The Trouble with Earls
Anna Campbell
Historical Romance
The wild rogue and the wallflower!
Toby Sutton, Earl of Renfrew, is a notorious libertine with no interest in marrying a wellbred young miss and making her his countess. But when he meets lovely Lady Viola Frain, irresistible desire creates an explosive mix with his native recklessness. Within a matter of days, he and Viola are joined in a hurried marriage of convenience, patched together to scotch an almighty scandal.
Marry in haste, repent at leisure?
With two spectacular older sisters, shy Viola Frain is used to being the overlooked member of the family. When handsome Lord Renfrew literally falls at her feet, Viola finally meets a man who thinks she’s special. But before the fragile bloom of attraction can flower, she finds herself wed to Renfrew and whisked away to brooding Brazey Castle, where shadows of old tragedy threaten her frail hope of happiness.
The trouble with earls…
Society watches avidly, forecasting disaster for an alliance between two people so mismatched. Can passion unite the rake and the recluse? Or is the truth just as Viola fears? That the trouble with earls is that they’re bound to break your heart.
Uncaged Review: Lady Viola Frain notices a smashed elm tree in front of her with a young man lying face down on the ground. The young man, it turns out, is Lord Tobias “Toby” Sutton, Earl of Renfrew. Of course, after Toby crash lands in Viola’s path, he just wants to spend more time with her. As Toby gets to know Viola, he slowly falls for her, but Toby is also a rake, so women chase him all the time. When Toby asks Viola to stroll the gardens, he finally kisses her but then lands himself in trouble. Just as he is trying to do a good deed to help another woman, she claims that Toby compromised her. Viola steps in and claims that it is impossible because Toby was in the garden with her, thereby compromising herself. Toby and Viola have no other recourse except to marry, thereby saving both their reputations, but can a relationship born of scandal find love?
This is the second book of the Scoundrels of Mayfair, and I am still fully invested in the series. Especially since I jumped around and read them out of order. Still, this book has mayhem, sexy shenanigans, raunchy Regency romps and a family that, despite their eccentricities, still manage to be lovable. In fact, all the Frain’s are just such wonderful characters. I can’t help but love them all! Plus, this book isn’t boring or stale. I’m either laughing one minute or really feeling for them. So, if you want a stiff upper crust, Regency, then this isn’t it. Toby does have a lot of issues and literally falls head over heels for Viola. He seems to make a mess no matter where he goes and at times I really wanted to shake him because he just doesn’t think. While Viola, the smarter, level-headed heroine, puts everything to rights. The saying here that cooler heads prevail yet still manages to be fun, fits Viola to a T. So, all I can say is I really enjoyed this book, but am eager to go onto the next. Reviewed by Roslynn Ernst
4 Stars
