ISBN: 978-1-4391-6754-0
Publisher: Pocket Star Books
Release: Sept 21, 2010
Source: I purchased this book to read
Furious at his grandmother’s ultimatum to marry or lose his inheritance, Lord Jarret Sharpe wagers his luck—and his heart—at the card table against a most unlikely opponent. Mired in scandal after his parents’ mysterious deaths, notorious gambler Lord Jarret Sharpe agrees to tamely run the family’s brewery for a year if his Machiavellian grandmother rescinds her ultimatum that he marry. But the gambler in him can’t resist when beguiling Annabel Lake proposes a wager. If she wins their card game, he must help save her family’s foundering brewery. But if he wins, she must spend a night in his bed. The outcome sets off a chain of events that threatens to destroy all his plans…and unveils the secret Annabel has held for so long. When Jarret discovers the darker reason behind her wager, he forces her into another one—and this time he intends to win not just her body, but her heart.
A Hellion in Her Bed is the second book in Sabrina Jeffries latest series called “The Hellions of Halstead Hall”. This book is about the second son of 5 children, Lord Jarret Sharpe. The Sharpe children were orphaned when their parents died some 20 years before the timing of the book. When their parents died, they were taken in by their maternal grandmother, Hetty Plumtree. Hetty is a working class woman who runs the family brewery. Jarret and his older brother Oliver are sent away to school at Eton where they stay in Halstead Hall. Jarret discovers that he has a knack for gambling and that is how he manages to survive in the rough and tumble world of boarding school! He finds he isn’t cut out to be a barrister like his grandmother would like, but he manages to keep himself afloat by gambling.
Our series starts when Hetty, sick of watching her grandchildren run amuck and wanting great grandchildren makes an ultimatum. All 5 siblings must marry in the next year or none of them will inherit her money. Oliver marries in the first book, The Truth About Lord Stoneville. Jarret manages to make a deal with his ailing grandmother to be exempt from her demands if he agrees to manage the family brewery for the next year.
Annabel Lake is a woman with a secret and a mission. She is desperate to keep her family’s small brewery afloat despite the fact that her brother spends all his days drinking himself into oblivion. She, her sister-in-law and her nephew travel to London hoping to speak to Hetty Plumtree about a deal to mark their beer to East India company ship captains. Something that she feels would benefit both companies. To her dismay, she finds herself having to speak to Jarret instead of his grandmother. Not trusting that he will talk to his grandmother about their conversation, she finds herself following Jarret and ultimately gambling with him to get her way and winning. This sets of a chain of events that I’ll leave you to read.
In this book the deaths of the Sharpe children’s parents are investigated further and we learn more about what may have happened. Jarret is such a wonderful character! A gambler, but ultimately a gentleman. He is well written and an interesting character to cheer for. Annabel is one of my favorite heroines! She is small but spunky! She has secrets that she is desperate to keep hidden, a family to protect and a family business to run. She has her head on straight and she is a wonderful partner for Jarret! The chemistry between Jarret and Annabel is almost immediate and it sizzles. The way they dance around each other is so well written it was almost impossible to put down!
We also learn more about Hetty, the grandmother. She has lived a hard life and doesn’t apologize for decisions that she has had to make. She is quite the character! The sparks fly between Hetty and Jarret – so interesting to read about their interactions! I am looking forward to reading about Minerva’s story and finding out more about the parent’s deaths.
RT BookReviews gives Hellion 4.5 stars and has the following to say: “The Hellions of Halstead Hall are a wonderfully original family whose activities are far from ordinary early Victorian fare. It’s more than the original plotline that captures readers; it’s Jeffries’ sense of humor, her engaging characters and delightfully delicious sensuality that spice things up!”
Romance Junkies gives A Hellion 4 out of 5 and says: “A HELLION IN HER BED is yet another delicious love story from Sabrina Jeffries. A little imbibing never looked so good on the pages of a book!”
I’m participating in Cym Lowell’s Book Review Wednesday
