This story will feel familiar if you are a fan of this author, because it features the same charming chemistry between two likable characters, with humorous banters and men acting like silly boys in love with a woman. Oh, her beauty is a burden, because she doesn’t ask for all the attention! She’s thoroughly hateful wench, really, but Julia Quinn manages to make her a charming character regardless. Gwen, on her part, only wants to walk in the country, away from the crowd. When Alec humors his sister by monopolizing Gwen’s attention and time so that Octavia can get the guys to notice her too, he realizes that he too is not immune to the remarkable beauty of Gwen. Octavia is wildly jealous of Gwen because Gwen gets all the attention whenever she is in the room, causing mere mortals like Octavia to seethe in the background, all but forgotten. Meanwhile, Alec, a friend of Hugh, is invited to the party along with his sister Octavia.

Gwen is the undisputed diamond of first water of that Season, the debutante that every man flocks to, and in fact, Carolyn initially assumes that Gwen will be perfect for Hugh. Julia Quinn takes the reins first and kicks things off with the story of Alec Darlington and Gwendolyn Passmore. But which woman will become the wife of this rather socially unpolished if hot fellow? Of course, Carolyn has to invite some men to the party as well, so her party makes the perfect setting for three romances to take place. A recent accident caused him to realize that he is only mortal, and therefore, he should get himself a wife and an heir or else everything he owns will go to an unpleasant cousin upon his demise. Hugh’s sole drive, passion, interest, and focus in life is his precious stable of racehorses. Carolyn Dunne, the Marchioness of Finley, throws the party in order to help her brother Hugh Dunne, the Earl of Briarly, find a wife. This one is marketed as a novel in three parts, but it’s pretty much an anthology of three stories, set in a house party in Finchley Manor.

As collaborative romance novel efforts tend to be, the result is actually quite unexceptional. Mere mortals need not worry about any resulting apocalypse or something like that when these three authors collaborate on a story, though. You are free to disagree with me on this, but you have to admit – The Lady Most Likely… is definitely not lacking in star power. Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway are three of the better historical romance authors out there at the moment. The Lady Most Likely… by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway

The Lady Most Likely... by Julia Quinn