Someone Wanton His Way Comes is a delightful historical romance about second chances, following your own path, and finding love. The characters in this novel were a real treat. They were warm and kind, but still had a sizzling chemistry. Overall, the story was fast-paced and kept me entertained throughout. I look forward to seeing some of the side character's stories come to life.

A huge thank you to Montlake for sending me a copy of this one in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so tedious. The plot is ridiculous and so unbelievable. The heroine, Sylvia, is a widow with a flaky husband so she decides to encourage all women to forgo marriage altogether. Umm, what? Maybe teach women to be more assertive or help match them to gentlemen who will be good husbands. Nope. Women shouldn’t get married because all men suck. Really?? I can’t seriously believe all women would actually go along with this. Also, how will all of these single women support themselves. Does Sylvia think their families will want to or even can support them for the rest of their lives? I’m not sure how likely it is for all of them to get jobs to support themselves. Will Sylvia be supporting all of them for the rest of their lives? Just. So. Stupid. Then they are like oh their fathers and brothers will marry. Who will they be marrying if all women should avoid marriages? Their horses? I can’t with this plot. I get why Sylvia is the way she is but come on! Your answer to your stupid husband’s actions is to ban marriage altogether? That is the best idea you had?

There were several references to prior books in other series. I was hoping with this being the first book in this series I wouldn’t have an issue following along but I was so confused. First of all, if you plan to read the other series of books related to these characters then you are warned of spoilers. There were also a lot of characters that I had no connection to and couldn’t pick them out of a crowd.

I was so excited to read my first Christi Caldwell book but this may be my first and last sadly.

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This is the first in a new series, though it seems to be a spinoff of another series, as it references earlier events I had no knowledge of.

Lady Sylvia, the Countess of Norfolk, is a widow, and mother of a young son. Her husband was a lying, unfaithful, rake, and she didn't find out until it was too late, and she was already married to him. Then, he died unexpectedly, leaving her to pick up the pieces. She has no interest, however, in moving back in with her family, as most widows do. Instead, she and 2 other friends (one of whom was her husband's mistress, though she had no idea he was married) decide to move in together. The ton is abuzz with the "scandal" of it all, and it gets even worse when they form the Mismatch Society (don't call them a CLUB!), with many other ladies who seek them out. Most of them have ZERO interest in getting married, especially not to men they can't trust, and that will give them no freedoms.

Clayton Kearsley, the Viscount St. John is in a bind. He has a widowed mother and 6 sisters that he's responsible for. Since none of them can inherit, and he doesn't want them to have to depend on the kindness of a distant relative, he knows he needs to marry and produce his own heir. And he needs to do it soon, because he knows his time is short. His family is cursed to die young, and knowing that, he's never wanted to fall in love. He hopes to find a companion, who will be his friend, care for his family, and not mourn him too much when he's gone. They only problem is Sylvia. He's loved her since the first time he saw her, but knowing that his future was short, and wanting happiness for her, he introduced her to to his best friend, and they later married. But, Clayton had no idea that all Norfolk would give Sylvia was heartbreak. Clayton has avoided her the last 3 years since Norfolk's death, but comes face-to-face with her again when he goes to confront the head of the Mismatch Society.

Clayton and Sylvia were always drawn to each other. They were friends from their first meeting, and she always hoped more would happen, but then he introduced her to Norfolk, and then that was that. She never had any idea how he felt about her. I really enjoyed their connection, and how much they cared for each other. I just hated how much time was wasted, and all the heartbreak that happened for each of them during that time.

Also, I picked this up because it was the first in a series, but there was QUITE A BIT of backstory that I felt I was lacking, about Norfolk's death, his hideous family, the coverup, and Sylvia's sister Lila's relationship and marriage. Best I can tell, this must link back to book 2 in the Lost Lords of London series, which is Lila's book? But I haven't read that, and I think a lot of this would've fallen into place a lot better if I had. For anyone who is familiar with these characters, I'm sure they had fun revisiting this storyline.

Clayton's sisters and mother were a total delight, and the highlight of the story for me. I loved how they ribbed him, manipulated him, cajoled him, and cared for him, as sisters are wont to do. I enjoyed the sister relationship between Sylvia and Lila as well, in addition to the sisterhood of Sylvia with Valerie and Annalee, and the rest of the Society. I found Clayton's relationships with Landon and Scarsdale interesting. They'd been friends since they were kids at school, though the two of them, along with Norfolk, were your typical rakish aristocrats, where Clayton was so much more circumspect, and kinder, and more of a true gentleman. But, he obviously cared for them, though they had so little in common.

