Second book in this series, and I LOVED IT!

Violet Somerset prefers her books than being the belle of balls, when Nicholas Balfour the Earl of Dare a notorious Rake shows interest in her younger sister Hyacinth, she will do anything to prevent him from meeting her youngest sister....even impersonating Violet!

Nicholas Balfour has made a promise to his grandmother and take a wife, he’ll choose the most shyest and timid debutante marry her and scurry her in the country and carry on his merry debauched way. Hyacinth is perfect until she’s not. When her deception unravels she’s already lost her heart to the man she set out to deceive! Sometimes love has a way of ruining even the best laid plans!

An enjoyable well written story! Anna Bradley really knows how to keep the reader entertained. Witty dialogue a sexy hero and a heroine that keeps him on his toes! I highly recommend Anna Bradley’s books to anyone that enjoys historical witty romance.
I recieved a complimentary copy from the author and publisher via NetGalley.
This is my honest unbiased opinion.

More or Less a Countess (The Somerset Sisters, #2)
by Anna Bradley

Buy buy buy buy buy!
A totally delightful addition to the series. Witty, nice paced. Wonderful characters and story line. This can be read as a stand alone or with the series. Either way it was a total delight to read for me. I became lost in the book from the first part to the end. While enjoying the pace and the adventure and the romance. I liked the humor. Arguable for a four star, however, I read this while at the hospital waiting with my Pop and I was totally captivated. A good lose yourself in the story book! I was given this arc via NetGalley. All opinions expressed here are my own. Regards, Anna

I enjoyed this gem of a book. I found the relationship between the heroine, Violet Somerset, and the hero Nicholas Balfour, the Earl of Dare to be something that developed well with humorous moments and an undercurrent of a battle of wills. At times in the early going I struggled to like the hero because of his attitude towards women, but it became less prevalent as the story progressed and his relationship with Violet deepened. I really liked Violet with her inquisitive nature on some very odd topics, and protective instincts toward her family. I also like that the drama that there was didn't seem blown out of proportion, as it can sometimes in historical romances, but seemed to get the gravity it deserved. I can't wait to see what happens next in the quieter sister (Hyacinth) story in the next book!
I received a free advanced copy from the publisher for my honest review.

„More or Less a Countess” is another book by Anna Bradley – and I have read lots as it seems. This is part of the Somerset Sister series, which you should read from the beginning, its worth it.
It’s the story of Violet Somerset, her younger sister Hyacinth and Nicholas Belfour, the Earl of Dare. Dare shows interest in Hyacinth because she is a good player and he needs a bride, because he made a promise to his grandmother, who holds his financial ties. Dare himself is a rake, a notorious rake. He is not really interested in marriage.
Violet looks like Hyacinth, but she is very different from her. The younger Somerset girl is timid, gentle, a good piano player. Violet is the opposite. She lets Dare think that she is her younger sister because they look the same and things work out for quite some time. She never wanted to attend a season in London, never wanted a husband.
Now things seem to change …

Anna Bradley has such a fluent way with words, to develop characters and play with them. You cannot put the book aside, at least I couldn’t.

*I got this book from Netflix in exchange for an honest review*

Let me begin by saying that although this is book number two in a series, you don't have to have read the first novel in order to enjoy this one. In fact, other than the mention of her sister (and her best friend) and the matches they made, there is nothing that would make this story hard to understand.

I have read other stories by this author and have enjoyed all of them, but thus far this new series, to me, is not as good. Don't get me wrong the author does write a good story with strong characters, but they seem to be missing a crucial element that would drive them from "forgettable" to "wow".

Let's begin with Violet. I wanted to like her. I'm all for a good blue-stocking woman, and a woman who writes is even better. But I found it hard to believe that she could (and would) so willingly risk her reputation (not to mention her very life) in order to obtain sketches for a book that she seemingly had no intention of ever actually publishing.

