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The Wagers of Sin #2
Un conte ca tine
SERIA "PARIURILE PACATULUI"
Dupa moartea tatalui sau, Hugh Deveraux descopera ca a mostenit nu doar titlul de conte de Hastings, ci si foarte multe datorii, asa ca decide sa refaca averea familiei intrand in iadul jocurilor de noroc din Londra. Acolo insa are parte de cel mai surprinzator pariu, cand un comerciant foarte bogat ii propune sa o ia de sotie pe fiica lui in schimbul platii tuturor datoriilor.
Eliza Cross este mostenitoarea unei averi imense, dar a renuntat la speranta de a se casatori cu un barbat care s-o doreasca pe ea, nu banii ei. Insa cand il cunoaste pe fermecatorul conte de Hastings, noul partener de afaceri al tatalui ei, Eliza se indragosteste nebuneste de el. Desi nu ii vine sa creada, isi vede implinit visul de a fi sotia barbatului pe care l-a cautat toata viata.
Desi Hugh s-a casatorit din interes, pentru a asigura bunastarea mamei si a surorilor lui, ajunge sa isi cunoasca sotia cu adevarat si sa se indragosteasca de ea. Cand totul parea sa se fi asezat pe fagasul fericirii, Eliza afla de scandalosul aranjament, iar Hugh, desi acum are toti banii pe care i-a dorit, isi da seama ca risca sa piarda cea mai de pret avere: dragostea adevarata.
Dupa moartea tatalui sau, Hugh Deveraux descopera ca a mostenit nu doar titlul de conte de Hastings, ci si foarte multe datorii, asa ca decide sa refaca averea familiei intrand in iadul jocurilor de noroc din Londra. Acolo insa are parte de cel mai surprinzator pariu, cand un comerciant foarte bogat ii propune sa o ia de sotie pe fiica lui in schimbul platii tuturor datoriilor.
Eliza Cross este mostenitoarea unei averi imense, dar a renuntat la speranta de a se casatori cu un barbat care s-o doreasca pe ea, nu banii ei. Insa cand il cunoaste pe fermecatorul conte de Hastings, noul partener de afaceri al tatalui ei, Eliza se indragosteste nebuneste de el. Desi nu ii vine sa creada, isi vede implinit visul de a fi sotia barbatului pe care l-a cautat toata viata.
Desi Hugh s-a casatorit din interes, pentru a asigura bunastarea mamei si a surorilor lui, ajunge sa isi cunoasca sotia cu adevarat si sa se indragosteasca de ea. Cand totul parea sa se fi asezat pe fagasul fericirii, Eliza afla de scandalosul aranjament, iar Hugh, desi acum are toti banii pe care i-a dorit, isi da seama ca risca sa piarda cea mai de pret avere: dragostea adevarata.
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2018
446 people are currently reading
2736 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Linden
57 books1,703 followersCaroline Linden was born a reader, not a writer. She earned a degree in mathematics from Harvard University and worked as a programmer in the financial services industry before realizing writing fiction is much more exciting than writing code. Her books have won the NEC-RWA Readers' Choice Award, the JNRW Golden Leaf, the Daphne du Maurier Award, and RWA's RITA Award, and have been translated into seventeen languages around the world. She lives in New England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 410 reviews
August 30, 2018
This is just a really enjoyable, sweet Regency. Likeable main characters. No alpha male douchebaggery, believable conflicts. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
September 5, 2018
3.5 stars
Is it a marriage of convenience if only one of the two parties is aware of it? Does that make it a marriage of inconvenience for her? Either way, this book from the very beginning outlines how Hugh, the husband-to-be, is basically forced into courting innocent Eliza by the machinations of her devious father. Hugh over time of course begins to see Eliza for the gem she truly is on her own merits, just in time for Eliza to find out what really led Hugh to court her in the first place. All the build up to this big reveal is very intense and I was anxiously awaiting what turned out to be an absolutely anti-climatic moment. So yeah. Total disappointment. It was really good up until that point, so middle of the road rating.
Is it a marriage of convenience if only one of the two parties is aware of it? Does that make it a marriage of inconvenience for her? Either way, this book from the very beginning outlines how Hugh, the husband-to-be, is basically forced into courting innocent Eliza by the machinations of her devious father. Hugh over time of course begins to see Eliza for the gem she truly is on her own merits, just in time for Eliza to find out what really led Hugh to court her in the first place. All the build up to this big reveal is very intense and I was anxiously awaiting what turned out to be an absolutely anti-climatic moment. So yeah. Total disappointment. It was really good up until that point, so middle of the road rating.
October 1, 2018
I've given this an A- at AAR, so that's 4.5 stars rounded up
When I pick up a book by Caroline Linden, I know I’m going to be able to lose myself in a beautifully written character driven novel featuring fully-rounded characters with terrific chemistry, and a romance that evolves naturally and which is always at the forefront of the story. An Earl Like You, book two in her Wagers of Sin series, ticks all those boxes and then some, as Ms. Linden puts a different spin on the marriage-of-convenience trope in this story of a decent, well-intentioned man who becomes so tangled up in wanting to do the best for everyone around him that he risks the destruction of his own happiness.
Hugh Deveraux, Earl of Hastings, is something of an odd-one-out among romance heroes, because he grew up in a stable, caring family, his parents were a love-match and he had an excellent relationship with his father, whose unfailing good temper and generosity made him popular and beloved among his peers. It’s only after his death and Hugh’s accession to the title that he discovers that his father’s conviviality concealed a staggering degree of financial irresponsibility. The fortune amassed by Hugh’s forebears - including the money that was meant to have provided his mother’s jointure and his sisters’ dowries – is gone, and the entail on the Hastings estate means Hugh is unable to sell any land or properties in order to pay off the debts. He’s left with only one option – he must make the sacrifice his father never had to make, and marry for money. But not quite yet. Faced with the prospect of revealing the true state of their finances to his grieving mother, and destroying utterly her memories of the love of her life, Hugh finds he just can’t do it. Reasoning that if he can keep the news of their ruin at bay until his sisters make suitable marriages, he manages to keep the family afloat by virtue of his skill at the card tables for the next couple of years, although with the elder of his sisters soon to make her début, Hugh realises that the day of reckoning is at hand. To secure Edith a decent marriage, Hugh will have to give her a decent dowry - ten thousand pounds at the very least – and with time running out, he reluctantly acknowledges to himself that it’s time for him to find a wealthy bride.
Eliza Cross knows that she will always be viewed as a “nouveau riche upstart” by London society, because her father made his considerable fortune in trade. He wants her to make an aristocratic marriage, but she’s well aware that her huge dowry is the only thing likely to attract such a suitor – she has no connections and no pretentions to beauty – and thinks a quiet country life with a quiet country squire is most likely to suit her. Even so, she can’t help but wish that the first time she set eyes upon the indescribably handsome Earl of Hastings she’d been wearing a nicer dress and not had her arms full of wet dog. Assuming her father and the earl must have business together, Eliza isn’t too surprised when the earl starts to visit the house regularly, and finds herself looking forward to his visits – especially those occasions when her father is delayed and the earl is able to spend some time talking with her before his meetings. Before long, Eliza has tumbled head-over-heels in love with him – and to her astonishment and delight, he seems to feel the same way about her and asks her to marry him.
Edward Cross has had his eye on Hugh for a while, and, judging him to be a decent, responsible man, suggests he might consider marriage to Eliza as a way out of his financial difficulties. Hugh is appalled at the idea of a father offering to sell his daughter into matrimony and says so – but Cross is persuasive. He won’t force Eliza into marriage, but if Hugh can court her and gain her affections, he’ll also gain a large dowry, a demure, well-brought up wife and the massive fortune she will eventually inherit. But Eliza must be willing – Cross is sure Hugh will be able to make her fall in love with him – and she must never find out the truth about their agreement. Hugh is not at all sure about this plan, but recognises that Eliza is almost certainly his best chance of providing for his mother and sisters, and agrees to court her.
There’s no question that this is a difficult set up to pull off, and I know there are some for whom this level of deception will be a dealbreaker – but Ms. Linden makes the plotline work brilliantly, showing very clearly what it costs Hugh in order to maintain his deceit and what he stands to lose if he doesn’t. He’s an honourable man stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it’s easy to sympathise with his situation and his desire to do right by everyone who depends on him. And the thing that makes it easy to do that is that we are left in absolutely no doubt that all the while Hugh is courting Eliza and doing his best to make her fall for him, he’s falling for her, too, even if he doesn’t realise it at first. Eliza describes herself as plain and ordinary, yet even though Hugh acknowledges she’s no beauty, he is taken with her smile, her graciousness… and tempted by the smoothness of her skin and the comeliness of her figure. She becomes more and more attractive to him as the story progresses and he falls more deeply in love with her; he’s attentive, protective and is obviously determined to be a good husband, regardless of his original motive for marrying her. But he’s being pulled in so many different directions that we know something’s going to give; his mother and eldest sister are not at all happy about his marriage to a cit’s daughter and are very hostile towards Eliza at first – especially Edith, whose betrothed – the son of a viscount – cuts up rough about such a lowly connection and adds yet another layer of complication to Hugh’s already challenging situation.
Intelligent, thoughtful and kind, Eliza is the sort of heroine who could, in the hands of a less talented author, so easily have come across as too perfect or insipid. Instead she’s a genuinely charming and decent young woman who, while perhaps a little naïve, is possessed of considerable inner strength and determination and exhibits personal growth over the course of the novel. I loved watching her win over her initially disdainful relatives, finding a way to connect with Hugh’s mother and supporting Edith through a difficult time; the ton may look down on her birth, but she’s a genuinely good person who displays maturity and a strong sense of self.
The romance between Eliza and Hugh is tender, sensual and passionate; the chemistry between them fizzes and sparks throughout and Ms. Linden develops a strong emotional connection between them. I dropped half a grade-point off my final rating only because Hugh’s deception goes on a little longer than I’d have liked – although the upside to that is that the story’s resolution isn’t overly long and drawn out.
Intelligently written, strongly characterised and gorgeously romantic, An Earl Like You earns a place on my keeper shelf, and Ms. Linden further cements her place as one of the best authors of historical romance writing today.
When I pick up a book by Caroline Linden, I know I’m going to be able to lose myself in a beautifully written character driven novel featuring fully-rounded characters with terrific chemistry, and a romance that evolves naturally and which is always at the forefront of the story. An Earl Like You, book two in her Wagers of Sin series, ticks all those boxes and then some, as Ms. Linden puts a different spin on the marriage-of-convenience trope in this story of a decent, well-intentioned man who becomes so tangled up in wanting to do the best for everyone around him that he risks the destruction of his own happiness.
Hugh Deveraux, Earl of Hastings, is something of an odd-one-out among romance heroes, because he grew up in a stable, caring family, his parents were a love-match and he had an excellent relationship with his father, whose unfailing good temper and generosity made him popular and beloved among his peers. It’s only after his death and Hugh’s accession to the title that he discovers that his father’s conviviality concealed a staggering degree of financial irresponsibility. The fortune amassed by Hugh’s forebears - including the money that was meant to have provided his mother’s jointure and his sisters’ dowries – is gone, and the entail on the Hastings estate means Hugh is unable to sell any land or properties in order to pay off the debts. He’s left with only one option – he must make the sacrifice his father never had to make, and marry for money. But not quite yet. Faced with the prospect of revealing the true state of their finances to his grieving mother, and destroying utterly her memories of the love of her life, Hugh finds he just can’t do it. Reasoning that if he can keep the news of their ruin at bay until his sisters make suitable marriages, he manages to keep the family afloat by virtue of his skill at the card tables for the next couple of years, although with the elder of his sisters soon to make her début, Hugh realises that the day of reckoning is at hand. To secure Edith a decent marriage, Hugh will have to give her a decent dowry - ten thousand pounds at the very least – and with time running out, he reluctantly acknowledges to himself that it’s time for him to find a wealthy bride.
Eliza Cross knows that she will always be viewed as a “nouveau riche upstart” by London society, because her father made his considerable fortune in trade. He wants her to make an aristocratic marriage, but she’s well aware that her huge dowry is the only thing likely to attract such a suitor – she has no connections and no pretentions to beauty – and thinks a quiet country life with a quiet country squire is most likely to suit her. Even so, she can’t help but wish that the first time she set eyes upon the indescribably handsome Earl of Hastings she’d been wearing a nicer dress and not had her arms full of wet dog. Assuming her father and the earl must have business together, Eliza isn’t too surprised when the earl starts to visit the house regularly, and finds herself looking forward to his visits – especially those occasions when her father is delayed and the earl is able to spend some time talking with her before his meetings. Before long, Eliza has tumbled head-over-heels in love with him – and to her astonishment and delight, he seems to feel the same way about her and asks her to marry him.
Edward Cross has had his eye on Hugh for a while, and, judging him to be a decent, responsible man, suggests he might consider marriage to Eliza as a way out of his financial difficulties. Hugh is appalled at the idea of a father offering to sell his daughter into matrimony and says so – but Cross is persuasive. He won’t force Eliza into marriage, but if Hugh can court her and gain her affections, he’ll also gain a large dowry, a demure, well-brought up wife and the massive fortune she will eventually inherit. But Eliza must be willing – Cross is sure Hugh will be able to make her fall in love with him – and she must never find out the truth about their agreement. Hugh is not at all sure about this plan, but recognises that Eliza is almost certainly his best chance of providing for his mother and sisters, and agrees to court her.
