Lord Holt Takes a Bride by Vivienne Lorret

🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎

Before starting round two of  the Kindle Clear Out Readathon, I wanted to re-read Lord Holt Takes a Bride by Vivienne Lorret. This is the first book in her The Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. The second book, My Kind of Earl, is what I'm planning to read for the "anticipated read I never got to" prompt. I read this book for the first time back in June 2020 and gave it 3-stars. However after thinking on it for a bit, I ended up changing my rating to 4-stars. Upon my reread however, I have to move this to 5-stars.

Lord Holt Takes a Bride is such a fun, twisty, road-trip romance that I absolutely adore. Winnifred is an heiress that is being forced by her father to wed a man that could become a duke. He is horrible and on their wedding day sends pearls accidentally to Win, with a note for his mistress. Win is more on the plus-size and she has freckles. Lord Asher Holt is trapped by his father's debt and his addiction to gambling. His father has sold most of what was his mother's and constantly uses Asher's name for credit and sends the regency-time (or England-time as Erin from Heaving Bosoms would say) loan sharks after him for payment. After Win's friends Julie and Ellie "accidentally" kidnap Asher for their book on scoundrels, Asher loses the money he had for passage on a ship to look for treasure. So begins the reverse kidnapping to get his money back from the girls. 

I loved the way that Asher and Win just seemed to fit and the forced proximity keeps them depending on each other to reach her Aunt's estate. Asher is so taken with Win but keeps trying to not fall for her because he's hiding something. He also doesn't want to marry her with her dowry because he doesn't want his father to take advantage and ruin her as well. They are so drawn together and constantly are getting wet from rain and rivers and various activities. I loved when they pretended to be the Strewsberrys, a travelling quartet with the other two members having been murdered by highwaymen. While I know my rating was lower on the first read for Win's misunderstanding and not willing to listen to Asher or his explanations, this time it didn't bother me near as much. It was still angsty and I just wanted them to go back to communicating, but maybe I'm more into angst now? Although I did feel like I saw more of her side on the re-read instead of just being frustrated with her choices.

I have read Vivienne's Season's Original series as well and gave all those 4-stars. I'm super excited to continue getting through her backlist and she's definitely on my list of favorite historical romance authors and one that I think deserves more recognition. Plus her covers are absolutely gorgeous! I planned (and did) read My Kind of Earl first for the readathon!

Have you read Lord Holt Takes a Bride?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Lord Holt Takes a Bride, Vivienne Lorret, 5-stars, 4 days, paperback, 367 pages, published in 2020