna... I shed a few tears and hugged everyone in my house, even the dog, after reading it.

Closing the book, I shut my eyes and could almost hear the crash of waves...

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sizzling!! Sizzling!! Sizzling!!, September 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Well Favored Gentleman (Mass Market Paperback)

Oooo weeee. I could not put this book down. It made me burn and yearn. Ian is my fantasy realized on Christina Dodd's pages. He is every woman's dream, and I do mean that literally. When he comes to Alanna in her dreams, wew, hot! hot! hot! The reality of their true lovemaking was even better though. If that was possible. The story was so good too. The characters were deep and believable. I loved everyone, though not all were lovable. I cannot wait to browse Amazon.com for more Christina Dodd novels. This book really lit my fire.