There’s no question that this is a difficult set up to pull off, and I know there are some for whom this level of deception will be a dealbreaker – but Ms. Linden makes the plotline work brilliantly, showing very clearly what it costs Hugh in order to maintain his deceit and what he stands to lose if he doesn’t. He’s an honourable man stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it’s easy to sympathise with his situation and his desire to do right by everyone who depends on him. And the thing that makes it easy to do that is that we are left in absolutely no doubt that all the while Hugh is courting Eliza and doing his best to make her fall for him, he’s falling for her, too, even if he doesn’t realise it at first. Eliza describes herself as plain and ordinary, yet even though Hugh acknowledges she’s no beauty, he is taken with her smile, her graciousness… and tempted by the smoothness of her skin and the comeliness of her figure. She becomes more and more attractive to him as the story progresses and he falls more deeply in love with her; he’s attentive, protective and is obviously determined to be a good husband, regardless of his original motive for marrying her. But he’s being pulled in so many different directions that we know something’s going to give; his mother and eldest sister are not at all happy about his marriage to a cit’s daughter and are very hostile towards Eliza at first – especially Edith, whose betrothed – the son of a viscount – cuts up rough about such a lowly connection and adds yet another layer of complication to Hugh’s already challenging situation.
Intelligent, thoughtful and kind, Eliza is the sort of heroine who could, in the hands of a less talented author, so easily have come across as too perfect or insipid. Instead she’s a genuinely charming and decent young woman who, while perhaps a little naïve, is possessed of considerable inner strength and determination and exhibits personal growth over the course of the novel. I loved watching her win over her initially disdainful relatives, finding a way to connect with Hugh’s mother and supporting Edith through a difficult time; the ton may look down on her birth, but she’s a genuinely good person who displays maturity and a strong sense of self.
The romance between Eliza and Hugh is tender, sensual and passionate; the chemistry between them fizzes and sparks throughout and Ms. Linden develops a strong emotional connection between them. I dropped half a grade-point off my final rating only because Hugh’s deception goes on a little longer than I’d have liked – although the upside to that is that the story’s resolution isn’t overly long and drawn out.
Intelligently written, strongly characterised and gorgeously romantic, An Earl Like You earns a place on my keeper shelf, and Ms. Linden further cements her place as one of the best authors of historical romance writing today.
January 5, 2021
Reread/listen Jan. 2021:
Knowing what was going to happen this time helped me in enjoying the story, particularly the character-study that is Hugh. Linden writes some of the best heroes. I particularly enjoy the heroes that are suave and cool and barely holding it together. Upping this to 5 stars on this Reread.
Original Review:
I would say this is a 4+ Star book for me. I really loved most of this book, but it seemed to lack some of the joy that many of her books feature.
It can be trepidatious picking up a new release by a favorite author. What if it’s a disappointment? Because it always happens at some point, right? I make no bones about being a Caroline Linden fan. She is the only author currently writing HR that I just know I will love the story when I pick it up. Others have been or could be on the list, but they have either stopped writing HR, or my sampling size it too small for “knowing”, or they have produced what was to me a disappointing novel. I make this point because I want it clear that I am a very biased reviewer here, and I offer no apologies for it.
Anyways, why am I so certain? It is because her romances are character-driven, and this one is no exception. I feel like CL has acknowledged the fact that while the tropes can get repeated people’s (or in this case her character’s) thoughts, hopes, reactions are unique to them and that’s how these romance genre novels stay fresh for me — it isn’t by throwing in crazy plot twists, it’s by building the characters up. And in this novel, while some of the characters actions were at times frustrating, they also made complete sense. The characters stay in character. They react in a way that seems true to them. Hugh and Eliza both grow as characters in this and come to a point where it feels like lasting love.
Hugh is in desperate straights, trying to keep his family afloat and keep up appearances. I loved how this story started because it gave us so much in sight into Hugh and how he would handle the challenges to come.
If Hugh Deveraux’s father had taught him anything, it was how to keep up a good face even when everything was going wrong.
I loved Eliza. She is a practical girl, but sort of lonely, though she has a caring father and good friends. Still, after an unsuccessful season, she is quite content living a comfortable life as a wealthy spinster.
To draw a horde of aristocratic suitors, the sort who could elevate her to the social status her father craved, a girl needed three things: beauty, connections, and money. Eliza knew she was no beauty, and she had no noble connections. And really, she thought that if she could only have one of those three things, money was certainly the best.
However, when she meets Hugh, she starts to think she’s not so content. Their first two meetings are genuine, and I appreciated that. Because after that a cloud of well-intentioned deception due to circumstances. Such a tricky trope, but it’s handled with aplomb here. Both characters grow while under this cloud. Eliza became more confident and less naive. Hugh fell in love and mostly got his priorities straight. This happened under the cloud, and I found that gratifying because how often are things clean and nice without exterior considerations? This story features many outside influences in the form of family, primarily. Eliza’s father is a meddler and manipulator. Hugh’s mother and sisters are reserved and not very warmly welcoming. It made it feel more realistic to me, as they all felt authentic.
While I enjoyed this story, the cloud did affect my enjoyment of the intimate moments, and didn’t really enjoy until Hugh’s heart was fully engaged. And then it felt very romantic to me.
”Have you thought of me?” she whispered, her hands soft and teasing on his neck.
“Yes.” At the moment, she was all he could think of. “Rather longingly.”
Longingly? Yes, please. Love the word choice. Ok, this is getting rather long, but it was not easy review to write. I read this as part of a buddy read in the HRBC (thanks ladies!), and we had quite an array of opinions. It’s not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. And sort of want to read it again right now.
Knowing what was going to happen this time helped me in enjoying the story, particularly the character-study that is Hugh. Linden writes some of the best heroes. I particularly enjoy the heroes that are suave and cool and barely holding it together. Upping this to 5 stars on this Reread.
Original Review:
I would say this is a 4+ Star book for me. I really loved most of this book, but it seemed to lack some of the joy that many of her books feature.
It can be trepidatious picking up a new release by a favorite author. What if it’s a disappointment? Because it always happens at some point, right? I make no bones about being a Caroline Linden fan. She is the only author currently writing HR that I just know I will love the story when I pick it up. Others have been or could be on the list, but they have either stopped writing HR, or my sampling size it too small for “knowing”, or they have produced what was to me a disappointing novel. I make this point because I want it clear that I am a very biased reviewer here, and I offer no apologies for it.
Anyways, why am I so certain? It is because her romances are character-driven, and this one is no exception. I feel like CL has acknowledged the fact that while the tropes can get repeated people’s (or in this case her character’s) thoughts, hopes, reactions are unique to them and that’s how these romance genre novels stay fresh for me — it isn’t by throwing in crazy plot twists, it’s by building the characters up. And in this novel, while some of the characters actions were at times frustrating, they also made complete sense. The characters stay in character. They react in a way that seems true to them. Hugh and Eliza both grow as characters in this and come to a point where it feels like lasting love.
Hugh is in desperate straights, trying to keep his family afloat and keep up appearances. I loved how this story started because it gave us so much in sight into Hugh and how he would handle the challenges to come.
If Hugh Deveraux’s father had taught him anything, it was how to keep up a good face even when everything was going wrong.
I loved Eliza. She is a practical girl, but sort of lonely, though she has a caring father and good friends. Still, after an unsuccessful season, she is quite content living a comfortable life as a wealthy spinster.
To draw a horde of aristocratic suitors, the sort who could elevate her to the social status her father craved, a girl needed three things: beauty, connections, and money. Eliza knew she was no beauty, and she had no noble connections. And really, she thought that if she could only have one of those three things, money was certainly the best.
However, when she meets Hugh, she starts to think she’s not so content. Their first two meetings are genuine, and I appreciated that. Because after that a cloud of well-intentioned deception due to circumstances. Such a tricky trope, but it’s handled with aplomb here. Both characters grow while under this cloud. Eliza became more confident and less naive. Hugh fell in love and mostly got his priorities straight. This happened under the cloud, and I found that gratifying because how often are things clean and nice without exterior considerations? This story features many outside influences in the form of family, primarily. Eliza’s father is a meddler and manipulator. Hugh’s mother and sisters are reserved and not very warmly welcoming. It made it feel more realistic to me, as they all felt authentic.
While I enjoyed this story, the cloud did affect my enjoyment of the intimate moments, and didn’t really enjoy until Hugh’s heart was fully engaged. And then it felt very romantic to me.
”Have you thought of me?” she whispered, her hands soft and teasing on his neck.
“Yes.” At the moment, she was all he could think of. “Rather longingly.”
Longingly? Yes, please. Love the word choice. Ok, this is getting rather long, but it was not easy review to write. I read this as part of a buddy read in the HRBC (thanks ladies!), and we had quite an array of opinions. It’s not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. And sort of want to read it again right now.
September 18, 2019
The writing gets 4, the heroine 2 and the hero 1, so let’s compromise at 2 stars.
The marriage-of-convenience trope is one of my favourite and the premise here was set up in a nice and believable way, but the characterisations of the leads soon became bothersome for me. I just couldn’t overlook the hero’s unnecessarily prolonged weakness and deceitfulness or the ever-obliging heroine’s naivety and obliviousness, always trying to accommodate and cater to all the obnoxious secondary characters’ wishes.
Caroline Linden is a great writer, and I’ve already enjoyed several books by her, but in this case her lovely and smooth prose was not enough for me.
November 11, 2019
2.75-3
Perfectly ok. The writing is good, but the characters are so bland. Eliza's and Hugh's conversations were completely unforgettable (I've got no highlights in this book). The story lacks bite, wit and some rough edges. I wasn't bored, but it will be very easily forgotten.
Perfectly ok. The writing is good, but the characters are so bland. Eliza's and Hugh's conversations were completely unforgettable (I've got no highlights in this book). The story lacks bite, wit and some rough edges. I wasn't bored, but it will be very easily forgotten.
November 2, 2020
This is second in a series that has a lot of overlap in the timeline. So you learn what the events of the first book look like from the outside, to an extent. I don't think you really need to read them in order, though you'll certainly get spoilers if you read this one before the first one. That might be for the best considering how much I loathed that first book...
Can someone be prosecuted for marketing malpractice? Can we make that a thing? Because that last paragraph in the cover copy, where it says "her trust is shattered", happens on page 300 (81%). This is stupid and robs about a third of the novel of it's internal tension because it shifts the reader from the hope inherent in building their relationship to looking for the sword to fall. I get that someone might want to shift tension to a dread anticipation because that's a powerful emotional hook. But that kind of thing belongs in the hands of the author and the text of the story. If you have to use the cover copy to create tension for four fifths of the story then, I assert, you are doing it wrong. Stupidly wrong.
I really liked Eliza, though I had a hard time figuring out where she came from. She's inherently decent and kind and has all the womanly virtues of her milieu (musical ability, taste, grace etc.) but her father is a manipulative, exploitative scoundrel of the worst kind. Yeah, he hides much of that from her, but not so much that she shouldn't be affected by it, at least a little bit. She has a deep affection for him and has been living in close proximity since graduating the finishing school that binds the series together (it's where the three women met and became friends). He isn't the kind to keep his dealings or his associates from affecting her at all because he doesn't see what he does as wrong in any way. And yet it had no effect on her character or their relationship at all. But whatever. I liked her. I liked her positive outlook and frank assessment of her prospects. I liked that she was so thrilled by the attentions of a kind and considerate man and how she blossomed under the force of his (open and honest) regard. And I really liked her courage in difficulty that we discover in the later parts of the story.
Hugh was much less engaging. I liked his basic decency and that, while his arm was twisted to initiate a relationship with Eliza, his interest was honest and based on having found someone he truly admired. But he's also a giant coward and any time he could delay doing something that was hard and needed doing that would disappoint someone he cared about, he took that opportunity to delay and ran it to its maximum. The only time he didn't was when Eliza found out and called on him to man up and do the thing. So he could pull up his big-boy pants when called out, but the rest of the time? Yeah, giant emotional coward.
Ameliorating that somewhat is his family. I loved how fleshed out they were and how their mutual love and support was strong, but filtered through their personalities and circumstances. I particularly liked that while they were as prejudiced as their background and society should make them, they were able to adjust on getting to know Eliza and falling to her charm, kindness, and good sense. I wish this same level of care had existed in the interactions with Eliza's friends, but those felt much more rote, probably because Linden falls into tell territory in those interactions.
Anyway, the combination of Hugh and the truly terrible marketing robbed this of a lot of the enjoyment that felt just out of reach. So this is three stars, though solidly so.
A note about Steamy: There are a half-dozen or so explicit sex scenes, though some fairly short, putting this on the high side of the middle of my steam tolerance. The first was awful due to Hugh's inner coward showing up. The rest were gratuitous, really, and had little impact on, or illustration of, their relationship.
