Someone to Watch Over Me

Written by Lisa Kleypas

Narrated by Anna Parker-Naples

Someone to Watch Over Me is a classic tale from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas. In this Regency romance, Kleypas, the author of Seduce Me at Sunrise, tells the story of a scandalous beauty with no memory of who she is and the man determined to unravel the secrets of her past.

Contains mature themes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Oct 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781541448360

Lisa Kleypas

New York Times Lisa Kleypas graduated from Wellesley College with a political science degree. Her historical romance and contemporary women’s fiction novels are published in forty different languages, and are bestsellers all over the world. Currently she lives in Southern California with her husband Gregory.

Reviews for Someone to Watch Over Me

[Williams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Twists, turns, romance, erotic moments, all in this well turned out regency romance.

[Jennifer Hill · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Really did not care for the hero. He set out to take advantage of a women after she had been attacked and has amnesia all because she spread a rumor about him.

[thewestwing-864351 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3 stars - while the plot is unrealistic it was still engaging (anyways I don’t read regency romances for their accuracy) I just didn’t like the hero at all. So he kinda ruined the book for me.

[jorgeousjotts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read Lorraine Heath's Once More Darling Rogue some time ago, and it also stars a heroine with amnesia at the mercy of a hero holding a grudge (I'm going to call this the Overboard trope). And it just made me kind of uncomfortable really, so although I like Kleypas, I've been reluctant to read this one. In my opinion this was handled much better. The revenge theme didn't get too carried away, and I wasn't left wondering in the end if he had genuinely grown to love her or if he'd just molded her into wife material or something. About the hero, his ending line is a bit lame, but otherwise I enjoy what a high priority he makes her, and that he almost goes a little bit mad when her life is in danger. =D It's fairly predictable, but the execution is good and I was entertained. 4.5 stars rounded up.

[narshkite · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lisa Kleypas is a reliable writer for me when I am looking for romantic escape, one of my enduring favorites usually sure to be a 4 or 5 star read. This is a 3.5 for me -- I liked the characters a lot and loved the thoughtful bits of background detail on Bow Street Runners (I love this trivia, the runners and the formation of modern policing has been a subject of fascination for me since my long ago days as a Criminology major.) My problem, and it was a big one, is the assumption that someone can not be nice, be thoughtful, and be a sex worker. I would expect a sex worker character in historical romance (and to be fair contemporary romance as well) to be shunned by society, and portrayed as persona non grata in polite society, but Kleypas implies in the authorial voice that sex workers are inherently bad people. Morgan is mystified when he rescues a member of the demimonde and she is polite and decent in her dealings with his servants. His housekeeper even says that the rescued woman is so kind that it is hard to believe that what Morgan has said about her being a kept woman. (view spoiler). It did not sit well with me at all. I am going with a 3 rather than a 4 for a pretty callous view of women making choices to sell the only thing they own because they don't have every option open to them, and who then get good at their job and don't hate themselves for quantifying the value of their sexual availability and skill (and - clutching my pearls - enjoying it.)

[lauren2013_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Someone to Watch Over Me
4 Stars

Although the plot is quite predictable, the story is entertaining nonetheless.

When dedicated Bow Street Runner, Grant Morgan, is called to the scene of a drowning on the Thames, he is astounded to discover that the victim is not only alive but her identity is that of the most notorious courtesan in London, Vivian Duvall. Unfortunately, Vivian is suffering from amnesia and has no memory of the attack, or her promiscuous lifestyle, and Grant vows to protect her even though she once slighted him.

While Vivian is a sweet and endearing heroine, she is just a little too meek and submissive for my tastes. In contrast, Grant is an intense and sexy hero with a painful past, which makes it difficult for him to accept his growing attraction to Vivian. Their romance is intense and their chemistry tangible but the “I love you’s” come along too quickly, especially considering Grant’s initial aversion to Vivian.

The suspense plot is intriguing with solid investigative techniques (Grant’s old school, brute force style is particularly apt) and a tense and satisfying climax. That said, the identity of the villain is far too obvious and his motivation is quite weak.

In sum, despite its problems, Someone to Watch Over Me is a charming romance with a solid mystery and fans of Kleypas’s writing will not be disappointed.

[myab-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. At times couldn't put it down! I was happy my predictions came true. I liked how Grant battled with himself every now and then not wanting to fall for Vivien, and I liked how Vivien trusted Grant right from the beginning. I am looking forward to the other books in the series.

[mrsdanaalbasha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I know Grant Morgan has rescued Vivien Rose Duvall from death, but I don't like that he seeks revenge when she is already vulnerable, it's not very gentlemanly of him. And I have a feeling that this woman isn't Vivien but her twin sister who was mistaken as the famous courtesan by an angry lover, and the real Vivien will reappear with a widowed husband on her sleeve! OMG I was right about the sister part but not the widowed husband part, but all my assumptions were very close! It's an okay book but I didn't love it... Not Lisa's best!

[grapeapril75-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved Vivien and Grant!! Such a fabulous story!! One of my favorites from this author!!

[vonze-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting romance with a crime mystery element. I enjoyed this one. I'll probably read more Kleypas in the future.

[thelustyliterate-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was moderately entertained. Her writing is solid. But, I didn't particularly love the premise, hero or heroine. I didn't like Grant for taking advantage of Vivian (Victoria) while she was injured and terrified. Then I couldn't buy her falling in love with him- even after she realized who she was or more importantly who she wasn't. She continued to be starry eyed and willing despite his sexual revenge plot coming to light and her ruining.I usually fall a bit in love with Lisa Kleypas' men but not this one. Despite, I'm on to the 2nd in this series.

[ladywesley · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Perfectly OK, but not close to the LKs that I've loved. Very predictable "mystery."

