Becoming Lady Lockwood

I enjoyed this as a sweet, clean romantic love story. The banter and love/hate relationship at the beginning were very entertaining, and there was enough action and intrigue to keep it interesting. I would have liked to have more of the "at sea" action (there was really only one battle, but it was well done).

Amelia Beckett is an independent woman running her sugar plantation in Jamaica. Yet, she still seeks the approval and love of her uncaring father. She went so far as to agree to marry a man in hopes of pleasing her father. Amelia had never met the man she married by proxy. She became a widow before she even met her husband. She now carries the name Lady Lockwood, but there seems to be discrepancy in the legality of the marriage. She is ordered by her father to come to London for a hearing on the case.

Captain Drake Lockwood no sooner learns of his brother's death when he finds his brother had married by proxy. He is determined to prove this so called widow joined into marriage with his brother by fraudulent means. He is ordered to bring Miss Beckett to London on his ship, during wartime, to prove whether she entered into the union legally. To Drake's confusion the woman seems to be more than just a black widow. Now he feared whether he could get her safely to London without his ship being fired upon.

I found this story intriguing due to strong will and fortitude of Miss Beckett. I found it was so sad that her father was so disconnected from his daughter not holding any affections for his only child.

Captain Drake was not very kind until he got to know the real Miss Beckett. He was very much an honorable gentleman loved and respected by many.

I could not, did not put this book down until I had read the very last page. I was sad for it to end. Loved it from beginning to end. A true romantic swashbuckler! The author has written a real winner. She gave many interesting facts as to Captain Drake's warship. It gave me the feeling of actually how it must have been to be aboard his ship. I am very much looking forward to reading more from Jennifer Moore.

I highly recommend this book.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

This book is AMAZING!
Surely the NEXT BEST SELLER in REGENCY ROMANCE!

Take all of the fun bantering and serious propriety of the high society and place in on a ship...

out on the open ocean...

with an impending war...

And you the the makings of a GREAT STORY!

Amelia Beckett, (Lady Lockwood) is married...on paper at least.

But now she is a widow without ever meeting Lord Lockwood.

Her father has sent for her to come to England...

And who should be the captain of the ship she will be traveling on?

None other than Captain Sir William Drake, the brother of her deceased husband.

Not only is he taking her to England, but once there, he will be taking her to court to contest the marriage and her inheritance of "a sizable portion of his family's estate."

But Amelia is not the faint-of-heart kind of woman.

She will win your heart just as she does the shipmates...

But can she win the heart of the captain as well?

YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK!
SO. SO. SO. GOOD!

Give in to love and romance and the open sea!

This book is a solid 3-stars. Nothing spectacular and nothing awful. Just middle of the road. It's mostly forgettable, though enjoyable while reading it. It's forgettable enough that I forgot I even read it this weekend, but I did enjoy it while reading it. There's just not a whole lot to say about it. I can't say that there's anything I particularly enjoyed about it, but there isn't anything I disliked about it, either. There were a few hard to swallow moments there, but only if you expect this to be a regular romantic Regency story. Just go into it knowing that it deals with some high seas adventures and be prepared to ignore a bit of reality and you'll enjoy it just fine.

Becoming Lady Lockwood was my first book by this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I read this book in two days and had such a difficult time putting it down. The characters were nicely developed and the story refreshing. I know I was going to love this book from page one. Amelia and Captain Drake had instant chemistry and the banter throughout the book between them and other characters was brilliantly done. Dialogue in a book is a major factor for me. The author did not disappoint. I laughed, cried, and had butterflies in my stomach while reading this story. Were there some eye roll moments? Yes! Were there some unbelievable moments? Yes! But I don't care - it is fiction afterall! I was sad to say goodbye to the many wonderful characters in this book, especially Sidney! There should be a story written about him. This book was a light and enjoyable read! Well done Jennifer Moore! I look forward to reading more of her books!