Can someone be prosecuted for marketing malpractice? Can we make that a thing? Because that last paragraph in the cover copy, where it says "her trust is shattered", happens on page 300 (81%). This is stupid and robs about a third of the novel of it's internal tension because it shifts the reader from the hope inherent in building their relationship to looking for the sword to fall. I get that someone might want to shift tension to a dread anticipation because that's a powerful emotional hook. But that kind of thing belongs in the hands of the author and the text of the story. If you have to use the cover copy to create tension for four fifths of the story then, I assert, you are doing it wrong. Stupidly wrong.
I really liked Eliza, though I had a hard time figuring out where she came from. She's inherently decent and kind and has all the womanly virtues of her milieu (musical ability, taste, grace etc.) but her father is a manipulative, exploitative scoundrel of the worst kind. Yeah, he hides much of that from her, but not so much that she shouldn't be affected by it, at least a little bit. She has a deep affection for him and has been living in close proximity since graduating the finishing school that binds the series together (it's where the three women met and became friends). He isn't the kind to keep his dealings or his associates from affecting her at all because he doesn't see what he does as wrong in any way. And yet it had no effect on her character or their relationship at all. But whatever. I liked her. I liked her positive outlook and frank assessment of her prospects. I liked that she was so thrilled by the attentions of a kind and considerate man and how she blossomed under the force of his (open and honest) regard. And I really liked her courage in difficulty that we discover in the later parts of the story.
Hugh was much less engaging. I liked his basic decency and that, while his arm was twisted to initiate a relationship with Eliza, his interest was honest and based on having found someone he truly admired. But he's also a giant coward and any time he could delay doing something that was hard and needed doing that would disappoint someone he cared about, he took that opportunity to delay and ran it to its maximum. The only time he didn't was when Eliza found out and called on him to man up and do the thing. So he could pull up his big-boy pants when called out, but the rest of the time? Yeah, giant emotional coward.
Ameliorating that somewhat is his family. I loved how fleshed out they were and how their mutual love and support was strong, but filtered through their personalities and circumstances. I particularly liked that while they were as prejudiced as their background and society should make them, they were able to adjust on getting to know Eliza and falling to her charm, kindness, and good sense. I wish this same level of care had existed in the interactions with Eliza's friends, but those felt much more rote, probably because Linden falls into tell territory in those interactions.
Anyway, the combination of Hugh and the truly terrible marketing robbed this of a lot of the enjoyment that felt just out of reach. So this is three stars, though solidly so.
A note about Steamy: There are a half-dozen or so explicit sex scenes, though some fairly short, putting this on the high side of the middle of my steam tolerance. The first was awful due to Hugh's inner coward showing up. The rest were gratuitous, really, and had little impact on, or illustration of, their relationship.
November 12, 2018
I'm still waiting for Eliza's HEA, as I'm sure Hugh-the-liar cannot be a part of it, can he?
June 4, 2024
Review from 2019
I've given this an A- for both narration and content at AudioGals, so that's 4.5 stars rounded up
Caroline Linden’s An Earl Like You was one of my favourite books of 2018, and was actually one of the very few historical romances that really hit the spot for me last year. If you’re a regular visitor to AudioGals and read my reviews (thank you for that!) you’ll probably know that historical romance has always been my favourite sub-genre – and you may have noticed I’ve been reviewing fewer and fewer of them over the past year or two. Why? Well, good historicals have been very thin on the ground lately, and not all of the good ones have made it into audio; and many of those that have made it have been assigned narrators I don’t care for (and/or who I knew wouldn’t do the book justice). That’s one of the reasons I delayed listening to An Earl Like You for so long (it came out in August 2018) – I loved the story and knew that Beverley A. Crick would do a good job with the narration, and I wanted to wait and savour it.
When Hugh Devereux became the Earl of Hastings he hadn’t expected to inherit an enormous pile of debt along with the title. The previous earl had been a wonderful man – a loving husband and father, a good friend to many and well-thought of by everyone who knew him – yet he’d died leaving his son in total ignorance of the true state of the family finances and having spent both Hugh’s sisters’ dowries AND the money that was supposed to have provided a widow’s jointure for their mother.
Hugh learns all of this immediately after his father’s death, but with his mother’s grief so raw, he can’t find it in him to tell her that the man she’d adored to distraction has left her – all of them – almost destitute. He intends to tell her, but as the days wear on and she shows no sign of having the strength to deal with the news, Hugh just can’t bring himself to shatter her illusions – so he needs to find a way of making some money, and quickly. He’s not yet prepared to sell himself to the highest bidder on the marriage mart – even though he recognises that the only way he will be able to cover the entire debt his father left is by marrying an heiress – and sets about keeping the family afloat in another manner. Hugh’s always been a good gambler – he knows how to win and when to cut his losses – so he moves the family to London and becomes a regular at the Vega Club, where his careful play over the next couple of years enables him to just about keep his head above water while also making enough money to provide the elder of his two sisters with a suitable dowry.
Eliza Cross, daughter of an obscenely wealthy cit, knows she will never be accepted by the upper echelons of society because her father made his money in trade, but she’s not particularly eager to become part of the ton anyway, or to make the aristocratic marriage her father so clearly wants for her. She rather thinks life as the wife of a country squire would suit her, but is happy to fill her days running the household, working in her gardens and playing with her dog – when one day, her father brings home a guest, the most handsome man Eliza has ever seen – whom he introduces as the Earl of Hastings. Assuming the earl and her father must be involved in some sort of business venture together, Eliza doesn’t think it odd when the earl returns to the house several times over the next few weeks, and nor does she question it when her father is often delayed and the earl opts to spend time talking to her while he waits. Before long, Eliza has tumbled headlong into love with Hastings – who aside from his good looks, is charming, funny and kind – and is astonished when he asks her to marry him.
I’m a big fan of the marriage-of-convenience trope, and this is a terrific example of how to use a tried-and-tested formula while adding a bit of a twist and freshening it up a bit. Hugh had always hoped to marry for love – as his parents did – but his father’s irresponsibility has robbed him of that chance, so when Edward Cross quietly suggests that Hugh considers marrying his daughter in exchange for a large dowry and the payment of all his debts, Hugh can’t completely dismiss the idea. But Cross isn’t a stupid man by any means, and has also bought up all Hugh’s debts as further… inducement for him to consider the scheme. Hugh realises he’s caught between a rock and a hard place and has little choice but to agree to Cross’s scheme, which is that he should court Eliza and make her fall in love with him prior to marriage. If Eliza refuses him, then Hugh will be free to continue as he has been, but Cross is convinced that a man as handsome and charming as Hugh will have no trouble getting Eliza to fall for him – and the deal is done.
Having a hero who deceives the heroine in this way may be a bit of a sticking point for some, but Caroline Linden pulls it off beautifully by making it clear that Hugh is actually attracted to Eliza, and that while he’s courting her and doing his best to secure her affections, he’s falling for her at the same time, even though he doesn’t realise it. He’s struck, at their first meeting, by the warmth of her smile, the smoothness of her skin, and her innate grace and poise – and while she may be no great beauty, she’s far from plain and becomes more and more lovely in Hugh’s eyes as the story progresses. There’s no question that Hugh is a decent man being pulled in many different directions; wanting to do the best for his family, determined to be a good husband to Eliza, but eventually something is going to give and Hugh is then faced with the prospect of convincing the woman he married for all the wrong reasons to remain married to him for all the right ones.
Beverley A. Crick’s excellent performance enhances the warmth of the connection the author develops so well between Eliza and Hugh, and she brings her customary emotional acuity to all aspects of the story. Her narration is as well-paced and accomplished as ever, and she differentiates skilfully and effectively between the various characters, assigning them all distinct voices that match their on-page personalities. She does a particularly good job when it comes to Hugh’s mother and sisters, who are all easily distinguishable from each other as well as from Eliza, and the same is true of Eliza’s friends, Sophie (heroine of book one, My Once and Future Duke ) and Georgiana (whose book, When the Marquess Was Mine, is due out later this year). The differences in timbre and tone are subtle, but are effective in enabling the listener to tell each of the women apart. Hugh and Cross are the only major male characters in the story, and both those are nicely characterised; as I’ve said before, Ms. Crick doesn’t lower the pitch of her voice a great deal to depict her heroes, but she nonetheless manages to make them sound suitably and attractively masculine, and her portrayal of Hugh is no exception.
Combining a gorgeous love story with excellent narration, An Earl Like You is a must-listen for fans of beautifully written, character driven historical romance. In light the dearth of good historicals – and good historicals paired with good narrators – right now, this is one to be savoured.
I've given this an A- for both narration and content at AudioGals, so that's 4.5 stars rounded up
Caroline Linden’s An Earl Like You was one of my favourite books of 2018, and was actually one of the very few historical romances that really hit the spot for me last year. If you’re a regular visitor to AudioGals and read my reviews (thank you for that!) you’ll probably know that historical romance has always been my favourite sub-genre – and you may have noticed I’ve been reviewing fewer and fewer of them over the past year or two. Why? Well, good historicals have been very thin on the ground lately, and not all of the good ones have made it into audio; and many of those that have made it have been assigned narrators I don’t care for (and/or who I knew wouldn’t do the book justice). That’s one of the reasons I delayed listening to An Earl Like You for so long (it came out in August 2018) – I loved the story and knew that Beverley A. Crick would do a good job with the narration, and I wanted to wait and savour it.
When Hugh Devereux became the Earl of Hastings he hadn’t expected to inherit an enormous pile of debt along with the title. The previous earl had been a wonderful man – a loving husband and father, a good friend to many and well-thought of by everyone who knew him – yet he’d died leaving his son in total ignorance of the true state of the family finances and having spent both Hugh’s sisters’ dowries AND the money that was supposed to have provided a widow’s jointure for their mother.
Hugh learns all of this immediately after his father’s death, but with his mother’s grief so raw, he can’t find it in him to tell her that the man she’d adored to distraction has left her – all of them – almost destitute. He intends to tell her, but as the days wear on and she shows no sign of having the strength to deal with the news, Hugh just can’t bring himself to shatter her illusions – so he needs to find a way of making some money, and quickly. He’s not yet prepared to sell himself to the highest bidder on the marriage mart – even though he recognises that the only way he will be able to cover the entire debt his father left is by marrying an heiress – and sets about keeping the family afloat in another manner. Hugh’s always been a good gambler – he knows how to win and when to cut his losses – so he moves the family to London and becomes a regular at the Vega Club, where his careful play over the next couple of years enables him to just about keep his head above water while also making enough money to provide the elder of his two sisters with a suitable dowry.
Eliza Cross, daughter of an obscenely wealthy cit, knows she will never be accepted by the upper echelons of society because her father made his money in trade, but she’s not particularly eager to become part of the ton anyway, or to make the aristocratic marriage her father so clearly wants for her. She rather thinks life as the wife of a country squire would suit her, but is happy to fill her days running the household, working in her gardens and playing with her dog – when one day, her father brings home a guest, the most handsome man Eliza has ever seen – whom he introduces as the Earl of Hastings. Assuming the earl and her father must be involved in some sort of business venture together, Eliza doesn’t think it odd when the earl returns to the house several times over the next few weeks, and nor does she question it when her father is often delayed and the earl opts to spend time talking to her while he waits. Before long, Eliza has tumbled headlong into love with Hastings – who aside from his good looks, is charming, funny and kind – and is astonished when he asks her to marry him.
I’m a big fan of the marriage-of-convenience trope, and this is a terrific example of how to use a tried-and-tested formula while adding a bit of a twist and freshening it up a bit. Hugh had always hoped to marry for love – as his parents did – but his father’s irresponsibility has robbed him of that chance, so when Edward Cross quietly suggests that Hugh considers marrying his daughter in exchange for a large dowry and the payment of all his debts, Hugh can’t completely dismiss the idea. But Cross isn’t a stupid man by any means, and has also bought up all Hugh’s debts as further… inducement for him to consider the scheme. Hugh realises he’s caught between a rock and a hard place and has little choice but to agree to Cross’s scheme, which is that he should court Eliza and make her fall in love with him prior to marriage. If Eliza refuses him, then Hugh will be free to continue as he has been, but Cross is convinced that a man as handsome and charming as Hugh will have no trouble getting Eliza to fall for him – and the deal is done.
Having a hero who deceives the heroine in this way may be a bit of a sticking point for some, but Caroline Linden pulls it off beautifully by making it clear that Hugh is actually attracted to Eliza, and that while he’s courting her and doing his best to secure her affections, he’s falling for her at the same time, even though he doesn’t realise it. He’s struck, at their first meeting, by the warmth of her smile, the smoothness of her skin, and her innate grace and poise – and while she may be no great beauty, she’s far from plain and becomes more and more lovely in Hugh’s eyes as the story progresses. There’s no question that Hugh is a decent man being pulled in many different directions; wanting to do the best for his family, determined to be a good husband to Eliza, but eventually something is going to give and Hugh is then faced with the prospect of convincing the woman he married for all the wrong reasons to remain married to him for all the right ones.
