Pages: 226
Series: To Marry a Rogue #1
Genres: Historical Romance
Goodreads
The reigning queen of London society, Lady Elizabeth Worthingham, has her future set out for her. Marry well, and marry without love. An easy promise to make and one she owed her family after her near ruinous past that threatened them all. And the rakish scoundrel Henry Andrews, Earl of Muir who’s inability to act a gentleman when she needed one most would one day pay for his treachery.
Returning to England after three years abroad, Henry is determined to make the only woman who captured his heart his wife. But the icy reception he receives from Elizabeth is colder than his home in the Scottish highlands. As past hurts surface and deception runs as thick as blood, so too does a love that will overcome all obstacles, unless a nameless foe, determined with his own path, gets his way and their love never sees the light of day…
Only an Earl Will Do
Tamara Gill
I have been on a big historical romance kick! Only an Earl Will Do was a good read overall once I got past the trope. It was the ‘miscommunication’ trope. I find this trope to be a bit annoying mostly but it did kind of work in this book.
Lady Elizabeth and Lord Henry grew up together and fell in love. She give it up to him before he leaves for America. He promises to marry her once he has regained his fortune. After he leaves, she finds out she is knocked up and has to tell her family. In hopes of avoiding ruin, they write to Henry and beg him to return and marry Elizabeth. They get a letter stating that he will do no such thing. Out of desperation, she must marry someone else. This is all pretty much the prologue.
So, then the story jumps 2 years ahead. Elizabeth’s husband has died, and Henry is back. He is pissed she never wrote to him and just married someone else, and she is pissed that he abandoned her. They quickly start to realize there is a miscommunication and set about figuring out who was responsible. However, Elizabeth, for fear of further ruin, does not tell Henry about the baby. And the lies continue…
I liked Elizabeth. I thought it was different that they had premarital sex since it was such a big no no for this time. I liked that she had to face the consequences of that choice because it, again, is not the story you usually get in regency romance. I did tire of the back and forth half truths though and felt the book was a bit slow at times. The blackmail plot was really interesting and I enjoyed that aspect. I am curious about Elizabeth’s sisters so I plan to read the next book in the series!
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: no
- Trope: miscommunication
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: standalone
- Cliffhanger: no
- HEA: View Spoiler »
His Scandalous Kiss by Sophie Barnes, Cold Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas, Unexpected Circumstances by Shay Savage…then you will probably like Only an Earl Will Do!
Elizabeth hid a repulsed shudder over Lord Riddledale, who stood pompous and proud across the floor, the ever-present scowl on his face no surprise. No doubt her stepping out with another gentleman other than himself had put him out of countenance. She turned back to her sister. “I cannot summon any remorse for annoying Riddledale. As for Lord Dean, I’ll be sorry to hurt him, but no, I will not marry him no matter how much his heart breaks over my decision.”
“Could your feelings change in time, do you believe?” Victoria asked.
“No.”
“No?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No.”
“Why?”
She swallowed the familiar lump which formed in her throat every time she thought of him, the man she refused to name, even in her own thoughts. “I’m not the loving kind. I don’t believe it’s healthy to rely on such feeble unstable emotions when someone is entering the marriage state. Men and their need to be adored, looked up to in awe, can go hang. Lord Newland’s name protects me now. I have no need to marry again.”
Victoria threw her a dubious look. “I believe there is nothing purer and good than love, especially if you are fortunate enough to have it in a marriage.” Her sister sighed, the sound tinged with sadness. “You promised Papa you would try.”
“I am well aware of what I promised Papa, but he did not stipulate marriage is what I should try. I’m friendly and affable. That is enough.”
Thanks so much for the review and hosting me today! I’m glad overall you enjoyed the book, and I hope your readers do too. 😀
This reminds me of Caroline Linden’s Six Degrees of Scandal in that they do it before the hero leaves and promises to come back and marry but ends up not. There’s no baby in that one though.
I’m okay with the miscommunication tropes in some books, but a lot of times it also drives me insane. I like the sound of the characters here, so I might give this one a try.
Thank you so much for sharing your review!!