This book couldn't keep me that engaged, although I did have hopes based on the setup but it didn't make it as I had hoped

The Vicount's Lady Novelist
Alissa Baxter

~
Harriet Linfield is a lady novelist who has been disillusioned by love. She sets out to write more realistic tales about the emotion when she returns home to Linfield Court for the summer. Vowing to avoid any romantic entanglements along the way, she focuses instead on her writing and her plan to turn the estate she inherited from her uncle into a refuge for orphans.

Oliver, Viscount Wentford, is determined to restore his family fortunes. But his plans for the estate he inherited are in direct opposition to the wishes of Harriet, his new neighbour. Upon meeting her, Oliver is amused when, in response to his provocative comments, she informs him that she intends to make him the villain of her next book. But his amusement swiftly turns to dismay when circumstances align to show him in that exact light.

When an enemy comes back into Harriet’s life, she sees that love isn’t as clear-cut as the romantic tales she pens. But will the viscount manage to discard his villainous mantle to become Harriet’s real-life hero?
~

Who doesn't enjoy a good enemies-to-lovers historical romance. I freaking adored this book. Harriet is strong willed and focused on writing and definitely not falling in love. While Oliver is focused on saving his family fortunes and deinfeitely not being distracted by his lady neighbour.

The way the two found their way to one another was such a joy to read, with all the misunderstandings and disagreements in between completeing the picture. A really fun romance and plot to follow with an easy writing that even tired brains can follow.

Definitely would recommend this book and look forward to seeing what the author does next.

That was rather dull.

Unfortunately this story was a miss for me. The plot of the book wasn't bad, it was everything around the plot that i didn't enjoy. First of all, there was no feelings. I felt like I was reading dry historical description of events.

The heroine was absolutely unlikeable. Drama Queen. Better to make up stories in your head than talk. I really don't like it in characters. Because of her I had to power through the reading. And most of the "supporting" characters were so mean and selfish. Yeah, I was rolling my eyes a lot.

The Viscount's Lady Novelist was a sweet regency romance read. This book is perfect if you want to be able to read a romance book in public and not have to stare over you shoulder thinking that someone will judge you for kink. It definitely has more of a Jane Austin feel than Bridgerton, if you know what i mean. But that is really refreshing when you need to cleanse your mind with a non smutty novel. Call it a smut detox if you will. This, by all means, does not mean that the book is boring. The characters are sweet and the plot moves quickly. I really enjoyed the story.

***The text below may include some spoilers***

Harriet Linfield and the Viscount Wentford (Oliver) are now neighbors. Harriet is an unconventional woman for her time. She has "inherited" a small manor from her grandfather and also is working on a novel as an aspiring writer. Oliver has recently inherited an estate next to hers but it requires a lot of repairs and the family coffer is running low. Oliver stays with Harriet and her family. He's a friend of her brother and a geologist. He fits in well with the family as they are all interested in scientific endeavors. Harriet is more interested in her writing and making a romance novel that is much more realistic. There's a lot of tension between the two characters despite them being total opposites.

Interesting business dealings go down between Harriet's father and Oliver in relation to him setting up a new coal mine on Oliver's property. Also, there is some interesting drama with Harriet's toxic ex fiance that threatens a scandal. I won't give any more spoilers, but I really loved the plot.

i don't really have a lot of criticism for this book. I would have liked to know if Harriet ever became a successful writer. That would have been a cool thing to include in a epilogue.

I thought that this was a good example of an historical novel incorporating true facts. The setting, in Somerset, was accurately described. For the early 1800s that is. Some of the small villages are now suburbs of Bristol including the Quaker built village and the folly castle. So if the reader wanted to visit the countryside described in the novel they could, even though the views would be different.
You can still purchase Bristol diamonds too but would need to check carefully their origin.
The historical context considering Wilberforce and slavery abolition and not using women or children in mines was also factual.
Now as to the actual writing style and characterisations they were of the standard and type expected. There were no major grammatical òr other proof reading errors. The length of the story gave enough room to develop the various characters but I found the ending rather abrupt. There was tension and suspicious incidents through the story until suddenly the villain appeared and was apprehended in a remarkably short time. This took away, for me, some of the enjoyment.
But a nice story overall.

Harriet Linfield is a novelist that would like to take her writing in a different direction. But, before she changes her style, she made a decision. Love has eluded her, so focusing on her writing seems her only option. After the death of her husband, she was left an estate, and has made grand plans for it.

She is not the only one with an inheritance. Oliver, Viscount Wentford, also inherited an estate. Just as Harriet has plans, Oliver does as well. It soon becomes apparent that their plans clash. But, Harriet does take an interest in Oliver. Maybe not the interest he imagined. Indeed, she plans on using him as the hero in her next book. While excited at the prospect, something else is going on in Harriet's life. She has an enemy and that just might cause the ruination of all of her plans.

As a connection between Harriet and Oliver begins to form on a visceral level, each of them have to look at both short and long – range plans when it comes to what is growing between them. The fact that their goals truly clash really takes on a different turn when emotions come into play. While having a lot in common, it only seems natural that emotion plays a huge role to the happy future that undoubtedly belonging to the both of them.

Readers will see romance paired with intrigue in this delightful second book in the Linfield Ladies series. While this book definitely could serve well as a standalone novel, reading the first book in the series will give readers a closer look at another strong woman who had a huge fight on her hands for recognition. With love coming into their lives, these fabulous ladies round out their lives.

Many thanks to Vinspire Publishing and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/Or5rVI-Qv74

This is a first time read for me by Ms. Baxter and I can tell you it won't be my last. I am always on the lookout for new Regency authors to follow, and I can definitely tell you that Ms. Baxter will be added to my list. This is the second installment of the series. Harriet is not looking for a husband and is determined to do her own thing. She meets Oliver, and they fast become smitten with each other. Oliver needs to restore his family fortune and when Harriet learns of what his plan entails, she becomes convinced that her and Oliver are not meant to be, as his plans will completely ruin her dreams. But that doesn't take away from the fact that they have such a great connection and chemistry, and the banter between them was such fun to read. The story was well written and entertaining with wonderful plot twists that kept me interested and turning the pages. It was captivating and captured my interest from the start, and I enjoyed reading till the very end. The author does a nice job of really pulling you into the story with her vivid descriptions and attention to detail. You feel as if you are experiencing it all for yourself. The characters were well-developed and interesting and I enjoyed seeing their development throughout the story. A creatively written story that held my interest the whole way through. If you are looking for a charming, proper Regency, then this is one you will definitely want to pick up. I hope to read more from this author soon!

I was given a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I thought this was well written and the language of the novel was appropriate for the time period. I could tell that the author had done some research in regard to content in the novel, especially geology. However, my biggest complaint was that the hero didn't have any real qualities besides being a gentleman or being "nice". We all want our heroes to be nice, but he needed a bit more depth and fleshing out. Maybe it would have been nice to see some human moments from him. The heroine, Harriet, did grow a lot and her arc was well-completed. This one would hover at about a 3.5 star rating for me.

I received a copy from NetGalley and this is my freely given opinion...

First off... what the heck is a "ha-ha"? As in on page 13, "Lavinia and Mrs. Wynn where heading towards the ha-ha at the other end of the garden..."

Other than that brain teaser, I quite enjoyed this sweet and clean historical romance. This story is about Harriet, the sister of the fossil collector in book 1. Harriet is a novelist and feels a bit of the goose in a pack of ducks because most of her family are naturalists with a love of fossils, geology, insects, etc, and she is clearly not enamoured of such. In fact, she is looked down on by some of her siblings because she has a phobia of insects (caused by some rather cruel teasing by her siblings).

However, because of a shared love of libraries and literature, she has become and heiress and inherited an estate from her uncle, who wanted to leave it to someone who would appreciate his library and book collection. This is a double edged sword though, as Harriet already had her heart broken because of a fortune hunter. This makes her very leery of men and not willing to be hurt again, so she wishes to plan a life of spinsterhood and using her inheritance to help those in need.

However, in the meantime, she has to deal with a house party with her brother's fiancee and her family and a good friend of his, Oliver, Viscount Wentford. Oliver arrives, intending on speaking to the Linfield's patriarch on how to improve his finances, especially with an estate he has inherited near theirs, and to finish a paper with Harriet's brother. He is a fellow naturalist and appears to have a lot in common with her father and her siblings, but less so with her. Regardless, she finds herself reluctantly attracted to him.

Oliver seems very practical and focused on his dealings, including improving his finances. To this plan, he plans on developing a coal mine on his land, as suggested by the male Linfields, as that is part of their financial success; Harriet finds this abhorrent as it will ruin the aspect of the land. Harriet and Oliver seem to be at odds and in disagreement on many things, and seem to be wrong for each other, but Oliver appears to admire her intelligence and independence of thought. But he goes about things backwards, and had actually approached her father with a proposal for a marriage of convenience even before meeting her, so that he could get her inherited estate, as part of his plans for coal mining. Mr. Linfield lets this out of the bag and Harriet is disgusted, thinking he is another fortune hunter. Oliver now has quite the uphill battle to win her affections, as he has come to realize that he truly does want to marry her, not just to get her land.

It does not help that a danger from Harriet's past comes back to threaten her again - but it does prove an opportunity for Oliver to be her hero, and prove not to be be the villain she presumed him to be.

This was a very sweet and well written story. I quite enjoyed the development of their relationship, and the different ways Oliver showed his regard and affection for Harriet, and his appreciation of her as a person, though she was not really able to see it for what it was at first.

4 stars out of 5.

This book is the second in a series, but it can be read as a stand-alone, as I have not read the first one. The book begins with a marriage-of-convenience (one of my favorite tropes). Harriet Linfield is a writer who has been disappointed in love, so she writes realistic books about it. She returns home to Linfield Court to spend the summer with plans to focus on her writing and turn her inherited estate into a safe space for orphans.

Oliver, Viscount Wentford, needs to restore his family's coffers, but his plans go against what Harriet plans to do and their estates border one another. Upon meeting her, he thinks it's funny when she plans to model her next book's villain on him. It changes when things happen in his actual life to make him appear in a bad light..

They don't initially have a lot in common, but they are thrown together when an enemy of Harriet comes back onto the scene. I liked the development of the plot and the fact characters talk about the downside of colonialism without glossing over it. I also loved how Oliver's character developed and grew as the story progressed.

I just reviewed The Viscount's Lady Novelist by Alissa Baxter. #TheViscountsLadyNovelist #NetGalley

I absolutely adored this book, I struggled to put it down at times. Such a sweet romance, with great characters. I would highly recommend.

Thank you for this advanced copy which was a great read, I had trouble putting this down! I liked the way it was written and it made for an easy read. I would definitely recommend and look forward to reading another book by this author!

When Oliver inherited his own estate, it came with lots of debts, and the best way to pay them is to buy the neighbouring estate and dig for coal. Or is it? When he learns that the owner is a young lady, he considers marrying her instead, as long as they suit. Having inherited an estate from her uncle, Harriet plans excitedly to turn it into a beautiful orphan asylum. She's been disappointed in what she believed to be love before, and has no intention of being taken in again. So when Oliver turns up and tries to flirt, she's far from receptive. An attraction grows between them nevertheless - but when a true villain comes back into her life and Harriet and Oliver's plans conflict, will it be enough?

The idea of Harriet being a novelist sounded intriguing, but it actually came into the story less than I expected. Harriet and Oliver made for an interesting couple, though it was a pity that they seemed to take the entire book to learn how to start communicating. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if it could have been based on more than just constant non- or mis-communication. Nevertheless, there were some very touching moments, especially as Harriet gradually began to overcome various misconceptions based on her past. A clean, reasonably well written story, with a touch of suspense in with the romance, and characters I cared about. I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous book I read by the author, but I still hope to read more in future.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

This is a new to me author and reading this book only made me wish that I had the first one in this series already cued up on my Kindle. I enjoyed this story. I loved Oliver. He was really patient and didn't get riled up with Harry and the accusations she made based in her own insecurity. The two of them had some great banter that was fun to read.
In addition to a fun romance, there was intrigue in the story. Truthfully I had the villain figured out early on but it was fun to watch to see how it would play out. There was one twist I wasn't expecting though. One thing I really enjoyed was that the story allowed Harry to save herself from a perilous moment instead of relying on the hero to be heroic. In truth she was endangered three times and he didn't save her in any scenario. He worked behind the scenes and he was also a comfort to her but he wasn't the one to save the day. I liked that.
So yes, I enjoyed reading this book and would love to read the rest of the series, or other books by this author.

Sex: no
Language: no
Violence: some

Thanks to Netgalley for the copy!

I liked Harriet's sentimental and tender character which then developed into more mature thinking without losing her delicate sensibilities paired with Oliver's character, 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵. The search for Anderson was thrilling! With the mention of Anderson's sister, you can piece the puzzle then!

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing for this arc.

I had fun last year reading “The Earl’s Lady Geologist” and have been eagerly awaiting the follow up novel in the series. I’m still psyched that there are NO DUKES in the series (insert mental images of Snoopy happy dancing) and there are many things I liked about this book. There were also a few issues that had me grinding my teeth.

Firstly, this can be started without having read the first book due to the amount of backstory carefully and slowly doled out (thank you no backstory-dump!) but it might help newbies to the series to know that in the first book, Harriet was almost hoodwinked by a fortune hunter and all around rat of a man. This has left her questioning her ability to judge a man’s character and tell if he’s truly interested in her or her inheritance. Yay, that she’s not enthusiastic about the idea of marriage anymore but neither does she totally rule it out or make any vows to Never Love Again.

The Linfield family is gathering at their country estate for the marriage of Harriet’s older brother James and her best friend from school Lavinia whose courtship was part of book one. One of James’s best friends, Oliver, will be joining the crowded house while his recently inherited property nearby is renovated. He’s hoping that a coal seam on it, that he plans on having a colliery sunk to access, will help provide the money to not only fix it but also his ancestral estate that has fallen into ruin as well as help the tenants on it who depend on him. Harriet’s two younger siblings, the twins, are budding biologists and soon latch like leeches onto Oliver as a source of information.

Circumstances thrust Harriet and Oliver together although Harriet, who is an introvert in her family of extroverts, would prefer more alone time to decompress (introverts, you know what I’m talking about). Oliver is kind and well mannered so Harriet doesn’t hate her time with him. On the contrary, she likes him and feels he might be starting to like her in return. Then her parents spring the news on her that, before he even met her, Oliver approached her father with an interest in buying a property Harriet has inherited but which her father will control until she reaches her majority. This, combined with a past event that has shaken Harriet’s belief that she can discern a person’s true interests in her, makes Harriet unsure of Oliver’s intentions and sets her back up. Then someone from her past reappears at the same time that Harriet begins to believe that Oliver might be better matched with someone else.

Just so readers know, this is another book in the mold of a traditional Regency from 25 years ago that has no sex and low heat. Let me also insert a bit of commentary I wasn’t sure where else to include. The setting of the book is near the city of Bristol. At the time, Bristol’s wealth lay partly in trade with the colonies that depended on the exploitation of enslaved people. Oliver’s visit to Jamaica showed him the cruelty of this and he’s made the decision not to trade with colonists. He and Harriet’s family support the Quaker Abolitionists trying to effect change.

I like that Harriet’s parents support her but also that they aren’t too progressive to believe for the times. They approve of her plans to start an orphanage for girls in the property she’s inherited but legally she’s still too young to manage the estate, leaving her father in charge.

The courtship that Oliver is forced into pursuing – a mixed “marriage of convenience” crossed with an “arranged marriage” makes more sense and is less infuriating than it might appear at first glance. As I mentioned, Harriet’s belief in her ability to judge character has taken a hit due to her youth and the oily skill of the man who duped her. Her parents are aware of this but their efforts to support her backfire – as her father ruefully acknowledges after the damage is done. Does this make things worse for Oliver and Harriet as they attempt to work out their relationship? Yes, but it’s understandable given how Harriet’s backstory is written and shows me that her parents love her and want the best for her.

Harriet’s initial response to the changed dynamics of Oliver’s courtship is fairly mature and I applauded her. She’s angry but she doesn’t fly off the handle and issue ultimatums. After thinking over all sides of the situation and fearing what might happen if Mr. Oily Fortune Hunter reappears, she comes to a rational decision and wants to make the best of the situation not only for herself but also for Oliver and the tenants who depend on him. Still she has some character growth to undergo which provides the final conflict between her and Oliver.

I like Oliver a lot. He’s calm, level headed, but also frustrated that Harriet’s parents have put him in a position that makes it difficult for him to court Harriet. Whatever he does, she could take the wrong way and he very much wants to get things right as he’s come to develop true feelings for her and assures her that had he not, he wouldn’t have considered a marriage between them. He’s open and honest and determined to clear things up with Harriet. At the end, they do and the scene of Oliver putting Harriet above all her other family members made me smile.

The blurb tells us that Harriet is an author and I wanted to see more of Harriet as a novelist. This is dropped for long sections of time until suddenly, oh yeah she’s a writer – gotta show a bit of that. Same for Oliver’s and James’s interest in geology although Oliver pulls out a great tidbit of interest about local geology and then focuses that on Harriet. Points to him for this.

A sorta suspense part of the plot was fairly easy to figure out and just reminded me of the fact that I hate “whack-a-mole” villains who won’t stay down.

Now to what really got my goat – ugh – the twins. They are seventeen yet at times act as if they’re ten. I won’t pull any punches regarding how I feel about them. They’re terrible. Harriet is the “one of these things is not like the other” of Sesame Street fame. Her family are interested in the sciences and her siblings are all boisterous but Harriet is the introverted, quiet writer of the group. I ♥ Harriet but at times her siblings didn’t seem to. In fact there are times when they are openly dismissive of her interests and of her. Her bratty younger siblings – who, let me repeat, are seventeen – are obsessed with biology and determined to force Harriet over her fears of creepy crawly things. They tried this once by locking her in a room with a snake, beetles, and other insects (some flying). The experience traumatized Harriet. She tells them she didn’t like this and yet when they basically shame her into visiting the family biology museum, her asshat brother pulls a stunt that would have had me screaming. Yet even after he’s dressed down for this, his apology is grudging and he still belittles her publicly that evening. I was so enraged I wanted to punch this little pissant through the page. Her sister, the heroine of book three, isn’t much better. There is a slight effort to redeem these pests at the end of the story but some heavy lifting will be required for me to not continue to loathe them. Ahem, sorry.

So yes there are many things I like about the book and, obviously, parts I didn’t. Harriet matures in how she views her world but doesn’t totally change. Oliver convinces her (and me) that she is his choice and none other. I wasn’t thrilled about suspense stuff but it does present opportunities for Harriet and Oliver to bond more. Harriet’s family – well some of them I liked and some … not. B-

This book was so sweet! I hadn’t read any of the author’s other works so I didn’t know what to expect when I first started this novel. However I was very pleasantly surprised! This book kept a smile on my face the whole time and was so enjoyable.

The romance in this novel is probably the closest thing to an Austen romance that I have read in historical fiction. I loved that the love grew over time and out of mutual respect. Henrietta was a little dense at times, I kept wanting her just to see that Oliver loved her, rather than questioning everything. However the ending made me so happy, it was just the sweetest romance ever.

This book wasn’t that plot heavy, but it got a little bonkers at the latter half which was very fun to read. I liked the more character based story that focused on interactions. I also loved all the references to gothic fiction.

Once again I really liked this book! I will be reading the first book in the series and continuing it when next books come out!!

eARC provided by NetGalley for an impartial review

I give this book by Alissa Baxter 4/5 stars. The storyline was good, had some drama and it definitely keeps you involved in the story. It kept my attention throughout and before I knew it I was done. I enjoyed the authors writing style and will read more by her in the future.

Harriet feels different from the rest of her family. They are all interested in science but she is interested in writing novels and reading all kinds of books. Oliver who is the viscount next door but staying with the Linfield family while his home is being updated. He wants a property Harriet owns and she is worried he only is interested in her for her property. This problem has happened before but Oliver is really interested in Harriet. Now he just needs to prove it. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this story.

This book is pretty good, enjoyable and kept my attention but perhaps lacking in depth. It touches on some interesting ideas for the time period, but doesn't explore them in any depth, which is kind of a shame. It moves along at a steady clip, which I do feel is to the detriment of character development, particular Oliver's. I felt Harriet was better developed with her insecurities and past experiences whereas Oliver is just, well, nice. An enjoyable read all the same, maybe just a hair under 4 stars for me, I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley for review.