WHY LORDS LOSE THEIR HEARTS is Book three in the Wicked
Widows series by Manda Collins. This is the first book
I've read by Manda Collins. Even though WHY LORDS LOSE
THEIR HEARTS is part of a series, I was able to enjoy the
story without being confused. Manda Collins gives enough
background information for readers new to the series. The
only thing that can be a little confusing is how many women
have the words "Duchess of Ormonde" as part of their title -
-
there is the heroine, her sister, and the dowager Duchess
of Ormonde who is Perdita's mother-in-law.
I really enjoyed reading WHY LORDS LOSE THEIR HEARTS and
felt like it got more and more interesting as the story
progressed. Perdita is a woman happy to be a widow. Her
husband was incredibly abusive right up until he died. She
is enjoying making her own decisions without being under
the thumb of some man and always being in fear. I think
Perdita is a sympathetic character and her reasoning and
motivations are gone into thoroughly, making her very real.
Given her history, it is very understandable that she wants
her next marriage to be arranged using her head rather than
her heart. Her heart led her to her last husband. That
presents something of a problem for Perdita's friend, Lord
Archer Lisle. He has loved her from afar for years.
Archer is the epitome of a sexy good guy. His intentions
toward Perdita are honorable and very sincere. He tries to
entice her to change her mind and marry him instead of
someone she can control but won't love. He is sensitive to
her desire for autonomy and her reluctance to trust her
heart to a man. He's a hero and all-around nice guy without
being boring. Archer rates as one of my new all-time
favorite heroes. I love a charming hero, rather than a
smarmy one. The romance that develops between them is both
sweet and full of heat.
The situation involving Perdita's mysterious stalker adds a
lot of excitement to WHY LORDS LOSE THEIR HEARTS and had me
on the edge of my seat. Perdita's insistence on not
curtailing her activities because of the stalker and his
threats might seem annoying, if not for her background of
being controlled. The element of danger, of never knowing
who is behind the many scare tactics, had me glued to the
page. I also love the romance of Archer sweeping Perdita
away and trying to protect her, without seeming patronizing
or condescending in any way. The suspense and their flight
seemed wonderfully Hitchcockian.
WHY LORDS LOSE THEIR HEARTS is an exciting, suspense-filled
mystery wrapped in a delicious romance. I loved meeting
Archer's family and wouldn't mind reading about his
brothers in future stories. After enjoying this story as
much as I did, I will hunt down the previous books in this
series and I look forward to reading future books by Manda
Collins.
THE TRUTH COULD RUIN HER
In Manda Collins's Why Lords Lose Their Hearts, Perdita, the
widowed Duchess of Ormonde, keeps a dangerous secret—the
truth of how her brutish husband died. But a mysterious
avenger seems to know it, too, and when anonymous threats
turn into public attacks, there’s only one friend she can
turn to for help—her husband’s former secretary, Lord Archer
Lisle. The man who witnessed her every heartache. The kind
of man whose love she can only dream of …
WILL HIS LOVE SAVE HER?
The youngest of the Duke of Pemberton’s five sons, Lord
Archer Lisle is used to waiting his turn. For years, he
could only stand by, seething, as Perdita suffered at the
hands of her husband, but now she’s under threat from
another source—one who will stop at nothing to make her pay
for the late duke’s death. But the good-natured Archer can
be dangerous when crossed—and he’ll do anything to keep the
woman he’s adored for so long safe in his arms…