Lady Aurelia Osbourne-Lloyd has long wished her bank balance was as big as her name. But her home, Leydale Park, is more of a pile in a state than stately pile, and with her father off ‘finding himself’ in Thailand, it’s up to her to turn the family fortunes around by entertaining demanding tourists.
When – thanks to her father’s interference – a Hollywood production company chooses the estate as a location for a Regency movie, a whole new level of chaos enters Aurelia’s life. Her quiet days shattered and privacy non-existent, she has no choice but to go with the flow and let them take over.
Never mind the added distraction of dishy leading man, Xander Lord, who may have an ulterior motive for wanting to get close to her…
Can Aurelia keep her cool in light of all the upheaval?
Emily Kerr has been scribbling stories on bits of paper ever since she learnt how to write. She works as a journalist and is based in Yorkshire. She can generally be found with her nose in a book, or hunched up over her laptop typing away, though she has been known to venture outside every so often to take part in various running-based activities.
Romcom at its BEST! What an electric read. I loved everything about this colourful and witty novel by Emily Kerr and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next; a very talented author and definitely one to watch. It's small wonder she was a prestigious award finalist earlier this year. Just fabulous (as Oscar in "Who Does He Think He Is?" would say!)
An enjoyable tale that blends a stately home and a Hollywood film set. Cue a modern Lady with a crumbling pile and a mountain of debt with a penchant for dressing up in Regency costume and a handsome Hollywood hunk....
What do you get? An insight into film sets, a reminder that things aren't always what they seem and an enjoyable tale that sweeps along at a nice pace with the inevitable pantomime villain!
A good read, particularly for in between the thrillers! 4*
Unexpectedly entertaining with a right amount of whirl and tangle.
Xander Lord's Hollywood actor like persona and Aurelia Osborne-Lloyd's oh-so-attractive Regency lady character were a great mix of both modern and traditional with a New Yorkshire home setting. Leydale Park's financial crisis and the use of the estate as film location is where lies an interesting plot line.
Who Des He Think He Is? was a glimpse of the entertainment industry with actors, producers and everyone working behind the camera, it's true nature and what it is to be real or what not to believe in. Paparazzi and tabloids everywhere are all for the name of publicity to pave a way for the limelight—The glitz and glamour of Hollywood!
The story was actually a catch. But when I think it's getting better and all the cheesy part was just getting started, which was twenty pages before it reach the ending, I felt very rushed and unprepared. I wished there was an epilogue to make up for it or the story was extended far more a bit. It was like a cliff-hanger but the thought that there is no second book? It was a bit depressing. *Sigh!*
But overall, this book is fun and a quick read. I still recommend this to everyone who wants a slightly different attempt of romance and chick-lit.
This is Emily Kerr's debut title and was named runner-up in the Festival of Romance New Talent Award. You can check it out on Netgalley read now romance. Happy Reading!
This was an utterly delightful and very fun romp of a book. A lady with a crumbling estate, a film star with a mysterious past, ulterior motives and entertaining sidekicks. In a way it's almost two romance novel subgenres in one - the outwardly-restrained historical romance and the sweep-me-off-my-feet "Hollywood". It sounds bad when I put it like that, but this book was a nice break from my usual genres.
This review was originally posted on my book blog.
Who Does He Think He Is? is a fun contemporary romance set in a fantastic location with likeable characters. If you’re a fan of the genre and looking for a lighter read, I recommend this.
I was initially a bit worried when I saw the whole story was narrated in first person. First person narratives tend to be either hit or miss with me, so I was delighted when I quickly became at home with Aurelia’s voice. And she’s a great protagonist: she has real problems to worry her, but she’s not a moaner or ditherer and gets on with it. My sort of woman!
The setting of a Yorkshire stately home provides a backdrop with familiar old-world charm which gets an injection of new-world glamour (and drama!) with the arrival of a film crew and the hero. Also, and this could just be me, it was great to read a story set in a nice warm summer. The weather is so diabolical at the moment it was a treat to read about the relatively balmy temperatures the characters were enjoying.
My only criticism is that I could have done with more of everything! A few times I felt I was being hurried through the story when I would have liked to linger with the characters or in a location for longer because I was enjoying being with them/there.
The very best of luck to Emily Kerr with her debut. I’m sure this is the start of a great writing career.
Overall: a feel-good story guaranteed to delight romance fans.
I loved the setting and the characters in this book. It was a perfectly formed, lovely romcom that would totally work as a film! Emily Kerr is a brilliant writer, her writing was so funny it had me laughing out loud. (And, at last, we have a story with realistic gentry folk!)
In some ways it's a bit of a melodrama with the baddies and goodies being drawn quite distinctly but I genuinely didn't know how the book would end. And it ended so suddenly, like Mansfield Park.
