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Editorial Reviews
Just What is the Trouble With Harry?
1. He is Plum's new husband. Not normally a problem, but when you consider that Harry advertised for a wife, and Plum was set to marry his secretary, there was cause for a bit of confusion.
2. He has a title. Plum has spent the last twenty years hiding from the ton, and now Harry wants her to shine in society? Horrors!
3. He doesn't know about her shocking secret. How is she going to explain about the dead husband who isn't a husband...and who now seems to be alive again?
4. He's fallen in love with her. And yet, the maddening man refuses to confide in her. For Plum knows the real trouble with Harry is that he's stolen her heart.
1. He is Plum's new husband. Not normally a problem, but when you consider that Harry advertised for a wife, and Plum was set to marry his secretary, there was cause for a bit of confusion.
2. He has a title. Plum has spent the last twenty years hiding from the ton, and now Harry wants her to shine in society? Horrors!
3. He doesn't know about her shocking secret. How is she going to explain about the dead husband who isn't a husband...and who now seems to be alive again?
4. He's fallen in love with her. And yet, the maddening man refuses to confide in her. For Plum knows the real trouble with Harry is that he's stolen her heart.
Related Reviews
MacAlister is Totally Delightful
Katie's back with another witty tale!
Katie Macalister is one of the most delightful (and prolific) writers in Romance today. She is not Shakespeare, but then I, for one, thank goodness for that! We already have old Will. When I want the Scottish Play, I blow the dust of my very ancient copies and read it. When I want sheer fun, I look to Lynsay Sands and Katie Macalister. I love British humour (works out nice since I am Scot!), but that dry wit is often missing in the works of a lot of American writers. I am not talking about highbrow humour, but that you-can't-help-but-howl-aloud Benny Hill wacko laughs! The kind that has your erupting with buffos, has people looking at you as if you have gone around the bend one too many times, the kind that has your husband exiling you from the living room while he is trying to watch CASI because you are making too much noise. Many writers can provoke a giggle. Few make me laugh so hard I hurt. There is nothing more special a writer can do for you. They leave you feeling good all over.
And Trouble With Harry is a sheer delight from page one! One of my favourite Hitchcock movies carries this name. It was deadpan humour that was just so on target, so it's not surprising to find this book is the same. It's a delightful Regency - and from the opening scene where beleaguered Harry is trying to explain the facts of "womanhood" to his eldest daughter - you are already laughing out loud!
The Trouble with Harry, 45-years-old- is a father, coming to parenthood late in life. There in little India - no longer the little angel sent to grace her life since she is in urgent need to know about the birds and the bees, the twins trying to "fly" from the barn roof again, Marston - Harry's heir - who thinks he would rather be a blacksmith than the next Marquis Rosse, and MacTavish who presents his father dear with his latest "finds". Harry, left to raise his five hellions...um, precocious darlings on his own, faces the decision he has to remarry, find a good stable woman who can bring some semblance to his chaotic life. Being a smart man, he immediately instructs Templeton, his man of affairs to find him a suitable wife by advertising for one.
He would like a companion suited to him, and one who could bring peace to his herd, so he wants Templeton to move quickly before word gets out Lord Harry needs a wife. He dictates he wants a woman between 35-50, who must like children and be possesses a "certain charm to her appearance", though it's not absolutely necessary. While she might not have to be toothsome, he would like to look at her and not think of a bulldog!
Enters Plum. She desperately wants a family, would love children, but no man in all of Dorset would accept her "after the scandal" - well, no man except Harry. She was married once, well almost married. Charles her husband, forgot to mention one little thing before their marriage - that he already had a wife! But Plum is understanding and does not judge all men by Charles. Also, she is an author of "The Guide to Connubial Calisthenics" - a book deemed so obscene to be banned by the government. Plum answers the ad in the paper and is shocked to find after answering three questions that Harry and she are engaged to be married the day after tomorrow. And the fun begins.
Katie Macalister gives us a wonderful, funny tale of middle-age people who think romance has past them by. Three cheers for Macalister and let's hope she keeps them coming! No one does them quite like her!
I want more historicals Katie!!!
Don't get me wrong, I love Katie Macalister's contemporaries but she's a breath of fresh air with her historicals. It's so nice to read a historical with such a great sense of humor and such strong and fiesty female leads.
