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Book Reviews of The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1)

The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1)
The Truth About Lord Stoneville - Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
PBS Market Price: $8.09 or $4.19+1 credit
ISBN-13: 9781439167519
ISBN-10: 1439167516
Publication Date: 1/19/2010
Pages: 394
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 302

4 stars, based on 302 ratings
Publisher: Pocket
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

19 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

EKD avatar reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 10
5 stars - I loved it! I've read all of Sabrina Jeffries books and this is one of my new favorites. Once I started reading it I could not put it down.

1st Book in the Hellions of Hallstead Hall series - Their parents died when Stoneville was only 16 and he and his siblings have been running amuck for years. Their Grandmother is in trade and has kept the family plump in the pockets but no more, she has had enough of their scandalous behavior and it is time to straighten up and get married so she can have great-grand children. They have 1 year for all 5 of them to marry or be disinherited. Stoneville thinks it's time to really shock her by his choice in bride and make her give up this quest since he has no intent to ever marry but as we all knowâ¦love wins in the end.

I found this book to be fun and entertaining the whole way through. I could really feel these characters come to life on the page and am looking forward to the rest of the series.
reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 55 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I'm not your typical historical romance reader. I don't read many at all, and when I do, they tend not to be English historicals. I've also never read a book by this author before. I purchased this one based on an excellent review by someone I trust, and promptly fell in love with it.

Since others have summarized the story, I won't. What sold me on this first and foremost were the characters. I can't think of anyone in the story I didn't like. Maria is strong and no-nonsense, while Oliver is charming with just the right amount of personal turmoil. The humor both approach life with made me laugh out loud more than once (as did Freddy, who I absolutely adored). Minerva and Celia have stronger characterizations than Jarret and Gabe, but I think that was likely deliberate to keep the focus on Oliver. However, all siblings were entertaining, and I particularly loved how they ganged up to push Oliver and Maria together.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. I'm not sure what the expectations were for Jeffries' fans or readers who saw Oliver in other books, but for this person coming in cold, this was a fantastic read.
reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 153 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
England Early 1800s
THIS WAS FABULOUS! My only regret is that I have to wait for her to write the remainder of the series. I am extremely glad that I didn't wait for this on-line but went and purchased it myself.
The first in a series of siblings led by a grandmother in the attempt to bring respectability to a scandalous family. The chemistry was great. the story-loine fantastic. The other characters (the other siblings) were great and I can't say enough good about this book. Just go read it already!:)
reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 58 more book reviews
Love Sabrina Jeffries. Loved this story. Great tie in to the School for Heiresses Series. You can't help but love the entire family. Enjoy.
romantiqueraven avatar reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 22 more book reviews
Quick and entertaining read- I enjoy Jeffries style. It has just enough naughty to hold my interest and likable characters that allow you to escape for a few hours of reading pleasure.
ra7 avatar reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 1026 more book reviews
This was a wonderful story and I had a smile on my face for most of this book.
Oliver blames himself for his mother's death and what she did. (I don't consider this a spoiler as the reader finds this out in the prologue- Oliver's mother shot and killed their father and then herself). She had caught him doing something (we find out later- towards the end what that was). As a result, he seeks out pleasure to hide his pain.
The Sharpe's grandmother wants her 5 grandchildren married and settled. Oliver the eldest was 35 (I think?), Jarret- 32, Minerva- 28, Gabe- 26, and Celia- 24. She gives them 1 year to find a spouse. If they are all not married when the year is out, they lose their inheritance from her. Oliver believes she is bluffing and plans to call her out on it. When Maria stumbles into a brothel looking for her fiance, he sees his chance. In exchange for her being his fake fiance, he will help look for Nathan (the fiance). Maria's father sent Nathan to England to work on a deal and he has disappeared and is not answering her letters, nor does he know her father is deceased.
Fake relationships can be fun to read about and this one was. The whole family is wonderful, unique, and I didn't dislike a single one. They are all supportive of each other and love each other. I look forward to their stories. Jarret is next.
2 months down, 10 months to find a partner.
sasfras72 avatar reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on
This was my first read by this author. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I would rate this one as better than average. I found the hero to be just the sort that I like. Dark, tortured, but beautiful in his soul. He didn't think he deserved anything good in his life. And then of course, the right woman came along and showed him he was so much more. I liked the family and look forward to their stories as well. The love scenes were slightly steamy and strategically placed so that they added to the story.
reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 10 more book reviews
"They are the scandalous Sharpes, five hell-raising siblings tainted by a shocking family legacy. Now each faces a daunting ultimatum: marry by year's end or kiss their inheritance good-bye"

