Noble Intentions and The Trouble With Harry

by Katie MacAlister

#1 and #3 in the Noble Trilogy.

(Noble Destiny reviewed earlier was #2.)

Back cover for Noble Intentions:

HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE

Noble Britton had suffered greatly at the hands of his first wife, and he refused to fall into the same trap again. This time he intended to marry a quiet, biddable woman who would not draw attention to herself or cause scandal. Gillian Leigh's honest manner and spontaneous laughter attracted him immediately. It mattered little that she was accident-prone; he could provide the structure necessary to guide her. But unconventional to the tips of her half-American toes--toes that one of them was constantly tripping over--his new bride turned the tables on him, wreaking havoc on his orderly life. And worse, demanding he surrender his heart. Perpetually one step behind his beguiling spouse, Noble suffered a banged up head, a black eye, and a broken nose before he realized Gillian had healed his soul and proved that their union was no heedless tumble, but the swoon of true love

My Thoughts:

I liked Gillian best of all the "Noble" women. I thought she was fresh and fun and forthright. (didn't originally plan that little alliteration, but just got lucky.) I thought Noble, was a great hero. A bit stodgy without having a stick up his.......well you know. And he was Hot! Then the way he loves Nick. Even though he didn't "have to". Some of the banter reminded me of some of my favorite romantic comedies. I especially like the scene where Nick is trying to get his father's attention. "Papa, Mama blah blah blah" (can't remember the exact dialogue as I've read 3 books since then) Noble is like, "Not Now Nick!" and back and forth it goes, until Noble finally realizes that Nick has spoken. For the first time since his very early childhood. (something like 5 years) Then it's a lightning bolt. Awesome! Emotional without being heavy. Fun without being frivolous.

Back Cover for The Trouble with Harry:

The third book in the loosely connected Noble series, The Trouble With Harry tells the tale of Frederica "Plum" Pelham, a woman with a past, and Harry, Marquis Ross--a man who has a few secrets of his own.Although Plum thinks Harry is the answer to all her problems, she quickly finds out that he's not quite as perfect as she thought...there's the matter of his five hellion children, his refusal to let her hide from prying eyes, and oh yes, the man from his past who's trying to kill them all. Not to mention the first husband she thought was dead...

My Thoughts:

It seemed too quick for me in the beginning. A little too..um...horny. (sounds so 16 years old. but that's the way it felt.) Anyway, I felt like there was too much of the standard, "I think he means this, but he really means that" (not my favorite plot devise). Anyway, things really got better when they moved to town. I think Thom is a gem and honestly I'd love a novella of her story with Nick (the son from Noble Intentions). Anyway, the climax was good, and the children grew on me, but were really not that endearing. Then the secrets (that I won't divulge her) were....ok.

Overall they were probably a 4 star and a 3.5 star reads for me.