What a great read! Amelia Becket's father, Admiral Becket, pushed her into marriage with Lord Lockwood. She never had a chance to meet him before he died. His brother, Captain William Drake, is determined to prove their marriage was a fraud so she won't inherit anything. Amelia is happily living on her sugar plantation in Jamaica when Captain Drake takes her to London to prove her marriage was a sham. On the trip, they each learn things about the other that they weren't expecting and, once they arrive in London, there are complications that might be too much to overcome.

Amelia is lovable from the beginning! She is kind and resourceful. While on the ship, she exhibits bravery and is tougher than the men initially gave her credit for. She forms some great relationships with some of the men and they become loyal to her. I especially enjoyed her relationships with Tobias, as she helped him repair the sails and Riley, the cabin boy.

I loved her relationship with William. I liked William from the beginning, even though he was a bit grumpy. They started off on the wrong foot, mostly because he made a lot of assumptions about her that she just didn't live up to. It was funny to read what he thought about her and then to see what she was really like. It took him a while to figure her out. Most of the story takes place on the ship, but there is still some drama waiting to unfold once they reach London.

We don't really get to know her father, Admiral Becket, but from what we do learn about him, he's not very likable and hasn't treated her well. It took a while to find out what he was really after and it wasn't his daughter's love. I felt sad about the way he treated her, especially since her mother died when she was still quite young.

If you enjoy clean regency romance, then this is the book for you! This is Ms. Moore's first book and I look forward to reading more from her in the future!

I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.

There's something very fun about a romance aboard a ship. The typical Regency romance takes place in England and it was refreshing to read about another place during this time period.

William is convinced that Amelia is a gold digger and isn't happy to have to retrieve her from her plantation in Jamaica to return her to England. He has an idea of what she's like and she proves him wrong at every turn. Amelia's marriage to William's brother is on paper and by proxy only. She has her plantation and doesn't want or need more.

Basically forced to leave her home, Amelia shows that she is willing to make the best of things. She is more than willing to help out aboard the ship--sewing sails, caring for the sick and injured, showing the cook new recipes, etc. She is completely unselfish and such a sweet character. I love the way Amelia is able to find common ground with those around her. She becomes dear friends with so many of the crew and is very personable. I love her strength and grit, especially in tough times.

I enjoyed watching William soften up. He's so used to ordering a crew around and being tough, yet kind and having a woman on board is a whole new experience. I loved watching the romance slowly blossom.

I experienced a lot of different emotions throughout the story and was engaged throughout. I thought it was a great story, especially for a debut novel!

Content: no language; some war-type violence/fighting with mild descriptions of death, blood, and injuries; mild kissing. I would consider it clean for an adult.

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*

Becoming Lady Lockwood is Jennifer Moore's debut novel and subsequently my first read by her.

She has done her research! She masterfully delivers her flavor of the era with the various locales: Jamaica, a British naval warship, and London. She manages to deliver on the technicalities that add to the story rather than bog down the reader with excessive description. It's a difficult line to walk and Ms. Moore does it well.

I appreciate the devilish nature of having to tell the story from the minds of the two main characters. They must be presented with distinct voices without being different than the overall voice of the story. Tricky work. Ms. Moore does it with ease.

I enjoyed watching how this Pride and Prejudice beginning, in which the hero and heroine dislike each other upon first meeting, slowly broke down barriers between Amelia and William as the journey progressed. It was a slow and decidedly delicious affair. Savor it.

All of the characters, large and small, are fully fleshed out and come to life on the page, in your imagination, and, if you are very lucky, in the very spot in which you read. Emotions, expressions, manners all pour as naturally from the page as the characters. Likable to the core, all of them. Some especial favorites of mine: Sydney, Riley, and the sail master.

I like strong heroines who have a tendency to rebel against the rules of their era. Amelia is one of those. Hooray!

It's a clean read, just a few chaste Regency kisses, but we must have those or it wouldn't be a romance!

Grab your cup of tea and this book for a lovely read. I look forward to more of Ms. Moore's novels.
Her's are in the same company as Jaima Fixsen's, Lauren Skidmore's, and Julianne Donaldson's novels.

