Rating: 4.5 Stars

Annie Burrows’ How to Catch a Viscount is a terrific Regency romance that sparkles with wit, intensity, emotion and heart.

With her mother’s gambling addiction having placed the family very close to penury, the onus is on Miss Betsy Fairfax to make a suitable match and save them from financial ruin. With her mother desperate to see her married off to a member of the aristocracy, Betsy had been forced into some very embarrassing situations with some of the Ton’s most eligible bachelors that have made her society’s most undesirable debutante. With the prospect of being a paid companion to her formidable Great-Aunt Cordelia in Tunbridge Wells looming, Betsy cannot help but be apprehensive about what the future holds for her – until she finds herself unexpectedly sharing a stolen kiss with a handsome steward called James who isn’t all that he seems…

Masquerading as a humble servant in order to restore the fortunes of his new brother-in-law’s estate which had gone to rack and ruin, James, Viscount Dundas, certainly has his hands full. Romance is the very last thing on his mind; however, James immediately finds himself drawn to Betsy. Yet, despite their growing attraction to one another, James cannot tell her the truth about who he really is – which becomes a problem because he has fallen head over heels in love with Betsy!

Betsy was meant to catch a viscount – not a steward! James is as far removed from her mother’s idea of an ideal husband as it is possible to get, but the idea of spending the rest of her life without him is simply unbearable. But will uncovering James’ shocking secret lead to her happy ending? Or will she run for the hills having fallen madly in love with a man whom she isn’t sure she can trust?

How to Catch a Viscount is an exquisite Regency romance that is simply delightful! Annie Burrows never fails to deliver a first-class historical tale brimming with atmosphere, style, flair and pathos and in How to Catch a Viscount she has once again penned a highly entertaining and immensely enjoyable tale with a fantastic heroine, gorgeous hero and plenty of mischief, humour and hi-jinks to keep readers glued to its pages.

A superb Regency romance from a very gifted writer, Annie Burrows triumphs again with How to Catch a Viscount.

We meet Betsy in the previous book in the series when she tries to compromise an already-married lord of the manor. She’s feeling regretful of her actions when she meets the manor’s new steward. Of course James is no mere steward and actually a viscount and brother to the manor’s mistress. It’s a sort of secret courtship plus James hiding his true station in life. Betsy has a fiery temper that leads to a lot of misunderstandings, but James loves her despite it.

Good book, though I wasn't sure when I found out Betsy was the heroine. She made her first appearance in the previous book, <i>A Scandal at Midnight,</i> as a neighbor of Lord Bramhall's. In that book, she brazenly walked into his study, threw her arms around him, and kissed him in an attempt to force a marriage between them. Stymied by the fact that he was already married, she later behaved vindictively toward Lady Bramhall. I didn't like her at all and wondered how the author would redeem her in this book.

I was a little iffy about James, also. In the first book, he and his brothers were notorious for the pranks they played on their sister. One of those pranks ended with her married to Lord Bramhall. He had also been instrumental in ruining her Season in London by driving away her suitors. As the oldest son, he can do no wrong in his father's eyes.

As this book opens, James is on the way to Bramhall Manor to oversee the work on the estate while Lord Bramhall returns to his regiment to fight against Bonaparte. He's happy to do so, as he is frustrated by his father's refusal to allow him any say in their estate management. He's also become tired of his brothers' pranks and looks forward to distancing himself from them.

As he rides across Bramhall land, he encounters Betsy, weeping under a tree. Their initial meeting is somewhat antagonistic as she accuses him of trespassing (like she isn't?), and he reacts. Betsy makes quite the impression on him with her attitude. When she assumes he is a steward for the estate, he doesn't correct her. He likes the idea of being seen for himself rather than his title. Her feistiness is different than the women he is used to, and he wants to get to know her better.

I liked watching the development of their relationship. James is pretty sweet, if a little clueless about women, thanks to his father's attitude and lectures (see book one for the full effect). He takes every opportunity to spend time with her, even putting up with her snobby mother. Betsy frequently frustrated me. She's just as drawn to James but blows hot and cold. Every time she seems to get closer to him, something happens that sets off her temper, and she lashes out at him. Her guilt about her actions with Lord Bramhall and her embarrassment over her parents' toxic marriage have her constantly on edge.

