What an Earl Wants

Scandalous Ladies #1

by Shirley Karr

What's a lord to do?

The devilishly attractive Earl of Sinclair is having trouble holding onto servants, what with so many of them pairing up and running off to be wed. Luckily, his able new secretary, J. Quincy, seems scrupulously loyal, and possesses the invaluable ability to flawlessly forge the master's signature. But imagine Sinclair's surprise when he discovers the "J" stands for "Josephine." His cherished employee is, in actuality, a quite delectable lady in disguise.

Jo desperately needs this position, and never actually lied about her gender—though she didn't quite expect Sinclair's keen eye to expose the truth so quickly. If the ton finds out, the scandal could be devastating. But Jo believes she can still be of service to the dashing lord. The greatest difficulty, however, will be keeping her mind on business with Sinclair standing so tantalizingly, intoxicatingly close. And what this earl wants, he usually gets.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency, Genderqueer, Regency Romance

372 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 28, 2004

About the author

Shirley Karr’s love of all things Regency began in childhood, when her father’s Air Force career took the family to England for four years. Not only did they visit historic houses, museums, and castles galore, they lived in centuries-old housing. She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband (whom she met on a blind date and married five months later), son, and multiple four-legged family members. To unwind, she loves to make jewelry with gemstones and pearls, grow tomatoes, and go tent camping at the Oregon coast. She’s back after a fourteen-year break from writing, creating light-hearted stories of adventure and romance with a dash of spice, set in Regency England..

Reviews

[🐝 Shaz 🐝 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice story. The Earl back from the war with a injured leg. Employ’s a new secretary, he realises he is really a she. They make a friendship which turns into love.

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for the URR New Years 2017 Reading Challenge prompt 'Friends to Lovers'

27/8 - Quincy and Sinclair were really funny together and despite the lack of sex scenes, only one (can you believe it?) and they don't 'go all the way' because Quincy understands how her menstrual cycle works and that it's wasn't a good time of the month (if there truly is one), their chemistry was palpable.

I liked how okay Sinclair was with a woman being able to navigate his accounts better than he could. He never denigrated her for being a 'bluestocking' or felt emasculated because she didn't restrict herself to the 'feminine pursuits'. He just delighted in her ability to reorganise his office and make smart investments that replenished what his previous shady accountant stole.

The secondary characters' lack of condemnation regarding the compromising position Quincy's manner of dress put her in was a little far-fetched. The society matrons' acceptance was especially unusual, but I just went with the idea that these women, who are often described as 'dragons' in other romances of the same era, were more like the tabby cats they got their nicknames from (though it wasn't at all clear why people kept calling them 'the tabbies') than I was used to.

I would definitely read more of Karr's books if I came across any of them.

[Els · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why but didn't like it much.

[JG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have got to give this the BEST ending ever!

SO...What an Earl Wants is a delightful read. I LOVE every bits of it. Well, nearly every bits of it. There is a part on the near ending when the heroine grated my nerves. Sometimes i wanna shout at her DECORUM BE DAMNED! IF YOU LOVE HIM WHO CARES ABOUT SCANDALS! .

It's one of the reasons why i LOVE this generation. Imagine if i live in a time where a nobel womans duty is to go to parties, produce babies, turn a blind eye if her husband is cheating. No freedom of speech and arrange marriages!!! THe most dreadful of all!

You can't marry anyone else below your class and all those society craps!!! ID DIE!

ahem...

But then, she came to her senses and BAM! Gave us the most emotional, beautiful ending ever. Of course that's just my opinion. Some might find it nothing but i liked it very much. I thought it was perfect. Since our heroine grew some balls and let love rule her head (yes, it's not always a bad thing) things started to turn for the better.

This is a long read and the attraction took time. Our writer took time developing the relationship which i immensely respected. There are only a few steamy moments, but they are quite steamy. lol.

anyway, great, fantastic read!

[Not Now...Mommy's Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was...cute. I enjoyed the verbal sparring between Sinclair and Quincy and their blossoming relationship was quite believable. The antics of the secondary characters made for an enjoyable read, as well.

However, I soon tired of Jo's "masquerade" when it was evident to me only a few chapters in that almost everyone who met her acquaintance saw right through her disguise.

A light easy read that most would enjoy.

