The Trouble with Earls by Anna Campbell

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Scoundrels of Mayfair, #2

Release Date: October 13, 2022

As the youngest, and in her opinion, the least attractive of the three Frain sisters, Lady Viola Frain is content to read and fade into the background, she certainly doesn’t expect nor does she want to have men falling at her feet, but that is exactly what happened. While reading under a tree in the garden, a man falls from the tree and lands in a heap at her feet. Make that a gorgeous, slightly drunk man who flirts outrageously with her.

Tobias “Toby” Sutton, the Earl of Renfrew, had tagged along with a friend to visit the Frain sisters but realized too late that a lady he is trying to avoid was in attendance – thus his foray into the foliage. He is immediately attracted to Viola and enjoys chatting with her, but when the other ladies find them, he makes a quick escape but manages to secure a dance at an upcoming ball as he is leaving. Now he can’t seem to get the pretty bluestocking out of his mind and pushes the boundaries to spend more time with her. But when a turn in the garden ends with them betrothed, he knows she is too good for the likes of him and worries that he is going to ruin her life. Will they find their way to HEA or is heartache inevitable?

OK – I am going to go fangirl gushy – Sorry, Not Sorry – OMG – I loved this book so much, I loved Viola’s positivity and her no-nonsense approach to problems, and I loved Toby’s gentle heart and his desire to make her happy. I loved that they boosted each other’s esteem and didn’t shy away from their problems. The book is well-written and nicely paced with a bit of everything: instant attraction, a tormented hero, a gloomy castle, great secondary characters, steamy love scenes, wonderful dialogue, leads that face their problems head-on, a lovely declaration scene leading to their HEA and an absolutely stunning epilogue set nearly 25 years later! This is the second book in the series, but this book could easily be read as a standalone title. I highly recommend this story, I can’t even remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much, it is definitely a keeper!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*