The Mysterious Beast of Northcliffe: A Clean Historical Regency Romance Book (Lords of Convenience 1)
In a society that labels her a spinster and wallflower, Lady Vivian ‘Vivi’ Moore never imagined her heart’s song would be a duet. Yet, a twist of fate and a forced marriage to the mysterious ‘Beast of Northcliffe’ might just strike the most unexpected chord of love.
In the glittering ballrooms of London, Lady Vivian Vivi Moore has endured four fruitless seasons. Labeled a wallflower and destined to be a spinster, Vivi contemplates a peaceful life in the countryside as a lady’s companion to a distant aunt. However, fate has other plans. A twist of destiny propels her into the midst of a tempest when she compassionately rescues a gentleman from a perilous near-death experience—the enigmatic Lord Oliver Northington, infamously known as the ‘Beast of Northcliffe’.
Oliver Northington, burdened by solitude, seeks refuge from the whispers and stares of society within the walls of his cherished country estate. Yet, when Vivi’s brave act brings her unexpectedly into his world, he finds himself deeply affected. Her warmth, tenacity, and genuine interest in him stand in stark contrast to the disdain and indifference he’s grown accustomed to. As Oliver grapples with the tender emotions Vivi evokes, he comes to see her as the healing touch for his deep-seated emotional wounds.
Bound by destiny, a profound connection blossoms between them. But can the gentle spinster and the introspective baron set aside their troubled pasts and embrace the promise of a love-filled future?
* If you enjoy fascinating characters in the Regency and Victorian era, The Mysterious Beast of Northcliffe is the ideal novel for you. This enchanting regency romance is 60,000 words long, offering a captivating read without tricky twists or suspenseful cliffhangers.
The story guarantees a sweet and satisfying happily ever after.
Check out this fantastic new story now!
Customer Reviews
D****************r
Marriage of convenience
Rating: ???? Poor Lord Northcliffe, a reluctant groom forced into marriage with the beautiful and kind Lady Vivian. Despite her genuine affection, Vivian’s sacrifices for a loveless marriage are heartbreaking. The story explores the societal pressures of the time, where scandal and public opinion dictated even the most intimate of relationships. While the author effectively portrays the constraints placed upon Vivian, the premise hinges on a somewhat poorly contrived scenario. The Beast of Northcliffe persona adds a layer of complexity, but his initial coldness and dismissive attitude towards Vivian are understandably off-putting. However, the story does offer some poignant moments of genuine connection, ultimately culminating in Northcliffe’s belated realization of his own folly. One of the most compelling aspects of the story lies in Vivian’s agency. Her decision to return to her family demonstrates her strength of character and her refusal to wait indefinitely for her husband’s emotional barriers to crumble.April 14, 2025
S*******e
Did not like
Did not like this book. They described situations over and over again. It was very tedious to try to read.April 11, 2025
K**************d
awful writing
couldn’t finish the book. repetitive, cliched, full of anachronisms and uninspired predictability.December 24, 2024
K*************r
Not worth you time
This story was so lacking in structure. I was hoping it would get better, but no luck. It read as if a third grader wrote itDecember 8, 2024
K*************r
Lacks dialog
I skipped many pages of just fill not dialog. So much was repeated over and over. I finished reading but skipped to characters speaking.November 11, 2024
C************d
Research is key to good writing
Authors who write period pieces have a certain obligation to the reader for a stab at accuracy. Let’s guess that the book reflects Regency England – I assume that from the fashion styles. At at that point, I become confused about the characters. Lord Oliver Northington, aka Northcliffe, is never introduced to us by his title, only as Lord Northcliffe or Northington – it’s a bit of a toss-up as it’s used. Is he a baron or a duke or a peer in between? Early on it is established that Northcliffe is the name of the family’s country estate. Whew. Prior to their marriage, Lord N occasionally refers to his bride as Lady Moore. Actually, that would be her mother, not Lady Vivian. Even after marriage, he refers to her a Lady Moore instead of Lady Northington or Northcliffe, then he introduces her to his staff at Lady Vivian Morenwood. Some laxity in name use can, perhaps, be overlooked except that it’s very confusing for the reader and makes this reader wonder if the author is also confused? An excerpt from Book 2 is included in this book. It too holds the same problems which should have been caught by the editor. While the author excels in descriptions, it is not enough to support this work.November 6, 2024
L******A
Repetitive
If you take out all the needles repetition in this book I think you’d take a quarter of it away. There are period inaccuracies in the book as well. How can a person feel like a bolt of electricity had gone through them when electricity hadn’t been invented yet? I’ve read other books by this author and don’t remember them being this way. I had to force myself to finish this book. I’m hoping this is a one off for her.November 5, 2024
A****n
Vivian and her man
This was a very good book and it kept my interest until the very end. This was a love story between Vivian and her man.October 31, 2024
S********.
wow!
