The Ladies Most...: The Collected Works: The Lady Most Likely/The Lady Most Willing

I thoroughly enjoyed their first collaboration, ‘The Lady Most Likely’, but I absolutely adored this book! (The audiobook is terrific, too.) So many characters I won’t soon forget and I’m still heartily laughing at the hijinks! We got an overzealous Scottish uncle, eager to get his 2 nephews (and heirs) wed. So much so that he hatches a plan to kidnap some brides for the laddies to woo. Of course, nothing goes according to plan. One of lasses is grabbed by mistake, the carriage they use holds a sleeping Duke, and the one that seemed the most demure is a crazy hoyden, if ever you met one! Add to that a terrific snowstorm, clothes from the last century, and the interfering uncle, and it’s a recipe for one of the most entertaining books I’ve read in a while. Highly recommend!

Great characters, funny, witty dialogue, fun premise, interesting location, I loved everything about this book except the last half page.Dont even know what that was for.Unlike Scottish focused novels, this one reads like an English romp with lively Scottish characters included,Highly recommended.

Let me start by saying that this 3-in-1 is not like most 3-in-1s. Instead of 3 novellas by three different authors being made into one book,(which as I've mentioned before, I'm not really keen on) this is a collaborative effort.Upon first reading the premise of the book, I thought someone must have liked watching 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers', the 1954 musical, as much as I did when I was a kid!Taran Ferguson is laird of Finovair Castle in Scotland. Although still sprite,he feels he is getting on in years and not having any children of his own, wants to secure the family line through his two nephews, Robin, the Comte de Rocheforte and Byron,the Earl of Oakley.One winter's night, he and his men decide to raid a house party nearby and kidnap three beautiful,dowered, young women, Cecily Maycott and the sisters Fiona and Marilla Chisolm. The thing is that they have forgotten to bring along a carriage,fortunately there is one awaiting them on their way out. Unfortunately, its owner the Duke of Bretton is still inside fast asleep and in the ruckus of the kidnapping, a fourth young lady, Miss Catriona Burns has been thrown into the mix too. Although she is equal in beauty to the rest, she is useless to Taran since she has no dowry. So now Taran and his men are in possession of four young ladies and one sleeping duke and they are off to Finovair castle.Being that we're in Scotland, in the winter and a snow storm is brewing, it isn't long before the pass is closed, thus cutting off the castle and its inhabitants for several days. Just enough time for our very charming and very lively cast of characters to get to know each other better.I spent most of the time reading this book with a grin on my face. The characters were all jolly fun and fun to read about. The dialogue was quite good too. Although there were still three different story-lines, it was nice that they all took place in the same setting with the same cast of characters.

Three of my favorite authors team up for this book, what a treat! Delightful characters,fun storyline and intertwined love stories of four separate couples.A Scottish Laird who never had children has his nephews and heirs at his castle for Christmas. One nephew is a French comte, the other an English earl. The laird is worried that they won't marry Scotts women and continue their heritage, so he raids the ball of the neighboring earl and steals the richest Scottish heiresses, kidnapping them from the dance floor. He also accidentally kidnaps the local squire's daughter and takes the wrong carriage with a sleeping Duke in it, a few extras. The people attending the ball think it is part of the entertainment at first, but by the time they organize pursuit, a blizzard has closed off the roads.The four men; the duke, the earl, the comte and the laird end up entertaining and pairing off (and desperately trying not to) with the four women; the earl's daughter, the two half sisters and the squire's daughter. Manipulations, misdirection and monkey business is on order as the blizzard rages over the course of four days. Interesting proposals and couples emerge before they are all "rescued" when the roads are cleared and angry papas descend en mass.A fun read. Heat factor moderate.

A mediocre book from great authors.To enjoy this book, one must suspend all belief that love usually grows over time and believe entirely in love at first sight. Or even glance. Unfortunately for me, I place more truth in "marry in haste, repent at leisure."The characters were all developed and explored as much as the length of each story allowed. However, there was no real depth to any story. No surprises, just the formula; odd couple meet, fall in love almost instantly, and, decide to marry. Everything wrapped up in record time.The dialogues were witty, and well written, the characters likeable but their great love in the matter of a few days seemed silly and juvenile. I guess the result is that novellas (and this is what I consider these stories) are not for me. Therefore my 3 star rating.If you like a quick, easy read, by delightful authors, with no angst except a silly twit throwing herself at every man in sight, you will like this book.

I really enjoy reading a linked story like this as it usually introduces me to at least one new author. That way I can see if I want to buy more of her books. That being said, this is simply a great book. It has wonderful heroines and hero's that you want to be friends with, an annoying antagonist who gets what she deserves in the end, and of course, the hea. It's a lovely escape and really makes you feel happy. What better book is there?

What a fun book to read, nicely paced storyline sufficiently intriguing and they all get the one they deserve. I like Fiona’s tale best

A fun, frothy read! There were two glaring errors and I can't understand why they were not picked up! One character is likened to Anne Elliot in Persuasion - I think they mean Elizabeth Elliot, as that was definitely the character the quotations referred to! I'd also like to know more of this King George VII......Romance that will make you smile, when four young ladies are unceremoniously kidnapped from a ball to spend several days snowed up in a freezing castle with several unattached gentlemen....

This book is written by three different authors but is sewen together and linked so seamlessly you forget to notice. Each of the mini books is a fresh and enjoyable love story with funny bright characters who even in a short book pull you into their lives. Taran the uncle of two of our happy grooms kidnaps 4 women in a bid to entice his nephews into marriage, oh course the fact that he accidentally grabs a Duke is a minor inconvenience. The story takes place over a week and will have you laughing as well as invested in the ending.

a pleasant read with no violence

The story is fun and romantic but a bit spoiled by silly mistakes about Austen's Persuasion and 'George Vii' !!