Harry needs a wife. He's got five out of control children and is in desperate need of a woman to run his household and, er, attend to his needs. Enter Plum, a woman who's been ruined by her first husband over 20 years before. She's also the mysterious author of a very racy sex book. Both the romantic leads are over 40, something that pleased me compared to books with 19 year old women married to 35 year old men.
Of course, this being a Macalister book, silly hijinks ensue, the kids are wild, the household staff are a wild assortment from the lothario butler to the bodyguard footmen and Harry and Plum engage in all manner of bedroom gymnastics with great energy and creativity. Plum is no pushover and even when it becomes obvious that someone is out to harm her new family, she does not waver. You gotta love the heroine who doesn't wilt at the first difficulty. You also have to love Harry for loving Plum so much.
All in all, The Trouble with Harry is an amazingly entertaining read that will supply plenty of laughs and more than a little heat between Plum and Harry.
Harry needs a wife. He's got five out of control children and is in desperate need of a woman to run his household and, er, attend to his needs. Enter Plum, a woman who's been ruined by her first husband over 20 years before. She's also the mysterious author of a very racy sex book. Both the romantic leads are over 40, something that pleased me compared to books with 19 year old women married to 35 year old men.
Of course, this being a Macalister book, silly hijinks ensue, the kids are wild, the household staff are a wild assortment from the lothario butler to the bodyguard footmen and Harry and Plum engage in all manner of bedroom gymnastics with great energy and creativity. Plum is no pushover and even when it becomes obvious that someone is out to harm her new family, she does not waver. You gotta love the heroine who doesn't wilt at the first difficulty. You also have to love Harry for loving Plum so much.
All in all, The Trouble with Harry is an amazingly entertaining read that will supply plenty of laughs and more than a little heat between Plum and Harry.
I wish Harry would give me some trouble!
Here's yet another wonderful submission from Katie Macalister. If you enjoyed 'Nobel Intentions' you will love 'The Trouble With Harry'. This book has the same quick wit and sexy interludes. Plum and Harry strike sparks off of each other right from the start. The secondary characters are hilarious (I love Thom and the children). We get a brief glimpse of Nick from 'Noble Intentions' which I hope means a book about him will soon follow! Have no fear and go ahead and purchase this one!
Another winner from Katie MacAlister!
This book is wonderful! It dares to stray from the typical romance heroine with Plum, a 40 year old woman with a heart of gold. She marries Harry, a widower with five rambunctious children, and becomes the glue that holds the family together. The story includes the wit and hilarity that is typically found in a Katie MacAlister book. I loved it and have been encouraging friends to read it too!
A wonderful, funny and touching story by Katie MacAlister. Besides getting to know Harry and Plum, there is the pleasure of revisiting Noble and his son Nick. Also Plum's niece Thom is a delight. Harry's staff including his overenthusiastic butler is also a well rounded cast. After finishing The Trouble With Harry you will be left with a smile on your face and a yearning to have Nick's and Thom's story.
Another fun historical Romance by MacAlister
"Plum" is a 30+ year old single woman who has many secrets. She is the secret author of "Connubial Calisthenics" and she was embroiled in a scandal years ago which has made her one wish in life to have children look like it will never happen. Not only is she getting to old to have children but no one will let her forget the scandal. Years earlier she had married a man she was in love in only to find out after six weeks that he was already married to another. This makes society "the ton" decide that she was his mistress.
Marques Harry Haversham is a 40+ year old widow with five "hellion" children. He decided that he needs a wife to keep him company and to help raise his children. Feeling that it would be a waste of time to spend a season trying to find someone that would fit him he decided to put an add in a local paper for a wife.
Plum is the 33rd applicant and it is decided that they will be wed the next day.
After they marry, Plum learns that Harry is a Marques and that he doesn't want any more children. She is so taken aback she tosses him out of her room on their wedding night. But, the next morning she has realized that she has just as many secret. When she reveals them to Harry she is surprised that they don't seem to worry him. In fact their attention is immediately drawn to the fact that the children seem to be more than a little accident prone. When they are almost run down by a carriage and Harry's godson is there to see that the driver had not really been passed out, they both come together and try to determine who is trying to hurt their family.
