Lawrence Grant Talmadge Eddington, the Right Honorable Earl of Marsden is the last of the three bucks still single and stubborn. His biggest concern is the revenge he has on Lord Dervil for killing his father.

Clarissa Taylor was to have married Dr Med Thurlowe but agreed that Gemma was better for him. Now after the Matrons of Maidenshop got her a ladies companion position she is back. The grandson tried and failed to cause her issues except to lose her position.

This story is a juicy one. Mars gets a BIG surprise left for him but accepts it with more spirit than any expected. Miss Taylor helps in her own way, reluctance on both Mars and Clarissa of the help.

The matrons push and manipulate Clarissa. Mars mother makes an appearance to force more from both who don't trust her. Lord Dervil plays a minor part but brings closure in a good way to both Mars and Clarissa.

What's the big surprise and how does it bring these to together? How does Clarissa help Mars? Does Mars get his long waited revenge? Will his mother be good or just vengeful?

You will need to read this wonderful intrigue to find out. Catch up on the happenings in Maidenshop, the other bucks, and the matrons. With her unique style Cathy has given a great adventure and obstacles a colorful story to bring these characters to life and endear them to her readers. Her witty banter is full of wonder and morals you don't realize you are getting.

A book you won't be able to put down. This story will have you enthralled to finish in one setting.

His Lessons On Love, is mostly Mars's story. I would have liked to have heard Clarissa's story more than we did. Maybe have her interact with the baby more.

What a wonderful addition to this series! This is my favorite one yet, and it's 100% because of Mars and Clarissa. There's such an adorable, yet fierce side to these characters.

Short summary: Mars and Clarissa hate each other. In the other books, they've been snipping at each other since they were kids, and it didn't get any better as they grew up. Now they spend their time arguing with each other. However, this book opens with a very hungover Mars having a baby given to him. HIS baby--by his mistress. Panicking and not knowing what to do, he sets off for the local village to ask the busybody matrons if they'll help him. What he gets is an angry Clarissa who is pretty much forced to help him after a job gone bad. She becomes Dora's nanny and veeery soon, Mars finds himself wanting to marry her as a marriage of convenience. This solves a lot of her problems, too. I won't spoil it, but their story is so sweet and passionate. Both realizing that they've been judging the other one for all of these years (very Pride and Prejudice.) To watch them soften towards each other was precious! Maxwell does such a good job of showing us, page by page, just how they fall in love.

I only had a few gripes, and they were minor. At times, I wanted to literally shake both of them for their stubbornness. Like, REALLY hard. Her refusing his sexual advances--even though they were heavily making out--felt sanctimonious to me. And Mars. Oh, sweet Mars. His ridiculous determination to do a specific, dangerous revenge plan gets comical at some point. I think both of these things could have been dialed down a bit, and the novel would have been a little more believable. Don't get me wrong--I loved this book! Maxwell writes such fierce and vulnerable characters, and her storylines are strong. Like I said before, my issues with the book are minor, and should in no way keep anyone from reading it. It is most definitely the strongest book in the series! Well done, Ms. Maxwell!

I pretty much have enjoyed Cathy Maxwell as an author and most of her novels, and "His Lessons on Love", I believe is the third in this series that was an okay and feel good kind of read. Not having had the opportunity to read the other two in the series, this seems as if it can be read as a stand alone.

What captured my attention is the trope of frenemies to lovers which I typically like in her books. There is plenty of angst between Mars and Clarissa since childhood and it very evident in the beginning of the story. Clarissa was orphaned as a child and raised by the village vicar...a contrast to Mars who has been raised in a well-to-do environment. When Mars' former mistress leaves him with an infant child, his whole world crumbles from the savvy lifestyle that he has been accustomed. In some ways you had to feel a sympathy for the infant as she had a mother who didn't a child interrupted her life and a father who abused alcohol, opium and and never received the maternal love expected. Considering their shortcomings, I do like how Mars redeemed his rakish lifestyle and concentrated on loving and taking care of his daughter. I also loved how Clarissa was a strong individuals, although her judgmental ways sometimes became annoying. In any case, she did remain dedicated to them and unyielding to her convictions. This story was well-written, however I had a hard time getting through the read as it dragged a bit for me.

Although the attraction between the characters was set early on in the story, I was anticipating more from the relationship in regards to intimate scenes. My interest started to fade until it picked up a little over half the way when they did manage to have a hot and steamy. I enjoyed the plot although the mystery was no big mystery to me. I look forward to reading the other books in this series as I like her as an author.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

His Lessons on Love is just to the right of pure fluff, but it’s the kind of fluff that’s quite enjoyable.  The characters are likable, their growth believable, their romance sweet and tender, and their problems understandable.  However, the plot contains too many quibbles for me to give it a full-throated DIK, but it’s a solid B and a good time.

