Showing posts with label Harlequin Historical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harlequin Historical. Show all posts

Monday, April 15, 2019

Review: The Earl’s Countess of Convenience by Marguerite Kaye

The Earl’s Countess of Convenience by Marguerite Kaye
Series: Penniless Brides of Convenience, Book 1
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Genre: Historical Romance
ISBN: 9781335635099
Paperback Release Date: April 16, 2019
Ebook Release Date: May 1, 2019
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Harlequin

A countess in name only…

…tempted by a night with her husband!


Part of Penniless Brides of Convenience: Eloise Brannagh has witnessed firsthand the damage unruly passion can cause. Yet she craves freedom, so a convenient marriage to the Earl of Fearnoch seems the perfect solution! Except Alexander Sinclair is more handsome, more intriguing, more everything than Eloise anticipated. She’s set her own rules for their marriage, but her irresistible husband might just tempt her to break them!

Alexander Sinclair, Earl of Fearnoch, is in need of a wife before his thirtieth birthday else he’ll lose his inheritance. But he doesn’t want a true marriage, so when his friend Daniel suggests marrying his ward, Alexander is intrigued. Eloise Brannagh also has her reasons for not wanting a real marriage, but she would like the freedom being a wife would offer her. When the two of them meet, they instantly get along, so what harm could there be in a marriage of convenience? None, so long as the two don’t fall in love…

The Earl’s Countess of Convenience is a slow burn romance that I found incredibly charming. Eloise and Alexander are both likeable characters and they complement each other so well that it’s easy to root for them to fall in love. Eloise is a talented designer and honestly the descriptions of fashion and fabric in this book are divine. She’s also not used to sitting around being an idle lady of the manor, so it was fun to see her awaken her new home. She also awakens Alexander, a rather stoic hero who comes to life with Eloise. Alexander’s secrets are held close to his vest, so it takes a while to unspool his motivations and the reasons why he resists the pull toward Eloise.

Eloise and Alexander may have agreed upon a marriage of convenience, but they still have to convince society that they’re wildly in love, which means close quarters. And close quarters plus simmering attraction equals danger to their agreement. I will admit, I did at times get a tiny bit frustrated with the push-pull between Eloise and Alexander. I did grow weary of Alexander’s “I want you, but I must resist because of [secret reason],” but that’s personal preference. That aside, I found Alexander and Eloise to be a charming couple. There are some genuinely sweet and delightful moments and gestures that made me smile and the ending was definitely worth the wait. The Earl’s Countess of Convenience is the first book in Marguerite Kaye’s Penniless Brides of Convenience series and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the quartet (I’m particularly intrigued by the possibility of Eloise’s aunt and uncle getting a book).


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Review: Secrets of a Gentleman Escort by Bronwyn Scott

Secrets of a Gentleman Escort by Bronwyn Scott
Series: Rakes Who Make Husbands Jealous, Book 1
Publisher: Harlequin
Genre: Historical Romance Secrets of a Gentleman Escort Cover
ISBN: 9780373297689
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

He's the talk of the ton—for all the wrong reasons!

Society’s most outrageous—and popular!—escort Nicholas D’Arcy is renowned for his utmost discretion. So when he suddenly finds himself named and shamed by a jealous husband, he reluctantly accepts a summons to the countryside…a fate worse than death!

Annorah Price-Ellis isn’t what Nick is used to—innocent, feisty and decidedly uncomfortable with the spontaneous heat between them! Suddenly, London’s most audacious lover is out of his depth, and in danger of revealing the real man behind the polished facade…

Rakes Who Make Husbands Jealous Only London's best lovers need apply!

Secrets of a Gentleman Escort is a lovely combination of sensual and sweet, thanks to the book’s endearing protagonists. Annorah is a woman who feels like she hasn’t yet truly lived. She’s fast approaching the deadline where she must marry or lose most of her inheritance, and therefore she decides it’s time to take charge and do one thing for herself before she makes her choice. So she hires one of London’s most talented prostitutes for five nights. Only Nick is more than just a handsome escort. The more time he and Annorah are around one another, the more she sees the smart, likeable man beneath the polished exterior. Their romance is charming, pure and simple.

While Annorah and Nick are a heroine and hero you can become invested in, Secrets of a Gentleman Escort does falter outside these two. The story is filled with historical anachronisms that are so blatant they hampered my enjoyment of the story. There’s also the matter of the villains Annorah must face, namely her scheming aunt and a would-be suitor determined not to take “no” for an answer. These villains are black-hatted, rather irritating characters who never rise above one-dimensionality and whose interference in Annorah’s life is never suitably handled. Indeed, the entire ending of Secrets of a Gentleman Escort felt rushed, which is a pity because a bit of fleshing out could have taken the book to the next level – all the elements were there.

Secrets of a Gentleman Escort is the first book in the Rakes Who Make Husbands Jealous series. I’m still conflicted about Annorah and Nick’s story – I truly liked the main characters but am frustrated by the lack of development in every other aspect of the book. That being said, I do want to see where Bronwyn Scott takes Nick’s fellow escorts in future stories so I’ll be back for more Rakes Who Make Husbands Jealous tales.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.