Wilde in Love: The Wildes of Lindow Castle

Lord Alaric Wilde is a younger son of a Duke. After the death of his eldest brother, he became an explorer. He traveled the world and has written books about his adventures. His books are best sellers. His exploits have made him a super star among women. There is even a very popular play called Wilde in Love. His image is everywhere and women keep drawings of him in the bedrooms. All his fame has happened while he was traveling. So, when he arrives home he is shocked to find that there is nowhere that is safe from his fans. Women are willing to do anything to see him, to touch him and even more. Wilhelmina (Willa, Evie & Eve) Everett Ffynche is a young woman who is beautiful and humorous and very intelligent. She has no interest in most of the many men who have proposed to her. They are boring. She and her best friend, Lavinia, have become stars of their first season. They have made a pact to appear to be soft and ladylike. None of those qualities are actually who they are. Willa became an orphan at the age of 9 and Lady Grey, Lavinia's mother, became her surrogate mother. Willa quickly figured out that being a perfect young lady would make her exactly what Lady Grey wanted in a little girl. On the surface, Willa and Lavinia appear to be perfect young ladies. Underneath the surface, they are wonderfully aware of human nature and the humorous part of humanity. They share secrets and jokes and wisdom. Lavinia is a shopaholic and Willa reads Pliny because she is curious about history. Alaric meets Willa and immediately likes her. He is enamored of her wit and humor. He is attracted to her beauty. And he is intrigued that apparently Willa is the only woman in England who does not fall at his feet. This is a sweet romance. There is not instant bed sport. There are conversations, and flirting and laughing together. As a sign of his devotion to her, Alaric gives Willa a baby skunk as a gift. (I had pet skunks and descriptions of Sweetpea are quite accurate.) These two people are perfect for one another. They share intelligence and a sense of adventure. But, it takes work on the part of Alaric to get Willa to admit who she truly is. This is a story of many types of love. The love in the family of the Duke of Lindow is quite obvious. The Duke loves his children. His third wife is pregnant with his most recent child and everyone in the family is excited at the upcoming birth. Alaric's brother North is betrothed and besotted with Diana, he has changed his entire being in order to please her. Lavinia and Willa are best friends and share an understanding, trust and a love for one another. I have not read a book by Ms James in awhile. For some reason, they were not appealing to me. This story is an Eloisa James Story! I fell in love with Willa and Alaric. I loved the pace of the story, it is evident that a courtship is in full bloom. It is a sweet story. And the people who populate this book are generally good and kind people. I found people I would like to know. I loved Alaric's Aunt Knowe. She is capable of saving any situation. All the secondary characters bring a great deal to the story. Since this is the first in a series, we are introduced to others who will be characters in the following books. I look forward to their stories. I am so happy that I read this book. It is just what I hope for from Ms James.

Wonderful book filled with wit and gumption. I love the forward thinking of Willa while she still tries to stay within mainstream of society. Alaric is delightful as a hero and I greatly enjoyed how he fell in love first. Said it first. I also like how he told Willa not to say the words. "It's not a bow or curtsy you have to make." The slow burn of the story line was wonderful. James always has perfect timing with her stories. Alaric returns home surprised with his fame from his travels. At a house party his father is hosting, he meets Willa, a private person who doesn't want to take chances. She has a goal; to find a simple husband she can kind of control. However, upon first meeting each other, sparks and wit fly. As the house party continues, Prudence, steps into the picture from Alaric's past travels and tries to destroy Willa and Alaric's budding relationship. The book follows a very known pattern of HEAs which is the reason we always return. We know what we are getting. And you can always count on Eloisa James on adding in a quirky item or 2.

I loved this book and I loved reading it! I read it when it came out at midnight and I've been excited for it of some time! I think it might be one of my favorite Eloisa James to date. ( Maybe tied with the When Beauty Tamed the Beast) One thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the new timeline that Eloisa James writes in. It's only a little different from her other books, but because it's a different time the dialogue and interactions can be a litte different . It seems like there weren’t as many restrictions on what women could say and I think that allowed the witty banter and clever dialogue to really shine. Reading it felt like driving the new version of an old car that you've always had. It was sleek and a little more modern but everything you liked about the old car was still there. It's fun when an author you've always liked continues to have good (if not better!) books. *spoilers* Be prepared, it's definitely a slow burn romance. It takes a while for them to figure things out but the build up is nice nice nice if you ask me. The writing is so good at times I have to stop and think "wow." This particular line, "Her eyes widened, as if she shared his feeling that the unlocking of her body was a still moment in a turning world" really got me. SO GOOD. I LOVED the nickname he makes for her. Its such a sweet way to say to someone that you know them, you see the parts of them that other people don't see and you want to keep learning. Willa is VERY into Alaric and I love how the heroine is not shy or missish, she really is into him and she wants to get down n' dirty wid him. You can tangibly feel that when you're reading and its different and fun. - Probably my favorite aspect of their relationship was how they save a part of themselves for each other, their private lives. Willa has a private person and Alaric sees that and brings that part of her out, not to share it with other people but to get to know that person too. The book could have gone the route of "he only wants me because he's into a challenge" #angst but I think there was a really good balance of Will not liking him because she preferred a less absurd person than she thought he was and she preferred privacy. Once they got over that they didn't stay apart for some dumb reason or bad communication. There's very little angst, so if you're looking for a book with angst read something else! If you're looking for a fun sweet read get started! Lavinia was really likable and I CANT WAIT for her story. And Diana was intereresting but something was off, so I'm waiting to see what is going down with that story too. All in all, it was so much fun to read. It was worth staying up late to read it!

There are so many reviews on this book, I'll keep mine short and sweet. I truly liked the primary characters - so much that I'm going to have to go on the cloud or check the blurb to recall who the heroine was and what her character was like - kinda joking here. I'll get back to that in a moment. What I can remember clearly is the character of this particular "Wilde." Alaric captivated me in some ways. A loving son and great brother, he has spent much of his last few years traveling and writing books about his travels... to the point he has become a romantic legend. When he returns home to England, the masses of women wanting him could be likened to the following of one of today's superstars. The one woman who isn't so shallow minded as to hanker after him is a beautiful young lady who knows her own mind, is very confident in who she is (okay, it is coming back to me and I didn't have to go check the cloud to figure out who she was), has been the recipient of several marriage proposals and simply has an elevated mind as opposed to that of the shallow debs and ladies who are following Wilde around. When Alaric and Willa (okay, I had to check the blurb to place her name), eventually become acquainted, the passion begins to sizzle. But Willa doesn't want a man who has crowds of women continually following him around. How long will it take him to break into her soul and heart? Read the book. Explanation of why I had to refresh my mind about the characters' names: I read so many books each week, I occasionally have to open up the book on the cloud or read the blurb in order to get the names of the characters straight if I don't immediately write the review - which I normally do not. A couple of last thoughts. I'm looking forward to the next "Wilde" brother's book featuring North and Diana. I thought it was set up very nicely in this book and especially with the teaser at the end of the book. Another thing. I'm wondering how many readers out there wonder if the Wilde brother (Horatius) who drowned in the bog whose body was never found will eventually show up alive. Leave a comment if you are wondering the same thing.