At first I thought it would be like all the other beauty and the beast knock off books; unrealistic and dumb but it turned out to be very well written to society of the time and was well thought out it was very realistic for the time period and I could almost imagine being in each of the places because the wording was so vividAugust 17, 2024
T*************************************y
disappointing
Not much happens in the book and it seems the author goes in circles from beginning to end. Very frustrating.August 3, 2024
C**t
Wanted: Knowledge
A good editor would have caught the many glaring grammatical errors. A better editor acquainted with the era would have caught the glaring use of modern language, in?con?gru?i?ties with basic Regency customs, and the misuse or the lack of understanding of the appellations of no?bil?i?ty.June 20, 2024
R*****a
Can two people survive a marriage of convenience necessary because of the rumors of the ton?
This is a period romance that has more than just falling in love. Lady Vivian is on her forth season and labeled a spinster and wallflower. She is intelligent and beautiful, also kind and generous, so why hasn’t she found a match. She’s in town and sees a runaway wagon and there is a pedestrian in it’s way. Without a thought she acts and pushes him out of the way. They are both injured, but him not as bad as if the wagon had hit him. This all turns into a scandal at the hands of the ton and could ruin Lady Vivian’s reputation and affect the reputation of her younger sister. The solution a marriage of convenience with a man who has kept himself apart from society to avoid further hurt. Will this work out for them? Or will they be two people just in the same estate? This was a great book, it keeps you engaged as you try to find out if there is a happily ever after. Amanda Stones has an epilogue at the end of the book, but she also has an extended epilogue available and these really finish off the story. So get this book now, it’s wonderful.June 18, 2024
K*************r
Boring.
This book was hard to read. Absolutely nothing happens. The author took paragraphs to describe anything, but it felt like things were just repeating.June 14, 2024
rg
Terrible
Book is predictable, horribly repetitive, grammar and spelling mistakes everywhere; phrases are all cliches and the themes are overused. it was either written by artificial intelligence or by a silly 9 year old kid. I couldn’t even finish it.June 2, 2024
T**s
A Rescue Saves Two Lives
When Vivian dashed into the road to push Oliver to safety, she had no reason to believe it would damage her reputation. Oliver’s loss of his parents had caused him to avoid any relationships. He felt love would only lead to sadness. Yet he realized it was his duty to save the life of the woman who had saved his life. Awkward situations complicate their marriage. This is a very intriguing, emotional story which rewards the reader with a tender romance. I look forward to the next books in this series.May 28, 2024
J*********d
Oliver and Vivian
This is an enjoyable story. I liked that the families were supportive and involved in each other’s lives. I liked that the main characters grew and learned and became better. I think the story would have been better if there was a little more action and less time spent in the characters heads as they thought the same things over and over. If you like everything to be described in great detail you’ll like this book.May 21, 2024
G************n
Couldn’t finish.
