#Book Tour #Book Review – Lord Seeks Wife; H. Barnett

Book review stop! Today I’m delighted to be the host for Lord Seeks Wife, a rom-com written by H. Barnett.

First thing first, let me thank Anne and the publisher, Serpentine Books, for providing me with an e-copy of this book. Much obliged *hat tip*

MEET THE BOOK

Take 1,000 women, add one earl and whip into a media frenzy.

Reclusive academic Lord Noblet de Beeble doesn’t want to get married but his overbearing mother, Lady Caroline, is insisting he must. When he places an advert for a wife in the Situations Vacant section of his local newspaper, the national press pick up the story. A desperate Noblet calls on his handsome younger brother, Henry, to help him navigate the subsequent media frenzy.

Among the hordes of hopeful candidates to descend on the village of Gently Rising is the beautiful and mysterious Mia Wild, who befriends local primary school teacher, Alice Brand. Alice has been looking for something to spice up her life, but getting embroiled in a very public wife-hunt wasn’t what she had in mind.

In a summer packed with suspicious exes, snobbery, social climbers and sausage rolls, Gently Rising will bear witness to a public courtship like no other. But who will come out on top?

Rom-com, women’s fiction
Publication date: 02/08/21
Purchase links

Amazon.com

READ MY REVIEW

Cover: Haha, I love it.

What a fun, quirky story!

Lord Seeks Wife offers the reader what it says on the tin: Lord Noblet is looking for a wife, and he approaches the issue in an unconventional way. Dating women is obsolete and time-consuming; auditioning them is more efficient.

I’ll admit the idea behind the plot is so intriguing, and I like how it plays out in the book. The two MCs, Noblet and Alice, have captivating personalities, and they’re written with excellent skills. Noblet maybe reads stronger than Alice, but I guess it’s a matter of personal taste rather than a real weakness. The multiple POV, albeit not my favorite, works well here.

The cast of characters is quite big, but Barnett handles it well, a detail I’m glad about. It’s easy to mess things up when dealing with many supporting characters, so kudos to Barnett and her writing skills!

A couple of things puzzle me. First thing first, the choice of ditching the good old ‘say’ for a gazillion synonyms. While I get the need for variety–not really, because ‘says’ goes unnoticed and the rest… doesn’t–it’s just too easy to overdo it. ‘Oh, come on!’ expostulated Jerry is a prime example of that.

Then, the pacing feels a little off in places. Noblet and Alice meet at 40%, which may be a bit too much.

4 stars on GR.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Heather Barnett gained a degree in English and French from the University of Leeds and has written ever since: from copywriting to stand-up comedy and sketches. She is now focusing on writing novels. Heather’s influences span Jane Austen and Douglas Adams at one end of the alphabet through to PG Wodehouse at the other.

Heather’s debut novel, Acts of Kindness, is an uplifting, light-hearted mystery. It was inspired by witnessing commuters helping a woman who’d fallen down the stairs at Paddington station; intermingled with wondering what was behind some grand stone gateposts that she used to drive past in Wiltshire.

Her second novel, Lord Seeks Wife, is a romantic comedy and will be published summer 2021.

Aside from writing, Heather’s interests are classic literature, cats and comedy.

Heather is head of marketing at an agency near Oxford and lives by the river Kennet in Berkshire.

For more information on Heather and her books, please visit her website: heatherbarnettauthor.com or join the discussion on Twitter @WritesHeather.