Too Wilde to Wed: The Wildes of Lindow Castle

Not what I expect from James. Tale of lovers who are hindered by serious issues, madcap misunderstandings, and odd ridiculousness (sans humour). Most of story was quintessential James, then it began to veer wildly between madcap humor and completely ludicrous elements. What happened? Hope this novel was an oddly ridiculous aberration. 2.5 stars

North Wilde is the heir to the dukedom. He was jilted in the first book of the series and found his ex-fiancee Diana in a small cottage with a baby not his, so he leaves to fight in America.
Now he's returned and finds Diana working as a nursery maid at his father's estate. He's still in love with her but finds her much changed from the powdered and pampered woman he was engaged to. Diana also is much struck by the changes in North; in order to win her, he had been equally fashionable which is not his real character and now he's acting as his real self.
I love North but I have a lot of trouble with Diana. Her behavior here is often ridiculous and her insistence on not wanting to be a Duchess becomes tiresome. I also found the ending pretty trite, wrapped up in a way that didn't make much sense for a ducal family.
I do like the Wildes family with the numerous and varied progeny from the Duke's three wives though I suspect the next book is going to be about Diana's cousin and the adopted son which I suspect is one I may skip.

At the end of Wilde in Love, Diana runs away from her betrothal party and jilts Lord Roland "North" Wilde. Months later he finds her in a cottage with a baby. Assuming she was with another man, he leaves to fight the war in America. Two years later, he is back and his reputation is ruined, Diana is a Linlow Castle working as a governess to his youngest sister and presumably his bastard son. North wants answers!

Diana never wanted to be a duchess, but if she refused to play along with her mother's scheme, her sister and nephew would be hurt. She agrees to marry North, but she was desperately unhappy, North didn't know the real Diana, only the perfect lady she presented to win him. Her sister died right before her betrothal party and a heartbroken Diana is forced to go, but when she learns that her mother has sent her nephew to an orphanage, she flees without a word. Months later she is living with Godfrey (her nephew) when North finds her, she says she is sorry, but he leaves before she can explain. Later his Aunt Knowes finds her and brings her to the castle. Diana was nearly destitute and let everyone believe that Godfrey was North's son. Gossip spreads and North is painted as a villain.

Upon his return, he realizes that he is still in love with Diana and that he never really knew her. Diana tries to apologize and tells North the whole story, he is shocked and ashamed that he didn't know or give her a chance to explain. They form a friendship and North is determined to make things up to her. He offers marriage, which she refuses, repeatedly. They spend time together and North falls further in love, she calms him, he is suffering from his time at war, he feels guilty about the men lost and can't sleep or eat. But when he is with Diana, she seems to know exactly what he needs and with her, he finds peace.

North knows he should give up his quest for her, but he just can't stay away. He is at a loss, everyone agrees that she is not cut out to be a duchess, but he wants her still. For her part, Diana care for North, but knows she would be miserable as a duchess and has to refuse him, but she too is drawn to him.

The return of her cousin from France, finally sets things in motion to restore both hers and North's reputations, so when North proposes and is rejected once again, he makes another offer - one Diana also refuses. But that offer is a catalyst and forces her to make a decision about hers and Godfrey's future, one that does not include North.

But a well timed rescue, words of wisdom from the mouth of babes and a shocking pronouncement may finally bring these two the HEA they deserve.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it nearly as much as I did the first book. I got tired of Diana's nonsense and thought North was just too good to be true. In true Eloisa James fashion, the story moves right along, is well written, steamy & has plenty of witty banter, ridiculous scenarios, likable secondary characters and a HEA, this book also has a very sweet epilogue and sets up the next book very nicely. This is the second book in the series and I personally think they should be read in order, but I think you could probably read this as a standalone title with no real problem.

North and Diana go from tonnish rituals of courtship to broken betrothal and then from friendship to love. The characters are sympathetically written and their story develops along an entirely natural, believable arc. The hidden star though is the language - lyrical with startlingly sharp, visual imagery of thoughts and feelings. Consider this,
"The truth of it unfolded slowly inside him, the way dye colors water: first just a bright drop, then spreading in every direction."
The book was a pleasure to read not just for the love-story but also for the author's crafty skills with words.

I'm wild about the Wildes! I know. I know. It's probably been said a thousand times, and I know it will be said a million times more, but it's the most perfect way to express how I feel about this marvelous series.

I've been wondering since the first book what the heck was going on with North and Diana. Their relationship in the first book felt so awkward and weird, and the anticipation of finding out what happens next nearly killed me. And not to ruin anything, but it was soooo worth the wait. I'm still recovering from the deep swoon that this story left me in.

It was adorable. It was hilarious. It was heartbreaking. It was perfect. I adore North and Diana. I loved how comfortable they were with each other in this book. James' ability to flawlessly put body language and witty banter to page made this story feel very real to me. Is it weird that I want to be best friends with Diana and North now?