Then there is Nick, I could sympathize with him to an extent taking on a role he never thought to possess, but to mistake one sister for another? Come on, Violet and Hyacinth are not twins, there is no reason they looked so much alike he couldn't tell them apart. I also felt that he was too quick to jump to the wrong (and worst) conclusions imaginable that much of this book could have been avoided if the pair of them could just put their pride aside.

Now this last bit of my opinion may very well be an unpopular one, but I felt like this book had too much drama. In fact, it seemed like every time these two (once married) started to come to a mutual understanding, something would happen that would cause the other to lash out. After the majority of their marriage being this way, I must admit it got old.

However, all things considered, I do think this story will still appeal to fans of historical romances, and I would read more from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Publisher's Description:

Finding a worthy husband should be simple for three beautiful debutantes in Regency London. But the Somerset sisters have a way of making it delightfully complicated . . .

Violet Somerset has always preferred a library to a ballroom, but to please her grandmother she agreed to one London season. With nothing to show for it but heartbreak, she’s reconciled to spinsterhood. Until a notorious rogue known as the Devil of Dare requests an introduction to her timid, gentle youngest sister, Hyacinth. Violet will do anything to stop the match—even if it means posing as Hyacinth herself . . .

Nicholas Balfour, the Earl of Dare, is enjoying the life of a rake far too much to take a wife. But he must keep his promise to his grandmother. He’ll simply choose the meekest bride he can find, install her at his estate, then carry on as before. Hyacinth sounds perfect—until he discovers that her sweet demeanor hides the tongue of a viper and the mind of a bluestocking . . .

As Violet’s ruse threatens to unravel, however, she may find the tables turned. Soon she may have no choice but to tolerate her handsome fiancée—or fall in love with him . . .

My Thoughts:

This book is a wonderful Regency read. It has everything this reader expects from Anna Bradley and more.
Nicholas Balfour, the Earl of Dare has promised his Grandmother that he will marry this season even though it's the last thing he wants until he spies Hyacinth Somerset at a party where she is entertaining the other guests on the pianoforte. He calls on Miss Somerset the next day even though the two have yet to be properly introduced. Instead of Hyacinth he gets Violet, the slightly older bluestocking sister.

Violet engages in a ruse poising as Hyacinth thinking Nicholas will simply go away after encountering her eccentric ways. Nicholas is fooled into believing just that. But the Earl of Dare is not so easily frightened away

The tables turned on her Violet finds herself drawn to the rogue and he to her. But Nicholas still thinks she is Hyacinth.

How will this amusing, humorous and convoluted tale end?
Don't miss this second book in The Somerset Sisters series by author Anna Bradley. It is a well written and plotted book worthy of any regency romance fan's time.

I gave this book 4.95 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 4.25 of 5.0 flames. The intimacy is hot but held off on until after the nuptials.
This book starts out as a laugh a minute and progresses into a poignant engaging story.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book via Netgalley to read and review. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Violet Somerset agreed to have one London Season to please her grandmother. After a disastrous season, she is reconciled to being a spinster. After a party, the notorious rogue, Nicholas Balfour, the Earl of Dare, requests an introduction to her younger sister, Hyacinth. Hyacinth is absolutely wrong for a rogue like the Earl of Dare. She is timid and gentle.

Nicholas Balfour has promised his aunt that he will wed. However, his plans are to find the meekest bride he can and once she is carrying his heir, to return to Italy and his mistress. Hyacinth Somerset is the perfect lady.

When Nicholas didn't get the introduction to Hyacinth, he pays a call on Miss Somerset, not knowing she has an older sister and meets Violet. Nicholas discovers that his perfect bride had the tongue of a viper and the heart of a bluestocking.

When Violet's ruse unravels, the tables are turned and they are forced to marry. Violet has discovered that she wants her husband's heart, but can she battle his inner demons to win?

What an amazing book! I loved the characters. There was so much depth to Nicholas's character. Violet was a bluestocking that was writing an illustrated book. She takes advantage of Nicholas by conning him into taking her to several places that aren't appropriate for a young lady. I loved the anticipation of the moment when Nicholas would realize he had the right woman for him. Unfortunately, after the wedding, there are still more hurdles for them to get over. I loved this book from beginning to end!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!

