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Why Lords Lose Their Hearts (Wicked Widows, #3)

Manda Collins

Start date: August 1, 2014

Finish date: August 31, 2014

Discussion: Monthly Read

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What Members Thought

Jul 07, 2014 Phoenix77 rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

3.5 Stars

Stories like this are difficult to review because while they are entertaining to read they can also be frustrating. Elements such as a friends-to-lovers plotline (which I love) and a good mystery subplot (which I also love) get tempered with an exasperating main character and story beats that seem off the mark. I enjoyed reading this book and seeing the final Wicked Widow get her happy ending but I don’t know if the romance and suspense were a good as the previous two books.

I loved Arch 3.5 Stars

Stories like this are difficult to review because while they are entertaining to read they can also be frustrating. Elements such as a friends-to-lovers plotline (which I love) and a good mystery subplot (which I also love) get tempered with an exasperating main character and story beats that seem off the mark. I enjoyed reading this book and seeing the final Wicked Widow get her happy ending but I don’t know if the romance and suspense were a good as the previous two books.

I loved Archer’s character, probably because I will always have a soft spot for the perfect Beta-hero. He is the quietly loyal guy who seems to get stuck in the friend-zone while men who act passionate can sometimes become the worst sort (like all the first husbands). I felt his frustration when the object of his affections kept pushing him away and was making the same mistakes she’d made before. I did like that when the threats to Perdita hit too close to home that Archer made a choice and took control of the situation despite her objections. Their relationship seemed stalled until Archer took that step of forcing Perdita to really look at him as a man in charge rather than just her good friend with some extra benefits. I loved the introduction of Archer’s extended family (spin-off bait?), including another duchess who became Perdita’s voice of reason when her own mind kept moving her off the mark.

Perdita’s stubbornness got old very fast; so much so that it was difficult to believe that she was ever truly letting Archer into her heart. With the specter of her dead husband always on her mind I can understand why Perdita would be hesitant to start a new relationship even when she trusted the man she was attracted to; however her staunch belief that she could only marry a milksop was just taking her fear in an illogical (and rather stupid) direction. Perdita also let her obstinacy blind her to the rather good advice everyone around her was giving about leaving London in the face of increasing threats against her. Digging in her heels just to feel the smallest bit of power didn’t seem rational to me and proved just to be a plot device to force Archer to take some drastic Alpha-male type action.

The final chapters of the story did wrap up the larger mystery of who had been threatening all three of the women, but to be honest this resolution seemed too familiar (see book one) and slightly icky (spoilers). I guess Ms. Collins wanted to use that kind of villain just to show that our heroines were really strong and rose above an abusive relationship where this person let it destroy them. At least their motivations were pretty clear-cut and made the reader understand why they would pursue revenge so passionately. Things took another strange turn when the dowager duchess revealed a few of her own secrets and again we get to see how abuse can affect a person on so many levels (seems like only the heroes of this series get to have good first marriages). Fortunately once everyone’s cards were on the table it led to Perdita finally finding some peace about herself and her fears.

I did like the story overall (forgiving the weird ending and Perdita). As far as recommendations, I think it works best for readers who have been loyally following these wicked widows as they each discover some happiness in their lives after facing down such unpleasantness.

**Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing a copy for an honest review**
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Jan 18, 2014 Alisha rated it it was amazing

Loved it!, but now want to know about Archer's brother ...more

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Jul 29, 2014 Emily rated it it was ok

This didn't quite work for me. Maybe it was that I was so excited to read the conclusion of the series and had higher expectations, similar with Collins' first trilogy where I also disliked the 3rd book. I did not like Perdita. At all. Because of this dislike of one of the two main characters, I found myself skimming quite a bit just to get to the end and find out the resolution to the mystery that has been going on since the beginning of the series. I did like Archer quite a bit but this wasn't ...more

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Jul 29, 2014 Charlene rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, reviewed, series-by-author, romance, mystery, regency

Update, October 13, 2014: I've upgraded my review of this book from 3 stars to 4; I feel that I did the author a disservice for singling her out for the anachronisms I found in her book, since I'm finding them everywhere I look these days. I do wish authors would watch out for the avoidable ones, but again, Manda Collins got an unfair rating from me because of this sore spot for me. Apologies, Manda.

+++++++++ Previous review from July 30, 2014:

I looked back at my solid 4-star reviews of the prev Update, October 13, 2014: I've upgraded my review of this book from 3 stars to 4; I feel that I did the author a disservice for singling her out for the anachronisms I found in her book, since I'm finding them everywhere I look these days. I do wish authors would watch out for the avoidable ones, but again, Manda Collins got an unfair rating from me because of this sore spot for me. Apologies, Manda.

+++++++++ Previous review from July 30, 2014:

I looked back at my solid 4-star reviews of the previous two books in this series, and I'm really sorry I did not like this conclusion to the trilogy.

Manda Collins can write well, and her writing is usually well above the average book in this genre. However, I was aware (at least five times) of terribly anachronistic expressions: for example, "Inquiring minds want to know," "in this neck of the woods," and "play well with others." These expressions may come from two centuries ago, but I've only seen them in this particular book from this period. I was inclined to really like this book, so I do note the disturbances to the flow of the story and encourage future beta writers/editors to watch for these kinds of things.

The villain and the older Dowager Duchess were not well drawn at the end of the book, in my opinion. No explanation was given for the content of the dowager's statement, nor was there any clarification about who "D" was, which seemed to be a big hint left hanging in the last chapter or so.

I liked Archer very much, and his family, too. He is a wonderful beta hero. I think I might have needed to re-read the first two books before I read this one to gain a fuller appreciation for him.
Perdita was a disappointing heroine, and the rushed ending of the book did not show enough of her changed mind and/or heart. All in all, I liked the previous two books of this series very much and I'm sorry this review is not more positive. However, I will continue to search out Manda Collins' other books and will watch for her new releases. ...more

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Oct 27, 2013 Christa rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebook-arc

I really enjoyed this historical romance in the Wicked Widows Series. I've been looking forward to Perdita's story, and it did not disappoint. Perdita has been keeping secrets that someone now threatens to expose. Archer Lisle is not about to let anyone harm Perdita in any manner. As he tries to protect her and get to the bottom of the threat, a romance develops between them.

I liked both Perdita and Archer, and enjoyed reading about their developing romance. I also enjoyed the suspense aspect a ...more

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May 17, 2014 Susan Garrett rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this book. It was a wonderful historical romance with a touch of mystery that keeps the reader fully enthralled until the end. I would recommend this book.

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Sep 25, 2013 Beebs marked it as to-read

Oct 27, 2013 Vanessa Kelly marked it as to-read

Jan 09, 2014 Ki rated it it was amazing

Shelves: print, own, ebook, arc

Jan 18, 2014 Pirouette rated it it was amazing

Jan 28, 2014 Colombina marked it as to-read

Shelves: american-autors, historical-fiction

Jan 30, 2014 Sharon Lee marked it as to-read

Feb 10, 2014 Ann Marie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: price-drop, historical-romance, part-of-a-series, kindle, regency, mystery, widow, wicked-widows-series, unrequited-love, mystery-throughout-series