REVIEW: Born to Be Wilde by Eloisa James

In Born to Be Wilde (The Wildes of Lindow Castle #3) by Eloisa James, Businessman Parth Sterling is losing the battle over keeping his senses whenever he’s face-to-face with Miss Lavinia Gray. Her beauty stuns him but it is her self-absorbed adoration of fashion that stops him from courting her. But as an unofficial member of the Wilde family, having been raised with the Wilde siblings when his parents died while he was very young, Parth seems to be coming into contact with Lavinia more often. Her apparent financial difficulties concerns him, though, to the point that he vows to help her find a rich husband. Although no one he chooses is good enough for the beautiful gentlewoman. Least of all himself, even with all his wealth. But Parth soon realizes he is the one meant to love and protect her and sets out to prove himself to Lavinia.

“Parth Sterling, are you saying that you’re afraid to kiss me?”
“Only if you’re going to break my heart.”

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Something Lavinia is finding out since the shocking discovery that her mother has been lying to her since her father’s death about their financial situation. The silly idea to ask Parth to wed her proves futile–and just how outrageous she can be at times. Which is not a good thing in his stoic eyes. However, he does promise to help Lavinia find a suitable husband. And at this point she hasn’t much to lose. After years of teasing Parth as they carried on like schoolchildren, she realizes that she’s always had a bit of a crush on him. It seems to intensify the more they spend time together, with sparks of attraction flying between them. But how can Lavinia even think about being with Parth when it’s clear he thinks her vapid and more focused on money and fashion than anything else? Especially when she’s just learning her own self-worth.

‘Giving herself to Parth would confirm all her own worst fears about herself. It would be like embracing the pain of never being good enough.’

In true Eloisa James fashion, Born to Be Wilde had heart, lively bantering, humor, and a whole host of offbeat characters who charmed me with their antics.

Parth’s face was as tranquil as ever, but his eyes…his eyes were fierce.
“May I compromise you, Lavinia?” he asked again.
“Whatever happened to Punctilious Parth?” she whispered, tracing his bottom lip with a finger… “Or to Proper Parth?”

The Wilde family has proven to be quite the interesting bunch. And Parth Sterling–an honorary member of the family–has interested me since we first met him. He may have had moments where he put his foot in his mouth, repeatedly, and didn’t always convey his true feelings through his words. But I thought Eloisa James did a great job with how Parth *showed* his feelings for Lavinia, how he protected her and went out of his way to be near her. Even when he was supposedly trying to find her the perfect man to become her husband. (That didn’t work out so well…) Overall, Parth was a standup guy who was absolutely loyal to the Wildes. I loved watching him with all of them, particularly North (who had his own romance in book 2) and his “aunt”, Lady Knowe. Loved her! She was a riot and oh-so kind to both Parth and Lavinia.

I had a wonderful time getting to know Lavinia better. She seemed rather self-interested in previous books but it turns out that she was actually quite smart and had a keen eye for fashion and helping women dress to accentuate their figures. It was Lavinia’s struggle with her self-esteem that I think a few readers may not really care for much. I completely understood that given the time period (Georgian, 1780) that women were not viewed for their intellect, but how they dressed, their social status and manners, and how they ran their home. It was Lavinia’s obsession with fashion that caused a rift between her and Parth, as he believed she was shallow. So there was definitely some soul-searching going on for her as she figured out what she wanted for her future–as well as coming to terms with her mother’s deception we learned about at the end of book two. Whew. A lot going on, but Eloisa James handled it all smoothly and kept the pacing perfect in this story.

Whether you’ve been following this series or not, I think any fan of historical romance will be able to jump in with Lavinia and Parth’s story and have a grand time. It was great fun to watch them deny their feelings, but even more entertaining once they decided to give in. Definitely recommended.

Book Info:

Published July 31st 2018 | Avon | The Wildes of Lindow Castle #3

The richest bachelor in England plays matchmaker…for an heiress he wants for himself!

For beautiful, witty Lavinia Gray, there’s only one thing worse than having to ask the appalling Parth Sterling to marry her: being turned down by him.

Now the richest bachelor in England, Parth is not about to marry a woman as reckless and fashion-obsessed as Lavinia; he’s chosen a far more suitable bride.

But when he learns of Lavinia’s desperate circumstances, he offers to find her a husband. Even better, he’ll find her a prince.

As usual, there’s no problem Parth can’t fix. But the more time he spends with the beguiling Lavinia, the more he finds himself wondering…

Why does the woman who’s completely wrong feel so right in his arms?