Amelia Becket has enjoyed the sun and relaxed social constricts of Jamaican society. She has put herself fully into making her late mother’s sugar plantation a success, engaged in all aspects of plantation life. She lives alone in her house, as her father is an admiral in the British Navy. Since her mother’s death when she was 10, her father has been to Jamaica only twice, the first time to fight to get rights to the plantation and the second time to have her marry an earl by proxy.

Within the first few pages, I had no love for Amelia’s father. He reminded me of someone I know: wants everything for himself, even if it is his, will contrive any way to obtain what he wants, and uses his power and title to belittle and threaten to help “sway” others decisions. In essence, as self-centered, greedy jerk masquerading as an upstanding man of the British Navy.

But Captain William Drake does not know any of this. He has been sent to Jamaica to collect Amelia and take her to London to settle the suit he has brought against her father regarding her marriage to his late brother. Awkward! Right from the start he is cold and rude, but his right hand man, Sidney, provides the warmth and civility that Drake is lacking. They develop a fast friendship after boarding, as Amelia does with all of the crew…all except one Captain William Drake.

Just as with her plantation, Amelia immerses herself into ship life. She helps out everywhere she can, and does everything but loading and firing cannons. She endears herself to all, and I thought there would come a moment when the crew would turn mutinous against the captain for some silly brained punishment to met out to Amelia, but that didn’t happen.

William Drake is a very astute man. Despite his personal feelings about Amelia’s marriage to his late brother, he does not let that blind him to some of the smaller details Amelia reveals about her life, and he quickly picks up on them and puzzles over them, trying to see the larger picture and understand her relationship with her father. He quickly comes to correct conclusions, and during all of his trying to figure it out, we see a different side of Captain William Drake, a man worthy of admiration, compassion and love.

That is all about to be ruined, as the Captain’s mission orders take his ship and crew of 800+ directly into French waters and danger. Soon they learn that his exact location and mission route was released to the French. There is a traitor somewhere in the British Navy that wants somebody aboard his ship dead, and Drake can’t help but wonder if Amelia is the target.

I loved Amelia Becket. She is the kind of woman who I would want to be friends with, and if I had lived during her time, I think I would be very much like her. She may not be as “refined” as some of the London ton, but she doesn’t need that kind of refinery. She is fine just the way she is, and Captain Drake soon realizes this, too.

There were several parts of the book that I loved. When Amelia takes her first meal with the officers of the ship, it is a dry, dull meal, until she makes a joke at the Captain’s expense. That was the first moment of her acceptance on the ship, which is an unusual thing since having a woman aboard is known wide and far to be bad luck.

Another of my favorite parts was Amelia’s birthday. The officers organized something for her birthday, and the men were very accommodating and sweet about the whole thing. It made me glad that she was surrounded by people who truly cared about her…until Captain Drake walks in because all the men are all late. After dismissing all but one of his crew, he requests something quite scandalous of Amelia for that time. That scene was wonderful to read about, and when Amelia returned to her cabin there was a gift for her. :)

This was a fast-paced, intriguing and wonderful read. I would like to see what happens to some of the characters after the conclusion of this book, but I don’t believe it will be a series.

When I was younger and beginning my reading journeys I devoured romances, specifically historical ones. Some of my favorites that I re-read were from the same period as this particular novel. So I thought it would be fun to tap into my nostalgia and review a book like this. Oh, and I love the name Amelia so that was a huge draw as well. Those of you who KNOW me, know why :)

Amelia Beckett isn’t your typical young woman. If she had grown up in England I am certain she would have been a different person. But she grows up in Jamaica, relatively free of the typical expectations of a woman in her society. She is essentially told by her father to marry Lord Lockwood by proxy and willingly does it as it saves her the trouble of bothering with love. Her own experiences with it observing her parents has conditioned her to think love is a waste. And when her husband dies before the marriage is even consummated, Amelia is left is an ideal position as a widow with ample wealth.

Unfortunately, nothing can go smoothly, otherwise we get a boring story. The arrival of William Drake, Amelia’s husband’s brother, disrupts her perfect life. He contends the marriage was a sham and that it should be dissolved. He insists Amelia come with him to England to speak to a judge. The first meeting between Amelia and William is filled with sparks. Neither likes the other much and there are huge trust issues. However, once the journey progresses and William sees that Amelia is not like the other women he has met nor has she demonstrated she is willfully trying to deceive, his feeling change and he begins to care deeply for her. At the same time Amelia also feels her heart softening for William. Love, she finds, isn’t such a horrible thing at all.

