To Wed a Wild Lord [Mass Market Paperback]

4 out of 5 stars! To Wed a Wild Lord is a sweet, mysterious, and romantic novel about two families trying to get through some major tragedies the best way they can. Even though Amazon.com has recommended I read Sabrina Jeffries' books before this is the first time I have actually read one of her books, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised!! This novel and series has two plots the one that deals with the main character's hopes and dreams and another that deals with the past tragedy of losing parents and the mystery surrounding their deaths. Each plot in this novel was captivating and moving .... the love for those who were lost and how those who've past away have impacted the lives of those that are still around.

The characters in this novel were spectacular too!! The relationship between Gabriel and Virginia was something I could not get enough of, especially when their chemistry seemed to fly off of the page. Then I really liked the relationships each of them had with their own families---very sweet to read about. And then to top it off ... we have their grandparents whom could have probably had a short story of their own as they had soo much spunk!!

I would recommend this to fans of the series (of course) and to any Sabrina Jeffries, Loretta Chase, and/or Susan Elizabeth Phillips fans!

Review By: From Me to You ... Book Reviews
(read more of this review and a few teasers on my blog)

It took me over two weeks to finish this book, and I usually go through a romance in 24 hours - it wasn't a painful reading; it simply wasn't a captivating work. This fourth installment of the Hellions of Halstead series is mired in romance genre tropes, daubed with apparent and annoyingly interminable internal struggles, and is unoriginal in its implausibility.

The novel opens at a ball, excluding the preface, where the reader discovers that Virginia Waverly has brazenly challenged Lord Gabriel Sharpe - even naming Sharpe "Gabriel" is unoriginal- aka the Angel of Death, to a race, wanting to defeat him and humiliate him in front of all to see, avenging her brother's death. Gabriel, of course has other plans - he shall court and marry Virginia to make amends for "causing" the death of her brother (and his beloved friend) Robert Waverly in a racing accident, simultaneously fulfilling his grandmother's ultimatum that all the Sharpe children wed by a certain month in order to gain their inheritance. But of course there is a problem - Virginia will never allow such a blackguard to court her. However, as anticipated, the two reach an accord. If Gabriel wins, Virginia will allow him to court her, and if Virginia is the victor, Gabriel shall race her a second time on the same deadly course where Robert lost his life. Gabriel wins - shocking!!!

Now, as to our protagonists - Virginia Waverly is a very nice young lady; she is 22-years-old; she is an overly devoted granddaughter, a romantic at heart, impetuous at times, however practical, perceptive, and adept at managing estate affairs. Gabriel Sharpe - age not exactly given - is an honest man (he does not lie), has dreams of starting his own stud farm, however, is guilt ridden and hurt by his parents' passing, hence embracing recklessness. The two make a nice couple, with Gabriel appreciating Virginia for exactly who and what she is, and Virginia seeing past Gabriel's wildness and understanding the truth behind his actions. That is all good, however, what the attraction between these two characters is I know not.

Yes, Gabriel is gorgeous and Virginia is a looker; however, Jefferies fails to depict, and, in turn, create a palpable desirability between her protagonists. The sex scenes - there were just two sex scenes and two make-out sessions - are of the PG16 variety and were even less interesting because while reading the novel I felt detached. The relationship between the two was quick to form - it took all of a week. And as to the "I Love You-s" - how such strong feelings were developed in such a short amount of time (during which the two do not spend a lot of time together) was unbelievable at best.

The tone of the work is light, comparable to all of Jefferies' writing. The plot flows smoothly and rationally. The Waverly's belief in Gabriel's culpability, coupled with Virginia's need to discover what exactly happened that fateful night and Gabriel's desire to cheat death - brought on by his parents' early demise - are the factors driving the work. The primary and secondary characters are well developed, and the descriptions are accurate and unobtrusive. "To Wed a Wild Lord" also does not have the annoying "predator" comparisons so many authors utilize these days. But of course, Jefferies is an experienced writer and should offer no less. The problems of the book, however, do not stem from form, structure, or execution but rather from the unoriginality of the idea constituting the work - the implausibility of a young lady boldly challenging the Angel of Death to a race, blatantly disregarding convention; the too convenient similarities in personal experiences of the two main protagonists, both having been orphaned early on in life and grieving Robert's loss; and the obstinate anger, blindness, and officiousness of Virginia's grandfather, revering Robert's character and formulating an inaccurate view of that truly happened on that day and passing said view to his granddaughter.

To be honest, this was a very hard review to write - the novel just isn't awe inspiring; it isn't even mediocre inspiring. "To Wed a Wild Lord" is a well-executed formula, with all the elements of a light, quick, historical romance, but that is it. There is nothing captivating or original about this book - nothing that causes "flutterings" or makes you want to turn the pages. It reads as something written out of obligation; a book to fulfill a contract. If this is what you want, then pick it up - it just failed to do anything for me.
original on romancecritic

"To Wed a Wild Lord" is the 4th book in the 5 book Hellions of Halstead Hall series. While most romance series do not need to be read in order for complete comprehension, the Hellions series really should be read in order. The mystery of the siblings' murdered parents unravels slowly throughout each book and all of the siblings appear in each book with the plot for the next book being set up in the previous one. Reading them in order is definitely recommended.
Virginia Waverly's brother Robert died 7 years ago in a carriage race accident against Lord Gabriel (Gabe). Although Robert was Gabe's best friend, the Waverly's, including Virginia, hold long-held anger and hatred towards Gabe because them blame him for Robert's death. In Book 3 of the series, "How to Woo a Reluctant Lady", Virginia loudly challenges Gabe to race the same course on which her brother died racing Gabe. This dredges up the past for Gabe and his veneer of uncaring chips away as he has to deal with reliving that horrible race.
This book takes place 2 months later and Gabe has somehow decided that he should marry Virginia in order to right the wrong of racing her brother to his death. Obviously, Virginia is having none of that idea, but she is so eager to race Gabe and put him in his place that she agrees to a wager that ultimately leads to him being allowed to court her.
The storyline was rather predictable in this book and I was disappointed that more of the parents' murder mystery was not revealed. I was hoping for more fire and banter, as there was in "How to Woo a Reluctant Lady" (my favorite in the series so far). But Virginia falls for Gabe pretty rapidly, but this is a romance novel afterall. This is a cute story and well worth the read, but not the strongest in the series.

NOTE: The Kindle Edition includes an exerpt from the final book in the series, "A Lady Never Surrenders", that is a different passage from the one on the author's website. So you can get even more insight into the next book that looks to be heated and fantastic.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 40 reviews  4.1 out of 5 stars