Beverley A. Crick’s excellent performance enhances the warmth of the connection the author develops so well between Eliza and Hugh, and she brings her customary emotional acuity to all aspects of the story. Her narration is as well-paced and accomplished as ever, and she differentiates skilfully and effectively between the various characters, assigning them all distinct voices that match their on-page personalities. She does a particularly good job when it comes to Hugh’s mother and sisters, who are all easily distinguishable from each other as well as from Eliza, and the same is true of Eliza’s friends, Sophie (heroine of book one, My Once and Future Duke ) and Georgiana (whose book, When the Marquess Was Mine, is due out later this year). The differences in timbre and tone are subtle, but are effective in enabling the listener to tell each of the women apart. Hugh and Cross are the only major male characters in the story, and both those are nicely characterised; as I’ve said before, Ms. Crick doesn’t lower the pitch of her voice a great deal to depict her heroes, but she nonetheless manages to make them sound suitably and attractively masculine, and her portrayal of Hugh is no exception.
Combining a gorgeous love story with excellent narration, An Earl Like You is a must-listen for fans of beautifully written, character driven historical romance. In light the dearth of good historicals – and good historicals paired with good narrators – right now, this is one to be savoured.
December 15, 2025
4 heartbreaking ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t know what kind of heartbreak crack CL puts in her books but it’s working!
Eliza is a merchants daughter and of great wealth, her mother is passed and her father misguidedly tries to make her into a “real lady”
He buys the debt of a nobleman and forces him to court his daughter and marry her, only if she accepts the proposal, will his debt be cancelled.
This is were we start and we feel the slow betrayal behind her back, as she falls head over heels in love with a man who is using her. This was so well done. He of course falls too, knowing full well that they did not start on an honest foundation.
Listen this would have been a full 5⭐️ had Hugh been held a little more accountable. He did use her to pay his debt. I don’t think her father is the only real culprit here and Hugh got off too easy. But the story kept my nose in the book at all times, I felt her pain🙌
Should you read it? Yes! It was so entertaining ❤️ sex in the epilogue 🤦♀️
I don’t know what kind of heartbreak crack CL puts in her books but it’s working!
Eliza is a merchants daughter and of great wealth, her mother is passed and her father misguidedly tries to make her into a “real lady”
He buys the debt of a nobleman and forces him to court his daughter and marry her, only if she accepts the proposal, will his debt be cancelled.
This is were we start and we feel the slow betrayal behind her back, as she falls head over heels in love with a man who is using her. This was so well done. He of course falls too, knowing full well that they did not start on an honest foundation.
Listen this would have been a full 5⭐️ had Hugh been held a little more accountable. He did use her to pay his debt. I don’t think her father is the only real culprit here and Hugh got off too easy. But the story kept my nose in the book at all times, I felt her pain🙌
Should you read it? Yes! It was so entertaining ❤️ sex in the epilogue 🤦♀️
March 11, 2023
⭐⭐
2 stars.
➕ What I liked :
The heroines dog.
The heroines friends and their friendships.
➖ What I disliked:
Repetitive and verbose.
The romantic build up and chemistry was lacking and rushed.
Thin and clichéd plot.
Somewhat bland main characters.
The heroine is too naive/innocent and oblivious.
The heroine is too complaisant.
No real groveling from the hero.
Annoying hero.
The heroine is too insecure (about being plain)
2 stars.
➕ What I liked :
The heroines dog.
The heroines friends and their friendships.
➖ What I disliked:
Repetitive and verbose.
The romantic build up and chemistry was lacking and rushed.
Thin and clichéd plot.
Somewhat bland main characters.
The heroine is too naive/innocent and oblivious.
The heroine is too complaisant.
No real groveling from the hero.
Annoying hero.
The heroine is too insecure (about being plain)
July 6, 2020
I've been a sucker for the Marriage of Convenience trope for years and years. It all started decades ago with Georgette Heyer's classic A CIVIL CONTRACT and several old Patricia Oliver Signet Regencies, in particular her LORD HARRY'S ANGEL. The trope is still popular and most prolific HR authors have at least one or two in their body of work.
Sometimes the strapped-for-cash hero marries a rich woman of the peerage who'll have him. Sometimes he is so desperate he has to venture out to the classless nouveau riche for his influx of money and marry the daughter of a filthy-rich Cit.
So let's say the guy has to marry a Cit's daughter. Now we have two more options: (1) He's pining for his True Love of the peerage, whose family doesn't have enough money to get him out of his financial woes and he doesn't see the gem he had to marry, such as is the case in Heyer's A CIVIL CONTRACT. Or (2) He's resentful that he had to marry someone so very below him socially that he behaves like a perfect jerk to his new Cit wife, such as is the case in Oliver's LORD HARRY'S ANGEL.
Both cases usually offer up a truly angsty story, with either a poor, blubbering hero mourning his True Love, or a poor put-upon, unappreciated heroine who feels unloved and disrespected. Now, what do we have here in Linden's story? Neither option. No lost True Love for the hero to mourn and no mistreatment and disrespect shown to the non-peerage wife. And guess what? That makes for a rather bland story with a bland hero and a bland heroine.
I will admit that this particular bland heroine Eliza is quite sweet and innocent and kind and plant- and animal-loving. It's really hard not to like her. She even has good taste in clothes and home decor.
And our hero Hugh, the 7th Earl of Hastings? Turns out his daddy, the sixth earl, was super bad with money and departed this Mortal Coil leaving Super Debts to his son and no estates showing an income. Does Hugh have a serious talk with his mother and sisters, telling them about this and asking them to help with reduction of expenses? No, of course not. Does he work with estate managers to figure out possible ways to squeeze out some income? Well, no. Instead he goes to Vega, the gambling club we know about from the first book of this series, and tries to beef up his income that way.
Until the day he finds himself desperate because he has no dowries for his sisters, one of whom has a serious suitor who wishes to marry her soon. That's when our heroine's father, a slightly Machiavellian type who has bought up all Hugh's father's debts, makes an offer he can't refuse. If Hugh courts Eliza and makes her fall in love and agree to marry him, all debts will be forgiven and there'll even be extra money for dowries. Only proviso is that Eliza can't know about the deal. She must think this is a legitimate, real romance.
There you go. The story, I will admit, is well written and I did enjoy some of it, but I hesitate to award more stars because of my dissatisfaction with Hugh and with the story itself. Hugh, IMO, is rather spineless and deceitful both to his family and to his Convenient Wife. And he's a rather useless idiot. How could he have been so clueless while his father was alive about what was happening to finances? As heir, shouldn't he have shown some interest in learning the ins and outs of being an earl?
As for the story itself, there's not much conflict here, and what there is is resolved lickity split. Mother and sisters don't want a Cit in the family? All is takes is "to know, know, know her is to love her" and that's settled. Sister Edith is heartbroken about her True Love's faithlessness and heartlessness? Not to worry. Just give her a day or two and that will be okay. So much for the depth of that love. Society's acceptance of the marriage of an earl to a non-peer? Oh, please. No probs. Happens all the time.
So this story is an okay read but will never be a favorite. I will say I enjoyed it more than the first one in the series, however.
Sometimes the strapped-for-cash hero marries a rich woman of the peerage who'll have him. Sometimes he is so desperate he has to venture out to the classless nouveau riche for his influx of money and marry the daughter of a filthy-rich Cit.
So let's say the guy has to marry a Cit's daughter. Now we have two more options: (1) He's pining for his True Love of the peerage, whose family doesn't have enough money to get him out of his financial woes and he doesn't see the gem he had to marry, such as is the case in Heyer's A CIVIL CONTRACT. Or (2) He's resentful that he had to marry someone so very below him socially that he behaves like a perfect jerk to his new Cit wife, such as is the case in Oliver's LORD HARRY'S ANGEL.
Both cases usually offer up a truly angsty story, with either a poor, blubbering hero mourning his True Love, or a poor put-upon, unappreciated heroine who feels unloved and disrespected. Now, what do we have here in Linden's story? Neither option. No lost True Love for the hero to mourn and no mistreatment and disrespect shown to the non-peerage wife. And guess what? That makes for a rather bland story with a bland hero and a bland heroine.
I will admit that this particular bland heroine Eliza is quite sweet and innocent and kind and plant- and animal-loving. It's really hard not to like her. She even has good taste in clothes and home decor.
And our hero Hugh, the 7th Earl of Hastings? Turns out his daddy, the sixth earl, was super bad with money and departed this Mortal Coil leaving Super Debts to his son and no estates showing an income. Does Hugh have a serious talk with his mother and sisters, telling them about this and asking them to help with reduction of expenses? No, of course not. Does he work with estate managers to figure out possible ways to squeeze out some income? Well, no. Instead he goes to Vega, the gambling club we know about from the first book of this series, and tries to beef up his income that way.
Until the day he finds himself desperate because he has no dowries for his sisters, one of whom has a serious suitor who wishes to marry her soon. That's when our heroine's father, a slightly Machiavellian type who has bought up all Hugh's father's debts, makes an offer he can't refuse. If Hugh courts Eliza and makes her fall in love and agree to marry him, all debts will be forgiven and there'll even be extra money for dowries. Only proviso is that Eliza can't know about the deal. She must think this is a legitimate, real romance.
There you go. The story, I will admit, is well written and I did enjoy some of it, but I hesitate to award more stars because of my dissatisfaction with Hugh and with the story itself. Hugh, IMO, is rather spineless and deceitful both to his family and to his Convenient Wife. And he's a rather useless idiot. How could he have been so clueless while his father was alive about what was happening to finances? As heir, shouldn't he have shown some interest in learning the ins and outs of being an earl?
As for the story itself, there's not much conflict here, and what there is is resolved lickity split. Mother and sisters don't want a Cit in the family? All is takes is "to know, know, know her is to love her" and that's settled. Sister Edith is heartbroken about her True Love's faithlessness and heartlessness? Not to worry. Just give her a day or two and that will be okay. So much for the depth of that love. Society's acceptance of the marriage of an earl to a non-peer? Oh, please. No probs. Happens all the time.
So this story is an okay read but will never be a favorite. I will say I enjoyed it more than the first one in the series, however.
September 11, 2018
This is a very easy book to read if you can overcome the hero wanting to protect everyone!
Protectiveness is very nice, but sometimes you just have to have courage to wound someone for their own good. It's difficult, it's tough, it's painful, but I found it in this particulr case very necessary!
Hugh loves his mother and sisters so much that he doesn't want to tell them that their father, who was very much loved, brought them all to the very brink of poverty!
Hugh, when Eliza's father blackmails him to court her for money, accepts it in order to save his family.
Thus he's entwined in lies from the start!
Eliza is a very positive heroine. She's not a beauty and she knows that all the men who courted her were only after her money. So when Hugh start paying her attention, she's bewildered! Bewildered, but very happy!
So Hugh starts courting Eliza, even if he doesn't find her very fetching. But he's, at the same time, very careful because he sees that Eliza is innocent of any deceit, that she's sweet and good natured, compassioned and very lady-like.
Where the couring started as a way to gain much needed money, slowly Hugh stars appreciated Eliza more and more.
So they wed and while Eliza is extatic, Hugh becomes more and more afraid of her reaction if she ever find out about her father's blackmail and his reason for marrying him.
While Eliza openly declares her lover for Hugh, he cannot do it in clear conscience, but he showrs her with affaction and extasy.
His family, on the other hand, starts with hating Eliza, but slowly mellows towards her when faced with her easy and loving self.
There's also some trouble with his sisters engagement with a shallow man that servs also to underline Eliza's goddness.
The revelation comes on the heels of Hugh professing his love for Eliza and throws them all in turmoil!
Eliza confronts her father, Hugh is out of his mind with worry about her, his family is deeply hurt about the behaviou of a deceased loving father but shamed about their behaviour towards Eliza...
This is a romance, so everything is resolved in the very best way, don't worry!
I just couldn't pass over the fact that much grief could have been avoided if ony Hugh didn't keep everything secret! I wanted to yell to him: "You stip idiot, tell your mother at least about money troubles sugarcoating her husbands faults! Tell you sister about the scoundrel who wants an exaggerated dowry! Tell Eliza that you love her!"
But I suppose that was the reaction the author wanted, so it's OK!
Protectiveness is very nice, but sometimes you just have to have courage to wound someone for their own good. It's difficult, it's tough, it's painful, but I found it in this particulr case very necessary!
Hugh loves his mother and sisters so much that he doesn't want to tell them that their father, who was very much loved, brought them all to the very brink of poverty!
Hugh, when Eliza's father blackmails him to court her for money, accepts it in order to save his family.
Thus he's entwined in lies from the start!
Eliza is a very positive heroine. She's not a beauty and she knows that all the men who courted her were only after her money. So when Hugh start paying her attention, she's bewildered! Bewildered, but very happy!
So Hugh starts courting Eliza, even if he doesn't find her very fetching. But he's, at the same time, very careful because he sees that Eliza is innocent of any deceit, that she's sweet and good natured, compassioned and very lady-like.
Where the couring started as a way to gain much needed money, slowly Hugh stars appreciated Eliza more and more.
So they wed and while Eliza is extatic, Hugh becomes more and more afraid of her reaction if she ever find out about her father's blackmail and his reason for marrying him.
While Eliza openly declares her lover for Hugh, he cannot do it in clear conscience, but he showrs her with affaction and extasy.
His family, on the other hand, starts with hating Eliza, but slowly mellows towards her when faced with her easy and loving self.
There's also some trouble with his sisters engagement with a shallow man that servs also to underline Eliza's goddness.
