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The Scoundrel's Bartered Bride (Harlequin Historical) Kindle Edition

by Virginia Heath (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 85 ratings
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Marriage… To the highest bidder Lady Lydia Barton cannot seem to avoid Owen Wolfe since he’s returned after being wrongly transported for stealing her family’s jewels! But Lydia has more pressing problems, like her impending arranged marriage. Until Owen makes her father a counteroffer for her hand. Is Owen purely after her society connections, or dare Lydia hope that the charming stable boy she once loved is still within her ruthless, wealthy new husband? “Virginia Heath’s writing is as warm, witty, and insightful as ever...one of the best authors of historical romance around.” —All About Romance on The Determined Lord Hadleigh “I loved every minute of this story along with the wonderful witty moments that I have come to love from Virginia Heath’s writing.” —Rae Reads on The Determined Lord Hadleigh From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.
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  1. Print length
    369 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Harlequin Historical
  5. Publication date
    July 1, 2020
  6. File size
    2831 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

Harlequin historical romance period sweeping bodice regency victorian scottish viking past history

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I always look forward to a release from Virginia Heath. Her books whisk me away and provide and escape from everyday life." - RaeReads Book Blog

"Much like any Virginia Heath title I cannot recommend The Scoundrel's Bartered Bride enough." - The Blossom Twins

"One of the best historical romances that I have ever read." - Books of All Kinds, Blog

"A well written, second chance at love story with wonderful characters….I really enjoyed the story and would happily recommend it!" - Flippin' Pages

"A very easy book with which to escape for a few hours" - Rosie Amber, Book Blog

"The Scoundrel’s Bartered Bride is lovely, uplifting, and entertaining." - Lu Reviews Books, Blog

"An amazing second-chance romance." - Carla Loves to Read

"Virginia Heath to me is one of the best in her field." - KraftiReader, Book Blog

"This is a thoroughly enjoyable read from a top-notch author." - Caitlyn Lynch, Author and Blogger

"A perfect fiery romance full of real wit and raw passion." - Chicks, Rogues and Scandals

"As always with Virginia Heath’s novels, this is beautifully-paced, full of great characters, and I could not put it down. Highly recommended." - Jennifer C. Wilson, Writer and Blogger

"I absolutely adore this heartwarming Regency romance." - The Eclectic Review, Book Blog

"I've never met a Virginia Heath book I didn't like!" - The Blossom Twins

"Guaranteed to make you swoon." - A Cozy Read, Book Blog

"Virginia Heath has written a character-driven, historical romance with plenty of conflict, humor, heart, and a sigh-worthy happy ending, that kept me eagerly turning pages from start to finish." - The Romance Dish, Book Blog

"What a great second chance historical romance this proved to be, I really enjoyed reading it!" - Splashes into Books, Blog

About the Author

When Virginia Heath was a little girl it look her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Over thirty books and three Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominations later, it still takes her forever to fall asleep.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B083Y3R59R
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harlequin Historical (July 1, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2831 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 369 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 85 ratings

About the author

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Virginia Heath

Virginia Heath

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When Virginia Heath was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happily ever after. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Twirty Regency Romcom books, two publishers and three Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominations later, and it still takes her forever to fall asleep.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
85 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

History Buff
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024
Verified Purchase
Honorable main male character. Interesting lovable side characters. Despicable male aristocratic relatives. Female character finds the truth in the end.
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Laurel
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Regency novel
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2020
Verified Purchase
Interesting second chance romance novel with engaging characters and a fast moving plot. I enjoyed Owen and Lydia very much. They had good heat and chemistry. Their story of being together against the odds was entertaining and compelling.
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OLT
3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not the author's best.
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
I just discovered Virginia Heath a couple of months ago and immediately put her into my list of favorite HR authors, mostly because of how much I liked REDEEMING THE RECLUSIVE EARL and THE DISCERNING GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE. Those two had a lovely balance of humor and romance, with smart banter and intelligent dialogue.

This new one is nicely written, is romantic, and deals well with the topics of misapprehension, misunderstanding, resentment, and forgiveness. What I missed here, however, was the humor and wit of those two favorites mentioned above. There was a bit of levity in the relationship between the hero here and his business partners, but the H/h relationship, although satisfying after getting over the initial intransigence and willful misunderstanding on the heroine's part, did not have that spark of humor and fun of the other two.

Granted, the topic here is relatively serious. Young star-crossed lovers, not from the same social class, separated by tragic events for almost 10 years, reunited, but there's resentment keeping them apart. Not to mention that social class difference still existing, since he is a former stable boy turned successful businessman and she is the daughter of a peer.

When he worked as a stable boy at her father's estate, he was falsely accused of stealing from the household and sent to Australia for 7 years or so. Although in love with him, she was convinced by her family that he had really committed the crime. Now he's back and things don't look so good as far as their relationship is concerned. But her daddy is a piece of work who needs money and is about to arrange her marriage to a sleazy marquess to get his debts paid off.

Our hero doesn't like this idea and "buys" her for himself. Now we have not only a second-chance romance but also a marriage-of-convenience romance to sit back and enjoy. And a bit of a mystery because the hero wants to prove his innocence once and for all, which means he needs to uncover the actual thief of years ago.

