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ksaeng's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
jcmbank's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nighteyes82's review against another edition
2.0
I wish I liked it better. it was so so, lukewarm, something was missing. And I never could quite shake the feeling that she was not the way i had thought she was. more classy, hight maintenance. I felt like reading a teenage girl love story.
but I liked the wink at the window scene from the previous book.
but I liked the wink at the window scene from the previous book.
winterreader40's review against another edition
4.0
The moronic men of the Ton have made a bet about who will manage to finally get Rosalind to the alter this season so her brother asks his friend to guard her while he's away on his wedding trip. He refuses to tell Rosalind who will be guarding her so she can't bribe them to leave her be, which she would most definitely do.
Nicholas has been avoiding spending anytime around Rosalind for many years now but when his friends asks this favor he can't say no. Guarding her forces them into close proximity and even though she's known for years that she's in love with him, he has a deep fear of love and refuses to admit to himself that he feels anything other than lust and irritation.
This was much better than book 2, no one's willfully stupid in this one, Rosalind is a little bit childish but otherwise they are both interesting characters.
The ending felt a bit abrupt and I wish there had been an epilogue to see how they got on later.
Nicholas has been avoiding spending anytime around Rosalind for many years now but when his friends asks this favor he can't say no. Guarding her forces them into close proximity and even though she's known for years that she's in love with him, he has a deep fear of love and refuses to admit to himself that he feels anything other than lust and irritation.
This was much better than book 2, no one's willfully stupid in this one, Rosalind is a little bit childish but otherwise they are both interesting characters.
The ending felt a bit abrupt and I wish there had been an epilogue to see how they got on later.
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Rosalind Devine has been in love with her brother Gabriel's best friend since she was seventeen years old. While she's never been without the attention of men of the Ton, she's only had eyes for Nicholas Kincaid. She's resolved herself to matching others with their soul mates, determined not to live with the same fate as her mother.
So she was convinced her luck was changing when Nicholas appeared in London, a place her had never come before. Unfortunately, she didn't know Nicholas wasn't there to confess his feelings and sweep her off her feet. Instead, he'd promised to protect her.
Nicholas Kincaid, the new Marquess of Winterbourne felt he couldn't say no to Gabriel when he asked him to come to London and watch over Rosalind while Gabriel was away on his wedding trip. He'd always kept his feelings about Rosalind a secret, but he didn't know exactly how hard it was going to be to fight those feelings when he was constantly thrown together with the object of his affections.
These two characters were a clear cut case of people needing to open their mouths and just laying it all out there. They constantly danced around each their feelings and attraction to each other. Even while stealing kisses and other "things" they still continued to hide their feelings. At some point, if these two were truly as in love with each other as professed later, wouldn't you be able to see and/or feel what the other person felt? I wanted to shake someone...I just wasn't sure if it was Rosaline, Nicholas or myself.
The one character I did enjoy, Tristan, has a smaller secondary role. But I wanted to know what happened with him. What was the story behind his engagement? If he was celebrating the broken engagement, why did he no longer want to be engaged? Why wasn't he upset with Nicholas and Rosalind? Will he get a book of his own?
These are the burning questions I have after reading this one. Not about the main characters, but of Rosalind's younger brother. Go figure.
3 Cocktails.
So she was convinced her luck was changing when Nicholas appeared in London, a place her had never come before. Unfortunately, she didn't know Nicholas wasn't there to confess his feelings and sweep her off her feet. Instead, he'd promised to protect her.
Nicholas Kincaid, the new Marquess of Winterbourne felt he couldn't say no to Gabriel when he asked him to come to London and watch over Rosalind while Gabriel was away on his wedding trip. He'd always kept his feelings about Rosalind a secret, but he didn't know exactly how hard it was going to be to fight those feelings when he was constantly thrown together with the object of his affections.
These two characters were a clear cut case of people needing to open their mouths and just laying it all out there. They constantly danced around each their feelings and attraction to each other. Even while stealing kisses and other "things" they still continued to hide their feelings. At some point, if these two were truly as in love with each other as professed later, wouldn't you be able to see and/or feel what the other person felt? I wanted to shake someone...I just wasn't sure if it was Rosaline, Nicholas or myself.
The one character I did enjoy, Tristan, has a smaller secondary role. But I wanted to know what happened with him. What was the story behind his engagement? If he was celebrating the broken engagement, why did he no longer want to be engaged? Why wasn't he upset with Nicholas and Rosalind? Will he get a book of his own?
These are the burning questions I have after reading this one. Not about the main characters, but of Rosalind's younger brother. Go figure.
3 Cocktails.
robazizo's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable, but with some problems. I loved the parallel scene with To Wed A Wicked Earl. Rosalind and Nicholas were both great characters and their chemistry was palpable, but their attraction was a bit on the lusty side at first and I had problems with Nicholas' behaviour at the end of the book.
allomancersam's review against another edition
1.0
1.5 Stars
I kind of hesitate to rate this in the one star range, because I didn't *hate* it, and it didn't make me angry. But my goodness, it was both boring and quite dumb.
*Somehow instalove despite being a "brother's best friend, I've known you for years" kind of situation. I never got a good feel for any real connection or history
*I didn't like the banter. An absolutely cardinal sin for a romance, to be sure. There were moments when they'd get started and then one of them would back down like they'd been bested (which was nonsensical in its own way)
*The ending was super rushed
*The whole thing was kind of rushed
*I didn't care for any of the side characters either
*Why was him agreeing to guard her in exchange for some whiskey such a huge insult? You'd think that him accepting a relatively meager prize in exchange for watching over her for the entire season would be a compliment? Like it didn't take much to convince him? Why was she so upset about this???