Violet Somerset just wanted to die. In More Or Less A Countess, what she was enduring was a fate worse than death. Having to listen to her friend extol the virtues of her beloved new husband throughout the dinner party was more pain than she could bear. What her friend didn’t realize was that Violet was in love with Lord Derrick too.

The worst part was that Lord Derrick was clearly in love with his wife. In an effort to avoid the unintentional pain inflicted by her friend, Violet escapes to the library after dinner. It is here that she encounters Lord Dare for the first time.

Stealing into the library with another woman, Lord Dare is unaware of Violet’s presence. Unable to make herself known before they begin their assignation, Violet finds herself in the awkward position of listening.

Lord Dare has been summoned home from his European travels to do his duty, find a wife and have an heir. When Violet realizes that Dare has set his sights on her sister, Violet knows she must act. Her sister Honoria would be no match for a rake like Lord Dare. When Dare mistakes her for Honoria, Violet does not correct him.

Mistaken Identity

And so it begins. This is a classic of the genre, an initial lie which later begins to consume the author of the lie. Once it is uttered it is very difficult to get out of a lie gracefully, Violet finds this out the hard way.

I enjoyed how the author portrayed Dare as the ultimate (and unrepentant) rake. He and Violet seem to be very well matched pair.

The book is second in The Somerset Sisters series, following More or Less a Marchioness. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I look forward to the release of the next in the series, More or Less a Temptress.

Reviewed for LnkToMi iRead in response to a complimentary copy of the book provided by the publisher in hopes of an honest review.

You know how you sometimes miss the people in a book when you finish? This is that book. I’m not entirely sure why I liked them so much, but I adored this couple. He’s a rake, she’s a bluestocking. They meet at a party where she has witnessed him in debauchery, and he mistakes her for her sister, but somehow the story works so well. She intends to use him to help her go places to draw things young ladies aren’t allowed to visit. He decides to seek her as a biddable brid
The he can get an heir on and abandon for his mistress in Italy. I’m not a fan of the manwhore, but I liked this man. And of course they fall in love, though she is compromised and they are forced to wed, he is besotted enough to forgive her pretending to be her sister. Unfortunately, on their wedding night, he mistakenly believes she is in love with someone else, and hurting and angry, tells her he is planning to leave her pg in England and return to his mistress. What I really loved, was her continued pursuit of a life with him, despite his ongoing disdain. I’m not always this fond of a story with multiple misunderstandings, but I truly loved this novel, and Love Anna Bradley books! I received a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

More or Less a Countess by Anna Bradley is book Two in The Somerset Sisters series. This is the story of Violet Somerset and Nicholas Balfour, the Earl of Dare. I have read the previous book but feel you can make this a standalone if you wish to do so.
Violet is set to become a spinster since the town doesn't like her for being a Bluestocking and besides the one man she thought liked her has now married her best friend. When at a dinner party Nicholas shows up and seems interested in her younger sister Hyacinth. Violet knows he is a awful rake and doesn't want him near her young sister so when he assume she is Hyacinth she goes along with it. Nicholas was never given much love or self respect I felt which added to his self doubt and worth. So he just did what everyone expected him to do. But now he has to marry and produce an heir to satisfy family to keep up his lifestyle. So he thought Hyacinth would be the perfect choice a shy, quite girl to marry, place in one of his homes and then just do what he wants. But Violet/Hyacinth isn't so easy.
Loved reading their story and can't wait for the next book in this series.

More or Less a Countess by Anna Bradley
The Somerset Sister #2

Awkward, tone deaf, klutzy, brilliant Violet Somerset has given up on marriage after her first year on the marriage market. Instead her dream is to write and illustrate a book and with that in mind she is willing to risk life and limb to go to sometimes unsavory places to get her sketches. Nobody really understands her quest to write the book of her dreams but her sisters Iris and Hyacinth support her as they can.