In the scene at the church, their attraction almost gets out of control before they rein it in. It clarifies their feelings for each other, but when Betsy comes up with a plan to evade her mother's disapproval, James finally confesses his deception. While I understood her reaction to the deception, I did not understand why she remained angry and refused to see the plus side. Then faced with her father's deception, she ran instead of fighting for what she wanted.

I hurt for James, who had his dreams blow up in his face. I loved how his younger brother Gem's (Jasper) arrival changed things for him. Gem is more experienced than James. Their conversation about Gem's problems and knowledge of women was funny and heartbreaking. I loved James's decision to go after Betsy. His arrival as himself set tongues wagging and opened him up to everything he hates about Society. I thought his plan to win Betsy back was unnecessarily complicated and easily misinterpreted, as proved by Betsy's reactions. I liked James's big moment at the end when he finally saw the benefits of the direct approach. My only disappointment is that the book ended so abruptly. I would like to have seen their parents' reactions.

It looks likely that the next book will be about James's brother, Gem. The story behind his arrival is his clash with his father over some incident with a woman. James invites Gem to take over for him at Bramhall Manor. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.

She doesn't know he's a viscount...

And James is happy to keep Betsy in the dark, while he gets to know her...
Betsy is crying when she meets James and mistakes him for a steward. For James, its a chance to get to know a girl without a trap.

Betsy's noble mother married a commoner and has lived to regret it. She's pushing Betsy to marry a man with a title—one wealthy enough to replenish the family coffers depleted by gambling debts. Betsy's attempt to compromise a man into marrying her failed spectacularly, and she's utterly ashamed of having gone along with her mother's plan.

When earl's heir James meets her, she's sobbing over her plight. Despite her prickly nature, his heart goes out to her. When she mistakes him for a steward, he doesn't correct her. What will happen when she learns the truth?

I love the banter between these two characters. Betsy is kindhearted but constantly on edge due to her parents' toxic marriage. James is sweet, but he lets the masquerade go on far too long. It's no wonder she's angry. These two really have to earn their HEA.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This book was hard to connect with for a number of reasons.

To begin with, there is no whiff of scandal attached to Betsy's name as the synopsis suggests. It wasn't that she was undesirable because of what she had done, but more due to her mother's actions while the family was in London, and then due to the fact that her mother looked down upon absolutely everyone when they were at home in the country. The fact of the matter was that Betsy simply had no suitors.

And honestly? With a temper like hers, prone to go off like a powder keg at the slightest provocation (either real or imagined), I'm not surprised. Seriously, instead of coming across as a strong, independent woman which I am sure was the author's intention, she came across as an absolute shrew. She is constantly sniping at James, getting mad at him after she (in a fit of pique) tells him (without context) how she kissed someone else in an attempt to trap him, but then doesn't ask him what he thinks about it, simply sees his expression, decides he hates her and leaves without giving him a chance to respond.

Then later on, after they have had time to get to know each other, she decides that she wants to marry him. To the point that she even suggests they elope because her mother wouldn't approve of him. When he admits that he wants to marry her as well, but is in fact a Lord and not a mere Mister - she takes offense to that as well, accuses him of lying to her, and not only turns down his proposal, but takes off to the exact place she had been threatened with.

Of course, he follows her, eventually. And then makes a muck of things again, until finally he meets up with her and explains his reasoning for everything. She gets mad at him again. Gets snippy with him again (notice a theme here), but true love (or lust, as I feel, was the case here) prevails and she eventually agrees to marry him.

Which we don't get to see. Nor do we get to see anything of their married life. It just ends rather abruptly with her agreeing to marry him, leaving the whole thing (for me at any rate), feeling very unfinished.

However, on the whole, I think what didn't work for me in this one with no doubt work for other people.

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

How to Catch a Viscount is perfect for Bridgerton fans!! I am a massive fan of Bridgerton and this was absolutely perfect to read while waiting for the series to air.