The Lady Who Cried Wolf (Book 2)

This story draws you in from the beginning. The characters seems so real you can almost see them since they are so well described. This story has family issues, possible scandals, deception, a villain or two, friendship, kidnapping, false rumors, storytelling, humor, friendly banter, romance and love. I believe will enjoy this wonderful written story.

An immature young lady as the lead character of the book...not my favorite read. I didn't care for the outrageous stories that continued to expand throughout the book. I mean they are lies and not really funny. I give Monroe a rating for her writing, but not for the story.
Kisses only.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from the publisher.

Once again the author gives us a story to delight everyone. Lady Olivia’s father is getting frustrated with her lack of wishing to marry. When she meets Jareth, they strike a bargain that works for both. Will this turn into a real romance or stay a bargain. Can’t wait for more.

Thanks to Wolf Publishing for an ARC of this book. It’s part of a new series from Jennifer Moore, and this is the second in the series I’m reading. This one is about Lady Olivia Burnsworth, daughter of an earl, and Jareth, Marquess of Montroy. Lady Olivia is such a prolific storyteller (otherwise known as a liar) that her father and stepmother are at their wit’s end. They engage the services of Violet, Countess of Whitmore, and her helper Lena. Violet is a matchmaker, something she took up after the sudden deaths of her husband and son within three months of each other. Olivia is taken to London to live with the countess who promises to find her a suitable husband. If she fails, Olivia will be married to a lecherous old man who has already expressed an interest in her. Eww.

The countess already has someone in mind for Olivia, the Marquess of Montroy. Jareth seems like a nice enough man. He isn’t averse to marriage, and would actually like to settle down, but he is too picky, finding fault with every woman he meets. When he meets Olivia, he’s initially bowled over by her beauty (as she is by his handsomeness), but he quickly decides she is not suitable for him because of her frequent tall tales. Upon reflection, he realizes she may be able to help him polish up his storytelling abilities. In exchange, he will take her to the theater and introduce her to Mr. Paul Harrison, an actor at the height of popularity. Olivia is convinced he is to be her husband, and she freely tells Jareth this.

For reasons I won’t bother to explain in this review, Jareth and Olivia become fake-engaged. As they spend time together, their banter is often quite amusing. I love how both of them are convinced that the other is flirting and cannot figure out how the other person has such a hold over them. When Jareth does something to offend Olivia, she is quick-tempered. “Olivia had a sudden vision of a large fire sweeping through a field, chasing after Jareth as he ran sobbing his apologies to her.” When she finds out he consulted his butler for advice on how to make things up to her, her response is priceless. “‘Your butler?’ she demanded, her eyes wide with shock. ‘Do you also go to your cook or spiritual advice? Perhaps we should consult a cobbler when we are ready to name our children?’”

Olivia is clever and quick-witted with a wicked sense of humor, ribbing Jareth mercilessly at times. Eventually, he recognizes her teasing is good-natured and enhances her natural intelligence, which he finds irresistible. And as he changes for the better, and Olivia realizes she doesn’t feel the same connection with Mr. Harrison, she grows to love him.

Let me tell you why Olivia earned the title of “The Lady Who Cried Wolf.” Because she told such extravagant and believable stories that often turned out to be untrue, her father dubbed her with that name as he warned her it might lead to trouble some day. Naturally, it does. Hence, the title of the book. But I’d like to offer a different one. Olivia wants, more than anything, to perform on stage. Jareth struggles with jealousy and his desire to protect Olivia, but he’s willing to allow her to live her dream when she tells him one time on stage will be enough for her. When she ignores his warnings about Mr. Harrison because she thinks they’re driven by jealousy, he’s forced to rescue her. Near the end, she admits, “Well, perhaps you are a hero, but only mine.” His response is, “And you…are my lady who cried wolf.” The logical response would have been, “And you…are my leading lady.” I mean, that’s what meant more to her than anything else, and this was supposed to be a tender moment between them. Why would he respond by teasing her with the derogatory nickname her father gave her?

Here’s my other complaint. Lord Walker, Jareth’s primary competition for a lucrative business deal, is a blowhard who brags about his accomplishments and acts as if he’s far superior to Jareth (and many others). When the business is granted to Jareth, Walker storms out of the room. But later, when Jareth acknowledges that it was a lie that helped him to secure that business, Walker responds by telling him that if the contract is offered to him after the truth is shared, he’d like to share it with Jareth. Then, he says, “Teach me how to admit to my wrongdoings, and I’ll teach you ways to improve how you promote yourself.” Based on the way Walker was described prior to this conversation, I don’t believe for one minute that he would have responded that way.

Also, I think too many exclamation points were used.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I didn’t know what to expect and was surprised several times. I recommend it, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

This is the second installment of a fun and entertaining series, Lady Marigold's Matchmaking Service. Olivia loves to entertain and make people feel better and has thus perfected the skill of telling tall tales to help her do this. But when her embellishments go a bit too far, her father sends her to Lady Marigold's Matchmaking services. While at a house party, she meets Jareth, who is both amazed and intrigued by her storytelling capabilities. He, too, would like to develop that skill and asks Olivia to train him to be a better storyteller so he can appear more interesting to others. They come to an agreement where Olivia will help Jareth, and to satisfy her father, he in turn will enter into a fake engagement with Olivia.
I really enjoyed the witty banter between these two and the blossoming relationship as they spent more time together. Some of their storytelling gets a bit out of hand, and the twists and turns and silly mishaps really made for an entertaining story. The story was well-written and very enjoyable, and I was captivated from start to finish. The characters were well-crafted and delightful and I enjoyed following their story. This was a fun and charming story and I look forward to continuing the series.
I received a complimentary copy from Wolf Publishing and am voluntarily leaving my review.