This is a good romance. Perhaps if I hadn't read the other two that were more to my liking I would have awarded it more stars. Heath still remains in my list of HR authors worth reading.
6 people found this helpful
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Brutally Honest Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable read!
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2020
Lady Lydia Barton is getting married… to the highest bidder for her hand. Her father is desperate for a quick influx of cash to pay his debts, and his daughter’s hand in marriage is a valuable asset. Lydia’s opinion on the matter is not sought. The front runner is an old, piggish Marquess who horrifies her, but he’s pipped at the post by a man who might be worse, Owen Wolfe. Owen and Lydia have a history of the worst sort… she was sixteen and he eighteen when he was caught stealing her mother’s jewels, convicted and shipped off to Australia. Now he’s back, inexplicably successful and wealthy, running an exclusive gentlemen’s club.

Owen does come across, at times, a bit too good to be true. Considering the horrors he’s endured, he’s really astoundingly chill about getting his revenge. I know I’d be holding a grudge, but he doesn’t really seem all that worried about anything except Lydia knowing he was innocent. There was a vast class divide them back then which is now bridged by his having money and her father needing it, but there’s a bit of a frustrating lack of explanation as to just how Owen managed to learn to move pretty seamlessly in high society. I really enjoyed his friendship with Randolph, a major side character who has dwarfism. Married to a normal woman and with 3 (later 4) kids, Randolph is a charming breath of fresh air, and it’s nice to see a dwarf character portrayed as a romantic hero in his own right, even as a side story.

Although this book looks as though the conflict is going to be internal between the protagonists, it’s actually the external forces which threaten their happiness the most, and the exploration of these makes for an intriguing story. I admit I saw the villain reveal coming a mile off, but then there were a very limited number of potential candidates, and it still carried a big emotional impact for Lydia when she discovered the depth of betrayal.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable read from a top-notch author who really knows how to do her research. The description of the prison hulks and the life of a convict in Port Jackson, while not dwelled on, were gut-wrenching, and one can only imagine the horrors that so many endured. I very much enjoyed this and I’m happy to give it five stars.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via Rachel’s Random Resources.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Frances
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this story, it took only a few hours to read, always a good sign.
Owen and Lydia were attracted to each other as teenagers although he was just a stable lad and she was the daughter of the Earl of Fulbrook. Their romance was stopped when Owen was falsely charged with theft from Lydia’s house and transported to a penal colony in Australia. Now he is back, determined to prove his innocence to Lydia.
He flourished in Australia and when he was pardoned by the Governor for an act of bravery, he decided it was time to return to Britain and clear his name.
Lydia and her family had not fared well in the intervening ten years, now her Father and her brother expect her to marry to a repulsive man to save the family name. At the last moment Owen comes up with an alternative solution, however Lydia believes that Owen betrayed their friendship and cannot forgive him, she only has a short time to decide where her future lies.
There were quite a few likeable characters in this story and they moved the story on a at a good pace. I felt that it lost its way a bit as it neared the end when Owen seemed to dither on decisions and declarations but otherwise, I enjoyed the story.
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Romance Everything
3.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Wolfe
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2021
Verified Purchase
⭐⭐⭐ 📖

This romance story is set in Regency London. The working class hero Wolfe was involved romantically with his employers daughter Lydia. He was framed for stealing from the family and sent to Australia to serve his sentence for the supposed crime. He manages to get back to London and make a fortune for himself and what he really truly wants now is Lydia.

Lydia has been matched with someone else to marry - to cover her fathers debts but Wolfe bribes her father to marry Lydia instead.

This story I gave three and a half stars as the plot was good but I did find the sexual tension between Lydia and Wolfe quite frustrating. This lasted for quite a chunk of the book, thus I struggled to get past this part but I persevered and enjoyed the rest.

Wolfe was the character that shined the brightest. He was very considerate, kind and thoughtful of Lydia and his friends.

⭐⭐⭐ ❤
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avidreader
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2020
Verified Purchase
Virginia Heath has written some very likeable male characters, and Owen Wolfe is one of them. A man who has risen above the miscarriage of justice in his youth to become a very successful businessman, he is honourable, noble of spirit and loyal. His interractions with his business partner, wife and children, and his determination to save the young, well-born woman with whom he had an adolescent relationship from a repugnant marriage show him to be an essentially good man, one who will do anything for his friends. When he marries Lydia to save her from the marriage brokered by her male relatives, he and she have to work around their undeniable attraction to one another, which has not diminished over the years, while learning to trust their own feelings about what happened seven years ago. How it slowly comes about makes for an engaging story - but for me, Owen was the outstanding character. Implausible in places, and the villain was obvious to me, but didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story.
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Marie
3.0 out of 5 stars Okay but.....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2021
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading this story but feel I can only give three stars. The tale itself is a good idea and it shows what happens to a family fractured by gambling debts and a crumbling estate which has not been tended to. Owen 's friends are included but apart from that there are no other characters who could contribute to the story. The misunderstandings between him and Lydia are eventually cleared up but it felt like there should be more happening. Something along the lines of the bailiffs visiting the brother maybe or a very angry villain calling in a debt. As none this did happen, we are left with the thought that this will be inevitable. I would prefer to actually read about it than imagine it hence the awarding of three stars.
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