Ready Set Rogue
A Studies in Scandal Novel
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4.7 • 14 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
WHO WILL WRITE THE BOOK OF LOVE?
When scholarly Miss Ivy Wareham receives word that she’s one of four young ladies who have inherited Lady Celeste Beauchamp’s estate with a magnificent private library, she packs her trunks straightaway. Unfortunately, Lady Celeste’s nephew, the rakish Quill Beauchamp, Marquess of Kerr, is determined to interrupt her studies one way or another...
Bequeathing Beauchamp House to four bluestockings—no matter how lovely they are to look at—is a travesty, and Quill simply won’t have it. But Lady Celeste’s death is not quite as straightforward as it first seemed…and if Quill hopes to solve the mystery behind her demise, he’ll need Ivy’s help. Along the way, he is surprised to learn that bookish Ivy stirs a passion and longing that he has never known. This rogue believes he’s finally met his match—but can Quill convince clever, skeptical Ivy that his love is no fiction?
Don't miss Ready Set Rogue, the first in Manda Collins' new series set in Regency England!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Collins (Good Dukes Wear Black) sets her new Regency series south of London near the coast, which is where Quill Beauchamp, Marquess of Kerr, encounters Ivy Wareham, late of Oxford, en route to the country home of recently deceased Lady Celeste Beauchamp. Ivy and three other bluestockings (whose romances and scholarly interests will doubtless be explored in sequels) have an opportunity to inherit the home and continue their studies; Quill believes the house should be his. The thoughts and dialogue of the scholars feel a little anachronistic, but Collins's knack for humor moves the story along . Quill and Ivy's intimate relationship blooms surprisingly quickly as they traverse bucolic and rainy pastures where conveniently abandoned cabins beckon. Once established as a couple, they work together to solve the mystery of Lady Celeste's untimely death. It's not a mystery, however, whether they and the other ladies will find their happy endings.
Customer Reviews
love, mystery, passion
A delightful read I highly recommend. Quill, Marquess of Kerr, suspects the bluestockings who inherited his aunt's estate are not what they seem. Thrown together with the linguist scholar, Ivy, he soon learns there is more to her than brains. As they work to discover the truth of his aunt's death, they succumb to the sexual tension between them as they face danger. Solving the mystery leads to their HEA!
Ready Set Rogue
Get prepared because this book is going to grab you! Manda always knows how to give us good books to read. She gave us a different story line in this book. Lady Celeste is a bluestocking and takes her house to shelter others like her. She is dead. She has picked 4 ladies to work on their favorite work. Ivy found a letter that tells she worried she was poisoned. She wants Ivy to find her murderer. Quill is her nephew and wants the women out. Until he met Ivy. Spoiler. I thought it was one way but you won't believe how it came out. Quill and Ivy have to marry and will they or won't they tell her father. They are near the water so of course they will get trapped in the tunnels. I hope you choose to see how this story ends. You will be drawn right into the book. Check it out and enjoy your reading!
A lovely introduction to the four (or perhaps five) women who will comprise the series
A simple premise becomes the base for the scandals (at least in society’s eyes of this series. Beauchamp House, formerly owned by Lady Celeste, has been set at the center of a story in which one of the four young women, all scholarly and impressive in their pursuits, has a chance to win the house and al it entails. Ivy is a Linguist, Daphne is a Mathematician, Sophia is an Artist and Gemma studies Fossils. The four are to reside in the house for a year, with their chaperone Serena.
Torquil is the nephew of Lady Celeste, and is convinced that the women (with the exception of his cousin Serena) somehow conspired to improve their lot and gain the estates of his late aunt. And he is determined to discover the truth behind the will, and oust the women.
There were many things to absolutely adore about this story: the 4 Bluestockings were wonderfully developed and cleverly portrayed. Each has a unique style of approaching life and their own studies, and they all do truly dream of having complete lives, not simply ostracized because of their differences from the more conventional women of their day.
The story takes flight with the mystery as Quill and Ivy, spurred on by a letter written by the late Celeste, and the two investigate. It’s an interesting moment when Quill realizes that Ivy is helpful, and has solid ideas backed by a determination to find the truth. Although not as completely of his time in terms of his attitudes toward women, he is genuinely surprised with the no-nonsense approach that Ivy has in hunting down clues and ferreting out the truth behind Celeste’s death.
What didn’t come as naturally for me was the romance between the two. It was an instant and headlong rush to the bedroom, and the interplay between them was far more cerebral and less emotional than I would have hoped for it to be. They didn’t know one another, and both stumbled over the emotional sharing. Biographies were easy, but he deeper emotional content was missing, nearly to the end. It didn’t, however, diminish the clever plot, the wonderful secondary characters and the wonderful twists and turns as the culprit was found.
A lovely introduction to the four (or perhaps five) women who will comprise the series: and I’m curious to see how each woman’s story will unfold.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.