As usual this was a fun and lighthearted offering from MacAlister. You even get to see a couple of characters from her earlier books. Her writing and "spunky" character continue to keep me waiting for her next book.
Marques Harry Haversham is a 40+ year old widow with five "hellion" children. He decided that he needs a wife to keep him company and to help raise his children. Feeling that it would be a waste of time to spend a season trying to find someone that would fit him he decided to put an add in a local paper for a wife.
Plum is the 33rd applicant and it is decided that they will be wed the next day.
After they marry, Plum learns that Harry is a Marques and that he doesn't want any more children. She is so taken aback she tosses him out of her room on their wedding night. But, the next morning she has realized that she has just as many secret. When she reveals them to Harry she is surprised that they don't seem to worry him. In fact their attention is immediately drawn to the fact that the children seem to be more than a little accident prone. When they are almost run down by a carriage and Harry's godson is there to see that the driver had not really been passed out, they both come together and try to determine who is trying to hurt their family.
As usual this was a fun and lighthearted offering from MacAlister. You even get to see a couple of characters from her earlier books. Her writing and "spunky" character continue to keep me waiting for her next book.
I picked this book up on my usual book store run and i have to say that this was a great book just loved it even though one part stuck in my mind because i had read almost the same thing in an early amanda quick book but i have always loved katies books and recommend this or any of her books to anyone.
terrific Regency romance starring two middle age heroes
Forty-something widow Marques Harry Haversham decides he needs a wife to help him raise his five unruly children, but feels too old to enter the marriage mart and besides he does not want to suffer the torture of the Ton. Instead of soirees and balls, he places an advertisement in the paper. To his shock, he receives numerous candidates from all types of life, shapes, and age. He chooses the thirty-third interviewee, "Plum" Pelham as his spouse.
After they marry, Plum learns that Harry is marques, something he conveniently hid from her. He also concealed the five kids he expects her to nurture. Though taken aback, Plum adapts because she has a secret too. Two decades ago, she married only to learn her spouse was a polygamist; her family blamed and disowned her. However, her past surfaces when her first "spouse" tries to blackmail her, but even worse someone is trying to hurt the children. Plum will do anything to protect Harry and the kids and he feels likewise, for THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY is that Plum loves him.
This is a terrific Regency romance starring two delightful forty plus protagonists. The secondary characters propel the tale as the children add comic relief until the accidents occur and her "ex" provides a bit of intrigue along with the person causing the accidents, who could be the polygamist though Plum doubts that. Readers will enjoy this fabulous historical starring two middle age heroes.
Harriet Klausner
Not nearly as good as the reviews led me to believe.
For me this book had some cute moments but it also had many more moments which were nothing but pure irritation. I did not find it funny that Harry did not tell Plum about any of his children before the wedding and had actually intended to introduce her to the children one a day until she had met them all. How ever did he intend to perform this miracle? In the first few pages the five got into more scrapes and mischief than most children get into in a full year. A bull in the foyer? With no person seriously trying to get the animal out? With Harry actually hiding in his office? See, I don'lt find that kind of scenario funny. To me it is so totally impossible that it makes me thoroughly dislike where the author seems to believe I can be led. Were we supposed to believe that Plum could have just hitched up her skirts and waded right in to become the perfect Mum to this crew?
Also, Plum had been married for six weeks twenty years previously. How in the world did she gain enough sexual experience in that time to be able to write a book? Why did she even get the idea of writing a book? Did she write it soon after Charles left her? Did she write it because she needed money? Did she write it because she just wanted to share her vast knowledge? The author gives us no clues and answers no questions and because of that this part of the story made absolutely no sense. Had she not had a hankering for "Connubial Calisthenics" in all that time? What was it about Harry that triggered her overwhelming longing to once again practice these "arts" after being married to him for five hours? They were practically foaming at the mouth for each other yet neither knew the first thing about the other. It made me think, I'm sorry to say, about "connubial calisthenics" for hire. He lied, lied, lied. She lied, lied, lied. Is this funny? Not for me.
I wanted very much to like this book. Harry was an older hero and he wore glasses and he wasn't gorgeous. Instead of sympathizing with him and his plight, I just wondered why he didn't get a grip and deal with his children and their horrible behavior. Plum was an older heroine which is refreshing in romance novels but I didn't like her because every time she found out another of Harry's lies she blamed herself and tried to figure out how to keep him from sending her away. When the brats were being brats she blamed herself and tried to come up with ways to keep Harry from sending her away. How could she be expected to be a perfect mother to five hellions? She had never been a mother to even one hellion.