The revelation comes on the heels of Hugh professing his love for Eliza and throws them all in turmoil!
Eliza confronts her father, Hugh is out of his mind with worry about her, his family is deeply hurt about the behaviou of a deceased loving father but shamed about their behaviour towards Eliza...
This is a romance, so everything is resolved in the very best way, don't worry!
I just couldn't pass over the fact that much grief could have been avoided if ony Hugh didn't keep everything secret! I wanted to yell to him: "You stip idiot, tell your mother at least about money troubles sugarcoating her husbands faults! Tell you sister about the scoundrel who wants an exaggerated dowry! Tell Eliza that you love her!"
But I suppose that was the reaction the author wanted, so it's OK!
August 29, 2018
It's official! Caroline Linden is my new favourite author. I started reading this book the moment I got my hands on it and only stopped to breathe when I had finished it!
October 28, 2018
Love this cover!!! Caroline Linden is one of my favorite authors lately, and this book lived up to my expectations. I loved the characters, especially how sweet the heroine was considering her circumstances. I loved how she handled the drama when the secret was revealed... although I thought the hero was a little too over the top lovey-dovey in certain moments at the end. If I was to harp on anything... I did get a tad bit tired of constantly being told how "plain and unremarkable" the heroine was.... I feel like when the author gets to the point of hitting me over the head with those unflattering comments, I start feeling sorry and embarrassed for the heroine :( Somehow I thought this was book #1, oops. Now I am off to read book #1 and it sounds good!
December 21, 2025
Read: 12/21/25
Setting: Regency England
Trope: class difference, fortune hunter
4.5 stars
Another great hr by Mrs. Linden!
Just notes
likes:
1. This was a beautiful written, sweet story. The author does an excellent job of navigating this unique story.
2. I loved Eliza! Only someone who kicks puppies could hate her. She reminded me of Melanie from GWTW. She was kind, generous, and only saw the good in others. Yet, she had a quiet wisdom about her.
3. I really liked Hugh, too! He tried so hard to protect his family from the diaster their deceased father placed on them. Still, he wasn't your typical fortune hunter. He wouldn't have married Eliza if he didn't think they were compatible. Fortunately, Hugh admired and liked Eliza immediately after being introduced to her and her wet dog.
4. The romance was lovely. These two were perfect for each other and I enjoyed watching them slowly fall in love ❤️
5. Of course she finds out about her father and Hugh's deception. Luckily, the fight doesn't drag on. 🙏
dislikes:
1. Hugh should have told his family that their father left them destitute . He also should have realized Edith's betrothed was not worthy of his sister instead of bargaining with that snobbish d***hebag 😡
Conclusion: This book was well written with a unique plot, and extremely likable MC. I honestly wasn't ready for the story to end. I highly recommend this book!
This can be read as a standalone
Setting: Regency England
Trope: class difference, fortune hunter
4.5 stars
Another great hr by Mrs. Linden!
Just notes
likes:
1. This was a beautiful written, sweet story. The author does an excellent job of navigating this unique story.
2. I loved Eliza! Only someone who kicks puppies could hate her. She reminded me of Melanie from GWTW. She was kind, generous, and only saw the good in others. Yet, she had a quiet wisdom about her.
3. I really liked Hugh, too! He tried so hard to protect his family from the diaster their deceased father placed on them. Still, he wasn't your typical fortune hunter. He wouldn't have married Eliza if he didn't think they were compatible. Fortunately, Hugh admired and liked Eliza immediately after being introduced to her and her wet dog.
4. The romance was lovely. These two were perfect for each other and I enjoyed watching them slowly fall in love ❤️
5. Of course she finds out about her father and Hugh's deception. Luckily, the fight doesn't drag on. 🙏
dislikes:
1. Hugh should have told his family that their father left them destitute . He also should have realized Edith's betrothed was not worthy of his sister instead of bargaining with that snobbish d***hebag 😡
Conclusion: This book was well written with a unique plot, and extremely likable MC. I honestly wasn't ready for the story to end. I highly recommend this book!
This can be read as a standalone
July 24, 2019
Caroline Linden does such a great job of writing heiress romances. This is not a trope I much enjoyed until CL. Hero needs money and marries wealthy heiress in spite of no emotional connection. What is there to like? Yet, this is the third by Linden I have read and loved. Here is the trick: strong and likeable characters in a difficult situation.
Hugh Deveraux, Earl of Hastings, is a good man who is protective of those he loves. His father was apparently equally protective but much less responsible. When he died, he left his son and heir with no money, everything entailed but mortgaged, and his mother and two sisters to take care of. Initially Hugh rents out the nicest homes and uses his talent at gambling to barely make the required payments but nothing left over to provide dowries for his two sisters in this season and the next.
Enter manipulative cit Edward Cross. Though Hugh figured he would eventually marry an heiress, Mr. Cross bought all of Hastings' debts and moved up the timeline. Out of care for his family, Hugh agrees to court and potentially marry, Cross' daughter Miss Eliza Cross.
Eliza is average looking and introverted. Even though trained with all the necessary skills to be a lady, she always felt nervous, out of place, and only desired for her money during her season. Her father wants her to gain a title so badly he is willing to deceive and blackmail as long as his daughter does not find out. In spite of all of Cross' bad character traits, he did love his daughter. She grew up to be loving and unspoiled, open and honest, kind and considerate. Eliza is a wonderful heroine who wins over those who know her with patience and loyalty.
Both of these characters begin with good foundational strengths but grow to become the best versions of themselves together. I tremendously enjoyed the character driven story.
Hugh Deveraux, Earl of Hastings, is a good man who is protective of those he loves. His father was apparently equally protective but much less responsible. When he died, he left his son and heir with no money, everything entailed but mortgaged, and his mother and two sisters to take care of. Initially Hugh rents out the nicest homes and uses his talent at gambling to barely make the required payments but nothing left over to provide dowries for his two sisters in this season and the next.
Enter manipulative cit Edward Cross. Though Hugh figured he would eventually marry an heiress, Mr. Cross bought all of Hastings' debts and moved up the timeline. Out of care for his family, Hugh agrees to court and potentially marry, Cross' daughter Miss Eliza Cross.
Eliza is average looking and introverted. Even though trained with all the necessary skills to be a lady, she always felt nervous, out of place, and only desired for her money during her season. Her father wants her to gain a title so badly he is willing to deceive and blackmail as long as his daughter does not find out. In spite of all of Cross' bad character traits, he did love his daughter. She grew up to be loving and unspoiled, open and honest, kind and considerate. Eliza is a wonderful heroine who wins over those who know her with patience and loyalty.
Both of these characters begin with good foundational strengths but grow to become the best versions of themselves together. I tremendously enjoyed the character driven story.
September 28, 2025
4 heartbreaking ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t know what kind of heartbreak crack CL puts in her books but it’s working!
Eliza is a merchants daughter and of great wealth, her mother is passed and her father misguidedly tries to make her into a “real lady”
He buys the debt of a nobleman and forces him to court his daughter and marry her, only if she accepts the proposal, will his debt be cancelled.
This is were we start and we feel the slow betrayal behind her back, as she falls head over heels in love with a man who is using her. This was so well done. He of course falls too, knowing full well that they did not start on an honest foundation.
Listen this would have been a full 5⭐️ had Hugh been held a little more accountable. He did use her to pay his debt. I don’t think her father is the only real culprit here and Hugh got off too easy. But the story kept my nose in the book at all times, I felt her pain🙌
Should you read it? Yes! It was so entertaining ❤️ sex in the epilogue 🤦♀️
I don’t know what kind of heartbreak crack CL puts in her books but it’s working!
Eliza is a merchants daughter and of great wealth, her mother is passed and her father misguidedly tries to make her into a “real lady”
He buys the debt of a nobleman and forces him to court his daughter and marry her, only if she accepts the proposal, will his debt be cancelled.
This is were we start and we feel the slow betrayal behind her back, as she falls head over heels in love with a man who is using her. This was so well done. He of course falls too, knowing full well that they did not start on an honest foundation.
Listen this would have been a full 5⭐️ had Hugh been held a little more accountable. He did use her to pay his debt. I don’t think her father is the only real culprit here and Hugh got off too easy. But the story kept my nose in the book at all times, I felt her pain🙌
Should you read it? Yes! It was so entertaining ❤️ sex in the epilogue 🤦♀️
September 2, 2018
3.5/5. Hugh Devereux, the newly inherited earl of Hastings, has plenty of good looks but desperately lacks funds as his beloved and highly affable father had depleted the family's coffers with his careless spending. Not wanting to tarnish his sire's memory, he decides to keep their dire financial situation a secret from his mother and younger sisters. However, no secret is safe from a man who has the money, the power, and the interest in the matter and so Hugh finds himself propositioned to by a well moneyed businessman, who has managed to buy up all his father's debt markers. Cross is willing to forgive all Hugh's considerable debts and mortgages in exchange for Hugh courting and marrying his daughter who additionally has a significantly plump dowry of 50 thousand pounds. With a sister, who has just made her debut, in urgent need of her own dowry and Cross squeezing him tight, courting the sweet and guileless Eliza is not really that much of an ask. Though not exactly classically beautiful, Hugh nevertheless finds her quite refreshing and highly desirable.
Eliza has learnt to be suspicious of people after suffering through one painful season last year, where she alternately had to fend off lords with pockets to let while dealing with the snobbery of others who disdained her family's trade background. Her defences were lowered however by the persistent charms of Lord Hastings, who brought out his full arsenal of weapons against her - his devastating smile, his charisma, his thoughtfulness and attention to detail. Her assent and their marriage was inevitable as her father knew it would be, for he has chosen well for his daughter - except his business acumen did not foresee the spectacular and calamitous unravelling of the marriage soon after.
The writing was solid but never extraordinary. Eliza was likeable although way too guileless and naive, not seeing people's scorn for her and the reason for it until it was spelt out. Hugh's solution to his financial disaster was to gamble his way out of it night after night, while spending the days in his usual idle gentlemanly pursuits pretending to his family and the world that he was not facing insolvency. I found this response rather ill-thought out and short-sighted. His calculating seduction of Eliza was not his finest moment either. When first confronted by Eliza, he did not take responsibility for his role in deceiving her but pointed the finger solely at her father, even though Hugh was never forced into it but was clearly given a choice. Furthermore, subsequent to agreeing to the deal, he made many other conscious ignoble choices in his interactions with Eliza that only he could be held liable for.
It was only much later that he acknowledged that:
“He (her father) said he only wanted me to look at you. That if I knew you, I would see what a treasure you are.” He paused. “In that, he was absolutely correct. And while I hate his methods, I cannot hate him for introducing you to me. For my actions after that . . . I take full responsibility.
There were some inconsistencies towards the end in the plot and the dialogue. Particularly of note, the younger sister, who was not yet out, suddenly attends a ball and has a potential suitor. Isn't she only 15?
All in all, it was still an enjoyable read, made more so by the experience of buddy reading it with a group of ladies, so thank you.
Eliza has learnt to be suspicious of people after suffering through one painful season last year, where she alternately had to fend off lords with pockets to let while dealing with the snobbery of others who disdained her family's trade background. Her defences were lowered however by the persistent charms of Lord Hastings, who brought out his full arsenal of weapons against her - his devastating smile, his charisma, his thoughtfulness and attention to detail. Her assent and their marriage was inevitable as her father knew it would be, for he has chosen well for his daughter - except his business acumen did not foresee the spectacular and calamitous unravelling of the marriage soon after.
The writing was solid but never extraordinary. Eliza was likeable although way too guileless and naive, not seeing people's scorn for her and the reason for it until it was spelt out. Hugh's solution to his financial disaster was to gamble his way out of it night after night, while spending the days in his usual idle gentlemanly pursuits pretending to his family and the world that he was not facing insolvency. I found this response rather ill-thought out and short-sighted. His calculating seduction of Eliza was not his finest moment either. When first confronted by Eliza, he did not take responsibility for his role in deceiving her but pointed the finger solely at her father, even though Hugh was never forced into it but was clearly given a choice. Furthermore, subsequent to agreeing to the deal, he made many other conscious ignoble choices in his interactions with Eliza that only he could be held liable for.
It was only much later that he acknowledged that:
“He (her father) said he only wanted me to look at you. That if I knew you, I would see what a treasure you are.” He paused. “In that, he was absolutely correct. And while I hate his methods, I cannot hate him for introducing you to me. For my actions after that . . . I take full responsibility.
There were some inconsistencies towards the end in the plot and the dialogue. Particularly of note, the younger sister, who was not yet out, suddenly attends a ball and has a potential suitor. Isn't she only 15?
All in all, it was still an enjoyable read, made more so by the experience of buddy reading it with a group of ladies, so thank you.
March 28, 2023
I like this book, it has a feel good quotient to it. It felt like an interesting combination of Cocky Earl and The Devil Is A Marquess minus the upfront honesty. I could see the heart break coming from a mile away, but Hugh and Eliza seemed like really nice people. I quite enjoyed their romance, forced and the real!
September 8, 2021
This is the second book in Caroline Linden’s Wagers of Sin series and she succeeds in giving the popular ‘marriage of convenience’ trope a refreshingly different twist in this intelligently written and wonderfully romantic story.