Overall this story moved a bit too slowly for my taste. I was interested in Sylvia and Clayton, and their connection, but the pace of the story just wasn't my jam. That, in addition to the backstory that I felt I was lacking, it made this only a 3 star read for me. But I enjoyed the Society, and I may continue with book 2, which will be about Scarsdale and his former betrothed, Emma Gately, a founding member of the Society.

I can’t say enough how well written the characters are in this story. Clayton is such a great hero, just a great kind guy looking after his mother and sisters.... he loves them. His problem is he thinks he has a curse that he will die young like all his male ancestors have and he doesn’t want to leave a widow or children broken hearted. He witnessed this first hand. So when he meets the girl of his dreams, he introduced her to his best friend, because who wouldn’t love her? Sylvia married for love, or so she thought. Her husband was in love with someone else. He was planning to leave her pregnant and alone, but he died instead and left her a widow. Now she wants nothing to do with love or men. She starts a society of women to discuss life without the institution of marriage. Until Clayton shows up to reason with her and her group that marriage is necessary to both men and women. They have a friendship from the past and they have to work through both of their demons to find their happiness together. The characters around them are as intriguing as the couple and leaves you wanting all of their stories as well! Christi Caldwell’s worlds are always a spectacular reading adventure!

After discovering her husband’s infidelities, Lady Sylvia Elton finds herself widowed. She joins together with two friends, one his wife’s mistress, to form the Mismatch Society. Together the decide to educate women of the perils of marriage. When the men of the ton become aware of this group, the women find themselves challenged and facing scandal. But when Clayton Kearsley, the Viscount St. John, arrives at her doorstep, she decides to make him a part of her society, as a way to make society realise the reality of her group. Yet Clayton has long admired Sylvia, having introduced her to his friend, who them became her husband. Now that he has an opportunity to be in her life, he finds himself lacking the courage to tell her how he really feels.
With characters from previous books in the series, intertwined in this story, this is a story of great detail and depth. It is well worth reading previous books in the series, to understand the relationship between the Prendergast sisters. I thoroughly enjoyed Clayton’s sister’s and Sylvia’s family, who together make for many interesting scenes in the book. There is incredibly chemistry between this couple, and I enjoyed seeing this romance develop.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

THAT COVER IS EVERYTHING. I love it and the name!!! Sooo good.
Widowed Lady Sylvia Elton decided that she wanted to have her own place along with two equally scorned and cast-off friends. But after discovering they inadvertently inspired young ladies, decided to establishes the Mismatch Society, in order to save them from the terrible fate of marriage.
With each new liberated member, the scandalous circle wreaks havoc on the romantic prospects of London’s frustrated male peerage. But nothing prepares Sylvia for the Viscount St. John, a familiar face and her most formidable challenger.
Clayton Kearsley, the Viscount St. John, can’t allow these wantons to dismantle the Marriage Mart. Until he discovers the ringleader is his old friend’s widow, a fine woman for whom he’s carried a torch since the day they met. Thinking himself undeserving of a diamond like her, he introduced her to his best friend—a decision he now regrets deeply, knowing of the hurt she carries in secret.
Now he is positioned to match wits with this woman, who is determined to save young ladies from future heartbreak. And despite his misgivings, Clayton is entertaining fantasies that he could end their battle with a kiss. If only he had the courage to tell her how he feels—or the hope that she’d ever again let down her guard.
Clayton is absolutely perfect. Sweet and passionate, he is every girl’s dream. So proper and considerate.
Sylvia is a great mum and a smart, generous, and brave woman. The Mismatch Society’s meetings are really funny. Together, Clayton and Sylvia are amazing. There are great sexy times and romantic ones.
I loved the side characters and I´ll be waiting for their stories!!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I want to call this a second chance romance, but the romance never really had a first chance, just unrequited longing. The leads are now older and wiser, and their life experiences will create a more solid relationship. This can definitely be read as a stand alone, but a fair amount of characters from numerous previous stories appear. My enjoyment of this story was enriched by having read all of Christi Caldwell’s stories set in this universe (and there are a lot of them). Some parts of the book did feel rushed, especially toward the end, and I can’t help but wonder if Caldwell is rushing through her old contract before she starts publishing titles with Berkley later this year...

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This new series picks up where we left the Lost Lords of London and the Wicked Wallflowers series and tells the much anticipated story of Henry, Lord Waterson (The Spitfire) and Lady Lila’s (In the Dark with the Duke) widowed sister, Lady Sylvia.