Lawrence Grant Talmadge Eddington, Earl of Marsden (generally known as Mars), is stuck in a bit of a quandary.  Deb - his mistress - dumps their baby daughter, Dora, on his doorstep – declaring she’s not the maternal type and has no business raising the child.  While Dora is definitely Mars’ daughter, he is no more paternal than Deb is maternal, and though he’s enchanted by the baby, has no forward plans for her.  His relationship with his mother is practically non-existent, and since he’s an opium addict and regular libertine, he’s going to need some help with baby Dora.

Enter the judgmental and well-ordered Miss Clarissa Taylor (formerly engaged to Ned, who was the hero of the previous book in the series).  Clarissa, a poor orphan of unknown origin who was raised by the village vicar and then given to the town’s matrons when the vicar and his wife died, she and Mars have known each other since childhood and have never gotten along.   Clarissa knows she is unmarriageable due to her lack of money and breeding, and wants to create enough financial space for herself to allow for her own independence as a spinster.   So, when Mars asks her to assist him with the baby she decides to use his helplessness to her advantage.

Mars, Clarissa and Dora make a good team, but Mars wants to challenge Dervil, the man who killed his father, to a duel before he can make a grab for political power in the House of Lords.  He’s not about to stop his lifelong quest for vengeance, so in order to make sure Dora doesn’t end up with his mother should the worst happen to him, Mars asks Clarissa if she’ll enter into a marriage of convenience and pretend she’s Dora’s mother.  In return, Clarissa gets all of the financial support and security she could ever wish.  He agrees not to pressure her to make it a true marriage, she agrees to dress more fashionably, and give off the public impression that she adores him.  Can they keep their business arrangement strictly that?

Well, it’s a romance novel, of course there will be complications – and Maxwell provides good ones.  His Lessons on Love is a generally charming affair, with two strong equals bumping heads, and Mars comes off as an accurately portrayed libertine, complete with opium addiction and little black book.  His addictions are not cured by the love of Dora and Clarissa, but Dora and Clarissa become motivations for Mars to clean himself up and face his responsibilities.  But the whole transition between Mars-the-addict and Mars-the-straitlaced-dad happens too quickly, with nary even a time for a hangover.

Clarissa, meanwhile, comes to the marriage a stuffy type who has no room for romantic notions after having her heart shattered.  She grows up more than Mars, and manages to round out into a loving and wise but more sensitive woman.

Mars and Clarissa have that classic opposites-attract-and-are-just-what-they-both-need situation – Clarissa needs to learn how to have fun, and Mars needs to stop having so much fun he wakes up in a new place sans cash and his sobriety.  They have fun along the way and manage to find tenderness, too.  The secondary characters are enjoyable.  Gibson, Mars’ butler, immediately became my favorite of them all because he’s so practical and has such a dry sense of humor.  Little Dora, naturally, has little personality beyond being sweet and adorable, but she’s a tiny infant and this is forgivable, and the other series heroes pop up briefly.  I did wish that Mars’ mother had more nuance to her, but I was willing to tolerate the lack of depth in her characterization since Mars ultimately has to learn to move beyond her and realize not all women are evil, cheating vixens.

His Lessons in Love is light and sprightly, with a few creaky plot points, and well worth a weekend’s reading.

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3.5 stars

His Lessons on Love by Cathy Maxwell is the third and I believe last book in the A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women Novel series. This book focuses on Clarissa Taylor, a foundling who was raised by the vicar and The Earl of Marsden (Mars).

Mars has been living a destructive life filled with alcohol and drugs. He knows that he has to change, but he isn’t quite ready to grow up when his former mistress shows up at his house with a baby. His mistress has found a new provider and wants nothing to do with the baby. Mars is open to fatherhood and family, but he has no idea what to do with a baby. Clarissa has recently returned to town after having to leave her position in London in haste. She absolutely hates Mars (and has since childhood), but she needs a job and is good with children. She reluctantly takes a job with Mars as his new baby’s nurse.

The characters were enjoyable. It was fun watching Mars take to fatherhood, especially in contrast to the destructive relationship that he has with his mother. It is rare to find a book where the father is so involved with the children. Clarissa’s journey involved finding out about her past and how that impacted her relationship with Mars. That reveal was a little predictable, but it didn’t make it less enjoyable. It was also nice to see how all the people in the town interacted with each other. I’d imagine these characters have been in the previous two books as well. It felt like the entire community was rooting for Mars and Clarissa. Their story had a bunch of twists and turns, but it kept me interested. I wanted to see what would happen next. I did not read the other books in the series, but I think it was a decent standalone. The epilogue seemed to wrap up the series nicely.