There is a lot of action in this novel that kept the plot moving and myself engaged. I did wonder at the ingenuity of Amelia when the French captured their ship and how realistic it was but this is a story and creative license can be given. Plus it makes Amelia even more interesting. The mystery of the marriage agreement between Amelia and William’s brother is kept quiet until the very end, forcing you to keep flipping the pages to find out what is going on.

Overall it was a fun, easy read. There is love, action, adventure and intrigue, all the great hallmarks of a historical romance to me.

4 out of 5 stars

I finally read the book that started the series I am completely hooked on!!!!! It's wonderful! I love these characters soooo much! Amelia is a spitfire! Her antics as she sailed across the sea to London were so much fun. Captain Drake is the perfect match for her. I loved learning how Anna came to play such an important role in Amelia's life. Fun to get a glimpse of Emma, Captain Drake's little sister too. Sidney is riot. What a fantastic supporting character. I love them all so much. I can't wait for the next book - do I really have to wait till April????? I might just have to reread some of the others. Moore's love for the sea and history shows through in all of these adventures. I love being transported back in time and learning about these different places!

I can hardly believe this is Jennifer Moore's first book. She is a very talented writer. The story is well-told and very polished. It is also very creative and imaginative. The plot keep me interested and involved throughout the story. I had a hard time putting it down. The hero and heroine were believable and likeable. Amelia was adaptable and quick-thinking, and I liked her immediately. William was so gentlemanly and made a wonderful hero. I really liked most of the lesser characters, also, and would like to hear more of their stories.

This is a clean story--no bad language or sexual scenes. I would recommend this to others who enjoy clean regency romances. I will definitely be looking for more books by Jennifer Moore. Thanks for a great read!

I loved "Becoming Lady Lockwood." It is a clean, Regency-era romance that kept my attention to the very end. I was worried I wouldn't enjoy the setting since I'm not very interested in learning about life on board an English warship, but the author did a good job explaining the ship, enough to give context to the story, but not long descriptions that lost me.

The romance that develops between Amelia and William is sweet and uplifting. I looked forward to what would happen at each interaction. The suspense during the battles was great, I had no idea how the crew would get out of their predicament. The time on the ship was well-told.

Once the setting moved to London, it didn't feel as developed, but rushed, just trying to get to the trail, as other reviewers have observed. And the ending was a bit ridiculous. I would have loved a little more story once Amelia and William could love each other freely.

One last question - what's going to happen to Sidney? The way the book began, I thought there would be some jealousy and a love triangle because he was so attentive and interested in Amelia. I'm glad there wasn't, but wanted to know more about him and his story. He was a loyal friend but so obliging, he felt quite one-dimensional. The story alluded that something will develop between Sidney and William's little sister. Maybe a future book??

Great job, can't wait to read more from this author.

http://larmstrong73.blogspot.com

5/10 and I think that's being generous.

This was okay for a first novel, but it was lacking any depth. Characters who have no flaws are just not interesting to me. I won't even get into the suspension of reality with one woman on a ship with 800 men for six weeks and the total lack of danger here. This book read like a to-do list; Amelia quickly undertakes winning over every single man on the ship and helping with all of the chores. We follow her around, charming everyone. She's Superwoman- a nurse/doctor, a seamstress and sailmaker, an expert at charting, a chef, a linguist, a spy, a soldier, etc. At the same time, she's always trembling and crying. It's supremely annoying. The romance was instantaneous and seemed based on attraction. The language and lack of propriety were not fitting for the time period.

