How to Fall for the Wrong Man
Ladies of Passion #3
By Harmony Williams
Releasing June 25th, 2018
Entangled Publishing
If Mary Babington-Smith knows nothing else, it's that Lord Edwin Sutton kissed her. Regardless of who-kissed-whom, with the deed witnessed, they have no choice but to carry on with a temporary, fake, engagement. When Edwin sweetens the deal, offering Mary the money she needs to pursue her independence if she can play the lovesick fiancée for two weeks, Mary rises to the challenge. In two weeks, she'll have everything she wants, and this time she'll be the one to walk out of his life.
Despite Sutton's argumentative, self-assured nature, when Mary glimpses a sliver of the boy he used to be, she vows to peel away every layer of armor he uses to shield his emotions. Somewhere underneath that worldly exterior is the kind-hearted man she once loved, but in order to find him, she'll have to give him the power to hurt her...and he's already broken her trust once...
Despite Sutton's argumentative, self-assured nature, when Mary glimpses a sliver of the boy he used to be, she vows to peel away every layer of armor he uses to shield his emotions. Somewhere underneath that worldly exterior is the kind-hearted man she once loved, but in order to find him, she'll have to give him the power to hurt her...and he's already broken her trust once...
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Being a romance reader that much prefers stories be told in the third person, I think Ms. Williams did a marvellous with this historical romance, even though it's told in the first person from the heroine's point-of-view. Really, the characters were fascinating and often butted heads with the heroine being quite independent and fierce while the hero is determined to look out for her and protect her because she certainly doesn't put enough stock in her own protection, even if it does seem she can take care of herself.
As for the dialogue, it was very entertaining, as this is a story encompasses the friends to lovers and fake relationship tropes. Will Edwin be able to win Mary's heart? Will they realize how in love they are with each other before it's too late? Moreover, I really enjoyed both the main characters. The heroine is resilient, courageous, has a heart of gold in the way she always wants to do something to help others whether it be humans or animals; and I liked how determined she was to win the challenge the hero proposed. Can she play the hero's lovesick fiancé for two weeks? I also liked how she made good friends with some of the secondary characters, even though it felt wrong to be deceiving her new friends.
While the hero, he's confident, is used to getting his own way and I liked how he pushes the heroine's buttons just as much as he pushes hers. I also liked how protective he was of the heroine and how determined he was to win her over because he needs her just as much as she needs him. Yet, what I liked most of all about the hero was how much of a challenge the heroine was because she's so independent and isn't about to let any man dictate what she can and can't do. Will she realize that all the hero is trying to do is protect her?
Overall, Ms. Williams has delivered a really god read in this book where the chemistry between this couple was strong and heady from the moment they come face-to-face for the first time; the romance shows how good these two are together; and the ending had me loving that these two didn't give up on each other because they're meant to be together. I would recommend How to Fall for the Wrong Man by Harmony Williams, if you enjoy Historical Romances, the friends to lovers trope, the fake relationship trope, or books by authors Eva Devon, Darcy Burke, Jess Michaels and Callie Hutton.
I danced through the downpour, holding a shawl
over my head to keep my intricate hairdo from wilting. The driver hurried to
position the steps below the coach door. I accepted his help to mount the
steps, thanking him as I paused in the threshold. The interior smelled of wet
leather with the faint undertone of cedar. Edwin’s hulking shadow, his hat on
his lap due to the low ceiling, was squished into the side of the carriage
facing forward.
I liked to face forward. I waited, rain
trickling down the back of my neck, but he didn’t move.
Inching forward, I lingered long enough for him
to scoot to the side to make room for me to pass, then squeezed myself in next
to him.
We pressed together from thigh to shoulder.
Well, my shoulder. I only reached midway up his arm.
Shadows decorated the carriage, but I heard the
scowl in his voice when he exclaimed, “Bloody hell, Mary. Take the other seat.”
“No. I like to face forward.”
“Well, so do I.”
Our gazes met, sparking light in the darkness
as the driver shut the door. The shutters were pulled tight over the window to
keep out the rain. Droplets splattered the carriage. The air inside grew thick.
Edwin sat so close to me, his breath fanned my forehead.
The carriage lurched into motion
“You won’t back down from this, will you?”
“Do I ever?”
With a grumble emphasizing his reluctance,
Edwin shifted in his spot. He used the motion of the conveyance to propel him
to the other side.
Now only our knees brushed. Cooler air washed
my right side, a bit of a disappointment, to be honest. He’d given up far too
easily. With a sigh, I settled back into the squabs.
“You look ridiculous,” he said bluntly.
My back stiffened. “How can you tell? It’s
black as night in here.”
“I saw you when you entered. You look a
fright.”
I raised my hand to brush my cheek, then my
hair. Had I erred? “A fine thing for a man to say to his future wife.”
He groaned. “Don’t remind me. We still have an
entire evening ahead.”
“Then you’d best make an effort to dote upon me
or else no one will believe we’re to be married.”
Edwin chuckled. “I’m fairly certain if any man
tried to dote on you, you’d punch him in the face.”
A smile teased the corners of my mouth, but I
didn’t let it out. “I promise not to do you physical harm tonight. Though you
might start off on a better foot by complimenting what I’m wearing.”
“How can I? You’re smothered in ribbons!”
“I have one.”
Come to think of it, I shared his aversion.
“And one in your hair. And, who knows where
else, probably on your stockings, too.”
I laughed. “Why would I put ribbons on my
stockings? You aren’t going to see them there.”
“Please tell me this isn’t for my benefit.”
My smile slipped. “Certainly not. I wore the
ribbons for me.”
“But you hate
ribbons. And most other feminine frippery. Are you wearing rouge tonight?”
My stomach flipped. He remembered? I used to
rage about the dresses I had to wear as a child. I swallowed, trying to
maintain a cool mien.
“I am. I can look feminine too, sometimes. It’s
not against the law.”
For a long moment, the silence stretched thin.
What was he thinking? Perhaps he agreed with the gossips of the ton, who whispered that no man would
ever find me attractive because I refused to act demure.
I don’t care either
way. But my stomach
swished with every jolt of the carriage, waiting for his answer.
Finally, he said, “No. It’s not. But I prefer
you as you are, without artifice.”
Harmony Williams has been living vicariously in Regency-era England since she discovered Jane Austen. Since time machines don’t yet exist, she’s had to make do with books—fictional and non-fictional. On the rare occasions she doesn’t have her nose stuck in a book, she likes to drink tea and spend time with her 90-lb lapdog. A feminist, she writes stories about strong women and the men who support them as equals.
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