One night Lord Dare, Nicholas or Nick to his friends, shows up for an evening event at his friend’s home…a friend that Violet had a crush on until HER friend ended up married to Lord Derrick crushing Violet’s dreams. Lord Dare, in need of an heir, thinks Hyacinth might be suitable with her ability to play Haydn on the pianoforte with such ease and beauty. Well, Violet is not willing to let her sister be courted by a roguish rake so when Nick mistakes Violet for Hyacinth she does not open his eyes and tell him who she really is.

No matter who tells Violet she is playing with fire by keeping the fake name of her sister she won’t listen. No, she uses Lord Dare for her own reasons to get…sketches. And, the house of cards she builds thinking, nobody will be hurt, does eventually come tumbling down at about midway through the book. With both Nick and Violet keeping secrets and hiding how they really feel it takes quite a bit of time for them to work out a way to be happy together but in the end…it is oh so very worth the pain they go through to get there.

I loved the interactions between Nick and Violet whether funny or steamy. The fact that Nick was not turned off by a bluestocking but intrigued instead said a lot. The issues from his childhood and hers from her year in society worked against them both. Their jumps to conclusions without communicating with one another were also a problem they needed to learn to surmount. I really enjoyed this book and the way it all came together. I wanted to smack one or the other a time or two but only to make them see sense.

Did I like this book? Definitely
Do I want to read Hyacinth’s story? Without a doubt
Is there anything I didn’t like in the book? Can’t think of anything.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books – Lyrical Press for the ARC ~ this is my honest review.

5 Stars

London - 1817

Nicholas (Nick) Balfour, the Earl of Dare, has returned to London from Italy. He prefers living on the Continent and thought he would be able to live there all the time. However, his older brother, Graham, died and now Nick of the new Earl. The only family he has left is his aunt. She informs him that he must wed, get an heir, and settle at his estate as it is in need of some repair. This is the last thing he wants to do but his aunt controls the family money so he has no choice but to do as she says.

At a recent soiree, Nick watches the lovely, young Hyacinth Somerset playing piano, and thinks she would be a woman to pursue as a wife. However, Hyacinth’s older sister, Violet, sees him as a rake and wants to protect Hyacinth from him. When he calls on “Miss Somerset”, he is met by Violet and thinking she is Hyacinth, is informed that his attentions are not welcome. Note: The sisters look quite alike. But Nick is determined to get to know her so he comes to visit her frequently. Violet’s grandmother wants her to have a second season because she was not successful in getting a husband during her first season. Violet is against it because she has no interest in marriage. Her passion is the book she is writing called “A Treatise on London for Bluestockings and Adventuresses.” It’s about various parts of London, complete with sketches, that lean toward the macabre. To make her sketches, she sometimes has to sneak out of the house, but with Nick showing up, she asks him to take her to these places. Still thinking she is Hyacinth, they see one another often until they get caught together. What will happen now?

This story had some humorous parts and the idea of Nick not knowing she was really Violet is a good one, but it dragged on too long. How many times can you really get away with that? The lack of communication and perceived hurts that follow seemed somewhat shallow to me. However, I’m sure readers will like some of the characters. The “real” Hyacinth is a sweetheart and I think I will really love her story if it is next in the series.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the second book I’ve read in the Somerset Sisters (after More Or Less A Marchioness) and I really, really liked Violet, the heroine. Violet is a bluestocking, and proud of it. She refuses to simper or make mindless conversation, and consequently most of the shallow young men of London have shunned her. Not that she cares; she’s far too busy writing her book, a guide for young ladies coming to London. Hilariously, she wants to include chapters on history and is determined to thoroughly research some of the more gruesome parts of it, an enormous problem given her very strict and proper grandmother’s rules for behaviour.

