Lying to a Lord

by Mindy Burbidge Strunk

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Can a tangle of secrets…spin itself into a love match?

Colin Burke, Earl of Heatherton, has no interest in marriage—not this year, not next, perhaps not ever. But then a stroll through the park lands him face-to-face with Lady Mariah Thornbeck, his best friend’s sister…who he discovers shares his fondness for dogs. But when Colin learns that her “fondness” is nothing more than a ruse, he decides a bit of well-aimed revenge is in order.

Lady Mariah has adored Colin for years. And for the first time, he finally notices her. If a tiny deception earns his attention, why not let the moment play out? She schemes—just a little—in hopes of drawing him closer, even as her heart warns her she’s courting disaster.

But Colin’s plan to teach her a lesson backfires spectacularly, forcing them into each other’s company far more than he wanted. But the more time he spends with her, the more Colin sees the truth: Mariah is witty, loyal, brave—and nothing like the schemer he imagined. And Mariah, on her own journey of self-worth, begins to doubt whether a confirmed bachelor like Colin could ever truly choose her.

Now both must decide. Is it worth it to risk their hearts on a future neither planned…or do they retreat to the familiar paths that have kept them safely apart?

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Book Details

Genre

Historical Romance

Subgenre

General Historical, Georgian (1714–1837), Regency (1811–1820)

Series

The League of Eligible Bachelors

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

1 None

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

2 Mild

Publication Date

June 23, 2023

Language Versions

English

Fiction Form

Novel

Great!

To be honest, I stopped reading this because I knew the character of Mariah already and it bothered me that she would get Colin in the end as she was. I had just finished a book by another author where the girl was selfish and mean the entire book, and I didn’t want to read another one that could end up like that. But I remembered how much I loved Engaging the Earl, and knew that I wouldn’t be disappointed, so I picked it back up. And I am glad that I picked it back up. To see the journey of self-improvement that Mariah makes is endearing. Is she perfect? No. But, she’s changing for the better little by little, and it was a great thing to witness.It was also as delightfully witty as Engaging the Earl. When Mariah confessed that she likes Colin but would never want him to lick her, I started laughing so loud my daughter said I sounded like a dying hyena. I also love that she turns down his first proposal. It showed that she had truly changed.However, there were a few things I felt were missing from the book. First, I never got the sense as to why she really loved Colin. She even made the argument; did she love the idea of him or did she really love him. And she does really love him, but there’s never that lightbulb moment where she discovers what it is she loves about him or why she loves him. Only the realization from Colin. And I understand that this is the League of Eligible Bachelor’s series, but I still wanted that.The other thing I felt was missing was that final conversation with the Gents after Colin proposed the first time. I think that would have been a great scene, not just for Colin’s story, but also to get more from the Gents as well. There wasn’t as much interaction with Gents in this book as there was in Engaging the Earl and I find that I missed that aspect. It was so much fun getting to know their different personalities, and it would have been nice to learn more about each of them in this book as well.Overall, I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for Ben’s story! Thank you so much for sharing your work. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, I couldn’t put it down, I finished it in one day as I did with Engaging the Earl.

A interesting story

This is a interesting story. The human emotions and dynamics are explored in this story.I was entertained and enjoyed this story, each time I read it.

Lying to a Long-term Crush

Lady Mariah has been caught in her own lie, and the object of her crush, Colin, is going to make the best of it. Mariah was so irritating to me in the beginning, but I loved watching her change for the better. I loved the dynamics between Mariah and her brother Reginald and wife Sarah, as well as the league of eligible bachelors. It will be a delight to watch them fall one by one. The author's characters, witty dialog and funny antics, as well as the happy ending, made this an entirely enjoyable read.

Cute regency romance that stretches believability

Our heroine is somewhat detestable. So after overhearing her crush mention she is unkind she makes an about face and within two weeks they are engaged.Yep.There is a dog and lots of cute moments. But the idea that someone could view someone else as unkind and be engaged to them two weeks later head over heels is just too much. Also everyone in the book going along with it like “yes she is a different person!”It’s been two weeks y’all.

clean romance

A humorous romance of two characters who have known each other for a long time. The hero as the friend of her brother and she is the “little sister”… where as she has had a soft place for him for a long time.The lie she tells, the retaliation for the lie and the time to each discover that there may be more to see in each other. The heroine needs to see a better way and he needs to see her as the person she is now.The humor, banter and storytelling are enjoyable. I even laughed out loud several times at the situation and conversation between the characters.I hope there are more books in the series. Each of the two are stand alone but I enjoy the series in sequence as I find it gives depth to the “supporting “ characters.