[HR-ML · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regency England. Had a hero who behind the scenes
improved his community. And some humor ie several
of his staff paired up and eloped. The heroine and her
sister & hero's mother had suitors. I gave this 3.5 stars.

Benjamin, was a former calvary officer wounded in the
war, and an earl. At times he limped & used a walking
stick. He quietly fronted funds for small businesses
headed by ex-military men such as the Three Soldiers
Inn. His former sweetheart called him "a cripple" &
that ended their future together.

Josephine desperately needed funds to help support her
grandmother and sister. She'd served as secretary to her
late sire, a baron. Jo disguised herself as Joseph Quincy,
hoping to be hired as Ben's secretary. She asked to be called
"Quincy."

Efficient sec'y Jo found discrepancies in hero's business
records, & helped lessen the chaos in his home around staff
changes. They bantered. Quincy was petite, w/o whiskers, &
couldn't hold his liquor. And also helped nurse Ben to health.
Surely his mother (who lived in son's abode), staff & friends
noted his preferential treatment of Q? So there remained
a credibility factor in her persona of a man.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turns out this is a re-release of a book I read when it first came out.

[Ashlee · Rating 2 out of 5]

My feelings toward this book are in the "blegh" category. When you have to force yourself to finish a book, you know it's definitely not a favorite. This is one of my favorite scenarios in a book and this version just seemed...stale. Halfway through I was bored. I don't like dnfing, but I seriously considered it for this one. Sorry, Shirley Karr, but this book was totally not worth the four dollars I paid for it.
The characters and the premise were good and well thought-out,but something about this book wrankled my nerves. Maybe it was the somewhat instalove or the fact that staring at her butt gave away her lack of masculinity... I don't know. Or maybe all the other books I've read where the heroine disguises herself as a man to protect her family just ruined me for this book. Who knows? Don't take my review too harshly. If you were interested in the book based on the summary, much like I was, don't use my review to decide whether or not to read it. Give it a chance and maybe you'll come back with a shining review to downplay mine.

[The Book Coyote · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yawn. This is one of the most boring romance novels I have ever read. It goes on...and on...and on...and on...with no discernable end in sight. And it's not even that interesting. Pages and pages and pages and pages spent with her tending him while he's sick...zzzzzz....I don't like to be cruel about a book, but this book put me to sleep. I couldn't even finish it it was so dull. It started out good, but then completely lost it, and swiveled down into unending dullness.

[Jery · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just ok. Clever enough premise, although rather unbelievable.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit longwinded, but it was overall an enjoyable read

[Alexandra G · Rating 4 out of 5]

He’s a charming earl when he wants to be. Wounded at Waterloo after he bought himself a commission running away from the scandal that was his father’s suicide. To great amusement of his friends his servants keep falling for each other and running off, and that’s how he finds himself in need of a new secretary.
Enter the heroine: a baron’s daughter desperately in need of a well-paying position. She’s intelligent, stubborn and capable. She’ll do whatever is necessary to get her sister out of the city before pneumonia claims her and she didn’t lie; he assumed and she never contradicted him. Soon she proves herself invaluable to the household, but she didn’t expect him to see through her disguise so soon.

In come a cartload of colourful side characters, his meddling mother and her observant grandmother. The tension builds and this soon becomes a really entertaining story to read (honestly hard to put it down). Clever banter, funny and the good kind of different. There’s no steam - it isn’t completely clean either - and that didn’t bother me so much.

However, something else - a pet peeve of mine (-1⭐) - bothered me to no end: the Battle of Waterloo did NOT happen in Belgium!!! In fact, Napoleon died almost a decade before Belgium was established! Feel free to take some creative liberties with historical accuracy if they work for your story, but please not with important historical events.

[Aka. Didi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super sweet!

[Jul · Rating 3 out of 5]

sweet, at times humorous, romance about an earl recovering from a debilitating war injury and an almost engagement whose household staff keep falling in love and running off. To fill the vacancy after his secretary runs off with a maid, Benjamin Sinclaire hires J Quincy, who is great at organization and delightfully impertinant...and also a woman in disguise. Jo (Josephine) needs to support a younger sister and a grandmother after her father's death left them penniless, so she continues the ruse started years ago to make sure she can gain employment as a secretary: dress and behave like a young man.