Unfortunately, not recommended. This author had a good idea but with kids who were so totally bratty and two adults whom I never liked, this story did not stand a chance with me.
Also, Plum had been married for six weeks twenty years previously. How in the world did she gain enough sexual experience in that time to be able to write a book? Why did she even get the idea of writing a book? Did she write it soon after Charles left her? Did she write it because she needed money? Did she write it because she just wanted to share her vast knowledge? The author gives us no clues and answers no questions and because of that this part of the story made absolutely no sense. Had she not had a hankering for "Connubial Calisthenics" in all that time? What was it about Harry that triggered her overwhelming longing to once again practice these "arts" after being married to him for five hours? They were practically foaming at the mouth for each other yet neither knew the first thing about the other. It made me think, I'm sorry to say, about "connubial calisthenics" for hire. He lied, lied, lied. She lied, lied, lied. Is this funny? Not for me.
I wanted very much to like this book. Harry was an older hero and he wore glasses and he wasn't gorgeous. Instead of sympathizing with him and his plight, I just wondered why he didn't get a grip and deal with his children and their horrible behavior. Plum was an older heroine which is refreshing in romance novels but I didn't like her because every time she found out another of Harry's lies she blamed herself and tried to figure out how to keep him from sending her away. When the brats were being brats she blamed herself and tried to come up with ways to keep Harry from sending her away. How could she be expected to be a perfect mother to five hellions? She had never been a mother to even one hellion.
Unfortunately, not recommended. This author had a good idea but with kids who were so totally bratty and two adults whom I never liked, this story did not stand a chance with me.
Hilariously Funny! Don't Miss This One!
Marques Harry Haversham, forty-five year old widower, decides he needs a wife, a good stable woman, to help him raise his five unruly children. She must have a "certain charm to her appearance", though it's not absolutely necessary. While she might not have to be toothsome, he would like to look at her and not think of a bulldog!" Feeling too old to enter the marriage mart, and not wanting to suffer the torture of the Ton, he places an advertisement in the paper. To his dismay, he receives numerous applications from all types of women. He finally chooses the thirty-third interviewee, "Plum" Pelham, as his spouse. She desperately wants a family, would love children, but no man in all of Dorset would have her "after the scandal" - well, no man except Harry.
After they marry, Plum learns that Harry is marques, something he conveniently forgot to tell her. He also concealed the five kids he expects her to mother. Though clearly taken aback, Plum adapts because she has a secret too. Two decades ago, she married, well almost married. Charles her husband, forgot to mention one little thing before their marriage -- that he already had a wife! Of course, her family blamed and disowned her. Also, she is an author of "The Guide to Connubial Calisthenics" -- a book judged so obscene to be banned by the government. Her past surfaces when her first "spouse" tries to blackmail her, but even worse someone is trying to hurt the children. Plum will do anything to protect Harry and the kids and he feels likewise.
This is a terrific Regency romance starring two delightful forty-something protagonists who think love has passed them by. The secondary characters propel the tale as the children add comic relief (There is little India -- not such a little angel, hell bent to know about the birds and the bees, the twins trying to "fly" from the barn roof, Marston -- Harry's heir - who would rather be a blacksmith than the next Marquis, and MacTavish who presents his father with his latest "treasures"). The accidents begin to occur and her "ex" provides a hint of intrigue. The suspense flows smoothly till the end.
From the opening scene in which beleaguered Harry is trying to explain the facts of "womanhood" to his eldest daughter - I was laughing out loud! This book is a sheer delight from beginning to end! Katie Macalister is one of the most delightful (and prolific) writers in Romance today. When I want sheer fun, I look for a book by Katie Macalister. There is nothing as special as a writer who can leave you feeling good all over. A+
After they marry, Plum learns that Harry is marques, something he conveniently forgot to tell her. He also concealed the five kids he expects her to mother. Though clearly taken aback, Plum adapts because she has a secret too. Two decades ago, she married, well almost married. Charles her husband, forgot to mention one little thing before their marriage -- that he already had a wife! Of course, her family blamed and disowned her. Also, she is an author of "The Guide to Connubial Calisthenics" -- a book judged so obscene to be banned by the government. Her past surfaces when her first "spouse" tries to blackmail her, but even worse someone is trying to hurt the children. Plum will do anything to protect Harry and the kids and he feels likewise.