On becoming Earl of Hastings, Hugh Devereaux was shocked to discover that his beloved father had frittered away the family’s entire fortune, leaving Hugh with a bankrupt estate, huge debts and no money for his sisters’ dowries or his mother’s widow’s jointure. How could he tell them that the man they all adored had left them virtually penniless? He simply couldn’t cause even more distress to his already grieving family and resolved to deal with matters himself. Only one option was open to him - marry an heiress, but not just yet. During the past few years, his luck at the card tables has enabled Hugh to pay off the most pressing debts and keep the family afloat but now, with his sister, Edith’s, imminent engagement, he needs to provide her with a dowry. So when Edward Cross approaches him with a solution to all his financial problems, Hugh cannot refuse. In return, he must court and marry Cross’s daughter, but she must never know of their agreement.
Edward Cross is one of the wealthiest men in England, having made his fortune speculating in shares. Ever since his wife died in childbirth, Elizabeth (Eliza), his only daughter, has become the centre of his universe and he is determined that she will acquire all the accomplishments befitting a lady. His ultimate goal is for her to marry an aristocrat and he is prepared to do anything to achieve it. Rather plain and shy, Eliza would rather remain single than marry a man who values her dowry more than herself, and is quite content looking after her father, playing with her dog, Willy, and tending her garden. However, when she meets and gets to know her father’s new business partner, the handsome and charming Hugh Deveraux, Earl of Hastings, she is soon hopelessly in love. To her delight, he seems to genuinely like her, and when he asks to court her and then proposes, she willingly accepts, totally unaware of the agreement made between Hugh and her father.
I couldn’t help but sympathise with Hugh who is caught between a rock and a hard place. He is an honourable man who cares deeply for his family and is determined to protect them from the harsh truth about his father. The only way he can achieve this is by deceiving a young woman who he knows will get hurt if she discovers the truth.
Eliza is such a lovely heroine - so warm-hearted, honest, generous and selfless, with a surprisingly droll sense of humour, and nothing like her manipulative father. I liked how she found such joy in simple pleasures and the scenes with Willy were charming and funny too. However, there is nothing weak about her because she has a core of steel when needed.
She would hold up her head and be strong, and not let any slight cow her. She was a countess now, Hugh’s countess—incredible thought—and she must rise to the demands of her position.
Watching Eliza win over Hugh’s mother and sisters with her warmth, kindness and understanding was so heartwarming.
I loved how the relationship evolved between Hugh and Eliza, particularly on Hugh’s part. He may have been blackmailed into marrying Eliza but he has every intention of being a kind and faithful husband, which only strengthened my opinion that he is honourable man. I love how each day he comes to appreciate Eliza more and more, discovering things about her that he had never anticipated.
He liked simply talking to her, which he had not expected. Eliza was a wonderful listener, caring and thoughtful, with clever ideas and a knack for making him laugh even when he didn’t mean to.
They are so perfect together both emotionally and sexually, and it’s obvious that Hugh is falling head over heels in love with his wife, but the fear of Eliza discovering the truth is constantly weighing on his mind. He knows that he should tell her but not only does he not want to lose her, he also knows how hurt she would be to learn of her father’s machinations.
He didn’t want to hurt his wife, and he damned sure didn’t want to risk losing her. Not when he thought he might be falling in love with her. So he added one more facet to the bargain he’d made with the devil: keep the truth from Eliza at all costs, for her sake and for his own.
I knew it was only a question of time before Eliza discovered Hugh’s duplicity and the scene where she confronts him is so heartbreaking that it was hard to believe that they could ever be reconciled. But when the reconciliation does come, it really touches the heart.
He tipped up her chin until her gaze met his. “I want you for you, my love. If you no longer want me -“
“I do,” she said, blinking back tears.
Eliza’s dearest friends, Sophie and Georgiana, are on hand to offer her moral support and advice when she most needs it.
I couldn’t really hate Edward Cross because he loved his daughter and, however misguided his actions were, he only wanted to do what he thought would make her happy. He hoped Hugh would see what a treasure she was and he did. I was pleased to see hints of a reconciliation between father and daughter in the Epilogue.
MY VERDICT: I loved this book and Caroline Linden proves yet again why she is one of the foremost Historical Romance authors. Highly recommended.
On becoming Earl of Hastings, Hugh Devereaux was shocked to discover that his beloved father had frittered away the family’s entire fortune, leaving Hugh with a bankrupt estate, huge debts and no money for his sisters’ dowries or his mother’s widow’s jointure. How could he tell them that the man they all adored had left them virtually penniless? He simply couldn’t cause even more distress to his already grieving family and resolved to deal with matters himself. Only one option was open to him - marry an heiress, but not just yet. During the past few years, his luck at the card tables has enabled Hugh to pay off the most pressing debts and keep the family afloat but now, with his sister, Edith’s, imminent engagement, he needs to provide her with a dowry. So when Edward Cross approaches him with a solution to all his financial problems, Hugh cannot refuse. In return, he must court and marry Cross’s daughter, but she must never know of their agreement.
Edward Cross is one of the wealthiest men in England, having made his fortune speculating in shares. Ever since his wife died in childbirth, Elizabeth (Eliza), his only daughter, has become the centre of his universe and he is determined that she will acquire all the accomplishments befitting a lady. His ultimate goal is for her to marry an aristocrat and he is prepared to do anything to achieve it. Rather plain and shy, Eliza would rather remain single than marry a man who values her dowry more than herself, and is quite content looking after her father, playing with her dog, Willy, and tending her garden. However, when she meets and gets to know her father’s new business partner, the handsome and charming Hugh Deveraux, Earl of Hastings, she is soon hopelessly in love. To her delight, he seems to genuinely like her, and when he asks to court her and then proposes, she willingly accepts, totally unaware of the agreement made between Hugh and her father.
I couldn’t help but sympathise with Hugh who is caught between a rock and a hard place. He is an honourable man who cares deeply for his family and is determined to protect them from the harsh truth about his father. The only way he can achieve this is by deceiving a young woman who he knows will get hurt if she discovers the truth.
Eliza is such a lovely heroine - so warm-hearted, honest, generous and selfless, with a surprisingly droll sense of humour, and nothing like her manipulative father. I liked how she found such joy in simple pleasures and the scenes with Willy were charming and funny too. However, there is nothing weak about her because she has a core of steel when needed.
She would hold up her head and be strong, and not let any slight cow her. She was a countess now, Hugh’s countess—incredible thought—and she must rise to the demands of her position.
Watching Eliza win over Hugh’s mother and sisters with her warmth, kindness and understanding was so heartwarming.
I loved how the relationship evolved between Hugh and Eliza, particularly on Hugh’s part. He may have been blackmailed into marrying Eliza but he has every intention of being a kind and faithful husband, which only strengthened my opinion that he is honourable man. I love how each day he comes to appreciate Eliza more and more, discovering things about her that he had never anticipated.
He liked simply talking to her, which he had not expected. Eliza was a wonderful listener, caring and thoughtful, with clever ideas and a knack for making him laugh even when he didn’t mean to.
They are so perfect together both emotionally and sexually, and it’s obvious that Hugh is falling head over heels in love with his wife, but the fear of Eliza discovering the truth is constantly weighing on his mind. He knows that he should tell her but not only does he not want to lose her, he also knows how hurt she would be to learn of her father’s machinations.
He didn’t want to hurt his wife, and he damned sure didn’t want to risk losing her. Not when he thought he might be falling in love with her. So he added one more facet to the bargain he’d made with the devil: keep the truth from Eliza at all costs, for her sake and for his own.
I knew it was only a question of time before Eliza discovered Hugh’s duplicity and the scene where she confronts him is so heartbreaking that it was hard to believe that they could ever be reconciled. But when the reconciliation does come, it really touches the heart.
He tipped up her chin until her gaze met his. “I want you for you, my love. If you no longer want me -“
“I do,” she said, blinking back tears.
Eliza’s dearest friends, Sophie and Georgiana, are on hand to offer her moral support and advice when she most needs it.
I couldn’t really hate Edward Cross because he loved his daughter and, however misguided his actions were, he only wanted to do what he thought would make her happy. He hoped Hugh would see what a treasure she was and he did. I was pleased to see hints of a reconciliation between father and daughter in the Epilogue.
MY VERDICT: I loved this book and Caroline Linden proves yet again why she is one of the foremost Historical Romance authors. Highly recommended.
September 5, 2018
Why is she blushing so much? Totally overkill.
November 10, 2019
I stopped reading romances because it started to feel like the default personality type for the heroes has become a frenzied German Shepherd.
I am just about done with this bullshit "alpha" male nonsense. All those pseudo-romantic behaviours, such as unchecked jealousy, love-bombing, controlling, overprotective behaviour send shivers down my spine.
However, Danni promised me there would be none of that here. Just people, falling in love, making mistakes. Sweet, adorable and a little sexy.
And on top of that the 'marriage of convenience/pretend relationship' - one of my favourite tropes (even if, admittedly, the heroine was in on it in this case).
My only complaint might be that I wish the heroine had been passionate about something other than her dog. It seemed a little juvenile. Having said that, I still give the author props for making Eliza into an interesting character, despite having 'kindness' as her most defining feature. It's no mean feat to write interestingly about a person who is just mostly genuinely nice and kind.
Given than the hero is also mostly good and honourable, it's a true wonder their story was so full of excitement and delicious tension I stayed up until 1 am on a school night reading it.
I also had a lot of sympathy for the heroine's scheming father. And when he tells the hero "I just wanted you to see her, how lovely she is" (I'm paraphrasing here), it almost undid me. Was blackmail the best way to get a man to notice his shy, introverted daughter? Hey, but it worked. Well done, dad.
I am just about done with this bullshit "alpha" male nonsense. All those pseudo-romantic behaviours, such as unchecked jealousy, love-bombing, controlling, overprotective behaviour send shivers down my spine.
However, Danni promised me there would be none of that here. Just people, falling in love, making mistakes. Sweet, adorable and a little sexy.
And on top of that the 'marriage of convenience/pretend relationship' - one of my favourite tropes (even if, admittedly, the heroine was in on it in this case).
My only complaint might be that I wish the heroine had been passionate about something other than her dog. It seemed a little juvenile. Having said that, I still give the author props for making Eliza into an interesting character, despite having 'kindness' as her most defining feature. It's no mean feat to write interestingly about a person who is just mostly genuinely nice and kind.
Given than the hero is also mostly good and honourable, it's a true wonder their story was so full of excitement and delicious tension I stayed up until 1 am on a school night reading it.
I also had a lot of sympathy for the heroine's scheming father. And when he tells the hero "I just wanted you to see her, how lovely she is" (I'm paraphrasing here), it almost undid me. Was blackmail the best way to get a man to notice his shy, introverted daughter? Hey, but it worked. Well done, dad.
August 23, 2018
Series: The Wagers of Sin #2
Publication Date: 8/28/18
This is a wonderful addition to Linden’s ‘The Wages of Sin’ series. It is intelligently written, uniquely plotted and the characters are all well developed and relatable. We originally met the heroine in the first book of the series, My Once and Future Duke. She is one of the nicest and sweetest heroines I’ve read in a while and I really, really liked her. Her father loves her beyond reason and is obsessed with providing her with the life HE thinks she should have and he’s not above blackmail and deception to see that she gets it. Her father could have easily been the villain of the book given what he did, but our author wrote him beautifully and made him redeemable while leaving his actions unforgivable. While the book is part of a series, you can read it without having read the first book – but I don’t know why in the world you’d ever want to do that – the first book is great too.
Elizabeth (Eliza) Cross’s mother died in childbirth when Eliza was only three years old. From that point on, Eliza was the center of her father’s world. He is a speculator (neither gentry nor aristocrat) and one of the richest men in England. His dream for his sweet baby girl is for her to marry an aristocrat and he will (and does) go to any lengths to make that happen. It doesn’t matter all Eliza wants is someone who sees her and loves her and not her father’s money. Frankly, she’s given up on finding that and has made herself very happy tending the gardens, helping out in the parish and playing with and loving the dog (Willie) she rescued when he was just a puppy. Eliza is sweet, honest, and open, but she isn’t weak. She knows that she is no great beauty, but she has spent her life trying to become the lady her Papa wants her to be, so she is poised and graceful, but without the arrogance and entitlement that so many young ladies of the ton have. Her father just knows that if any man spent any time around her at all they would fall in love with her -- he just has to choose the right man and assure that those two spend time together.
Hugh Deveraux, Earl of Hastings, has had a huge shock. When his father died and Hugh inherited, he discovered that the estate wasn’t just broke, it was 80,000 pounds in debt. Everything was gone – nothing for his sisters’ dowries and nothing for his mother’s jointure. He can’t tell his family that the man they loved, practically worshiped, left them destitute, so he turns to what he is best at to try to keep them afloat – he plays cards at the Vega Club. He’s done pretty well keeping them afloat and managing to pay enough of the debts to keep the creditors at bay. However, now his sister is getting betrothed and he must come up with a dowry for her. Imagine his surprise when Edward Cross makes him an offer that he (literally) cannot refuse. Hugh is to court and then marry Cross’s daughter without her ever finding out about the bargain.