I felt as if I had spent hours reading this book and foundI had spent 10 minutes. The word tabloid was used in place of scandal sheet. Tabloid, according to Merriam-Webster the first known use of the word was 1891. Another word the author loved- enigmatic. I believe I saw on 3 pages in a row. Too many pages of she thought, he thought. I got to page 47 and had to stop.March 19, 2024
d******g
Toss the match and buy a BIC
Could not finish because the story is so boringly slow. There were pages of thoughts, thoughts and more thoughts. Paragraphs of reasons, explanations, past events, feelings, more feelings with memories and the social angst…..all the ton were whispering, mocking, laughing, the cruel barbs and snide cuts. I felt extremely lucky when I was able to read actual conversation between characters! I kept hoping that the story was going to take off. Only to be disappointed again with the repetitive saga of thoughts. There is no beast written in this story. Yet, that’s the title the author keeps writing for all the other characters to call him. Found him to be emotionally stunted and adolescent but not a beast. I guess that moniker wouldn’t be as genre acceptable as The Beast of Northcliff. The Emotionally Stunted Northcliff. The heroine had a raging headache for chapters. That’s all there is to read up to where I grabbed the Tylenol. 50% of book. Only a few lines of conversation in each chapter. Reading this story was as frustrating as trying to strike a match that just refuses to spark and take off. As you keep striking the match over and over on the side of the box until you finally give up and toss the match. Removed the download and permanently deleted.March 11, 2024
T************m
Not Worth Your Time
The Hero was called “The Beast” because he had secluded himself on his country estate after his parents’ deaths. When he traveled to London, the Ton avoided him and gave him “looks.” Really? He called “The Beast” nickname a “moniker.” This story was set in the Regency period which ended in 1839 – we know that because of the description of the heroine’s dresses. The word “moniker” was not used the first time until 12 years later, and, before radio, TV and social media, it took years for a new word to come into general use. There were many things I found wrong with this book: Grammar, incorrect word usage and punctuation errors abounded throughout the book. Repetitive use of phrases and words. For example, the use of “complex/complexities” occurred 16 times. I thought, “Okay, I understand the Hero was complex, the marriage was complex, his thoughts were complex, etc, etc. but enough already.” The formality within the story was exhausting and did not ring true. Don’t you think that after getting married, even if it were to a stranger, that the two would have dropped the “Lady” and “Lord” titles when addressing each other? When asked by the Hero’s aunt if she were comfortable, the heroine stated, “I am enjoying my stay.” All in all the book was poorly written, overlong for the story, a slow read and totally boring. Many times I scanned or skipped pages.February 26, 2024
K*************r
Good story but unsatisfying
Oliver Northcliffe is completely angst-ridden, and the author spends 80 percent focused on it. There is little lightness to the book, but many inconsistencies. As an extensive researcher of the Regency period, I expected the author to be more correct. I have read dozens of historical romances over 50 years, and I do not recall any young women being called by their maiden name as Vivian is numerous times after her marriage. She was never address as Lady Northcliff but as Lady Moore or Lady Morecroft or whatever. The chemistry is there but there is no emotion in the love story. And the love story, like a Hallmark movie, comes to fruition only in the last 5 minutes of the book. Finally, the author switches between 19th and 21st Century language numerous times. The use of verily is especially jarring mixed with modern vocabulary. It has the bones of a good love story, but just doesn’t quite deliver. Kudos to the author for even trying to write historical fiction. What a daunting task!February 24, 2024
L**************s
Extremely Wordy
Just too many repetitive words and an internal dialogue went on and on. I just couldn’t stand it. I have so many other books to read I just don’t the minute repeating thoughts. Maybe 15 spoken words in 10 pages.February 21, 2024
K*************r
Unexpected love
This is a sweet story but I skipped many chapters due to repetitive thoughts in the dialog. If you like lots of descriptions on scenery and dress you might enjoy this story. I evidently missed the chapter on why he was called a beast because although cold and hard he never appeared abusiveFebruary 14, 2024
L*****G
Good
Nice engaging story that keeps me turning pages! Good characters too! Enjoyed it!February 13, 2024
J*********e
almost DNF
Oliver needed therapy. He needed to put his big boy pants on and man up! Okay, his parents died tragically but good grief, it had been years! The horrible way he treated poor Vivian went on for too much of the book. When Oliver finally opened his heart to Vivi, the ending happened rather quickly. I wouldn’t call this a romance. It’s more of a soap opera with a weak man who acted like a teenage girl with PMS…February 13, 2024
G***a
Repetitive… up to the point of being boring.