Sabrina Jeffries is a new author to me. I already read "How To Woo a Reluctant Lady" and found out that it was third in the Hellions of Halstead series. So I immediately hunted down the other two. A Very Good read! compelling characters, one and all. H/H was a good mix of passion and romance. Hero was portrayed as a rake but was a lovable rake. Female character was strong yet properly innocent. Excellent! Overall, 4 stars, can't wait to read the next ones!
HannaM avatar reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 64 more book reviews
this book was not amazing to me. i was really rather disappointed with it in comparisson to her older books like the brotherhood series. the characters were fine but not laugh out loud funny or heartbreakingly tragic. the plot had potential but that was lost by the wayside in the writing. the love scenes were LAME! It was very PG and less than par. If you dont like romances to be really romancey then you will pry appluade this one but me if your going to say some thing is a banana then i want it to be a banana
camishou avatar reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 28 more book reviews
I couldn't put this book down. Can't wait for the rest of the series. Great sense of humor. Emotions there but not drawn out. Lots going on - you won't be bored. Great love story - with a punch. With so much family dynamics, this will be a GREAT series.
robinmy avatar reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 2104 more book reviews
Hester Plumtree is sick of her grandchildren's scandalous behavior and wants some great-grandchildren. So she tells them that they must each settle down and marry within the year, or she will disinherit them. Her oldest grandson, Oliver Sharpe, Marquess of Stoneville, believes that he can outwit his grandmother by bringing home a totally unsuitable fiancee in hopes she will back down from her threat. But as he is searching for someone to fulfill the role at a brothel, he stumbles across Maria Butterfield, an American who is in England searching for her missing groom-to-be. It isn't hard to get Maria to agree to pose as his fiancee. But it is very hard for Oliver to stick with his original plan not to marry anyone, when he is finding himself falling in love with Maria.

This is my first Sabrina Jeffries book and I loved it. The story was thoroughly entertaining and I enjoyed both the hero and the heroine. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 285 more book reviews
Hellions of Halstead Hall

In the two decades since a tragic "accident" took the lives of his parents, Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville, has survived the scandal surrounding that fateful night by living as an unrepentant rakehell. And with his grandmother vowing to disinherit him if he doesn't settle down and wed, he plans to fulfil the bargain in true Sharpe style-by bringing home a fake fiancee from a brother! But his scheme is derailed when he rescues and American beauty in a dire predicament instead. Maria Butterfield came to London to track down her groom-to-be,who's gone missing, but her engagement won't stop Oliver from getting what he wants: her, in his bed. His rebellious masquerade may call his grandmother's bluff, but it's soon made all to real-by a love that tempts him to be a hellion no more.
gkmother avatar reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 12 more book reviews
Jeffries is one of my favorite authors.
teelee avatar reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 50 more book reviews
This is the best Sabrina Jeffries book I've read so far. In fact, this is officially one of my Ultimate Favorites.

From the start, I loved Maria. She was such a character, had spunk, pride but not too much pride, intelligence, wit, and a patient, loving heart. Freddy was hilarious, of course. Oliver was a wonderful hero. His family made me laugh too, and his grandmother was the best.

Now I simply must comment on the love scenes: beautiful, brilliant, the best. They were hot and steamy without being devoid of passion and sensuousness. Truly, these two were made for each other. I think dialogue during lovemaking is especially erotic, and the words that came from Oliver made my blood boil and my body tingle! You do not want to miss this book. Jeffries has proved to be one of the best romance authors in this sexy regency novel.
philippaj avatar reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 136 more book reviews
SUMMARY:
American Maria Butterfield is in London with her cousin Freddy to try and track down her fiance, Nathan. Her father has recently died and although she's tried to get in touch with Nathan to let him know, she hasn't heard from him. Due to a sequence of very odd events involving a brothel and Maria holding a sword to Oliver's (Lord Stoneville) throat, they wind up making a bargain: he won't have Maria and Freddy brought up on theft charges and will hire someone to track down Nathan, while she will pretend to be his fiancee.

Lord Stoneville's grandmother has decided that her five grandchildren are taking far too long to get married and give her the great-grandchildren she so wants, so she is taking matters into her own hands: they all must marry within the year, or they will be completely financially cut off forever. None of the siblings are happy about the ultimatum and Oliver hatches a plan to call her bluff and try and present an unsuitable woman as his bride-to-be. When Maria hands him the perfect bargaining chip, he decides she is as good as any other to help him throw his grandmother's plans in disarray.

OPINION:
I'm not even going to split my comments into "Pros" and "Cons," because frankly I don't know what I would put under the first section. I loved Lord Stoneville in "The School for Heiresses" series and was one of the many who thought --- and hoped --- that he was the mysterious benefactor "Cousin Michael" that would be revealed in WED HIM BEFORE YOU BED HIM, the final book of that series. I was very happy with who it ended up being and how that book turned out, and all the more excited by the idea that Stoneville's story still lay ahead!

I'm sorry to have to say it, but I was very disappointed by this book. I rushed out to get it before work this morning and was anticipating getting home this evening, snuggling up, and enjoying a great new read. I *never* start a book without finishing --- I'm just unable to do it --- but here I skimmed through about the second half of the book and will be posting it on Paperback Swap after I finish writing this review.

What didn't I like exactly?