Tropes include:
Enemies to lovers
Fake relationship (briefly)
Marriage of convenience
Working heroine
Suddenly parents
Rake and bluestocking
Working heroine

I was invited to read an ARC of His Lessons on Love, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #HisLessonsonLove

The author is Cathy Maxwell, and that means this book will be at least 4.5 stars if not 5. She is an author that I have followed for over 10 years, and she has always given me a story that touches my heart, but is fresh and fun.
The hero's mistress deposits his daughter to him and leaves her with him because they broke up about a year ago and she has now found a new, stable.protector. The daughter is between 3 to 4 months old. The child still needs a wet nurse and has not had any teeth come through yet. He lives in an all male household at his favorite estate. He never stays in London long because he can't stand his mother. His father has already passed away, during a duel. The heroine was a foundling left at the rectory and was raised by the pastor and his wife. She is about 25 years old and the hero is 3 years older. They grew up in the same village and do not like each other. She had just been fired from her companion job because her employer's grandson tried to rape her and she slammed a door on his hand, by mistake. She was just trying to run away. So she was fired because she "obviously" tried to seduce the man, according to her employer. But she really didnt so she goes back home. But since her adoptive parents died some time ago, she has no one but the matrons to help her. Then the hero walks in with his daughter and she takes over and changes the baby and feeds her. He is cajoled into hiring her by the matrons and she is cajoled into accepting by the matons. When they arrive at his estate, his hated mother is there and he lies and says they are married and the heroine is the mother of the child.
This story had me.glued from beginning to end. The story was swift and well written. The supporting characters all made sense and were not just thrown in. At times I cheered for the heroine and then cried for her. I enjoyed this book and read it twice. Both times left me with a happy heart. I strongly recommend reading this book. I will be buying the paperback for my reading shelf. I easily give this book 5 stars.

His Lesson on Love is a great enemies-to-lovers story that is enhanced by a couple of “surprise you’re a dad” moments. I love that the H and h both love so deeply. The H is clouded by his quest for revenge, but the h and the perfect antidote. I really enjoyed this read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Cathy Maxwell has a gift of writing touching historical romance with characters the who connect with the reader. Many are flawed. They're not the perfect, never do anything wrong that are often seen in many stories.

As this story opens, we understand that Mars has reached a critical point in his life and having an illegitimate daughter dumped on him gives him a new purpose in life. and captures his heart immediately. The only problem? Mars can barely take care of himself. Enter Clarissa, someone that Mars has always known, but never considered to be more than a nuisance, who is now the only person he can depend on to help him.

As they begin to work together, they manage to find a common ground and even begin to like each other, when a possible scandal pushes them together. The couple has secrets that are intertwined and force each of them to decide if their feelings are enough to work through their issues. But sometimes you have to almost lose something to realize how much you cant live without it.

Cathy Maxwell triumphed again. This is Mars and Clarissa’s story. They have always been adversaries. Mars learns he is a father. He needs Clarissa as a nurse for his child. Then he asks her to marry him. She agrees. There are old secrets that come to light. Their relationship has many twists and turns. The book kept me wanting to read the next page.

This is the third book of a series and is a classic enemies to lovers book. Mars and Clarissa have been at odds since they were children. Clarissa was a foundling and raised by the village vicar. When Mars' former mistress drops his infant child literally at his door, he had no idea what to do. Mars was not a character I initially liked. He was an alcoholic, opium abuser with mommy issues and our first scene is with his former mistress dropped his illegitimate child off to him to raise. Those issues were not really resolved, they just disappeared when he became a father. I would have liked to see him overcome those struggles a bit more. Clarissa came off as a little stuck up and unbending, but had great character growth throughout the book. She remained dedicated to her convictions, but was able to say when she had made a mistake and wanted to change.

I had a hard time with this book. There is one love scene and it is 65% through the book, and not as detailed as I would have hoped for after waiting that long! I did feel the characters grow to have feelings for each other, but I figured out the mystery part of the plot too early so it fell flat for me when the big reveal came.

I did not read the two other books in the series, and this book did fine as a standalone.

This was adorable. Spoiled and soiled aristo changed by fatherhood into a better man. He employs a woman from his town to help care for his motherless newborn, and sparks fly. She has some secrets and insecurities of her own but is a well drawn and very feminist woman who takes him to task.

The time line of the book is it’s only real problem, everything happens very quickly. Most of the action in the book takes place in just days and it’s reads as being very rushed. To the point of insincerity.

Other wise strong believable characters, political intrigue, a duel, and a cute baby! What’s not to like?

This is a classic enemies to lovers book - with a briefly fake relationship bent. Mars and Clarissa have been at odds since they were children. Clarissa was a foundling and raised by the village vicar - when he and his wife died she was cared for by village gentry and basically raised by the village matrons. Mars was raised in the same village - but his father was killed in a duel over his mother when he was a teenager. Mars's mother is a very driven woman without a lot of true maternal love for her child. As a result - both Clarissa and Mars have fairly fixed opinions of each other and their views of men and women respectively.