When Nicholas, Earl of Dare mistakes her for her shyer sister Hyacinth, Violet decides to take advantage of his offer to take her driving and makes him take her to a cemetery. In need of a well-bred wife, Nick is rather intrigued despite himself by Violet’s eccentricities. His willingness to escort her to places no lady could ever go alone offers Violet something too exciting to resist - freedom. She knows she should tell him the truth, but she can’t quite bring herself to do it.

Of course, things eventually come crashing down on Violet at the worst possible moment and in the worst possible way. She finds herself married to a very, very angry Nick, who in my opinion behaves like an utter hypocrite at this point. He started courting Violet with the full intention of wooing her into a loveless marriage, getting her pregnant and abandoning her while he returned to Italy to live with his mistress. Being angry with her because she misled him to what her first name was seems pretty pathetic. He then manages to compound the disaster by having a fit of jealousy on their wedding night and telling her about his plan to return to Italy and his mistress, which is definitely a case of the pot calling the kettle back, especially considering Violet’s innocence.

It wouldn’t be a romance without a happy ending, of course, and it’s a good one. Nick gets over himself and apologises properly, Violet accepts him for who he is even though there are a few more misunderstandings along the way. I really liked the way it was all resolved, with a proper understanding reached between the pair.

Anna Bradley really knows her stuff historically and there were some great (and hilarious!) facts deftly woven into the story, many of them obscure but tempting the reader to further research. Despite many years in London, I’d never heard of the Hunterian Museum, for example, now the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons.

Despite the hero being an utter hypocrite on several occasions during the story, the properly epic level of suffering he achieved and the suitable grovel at the end made me forgive him entirely, and I was very satisfied that Nick and Violet would get their HEA. This was superbly written with lots of conflict, historical detail and great characters growing into each other’s best match. Five stars for a thoroughly entertaining - and educational! - read.

This is the second book in the series but you don't have to have read the first book to enjoy this one. It can be read as a stand alone. Intense love story with ups and downs. This was different than your typical Historical Romance. I loved the characters. A great story idea. Well worth reading. Want more!

I received this copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It’s part of a series but can be read as a standalone (however, you’d be missing out on a great story).

More or less a Countess didn’t disappoint, yet I had great expectations (and fears) after adoring « More or less a Marchioness ». By the way, I’m impatiently waiting for the next in line (november 2018) - Anna Bradley has jumped on my favorite authors shelf very quickly !

What surprised me in a good way is that if we start with a rake, Nick, at least this time he’s a plausible one. Usually, when the romantic hero in a historical romance is a no-good womanizer, he falls in love so quickly with the heroin that we can hardly see his dastardly ways. Here, I could completely see Nick as a bored dandy willing to do anything to catch a wife before Violet claimed his heart. And I anticipated with glee each time Gibbs woke Nick up in the morning – priceless !

And Violet ! Wanting to protect her sister, and a bit unnerved that Nick can’t tell them apart, she takes the opportunity to do whatever she wants to do (visiting a graveyard, which, needless to say, Nick didn’t expect at all) undercover of his protection – well, more or less. She manipulates him, yes, but after all, he was only after her sister to marry and sire an heir, so they’re even. And his reactions made me laugh !

I could see them getting used to each other, enjoying each other’s company before they really fell in love. There are two parts in this novel and the first and main part (the courtship) is funny and light – I laughed often - while the second part (when they’re getting married) was a bit angstier, but not as much as to detract me from the book. I loved these characters to pieces and I longed for their HEA – no disturbing me while I was reading them or I’d have been willing to bite !

And when the going got tough, I really appreciated that instead of sulking or reacting in a stupid way, they were both willing to talk and confront their point of views. There is a bit of an issue near the end, but it was resolved very quickly so I didn’t mind.

As a conclusion, I’d say this is a thrilling, entertaining, unputdownable read that you won’t regret to have picked up !

This was a delightful find! 4.5*
What does my reading heart crave?
Finding new author's that can satisfy all my cravings, then give me *more,* that's what!
Witty, charming, clever and insightful dialogs appropriate for the character's station, circumstances, and of the period. Interesting secondary characters, even the butler pulled his weight!
And that dazzling cover ;)
The plot is paced well and that "damn book" gets everyone into trouble! Where would the fun be without shenanigans?