Lady Sylvia has decided to take her future and happiness into her own hands and move out of her mothers residence to establish were own home with two scandalous friends: a scandalous friend of her sister and her husbands former lover. Together they end up opening their home and creating a society, The Mismatch Society to empower young women into avoiding the perils of marriage.

This new society does not sit well with the marriage minded gentlemen of the ton, and Clayton Kearsley, the Viscount St. John volunteers to get to the bottom of this situation…

Upon arriving at Waverton house he ends up encountering his former friends widow, whom he happened to be in love with before she married his best friend!

As you can guess this sparks a war of wills between these two, and passion ensues! I loved how Sylvia never really experiences passion and true love with her deceased husband, so all of these feelings she is having for Clayton are all new and strange for her. These two also have extreme chemistry and their coupling light up the page!

This was a great start to a new series and I am excited to hear how the other Wantons of Waverton fair!

Someone Wanton His Way Comes by Christi Caldwell is scheduled to release April 20th, 2020.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Montlake Romance through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#SomeoneWantonHisWayComes #ChristiCaldwell #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

Will they be able to let go of their fears to look forward to what could be ...

This book was such a delightful scrumptious meal to savor.
From the moment the many sisters of Clayton are introduced to their meddling way, I just loved them and can’t wait to see them starring in other stories.
How little Eris is a delight, every peculiar girl to woman in the Kearsley household is a pleasure to read about. They are a breath of fresh air, bringing joy and fun in their stake all the while breaking havoc.
Clayton is such a sweetheart, a man out of his time, progressivist, respectful and loving.
I love his relationship with his sisters, he adapts his speech or attitude upon which of his siblings he is addressing.
Weird such a down to earth grown man believes to be cursed, maybe his Scottish blood. Yet it became truly a curse as it prevents him to marry the love of his life.
Still, once he lets go some of his fears and guilt, he is a man every woman can rely on, he stands by et offers his support, not one to take all the light, more one to share.
Sylvia had her trust shattered but she emerged from her inner ruin stronger. So it is time for her to set her own pace and find a different purpose. And while everything began as an accidental misunderstanding, it set in motion her new journey.
She will be the face of her group of assembled women looking for a different path, determined to follow their own edicts.
So when she rekindles her easy friendship with Clayton, she slowly revisits her own preconceived opinions. But will it be enough to sway her about marriage and the place of women in it.

This read is a bit lighter than the last books I have read by the author, I quite welcomed the change, even better it offers closure to a previous story.
I loved how every situation is turned into something different and then leads to an unexpected result. Alternating between light banters and funny situations to debates and more serious instances or sensual times.
I devoured it in no time.
5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes.

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Montlake, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Someone Wanton His Way Comes is the first story in a new series though there is mention of some previous stories by the author with recurring characters but as I've not read these, I'm not sure what the link is. However, I got the gist of things and it didn't ruin the experience of this book for me.

I found the main characters in this book to be quite interesting. It was refreshing to see a character like Clayton who was so openly straight forward and good and Sylvia is too, except she's become jaded after her marriage and subsequent widowhood. The relationship between these two was well developed and I thought they had great chemistry. The many secondary characters in this book were all fun to read about and I think the foundations are there for many of them to have their own stories in the future. It would be lovely to read about Clayton's sisters getting their own happily ever afters and some of the other society members too like Annalee and Valerie.

On the whole this was an enjoyable read with a gripping but ultimately sweet ending.

Lady Sylvia Caufield, the Countess of Norfolk, marries a man that she believes loves her. Sadly, he doesn’t and she has a miserable marriage until her husband dies. Clayton Kearsley, Viscount St. John, believes he is cursed, and most male members of his family die young. Because of the curse, he wants to marry someone he doesn’t love, because he hates the thought of dying young and leaving his wife alone and heartbroken. Sylvia and Clayton became good friends and shared some fun times years earlier when she was first on the marriage mart. Knowing he is cursed, Clayton did the noble thing and introduced Sylvia to his best friend, who marries her, is a terrible husband to her, and then dies, leaving her an unloved widow and pregnant with his heir. Clayton has felt guilty ever since. He had no idea his best friend was such a scoundrel. He had been half in love with Sylvia years earlier, but thought he was sparing her pain by not pursuing her. The time has come to make things right with Sylvia, but the question remains as to whether either one is open to the possibility.