*Did I mention how unsatisfactory the ending was?
Anyway, I didn't hate this, I don't think, but I certainly did not care for it
I kind of hesitate to rate this in the one star range, because I didn't *hate* it, and it didn't make me angry. But my goodness, it was both boring and quite dumb.
*Somehow instalove despite being a "brother's best friend, I've known you for years" kind of situation. I never got a good feel for any real connection or history
*I didn't like the banter. An absolutely cardinal sin for a romance, to be sure. There were moments when they'd get started and then one of them would back down like they'd been bested (which was nonsensical in its own way)
*The ending was super rushed
*The whole thing was kind of rushed
*I didn't care for any of the side characters either
*Why was him agreeing to guard her in exchange for some whiskey such a huge insult? You'd think that him accepting a relatively meager prize in exchange for watching over her for the entire season would be a compliment? Like it didn't take much to convince him? Why was she so upset about this???
*Did I mention how unsatisfactory the ending was?
Anyway, I didn't hate this, I don't think, but I certainly did not care for it
witandsin's review against another edition
4.0
When the duke’s away, the rogues will come out. At least, that’s what Lady Rosalind Devine’s brother believes. Which is why he informs his sister that, when he leaves on his wedding trip, Rosalind will have a guardian who will secretly keep watch over her. Rosalind doesn’t want a “nursemaid” and she’s determined to out the man and convince him to leave her to her own devices. She doesn’t need protection and it’s highly unlikely she’ll give into any of her unwanted suitors; Rosalind gave her heart away long ago.
Nicholas Kinkaid, Marquess of Winterbourne, couldn’t say no when his best friend asked him to watch over his sister. Nicholas has done everything possible to distance himself from the beautiful, meddlesome Rosalind so that she may never know how deeply he wants her. Now charged with watching her every move, the temptation that Rosalind presents is nearly impossible to resist…especially when it’s clear she desires him as well. Will Nicholas be able to open his heart to the woman who longs to claim it?
Olivia Parker’s signature style is out in full force in Guarding a Notorious Lady. I adore a book that’s lighthearted, romantic, and fun, and Guarding a Notorious Lady is all these things and more. Rosalind is a woman that men fawn over, so it’s somewhat difficult for her to come to terms with the fact that the only man she wants doesn’t seem to think her anything special. Nicholas, in turn, can’t stay away from Rosalind – both because of his promise to her brother and his own attraction – but he’s determined never to fall in love so deeply it could destroy him. Nicholas and Rosalind dance around one another, each hindered from finding happiness by society’s rules and their own personal fears. I liked watching them circle one another, but even more I loved it when they couldn’t resist giving into the bond that so clearly is between them.
Guarding a Notorious Lady can easily be read as a standalone, but fans of Ms. Parker’s will delight in revisiting Rosalind’s brother, Gabriel, and his wife Madelyn (of At the Bride Hunt Ball). Also, readers who loved To Wed a Wicked Earl will surely be tickled to see the Earl of Rothbury’s moonlight Shakespeare recitation gone wrong from Rosalind’s perspective. All in all, Guarding a Notorious Lady was a delight to read from beginning to end. I love Ms. Parker’s humorous, charming writing style and Rosalind and Nicholas were loveable characters individually and, as a pair, were an endearing couple. I finished Guarding a Notorious Lady a well-satisfied reader. My only complaint is that now I have to wait for the last Devine sibling, Tristan, to get his book!
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed.
Nicholas Kinkaid, Marquess of Winterbourne, couldn’t say no when his best friend asked him to watch over his sister. Nicholas has done everything possible to distance himself from the beautiful, meddlesome Rosalind so that she may never know how deeply he wants her. Now charged with watching her every move, the temptation that Rosalind presents is nearly impossible to resist…especially when it’s clear she desires him as well. Will Nicholas be able to open his heart to the woman who longs to claim it?
Olivia Parker’s signature style is out in full force in Guarding a Notorious Lady. I adore a book that’s lighthearted, romantic, and fun, and Guarding a Notorious Lady is all these things and more. Rosalind is a woman that men fawn over, so it’s somewhat difficult for her to come to terms with the fact that the only man she wants doesn’t seem to think her anything special. Nicholas, in turn, can’t stay away from Rosalind – both because of his promise to her brother and his own attraction – but he’s determined never to fall in love so deeply it could destroy him. Nicholas and Rosalind dance around one another, each hindered from finding happiness by society’s rules and their own personal fears. I liked watching them circle one another, but even more I loved it when they couldn’t resist giving into the bond that so clearly is between them.
Guarding a Notorious Lady can easily be read as a standalone, but fans of Ms. Parker’s will delight in revisiting Rosalind’s brother, Gabriel, and his wife Madelyn (of At the Bride Hunt Ball). Also, readers who loved To Wed a Wicked Earl will surely be tickled to see the Earl of Rothbury’s moonlight Shakespeare recitation gone wrong from Rosalind’s perspective. All in all, Guarding a Notorious Lady was a delight to read from beginning to end. I love Ms. Parker’s humorous, charming writing style and Rosalind and Nicholas were loveable characters individually and, as a pair, were an endearing couple. I finished Guarding a Notorious Lady a well-satisfied reader. My only complaint is that now I have to wait for the last Devine sibling, Tristan, to get his book!
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed.
elemomi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
ctsquirrel's review against another edition
4.0
Far better than [b:To Wed a Wicked Earl|6290413|To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)|Olivia Parker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322235678s/6290413.jpg|6474774] but not nearly as good as [b:At the Bride Hunt Ball|2374852|At the Bride Hunt Ball (Devine & Friends, #1)|Olivia Parker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322236081s/2374852.jpg|2381762].