*Spoilers*
I did not buy into the whole issue of discrediting his brother's marriage to Amelia so that the law would not prevent Captain Drake from marrying her; I knew that the Bible said something specifically about men marrying their brothers' widows to protect and provide for them, and I was sure the topic had been a plot in other books I'd read. I knew marriage between cousins was encouraged through the end of the 19th century. I assumed marriage between people not blood-related was acceptable, especially during the time period of the Napoleanic Wars (1803-1815). To my astonishment, after finishing the book, I looked it up and discovered how wrong I'd been. Apparently in 1560, the Church of England forbade marriage to any kind of kin, marriage or blood related, with the exception of cousins and some step-relations. Sibling's spouses stayed off limits until the marriage act in 1921 (http://www.genetic-genealogy.co.uk/Toc115570145.html). Fascinating.

Though it turns out that the facts here were sound, and I'm appreciative for learning something new, it doesn't change my dislike of the characters, their lack of mistakes, growth or relatability or the way I felt when I read it.

I absolutely loved this story!! Jennifer Moore is such a great author and story teller!!! I felt I was aboard the HMS Venture with the characters in the book. I loved how Amelia's character was strong, independent, kind, willing to help others, and someone who fought for what she wanted. I really loved William's character, I felt he was exactly what Amelia needed in her life, even though she didn't know it yet!! I loved Sidney's character, what a great person he was to Amelia. Their friendship was one of the many things I loved about the book. Amelia faces so much heartache and loss throughout the book. However in the midst of it all there are so many great light hearted Moments. I love how Amelia has such a kinship to so many aboard the Venture. Like all great stories I was sad when I finished it, I could use a few more William moments. I just loved the book to start to finish. I had a hard time putting it down!!!

I finished this late last night and found it very distracting in regards to the other areas of my life. I had to finish it and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. I love that Amelia was just herself instead of playing by the rules. She wasn't afraid to become a part of the crew and help where she could. It was endearing. And William, oh William. Too bad he doesn't have a real-life great, great, great grandson! Luckily he was willing to look past his first impressions. I already have Mrs. Moore's next book and will be in trouble tonight! Can't wait.

Beautifully written and fairly historically accurate, this was a delightful tale of a likable young lady and a crusty but soft-hearted captain who find one another during a sea voyage fraught with witty dialogue and a sprinkling of danger and adventure. The secondary characters were fun and well developed and the plot was well paced and had just enough twists to keep me guessing. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to other stories by Ms. Moore.

I loved the story of Amelia and Captain William Drake. Amelia has married Lord Lockwood by proxy who just happens to be Captain Drake's brother. Captain Drake is charged with transporting Amelia on his ship to England to contest the validity of the marriage. The adventures that happen on the ship make things very interesting for Amelia and Drake. It was a fabulous read that I read jn a couple of hours since I didn't want to put it down. I'm just sad this is Jennifer Moore's 1st book!

3 1/2 stars- A good, cute, and interesting story. However, the events that happened once they reached England were handled so poorly in my opinion I had to deduct a half star rating. The drama and hurt that ensued after William very un-thoroughly conveyed his intentions in his note to Amelia could have easily been avoided in so many different ways. It ticked me off to be honest and I didn't quite get over it by the end. However, the ending was cute although a little rushed.

Also, the kissing scenes could have been written a little better. After an entire book, you want a little more out of your romance than 'he pressed his lips to hers'. Especially when you only get like 3 kisses out of the entire book and two of them are almost on the last page.

Still, I liked most aspects of this story. If you are a fan of clean romance this is a pretty good one.

Cute. It seemed more of a romance that would happen today, not very period. Some of it was a little silly. I'm pretty sure that dead men don't scream. :) Overall I really did like it. It kept me up all night reading when I should have been sleeping! And it was totally clean! I really appreciate that. I look forward to seeing the authors writing mature and develop a little more. I think she has great potential and I hope she is able to develop it.