1) THE CHARACTERS --- They were not at all three-dimensional and if you're a longtime historical romance reader, many of them feel very, very familiar. You have Freddy, the clumsy can't-hold-his-tongue completely clueless side character; Maria, the innocent, pure, spitfire of a heroine who somehow instantly sees through the hero's devil-may-care facade to the lost-boy who feels guilty and only wants love; and the tortured hero who has been sleeping his way through society until he meets the woman who immediately changes his views on everything and makes him realize the burden he carries is not his fault.

2) STONEVILLE'S WICKED WAYS --- For those of us who read "The School for Heiresses" series, we're very familiar with (and dare I say fond of) Stoneville's bad-boy ways. Here, we hardly see any of that --- we're *told* repeatedly what a rake and charmer he is, and everyone harps on this fact, but after meeting Maria (in the first few pages) he so quickly begins to experience the I-feel-about-a-woman-the-way-I-never-have-before phenomena that the remarkable change he is supposedly undergoing is not very remarkable at all. If you've never been introduced to his character before, you'll be left floundering, and if you have . . . well WED HIM BEFORE YOU BED HIM came out 6 months ago and maybe it's just me, but I've read so many other romances since then that his wicked ways are not all that fresh in my mind.

3) THE ROMANCE --- I did not find this romance at all believable because everything happens *SO* quickly! It's almost impossible (IMHO) to have a book span 1-2 weeks of time and contain a credible romance, however when it does work it's only because the characters have known each other for a lengthy time before the book starts, so although the reader is meeting them for the first time they already have a history together, whatever that history may be.

Also, echoing what I wrote in another review for an equally disappointing book (Suzanne Enoch's THE CARE AND TAMING OF A ROGUE): We're never really shown why he is THE ONE for her and she is THE ONE for him. I didn't understand why Maria is the first one to be able to see past Stoneville's defenses; we're told on two different occasions that he's surprised when she remarks on things that even his closest friends haven't noticed --- I'm sorry, is she psychic or is everyone else just absolutely clueless? I think even Dr. Phil could have picked up on some of those clues and made those insights into Oliver's personality. Likewise, I'm not sure why Oliver is all of a sudden drawn to this one young woman when for the past two decades he's viewed the female sex as valuable for pretty much only one thing --- and even that is done without any attachment, as he only has bed partners and no short- or long-term mistresses. What's so special about *her* in particular?

4) THE ROMANTIC ACTION - Another romance-related problem I had was one I've had with a few other of Jeffries' books, the main one that comes to mind being NEVER SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL. After literally only 24 hours of knowing one another, Maria and Oliver are getting hot and heavy in his carriage on the ride between the investigator's office and the dress shop --- they practically do everything but have sex. Going that fast is not usually something I like when reading contemporary romances, so in historicals forget it! We're supposed to be watching them fall in love, but all I really saw was a strong case for lust, which is great but definitely not why I buy romance books.

"THE HELLIONS OF HALSTEAD HALL" SERIES:
I enjoyed the family's interactions and am hoping that the other siblings' books will be better. I'm particularly looking forward to Minerva and Celia's stories, as I think they'll be strong and unusual heroines and I'm hoping that one of them will have Jackson Pinter (the investigator) as their hero. I really liked him in WED HIM BEFORE YOU BED HIM and was happy to see him again here. He seems like he would be a very interesting and definitely not run-of-the-mill hero.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Though it pains me to say this because I'm a Sabrina Jeffries fan, skip this book and read one (or more) of the following instead:
~ By Sabrina Jeffries: WED HIM BEFORE YOU BED HIM, THE PIRATE LORD, or IN THE PRINCE'S BED
~ Fake engagements: Mary Balogh's A SUMMER TO REMEMBER, SLIGHTLY SINFUL, or AT LAST COMES LOVE; Amanda Quick's THE PAID COMPANION
~ Where the bad-boy-turned-good is done right: Suzanne Enoch's LONDON'S PERFECT SCOUNDREL, ALWAYS A SCOUNDREL, THE RAKE, or TAMING RAFE; Gaelen Foley's LORD OF FIRE; Mary Jo Putney's THE RAKE or THUNDER AND ROSES; Lisa Kleypas' WORTH ANY PRICE
dutchess777 avatar reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 70 more book reviews
This is 100% worth reading. Love the way Sabrina Jeffries writes.


I did not want to put it down...
reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 46 more book reviews
Just finished this book- got it secondhand- and got on here to find the next in the series...SO disappointed that I have to wait!!!!!

Definitely an entertaining tale, of redemption, family and love. Excellent read!
reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 239 more book reviews
I loved this book. It was a great start to the new Hellions series and I can't wait for the next one. This may even replace my favorite "Let Sleeping Rogues Lie". The story finally gives Oliver, Lord Stoneville his HEA with Maria Butterfield a feisty American.
reviewed The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, Bk 1) on + 14 more book reviews
In true Sabrina Jeffries form....great story line!