I loved the growth Clarissa showed over the course of the book. She is able to look back at the choices she made - particularly when it comes to Mars and how she had lived her life up until this point. Clarissa is a strong, practical woman and just what Mars needs - but he isn't wrong when he says she is a matron before her time. Her judgment game is HARSH at the start of the book. But by the end of the book - you can see that she has softened somewhat - but still is strong in her convictions and beliefs - she just isn't as judgmental and has more understanding towards others.

I am not convinced, and this is where a star dropped off for me, that Mars had the same level of growth. His transformation from alcoholic and regular opium user to doting father and teetotaler is a transformation that happens in the space of a few hours. While he does show understanding of where he has been and where he needs to go - his transformation is definitely more of a work in progress. But I suppose aren't we all a bit of a work in progress.

Overall - I liked this book a lot and I have enjoyed this series of opposites attracting and strong women showing their worth. I definitely feel like there are still more stories to be told about the town of Maidenshop and its very interesting residents.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

This was a thoroughly delightful book! It was not quite Enemies-to-Lovers and not quite Best Friends Fall In Love but somewhere in between. Clarissa has not felt loved her entire life. She has been cared for physically by the village that took her in but never had a real family. The Earl of Marsden is a dissolute, practically alcoholic, almost opium addict rake with mommy issues. I loved them both! Watching them find common ground while caring for Marsden's daughter was delightful. This was not a very steamy book but I really felt them falling love.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyage for the ARC to read and review.

The finale to the Logical Man's Society, the Earl of Marsden and Clarissa Taylor are the hero and heroine of this novel. "Mars" unexpectedly becomes a parent and with the help of the matrons enlists Clarissa to take care of his daughter. Clarissa obviously dislikes the Earl, apparantly from childhood. So we end up here with a childhood enemies to lovers, fake marriage turn real marriage love story.

Predictable turn of events after they marry. I had much of the plot figured out way before it was revealed, so that was frustrating. In the end the Earl changes his ways and grovels back into Clarissa's life.

Plot: I loved the plot! Reading about Clarissa and Mars going from extreme dislike of each other to acceptance to love was such a nice read! And there was a twist I did not see coming at all!

Characters: I loved all the characters! Clarissa was a great lead, and I absolutely loved Mars! The matrons were great, and I loved their meddling in everything!

The Cover: I like it!

Overall: This was a fantastic Historical Romance novel, that I absolutely loved! I would highly recommend it to any romance fans!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

The final book in The Logical Man’s Guide to Dangerous Women series was a perfect way to wrap up the storyline.

The Earl of Marsden, Mars, has had his ups and down in the series but always came across as caring and fair to those living in Maidenshop, the town he calls home. Well, to everyone but Clarissa Taylor, the town orphan who everyone loves but not enough to see to her security. She belongs to that town but to no one specifically.

Clarissa and Mars have had their run-ins and Mars always felt judged by her. He was less than thrilled when right after being surprised at hearing he was a father and having a daughter dropped at his doorstep, Clarissa was the first to witness that he had no idea how to care for an infant.

Luckily, the town busybodies saw this as a prime opportunity to see Clarissa have a chance at a family. They saw the goodness in Mars and knew a good match when they saw one.

It was a great read but my favorite part of the series were the townspeople of Maidenshop that were so endearing from the past two books. I missed them during time Mars and Clarissa had to spend in London.

Again, a great ending to a sweet series.

I've loved Cathy Maxwell ever since I was a teen (she was a go to author for me) and I enjoyed this one just as much as I did back then.

This is the final book in the Society for Logical Men series which has been IMO delightful.

Clarissa Taylor is the village orphan of unknown lineage. She was initially betrothed to Ned in book 2. The Earl of Marsden is the last of the three bucks and Society for Logical Men leaders. When a former mistress drops a baby on him, Mars is forced to reevaluate his rakish and drinking behavior. He also finds that he needs a woman to help him raise his daughter. Despite their animosity, Mars finds that Clarissa is the perfect woman to marry despite her initial objections.

I loved that this book was slightly different. When I read the first two, I sort of figured they would end up together, but I loved that the baby became the catalyst for Mars' personal growth. He's forced to get it together and then eventually is also inspired by Clarissa who begins to view him differently in his new role as a father.

Maxwell also delves more into Mars' hatred of Lord Dervil and we finally find out Clarissa's origins. Overall, I found that conclusion extremely satisfying. It wasn't tied up in a neat bow but resolved with all its complexities.

I hate the love saves addicts trope and was really happy that Maxwell didn't go down that route. It's completely realistic that parenthood would force a person to grow up and accept their responsibilities. I am also a new parent so I really identified with Mars' metamorphosis. I also loved how quickly their marriage of convenience became real.

I really hope this isn't the last book in this series. We need the Duke's reformation!