February 2024 review: oh god my original review is a little embarrassing - lol this book is absolutely not conventional (aside from the ending but I don't even think that so much now.) The fairytale/myth elements were more obvious for me during this read and I think because of that I don't have the same sense of disappointment about the ending as I previously did.

April 2023 review: I liked this! It is definitely one of the more "conventional" romances by Ivory. Like, it is a Blue Ribbon winner, Best All-Around. What I have come to love about Judith Ivory is how unexpected her books are and how far they stray from the conventional: from her characters and the choices they make, to her lack of epilogues or epilogues that refuse to tidy up all loose ends. When I say this is a conventional romance, I mean it is conventional for Judith Ivory iykyk. I would have loved if the ending was a little different - maybe a little more mysterious - but I adored both characters so much I don't really care that much.

Gosh I don't know how to say this without sounding like a complete dope, but I'm going to say it anyway - Judith Ivory is special. Everything she has written is special - even when it misses the mark in important ways - she has written books that are so important to me that I might cry in front of strangers when I think about it. ( )

I'm a fan of the My Fair Lady story line and I especially love that Winnie was just an incredibly smart lady, but found that her push-and-pull with Mick went on just a bit too long. I could understand her hesitation, and had a great deal of empathy, but her transition came a little late in the story. Also, the extreme fairytale-ness of the ending was just too unbelievable. And they all lived happily ever after? I don't think so. I had to drop my rating a bit for it. I love rags-to-riches stories, like, a lot a lot, but just couldn't handle this one.

ETA: I take it about about not being able to handle the ending. The epilogue def makes it too pat, but I really like this story. ( )

Zero angst, but I loved it! The plain heroine is a bit insecure, but that eventually passes. What unique and different characters, I don't think I've ever read a hero like Mick. He's confident and sure of himself without being arrogant, is sweet and unselfconscious. It was fun watching him draw Winnie out of her shell. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, given this is a gender-switched version of My Fair Lady, but there is not a bit of strife between the MCs, the relationship is 100% open and sweet. ( )

Very interesting book about a ratcatcher in 1899 London who ends up in a Pygmalion scheme with an impoverished noblewoman. Characterization of both the hero and the heroine was well done. He was a lovely hero and you got to know him a tiny bit better than the heroine.

The ending was a little predictable and I would have been fine with the other obvious ending. However the ending didn't come out of the blue but was adequately set up before hand so it's all good.

The strength of the book was in the scenes between the two of them especially during the increasingly more intimate seduction scenes. He wasn't a "vile seducer". He just couldn't help himself around her. It was just lovely. ( )

Edwina, a 29-year-old spinster, always thought she was unattractive, but Mick Tremorne could persuade her otherwise. The devastatingly gorgeous Mick, who works as a rat-catcher in order to support his 11 orphaned brothers and sisters, has a naturally aristocratic bearing, which is an enormous asset when he is persuaded to participate in a wager: can he, in six weeks time, pass himself off as a viscount? Edwina, the daughter of a marquess, supports herself by training people to fit into the ton. Her cousin, Xavier, who inherited the entailed ducal estates that would have passed to her father, has refused to support her, and even tried to cheat her out of her dowry.

The mysterious twins who proposed the wager and provide the financial support might have a nefarious agenda. If the masquerade is uncovered, Edwina could lose her place in society and Mick could be jailed.

This is a fairy story, utterly unrealistic even for an historical romance, but it's well-written and amusing. Suspend disbelief and enjoy. ( )