Quincy (as she's called pretty much throughout) doesn't seem to be too good at the deception, though she had apparently been doing this for years. From within minutes to a day, most people around her know she's female. Sinclaire figures it out thanks to her trousers and feminine-shaped ass within a day of employment. But he decides to keep her around so she can continue to investigate the possibility that his former secretary was embezzling. What follows are weeks of farce, growing friendship, and a rapidly dwindling staff as they all start pairing up and running off. Finally, the (unintentional) matchmaking earl has found someone to match with himself.

I read a wide range of romance and this falls on the sweet end. The book, though there is some kissing and touching (not really much), is much more about the relationship between Sinclaire and Quincy. They are likable people who become engaged in a companiable relationship, fall in love, not in lust. The main drawback is that it's all just this side of unrealistic and unlikely. A healthy suspension of disbelief is necessary to go through the male disguise and farce therein. If you enjoy your romance novels more cute than hot, this is a good one.

Grade: B-

[Danae · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet, light, almost clean Regency romance about Joseph(ine) Quincy masquerading as a male secretary to save enough funds to pay for a country cottage for her grandma and younger sister. And her employer, Earl of Sinclair who's returned from war to find his household in a series of upheavals due to various staff members running off together. Sinclair figures out that his secretary is female soon after she joins work, and finds himself irresistibly attracted to her. Almost everyone she meets can see through her charade, making one wonder how a girl shown to be so intelligent and aware can be so blind to the reactions around her. After a point, her resistance to Sinclair's honourable proposal begins to grate on the nerves, making her suddenly TSTL - a departure from the adaptive female she's otherwise portrayed as. Quite a few funny moments and dialogues leaven the story making it fun to read. Sinclair comes across as an adorable beta; quite the catch.

[Camy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The book had a very interesting story premise, and it was not as unbelievable as other books I've read where the heroine dresses up as a man. At one point, it was a little hard to believe no one realizes she's a man for that long, but on a whole, the author carried this plot point very well.

I enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book. The heroine is feisty and Lady Serena is a good villainess.

However, the last 1/3 of the book were only so-so for me. I liked the hero's vulnerability in this part of the book, but some of the events seemed a little convenient.

Overall, a decent book.

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning was satisfactory and I was intrigued by Mr. Quincy. Unfortunately 3/4s into the book, the story started going around in circles and soon enough all I wanted was the whole rigmarole to end! There were a lot of unnecessary trials that could have been easily resolved. But it went on and on until the book just lost me. I skimmed through the rest of the pages just to see what finally happened to the two lovebirds. :(

[Malicious May · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise, but soooo boring😴

Once Benjamin got sick, the story was unbearably boring. And afterward…ugh, more will they won’t they… And of course she has to have some silly reason why they can’t be together. And of course they have to jump through ridiculous hoops so they can be accepted by society. And of course there is drama with another female. All of which was boring to read. Their relationship took a back seat to EVERYTHING else.

Of course… 😵‍💫

[BJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well it was free, I loved the beginning, but it was almost DNF. He's wounded, traumatised but dithered and runs away. The plucky h is the main protector of her family, the H, his servants and so on. Then she decides he's too good for her, while he decides she's too good for him! OTT foolishness. I did finish it but clearly this is not the author for me.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off very well, and I couldn't read it fast enough. Halfway through, I wasn't sure how it was going to keep going for another 150 pages. But it did. It could have cut out a lot of what happened in the second half, and I didn't like how the heroine kept rejecting the hero. But overall I enjoyed it and it was well written.

[Diane Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. A very pleasant story with likeable characters. It was a bit slow and didn't have much intimate contact between them. I liked the emotions involved, but was a little disappointed with the way it ends.

[Jacq · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf@ 76%.

[ellie 🍂 · Rating 1 out of 5]

i don't know how the fuck i found this or why i read it- but i did! the ending was actually so unsatisfying (from what i rmbr)

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The storyline was different which I loved. Jo and Sinclair were amazing on their own, but I loved them together.

Benjamin Sinclair is an Earl in need of a wife, according to his mother. He was injured in the military and struggles with feeling enough after rejection from his last prospective wife. His house is in shambles because his secretary was stealing from him and he can’t keep staff since they keep running off in pairs to be married. He soon inherits the title of the match making Earl from his friends. He hires a new secretary to set things straight, he just didn’t realize he gets more than he bargained for…

Josephine Quincy needs to support her Grandmother and sister since the passing of her father. How is a former Lady supposed to get a job and support anyone? She makes a decision to learn to act as a male, cuts her hair, takes all she learned from her father and his name and get a job as a secretary. She has the perfect plan except for the part where she falls in love with her boss.