Years earlier, Lord Alaric Wilde left England after the death of his oldest brother to escape the tragedy by traveling the world. Every continent he touched was depicted in the travel books he published, documenting his experiences. Now, Lord Wilde has returned to England to discover he is wildly popular, with a huge following of women begging for his attention. To put it in 21st century terms, he is a Kardashian without trying to be. Sketchings of his exploits are hung in every young females boudoir, his portrait stares out from cheap lockets for sale everywhere and the hottest ticket in town is a seat at the smash hit play, “Wilde in Love,” where Lord Alaric’s travels and ill-fated love affair with a missionary’s daughter has the masses swooning. Lord Alaric Wilde has come back to his home country a superstar, and Wilhemina Ffynche is not impressed. “Willa” is a private, witty and gorgeous debutante that has taken England’s High Society by storm. She has absolutely no interest in the “reality star” Lord Wilde, with his outdated wig and tight clothing. Everywhere he appears, a gaggle of adoring females are there. And for some reason, everywhere Willa goes on Castle Lindow property, Lord Wilde is there as well. Is he flirting with her? What a delightful romp through Georgian England with two great characters! Are Willa and Alaric a match or what? The interaction between them, and the supporting characters, is just fun and fabulous. Yes, it has some over-the-top scenes (the female hordes awaiting Alaric’s arrival in England) but in a work of historical romance I expect that! Eloisa James nailed this one with vivid descriptions, witty banter galore and a plot that seems totally controlled by well-written characters, with us readers along for the ride. I just loved it, and look forward to the next visit with the Wildes of Lindow!

SERIES: Wildes of Lindow Castle, Book 1 SETTING: Mid/late-Georgian, house party in Cheshire THEMES/TROPES: fame, privacy, “perfect” lady RATINGS: Writing: 4/5 Lacking some flow. Characters: 5/5 Delightful cast. Plot: 3/5 Straightforward romance with an injection of melodrama. Setting: 5/5 Great historical tidbits and well-painted estate. Romance: 4/5 Sweet and simple. Sexiness: 5/5 A good amount of heat without being intensely sexual. Humor: 4/5 Plenty of funny details and dialogue. Average: 4.29 Simple Plot Embellished with Eloisa James’s Signature Style OVERVIEW: After several years abroad, exploring different cultures and publishing his adventures, Lord Alaric Wilde has finally decided to return to England to attend his brother’s betrothal celebrations. Upon his arrival, Alaric is shocked to discover that his books, and an unauthorized play loosely inspired by them, have made him the idol of England’s young ladies. But among the guests at Lindow Castle, he meets Miss Willa Ffynche: perfectly behaved, intensely private, intellectually curious, and neither impressed by nor interested in the man all the other ladies have been eager to meet. Willa is everything Alaric didn’t realize he was missing, and while he learns to navigate and accept the trials of newfound fame, Willa must decide if Alaric’s charm and curiosity are worth sacrificing privacy and propriety. PROS: The characters are my favorite part of this book. Willa and her friend Lavinia are wonderfully modern, sharing a bawdy sense of humor and intellectual acumen, and their characters are made to fit the period by their decision to act like perfect ladies while they look for husbands. Not only are they fabulous to begin with, but their scheme of acting more proper than they are creates a lot of humor as they subtly and smilingly mock the men around them. Alaric too is delightful. Having been out of Society for so long, he has just the right amount of disregard for social strictures. He also walks just to the right side of the line between romantically insistent and distressingly pushy. I don’t know if this is something everyone appreciates, but I’m a huge fan of series that include a lot of overlap between books, where later heroes and heroines are not only introduced, but their romances begin in one book to be continued in their own stories. Similar to Eloise James’s Desperate Duchesses series, there is a lot of that going on in this first book, and I’m very much looking forward to the next book. Eloisa James’s signature style pulls everything together with humor, random historical details, and plenty of heat. CONS: The plot is somewhat lacking in interest, consisting of a very straightforward romance—both Willa and Alaric quite quickly acknowledging their attraction, then trying to discover if they can reconcile their lifestyles—with a fairly predictable injection of melodrama toward the end. I still enjoy a simple romance like this, and the melodramatic conflict that caps it off is appropriate to the humor throughout the book surrounding the idea of who Alaric actually is versus who his fans believe him to be, so the plot wasn’t a huge downside. The flow of the writing was noticeably off from early in the book. There were many moments, between chapters, between sections, and even between paragraphs, where I double-checked if I had accidentally skipped something, either because I expected something to happen that didn’t (like an introduction before characters began a conversation) or because sentences and paragraphs were structured in such a way that they seemed to have moved on to an unrelated topic before returning to the one at hand. Considering how good Eloisa James’s writing generally is, I think this might be attributed to some carelessness in cutting earlier drafts down to the final copy. OTHER INFO: This is the first of the Wildes of Lindow Castle series and should definitely be read before any of the future books because it introduces the relationships between future pairings, most notably Alaric’s brother, North, and his betrothed, Diana, whose story will be told in the second book. This book also introduces another couple who I assume will have their own story later on: Willa and Alaric’s best friends, Lavinia and Parth.

