Hardly a Husband

Ms. Hagan Lee's "Hardly A Husband" is another very good read in the "Free Fellows League." This is Jarrod's story and it will captivate the reader just as the previous stories have. Jarrod has been bound to an oath that he made in childhood to the Free Fellows. He has been living life enjoying what it has to offer knowing that he will never marry. That is until a childhood friend or pest comes back into his life asking for "seduction" lessons. What's a gentleman to do now? Although he would love to debauch the lady, he can't since he has made a vow never to marry and Sarah is everything that he has hoped to avoid in life. Marriage, commitment...heirs...but Sarah touches him and he finds out that love is not as scary as he thought it was but will he realize this too late? Sarah has only one more choice in order to save her aunt and herself. She has been displaced from her home and she has only three weeks to find a husband before one is found for her. She wants to take control of her destiny and goes to her childhood love Jarrod. If she can talk him into doing what she wants she will finally get her hearts desire. Jarrod. It's a gamble but she thinks she can pull it off...maybe. This was a very good addition to this series and found Jarrod and Sarah to be very engaging characters. I love a story where the main characters already have a past. It was fun to revisit with old friends and Jarrod and Sarah's romance was sweet and tender. I highly recommend Ms. Hagan Lee and I eagerly look forward to reading her again in the future. Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com

This book was very nice indeed. I LOVE Jarred. What a sweet boy he was, but he was turned into a scarred man...rescued by love. Sigh. The preview had me on pins and needles waiting for the book to be released, and I wasn't disappointed. Sarah is headstrong, wearing her heart on her sleeve. Only when she realizes that she loves in vain, that he'll never be able to love her back, to marry, does he realize his love/need for her. Delicious romance on so many levels. I can't wait for Daniel and Miranda, who are excellent secondary characters here. 4 and 1/2 stars, and I'm tempted to give it 5.

Sarah awakens on day to find she is thrown out of the only home she has ever known. A local Lord wants to wed her and figures if he tosses her out of the parish home she will have to move in with him. But, Sarah convinces her "guardian", the local magistrate to give her 30 days to find herself a husband--or one will be found for her. She has no intention of marrying the despicable Lord Dunbridge. She in fact sets out to either catch the man she has always loved or to become a courtesan. She sets out to London with her Aunt and approaches Earl Jarrod Shepherdston, her secret love to tutor her in seduction. Even though Sarah insists she only wants to be his lover and not his wife, Jarrod, who has forever sworn off marriage, still can't quite agree to her tempting yet troubling offer. But Jarrod doesn't want anyone else teaching her either. The story follows their growing relationship through duels, and Jarrod's realization maybe he is cut out for marriage. But, will he figure this out in time? This is a nice addition to the series and also sets up the start of the 4th book nicely.

Some Christians can be decidedly un Christian, as Sarah, the only daughter of a deceased minister learns when the new pastor's family arrives, kicking her and her widowed aunt to the curb without so much as a by your leave. Her only choices seem to be becoming a governess to the pastor's disagreeable progeny or marrying the last person on earth she wants to marry. However, a resourceful young lady is she, so she decides to go to London, but not to her supposed fiance'. Calling on the man she has had a crush on since she was five, Jarrod Shepherdson, she asks him to teach her to be a courtesan, never intending to be one, but using it as a ploy to gain his attention. It works, but slowly. In the meantime, while "Jays" figures out that his vow to never marry is based on false presumptions, her "intended" shows up, intent on marrying her, despite her protests. **** This third Free Fellows Leauge book again is a good story of friendship, even more so than love. Light humor offsets a serious topic, creating a balanced harmony. ****

Setting - Belfordshire and London, England, 1813 --- Jarrod, sixth marquess of Shepherdston, is shocked when a young female arrives at his home at three o'clock in the morning, soaking wet from the rain, and wearing a white nightdress under her long black cloak. The female in question, turned out to be his childhood friend, Sarah Eckersley, who came to him with a shocking proposal! Deep in her heart, she's loved him since the age of five and her heart has never wavered in that resolve and thought that this frontal attack just might win him over. Though she knew his views on marriage, she agreed with him that he was `hardly husband material' which, even though he might have said so himself - she surprised him by agreeing! - So, in lieu of his refusal to consider marriage, would he kindly teach her the art of seduction so she could go on to become a courtesan. Naturally, she was hoping that this request would shock him into declaring his love for her, but he surprised her instead, not by admitting his attraction, but offering in return to help her find a suitable husband. Though, after their first kissing lesson, Jarrod, still stubbornly refusing marriage for himself, wasn't so sure he wanted to see her married to anyone else either! Following the previous volumes in her charming `Free Fellows League' series of BARELY A BRIDE and MERELY A GROOM this latest entry from the author was once again, pure enjoyment. With creative and witty dialogs, revisiting the other `free fellows' who are now happily married, coupled with a secondary and very poignant `second chance at love' story for Sarah's aunt, Hagan Lee has fashioned a perfectly wonderful and entertaining read. The protagonists were ideally suited and once Jarrod's godfather and friends helped him to deal with and better understand his nightmarish childhood memories, his courting of Sarah will bring tears to your eyes with a sensuality that is both tasteful and hot! For those who have read the first two books, some may think that the repetition of how the league came into existence may be overkill, but I feel that it firmly establishes this author's way of creating a connected series, yet allows the book to stand totally on its own merit extremely well. She also brings in many hints as to the next book, ahem... where is Daniel, the missing Duke of Sussex? Bottom Line: You won't be disappointed with this very charming installment of the Free Fellows League. Hagan Lee will capture both your imagination and embrace your heart with her latest regency era romance and keep you coming back for more! ---- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com ---