I really, really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, I don't. I am a huge fan of the Regency period and of the Royal Navy at that time. I've read all of Jane Austen's books and nearly everything written by Georgette Heyer. In addition, I have read (extensively) both nonfiction and fiction about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. You might assume that this book was just what I was looking for: a combination of both of my literature loves--Regency romance and Royal Navy. Instead, it was a disappointment. There were just too many details that were incorrect, inaccurate or illogical. (So distracting!) Just to name a few I found in the first 26 pages of the book: 1)The author uses "regimentals" to describe the Navy uniform (p. 6). This is incorrect as the term "regimentals" refers to the military uniform (red coats worn by Army officers), not to the Naval uniform. The captain also refers to himself as a "soldier" (p.25). He never would have done this, that term was used for the Army. He would have called himself a "sailor" or "sea officer" or even "being in the Service." In the same vein, the officers on board would never have used the words "years in the British military" to explain where they learned discipline (p.23). Again, they would have used the terms "in the Navy," "in His Majesty's Service," or "the Service". 2) The author asserts that the captain (the son of an Earl) began in the Navy as a cabin boy. This would have been highly unlikely. Only the lower/middle classes would have served as cabin boys (who, by the way, were referred to as "ships boys," not "cabin boys.") Almost certainly, the son of an Earl would have entered the Naval Service as a Midshippman (also called a "young gentleman"--one of the most junior officers on a ship at the time. 3) Lady Lockwood offers ice tea to the Captain when he visits her in Jamaica. Ummm....how did they have ice in Jamaica in the early 1800s? And the British, to this day, do not drink ice tea or even like ice in their drinks. 4)What really saddens me is that the author has a superficial grasp of Naval life--for example, according to her the sailors have long, dirty hair. Sailors really wore their hair in a queue (long braid), which I don't think would give the "long and dirty" impression mentioned on page 19--and the captain and men of the ship would not have constantly referred to the ship and "the HMS Venture." The would have simply said "the Venture." The mistakes and fact problems like these continue throughout the book. I am so sorry. I REALLY wanted to like this book. These problems are so distracting and belittle the intelligence of the audience. If you're a fan of surface-type Regency romances, you might like this book. But, if you are more educated on the time period and the details of the Royal Navy, it will be exasperating.

This was a great story about a young woman caught up in a wild adventure including a sea battle, and a law suit and a marriage to someone she had never met. Of course she falls in love with someone she should not, but things turn out great in the end. I loved it!

I don't write reviews often, but I feel compelled to explain my five stars because this book is PERFECTION. I read lots of genres, including contemporary romance as well as regency and proper romance. I would put this book and its amazingly talented writer on absolutely the same level as Julianne Donaldson, Sarah M. Eden at her best, Julie Klassen and Sarah Ladd to name a few. The action/adventure, setting and storyline are fascinating and the romance is written to be remarkably heartfelt and believable. I am thrilled to have this gifted new author to follow and will be eager to pre-order anything she writes in the future.

Wonderful story. Seriuosly read it in two days. Wouldn have been faster, but I had to sleep and eat and take care of my children. (he, he..) Great characters and story line. Wonderful romance. Looking forward to reading more from Jennifer Moore.

Another excellent book by Jennifer Moore! This book has it all romance, mystery, adventure and great characters. Although it is set in the 1800's, you feel like you are right there with them at every twist. There are twists! But read this and find out for yourself.

I loved this book! Could not put it down. Amelia plays a strong, likeable female character. I enjoyed the voyage and fell in love with the shipmen, the goods ones that is! Thanks Jennifer. If I could give you a 10+ I would. Would love to see this is made into a movie.

I loved this book! Could not put it down. Amelia plays a strong, likeable female character. I enjoyed the voyage and fell in love with the shipmen, the goods ones that is! Thanks Jennifer. If I could give you a 10+ I would. Would love to see this is made into a movie.

I was captivated from the first paragraph. Adorable heroine, swashbuckling hero, a war at sea, what more can you ask for? Well, misconceptions on both sides that have these two characters battling each other until they begin to realize that they've misjudged each other, and then the fun begins! Wonderful, sweet romance, and made even more perfect by being clean enough anyone can read it.

This book had a very interesting take on the islands, the boat trip, the family dynamics and a great love story. I was able to get into the characters especially the sailors. It was just a great escape!!

Enjoyed the details of living, working, running a ship in those times. Definitely a different time from ours. The etiquette and morals really dominated their lives. Amazing the deception that was going on within the family. The characters seemed very believable and you can't help but love some of them.