I hope there's a sequel! Don't let these great characters be bound within a single book.
Decent enough and easy read. However, the conflict didn’t arise until the last quarter of the book and, even there, it felt rushed. Xander, who was supposed to be American, didn’t come across as American at all.
Funny and light contemporary romance set in Yorkshire between an impoverished English aristocrat and an American famous actor. It turned out to be a light read, although the end was a bit abrupt.
Aurelia is just an ordinary girl - who happens to live in a stately home! Sounds good on the surface but she has to try and earn enough money to keep up with the maintenance of the place whilst her father is off "finding himself", in Thailand. Then there is the matter of her home being taken over by a film crew and the leading man making her heart beat a little faster.....
I really liked Aurelia and I am sure that owners of stately homes up and down the country understand her frustration in trying to keep things ticking over. Her father is clearly clueless and I found myself wondering how Aurelia kept her temper with him! Her best friend isn't all that supportive either so it is no wonder that she finds solace in the arms of Xander Lord :)
The characterisations in this book were well done but there were a few threads that I thought were going to go somewhere and didn't, which was a real shame. I got to 96% complete and wondered how the book was going to finish. Kind of abruptly, was the answer. I think the book needed a little more depth and also a little more length, just to tie some of those loose ends up.
This was a lovely book which made Lady Aurelia feel like a friend! The characters interesting and eclectic. I found myself wishing that the book was twice as long. Surely a sign of wonderful writing! 4.5 stars - my only niggle is that I wanted the book to be a lot longer, the ending seemed a little bit rushed.
Three things make this book stand out of the crowd of rom-coms: the Jane Austen-seque style of storytelling, the realist unfolding of romance between lady and lord, and the smart repartee between them. One glaring issue, though: the American characters spoke as if they were Brits.
Lady Aurelia Osbourne-Lloyd has long wished her bank balance was as big as her name. But her home, Leydale Park, is more of a pile in a state than stately pile, and with her father off ‘finding himself’ in Thailand, it’s up to her to turn the family fortunes around by entertaining demanding tourists.
When – thanks to her father’s interference – a Hollywood production company chooses the estate as a location for a Regency movie, a whole new level of chaos enters Aurelia’s life. Her quiet days shattered and privacy non-existent, she has no choice but to go with the flow and let them take over.
Never mind the added distraction of dishy leading man, Xander Lord, who may have an ulterior motive for wanting to get close to her…
Can Aurelia keep her cool in light of all the upheaval?
I was absolutely enchanted by this delightful book. I'm on the lookout for more books by Emily Kerr. 5*
An entertaining read. A crumbling stately home. A slightly scatty titled heiress trying to keep said property standing whilst faced with huge running costs and debts. A father off finding himself in Thailand lands her in more trouble. In walks a film crew including a gorgeous leading man to save the day. Think Colin Firth!! I lived the villagers but the stars if the book for me were the dogs - Morecombe and Wise. This us definitely light reading and would make a perfect beach read. Thank you to TBC and the author for the chance to read this title.
This is a fabulous easy read and the epitome of chick lit. The characters are likeable and the plot line is fun. It is not a classic or a high brow read but if you are looking for a great easy read with a lovely story and a great ending, you will love this book!
With todays’ review I will be discussing the book ‘Who does he think he is’ by Emily Kerr. After reading ‘Killing Jane’ by Stacey Green I was in need of a book that was light and funny and predictable. Emphasis on the predictable, due to ‘Killing Jane’ totally killed my reading high of which you can read why in my review here.
This book is just the book to cure me from a buzzkill read because it ticks all the boxes. Funny? Check. Light read? Check. Predictable? Check.
Now, the reason why I did not give it a 5 was because of the ending but I’ll get to that later. First, I liked the banter and interaction between our two main characters, Xander and Aurelia. I find their interaction to be sweet and funny especially since Aurelia herself is already funny to begin with what with her inner monologues talking about how her house is so huge that “a burglar could probably camp out here for a week without getting discovered”. I was a bit miffed that there weren’t more interactions between because when they do become an item it lacked that extra oomph of which I had hoped would happen. They just kind of got together quite fast without much interactions to bind them together although if it was me and some hot actor I’d fall for him quite as fast too now that I am thinking about it. Hmm…
This leads me to the ending, because of said lacking oomph and interactions when they got together at the end I was bit like okaayyyyyy because Xander is all taking the relationship to a whole new level of seriousness which kind of did not appear throughout their interactions.
Also, the end of the plot did not explain how them being together will resolve Aurelia’s finances in the long run. Like is he going to help her financially? Is she going to do more house tours because of him since they are dating and he did use the house as a movie set. Realistic boring stuff like that bothered me a bit if I have to be honest but overall this book is still a great read for its quirky characters, its humor and how it is a fun and happy read.