[krissysbookshelf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was so lucky when I found a box full of Lisa Kleypas books because I haven't stopped reading her work since. She is an outstanding author. Someone to watch over me completely won over my heart.

[breena31 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of Lisa's Bow Street Runners series, but it's ok. The heroine in this one is a bit too moralistic for me, too goody goody, but she wasn't so bad that I couldn't finish the book. I really liked Grant, the hero. He at least had some human failings that made him more believable and likeable as a character. Anyway, not a great read, but enjoyable.

[ladyisis_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Some books are timeless and forever enduring. I read this back when it first came out. I have a voracious appetite for reading material so I was looking for my authors like Stephanie Laurens. I found Ms. Lisa Kleypas and I know she would be on my auto buy list. I, of course, read all her other books first. This is the first book of her Bow Street Series and the first series that she had written at the time. Some of her earlier books had mentioned the Bow Street Runners. One of the facts of reading a well written and researched historical romance is that you may learn something of history. I didn't, for example, know that there was a organized police force before Scotland Yard. There are, of course, numerous other little details that come out in these books and this one is no exception.One of the things that I really like about Lisa Kleypas is that she tends to write about the middle class of London, the merchants and booksellers and authors. These are the people that keep things running and the ton happy. Grant Morgan is the son of a bookseller that fell on hard times and was sent to debtors prison. He made something of himself and built quite the reputation. Grant is intelligent and tenacious. When he takes on a case he works it until he solves it. Grant is also a kind and generous man. His servants love him and his peers respect him. I came to have a solft spot for the man. He is a wonderful hero and he deserved to find someone who would love him.Victoria is a quite gently born woman that has lived with her scholarly father all her life. She know little of London. She is intelligent and quick on her feet. She is also a realist. When she loses her memories she doesn't wilt away in despair she makes the best of what she has. She continues to live her life and tries to help Morgan find out what has happened to her. Victoria also care deeply for her sister and that is what gets her into trouble. I had to smile when she finally recovers her memories. She is so happy to know who she is and that she isn't her sister. While she loves Vivien she doesn't approve of her profession,Ms. Kleypas does a wonderful job of weaving a story of love and mystery. The search for the man that tried to kill Victoria never over shadows the love story. Ms. Kleypas shows the progress of Grant falling in love with Vivien/Victoria as he comes to realize that she isn't the woman that he thought he knew. Victoria the perfect woman make him happy and Grant is the perfect man to make Victoria happy. While there are a few love scenes in the story they are modest and well written. I love this story the first time I read and I loved it just as much this time.

[rubya_32 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book really didn't do it for me.

Although I thought the initial premise was good, a beautiful courtesan found half dead in the Thames, and the subsequent quest to find her attempted killer, etc., it all just began to fall flat for me very quickly.

1. I thought Victoria's character just a terrible bore. Self-effacing, meek, weak, dependent. I couldn't see what he saw in her, except her looks. She reminded me of Emmaline in Devil in Winter, except unlike Emmaline, she doesn't come into her own by the end of the novel. She is the same throughout. Yaawn.

2. I thought Grant despicable. When he finds who he thinks is Vivian in the water, half-dead and drowned, he takes her back to his home and attempts to revive her. As she is half-conscious and hypothermic, he decides that he will use this opportunity to take advantage of the situation by seducing her. Why? Because he wanted to get back at her for starting a rumor about him. I found that simply disgusting. Then, as he uncovers more and more information about who Vivian "is" he is angered by her promiscuous ways and judges her, even as he wants her.

I don't know, the whole thing fell very flat to me. The book seemed inconsistent, the characters were weakly constructed, and there didn't seem much of a story there for me except for the mystery of who tried to kill Vivian. Furthermore, Keyes motive for killing Vivian just didn't make sense to me. He wanted to kill her for money so he could retire?? I don't know- weak.

I wanted to read more about Vivian- the Scarlett O'hara of the novel. I almost wish that it was really Vivian he fell in love with- it would have been fun to see them clash and to see him get over the fact that he was falling in love with a courtesan who he had hated and to watch her become a one-man woman.

[lynnsigman · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Read in Maui - typical historical romance - which is fine for the beach. Yes, I'm justifying it!

[loverofbooks79 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a good read my first book from Kleypas will read more of her books. Got hooked on this book a really interesting story in this one.

[anniik_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fun book. Lisa Kleypas is a good writer, and her books are fast and entertaining. Grant Morgan is a good character - enigmatic, harsh, seemingly cold, but with a loving interior, his plan to get his revenge for a past slight is complicated by the fact that he begins to fall for the woman he wishes to punish. Or so he thinks. Throughout this book, I found myself wishing that she really had been Vivien - I think it would have been a lot more interesting and a lot more emotionally engaging if she had been. It would have demanded a great deal more of both characters, while this book takes the easy way out. Despite that, I enjoyed this book a great deal.

[jenson_aka_dl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Bowstreet Runner, Grant Morgan, is called in to the scene of a drowned woman he is startled to discover that the corpse in question is not only alive, but is also the beautiful courtesan, Vivien Duvall. Despite his distaste for the gossip Ms. Duvall had spread about him after his rejection of his of her charms Grant takes the beauty into home, determined at exact his own revenge against her while seeking the person who tried to murder her. Grant soon finds his vengeful plans in jeopardy as when Vivian awakes she not only has no recollection of who she is, she appears to be a changed person. This Vivian is both innocent and frightened, stirring feelings of protectiveness that Grant cannot deny. Will he be able to figure out the murder mystery before he loses his heart to the woman he is supposed to hate?This was certainly another lovely historical romance from Ms. Kleypas. I liked both Grant and Vivian although I suspected the twists and turns of the story pretty much from the start. I like how she always seems to add in elements of believable danger and excitement into her stories to keep the reader glued to the pages.