I have enjoyed many of Hannah Howwell's books and I cconsider myself a fan, but I enjoyed and disliked this book in equal measure. I was very disaapointed in how tightly this story sticks to her formula. There is no delighted surprise or interesting twists. We know we have a heroine in distress and we have a hero with unique abilities that will keep her safe from harm and his family will eventually come in and using everyone's unique abilities vanquish the evil that is hunting our heroine. Further irritations for me were names so similar I had to pause or backtrack to make sure I understood who was who and doing what. I used to look forward to every story Hannah Howell produced. I'm afraid after this story while well written it lacked the initial wonder and joy her books used to give me. It makes me very sad.
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Strong characters, mysterious intrigue and mystifying storytelling. Thank you Kensington and NetGalley for reintroducing me to Hannah Howell. Ms. Howell creates stories that stimulate the imagination. Her stories are never dull. There are always numerous surprises waiting to be discovered. I received an ARC of If He's Noble in exchange for an honest review. With a book this good my only disappointment is that I discovered it with book 7. ( )

2.3 stars

Thank you to Shannon Burke for recommending this to me :)

Coming in at book #7 really hurt me here, I felt lost with all the Wherlocke family talk and their abilities.
It's a road romance where I thought the main couple fell in love a bit quickly while trying to find the heroine's brother and warn him about their evil aunt. ( )

The hero is known for his ability to help others. In fact, he'd made it his career to guard and protect rich men before he was awarded a title and a comfortable living. So when he finds a gentle woman alone in the forest, he doesn't hesitate to offer her his aid, especially after hearing her story. The heroine is on the run. Grieving the loss of her father whom she suspects was murdered by her aunt, the heroine is desperately seeking out her brother to warn him that their father is dead and he is the next on the list for the evil woman to kill to get the title. Knowing that the trip alone in the countryside is enough to ruin her reputation, neither the less, she sets off in search of her brother. But she is horribly lost and has no idea how find him, let alone survive on the road by herself. When the tall impossibly hansom hero offers her his help, she's smart enough to know she needs it despite her reluctance over endangering the man's life. Together they develop a quick and lasting bond built with mutual trust and companionship. The hero has the gift of finding his enemies as well as the ability to bring peace and calm to those around him and the fragile yet strong and beauty woman sparks within him the fierce desire to see her safe. As they travel, the heroine begins to remember repressed events from her childhood, mainly abuse suffered at the hands of her aunt and once naïve and blind to the true evilness of the woman. the heroine begins to understand the length in which her aunt will go to get what she wants. Including murdering her step brother and actively sending out hired man to kill her niece. Many men come to and attempt to murder the heroine and her companion yet the girl is quick, intelligent and willing to fight to protect herself and the man she's falling in love with. And when they arrive the hero's family estate and she's reunited with her brother, the cat and mouse game is switched and the aunt is now the target whom to be hunted down. Knowing that they will never know peace until she is dead, regardless of how heavily that sits on both the hero and heroine's conscious alike, they know what they must do. I thought this was a nice book. I truly enjoyed the easy relationship between the two main characters and that they don't deny their feelings or waste time fighting one another. Instead, they instantly become attached and both come to trust the other implicitly despite their short acquaintance. I thought the heroine was pretty awesome. She was innocent, still trying to find any reason to doubt what a monster her aunt was yet smart and strong enough to realize the truth. I loved the fact that though they had mad chemistry, the heroine took her time in reasoning out the idea of developing an affair with the hero. And even when they became lovers, they still were honest with themselves and questioning if the passion between them was just because of the excitement and danger or if it was something lasting. I liked the fact that the hero was the protector, the strong male whom which she could rely on yet when needed she could take care of herself as well as be his protector as well. All that being said, I did find the pacing to be on the slow side and I found myself skimming over some of the many long drawn out conversations about nothing important. I grew a bit disenchanted towards the end as I felt some of the magic began to fade. But still, I can say that I quite enjoyed this book and will happily read the next book in the series. ( )

Not quite the thing for a young lady, Primrose Wootten raced from her family home to search for her missing brother. She was worried for Simeon's safety after her cold-blooded, vicious aunt and uncle moved into the house upon their father's death. But that wasn't the only reason she left. Her wicked aunt had arranged for Primrose to marry a horrid man just to pay off her uncle's gambling debts.

Bened Vaughn is a seeker and protector. Many a time he was hired to protect the heir. So when he finds a young woman roaming the forest all alone, Bened's protective instincts refuse to let him leave her side.

The Wherlockes series continue with a Vaughn who is now a noble man. But this man always goes back to his roots. And there is no way he would let this young lady return to her home without protection.

If He's Nole
Hannah Howell
Zebra Books
Kensington Publishing
978-1-4201-3503-9
July 2015

a NetGalley Review by Brenda ( )