This book was everything. It sucked me in immediately, and by the end of it, I felt like I was embraced by one of the best kind of hugs there is. Do yourself a favor and read it. It was an interesting and very well-written story with a fabulous bunch of characters. I wish I could experience for the first time all over again.

Up until 87%, I could hardly put it down. There were a number of times when I wanted to knock heads together before that, but it wasn't enough to make me set it aside. Then at 87%, I reached my limit, and it became like an endless loop, the same whine over and over and over again, they can never marry each other, she said it would never work, he had to marry someone else, but he didn't want anyone else, but she wouldn't agree so he had to find someone else but he didn't want any one else but she insisted she couldn't marry him so he had to find someone else but he didn't want anyone else but she insisted . . . Seriously. The advantage of paper over Kindle is it is easier to jump ahead to the last couple pages. Since I flipped through, I got an overview of the rest of the story and there are a few bits that were interesting, but not enough to go back and read through.

I just loved Diana and North! I have been looking forward to reading their story since finishing the first book in the series, Wilde in Love. This book would work perfectly well as a stand alone but the ending of the first book really had me eager to read this second installment. I went into this book with pretty high expectations and they were all surpassed. I really had a fantastic time reading this book.

Diana and North were previously betrothed until Diana left without warning. When Diana left, North decided to join the military and went off to war. Diana had reasons for leaving the way she did and has paid a steep price for her decision. When she runs out of options, Diana takes a job as a governess at Lindow Castle with North's family. Things get really interesting when North returns home and learns all of the rumors surrounding his relationship with Diana.

I loved the characters in this book. In the first book, we were introduced to the Diana and North that were for show but in this book we finally get to meet their true selves. I liked getting to know the real Diana and North and enjoyed watching both of them really get to know each other. It was interesting to watch them both realize that they really knew very little of each other when they had plans to marry. Diana and North both prove to be strong people who will sacrifice to do what is right. I thought that the chemistry between them was extremely well done.

It was really interesting to learn about all of the things that happened that brought both Diana and North to their current life situation. North has fought a war and takes his responsibility as heir very seriously. Diana's story was very interesting and I loved the fact that she was willing to give up so much in order to protect someone she loves. They are both very responsible people who tend to put the needs of others above their own. I had a great time watching them both get their happily ever after.

I would recommend this book to fans of historical romance. This was such a smartly written romance filled with character you couldn't help but cheer on. I can't wait to read more of this fantastic series.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Avon Books via Edelweiss.

I am loving the whole big, wild, Wilde family and the great cast of characters that whirl around them at Lindow Castle and in Society. There's always some bit of scandal and a generous amount of chaos whenever this family gets together. Even if they do tease each other over the latest gossip and celebrity prints, they all band together to try to get the best outcome for their family members.

This installment picks up after Diana has jilted North. When he finally tracks her down, she's caring for a baby in a small cottage. He immediately gathers a regiment and is off to the colonies to fight for Britain in the American Revolution. Misunderstandings abound as both characters run from heartache and grief. When they meet again, both North and Diana discover they had been putting on a false front to impress the other, and they never really got to know their true personalities. Given some time together without the prying eyes of Society, maybe there is a second chance to get to know each other and to find love.

I liked both the hero and the heroine. They had both gone through rough experiences, and I really felt like they had a good connection because of the understanding between them. However, the conflict just didn't seem to be that difficult to resolve. I spent most of the book thinking "Why don't you just . . .", and in the end, of course, that's what they did!

I'd recommend this for any fan of historical romance, large fun families, the Georgian period, and Eloisa James.

I received an ARC from the publisher.

So far, I am having a hard time with this series. I have loved many EJ books, but the Wilde stories are falling kind of flat for me. Diana was not very likeable because I didn't understand her actions and thoughts regarding North. I was not a fan of North in the first book, but I did like him in this book. As a couple, they did not engage me. I skipped through the last third of the book because I just did not care what was going on with them. There was a lack of spark.

WOW! Eloisa James always delivers with a great read, I've yet to pick up one of her stories and not come away smiling and being so thrilled to have read the story. TOO WILDE TO WED is no different. The characters are well written and engaging. Their story is heartfelt, funny, romantic, sweet and hot all at the same time. Watching these two find out who the other truly is was a WILD ride. The secondary characters will keep you laughing, and so eager to read their stories. I can't wait for more from the Wilde family! Fans of wonderfully written engaging Historical Romances are sure to find TOO WILDE TO WED a true pleasure. Yes there are moments you'll want to shake both the hero and heroine but in the end you can't help be happy to see their ending......and yet sad to turn the last page. I highly recommend this one for everyone! I can't wait to see what's next for this family.