Review of Gentlemen Prefer Mischief

GENTLEMEN PREFER MISCHIEF may be purchased here.

GENTLEMEN PREFER MISCHIEF

Emily Greenwood

Lilly Teagarden is from a landed family, but when her father died, Lilly, her two brothers, and sister found out that they were almost broke.  Lilly started, secretly, making shawls and selling them to help her family.  The family's finances turn around, but Lilly continues making shawls, because she has plans for the money.  Unfortunately, a legend about the Woods Fiend gets in the way of her business, when it is rumored that her sheep are possessed.  Lilly confronts her recently returned neighbor, Viscount Roxham, about dealing with the Woods Fiend.  Lilly and the new viscount have a past, because Lilly had a crush on him when she was sixteen, and she is still embarrassed about her unrequited puppy love.  

While Roxham is described as" Lord Perfect", I found myself having a hard time warming to his character.  While Roxham is a charming rogue, the fact that he felt no shame for reading Lilly's diary seemed less than honorable and heroic.  By the end of the book, Roxham grew more tolerable to me, because he is a good match for the much too serious Lilly and adds some levity to her life. While Roxham lightens Lilly, Lilly helps to ground Roxham, which makes for a good match.