A tender, sweet story about two outcasts finding each other and discovering what it means to fall in love.

This is exactly what it says on the tin: Prudence Lattimar has been tarred with her mother's infamy to the point where she can't have even a delayed Season in London. Desperate for the chance to make a suitable marriage, she accompanies her aunt to Bath, instead, where she's hoping to find an upright young man, possibly a clergyman, with whom she can settle and repair her tattered reputation.

While there, she catches the eye of Haldon Fitzroy-Price, the younger son of Duke who is set to take holy orders and be gifted with a living by his brother. Fitzroy-Price is tall and handsome with every appearance of a proper gentleman, but as Pru gets to know him better, she senses cracks in his facade, and spends a lot of time convincing herself that becoming a vicar will force him to grow up and mature, both in his pursuits and in his taste of friends. He spends most of his time with a cadre of play-soldiers who are stationed just outside Bath and who take pride in insulting Pru to her face.

There is another soldier on the scene, however, one who is recovering from a serious injury sustained in India. Lt Johnnie Trethwell is also a younger son, one who was cast out from his immediate family as a child and who only had an aunt to care for him. Rumor has it that he's waiting patiently on the old girl to settle money on him, or to find a rich widow to marry so as to fund his adventures.

Johnnie feels an immediate spark for the gorgeous, voluptuous Pru, and even though they are warned away from each other by their respective families, they strike up something of a friendship. Johnnie knows what it feels like to be unfairly whispered about by Society, and Pru is trying so hard to put her best foot forward that he wants to help her in any way that he can. He also knows that Halden is a total ass and wants to save her from him if possible. To his credit, he realizes that she has to learn about Halden's true motives for herself, so he keeps an eye on her from afar, ready to sweep her into his arms and comfort her when she learns the truth.

I really enjoyed the fact that these two truly did become friends first. They got to know and admire each other for something beyond their physical appearances. They feel comfortable in each other's presence and share pieces of their real selves. They feel they can be honest with each other, and wish to pursue their friendship, which they do. When he finally does comfort her after she learns just how deeply the tarnish on her reputation runs, it was an emotional gut-punch of the best sort.

The heat factor of this book is on the low side, which was also a refreshing change of pace. It's a true friends-to-lovers romance in the face of certain adversity.

These two also held onto their erroneous beliefs that the other was so set in their ways (Pru wanting to live in the country and breed horses; Johnnie being a restless wanderer who could never settle down to one country. let alone with one woman) for way too long. In spite of the way they acted towards each other, they kept telling themselves they could never be together, even after Lord Halden was out of the picture. It became irritating and tiresome. There were also continuity errors all over the place (plot points, clothing, sequences of events) which should've been caught in the editing process.

In spite of the niggles, this was a lovely story and a refreshing change of pace: a titled and wealthy heroine, a non-titled hero, the setting of Bath instead of London. I'm looking forward to reading the second in the series, starring Pru's twin Temperance (though I am having a hard time with the idea of "Temper" being a nickname...). ( )

Julia Justiss is a gifted author of Regency Romance, writing wonderful characterizations while giving the reader an absorbing view of life in the Regency Era. With "A Most Unsuitable Match", we are introduced to the scandal-ridden Lattimar sisters--notorious not through their own making, but through the unsavory reputation of their mother. Having reached a later age without a proper introduction to society, Prudence Lattimar finds her hopes further dwindled by her mother's latest amorous adventure. Retreating to the lesser societal light of Bath, Prudence hopes to meet a reputable gentleman of good character with whom she would find harmonious married life and happiness in motherhood. However, the man she meets who captures her attention and sets her heart aflutter is Johnnie Trethwell, a charming scoundrel home from service to heal a wounded leg. Johnnie needs to make a quality match as well--a lady with a genteel reputation and a generous dowry to refresh his dwindled family fortune. However, he is quite taken with Prudence, whom he finds not only lovely, but also witty and kind. Prudence sees beyond the gossip around Johnnie, knowing him to be her true friend and champion. While they both realize that they are not what the other is seeking, a certain spark and an appreciation of each other's intelligence and true character adds a deeper longing for their friendship to become something more. Can love give them the courage to reach past society's strictures and grab a future filled with happiness? "A Most Unsuitable Match" will captivate readers, and they will be most eager to read "The Earl's Inconvenient Wife"--the story of Prudence's sister, Temperance.

Book Copy Gratis Author ( )

Prudence Lattimar has fled to Bath, her mother continues to be a thorn in her side, sewing confusion and embarassment. There she meets a man who looks likely for a partner, but there's also Lieutenant Johnnie Trethwell, who comes from a similar family...

It was fun to see Jonnie realise how much Prudence meant to him and to also see how he struggled with making both of their dreams come true. It was a sweet story with characters that appealed to me. ( )