First in a new series from Megan Frampton. Lady Wilhelmina Bettesford has no desire to marry. She is six months away from receiving her inheritance that will let her live independently.
This is a slow burn romance and surprisingly both are virgins. There is of course stolen moment for kissing and some heat, but the passion is lower than typical for an Avon historical romance.

Also with it being the first book in a new series, you had the introduction of all the characters from the orphanage. Their backgrounds and personalities are set up for future books. So there was a lot to keep track of.
Not my favorite book by Megan Frampton, but I think this series will be very interesting.

I discovered Megan Frampton on NetGalley by chance, and have had the pleasure of reading a couple of ARCs and really enjoying them, and this one was no different.
This was a really fun romp with two fun, believable characters and a great non-romance sub-plot.

Her Lessons in Persuasion is the first book of the School for Scoundrels series which means you can pick this one up and dive right into the book without worrying you may have missed something.

Our main characters are Wilhelmina and Bram. Wilhelmina has never wanted to marry and she only has to hold off her father for another few months until her inheritance is available to her but when her father comes home from a visit to one of his estates with a much younger wife on his arm (younger than Wilhelmina even), she is pushed into a situation where she needs do whatever she can to stall them on getting her married off by the end of the season....including navigating a fake relationship to keep her family from forcing her into a marriage before her inheritance is available.

Enter Bram. He just happens to be the man who is pushed into helping her find a husband and having unexpectedly "saved" Wilhelmina one evening on a bridge (and she kissed him), he is surprised to find that her family wants him to pretend to be a suitor to encourage others to court / marry her. He has no desire to join Society but he wants to be a judge and he knows if he can engage with the right people, he has a better chance of making that happen. Unfortunately for him, he finds it difficult to remember it's supposed to be an act.

I enjoyed how Frampton built the relationship between the main characters. They come from different parts of society so there's not only that aspect but they both have very different goals in mind at the start and seeing how they navigated both the expectations of others as well as each other, was what kept me turning the pages. If you're looking for a new historical romance, consider picking this one up.

I adored Wilhelmina and Bram's story! It was so much fun watching these to together. Neither wanted marriage, but the heart always wins!

Wilhelmina doesn't really want to marry, she just wants her inheritance so she can live her life. Her family insists she get married so she ends up escorted through the fray by Bram. Bram is a barrister and sexy as sin. He agrees to help Wilhelmina by posing as her fake fiancée. Trouble is they both tend to forget it isn't for real when they are together. A sexy read.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

Bram is an orphan barrister and Wilhelmina an astrologer daughter of an earl. Both are unusual enough to create great chemistry and an interesting read. I truly enjoyed the secondary characters in this story as much as the main ones. The only reason it isn’t a 4 star is because it dragged in places and I found myself skimming.

Lady Wilhemina Bettesford, future astronomer, meets Bram Townsend one night while she is out standing on a bridge looking at the stars. Bram mistakes her reasons for being on the bridge and attempts to help her down from the bridge. Bram is an orphan who was raised in a home for unwanted children but is now working as a barrister. They do not share their names but the meet again when Lady Wilhemina's new stepmother, purchases Bram for her at an auction to be her date at the opera. Lady Wilhemina does not want to marry and is waiting until her next birthday when she will get an inheritance from her mother. She will then move out of her father's home and share a residence with her widowed Aunt Flora and her dog, Dipper. As an orphan, Bram also has no desire to marry. After they meet at several society events, they come up with a plan to pretend that Bram is courting her so that noone else will get a chance to propose to her. Of course, the best laid plans often go awry and in Mina and Bram's case, it is no different. As they spend more time with each other, they develop a deeper, more intimate relationship. It will take Bram's orphan friends assistance to show both he and Mina that they are meant to be together. Even though the storyline started off slowly, it worked up to a fast burn. I am looking forward to the next story in the series.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving a response

Lady Wilhelmina Bettesford isn’t interested in the social whirl or in finding a husband, but with six months before she can claim her inheritance and set herself up as an independent spinster, she has little choice but to comply with her new stepmother’s machinations. When said stepmother goes so far as to ask the ridiculously attractive barrister, Bram Townsend, to pretend to court Wilhelmina in the hopes of boosting other, more suitable suitors’ interests, he agrees. At first, Wilhelmina is furious, but when Bram explains that he’ll help her keep other suitors at bay and help her avoid an unwanted engagement, she realizes that their fake courtship will help her last another six months in her untenable situation.

Unfortunately for Bram, spending more time with Wilhelmina makes it increasingly difficult for him to remember that their courtship is meant to be fake because his feelings are quite real. He may not have a title or be able to trace his lineage, but Bram is ambitious, working his way up and fighting for justice with his eye on the position of judge. Escorting Lady Wilhelmina around in the evenings is a boon for him, allowing him to meet the right people while also helping her. But his biggest challenge will be making her see that marriage to him could be unlike anything she’d ever imagined, if he can just convince her to trust her feelings for him over her logical mind.

