Hardly a Husband

by Rebecca Hagan Lee

Other authorsVirginia Leishman (Reader)

CD audiobook, 2004

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Publication

Recorded Books (2006), Edition: Unabridged Audiobook, 9 CDs, 10 hrs 50 mins

Description

What's a gentleman to do when a lady demands that he seduce her? Jarrod, fifth Marquess of Shepherdston, gets the shock of his life when childhood friend Sarah Eckersley shows up on his doorstep one rainy night with a tempting proposition. The daughter of the village rector, Sarah is desperate for money and has decided that becoming a courtesan is her only hope for saving her family. And she wants Jarrod to teach her the art of seduction.As the leader of the Free Fellows League, Jarrod is wary of a marriage trap. He agrees only to help Sarah find a husband, but soon finds himself bristling at the thought of any other man touching her creamy skin or kissing her luscious lips. He reluctantly offers Sarah a marriage of convenience, in which he will be hardly a husband...until his heart decides otherwise.Book 3 of the "Free Fellows League" Series, which includes BARELY A BRIDE, MERELY THE GROOM, HARDLY A HUSBAND and TRULY A WIFE "Tender, enthralling romance straight from the heart!" Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author"Sparkling romance and passion that sizzles. Rebecca Hagan Lee taps into every woman's fantasy!" Christina Dodd, New York Times bestseller"Rebecca Hagan Lee warms my heart and touches my soul. She's a star in the making!" Sabrina Jeffries, New York Times bestselling author"Historical romance fans are fortunate to have a treasure like Rebecca Hagan Lee!" Affaire de Coeur… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member whitreidtan

The third book in the Free Fellows series, this Regency-set romance tells the story of Jarrod, the fifth Marquess of Shepherdston and curate's daughter Sarah, who has had a crush on Jarrod her entire life. After Sarah's father dies, his living is given to an unpleasant man whose family thinks they

can claim Sarah's possessions and use her as an unpaid governess. Lord Dunbridge, the nobleman with the power to grant the curacy, has intentionally put Sarah in this position to force her to marry him. But Sarah has other plans, fleeing to London with her aunt. She calls on Jarrod, asking him for help in becoming a courtesan, something she finds preferable to marriage with Lord Dunbridge. She has decided on this course because she refuses to marry of she can't marry the love of her life (Jarrod, of course). He, despite being completely and one hundred percent against marriage as a result of his own parents' disastrous union which scarred him deeply, finds he cannot tolerate the idea of Sarah in anyone else's arms. There is a brief and unsatisfactorily abrupt subplot between Sarah's aunt and Jarrod's godfather here as well but the bulk of the novel concentrates on the main romance. As Jarrod is a member of the Free Fellows League, there is also brief mention of his spying and his obligations to them.

This is not as well done as the previous novels in the series. The characters are not entirely believable in their decisions. Jarrod goes from not recognizing Sarah, who is described as a good childhood friend whose father taught Jarrod, to being wrapped in a pretty steamy embrace with her in a matter of minutes. Sarah, as the upstanding and moral daughter of a good man, seems to have no qualms about potentially becoming a courtesan. The sole nod to a conscience is that she didn't tell her aunt her plan, knowing that it would meet with disapproval. Not exactly the considered and difficult decision of the kind of character she's purported to be would be making. The Free Fellows League plot line felt much more forced and out of place in this novel than in the previous ones, as if it is merely a placeholder for the next to come. Over all I was disappointed in this one but those more engaged by the concept laid forth in the first two books will probably find this one to be perfectly fine.

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Language

English

Original language

English

Physical description

320 p.; 6.7 inches

ISBN

1419346296 / 9781419346293

Local notes

Thrown out of the only home she has ever known shortly after her father's death, Sarah Eckersley has 30 days to find herself a husband--or one will be found for her. With no intention of marrying the despicable Lord Dunbridge, Sarah decides to take her destiny into her own hands by becoming a courtesan hopefully for Jarrod "Jas" Shepherdston, the man Sarah has been in love with since she was a young girl. So she approaches "Jas" with the idea that he will be her tutor and lover. Jarrod, who has forever sworn off marriage, can't quite agree to her tempting yet troubling offer. He has been in denial about his long standing love for Sarah because of his parents; relentless fighting. Sarah did not know that when Jared was 16, he was called home to find his mother had shot his father and the nanny during a tryst. She almost shot Jarrod but at the last minute, she shot herself, because she said that Jarrod was less like his father and more like her, "mad in the head". Jarrod is afraid of passing this down to another generation but he also doesn't want anyone else teaching his Sarah about love!