Book Review: Lord Bachelor by Tammy L Bailey

ASIN: B017OC716W
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc (December 7, 2015)

Blurb:

Edmund Rushwood is a single English lord in possession of a great fortune who is in desperate need of a rich wife. In accordance with his father’s will, Edmund has until he turns twenty-six to find a wealthy bride or lose his vast inheritance. To retain his selfish lifestyle, he agrees to join an American dating game show to find the woman who can save him. He doesn’t bargain on meeting Abby Forester, an impoverished, spirited American woman who is content to live out her father’s dreams in his vintage record shop.

With covert intervention from an unlikely source, Abby lands on the dating game show as one of Edmund’s potential brides. As their worlds entangle and love begins to bloom, Abby discovers Edmund cannot marry her and retain his wealth at the same time. Will love keep them together, or will greed triumph and tear them apart?

Review:

An original and endearing take on a familiar tale!

There’s no doubt that Edmund loves his lush lifestyle. Who wouldn’t? He has a servant and more money than he knows what to do with- responsibly. He’s used to getting what he wants, and now he gets to get something he doesn’t want- a wife.

Except for a mean, selfish stepmother, and a spoiled, bratty stepsister, Abby Forester has no family. She’s a contemporary Cinderalla. But instead of rats and other lovable creatures, she has Tommy, a good friend, who just happens to be in love with her.

A chance meeting puts the two of them together, and in an effort to save face and not let someone else tells her what to do, Abby ends up on the dating show, vying for the opportunity to become Edmund’s bride. Unlike the other contestants, she doesn’t really expect to win.

They both get more than what they bargained for when Edmund is unexpectedly drawn to the struggling Abby, and she, despite her initial impression of him, finds it difficult to play the game without involving her heart – especially when he keeps proving her wrong about being nothing but a self-serving aristocrat. He didn’t even think he had it in him, but there’s something about Abby that makes him want to be a better man. Despite the terms of his father’s will and his chance of losing everything he values, Edmund can’t seem to stay away from Abby.

Self-improvement and self-confidence battle along side raging sexual attraction. The lovers have their own personal demons to battle before they can be any good for each other. Date Match is an amusing subplot with several – shall we say, interesting- characters. I played right along- wondering in what order the women would be eliminated.

I must say, I was totally intrigued at first, but after awhile, I became a little irritated. There were too many attempts at being intimate. While normally, I expect and welcome it, I have a limit to where I find it more of a way to keep the anticipation going instead of what the characters really should be doing. I really didn’t get the whole thing of Abby wanting to leave Edmund’s vacation spot (when he was trying to make love to her the first time) only for her to immediately give in once they arrived back at her place. That scene was rather unnecessary, in my opinion, and just another way (as I already stated) to keep the anticipation going.

Also, Abby let him go, changed her number, and then complained about not hearing from him. My opinion of her decreased at that moment, and for a brief while, I didn’t want him with her. She was too much (for lack of a better phrase).

I thought Raify was a nice touch, and I give Bailey Kudos for the unique character. Way to think outside the box. I like Bailey’s writing style and I plan to read more of her work.

Overall, the book was really good and I enjoyed it, despite my moment of irritation. It’s really worth a read.

Rating system: Cups of Coffee (the less the better)

0: You won’t need any coffee to stay up for this one. It’s intriguing enough all on its own.
1: You’ll stay up late, but not all night. Brew one cup.
2: You’ll read as long as you’re not tired. If you are, two cups should do the trick.
3: I hope you got plenty of rest; you’ll need it, or at least 3 cups.
4: If the cable goes out, read the book. It’s better than nothing, I guess. Oh, don’t forget your brew!
5: Find anything else to do- it doesn’t matter what it is. Don’t waste your coffee. Too much caffeine is bad for you.

My rating: 1 1/2 cups of coffee