I never knew that what I really wanted to read in a romance was a solid group of male friends but here we are. Bram and his friends completely stole the show in this book and I adored them for their loyalty to one another and for the fact that they were open and clear in their brotherly affection for and support of one another. They joked and ribbed each other, but they were also very serious about helping Bram process his feelings and find his HEA. They even had a book club together, which of course just melted me. It was impossible not to be charmed by Bram and his friends and to root for him as he dealt with the realization that he didn’t actually want to be alone with nothing but his work and that his friends, though he loved them dearly, weren’t enough to fulfill him completely. Wilhelmina was harder to warm up to. She was incredibly judgmental and very presumptuous and I was just itching for her to finally stand up to her overbearing stepmother. Unfortunately, that never really happened to my satisfaction, but that lady did help Wilhelmina’s pompous father get out of the way of her HEA with Bram so that did redeem her a bit.

Fortunately, Wilhelmina did recognize her faults and tendencies to write things off before having tried them and she was willing to reevaluate her opinions, especially with Bram to challenge her. Really, these two challenged one another and I enjoyed seeing that blossom into the foundation of a true partnership. I loved how much they learned together, even exploring intimacies for the first time together. (Yes, we have an adorable virgin hero here). The character and relationship development between Bram and Wilhelmina was lovely for me, as such development always is, and I very much look forward to the rest of Bram’s friends finding their HEAs.

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

This was a delightful start to a new series from Megan Frampton. Featuring a fake dating trope, this book tells the story of Wilhelmina and Bram. Wilhelmina is a female who wants to do nothing more than study the stars. She has a fascination with astronomy and dreams of living alone and spending her inheritance on a proper telescope. Her dreams are put on hold, however, when 6 months before she's about to inherit, her father suddenly remarries and his new wife is determined to marry Wilhelmina off. Enter Bram.

Bram is an orphan who doesn't believe love his for him. However, he cannot help himself with Wilhelmina. These two are a fun match. Each is just that step outside of "traditional" society and appreciate the differences in one another. I loved seeing Bram support Wilhelmina in all her goals and dreams. I appreciated Wilhelmina's acceptance of Bram and how she slowly becomes more and more open with him. It's a fun transformation to watch for both of them and had me cheering them on in the end.

If you are a fan of fake dating, a virgin hero, a forward thinking heroine, and some mischief and found family, I think you will enjoy this one. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Bram Townsend…an orphan, a barrister, and has no time for socializing or idle pursuits. Wilhelmina Bettesford…is an astronomer, is impulsive, is fiercely independent. A change in family dynamics has the h doing things that she abhors. The H and the h get off to a very rocky start. The h is balking against Society and it’s rules and requirements for ladies. The H was career driven and sees women as an unnecessary distraction. The H and h didn’t realize how alike they were and it was funny to watch things unfold. The story had me laughing frequently. The h is bold and likes to have control of situations. Yes there is a big misunderstanding and lack of true communication but it adds to the growing romance. There is even a small mystery with a surprise. I definitely enjoyed this book. SN: if you don’t like strong female characters, then this book is not for you.

This fake courtship, class difference, astronomer heroine, and bookish hero is the first book in Megan Frampton’s new series that will follow a group of gentlemen friends who have their own book club. This novel has everything I would expect from a Frampton book, we have a fun story told in a soft and comforting way. Frampton’s writing is easy to engage with, has a charming level of quirkiness and wit, has a nice gentle pacing that all work in tandem to create a really lovely read. I truly believe that any historical romance lover will find something within a Frampton book to enjoy and I would recommend you check her out if you have not had the chance.

I absolutely adored the set up to this novel, I love a fake courtship and the fact that the heroine’s father and stepmother set up this fake courtship plan with the hero is such a refreshing and unique take to the story. I adored our heroine, she is smart, independent, level headed and focused and a delightfully grumpy counterpart to the hero. Who is bookish, gentle and kind. These two are charming together as they slowly get to learn that they have so much in common with the other. I also really enjoyed the fact that they both are virgins so when it comes to the physical side of their relationship it is definitely about trust building and consent. This novel is fairly low on the steam, only one explicit scene very late in the book, but I thing this worked well with who these characters are and their journey to love.

If all these tropes intrigue you then I am sure you will find this a delightful read! I definitely recommend this for all Frampton fans as well as if you are interested in exploring her work. I am eagerly awaiting the other books in this series!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Wilhelmina and Bram were both easy to cheer for. The story is filled with charm and funny moments. I loved Bram's group of friends and how they support and challenge each other. Even Wilhelmina's new stepmother added additional light. Fake relationships usually involve so much lying that I'm deeply uncomfortable. Yet here, everyone who matters knows the relationship is fake. It's an interesting twist on the trope and I enjoyed it. It was nice to see it play out without the cringe and tension of who they might hurt when the ruse is discovered. Instead, they both just need to decide it was what they wanted. And their debate skills came in handy, when it came time to say I Do and convince Wilhelmina's father. I am looking forward to others in the series

Goodreads review will be the same as above, and posted when the HC strike has been resolved..

