What do you think?
Rate this book
Scandalous Nights with the Earl
A spicy Regency romance between a widow and an elusive earl…
A taste of desire…
To be savored for a lifetime?
After ten years trapped in a loveless marriage, widow Willa St. Clair has created a life of independence for herself in London Society. She has no need for romance, until a chance meeting with Phillip Moreland, the handsome and elusive Earl of Elmsworth, awakens her interest…
Phillip has vowed to remain faithful to the memory of his wife, but he can’t stop thinking about the charming and beautiful Willa. Agreeing they don’t have a future together, they embark on a temporary, passionate affair, but a taste of delight leaves them hungry for a deeper connection…
From Harlequin Your romantic escape to the past.
A taste of desire…
To be savored for a lifetime?
After ten years trapped in a loveless marriage, widow Willa St. Clair has created a life of independence for herself in London Society. She has no need for romance, until a chance meeting with Phillip Moreland, the handsome and elusive Earl of Elmsworth, awakens her interest…
Phillip has vowed to remain faithful to the memory of his wife, but he can’t stop thinking about the charming and beautiful Willa. Agreeing they don’t have a future together, they embark on a temporary, passionate affair, but a taste of delight leaves them hungry for a deeper connection…
From Harlequin Your romantic escape to the past.
- GenresHarlequin Historical
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published October 28, 2025
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Sophia James
175 books126 followersGeorgette Heyer novels formed Sophia James' reading tastes as a teenager, but her writing life only started when she was given a pile of Mills & Boons to read after she had had her wisdom teeth extracted! Filled with strong painkillers, she imagined that she could pen one, too. Many drafts later, Sophia thinks she has the perfect job writing for Harlequin Historical, as well as taking art tours to Europe with her husband, who is a painter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Want to read
January 14, 2026Do my eyes deceive me?! 😱 No, they do not. Sophia James is back! 🎉🎈
February 7, 2026
Willa St. Clair was married off before she could even have a season to a much older, emotionally abusive man. Her husband isolated her, blamed her for their childlessness, and generally beat her down until she was a shell of a person. So when he died, all she felt was relief. Now Willa has taken her place in society, hosting salons and living the life she always wanted, full of social activities and interesting people. When she is waylaid on her way back to London by food poisoning, she and her friends stop at the Earl of Elmsworth’s home for her to recuperate. He hasn’t been in the country in years, so they’re surprised to find him in residence, and Willa is surprised to find that she can’t look away from him.
Phillip, the enigmatic earl, lost his wife while he was abroad in the United States. They married during her first season, when they were both barely out of their teens. His wife was beautiful but physically unwell from the start, and it led to resentment and emotional damage in their marriage, especially because they were childless. Since she died, Phillip has tried to outrun his pain and his complicated relationship with his brother, but it’s time for him to return to England and take up his responsibilities. He never expected to find anyone who could pierce the numbness that had taken over since his wife passed—and certainly never expected her to be at his house when he gets home.
This was my first Harlequin by Sophia James, and I did enjoy myself. I think she has an engaging writing style, and I found myself intrigued by the characters. However, there were some odd editing errors and easy-to-Google historical facts that were plainly wrong, which leads me to believe not much happened during the editorial process.
This book was a nice combination of internal and external conflict. Phillip provides the bulk of the internal conflict with his complicated family dynamics and dead wife, while Willa provides the external conflict with her inheritance from her husband. I liked the balance and think it provided a solid impetus for the act-three low moment without resorting to a cliché like a silly miscommunication. That would have been out of character for both of these people.
The spice and intimacy in this book are great. We have two characters who feel so comfortable around each other, it’s like they’ve known each other for years, but they believe they do not want a relationship. I always like when that happens in a book.
I am a professional classical musician, so when you put anything related to my job on the page, I am going to pay attention. This book takes place in 1820, right at the end of the official Regency—the year George III died. In one of the ballroom scenes, the narration says they are dancing to a piece by Brahms. Johannes Brahms was born in 1833. He was a flagship composer of the Romantic period in classical music, which did not even begin until 1820. That might not be a big deal to most readers, but it’s a basic fact about a historical figure.
Some of the ways Sophia James described early-19th-century America also felt really weird. She is from New Zealand, and based on the way this book is written, I don’t think she is well-versed in early American history. The way she described America through Phillip felt like a later version of this country. In 1819, when he would have left to go back to England, James Monroe was still president and the US had just acquired Florida. The sort of western vibes Sophia James describes wouldn’t come until much later in history.
I did enjoy this book, but the editorial issues took me out of the story, which was a shame. 3 stars.
Phillip, the enigmatic earl, lost his wife while he was abroad in the United States. They married during her first season, when they were both barely out of their teens. His wife was beautiful but physically unwell from the start, and it led to resentment and emotional damage in their marriage, especially because they were childless. Since she died, Phillip has tried to outrun his pain and his complicated relationship with his brother, but it’s time for him to return to England and take up his responsibilities. He never expected to find anyone who could pierce the numbness that had taken over since his wife passed—and certainly never expected her to be at his house when he gets home.
This was my first Harlequin by Sophia James, and I did enjoy myself. I think she has an engaging writing style, and I found myself intrigued by the characters. However, there were some odd editing errors and easy-to-Google historical facts that were plainly wrong, which leads me to believe not much happened during the editorial process.
This book was a nice combination of internal and external conflict. Phillip provides the bulk of the internal conflict with his complicated family dynamics and dead wife, while Willa provides the external conflict with her inheritance from her husband. I liked the balance and think it provided a solid impetus for the act-three low moment without resorting to a cliché like a silly miscommunication. That would have been out of character for both of these people.
The spice and intimacy in this book are great. We have two characters who feel so comfortable around each other, it’s like they’ve known each other for years, but they believe they do not want a relationship. I always like when that happens in a book.
I am a professional classical musician, so when you put anything related to my job on the page, I am going to pay attention. This book takes place in 1820, right at the end of the official Regency—the year George III died. In one of the ballroom scenes, the narration says they are dancing to a piece by Brahms. Johannes Brahms was born in 1833. He was a flagship composer of the Romantic period in classical music, which did not even begin until 1820. That might not be a big deal to most readers, but it’s a basic fact about a historical figure.
Some of the ways Sophia James described early-19th-century America also felt really weird. She is from New Zealand, and based on the way this book is written, I don’t think she is well-versed in early American history. The way she described America through Phillip felt like a later version of this country. In 1819, when he would have left to go back to England, James Monroe was still president and the US had just acquired Florida. The sort of western vibes Sophia James describes wouldn’t come until much later in history.
I did enjoy this book, but the editorial issues took me out of the story, which was a shame. 3 stars.
October 23, 2025
Love these type of romances! I didn't want this book to end. Both Willa St. Clair and Phillip Moreland are widows. Fate has brought them together, but will they be able to part ways after agreeing it's only a fling?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews