Delightful book! Refreshing author that creates fun characters and interesting plot.

Readers return to Maggie Robinson’s fictional Cotswold village of Puddling-on-the-Wold for the second book in her <strong><em>Cotswold Confidential</em></strong> series, <strong>Seducing Mr. Sykes</strong>.  It’s a (mostly) lighthearted romantic comedy in which a determinedly unconventional young woman who doesn’t want to get married finds herself strongly attracted to a rather starchy young man who is intent on keeping his head down and living a quiet life.  It might not win any prizes for originality, but it’s a nicely-written, undemanding and fun read that kept me engaged and entertained for the time it took me to read it.

The small village of Puddling-on-the-Wold has for some decades, been used as a kind of rehabilitation centre for members of the nobility who have gone off the rails.  With a calmly ordered programme of healthful exercise and diet and a lack of anything vaguely stimulating, the village offers a simple, quiet environment for those sent there to take stock and make changes to their lives.  All the villagers are party to the reasons their ‘visitors’ are sent there and are in on the cures, and the place is now so popular as to be able to provide a decent living for the people who live there.  Puddling’s board of trustees is now run by the absentee Sir Betram Sykes, whose son, Tristan, takes his responsibilities to the place very seriously.  When a fire at one of the cottages means that the inhabitant - Lady Sarah Marchmain – must quickly find somewhere else to stay, he is not enamoured of the idea that she moves to Sykes House while the cottage is repaired and made habitable again.  It’s not that Tristan is especially worried about the proprieties;  he doesn’t actually live in the house, preferring to reside at a small folly in the grounds which he, an architect by profession, has modified to suit his own taste and comfort.  But Lady Sarah –Sadie – is a handful of tall, well-endowed, red-haired impetuosity and Tristan - whose scandalous divorce some years previously from a woman of similarly high-spirits has left him somewhat wary of women in general - wants as little to do with her as possible.

Sadie has been sent to Puddling by her father, the Duke of Islesford,  whose regard for her extends only as far as she can be useful to him.  Being a man who keeps a lavish lifestyle and likes to gamble, he’s in debt and looking to sell his daughter – who stands to inherit a substantial fortune on her twenty-fifth birthday - to the highest bidder.  Sadie’s hoydenish behaviour has already frightened off a couple of would-be suitors, and the duke is getting desperate.  Puddling is his final attempt to get her to toe the line before he commits her to an asylum and takes control of her money.  Most of the village’s guests stay for a month before returning home, but Sadie has already been there for an extra week and continues to behave outrageously in the hope that she will be able to prolong her stay while she searches for a means to escape her father.  The problem, however is that the all-too-handsome Tristan Sykes seems to have seen through her scheme to extend her stay and is completely wise to her attempts to make herself appear unstable and still in need of treatment.  So in a way, the fire (which wasn’t her doing) is a blessing in disguise as it will get her out of the village, away from the watchful eyes - and perhaps give her a chance to make her escape.

Things take an unexpected turn, however, when Tristan comes upon Sadie in a state of undress while she is exploring the attics looking for something to wear (all her clothes were lost in the fire) and is shortly followed by her father, who immediately accuses Tristan of compromising his daughter and insists the two of them get married.  Appalled, the couple tries to tell the duke that nothing happened, but he insists, threatening to blacken Tristan’s name, brand him as unfit to have charge of a rehabilitation facility and ruin Puddling and its community in the process.

Maggie Robinson has crafted an entertaining and rather charming ‘opposites attract’ story which, for all its surface light-heartedness has some darker undertones.  Sadie hasn’t known any warmth or affection since the death of her mother when she was a child; and her father’s plan to put her in an asylum was, sadly, not an unheard of one at the time, when locking away ‘troublesome’ females was an easy solution when a woman didn’t fit the accepted pattern or do as she was told.  Tristan’s status as a divorced man had a deleterious effect on his life and career and now all he wants is to live a quiet life, without the sort of tempers and tantrums his first – now deceased – wife was prone to.  He fights his attraction to Sadie at first, because her behaviour leads him to believe that she is unstable – which, to be fair, is what she wants him to think – but as he comes to know her and to know her story, he realises he has misjudged her and that he wants to keep her close.

The author has a deft touch with the humour and has created two likeable characters who have to leave behind their emotional baggage if they are to make a life together.  They have strong chemistry and the love scenes are sensual and well-written, but I have a couple of reservations overall that prevent me from rating the book more highly.  One is that Tristan so easily takes comments made by Sadie’s father and former fiancé at face value, and the other is that while Sadie’s behaviour is understandable given the way she has been treated by her father, her mulish, immature antics continue way past the point at which my understanding gave way to irritation.

With those provisos in mind, if you’re looking for a fairly light-hearted, amusing and sensual historical romance, I’d venture to suggest that <strong>Seducing Mr. Sykes</strong> might fit the bill.

Grade: B-/3.5 stars

I am so deathly tired of the abuse of the English language in books. If I want to hear the language butchered I can take out my earbuds at work and listen for five minutes. It's not just in early reviewer copies, though obviously it's more common there; it's not just in self-published books. This one is to be published by Kensington Books, which is pretty legit, right? Yet here Our Hero reflects on being "slayed … by Sadie's regal presence", and "vocal chords", and Our Heroine makes a "sinuous trip up the staircase", carried up in the Hero's arms. Usually one can figure out through context what a word is supposed to be, but this baffles me. If you're not completely sure of the meaning of a word, either look it up or <I>don't use it</i>. And if you're a book editor, for God's sake take a fine-toothed comb and EDIT the damned things.

*ahem*

That being said, this was kind of fun. It was absurd – taking place in a sort of Victorian (Victorian?) rehab village where wealthy families send their troubled scions to reform via fresh air, exercise, routine, and a lack of unseemly stimulation. The place is run by the Sykeses (father, currently abroad (and I take it that's a book unto itself), and son), and everyone in the little village is engaged in the task of looking after the Guests to see to it they are looked after – and that they behave. The latter is the problem with Sadie, Sarah Marchmain, who has been dumped in Puddling-on-the-Wold by her father because she is bucking at the prospect of marrying the man he has chosen for her. "… [Someone's] husband, a local baronet called Sir Colin Sykes, had taken her in hand as best he could once they were married. Sadie was determined never to be taken in hand." So naturally when she has a meet-cute with Mr. Sykes the Younger, he is horrified at what she is wearing (stolen plaid trousers) and she is mulishly determined to buck any authority she comes up against. So, naturally, I knew they would end up together. (Well, it is of course given away in the title – which doesn't kick in till almost three quarters of the way in.)

The how and why doesn't matter much. This is, after all, a romance novel, and there isn't much new under the sun in getting a couple from point A to bed or marriage or whatever the goal is. The primary thing here is characterization, and enjoyable writing – and Maggie Robinson does a really pretty good job with these. I may not believe in Puddling-on-the-Wold, but I was adequately convinced by Tristan and Sadie and their background cast.

Now, as to the writing (apart from what I already mentioned, and quibbles like detailed descriptions of what color something was when it had already been specified that all the lights were off and it was very dark) (oh, and yes of course I got cranky when Frankenstein was conflated with his monster): I laughed when the eleventh Doctor confessed that he couldn't make a decent meringue (because neither can I). Whipping up egg whites into a froth is harder than it looks. Similarly, creating a book that is decently frothy and light and yet stands up on its own is apparently really hard, because so few people manage it successfully.

But this comes darned close. The silly plot romps along, pulling in a few serious details along the way to give it a foundation but not to dampen it, and by the end the main characters are surprisingly solid and rounded. Some of the froth was more sticky than I would prefer – Sadie continues her mulish eccentricity beyond what really seems a reasonable point, for example, and in fact just about everyone behaves at least slightly unreasonably – but on the whole it pulled it off.

And I did enjoy quite a few turns of phrase. Sadie's old late governess is described as "at this moment no doubt giving the devil a lesson on evil and grading him harshly". After a shock, Tristan tries to pull himself together: "Let's see. To speak, one opened one's mouth. Arranged teeth and tongue in familiar combinations. Pressed one's vocal chords into service. Breathed too, somehow. All of that was quite beyond him at the moment."

My favorite line, though, which made this just a little more than simple froth and which should in fact be everyone's motto: "Let's be kind to each other and see where the journey leads."

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

What a cute little story this is. This series is centered around a village called Puddling, which is known as a rehabilitative place that families can send their loved ones for care. Whether it’s because of a traumatic event, or just need of a reputation repair, the people who work at this foundation put the “patients” in a strict regime.

Puddling was known as a famous reputation restorer, a place to rusticate and recalibrate. Prominent British families had sent their difficult relatives here for almost eighty years.

I didn’t read book one but I think Seducing Mr. Sykes is very much a stand-alone read. Our heroine, Lady Sarah Marchmain, has been sent to Puddling by her father because she absolutely refuses to marry the man he has selected for her. A Duke, he is in need of funds, and he needs his daughter securely married. But Sarah is an absolute spitfire. She not only refuses marriage, but she knows how to make big, dramatic scenes. Her father hopes her attitude and reputation can be restored and she will be sent back to him a lady. When we meet Sarah, she is lying on the floor of a candy shop, howling her head off just to be a brat. I think her father is going to be disappointed.

This is also how our hero, Tristan Sykes finds her. Tristan is a local baronet’s son, who is running this foundation while his father is out of the country. Tristan has seen many spoiled rotten people come to his town and is nonplussed by Sarah’s behavior. When a fire breaks out in the house she is staying in, Tristan reluctantly agrees to let her stay on his property. While Sarah is loud, prefers men’s clothing, very tall, and extremely chaotic, he is drawn to her. She fascinates him – she holds nothing back. She is always looking for trouble.

Trouble finds them both when Sarah’s dad arrives, unannounced, and witness Tristan patting Sarah’s bottom. It’s a long story, a more innocent story, but Sarah’s dad will not hear of anything but a marriage announcement.

” You look fine. I’m sure you won’t encounter so much as a tweenie on the back stairs. Hurry up.” And for some reason, Tristan patted her bottom. By God, it was soft, so he did it again. And that act was how the ninth Duke of Islesford discovered his difficult daughter and her apparent lover.

Sarah does NOT want to get married. Tristan just finds it all exhausting but wants to do right by her and not let down his town by bringing a scandal. Off they go to the altar…one groom, and one bride in handcuffs – did I mention it’s a long story? *winks*

Sarah is such a fun heroine – she really, truly could not care about getting into trouble. She will do anything not to marry the man her father selected, or any man for that matter, so when she is compromised and forced to marry Tristan, she does everything she can to make a scene. Trying to run away, wearing men’s clothing to embarrass him, theft etc.. Tristan is a good guy, just trying to keep Sarah’s reputation somewhat intact and his village’s reputation intact. Having been divorced from a woman who was tended to be violent, Tristan isn’t looking to marry Sarah, who isn’t violent but isn’t calm and collected either. But he likes her and she secretly likes him and they do their duty and get married and then deal with living together. Their physical relationship starts off very awkward:

“What the devil did you think you were doing?” His voice was as frozen as snow. He fished out a handkerchief and was blotting his lips as if she’d contaminated him, the rotter.

“I wasn’t thinking. Obviously. And I certainly didn’t mean to really kiss you.”

“No?” Then why did your mouth touch my face?”

“That’s it – I only planned to kiss your cheek. A friendly gesture. As if you were my…grandfather.”

He snorted. “I pity all the grandfathers you’ve tried to bamboozle. I know your sort, Lady Sarah. You are here on sufferance, and I’l not be tricked by your feminine wiles.”

Feminine wiles? How absurd. She’d not made the least effort to extract them from her arsenal. In fact, her wiles were on the dusty side, virtually atrophied.