2.5 Stars

This one was exceedingly hard for me to get into, and more often than not, I found my attention wandering to other things. I don't think this is a fault in the story as the writing is solid. I enjoyed the banter between the characters (even if I felt they were better off as friends and didn't really feel any sort of romantic spark between them); I just think it was a little too slow going for my tastes.

And while I enjoyed getting to know Bram's group of friends, I had a hard time telling them apart as they seemed to be interchangeable with one another. I get the feeling though, that we were only introduced to them because they will be getting their own stories in the future, which I might be compelled to check out if the synopsis sounds interesting to me.

All things considered, while this one wasn't a favorite for me, I do think others will enjoy it more than I did.

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.

Bram Townsend breaks Lady Wilhelmina Bettesford’s fall however a damsel she is not in “Her Lessons in Persuasion,” book one of the School for Scoundrels series by Megan Frampton!!

Wilhelmina and Bram’s meet cute is anything but cute apart from the starry night! Barrister Bram and astronomer Wilhelmina frustrate each other yet the tension is magnetic!

How fun when they meet again and Bram’s role is to help bring boys to Wilhelmina’s yard! Although her father and stepmother want her to marry, Wilhelmina and Bram, both opposed to marriage, use each other for other purposes!

I do enjoy the list of men Wilhelmina do not wish to marry throughout the book! It gets very specific hence educational.

The other men in the story, Bram’s four best friends deserve honorable mention! They tell him what he does not know or want to admit then help him. I am excited for their individual story!

I love the trials throughout the book! Wilhelmina and Bram’s desire exponentially grows, and how apt that they begin new chapters in their life arguing their points!

If you enjoy class difference, close proximity, fake relationships, found family, self-made heroes, strong female characters, and virgin MCs then this book is a must read!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Megan Frampton is a newer author for me, and I was excited to start this series with her. I'm a sucker for a fake-turned-real courtship, and I especially love a heroine who doesn't want to play the courtship 'game'. Wilhelmina is a lady and an astronomer, while Bram is a working barrister. I love a bluestocking heroine, especially one as opposed to marriage as Wilhelmina! Both Wilhelmina and Bram are strong characters who don't have time for something as 'silly' as love. Wilhelmina's aunt was also wonderful and I loved her relationship with her niece. I'm excited to read the rest of this series, and Megan Frampton is definitely going to be an author for me to watch!

"Megan Frampton dazzles in the first book in her new series, A School for Scoundrels. Five gentlemen with unbreakable bonds navigate life—and love—in London. Perfect for fans of Sarah MacLean and anyone who loves BRIDGERTON!"
Wilhelmina and Bram are meant to be together. It seems that neither one of them want to marry to begin with but that soon changes.
Megan Frampton has knocked out the park with her new series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

There is nothing I love more than a wallflower, a working-class hero, and a fake relationship to finish the cake with a cherry on top! I loved this one so much, aside from the fact that it's got my favorite trope, it was all because of Wilhelmina! She did not want to find a husband, much less love! but one thing will always triumph! and that is one sexy barrister to change her mind! Great story!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was steamy, fun and held my interest. I wanted to find out what was going to happen. This is a standalone book and also the first in the A School for Scoundrels series. I enjoyed this book and will look for more books in this series as well as others by this author.

This became such an unexpected favorite of mine! I loved the class differences angle and although the mock court scenes were a bit cheesy, they fit the characters of Lady Wilhelmina and Bram Townsend very well. I loved the fact that they were both virgins and that Wilhelmina was the dominant one 😏 (It made for some sexy sexy scenes).

I was also a fan of Bram's friend group! The fact that they have a book club is precious and I can't wait for the rest of them to find love!!!.

There is something so satisfying about two equally bullheaded people finding happiness in each other despite fighting their feelings and stubbornly denying what is clear to everyone at first glance.
On the surface, Lady Wilhelmina Bettesford and Bram Townsend might seem as different from each other as possible. Still, everything from their introverted nature to their headstrong personalities is a perfect match. They meet rather randomly and think they'll never see each other again, only for fate to find a way to bring them together that forces them to spend time with each other. Both come into their acquaintance with a fixed idea of what their future will be and both express a clear disdain for marriage. Yet the more time they spend together, the more they begin to realize that what they feel for the other might just be more than simple friendship and admiration.
This isn't a typical historical romance in that there are barely any balls and the usual ways that couples find to spend time together, but it's precisely that difference that made this book stand out to me. I loved seeing how sure Bram is in himself despite society telling him that he's not worthy of someone like Wilhemina. I also really liked the surety that Wilhemina had in who she wanted to be and how she was open to admitting when she might have been rash or wrong. Not to mention, that seeing their relationship develop and be supported by the other orphans who make up Bram's found family is positively swoon-worthy.
I need books where the rest of the 'scoundrels' find their HEA STAT, please!

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the happy romance endorphins!