This is a terrific Regency romance starring two delightful forty-something protagonists who think love has passed them by. The secondary characters propel the tale as the children add comic relief (There is little India -- not such a little angel, hell bent to know about the birds and the bees, the twins trying to "fly" from the barn roof, Marston -- Harry's heir - who would rather be a blacksmith than the next Marquis, and MacTavish who presents his father with his latest "treasures"). The accidents begin to occur and her "ex" provides a hint of intrigue. The suspense flows smoothly till the end.
From the opening scene in which beleaguered Harry is trying to explain the facts of "womanhood" to his eldest daughter - I was laughing out loud! This book is a sheer delight from beginning to end! Katie Macalister is one of the most delightful (and prolific) writers in Romance today. When I want sheer fun, I look for a book by Katie Macalister. There is nothing as special as a writer who can leave you feeling good all over. A+
I wasn't very impressed with MacAlister's previous novel Noble Destiny (I thought Noble Intentions was a bit better), and left off my review of the former with some mixed feelings regarding this last of the loosely linked trio of MacAlister's tales (Noble Intentions, Noble Destiny and The Trouble with Harry).
"Harry" is a better story, once you get past the sloppy editing, first found a dozen pages into Chapter Two: the author describes Thomasina (aka Thom), a secondary character (whom I found at times to be more interesting than the heroine): "Thom's golden brown eyes considered her aunt for a moment..." and in the next paragraph ..."[Thom] was very pretty, with cropped chestnut curls, large dark gray eyes, and a very sweet smile." Oooops!
There were other less egregious editing and proofreading errors, but that is the fault of the publisher, not just the author.
The unfortunate effect is that this novel (as well as Noble Destiny) feels hastily done, without much effort or care, and that is an insult to the literary customer. MacAlister may be a genius in the other genres she writes in (Young Adult and contemporary fiction I believe) but the three novels I have read in the regency romance genre are not going to be keepers for me.
Harry, Marquis of Rosse, is a widower and father of five undisciplined moppets who are absolute geniuses at creating chaos and mayhem (so good at making trouble in fact, that the first line of the novel is "Harry wished he was dead"). Harry needs a mother for his little darlings, and he needs her NOW. Frederica Pelham, aka "Plum" is the hapless spinster who answers Harry's advertisement for a wife in the local paper. She's an impoverished gentlewoman who was unspeakably betrayed 20 years ago by a ne'er-do-well bigamist who abandoned her six weeks after their marriage and went off to "the continent" to atone for his sins. 'Charles' returns shortly after Harry and Plum are married, and is the villain of the piece. Oh---and Plum also has a secret past as a writer of soft-core pornography a-la-regency, the occasional descriptions of which make for many sexy, humorous episodes in the story, along with the outrageous antics of the five tots from hell. All in all, this is a superior and more naturally flowing formula for hilarity than was Charlotte's (in Noble Destiny) redundant and annoying use of misappropriated, double-entendre vocabulary.
Here's what I liked about "Harry." The main characters fell in love promptly and, for the most part, worked nicely together throughout the story to overcome adversity. There was plenty of humor and some creative plot twists that propelled the reader to continue on. I liked the fact that the main characters are older (forty-something), and yet the author avoids the "eeww" factor when observing their romantic and physical interaction, proving that in this genre, love and sex (and procreation) are not exclusively limited to the young and beautiful. Even more, I liked the secondary romance between Plum's niece Thom, and Nick, son of Noble Britton, Lord Wessex of Noble Intentions. If they get a story of their own, I might even purchase and read it. MacAlister's "Noble" trio are adequate, if rather slap-dash and superficial. There is a pleasant veneer to these novels, but honestly, they lack the depth and detail I have come to expect from the best authors in this genre. Maybe MacAlister should leave off regency romance and stick to the other genres she's published in...