I usually do not write bad reviews, but I was very disappointed with this book. This book can use a good editor and a few reviews. The author repeats the same ideas over and over and over again; maybe in a effort to make the book a little long. Maybe it would have been better as a novella. I found myself browsing the pages (up to 5 at the time) to see if the plot advanced only to be reading yet again the same idea. The descriptions were painfully detailed and unnecessary to advance the plot. The heroine of goes from a person resolve to find love and not to settle for anything less to accept a marriage of convenience, without any resistance or argument. Made me loose all respect for the character. The hero come up as a wining person. It is understandable that his misfortunes had left scars, but the way is portrayed does nothing to inspire sympathy, I was constantly thinking – Get over it already!. Now the moniker Beast of Northcliffe is soooooooo absurd! I really believe the ton would have come with a better one. It reads so forced, not at all organic to the hero’s situation. There’s nothing in his past or present that would really justifies people thinking or calling him The Beast of anything. I did no t enjoy this book. I struggle to finish it.February 9, 2024
K*************r
Very engaging characters
I really enjoyed the characters and the supportive families. Most of the time there is an antagonist. In this case it was the result of the gossip mongers who made it imperative to have a hasty marriage, and a man who had been suffering from the loss of his parents that had to overcome his demons. It was enjoyable and had a very happy ending.February 7, 2024
M**B
Good read
An interesting book with Oliver and Vivian being forced to marry to save Vivian’s reputation. He doesn’t want to marry but feels it is his responsibility since she saved his life by pushing him out of the way of a run away cart. This caused them to fall to the ground and ended up in each others arms. It was scandalous so he felt the need to marry her. It was a marriage of convenience until it became more. An interesting read.February 4, 2024
M***e
Too wordy
Oliver can not make up his mind and I just want to slap him. He is hot then cold. I do not believe that a man can be that conflicted.February 2, 2024
C*m
Good Clean romance!
Oliver and Vivi meet in an unexpected and cute way. I loved how this book started and watching the characters find love in the end!January 29, 2024
N********n
Thawing a heart
The heroine and hero are thrown together into a marriage. How they maneuver it to a HEA makes for a good read.my one complaint was that the hero, who had walled himself away from society and love, seemed to do an about face fairly rapidly. His thoughts also seemed very repetitive. I enjoyed the heroine and her independence and understanding. It was a good read.January 28, 2024
A*************r
Great Read
A fast read that sucks you in.January 28, 2024
C************y
Delightful story with just the right amount of angst for the characters
The story was very enjoyable…just the right amount of ‘angst’ for the characters to sort through.January 27, 2024
D******n
Love Comes Unexpectactly
This is a sweet story where two people find themselves in a situation where they need to marry. Duke Oliver has become a recluse after a tragedy threw him into despair and depreciation. Not one to go to societies activities. He arrives in London for business and has an accident with Lady Vivian, where she tackles him to save his life. Realizing the scandal this put the lady in he proposes marriage, as he thinks she would make a fine wife and she stirred something within him. However, their union does not come without complications. ARC ReviewJanuary 27, 2024
M***M
Fun read
This was a different take on Regency romance. It involves a marriage of necessity, a stubborn man, and an independent woman thrown together when society gossips spread reputation ruining rumors. The irony is that they were uniquely suited for each other. Lady Vivian is quick to realize that the marriage was actually a good match. Oliver, being a man, and thinks he knows best and refuses to acknowledge his feelings. The book was well written and the characters likeable. It was an enjoyable read.January 27, 2024
R*********e
Emotional rollercoaster
How Oliver and Vivian met was interesting and unusual. It seemed like things would go well for them but then, after the wedding, the characters’ thoughts went around and around in a way that became redundant. The author’s descriptions of the scenery and the manor, London, fashion, was all very well done which made it easy to imagine the scenes. The ending was sweet but so much of the book centered around Oliver isolating himself that the ending seemed too fast. Oliver and Vivian were falling in love from the beginning and then there was just . . . nothing, followed by heartbreak almost at the very end of the story and then, almost on the last page, Oliver finally thawed. It somehow just wasn’t nearly as satisfying as it could have been.January 26, 2024
c**********3
Romance
Well written. Love the characters.January 25, 2024
J*d
Sweet love story!
Lord Oliver’s parents died in a carriage accident during a terrible storm. He decided that love was too painful and built a wall around his heart. This is a wonderful love story with very engaging characters and a plot filled with emotion. Definitely worth the read.January 25, 2024
Jo
Life changes
Beautifully written story of a Lord who must deal with grief, loss and life. I finished this one in one sitting and had tears off and on. When Oliver and Vivi meet, life as they know it changes from solitude to adventure. The first in a new series that looks to be a smash hit.January 25, 2024