Hugh and Eliza’s first meeting is so delightfully funny. Willie, the dog, is a handful and does not like baths. When Hugh first comes to the Cross’s home Eliza is dressed in an old dress and she’s chasing Willie through the house to dry him after his bath. She literally falls at Hugh’s feet. He is not impressed.
Eliza is surprised and very pleased when her father’s new business partner begins to show up at their home or runs into them at the theater or balls. She is amazed that he seems to like her – to really see who she is. So, when he asks to court her and finally asks her to marry him – she can only shout YES!
I loved watching Hugh and his family come to truly love Eliza – but I always knew it was going to blow up in a big way. Eliza had made a number of comments to Hugh and others about honesty and being honest and forthright, so he knew how she felt about it. He knew he should tell her, but he just couldn’t and then he convinced himself she’d never find out. She did, of course, and in the worst possible way. I love that she confronted everybody involved and didn’t cut anyone any slack. It is a delightful love story in many ways. So, I hope you’ll read it and enjoy it as much as I did.
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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."
Publication Date: 8/28/18
This is a wonderful addition to Linden’s ‘The Wages of Sin’ series. It is intelligently written, uniquely plotted and the characters are all well developed and relatable. We originally met the heroine in the first book of the series, My Once and Future Duke. She is one of the nicest and sweetest heroines I’ve read in a while and I really, really liked her. Her father loves her beyond reason and is obsessed with providing her with the life HE thinks she should have and he’s not above blackmail and deception to see that she gets it. Her father could have easily been the villain of the book given what he did, but our author wrote him beautifully and made him redeemable while leaving his actions unforgivable. While the book is part of a series, you can read it without having read the first book – but I don’t know why in the world you’d ever want to do that – the first book is great too.
Elizabeth (Eliza) Cross’s mother died in childbirth when Eliza was only three years old. From that point on, Eliza was the center of her father’s world. He is a speculator (neither gentry nor aristocrat) and one of the richest men in England. His dream for his sweet baby girl is for her to marry an aristocrat and he will (and does) go to any lengths to make that happen. It doesn’t matter all Eliza wants is someone who sees her and loves her and not her father’s money. Frankly, she’s given up on finding that and has made herself very happy tending the gardens, helping out in the parish and playing with and loving the dog (Willie) she rescued when he was just a puppy. Eliza is sweet, honest, and open, but she isn’t weak. She knows that she is no great beauty, but she has spent her life trying to become the lady her Papa wants her to be, so she is poised and graceful, but without the arrogance and entitlement that so many young ladies of the ton have. Her father just knows that if any man spent any time around her at all they would fall in love with her -- he just has to choose the right man and assure that those two spend time together.
Hugh Deveraux, Earl of Hastings, has had a huge shock. When his father died and Hugh inherited, he discovered that the estate wasn’t just broke, it was 80,000 pounds in debt. Everything was gone – nothing for his sisters’ dowries and nothing for his mother’s jointure. He can’t tell his family that the man they loved, practically worshiped, left them destitute, so he turns to what he is best at to try to keep them afloat – he plays cards at the Vega Club. He’s done pretty well keeping them afloat and managing to pay enough of the debts to keep the creditors at bay. However, now his sister is getting betrothed and he must come up with a dowry for her. Imagine his surprise when Edward Cross makes him an offer that he (literally) cannot refuse. Hugh is to court and then marry Cross’s daughter without her ever finding out about the bargain.
Hugh and Eliza’s first meeting is so delightfully funny. Willie, the dog, is a handful and does not like baths. When Hugh first comes to the Cross’s home Eliza is dressed in an old dress and she’s chasing Willie through the house to dry him after his bath. She literally falls at Hugh’s feet. He is not impressed.
Eliza is surprised and very pleased when her father’s new business partner begins to show up at their home or runs into them at the theater or balls. She is amazed that he seems to like her – to really see who she is. So, when he asks to court her and finally asks her to marry him – she can only shout YES!
I loved watching Hugh and his family come to truly love Eliza – but I always knew it was going to blow up in a big way. Eliza had made a number of comments to Hugh and others about honesty and being honest and forthright, so he knew how she felt about it. He knew he should tell her, but he just couldn’t and then he convinced himself she’d never find out. She did, of course, and in the worst possible way. I love that she confronted everybody involved and didn’t cut anyone any slack. It is a delightful love story in many ways. So, I hope you’ll read it and enjoy it as much as I did.
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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."
August 29, 2018
I have a confession: I've already enjoyed this book TWICE. It is a sweet story with characters that got under my skin and stayed with me long after I finished reading.
An Earl Like You opens inside of Hugh's head where he learns that his golden-boy father lost the family's inheritance and left Hugh, his mother, and his two sisters in such dire straits that they'd never be able to come back without a dramatic change in fortune. I really liked Hugh. He is a self-contained man who wants to protect his family at all costs, he shoulders all of the burdens alone, and his aristocratic bearing hides a man of deep integrity who is put in an impossible position.
Edward Cross will do anything to see his daughter Eliza marry into nobility. Even blackmail. Hugh is given an impossible choice: woo my daughter or I will call in all your father's debts and ruin your entire family. Eliza is entirely unaware of this deal and believes she is swept off her feet by a prince as romantic and perfect as a fairy tale. Only, Hugh isn't perfect. He is damn sexy and he slowly develops deeper feelings for Eliza, but he is also simply a man. A man who chose to save his family when the alternative was unthinkable. The deception is there, but what made this book different was that both characters are unwilling participants in it. Hugh wants to make the most of his marriage and he realizes early on that Eliza is as wholesome and good as they come and he adds her to the list of people he wants to protect from the world. Eliza is somewhat aware of her father's nature, but she never imagines he'd go so far as to "buy" her a husband.
Throughout the story, it was easy to see Eliza grow in confidence and strength and how Hugh fell under her spell. Their romance was believable. It was a true story of how the unlikely girl gets the guy, not because of insta-lust, but because true romance really lies underneath the skin. While all this is happening, the reader knows that at some point the ax will fall. And when it does, the journey back is gripping to read.
This story ticked all the right boxes for me. It explored family bonds, the melding of families after marriage, the importance of trust, and how marriage means sharing burdens. I loved how Eliza worked to build a relationship with her new family (even though they were NOT easy). I also loved how Hugh started to see Eliza as a partner and someone he could share everything with. Pretty much I loved everything. The conflict was real, the characters were well fleshed out, and in usual Linden fashion, the sex scenes were steamy.
I'd recommend this story for HR readers looking for a story that doesn't have unnecessary drama, that has a hero who has burdens but isn't stupidly brooding, and has a heroine with a heart of gold who isn't flight, obstinate, or blindingly beautiful. The writing style flows beautifully, the romance is satisfying, and the heroine is someone you'd want as a friend. What's not to love?
Highly recommended. One of my favorites of Linden's to date. Definitely has high re-read potential <3
I received a copy from the publisher. My review is my own opinion.
An Earl Like You opens inside of Hugh's head where he learns that his golden-boy father lost the family's inheritance and left Hugh, his mother, and his two sisters in such dire straits that they'd never be able to come back without a dramatic change in fortune. I really liked Hugh. He is a self-contained man who wants to protect his family at all costs, he shoulders all of the burdens alone, and his aristocratic bearing hides a man of deep integrity who is put in an impossible position.
Edward Cross will do anything to see his daughter Eliza marry into nobility. Even blackmail. Hugh is given an impossible choice: woo my daughter or I will call in all your father's debts and ruin your entire family. Eliza is entirely unaware of this deal and believes she is swept off her feet by a prince as romantic and perfect as a fairy tale. Only, Hugh isn't perfect. He is damn sexy and he slowly develops deeper feelings for Eliza, but he is also simply a man. A man who chose to save his family when the alternative was unthinkable. The deception is there, but what made this book different was that both characters are unwilling participants in it. Hugh wants to make the most of his marriage and he realizes early on that Eliza is as wholesome and good as they come and he adds her to the list of people he wants to protect from the world. Eliza is somewhat aware of her father's nature, but she never imagines he'd go so far as to "buy" her a husband.
Throughout the story, it was easy to see Eliza grow in confidence and strength and how Hugh fell under her spell. Their romance was believable. It was a true story of how the unlikely girl gets the guy, not because of insta-lust, but because true romance really lies underneath the skin. While all this is happening, the reader knows that at some point the ax will fall. And when it does, the journey back is gripping to read.
This story ticked all the right boxes for me. It explored family bonds, the melding of families after marriage, the importance of trust, and how marriage means sharing burdens. I loved how Eliza worked to build a relationship with her new family (even though they were NOT easy). I also loved how Hugh started to see Eliza as a partner and someone he could share everything with. Pretty much I loved everything. The conflict was real, the characters were well fleshed out, and in usual Linden fashion, the sex scenes were steamy.
I'd recommend this story for HR readers looking for a story that doesn't have unnecessary drama, that has a hero who has burdens but isn't stupidly brooding, and has a heroine with a heart of gold who isn't flight, obstinate, or blindingly beautiful. The writing style flows beautifully, the romance is satisfying, and the heroine is someone you'd want as a friend. What's not to love?
Highly recommended. One of my favorites of Linden's to date. Definitely has high re-read potential <3
I received a copy from the publisher. My review is my own opinion.
December 28, 2018
2.5? idk I lowkey enjoyed this. It was a fun time, but it still had a lot of issues.
I'm not even gonna lie I'll probably pick up the others in the series because I'm curious.
Things I liked:
-Our main dude (Hugh) wasn't an alpha male so none of that over-protective, don't even speak to another man or look at another man stuff which I appreciate.
-The dog...sometimes. I do think they talked about the dog way too much. You could have called this "A Dog like You" and it would have worked because Willy seems to be the main topic of conversation. When she was talking to him like a person? RElaTABLE
-Period Dramas are always fun don't even at me
-They had a really nice consent moment before having sex for the first time and boi did I appreciate.
-The plot was interesting so neat. I always expect so little for plot in romance novels and seem to always be pleasantly surprised. A sign that I should stop being so pretentious.
-I did like their relationship (though the pacing was weird)
-Even tho the dad was a dick, I liked his character a lot??
-Georgiana and Sophie. I am a slut for female friendships.
-the sex tho there wasn't a lot was not totally cringey which bless. No velvet wrapped steel lingo here.
-The dad made sure Hugh liked dogs before making deal which was one of Eliza's conditions and I was there for that lol
Things I didn't like:
-This book was soooooo repetitive. There would be lines that said the same thing but were rearranged separated only by a couple of paragraphs. Eliza would repeat herself a lot but the other characters reacted as if what she was saying wasn't just said so idk if this was intentional or????
-Hugh was lowkey annoying sometimes. but also I appreciate how much he cared about his family and for eliza's feelings.
-Eliza was a sweetie, but also v oblivious? YOu can't call someone clever or smart and then have her be this oblivious. She would have been able to know what was up if she didn't bat her eyes and accept literally everything Hugh told her. Like some of that was sketch but she just never brought it up.
-I expected her to be more guarded? like a few weeks talking to someone and then BOOM ya engaged havin' sex before the marriage (which like isn't that a no no for this time?? I'm a child of sin so idk) and ur head over heels in love with this dude who magically shows up conveniently when your dad isn't there like??? What have ya'll talked about besides your dog?
-I would have liked to be at Rosemere for more of the book. Gimme that.
-WHERE HE WAS JUST TOUCHING HER WHILE SHE WAS ASLEEP LIKE NO SIR NO NO NO NO NOT OKAY STOP WRONG BANNED.
Overall, better than I was expecting and enjoyable, but I didn't love it or anything. Might pick up the others cus ya girl is interested in some of the other characters.
I'm not even gonna lie I'll probably pick up the others in the series because I'm curious.
Things I liked:
-Our main dude (Hugh) wasn't an alpha male so none of that over-protective, don't even speak to another man or look at another man stuff which I appreciate.
-The dog...sometimes. I do think they talked about the dog way too much. You could have called this "A Dog like You" and it would have worked because Willy seems to be the main topic of conversation. When she was talking to him like a person? RElaTABLE
-Period Dramas are always fun don't even at me
-They had a really nice consent moment before having sex for the first time and boi did I appreciate.
-The plot was interesting so neat. I always expect so little for plot in romance novels and seem to always be pleasantly surprised. A sign that I should stop being so pretentious.
-I did like their relationship (though the pacing was weird)
-Even tho the dad was a dick, I liked his character a lot??
-Georgiana and Sophie. I am a slut for female friendships.
-the sex tho there wasn't a lot was not totally cringey which bless. No velvet wrapped steel lingo here.
-The dad made sure Hugh liked dogs before making deal which was one of Eliza's conditions and I was there for that lol
Things I didn't like:
-This book was soooooo repetitive. There would be lines that said the same thing but were rearranged separated only by a couple of paragraphs. Eliza would repeat herself a lot but the other characters reacted as if what she was saying wasn't just said so idk if this was intentional or????
-Hugh was lowkey annoying sometimes. but also I appreciate how much he cared about his family and for eliza's feelings.
-Eliza was a sweetie, but also v oblivious? YOu can't call someone clever or smart and then have her be this oblivious. She would have been able to know what was up if she didn't bat her eyes and accept literally everything Hugh told her. Like some of that was sketch but she just never brought it up.
