How To Catch An Errant Earl:
A young debutante makes a hasty exit from London only to create new headlines on the Continent.
After being expelled from a young ladies’ academy, a disgraced Miss Arabella Jardine is whisked away to the Continent until the controversy in London subsides. However, it doesn’t take long for Arabella to shock her family all over again when an encounter in Switzerland with the irresistible rakehell-in-exile Earl of Langdale leads to a compromising situation. Despite his wicked reputation, Lord Langdale is the sort of man she has dreamed of marrying.
When Gabriel Holmes-Fitzgerald is caught in flagrante delicto with the apparently prim and proper Miss Arabella Jardine, he’s obliged to offer for the young lady’s hand. Unprincipled cad that he is, Gabriel is no stranger to scandal. He’ll do the right thing and wed Arabella, although he secretly despairs his tainted soul will corrupt and ultimately destroy her.
When Arabella’s life is unexpectedly threatened by an unscrupulous enemy from the past, one thing becomes crystal clear to Gabriel: the worst torment of all will be losing the woman he loves. And he would do anything, even sell his soul to the Devil himself, to save her.
Author Bio:
Amy Rose Bennett has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. As she is an avid reader with a particular love for historical romance, it seemed only natural to write stories in her favorite genre. She has a passion for creating emotion-packed–and sometimes a little racy–stories set in the Georgian and Regency periods. Of course, her strong-willed heroines and rakish heroes always find their happily ever after.
Praise for Amy Rose Bennett:
“In the stellar debut of her Disreputable Debutantes series, Bennett makes the Regency historical seem fresh and new through her vividly rendered settings, which display her impeccable command of the glittering world of the ton; her perfectly matched protagonists, whose potent sexual chemistry evolves into sizzling love scenes; and her expertly graceful, tartly witty writing.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Readers will enjoy this expertly executed Regency with likable characters. A well-written start to a historical romance series full of rakes and the women who love them.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Bennett delivers a fun start to a new Regency series in which embracing one’s bad reputation yields some pretty good results.”—Library Journal
Tracy’s Review:
How to Catch an Errant Earl by Amy Rose Bennett
Tracy’s rating: 4/4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Disreputable Debutantes, #2
Release Date: April 28, 2020
Gabriel Holmes-Fitzgerald, the Earl of Langdale is not having a good day – he is recovering from a night of debauchery after being punched by his lover’s husband while attending a ball at their home and if that was not bad enough, his cousin has informed him that once his father, Gabriel’s uncle passes away, Timothy plans to challenge Gabriel’s right to the Earldom. He contends that Gabriel’s parents were not legally married in England, therefore rendering him illegitimate. Gabriel needs proof and there is only one person who can help – his mother, problem is, he hasn’t seen her since she left his father many, many years ago. But a little digging and he finds out where she was last year and since London is not the best place for him right now, he heads off to Switzerland to find her.
Arabella Jardine thought that the scandal caused by her “unbecoming” behavior at finishing school ruined her life, she was sadly mistaken. She quickly learns that being caught in a passionate embrace with a half-dressed, well-known rake is much more ruinous and life changing. Arabella is in Switzerland with her family when she runs into Gabriel, he tells her he has a letter for her and promises to deliver it – which he does, but ends up injured and in need of medical assistance. Lucky for him, Arabella has medical knowledge as she often assisted her grandfather in his medical practice. She tends him and he begs for a kiss, which quickly spirals out of control and has him proposing.
Arabella has no choice but to marry him – a man who is honest and tells her he will probably never love her and most likely won’t be faithful. She never expected to marry for love, but the idea of him breaking her heart has her throwing up a wall between them, a wall he desperately wants to knock down.
This was a very good book, it was well written and paced nicely. Both Gabriel and Arabella have had less than stellar childhoods and their experiences have scarred them both in different ways. Arabella is guarded and cautious, while Gabriel is self-indulgent and promiscuous – but deep down they are both insecure and have abandonment issues – they just deal with them differently. There is a lot going on in the book and I wondered if the romance would be lost in the mix, but it works, so be prepared for outrageous flirting, steamy love scenes, secrets, jealousy, addiction, evil relatives, kidnapping, a bit of angst, great secondary characters and a wonderful HEA (complete with an epilogue!!!) This is the second book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone title. I am happy to recommend this this book, it was a delightful read and am looking forward to the next installment.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review of an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*
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