Rules for an Unmarried Lady by Wilma Counts

**We received an early copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. We’d like to thank Wilma and Lyrical Press for the opportunity. This book comes out on December 29th and you can get it here.**

by GGGinny

What I drank: well Im writing this a bit in advance. Its the night of the election and I have carefully gotten quite drunk and watched people play d&d for a good portion of the day.

Goodreads Overview:

Witty and well-read, best friends Henrietta, Harriet, and Hero know that real love is rarely as simple as a fairy tale. But with the right partner, it can be sweeter—and even more satisfying…

A single woman of means generally does not choose the company of seven rambunctious children over the haut ton. Yet since the tragic loss of her sister and brother-in-law, the Honorable Harriet Mayfield has found purpose and pleasure in caring for her orphaned nieces and nephews. If her unorthodox views about how to raise the newly minted Earl of Sedwick and his siblings put her at odds with their strict grandmother, well, so be it. The children’s uncle, Colonel Lord Quinton Burnes, however, is a far more complicated—and charismatic—problem…

Accustomed to having his slightest word obeyed, Quint hardly knows what to make of the bewitching bluestocking who has taken on the role of guardian in his absence. Quint’s mother wants Harriet gone, the sooner the better. She has the perfect bride in mind for him—someone not at all like kindhearted, loyal Harriet. But if he and Harriet can only withstand meddling and misunderstandings, their unconventional attraction might yet come to a delightfully happy ending…

Drunk Overview: way too many kids, like 7, are orphaned, the sister of the mom is the godmother and the brother of the dad the godfather. He has primary custody but she’s closer with the kids. And then they fall in love. Also the dudes mom sucks!

Drunk Thoughts:

• Maybe its just becauze Ive been reading diverse books. But this book is SUPER white.
• At the same time I giggled over the main romance.
• One of the things this book does wonderfully, and one of the reasons I enjoy romance, is that you know whats going to happen, but before it does there are so many (often wrong) preconceoved notions. And I so enjoy reading them knowing the characters are gonna learn some shit.
• Quint and Harriet were interesting heroes of a book because the tension was rarely caused by either of them.
• The kids actually had personalities (the older ones at least) and werent overwhelming.
• I liked some of the subplots about twaching the 10 year old about his future responsibilities. It brought in some additional realism.
• I also didnt read the previous books so Harriets interest in writing seemed slightly out of place.
• The world fit the kind of generic Victorian stereotype that Ive found in a lot of historical romances. Im not saying it was lazily written, but I feel like Ive reached a point where theres a lot of world building that doesn’t happen because of the assumptions that a reader knows what to expect.
• That being said, going to the workhouse was pretty unique.
• Where plot was concerned, I felt it moved at a decent place. Though there were times where I think a little more foreshadowing would have been nice.

Ultimately, this was an easy read. Considerinf what life is like right now, I need easy reads. I generally enjoyed the approach towards the female characters and desperately want a book about Quints friend.

What I’d Pair it With: red wine. Something full bodied.

Rating: 4/5