*A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Lady Aurelia Osbourne-Lloyd lives in Leydale Hall. It is an ancient house which is falling apart. On a regular basis Aurelia dresses in a regency dress and takes tours through the house. She does it for the money. She is broke.
Her father is presently living in Thailand and living it up. He has no interest in preventing the house from falling down. And he has done a terrible thing. He has taken out a loan for a half million pounds. There is no way it can be repaid. He has also contracted to have a movie company come and use the house and the grounds to film a movie.
Xander Lord is the star of the film. He seems a very dedicated actor. He is handsome, smart and funny. He seems to have secrets in his life.
There are many in the cast and crew who are friendly people and Aurelia becomes friends with most of them. In fact, most of the movie people enjoy talking to Aurelia and learning about the estate. All except Meredith. Meredith has taken an immediate dislike to Aurelia. Meredith's dislike is something to fear.
This is a quick read and a fun one.
Aurelia is a smart and funny woman who has to deal with financial problems and try to manage what her father will not manage. She makes a terrific heroine.
Her life is not easy but it is always interesting and challenging.
She is finding her way through the ups and downs of the movie business, dealing with reporters who write terrible headlines and take terrible pictures, facing her friends in the village after those terrible headlines and pictures make the news. And all the way through these ups and downs, she is funny.
There is a great deal of humor built into this entertaining plot.
The characters are well done and help move the story forward. I enjoyed the book very much.
I received the book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review. All opinions are my own.
Ms Kerr has penned a delightfully enchanting story that is as heartwarming as it is intriguing. The characters are sensational in their personalities, especially Aurelia...as the story is told in her first person POV...her warmth permeates the entire casts of characters in the way she tells the story.
This is the first book I've read by this author and can honestly say that I've enjoyed her writing tremendously and would like to read more of her books.
This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.
Ah, what happens when the money runs dry, you live in an ancestral pile that’s in need of repairs and your titled father prefers to live far away in the sunshine of the Far East? What does Aurelia have to do to put some meagre food on her table? Diversify, of course. Becoming a tour guide isn’t the most ideal job for Lady Aurelia but it’s either that or giving up her heritage and that isn’t to be countenanced. Aurelia is a fun character. She has naturally shy instincts but a tour guide has to pull out the acting hat and she does that so very well. Along comes a film company needing an authentic building for their project. In a lead role as actor /director is the charismatic, gorgeous, slightly mysterious but pretty down to earth actor Zander Lord. Meredith, the other half of the Dawson /Lord Company plays the nasty ‘other woman’ vying for his attention extremely well – so well I wanted to have her towed away in the Winnebago more than once! The mystery of the film company’s descent on Leydale Park is revealed, the cunning involvement by her father one that Aurelia despairs of. The secondary characters play a lovely role and I particularly enjoyed the small village feel of the elderly, nosey, twins who run the local shop and who look after Lady Aurelia in their own way. Aurelia’s friend Lucy is the kind of loyal, fun loving character most people would love to have. The mystery of Zander is unravelled towards the end, the drama of the situation an amusing interlude. This was a lovely quick read almost in the style of a dramatic farce.
This is a really funny & fun novel. I don't like books about so-called celebrities but this is in a whole different league. Mix fading British aristocracy with an American actor and a film-making crew and you have a wonderful cocktail!
I found it a very good read - to me, it was all about the breaking down of perceptions and judgements made on those perceptions. Which is something I feel very strongly about, so it was lovely to read a book centered on that.
It would actually make a very good film, ironically!!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A sweet enough story but there were one or two niggles that irritated me.
1. Who on earth goes downstairs using crutches? She should have gone down on her bum, step by step (after all, she'd crawled along the hallway earlier!)
2. There were odd times when the tense changed from past to present in one paragraph. It threw me out of the story and really should have been spotted.
3. The ending was way too abrupt. There seemed to be no real explanation of what Meredith had been doing or how it was all resolved.
All in all though,this was a pleasant read with some fun characters. I would have liked more detail of the feckless father and what he was trying to achieve, and I did get confused about the loan/mortgage that seemed to be borrowed and then loaned out again and how it was going to be repaid. (but I am OCD about things like that) Loved Morecambe and Wise though ;)
3 stars because I liked it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A fun, quick, lighthearted read. Aurelia is fun, witty and believable as she tries to run her stately home and cope with the chaos a film crew brings. Along with the chaos is the distraction in the shape of American actor, Xander Lord. Their interaction and banter is sharp, full of humour and suggestive in places which hints gently at what could happen. But it's not obvious which is refreshing.
The story is well written and flows beautifully, with strong supporting characters. I adore Oscar, and Morecambe and Wise.