There’s quite a bit of setup to this book. Some of the discussions within the story seem quite progressive for the time period, making this book very interesting. Once the setup is complete, readers are given more information regarding the way women are treated during this time period. The book moves somewhat slower during this setup time, but picks up the pace afterward. There is some tension, but not a lot, and it’s doled out incrementally. There are some fun parts and some noteworthy characters at times, but Clayton’s little sister steals the spotlight several times! She’s a joy to read about! Things finally end up the right way, but it takes some time to get there!

I love the characters in Someone Wanton His Way Comes. Clayton is such a good man, one who puts his mom and sisters ahead of himself. Sylvia is a strong young widow, who was married to a man who never wanted her. Their story is one of sacrifice and self-determination. The villains are Sylvia’s in-laws, who are quite evil. The story revolves around a society founded for woman by woman. Its purpose is to encourage independence from marriage! I don’t write spoilers, but this story moved me. The story is well written and our h&h are such strong, wonderful people, you can’t help but cheer them. Another lovely story from author Christi Caldwell.

This was a fun, sweet read. Clayton has secretly loved Sylvia forever. Believing he will die young, he matches Sylvia up with his best friend in the hopes that this will be better for her. It isn't and then she soon becomes a widowed, young mother. Deciding she wants to do things her own way, she moves into her own home with her soon and two friends and end up forming the Mismatch society to help young ladies avoid arranged and forced marriages.

I really loved Clayton and his family in this book. He has six sisters and all were delightful. I liked that he was kind and good. Definitely a "cinnamon roll" hero, he was one who put Sylvia and his family before himself and wasn't your typical super alpha at all. Sylvia was likable but I had a hard time understanding her at times. Some of the decisions she made didn't really make sense to me and for as strong as she seemed to feel about some things in the beginning of the book, she really changes pace quickly towards the end. I did enjoy her meetings for the Mismatch society and really felt like some of the discussion could be commentary on relationships today.

Caldwell is a favorite author of mine. While I didn't love this book quite as much as her previous ones I did enjoy it and am invested enough in the other characters to want to keep reading the series. This is a first in the series but connects to characters in the previous one which is fun. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a historical romance with a super sweet hero and a lighter feel.

An enjoyable friends to lovers regency romance. Clayton and Sylvia were interesting and passionate characters and it took awhile for them to get to their happily ever after but well worth it in the end.

I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

4.5 stars

Someone Wanton His Way Comes is an wonderfully feminist and deliciously steamy historical romance that I'm sure will be a wonderful start to this new series of Caldwell's.

Putting up a historical romance by an author you have never read before can be somewhat of a gamble. Even with the wonderful pun in the title and the great cover art, I was a little bit apprehensive going into this. I have rarely been so pleased to be proven wrong!

In addition to everything great that I could say about the plot and the romance, this book really stands out in how the characters take about female issues of the period. Caldwell is very conscious of not pushing a binary view of the institution of marriage and makes room for female characters who are actively choosing their partner on the basis that they will be an equal in the marriage. It was rather refreshing and I am curious to see where she will take the conversation in future books.

The only thing that threw me with this was that there were characters and plots from some of Caldwell's other series that play a part in this book. I'm used to the first book in the series setting up future installments and was not aware that this was part of a greater universe. It took me a little while to adjust, but it also made me more interested in picking up other books in Caldwell's backlist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

3.5 stars
Someone wanton his way comes was a nice historical romance with interesting characters, main and side ones. I can’t say that I liked everything in here. There are so many mixed moments when I felt that things happened just to have a shocking effect and maybe to show why this unconventional relationship was meant to be.
While I’m always looking forward to read female characters that go beyond their life to prove that there’s much more to live and feel outside the society and marriage expectancy, I think some of the moments in here are contradicting themselves one way or another.
I liked the hero’s arc story the most in here. He’s not your usual rake or heartless one, he cares for his family and always looking up to be fair and express his feelings.
Overall it’s a great story that I’m sure many readers will enjoy, but unfortunately it wasn’t a hit for me.

An amazing romance set within a thought-provoking society

Many (if not most) historical romances set within the confines of the English aristocracy take advantage of the societal rules regarding marriage. This one is the first I've read that seeks to truly examine those rules, with a specific focus on how restricting they are for women. Sure, there's probably a bit of a modern viewpoint creeping in, but I rather enjoy believing that women throughout history were more progressive than submissive, even if it took far too long for progress to be realized. No great changes to the historical record are made in this book, but it does an exquisite job of dissecting the pitfalls on both sides of the argument and showing how women have always had to walk a very fine line to maintain their balance of freedom and respectability.