"Harry" is a better story, once you get past the sloppy editing, first found a dozen pages into Chapter Two: the author describes Thomasina (aka Thom), a secondary character (whom I found at times to be more interesting than the heroine): "Thom's golden brown eyes considered her aunt for a moment..." and in the next paragraph ..."[Thom] was very pretty, with cropped chestnut curls, large dark gray eyes, and a very sweet smile." Oooops!
There were other less egregious editing and proofreading errors, but that is the fault of the publisher, not just the author.
The unfortunate effect is that this novel (as well as Noble Destiny) feels hastily done, without much effort or care, and that is an insult to the literary customer. MacAlister may be a genius in the other genres she writes in (Young Adult and contemporary fiction I believe) but the three novels I have read in the regency romance genre are not going to be keepers for me.
Harry, Marquis of Rosse, is a widower and father of five undisciplined moppets who are absolute geniuses at creating chaos and mayhem (so good at making trouble in fact, that the first line of the novel is "Harry wished he was dead"). Harry needs a mother for his little darlings, and he needs her NOW. Frederica Pelham, aka "Plum" is the hapless spinster who answers Harry's advertisement for a wife in the local paper. She's an impoverished gentlewoman who was unspeakably betrayed 20 years ago by a ne'er-do-well bigamist who abandoned her six weeks after their marriage and went off to "the continent" to atone for his sins. 'Charles' returns shortly after Harry and Plum are married, and is the villain of the piece. Oh---and Plum also has a secret past as a writer of soft-core pornography a-la-regency, the occasional descriptions of which make for many sexy, humorous episodes in the story, along with the outrageous antics of the five tots from hell. All in all, this is a superior and more naturally flowing formula for hilarity than was Charlotte's (in Noble Destiny) redundant and annoying use of misappropriated, double-entendre vocabulary.
Here's what I liked about "Harry." The main characters fell in love promptly and, for the most part, worked nicely together throughout the story to overcome adversity. There was plenty of humor and some creative plot twists that propelled the reader to continue on. I liked the fact that the main characters are older (forty-something), and yet the author avoids the "eeww" factor when observing their romantic and physical interaction, proving that in this genre, love and sex (and procreation) are not exclusively limited to the young and beautiful. Even more, I liked the secondary romance between Plum's niece Thom, and Nick, son of Noble Britton, Lord Wessex of Noble Intentions. If they get a story of their own, I might even purchase and read it. MacAlister's "Noble" trio are adequate, if rather slap-dash and superficial. There is a pleasant veneer to these novels, but honestly, they lack the depth and detail I have come to expect from the best authors in this genre. Maybe MacAlister should leave off regency romance and stick to the other genres she's published in...
This was the first historical romance by Katie Macalister I've read, and it was a 'hoot'. Although her Guardian books are my favorites, this was one I couldn't put down. A great light summer read.
Not sure about this one! Some comments ............
I am not sure what Katie MacAlister was trying to achieve with this novel. Others have summed up the plot so I'd rather just give some comments.
Yes, it's an amusing story. The concept of our heroine having written a Guide to Connubial Calisthenics was quite unusual and clever but never really added much to the character of Plum except to give her some surprising sexual tastes and knowledge. Our heroine was, I am afraid, rather two dimensional and, as one reviewer has said, her actions and overall character were terribly inconsistent. Harry was amusing - how nice to have a hero wearing spectacles but as a real, genuine man (and father), he was totally unbelieveable.
Was this meant to be a regency historical? If so, I could not find a single sentence that fixed the timeframe. The story and characters could have been from any genre timeframe you care to mention as there was no narrative description to speak of.
All in all, the child characters were so over-drawn that they were beyond even farce - they were simply irritating. Too bad because I quite like a story with naughty children but Barbara Mezger could have done them much better.
I won't be put off by this author but I do nonetheless feel that the ecstatic rave reviews were a bit surprising. Not enough meat to the story, characters that were, in the end, non-engaging, and nothing here to indicate this was a regency-set story. The author's prose is reasonably good and she obviously has a great imagination but as a sum of its parts, this book just was not memorable for me.
Yes, it's an amusing story. The concept of our heroine having written a Guide to Connubial Calisthenics was quite unusual and clever but never really added much to the character of Plum except to give her some surprising sexual tastes and knowledge. Our heroine was, I am afraid, rather two dimensional and, as one reviewer has said, her actions and overall character were terribly inconsistent. Harry was amusing - how nice to have a hero wearing spectacles but as a real, genuine man (and father), he was totally unbelieveable.