These two have a wonderful report. He figures out her game early on, which I loved. It allowed us to really enjoy the development of their relationship. The storyline is great, the characters are likable and I loved the overall feeling. I just wished for an epilogue to give me a little more…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one even though I was skeptical at the beginning. I am not at all a fan of women disguising themselves as men, especially during this time period. I have a hard time believing anyone wouldn't see through the ruse, which becomes the basis for drama in this book. Her reasons are justified... It's easier to find work as a man than a woman... but still I cringed a little. Obviously I liked everything else enough to continue reading. 👍🏻

I really liked that at every turn someone in the earl's household was running off with their love interest. So many maids and grooms ran off together, it was a fun subplot to keep the house staffed and functioning properly. Plus it became a running joke about the "matchmaking earl."

I thought Sinclair's illness ran a bit longer than necessary for the story. Serena's deviousness was a nice twist to add drama. Overall I give this 3.5 stars.

Steam was maybe a 2/5. 🔥🔥

I enjoyed the author's writing style and humor. I will explore her other books.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Regency Romance and I have been reading them since 1998 so I have read a lot of them. I really liked this one as Jo who happens to be a female needs to find a way to support her Grandmother and sister and she really likes numbers so she dresses as a man and applies as a secretary. The Earl realizes eventually that he is actually a she and the Earl is trying to find a way to convince her that he loves her and it will not be a huge scandal. There is also a great cast of supporting people that funny as well as caring for Jo and the Earl. This one does have a little spice and a really well written sort of passionate hugging between Jo and the Earl. I was rooting for them the entire way through the book. I also forgot to mention that the Earl has a leg injury from the war. I am so glad that I read this book.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice, if a bit too long. Jo Quincy has had to take up the mantle of responsibility for her sister and grandmother by disguising herself as a young man and seeking employment. She talks herself into a job as secretary to Benjamin, an earl still nursing a leg wound from the war. Although he figures out her disguise quickly, Quincy has found numerous issues where his old secretary had embezzled from him, and her presence seems to have cheered up his mother, so he keeps putting off firing her for the ruse. After helping him after an accident and nursing him through an illness, Benjamin is ready to marry Quincy, but she is convinced that once people find out about her time disguised as a man, the scandal would be ruinous for Benjamin and his mother. I found this part dragged on too long and became repetitive, but the characters were well drawn and the relationship nicely developed.

[LitLifeLove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book-Challenge 2022: Book 42

An amusing story, with likeable characters.

Quincy (or Jo, or Josephine) was a feisty, headstrong heroine, who tried everything in her might to protect her remaining family. With clever Sinclair (or Benjamin) as her opposite, the chemistry was there from day one.

So, we all know that there would be little to no chance that anything even minimal resembling would have been able during the real 19th hundreds, bit that‘s the fun thing about fiction.

Only the end came kinda abruptly. It took them quite a while to get together and when they finally did, the book ended half a page later … or it felt at least like it.

Nevertheless I really enjoyed it. Will come back for more. :)

[Balthazor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise for this book was good and I liked both the hero and heroine. But I thought the story went around in circles and dragged on. There was a couple chapters that could have been deleted around the end. I had an hard time finishing it.Especially the heroine was too stubborn and I get sorry for the hero. But the ending was lovely.one at the heroes friends was married and I almost felt i had missed the book about their love story, but I don’t think it has been written. They just got mentioned a lot of times. The other friend I thought was the hero in the next book, but he is not. It is the brother and his friends? In rest of the series. That is a shame. I like the friend with one arm and one eye.

[Renee Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

“What an Earl Wants” by Shirley Karr is a twist on the woman dressed as a man to get what she wants troupe. Unlike most of these stories, Benjamin discovers almost immediately that Quincy is indeed a woman, not a young man who is a talented secretary. He also quickly falls in love with her but she wants no part of causing him and his mother more scandal. Quincy continues her plans to buy a cottage and move her sister away from the city to protect her from getting ill again. Can Benjamin get Quincy to stop worrying about the scandal she might cause? Can Benjamin get past the feeling that his injuries are the actual reason Quincy doesn’t want to be with him? With the twist in the female dressed as a male troupe, I enjoyed the story of Benjamin and Quincy.