"Frankly, she might as well have waved a red cloth in front of a bull. The uncivilized male inside him, the one who hated wearing a wig, had got wind of a hunt." FINAL DECISION: This was a lovely story that was incredibly funny and romantic. The characters were amazing. I generally prefer my books with more personal angst, but readers looking for a fun romantic historical romp will love this one. THE STORY: In Georgian England, Lord Alaric Wilde, the "spare", has returned to London after traveling the world to discover that he has become a sensation in his absence. He has become a true celebrity to his distress as he is chased by women all over the country who want a glimpse or a souvenir from the rakish explorer. Escaping to his father, the duke's, castle, Alaric finds himself enamored of Miss Willa Ffynche who doesn't want anything to do with the notorious Lord Alaric. Willa is a private person who keeps herself well disguised among society and has made herself a social success and wants nothing more than a quiet man to spend her life with. Definitely not Alaric -- but his pursuit of her tempts her in ways she never expected. OPINION: I had to think a lot about this book after I read it. I was not certain where to rate it and how to explain my feelings about it. I wavered between giving it 4 stars or 4 and a half stars because while the book wasn't as dramatic as I tend to like them and the romance builds very slowly, I came away from the book still thinking about it. As I reviewed parts of it to write this review, I loved the characters and the humor so much that I think this book will grow on me as the series develops further. And that is where I want to start this review -- with the series. As the first book in the series, this book serves as an introduction to the Wilde Family. And I loved them. The characters are so big and bright and romantic that I immediately wanted to know all their stories. These are likable people and have such a family spirit together that endeared them to me. Alaric is such a sweet, sexy and romantic character. He falls for Willa so quickly and spends much of the book trying to win her. (I have to admit that I enjoy the books where the hero falls for the heroine early). His willingness to open himself up wide to Willa is so sweet. And he truly wants to know Willa which is so sexy. He is interested in her -- her thoughts, those parts of herself that she hides from others, and he wants her to be herself with him. Willa is a heroine who is discovering how to be herself. Her background has led her to present a social face and to keep her true self hidden. So much so, that she doesn't really expect to be herself in life. Alaric desperately wants the imperfect Willa. The real person hiding behind all the Georgian finery and social polish. This book is not only romantic but also laugh out loud funny. A bawdy farce of a play about Alaric's life (including cannibals!), a pet skunk and mangy cat, naughty etchings of Alaric's life, a hero that won't be deterred from the woman he wants and a heroine determined to avoid him at all costs. But this book not only has humor but has a deep heart to it. The story is a slow build and you have to commit to it. The story isn't slow, but the drama is smaller than in many books (Willa's determination not to fall for the big public notorious Alaric) and therefore the book is more personal to these characters. While I prefer more dramatic stories generally, I really loved the humor and big romantic gestures of this book. My final word on this book is that the cliffhanger as a prelude for the next book was so shocking that I don't know how I'm going to last until the next book comes out. WORTH MENTIONING: While the main romance is complete at the end of this book, there is a cliffhanger which sets up the story for the next book about a different couple. CONNECTED BOOKS: WILDE IN LOVE is the first book in the Wildes of Lindlow Castle series. STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars. NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Edelweiss in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

I am not sure how the historic moment in Wilde in Love is different than in other books Eloisa James has written, so, it would have been nice to have more scenery at the front end of the book to understand which king is on the throne, what's happening in England at the time, what the process is for a teenage girl to meet eligible bachelors, why the characters are wearing such strange clothes (there is A Lot of detail about current fashion). I liked the story and these characters. The love interest, Alaric, is one of eight of the Duke's children, and the Duke is quite an interesting deep background character. Alaric is third in line, behind the late (or is he?) Horatio, who died in the bog in the side yard, and a second brother now the heir, who is a little bit flat, insecure and uninteresting (I wouldn't want to marry him, either). My favorite character (I suspect the author's as well) is a man who has had to make his own fortune, who grew up banging around the bog with the three brothers. I like the main character, Willa. She's a pleaser, an orphan with a title who had to behave herself as the ward of a friend's mother. She has a mischievous side and amuses herself by talking circles around her suitors in a way they cannot detect, exquisitely polite, like a court-tutored cat with a doofus mouse. Things move in a predictable direction for Willa and Alaric until the ending, which is a bit of a surprise and not explained well. Four stars for a feeling of hastiness -- it's plot plot plot without a lot of detail, as if a deadline were nipping at the author's heels. We see the girls for a couple pages, then it's away to the house party. Loved learning about the bog, and the pet skunk of all things. The author's inevitable book about the untitled entrepreneur ("the richest man in England") and Willa's best friend promises to be wonderful, I look forward to it!

I liked this story very much. The hero is not tormented, but has enough courage to give the heroine time and space to fall for him. I also liked the scene there he used his hand instead of cold water for cooling down.

i like these historical romance novels

Honestamente no creo volver a comprar un libro de esta autora, no tanto por que fue un libro malo (en realidad estuvo muy entretenido) si no por que no me gustó mucho leer una historia de amor en este contexto. A pesar de eso, si te gustan las novelas romanticas, cheesy y algo rated R entonces sí lo recomiendo.

Ceci est le 1e livre d'eloisa James de me décevoir un peu. Il était juste trop long, et l'histoire de sconce est vraiment tirée par les cheveux.

I have been less than impressed with some of Eloisa James' recent offerings and foolishly read some reviews before starting the story. Inevitably, this initially coloured my judgement, but instead I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in her new series, the Wildes of Lindlow Castle. It is a light, fun, entertaining read. The story centres around a house party, at which Alaric, the returned adventurer is the star guest; also visiting are Willa and her friend Lavinia. Willa is determined not to like Alaric, because she thinks, erroneously, that he enjoys all the hero worship. He meets Willa, and starts falling in love with her more or less straight away. His character is endearing and engaging - he pursues Willa, adamant that they are destined to be together. She resists, but finds herself coming round as she sees more of the real Alaric. James doesn't give us one of those annoying heroines who blow hot and cold - Willa knows she is falling for Alaric but tries to push her feelings away because of the standards she has set for herself in a husband, moulded to some extent by her parents' actions [she is an orphan]. I loved the banter and humour between the large cast of characters. The villain was signposted very early in the book, and the villainous actions were entirely expected. I am not sure whether the author used this simply to reinforce the depth of feeling between Alaric and Willa, but it worked for me. Eloisa James always makes her readers feel like part of her family - if you look at her website, she often gives snippets of family life - and that includes family pets. So the skunk and cat also worked for me! The other feature that I like with her books is that at the end, she usually gives some background history to certain features within the story - including, in this one, the inclusion of the pet skunk! Her epilogues are always heart warming and leave one feeling that a loving relationship has come full circle. I am looking forward to the next one - the cliffhanger at the end of the book [a marketing ploy, but I don't care!] is genuinely shocking, and I look forward to finding out the background to it in the next book. Read it, enjoy it and don't overanalyse. A delightful read.