Was this meant to be a regency historical? If so, I could not find a single sentence that fixed the timeframe. The story and characters could have been from any genre timeframe you care to mention as there was no narrative description to speak of.
All in all, the child characters were so over-drawn that they were beyond even farce - they were simply irritating. Too bad because I quite like a story with naughty children but Barbara Mezger could have done them much better.
I won't be put off by this author but I do nonetheless feel that the ecstatic rave reviews were a bit surprising. Not enough meat to the story, characters that were, in the end, non-engaging, and nothing here to indicate this was a regency-set story. The author's prose is reasonably good and she obviously has a great imagination but as a sum of its parts, this book just was not memorable for me.
I couldn't put this book down, simply outstanding. The characters were wonderful and I love how it went with the a-typical...a more mature relationship started in the most unusual way...through a newspaper advertisement. Strongly recommend this story. I plan on reading more of Katie's works.
Fantastic laugh out loud story
I can't give Katie MacAlister enough praise. I love her writing. I love her "Type A" men and her strong willed women. She writes in first person and I love that. This book had me laughing out loud. The first book I read of hers was Improper English and I have been reading everything she wrote that I can get my hands on since then. All of her books including this one are funny but also completely sexy and romantic as well. The Trouble With Harry, Men in Kilts and Improper English are my top three favorites.
The description of the book was very promising and after hunting for the book at a few used stores, I ordered it here. The hunt for the book built up my anticipation.
I was very excited to read it (and usually I can finish a good book in one afternoon), but I found myself losing interest page to page. I became impatient with the pace of the book. The characters failed to capture my interest or admiration. Not feeling invested in the characters or outcome, I quickly lost interest in the entire book. The book fell flat and I was disappointed.
I was very excited to read it (and usually I can finish a good book in one afternoon), but I found myself losing interest page to page. I became impatient with the pace of the book. The characters failed to capture my interest or admiration. Not feeling invested in the characters or outcome, I quickly lost interest in the entire book. The book fell flat and I was disappointed.
This book had some of the funniest mix-ups and sheer confusion all wrapped up in a smoldering love story!
Quirky, Sexy Romantic comedy is laugh-out-loud fun
Harry is a forty-five year old widower with a houseful of the most unruly children since Lord of the Flies. Plum is the lovely forty-year old author of the most notorious sex manual ever to hit the British Isles, and she was also the victim of an unscrupulous "husband" who made her the object of scandal twenty years earlier when he embroiled her in a bigamous "marriage," conveniently forgetting to inform her of his existing wife. When these two unlikely people get married after only a two-day courtship (after Plum answers Harry's advertisement for a wife), before which marriage neither informs the other of his/her past "indiscretions," the ensuing mix of domestic disasters and out-right farce makes for hilarious reading.
I have never read anything quite like "The Trouble with Harry," but I will most definitely seek out this author again. Although somewhat unevenly written, the book is worth your time and money just for the laugh-out-loud dialogue which is served up with every new plot point. These two do not fit into the "romance genre" mold for heroes and heroines, but I embraced their zany brand of love and marriage wholeheartedly.
This book just made me feel good. It has a wonderful underlying sexual tension and uninhibited sex scenes. But what you will love about it is that it is undoubtably the funniest historical I have read in a long time. I recommend it highly.
I have never read anything quite like "The Trouble with Harry," but I will most definitely seek out this author again. Although somewhat unevenly written, the book is worth your time and money just for the laugh-out-loud dialogue which is served up with every new plot point. These two do not fit into the "romance genre" mold for heroes and heroines, but I embraced their zany brand of love and marriage wholeheartedly.
This book just made me feel good. It has a wonderful underlying sexual tension and uninhibited sex scenes. But what you will love about it is that it is undoubtably the funniest historical I have read in a long time. I recommend it highly.
a comedy or manners...or maybe the lack of them!
This book was given to me by my wife. She passes me ones she knows I will enjoy. In this case, she really wanted me to read this delightful story of Macalister's - sigh, I think I am Harry!!
It's a totally off the wall book that had me howling. Nice to see kids written as kids instead of cutsey little darlings they never are.
This book had me laughing aloud!
