Mmkay, right of the bat I have a problem. I wasn't aware any self-respecting Scotsman said "Dash it all".
The "rules" before every chapter are cute and funny but it seems to be taking me a long time to get into this book.
Oh how I really wanted to get into this book but I just couldn't. There just was no story here.
Annoying how Magnus says "ye" every time, just once say "you" Please! I know, I know, he is Scottish but saying "ye, verra, canna," seem to be the only time he resembles a Scottish man.
I felt like the author was so concerned about getting the setting right, Regency periord, she forgot about the story. Every regency cliché was in this story.
I felt as if this book was some super hot guy, damn fine to look at and you are excited to meet him, but then he opens his mouth and you are severely disappointed and you just want to say "Shush, just stand there and look pretty". I wanted this book to be good! I would have honestly gave it a F rating except for the fact the author did have an intriguing story plot, but simply did not execute it well.
The secondary romance involving Grace, Eliza's sister, and Lord Hawkmoor was forgettable. Grace came off as bitchy for most of the book and I can't even think of Lord Hawkmoor's first name; never knew him at all.
I honestly don't know how people liked this book (if you are one of the people please let me know what you liked about it ) maybe I am missing something here but I didn't find it funny or a fast-paced enjoyable read. All I can say is "Lud!" this book sucked and I will not be continuing with this series at this time.

D- ( )

We, the undersigned, confined to spinsterhood through no fault of our own, hereby declare to guide our beloved niece Eliza Merriweather through the upcoming season and secure for her one, if not several, offers of marriage. We vow to consult the magnificent handbook Rules Of Engagement and follow its advice to the letter.Our mission will be difficult, for Eliza is a very independent-minded young woman and a worthy adversary. Already she has hatched a scheme of her own and persuaded Magnus MacKinnon, possessor of mesmerizing silver eyes and a shockingly sexy brogue, to play the role of attentive suitor. But with our help, it is only a matter of time before their "pretend" affections blossom into the real thing. And so we pledge to remain steadfast and to accept nothing less than complete victory: our dearest Eliza walking hand in hand down the aisle with Magnus MacKinnon. With true hearts and strong purpose, The Ladies Letitia and Viola Featherton

This book had a lot of potential but missed fulfilling it with a series of errors in Regency manners. Only the heroine's character was properly developed, the other characters were quite flat. ( )

Eliza Merriweather wants nothing more than to go to Italy for a year to study painting, and if she can only make it through one Season (unattached to a meddlesome husband, of course), her inheritance money, though meager, will be able to make her dream come true. But Eliza did not reckon with her meddlesome aunts. Never having had a season themselves, Letitia and Viola Featherton determine that their nieces should have the best and most successful Seasons the ton has ever seen, and to help them, they consult a strategy book - Rules of Engagement - which Eliza doesn't have the heart to tell them is actually a military text. Soon Eliza forges an arrangement with the handsome Magnus MacKinnon to keep her unwed and help him find a suitable (read: rich) bride to save his family's faltering finances. With the help of her aunts and their strategy book, however, the arrangement soon becomes much more personal.

The novel has a clever premise, but it lacks something in execution. Although the aunts employ the strategies faithfully at the beginning, that aspect soon begins to fade as the relationship between the main characters takes root. It's a crying shame, too, because the meddlesome aunts are far more entertaining.

While it's nice to see a heroine who is not completely enamored of balls and husband-hunting, but intent on pursuing an artistic career, Eliza is - simply put - a pain. She nobly sacrifices herself for the financial good of Magnus not once (acceptable), not twice (tolerable with the right motivation), but four times that I counted! FOUR! It pushed her firmly into the TSTL category despite her promising beginnings.

Added to that was the horror of the main character's sister. She is self-centered, interested only in snagging her own husband regardless of whether she must sacrifice Eliza's happiness to gain it, and constantly blames scandals of her own making on Eliza. It's enough to scream. At one point she apologizes and claims that she did not understand how Eliza actually felt, but immediately returns to acting as she did before. She definitely ruined the story for me as I was more angry at her than interested in seeing the main characters get together - especially since she was an enabler of the whole TSTL situation.

So after all that ranting, I feel compelled to state that the writing was good. The aunts were excellent characters, and I absolutely loved the premise. I would try another book by this author as this is a first effort - surely her plotting will improve. ( )