But things progress very well indeed:

A roughened fingertip lifted her chin. She wouldn’t look.

At first she wasn’t sure she’d understood him correctly. His mumbled words vibrated against her temple, causing a chilly lick down her spine.

God help me.

This was an odd time to pray, wasn’t it?

Maybe I would have liked a few more quiet scenes between just Tristan and Sarah where I really felt like they fall in love. I believed in their HEA but there is a lot that happens towards the end of the book, and it takes a little bit away from their romance. But otherwise, this is cute.

Grade: B

After the legendary Lady’s eleventh-hour rejection of the man she was slated to marry, Lady Sarah Marchmain was sent to Puddling-on-the-Wold to restore her reputation and change her mind. It amused Sadie that her father, a duke, would use the last of his funds to lock her up in this fancy facility she couldn’t be happier to be away from her loathsome family and have some time to herself.
As a local baronet’s son, Tristan Sykes is all too familiar with the spoiled, socialite residents of the Puddling Rehabilitation Foundation no matter how real their problems may be. But all that changes when he encounters Sadie, a brave and brazen beauty who wants nothing more than to escape the life that’s been prescribed for her.
What an entertaining book, the characters are well portrayed & the pace of the book is very good. Sadie is a handful & determined not to marry but things conspire against her & she finds herself getting married wearing handcuffs. Tristan is a divorcé & doesn’t wish to marry again but a fire & loss of all of Sadie’s possessions lead to a compromising situation in an attic.
The verbal sparring is so funny & well done, the humour of the book works well. Overall a very enjoyable read & I look forward to read about more of Puddling’s guests

Publisher's Description:
“A Maggie Robinson book is like the best kind of chocolate: delicious and totally addictive!” —Vanessa Kelly, USA Today bestselling author

In Maggie Robinson’s sparkling new series, the quaint village in Gloucestershire is where the wayward sons and daughters of Great Britain’s finest families come for some R&R—and good old-fashioned “rehab”. But sometimes they find much more . . .

No one at Puddling-on-the-Wold ever expected to see Sarah Marchmain enter through its doors. But after the legendary Lady’s eleventh-hour rejection of the man she was slated to marry, she was sent here to restore her reputation . . . and change her mind. It amused Sadie that her father, a duke, would use the last of his funds to lock her up in this fancy facility—she couldn’t be happier to be away from her loathsome family and have some time to herself. The last thing she needs is more romantic distraction . . .

As a local baronet’s son, Tristan Sykes is all too familiar with the spoiled, socialite residents of the Puddling Rehabilitation Foundation—no matter how real their problems may be. But all that changes when he encounters Sadie, a brave and brazen beauty who wants nothing more than to escape the life that’s been prescribed for her. If only Tristan could find a way to convince the Puddling powers-that-be that Sadie is unfit for release, he’d have a chance to explore the intense attraction that simmers between them—and prove himself fit to make her his bride . . .

My Thoughts:

I thought I couldn't possibly enjoy a book any more than I did the first book in this delightfully comical new series but I did. This book made me laugh out loud as I read it. It is funnier and more engaging than Schooling the Viscount was which I didn't think possible. The one flaw for both books is the unfortunate cover designs, but they grow on you.
Sarah was sent to recuperate at Puddling's famous rehabilitation foundation. Her problem is simply that she doesn't wish to marry, at least not to her betrothed.
When Tristan Sykes meets her he is certain she is just another spoiled socialite. His encounter with Sadie soon changes his mind.
I fell in love quickly with these delightfully wrought characters in this newest book of this comical series.
I simply could not put this book down and found myself reading into the early morning hours.
Maggie Robinson has outdone herself with this latest release in the Puddling-on-the-Wold Cotswold Confidential series.
Be prepared to be delighted.
I gave this book 4.75 of 5 stars for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 3.75 of 5 flames. Even the most intimate scenes will make you laugh in this comically wrought book.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

The second book in the "Cotswold Confidential Series is just as enjoyable as the first one. What I really enjoy about Maggie's books is the humor and the lengths that the characters take to avoid each other when it is plain as day that they are made for each other. The old adage "Opposites Attract" is the main trope to this series.

Sadie is sent to Puddling by her father to punish her and make her capitulate to his plans for her to marry. Sadie wants nothing do do with the men of the Ton and the longer she can avoid, in her mind, a fate worse than death, maybe her father will give up and leave her alone. Her plan is to stay in Puddling as long as she can get away with it. Unfortunately she doesn't count on Tristan, our Hero who is a member of the Puddling Board that evaluates it's visitors and decides when they are rehabilitated and can leave to resume their normal lives. From the beginning Tristan knows that Sadie is nothing but trouble, but he simply cannot resist her.

The only thing they do not count on is the fierce attraction that develops between them. This is a story full of hi jinks, witty dialogue and moments of hilarity. Maggie knows how to write a beautiful love story. Her characters are amazingly complex and the plot is intricate and flows at a great pace. This is a truly original story. Maggie writing is smart and sexy. I cannot wait to read the next one in the Series.

'Seducing Mr. Sykes' by Maggie Robinson is book Two in the " Cotswold Confidential" series. This is the story of Lady Sarah Marchmain "Sadie" and Tristan Sykes.
Sadie has been pretty much ignored her whole life by her father. Sadie grew up having the house servants as friends and family. Which has brought her knowledge to do allot of domestic things. But now that she is older her father thinks to marry her off to take care of money he owes. But Sadie isnt' having it...and starts to act out in crazy ways. She has even hit some of her suitors. Sadie feels if she can just keep single until she turns 25 she can inherit money that was left to her. But her last stunt has made her father take her to Puddling Village where they take in people who need a last restore before going to jail or the asylum. But Sadie actually likes the small village in Pudding and gets in trouble so that they won't yet release her to her father's custody. In addition, it keeps people away from her. Although she has always been lonely she still keeps people away. Then one day while pulling a stunt Tristan walks in to the store. Tristan thinks he knows what is going on with Sadie and that preconception takes a little while to drop before he starts to know the real Sadie.
This was such a fun and exciting read. I really could not put the book down.
Love this series and Ms. Robinson writing!
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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Seducing Mr. Sykes by Maggie Robnson
Cotswold Confidential #2

In Puddling on the Wold they take in people to be cured of problematic issues – at least awkward to their families. When a person is in need of adjusting Puddling promises to fix them and has done so for quite some time. Sarah “Sadie” Marchmain has been sent for the cure by her father who wants her married and his debts paid off. Sadie is doing everything in her power to prevent the marriage by remaining uncured. When a fire occurs in the house Lady Sarah is staying in she is forced to move to Sykes House where more and more of her time is spent with Tristan, the man in line to one day be a Baron and the owner of said house. When a compromising situation leads to a forced and unwanted marriage between Sarah and Tristan the situation becomes more complicated. With misunderstandings due to lack of honest communication, the appearance of an execrable father, unwanted fiancé and blackmailer things are complex indeed.

In the beginning the story was “told” more than experienced. I was told how the characters were feeling and about their personalities and would have perhaps liked to have experienced these things and concluded them through their behavior and interactions with others. About half way through the action and interactions picked up as did my interest in the story. By the end of the story I was rooting for both Sadie and Tristan and felt that perhaps they would find happiness in the future. I found Tristan rather pompous and Sadie obnoxious in the beginning but at the halfway mark things came a bit more into focus and as Tristan began to understand Sadie, her motivation and then he met her father his understanding became crystal clear. There was some muddling along but in the end I felt I had read a good story and now want to find out who will star in the next book of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books-Lyrical for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

This is quite an unusual story. An insane asylum that is not. It is humorous, but also encouraging. Tristan, who is really a jerk in the beginning, meets Sadie, who is a hoyden and gets into all kinds of trouble. I really enjoyed the fire Mrs. Grace accidentally started, which got blamed on Sadie, the plot was great, I loved the way Sadie did everything in her power to make people leave her alone. The story moved seamlessly and the characters were made to seem so realistic. This was truly a joy to read.