It's a totally off the wall book that had me howling. Nice to see kids written as kids instead of cutsey little darlings they never are.
This book had me laughing aloud!
The best Katie Macalister yet!
I love Katie Macalisters fun books. And this has to be the best one yet. I loved Men in Kilts and Improper English, but this has to top them. I simply adored Harry!
Harry and his children and Plum are just so endearing! I am looking forward to Thom and Nick's tale. Soon please please please!
Harry and his children and Plum are just so endearing! I am looking forward to Thom and Nick's tale. Soon please please please!
It seems that I have a love hate relationship with Katie McAlister. I absolutely couldn't stand her vampire novels but on the other hand, I absolutely loved The Corset Diaries. The Trouble with Harry is very clear from the beginning - Plum. I couldn't stand the main character. She lacked consistency, at times completely self involved and delusional and at others selfless and matronly. I got no true sense of who she was because she never developed completely. I gave the book two stars because the plot was interesting, but the mystery only remains a mystery because MacAlister witholds information from the reader. The children were a bright spot, and incredibly funny. All in all not the worst book I've ever read, but I probably won't be rereading it.
I laughed through this entire book. Laughing is good for the soul. I am sending this book to my daughter-in-law who is expecting.
L
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I Know What the Trouble With Harry Is
So the story goes that Harry is a 45 year old widower who is desperately in need of a wife not only to ease his loneliness and quench his need for companionship but to tame his FIVE wild children ranging in ages from 5-15. In order to find a suitable wife he decides to put an ad in the local paper calling for a woman who is kind and loves children. Meanwhile the heroine Plum comes into the picture. She is a 40 year old woman with a past she cannot outrun. About 20 years ago she married a man named Charles only to discover that he was a bigamist and she was bacically his mistress. She is thrown out by her family and shunned by society. Now here she is at 40 and she yearns for a family of her own but no man wants her because of her past. So she decides to respond to the ad. They meet and are instantly attracted to each other and they marry. Unfortunately, what started out as sounding like an interesting plot turns into a slow and flavorless story. The children are obnoxious and do not like Plum. She never tames them and in the end you never get the feeling that they were any better than they were at the beginning. The author misses alot of great opportunities to include the children who are themselves very one dimensional and not all that likeable or loveable. Plum herself is a little featherbrained despite the author's attempt to make her into a strong independent woman. I never really got the feeling of who plum was. Harry was little better. He was a retired spy for England with a villian who has a grudge against him from his past. And that is it. The author tries to make the story humorous but the hero and heroine's dialogue tends to border on silly and childish rather than witty and amusing. The whole book just fell flat.
Harry is adorable and so is Plum, but the story is seriously flawed. The children are annoying, not cute. In fact you really wish they would conveniently disappear with a governess so you can concentrate on the main characters. The mystery takes too long to develop and then the main characters brush it off as unimportant. (Death threats and kidnappings are somehow less important than scandal) The ending is rushed and hardly explained.
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Twenty years ago, Frederica Pelham (Plum) had been married for 6 weeks to a man who neglected to tell her he already had a wife. Upon discovering his deception, his family sent him to the continent, Plum's family disowned her over the `scandal' she caused! Plum's life was ruined, she was disowned with barely enough to live on. With few options left to her, and more than enough unsavory offers of protection, she retired to the country where she penned the highly popular but controversial "Guide to Connubial Calisthenics" under the pen name of Vyvyan La Bleu. The book was so controversial (yet ordered by most of the ton) that it was even banned by the government. Really needing some security, not only for herself but for her orphaned niece, and wanting a child of her own, Plum rationaled that she was not really lying about her past, but just an omitting some of the truths.
This was a hilariously funny tale of two middle-aged people who take their bedsport to a new level. Harry's accident-prone children are a trip whose non-stop antics enliven and grace the pages with joy and laughter! Along with a superb secondary cast of unforgettable characters from the entertaining and irreverent Spanish butler Juan, to Harry's rapscallion brood of hellions - India, Digger, McTavis and twins Andrew and Anne -- who do their best to drive Plum crazy the reader should find themselves howling on the floor with straight from the gut belly laughs. Bottom Line - For outrageous fun in a can't put it down rapid page-turner delight from start to finish - look no further than this gem by Katie Macalister! (...)