Laura Lee Guhrke - With Seduction in Mind

London Society is harsh for a young woman with no family connections who has to work for a living. But when Daisy Merrick is sacked from yet another job, the feisty and outspoken miss comes up with a plan that could give her a future beyond her wildest dreams. There's only one problem. Her success depends on a man, the most infuriating, impossible, immovable man she's ever met. His resolution . . .
Sebastian Grant, Earl of Avermore, is England's most infamous author. Known for his notorious reputation, he is more interested in play than work, and has no intention of cooperating when Daisy shows up on his doorstep with a mad plan. The provoking, fire-haired beauty stirs his senses beyond belief, and Sebastian knows he has only one way to stop her. Seduction.

Comment: This is the final installment in the Girl Bachelor series by author Laura Lee Guhrke, which I've decided to read now so I could finish another series on hold.

In this book we have the story of Daisy, the dreamy and optimist girl bachelor of the group. Daisy has had many posts but she has not lasted long in none because she can't keep her opinion to herself, nor is she as aware of how her words or reactions are taken by others. Now, Daisy is on the lookout for another job but she fears her sister's Lucy patience won't last when she knows she is unemployed again. Thankfully, serendipity puts her near Marlowe publishing and she hopes to take one of her books and how wonderful would be if she could tell Lucy she lost her job but found a solution?

At the same time, renowned author Sebastian Grant, an earl whose work of fiction has delighted many, is going through a bad phase and his latest play flopped. His friend Harry Marlowe has been his publisher for long but he is definitely disappointed. An ultimatum puts him in the path of Daisy, who has recently criticized his play and trashed it, although her opinion was quite on point. Could it be that if they worked together, they both accomplish their goals?

I actually liked the plot of this book, for it revolves around books and the writing of them, and how something most only see as a final result/product has been a work of months or years and it's more than a collection of words. Daisy here embodies a type of writer who is methodical and a plotter while Sebastian is more a character driven writer. I liked this dichotomy between them which, along with the difference in their backgrounds and personalities, made them personify a sort of opposites attract kind of trope.

The real character study here is on Sebastian, in my opinion. He has gone through an emotional journey which was presented in a rather quick manner but from which a lot could be seen. He has had fame and fortune, to prove his father dreams do come true. Although his relationship with his father was lost, he has gain much but the price was also very high, mainly when it affected his health and peace of mind, due to the companies he kept and the illicit aids he used.

This has affected his mind, his self confidence, his belief in his own worth and skills... he has done what he could to improve and change back to whom he was before the made bad decisions but some things just can't be recovered. By having to spend time with Daisy, he is forced to think on those decisions, to consider if he can actually become a better person and regain his ability to write. I think these considerations and the whole drama content were used in a very correct manner by the author. Adding the more sunny disposition of Daisy the story really turned out to be enjoyable.

Daisy is always in a good mood and she faces adversity and problems in a mostly happy way, not letting herself be put down when things don't go well. When she meets Sebastian, they could not be more different but her perseverance and cleverness helped him want to try to write again, to do something about where his life took him, even if he tells himself the only aim he had was to seduce her and to prove she was wrong when he failed. Of course, this led them into a romance, especially because she spent some time at one his estates, with one of aunts as chaperone.

It is truly a disappointment that the romance was my least favorite part of the novel. It started with both having hidden intentions but the emotions became real very quickly. Still, this only happens way into the story, probably half way or even after, which still makes me think the ratio of romance content vs plot is still quite unbalanced and not even the free interpretation that their initial animosity might hide attraction is enough to convince me their relationship was that strong and even before the big conflict and the HEA in the end happen too.

Although things end happily for them, I still think certain elements could have been done better. I liked the more inner issues they both dealt with than the actual romance, and even removing some predictability, the romance wasn't as special as I imagined. Despite this, I liked this book more than the previous one and, overall, this was certainly a very pleasant series.

Grade: 7/10