Clayton is as unlike Sylvia's first husband as a man can be. Even though Norman had been Clay's best friend, there was a lot that Clay didn't know about Norman and Sylvia's marriage. He wanted to fulfill his promise to take care of Sylvia after Norman's death, but Clay's own family history deprived him of the confidence in his future to follow the demands of his heart.

I adored Sylvia, with her dedication to her son, to her friends, and to her ideals. The various friendships among the women of the Society were very well done, giving us a beautiful assortment of vibrant characters who can disagree without being disagreeable. This author brilliantly establishes distinct personalities for each of Clay's six sisters, which is rarely seen for secondary characters.

The romance blossoms slowly from the friendship between Clay and Sylvia that predates her marriage and is resumed when he hears of her Mismatch Society. I was enthralled with the deliberate way they each challenged the other to examine their beliefs and opinions and forced each other to see things from the other's point of view.

Their triumphant HEA was thorough and delightful. I am looking forward to reading more about the members of the Mismatch Society. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

3.5 stars
I almost requested this book based on the title alone.
We start off with a man asking his friend to watch over his wife and unborn child while he runs away with his lover. Clayton does not take it well, feeling nothing but anger and disgust for his longtime friend, his friend dies that same day.
3-4 years later, his widow and ex-lover planning on moving in together with a third lady, they accidentally become a society, and women everywhere start breaking betrothals and demanding freedoms, all just in time for Clayton to be tricked into deciding it's time he wed.
Clayton is socially awkward and it's kind of adorable, he has a hard time expressing himself if he can't plan out what he wants to say. Sylvia is a strong willed woman that was seriously hurt by her first husbands complete lack of care about her.
Sylvia and Clayton were friends before her marriage, he's always wanted her but doesn't think he can/should have her because the men in his family die young and he didn't want to break her heart, so he set her up with his friend, which did not end well.
The steam in here was great, and their friendship was lovely, the author is a bit repetitive with certain aspects of the story though.

This is kind of a hard book to review. On one hand I love Christi’s writing, especially the darker stories. On the other hand, it was kind of choppy. If I had not read the Lost Lords (loved) and the Wicked Wallflowers (also loved) I would have been lost. Honestly, with reading a lot of books in between, I had forgotten about Lila and Hugh’s stories in relation to Sylvia (I had to look up to find which book was Hugh’s story). While I loved Sylvia and her forward thinking and taking control of her life, I was not so enamored with Clayton. He was kind of wishy washy to me - I love her but introduced her to my friend because I thought I was cursed. WHAT? The ending was kind of rushed and wished the angst would have taken up more of the story. But as I said, Christi’s darker writing is like catnip. 3.5 rounded up.

I am so looking forward to Scarsdale and Emma’s story – sounds like a doozy.

My opinion - sorry to a favourite author of mine for this - but cull the first few chapters down to a few meaningful paragraphs and cut superfluous side characters. The huge amount of unfinished sentences (when other characters cut in), would be humourous and entertaining if you were watching a movie or TV show, but I found it annoying to read. I'm 12% in and the story is confusing to say the least and to say the worst, I'm ready to stop reading. It's taken me ages just to get to chapter three.

The impression of the plot so far is:- 1) that the women in this book hate men, so they set up a society to whinge and figure out how to get rid of them. 2) The hero seems overwhelmed by his mother and six sisters, but is a nice guy. 3) The heroine (a widowed countess) has set up house together with a couple of scandalous, single women. Seriously? 4) Women are breaking off engagements and marriages left right and centre so they can be independent, 😫, therefore effectively closing the marriage mart. 5) Wallpaper historical not to be taken in any way seriously. 6) I think this is supposed to be a comedy.

This is a HR set in 1829 England and perhaps the author should have rolled her story forward a few decades for it to be a tiny bit more believable. This is marketed as book one in a new series which is why I requested it from NetGalley. Unfortunately the author has just dropped spoilers from the previous series, which I haven't finished yet! The dialogue at times is completely buried within narration and I'm having to re-read sections to understand who is talking to whom. Very confusing. This book needs the KISS treatment and I found many scenes choppy. At 13% I've decided to skim to get to an interesting part that makes sense, because chapter three is full of male secondary characters that are making my head swim as well.

20% in and the H/h have not yet met, there is denigration of men and relationships aplenty buried in this 'comedy' and I'm going to go read something else I like better. Sorry about that. The writing within itself is very good. My thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc in return for my opinion. I may well pick this book back up at a later date, but for now, it's not my cup of tea. I have no intention of stopping reading this author's work as I usually adore her books. You may love this story, so please give it a try and don't let my review influence you.