-I expected her to be more guarded? like a few weeks talking to someone and then BOOM ya engaged havin' sex before the marriage (which like isn't that a no no for this time?? I'm a child of sin so idk) and ur head over heels in love with this dude who magically shows up conveniently when your dad isn't there like??? What have ya'll talked about besides your dog?
-I would have liked to be at Rosemere for more of the book. Gimme that.
-WHERE HE WAS JUST TOUCHING HER WHILE SHE WAS ASLEEP LIKE NO SIR NO NO NO NO NOT OKAY STOP WRONG BANNED.
Overall, better than I was expecting and enjoyable, but I didn't love it or anything. Might pick up the others cus ya girl is interested in some of the other characters.
October 20, 2019
Innocent "cit" heroine meets Earl desperate for money
Eliza's father is rich beyond imagination and has no scruples to get what he wants. What he currently wants is a titled son in law for his shy and plain daughter. The problem is Eliza wants to marry for love, and her father does not want her to be disappointed. So he buys her a titled, devoted husband that courts her ardently and sweeps her out of her feet.
She is in paradise, but it is all a great big lie.
Hugh would never have considered courting Eliza, but her father bought all his deceased father debts and now he owned such a vast sum of money to the man that he could ruin him in an instant. His oldest sister is about to get married and he has not a single dime for her dowry. Extreme times require extreme measures...
I liked Eliza a lot, in spite of her extreme naivité. With a father like hers and her circumstances, she ought to have known that Hugh was just too good to be true. But she is a great heroine, nice, loving, understanding of people's flaws and strong when it was required of her.
Eliza's father is rich beyond imagination and has no scruples to get what he wants. What he currently wants is a titled son in law for his shy and plain daughter. The problem is Eliza wants to marry for love, and her father does not want her to be disappointed. So he buys her a titled, devoted husband that courts her ardently and sweeps her out of her feet.
She is in paradise, but it is all a great big lie.
Hugh would never have considered courting Eliza, but her father bought all his deceased father debts and now he owned such a vast sum of money to the man that he could ruin him in an instant. His oldest sister is about to get married and he has not a single dime for her dowry. Extreme times require extreme measures...
I liked Eliza a lot, in spite of her extreme naivité. With a father like hers and her circumstances, she ought to have known that Hugh was just too good to be true. But she is a great heroine, nice, loving, understanding of people's flaws and strong when it was required of her.
November 3, 2020
11/3/20 Election stress called for an audiobook revisit of my favorite romance. I just love this story. The third time though just made me love it even more.
4/22/20 Finished for a second time. Just what I needed.
This is one of my favorite reads. I think the plot could have been a fail because the premise involves a huge deception of the heroine on part of the hero, but the author makes all of the characters really likeable and honorable in intention, so it's hard not to root for them. Hugh and Eliza are both so kind and loving of their families, and eventually each other. They are both really *likeable*, which sometimes isn't the case with typical alpha-type heros and feisty heroines. I think both Hugh and Eliza are not as tortured and angsty but still have their own insecurities and troublesome families to deal with. This is just a really satisfying read and one of my very favorites.
4/22/20 Finished for a second time. Just what I needed.
This is one of my favorite reads. I think the plot could have been a fail because the premise involves a huge deception of the heroine on part of the hero, but the author makes all of the characters really likeable and honorable in intention, so it's hard not to root for them. Hugh and Eliza are both so kind and loving of their families, and eventually each other. They are both really *likeable*, which sometimes isn't the case with typical alpha-type heros and feisty heroines. I think both Hugh and Eliza are not as tortured and angsty but still have their own insecurities and troublesome families to deal with. This is just a really satisfying read and one of my very favorites.
June 20, 2022
Hugh Deveraux inherits a fuckton of debt, which is bought up by Edward Cross, who offers him a deal: court his daughter, Eliza Cross, and he'll forgive the debt. If he doesn't, then the debt stands. So Hugh does it, and then does Eliza, and then they get married, and then everyone finds out everything the end.
1. This was fine for being a romance with a Huge Secret hanging over everything, I guess? I mean, it's A Thing that's not really my preferred Thing, but Linden almost pulls it off?
2. Eliza's a sweetheart; Hugh's a horndog. I would have liked a little bit more about what makes Hugh tick, since other than Eliza's bosom and his love for his family it's a little light on details. Eliza's got flowers and house decorating and her dog and aforementioned bosom, so.
3. It was nice to have the family come around in their own ways? Like, I appreciate that?
4. I haven't read the first book in this series yet but seeing the very cardboard like recollections of what are, I'm assuming, scenes from that book propped into this one was....a choice. I don't think I'm a fan of it: "Eliza encouraged Sophie to confess all to the Duke of Ware that she had just met; if you can't tell that I'm cribbing this from the book blurb, then I've got a bridge to sell you." etc. etc.
5. SEX IN A FOLLY?
1. This was fine for being a romance with a Huge Secret hanging over everything, I guess? I mean, it's A Thing that's not really my preferred Thing, but Linden almost pulls it off?
2. Eliza's a sweetheart; Hugh's a horndog. I would have liked a little bit more about what makes Hugh tick, since other than Eliza's bosom and his love for his family it's a little light on details. Eliza's got flowers and house decorating and her dog and aforementioned bosom, so.
3. It was nice to have the family come around in their own ways? Like, I appreciate that?
4. I haven't read the first book in this series yet but seeing the very cardboard like recollections of what are, I'm assuming, scenes from that book propped into this one was....a choice. I don't think I'm a fan of it: "Eliza encouraged Sophie to confess all to the Duke of Ware that she had just met; if you can't tell that I'm cribbing this from the book blurb, then I've got a bridge to sell you." etc. etc.
5. SEX IN A FOLLY?
August 25, 2018
4.5 stars rounded up
Hugh Deveraux, the new Earl of Hastings has a rude awakening after the death of his father, his wonderful father - who was loved and admired by one and all, the estate is bankrupt and there is no provision for his sister’s dowries or his mother’s widow’s portion. Hugh is devastated and determined to set things right without upsetting his grieving family. His options are limited, so he decides to move the family to London and he will gamble to support them until he can find a heiress to marry.
His plan seems to be working, he has been gambling at the Vega Club and has managed to pay back some of the debts and has kept his mother and sisters in the dark about their true circumstances. When a huge loss at the tables brings him to the attention of Edward Cross, Hugh’s life takes a huge detour from his original plans.
Elizabeth “Eliza” Cross is the only child of Edward Cross, she is plain in appearance and shy by nature, content to tend her father’s house, she has given up hope of ever marrying and having a family of her own. But all that changes when Hugh comes to call on her father. She is smitten, but doesn’t believe he will ever notice a mouse like her. But to her surprise Hugh is kind and attentive to her and when their paths cross more and more, she begins to have hope that he might be interested in her.
Hugh is not happy, Edward Cross bought up most of his debt and has basically blackmailed him into courting his daughter. As much as he would love to tell the man to go to hell, he cannot afford to, especially when his sister’s suitor declares himself and wants to marry quickly. With no money to fund Edith’s dowry, Hugh accepts Edward’s “bargain”. He is delighted to find that Eliza is nothing like her father, yes, she is plain, but she is kind, loving and has a wonderful sense of humor. The more time he spends with her, the more he likes her. His family is not happy with his choice and tries to convince him to stop courting her, but Hugh won’t hear of it and proposes. He has come to truly care for Eliza and wants to marry her, but he also wants to make sure she never learns how the courtship started.
Eliza is deliriously happy, she loves Hugh and is excited to have a family. His family is not exactly welcoming to her and she excuses it by assuming they are keeping their emotions in check as most of society does. Hugh is called away on their wedding night and leaves her alone, she is a little hurt that his family ignores her, but again she makes excuses for them. The next morning, they are cold to her at breakfast and she tries her best to be friendly. Hugh has been dealt a shock, Reggie Benwick, his sister Edith’s betrothed demanded to see him – on his wedding night! Reggie and his father Viscount Livingston demand that he set Eliza aside or Reggie will not marry Edith. Apparently Edward Cross and Lord Livingston had business dealings and the viscount lost a hefty sum. Hugh refuses and expects Reggie to honor his promise to his sister. But when Reggie demands an outrageous dowry, Hugh knows he will have to tell Edith the truth, he is angry about the irony, he married Eliza, so Edith could marry and because of his marriage, she is being jilted.
He confides a little bit of his dilemma with Eliza, but is careful not to let her know the entire truth. Eliza has not had an easy time with his family and he knows they will blame her for Edith’s jilting. He cares for Eliza and wants to protect her, but he knows she is right, he will have to tell Edith the truth about Reggie.
Slowly, his family begins to warm to her and her relationship with Hugh is better than fine, he finally confessed his love and all is right in her world – until it isn’t. Eliza discovers the truth and is heartbroken, Hugh tries to explain, but Eliza doesn’t know what to believe. Can Hugh convince her his love is true? Or will Eliza’s insecurities doom them to a life apart?
This was a lovely read, well written and paced perfectly. Eliza is probably the nicest heroine I have ever read and I just adored her. Hugh was also a great hero, he didn’t always make the right choices, but he did everything with his family’s best interests at heart. The secondary characters were in turn annoying and at times manipulative, but never enough to hate them, the love scenes where warmish but never felt gratuitous, there are some amusing moments, a little heartache and finally a very touching ending. I am happy to recommend this book and even though it is the second book in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone title with no issues.
*Reviewed for Buried Under Romance Blog*
Hugh Deveraux, the new Earl of Hastings has a rude awakening after the death of his father, his wonderful father - who was loved and admired by one and all, the estate is bankrupt and there is no provision for his sister’s dowries or his mother’s widow’s portion. Hugh is devastated and determined to set things right without upsetting his grieving family. His options are limited, so he decides to move the family to London and he will gamble to support them until he can find a heiress to marry.
His plan seems to be working, he has been gambling at the Vega Club and has managed to pay back some of the debts and has kept his mother and sisters in the dark about their true circumstances. When a huge loss at the tables brings him to the attention of Edward Cross, Hugh’s life takes a huge detour from his original plans.
Elizabeth “Eliza” Cross is the only child of Edward Cross, she is plain in appearance and shy by nature, content to tend her father’s house, she has given up hope of ever marrying and having a family of her own. But all that changes when Hugh comes to call on her father. She is smitten, but doesn’t believe he will ever notice a mouse like her. But to her surprise Hugh is kind and attentive to her and when their paths cross more and more, she begins to have hope that he might be interested in her.
Hugh is not happy, Edward Cross bought up most of his debt and has basically blackmailed him into courting his daughter. As much as he would love to tell the man to go to hell, he cannot afford to, especially when his sister’s suitor declares himself and wants to marry quickly. With no money to fund Edith’s dowry, Hugh accepts Edward’s “bargain”. He is delighted to find that Eliza is nothing like her father, yes, she is plain, but she is kind, loving and has a wonderful sense of humor. The more time he spends with her, the more he likes her. His family is not happy with his choice and tries to convince him to stop courting her, but Hugh won’t hear of it and proposes. He has come to truly care for Eliza and wants to marry her, but he also wants to make sure she never learns how the courtship started.
Eliza is deliriously happy, she loves Hugh and is excited to have a family. His family is not exactly welcoming to her and she excuses it by assuming they are keeping their emotions in check as most of society does. Hugh is called away on their wedding night and leaves her alone, she is a little hurt that his family ignores her, but again she makes excuses for them. The next morning, they are cold to her at breakfast and she tries her best to be friendly. Hugh has been dealt a shock, Reggie Benwick, his sister Edith’s betrothed demanded to see him – on his wedding night! Reggie and his father Viscount Livingston demand that he set Eliza aside or Reggie will not marry Edith. Apparently Edward Cross and Lord Livingston had business dealings and the viscount lost a hefty sum. Hugh refuses and expects Reggie to honor his promise to his sister. But when Reggie demands an outrageous dowry, Hugh knows he will have to tell Edith the truth, he is angry about the irony, he married Eliza, so Edith could marry and because of his marriage, she is being jilted.
He confides a little bit of his dilemma with Eliza, but is careful not to let her know the entire truth. Eliza has not had an easy time with his family and he knows they will blame her for Edith’s jilting. He cares for Eliza and wants to protect her, but he knows she is right, he will have to tell Edith the truth about Reggie.
Slowly, his family begins to warm to her and her relationship with Hugh is better than fine, he finally confessed his love and all is right in her world – until it isn’t. Eliza discovers the truth and is heartbroken, Hugh tries to explain, but Eliza doesn’t know what to believe. Can Hugh convince her his love is true? Or will Eliza’s insecurities doom them to a life apart?
This was a lovely read, well written and paced perfectly. Eliza is probably the nicest heroine I have ever read and I just adored her. Hugh was also a great hero, he didn’t always make the right choices, but he did everything with his family’s best interests at heart. The secondary characters were in turn annoying and at times manipulative, but never enough to hate them, the love scenes where warmish but never felt gratuitous, there are some amusing moments, a little heartache and finally a very touching ending. I am happy to recommend this book and even though it is the second book in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone title with no issues.
*Reviewed for Buried Under Romance Blog*
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