New-to-me author, Anna Bradley, gave me that *more* in Nick, Lord Dare, and Violet, Miss Somerset's story.

“Seeing things as you see them, looking at every moment as a possibility, as another chance to be delighted…it feels like waking up from a drugged sleep. It feels like breathing again.”

For much of the story I didn't know whom needed a thorough throttling more, Violet for her stubborn foolishness or Nick for being a self indulgent arse. Both acting like spoiled petulant children, along with all the deceptive manipulations between them and those escapades with that "damn book," had me wondering if there could ever be a HEA.
The author's storytelling really shines in character development as she slowly, ever so deliciously, gives way to Violet and Nick's self doubts, loneliness and longings with tidbits of unexpected kindness, camaraderie, and purpose.
There was so much *more* for my reading ♡ to enjoy.
I did not read any previous stories about the Somerset sisters, so it is easily read as a standalone.
I will be reading more from this author in the near future.
*ARC received through Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review *

Nicholas Balfour, the Earl of Dare, has been summoned back to London from his Italian villa and mistress to do his duty. The last thing Nick wants to do is return to the Dare estate. He has never been able to live up to his father's expectations and after his brother and heir dies tragically, his father's criticisms became even more horrid. After 2 years abroad, his father dies and his aunt has called him home. She holds the purse strings to the estate, so Nick has no choice but to return. His plan is to find a suitable young woman to marry, get an heir in her belly and return to his mistress in Italy. What he didn't count on was being intrigued by bluestocking Violet Somerset.

I really enjoyed this book and I especially like an intelligent and feisty heroine. The interactions between Violet and Nick was so much fun until the lies started to pile up for these two. Forced to marry, Violet and Nick must try to get past all their misunderstandings and try to build a new life together. Ms. Bradley works in many twists and turns in this story. Fans of regency romances will definitely enjoy this book.

Warning. Mistaken identity may lead to love! Violet Somerset, a true bluestocking was done with the marriage market. The one man she had held affection for married her best friend. Attending a dinner with her grandmother and younger sister Hyacinth, she meets Nick, Lord Dare. Nick is back in England after inheriting the Earldom unexpectedly that should have gone to his elder brother. My heart just ached for Nick because he had grown up feeling he was never as good as his older brother and always feeling inferior. But he needs to marry for money soon to pull the estate out of ruin. Sitting across from Hyacinth at the dinner, he determines she will be perfect. But he approaches Violet, mistaking her for her sister and the adventure begins. Violet intends to protect her sister from Lord Dare and tries to warn him off. But Nick will not be pushed away and he and Violet end up together time and again.
This was such a wonderful story that I could only smile at some of the prose and be delighted with the two main characters as well as the secondary. Nick deserved his happy ever after just as much as Violet and I could not wait to see what happened!!

A relationship that starts with deceit and lies on part of both the hero, Nick, the Earl of Dare and Violet Somerset, turns into a friendship and then long-lasting love. The story is beautifully written by the author with heartbreak and angst that make your heart hurt for the hero and heroine. Both Nick and Violet's characters are intricate and complicated without a straight line defining black or white. The chemistry between the two is sexy and sets the sheets or in this case, pages of the book on fire. This is book two in The Somerset Sisters series and I highly recommend this whole series and book but the book can be read as a standalone.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

Violet is one of my favorite heroines in a long time. I really enjoyed how intelligent she was, and the way she felt compelled to pursue her passions despite the strictures places on women at the time. Nick was swoon worthy! Protective, but also willing to go toe to toe with Violet. Their interactions are filled with romantic tension and the building of a mutual admiration and respect. My favorite kind of romance!
The mix up of identities in the beginning of the story was fun. I kept waiting for the big reveal with both dread and anticipation. Anna Bradley is one of my favorites, and this book does not disappoint! I can’t wait for the final installment in the series.