Lady Sarah Marchmain is a young woman who rebels against ordinary "womenly ways" in Puddling-on-the-Wold, England in 1882. She has decided that marriage is out of the question and she prefers men's trousers to a ball gown. She is living in a rehabilitation center; her father's way of getting her "character " back to where it belongs. A nearby son of a baron, Tristen Sykes, appears at the center and circumstances throw the two together, changing their lives forever. An enjoyable story with plenty of spicy love and chuckling humor. I enjoyed the dialogue and thought the characters were well-developed and likable. Recommended for lovers of historical romance.

Seducing Mr. Sykes by Maggie Robinson will be available June 20, 2017 by Lyrical Press/Kensington Books. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I enjoyed the prior book in this series a great deal, and liked the characters in this one very well. Mr Sykes is quite charming and Sadie is hilarious, though somewhat frustrating.. It was frustrating to have our H believe the terrible things the others said about her, fortunately the situation was quickly corrected.

Sadie was a very likeable character whose ,,sometime silly ,actions were to protect the warm-hearted person she really was. Great writing , sensual love scene s and parts that had me chuckling.

I am LOVING this series! This story in particular is the perfect combination of fun and romance, but it doesn't slide into silliness (OK, maybe a little silliness - but it is well done) it is emotional and touches on some serious issues, but it doesn't lose it's lighthearted air.

Lady Sarah Marchmain aka Sadie has been sent to Puddling-on-the-Wold to come to her senses and agree to marry the man her father the duke has chosen for her. Sadie is a lonely woman, she is resentful that her father is using her for his own gain and has basically ignored her for her whole life and now that he can sell her to the highest bidder, is finally paying attention to her. Sadie has decided that love is a myth and all men are pigs. She is due to inherit a sizable fortune on her 25th birthday or her marriage, whichever comes first and Sadie is determined to stay single. She acts like a hoyden and has been successful in remaining unwed. But now her father has borrowed money from her current suitor and is demanding that Sadie marry him or he will have her declared insane and seize her fortune.

Sadie is a force of nature - she has been in Puddling Village for well over the normal 28 days and is still causing problems with her antics - she is walking a fine line - she wants to appear "uncured" but can't step over the line to "incurable" and therefore insane. She meets Tristan Sykes when he comes into the store she is in - having crawled into the back room through an open window to get to the telegraph machine - oh and she is dressed in trousers that she stole.

Tristan is appalled and fascinated by this woman - she is strikingly beautiful, tall, redheaded with an impressive bosom (not that he is looking) and she is currently on her knees howling. He is temporarily taking over his father's position on the board of governors and refuses to let this woman ruin the town's stellar success rate! He puts an end to her nonsense and proceeds to walk her back to her cottage.

They arrive to find her cottage in flames and has no choice but to let her stay at his father's house. When these two are caught by her father in a compromising situation - they are forced to marry. Tristan has not had the best of luck with wives and Sadie wants no part of being married. The events leading up to the wedding and the actual wedding are hilarious! Tristan begins to hope that the marriage can become a real marriage and just when it seems like things are going to work out with these two, the author throws a wrench into their HEA.

Sadie has decided that she wants to keep Tristan and thought things were going along swimmingly - but all of a sudden he has turned into the prig she met in the grocer's. She realizes that she will have to seduce him if she wants to keep him. Again, it looks like things are going to fall into place and then BAM! another twist is thrown at them.

I really enjoyed this book, it has a lot of depth, is paced well, the writing is wonderful, the love scenes steamy, the problems quickly resolved, it has laugh out loud moments and a fantastic epilogue. I did think that Sadie was a little over the top at the beginning of the book, but as I got to understand her motivations and her past - I realized that the real Sadie was a truly warm, loving person and that her behavior was really the armor she used to protect herself and not who she really was.

I would highly recommend this book - it is the second in the series, but it could easily be a stand alone title.