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A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog

ARC Review: ‘The Reluctant Countess’ by Wendy Vella

January 15, 2013

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book from Netgalley, the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog earns a small commission at no extra cost to you from any purchases made through these links. You can read the full disclosure underneath the Privacy Policy.

ARC Review: ‘The Reluctant Countess’ by Wendy Vella

The Reluctant Countess

by Wendy Vella
Published by Loveswept on January 14, 2013
SubGenres: Historical Romance
Format: eArc
Pages: 302
Source: Netgalley, the publisher
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four-half-stars

From rising romance star Wendy Vella comes a Cinderella story of whirlwind passion between a dashing earl and a beautiful countess—and the secret that threatens to tear them apart.   Regal, poised, and elegant, Sophie, Countess of Monmouth, is everything that a highborn lady should be. But Sophie is hiding a past that is far from royal. When Patrick, Earl of Coulter, realizes that her story doesn’t add up, he resolves to find out the truth of what Sophie and her sister-in-law are concealing. Although Sophie has every reason to avoid him, the handsome and charismatic Patrick awakens something wicked deep within her soul . . . a powerful need that Sophie must stifle in order to protect her place in society.   Despite Sophie’s humble background, the raven-haired beauty has won Patrick’s heart. But what Sophie needs now is an ally. Viscount Myles Dumbly, the disgruntled former heir of Monmouth, is determined to expose Sophie as a fraud to recapture his lost inheritance. Soon Patrick is drawn into a fight for both their lives. Somehow he must find a way not only to rescue Sophie from poverty once and for all, but to keep her in his arms forever.  Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: The Escape Diaries, The Devil’s Thief, and The Magic.

My Review

“The Reluctant Countess” is from the upcoming new Author, Wendy Vella, who definitely makes a great and memorable entrance into the regency historical romance genre .  I fell in love with her writing style and the characters she wrote in “The Reluctant Countess”.  Wendy actually made me feel like I was back in that time frame and how I wish some guys from this era would take notes from how men should treat women.  (*just saying*)

Sophie, Countess of Monmouth, is trying everything to keep her secret from coming out, but it is kind of hard when you have the sexy Earl of Coulter, Patrick, always there asking questions and making her feel flustered.  Sophie has a deep secret and with the help of her sister-in-law, she is trying everything to have it from coming out during the season.  The Earl knows something is up with the Countess and it is up to him to find out what it is….although in the meantime, he is finding it is hard to resist Sophie and when the truth finally comes out, he wants to be there for her and protect her.
Sophie is not only dealing with keeping her secret from coming out, but trying to keep her brother and herself safe from her past.  She also has the Viscount to worry about, who he feels he was tricked out of getting what he deserved.

“The Reluctant Countess” takes you into the world of where romance can overcome anything, especially when two characters come from different classes.  Wendy gives you a different kind of Cinderella story that will have you wanting that happily ever after for the characters and wanting to find out who wants Sophie killed.
I loved Patrick for his determinedness to win over Sophie even when he found out the truth.  He definitely loved her from the beginning, but just took him a minute to find it out for himself.  Sophie had a little trouble trusting Patrick, but she had her reasons for what she went through.
I also enjoyed Wendy’s secondary characters who kept a very interesting storyline for themselves as well.
I look forward to reading more books from Wendy Vella in the near future.  This regency romance will have you wanting your own Earl of Coulter…at least I know I do now.  =)

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FranJessca
FranJessca
Owner/Reviewer at A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog
I guess I should type a bio here. I'm FranJessca, or Fran for short. I'm the owner/reviewer behind A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog. I've been reading and reviewing books on my blog since leaving the Navy in 2011, and I will keep doing it as long as possible. My favorite genres will always be Romance & Fantasy, and I read every subgenre underneath those two genres. (Sorry, not a fan of nonfiction, so don't try to convince me to read it.)
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
FranJessca
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