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Rescued from Ruin #5
When a Girl Loves an Earl
What a girl wants
Miss Viola Darling always gets what she wants. Always. And what she wants more than anything is to marry James Kilbrenner, the Earl of Tannenbrook. She’s fallen hard for the giant, taciturn, surly brute, and she positively will have no other. The problem? He’s not interested. Not even a little. But Viola cannot afford to lose. And she has her heart set on James. If only he will bend to a bit of persuasion.
Is an earl like no other
James Kilbrenner knows how determined the entirely-too-beautiful Miss Darling can be—the daft woman cornered him at a perfectly respectable dinner and mangled his cravat before he could escape. He has no desire to marry, less desire to be pursued, and will certainly not kiss her kissable lips until they are both breathless, no matter how tempted he may be.
And only the right one will do
Thrown in her path by a meddling marchioness, James finds himself under sensual siege from a tiny, flirtatious sprite who puts both his heart and his vow to remain unwed at risk. And when scandal looms, he learns the hard way that a man can resist only so long before the indomitable Miss Darling gets her way.
Miss Viola Darling always gets what she wants. Always. And what she wants more than anything is to marry James Kilbrenner, the Earl of Tannenbrook. She’s fallen hard for the giant, taciturn, surly brute, and she positively will have no other. The problem? He’s not interested. Not even a little. But Viola cannot afford to lose. And she has her heart set on James. If only he will bend to a bit of persuasion.
Is an earl like no other
James Kilbrenner knows how determined the entirely-too-beautiful Miss Darling can be—the daft woman cornered him at a perfectly respectable dinner and mangled his cravat before he could escape. He has no desire to marry, less desire to be pursued, and will certainly not kiss her kissable lips until they are both breathless, no matter how tempted he may be.
And only the right one will do
Thrown in her path by a meddling marchioness, James finds himself under sensual siege from a tiny, flirtatious sprite who puts both his heart and his vow to remain unwed at risk. And when scandal looms, he learns the hard way that a man can resist only so long before the indomitable Miss Darling gets her way.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2016
569 people are currently reading
2007 people want to read
About the author
Elisa Braden
25 books1,737 followersReading romance novels came easily to Elisa Braden. Writing them? That took a little longer. After graduating with degrees in creative writing and history, Elisa spent too many years in “real” jobs writing T-shirt copy ... and other people’s resumes ... and articles about giftware displays. But that was before she woke up and started dreaming about the very unreal job of being a romance novelist. Better late than never.
Elisa lives in the Pacific Northwest, where you're constitutionally required to like the colors green and gray. Good thing she does. Other items on the "like" list include cute dogs, strong coffee, and epic movies. Of course, her favorite thing of all is hearing from readers who love her characters as much as she does.
If you're one of those, get in touch on Facebook (@authorelisabraden), visit her website (www.elisabraden.com), and - most importantly - be the first to hear about new releases, price specials, and awesome free bonuses by signing up for her email newsletter (bit.ly/ElisaNewsletter). It's easy, quick, and FREE.
Elisa lives in the Pacific Northwest, where you're constitutionally required to like the colors green and gray. Good thing she does. Other items on the "like" list include cute dogs, strong coffee, and epic movies. Of course, her favorite thing of all is hearing from readers who love her characters as much as she does.
If you're one of those, get in touch on Facebook (@authorelisabraden), visit her website (www.elisabraden.com), and - most importantly - be the first to hear about new releases, price specials, and awesome free bonuses by signing up for her email newsletter (bit.ly/ElisaNewsletter). It's easy, quick, and FREE.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 446 reviews
December 25, 2022
Read it again. Still good.
I am so glad I stuck with this author, from "convinced no" to 3 stars to 4 stars to five star books!
She has grown on me. Or perhaps it's the stories I chose to read. As usual, I pick a book for the book, not for the order in a series. I have a habit of starting series wherever I want, esp. if each book is relatively standalone. And sometimes even if they're not.
Why do I like this book so much? (0.25 off for the cover tho, still don't like this style or the models)
Allow me to provide better inspiration:
(even tho he doesn't appear to be strictly blond)
The trope of the reluctant, big, honorable, taciturn man.
The persistent, audacious, in this case not so frustrating and obnoxious heroine, tho I do wish she wasn't so predictably beautiful.
Viola did irritate me in the beginning--her blind "love" (she fell when she HEARD a story about James lifting a man off his feet by his cravat in defense of a girl from insult). Her doggedness, the tricks she used including the very annoying manner of trapping him. That was very badly done of her, and I did not like that.
But Viola is charming and kind. And her convictions never changed throughout the novel. It wasn't a whim that led her to pursue what she wanted, and in some ways, I admire her for it. I wish I had the same courage. (Of course it helps that she's apparently the most beautiful thing to walk the earth 🙄🙄)
But mostly this novel gets 4.75 stars rounded up because it made me cry. And I'm very seldom moved to tears these days (only one author does that to me, and all my GR friends know who she is).
Made me use up precisely 4 tissues when Viola's heart was broken by a scene she witnessed (that wasn't James' fault, but that unfortunately, he walked into). That's when I fully appreciated her love for him, because I felt it too. And less the betrayal that she might have felt but rather simply the pain of feeling that he didn't and couldn't ever love her back.
So... well done, Ms. Braden.
P.S. please redesign the covers of the novels in this series!
I am so glad I stuck with this author, from "convinced no" to 3 stars to 4 stars to five star books!
She has grown on me. Or perhaps it's the stories I chose to read. As usual, I pick a book for the book, not for the order in a series. I have a habit of starting series wherever I want, esp. if each book is relatively standalone. And sometimes even if they're not.
Why do I like this book so much? (0.25 off for the cover tho, still don't like this style or the models)
Allow me to provide better inspiration:
(even tho he doesn't appear to be strictly blond)
The trope of the reluctant, big, honorable, taciturn man.
The persistent, audacious, in this case not so frustrating and obnoxious heroine, tho I do wish she wasn't so predictably beautiful.
Viola did irritate me in the beginning--her blind "love" (she fell when she HEARD a story about James lifting a man off his feet by his cravat in defense of a girl from insult). Her doggedness, the tricks she used including the very annoying manner of trapping him. That was very badly done of her, and I did not like that.
But Viola is charming and kind. And her convictions never changed throughout the novel. It wasn't a whim that led her to pursue what she wanted, and in some ways, I admire her for it. I wish I had the same courage. (Of course it helps that she's apparently the most beautiful thing to walk the earth 🙄🙄)
But mostly this novel gets 4.75 stars rounded up because it made me cry. And I'm very seldom moved to tears these days (only one author does that to me, and all my GR friends know who she is).
Made me use up precisely 4 tissues when Viola's heart was broken by a scene she witnessed (that wasn't James' fault, but that unfortunately, he walked into). That's when I fully appreciated her love for him, because I felt it too. And less the betrayal that she might have felt but rather simply the pain of feeling that he didn't and couldn't ever love her back.
So... well done, Ms. Braden.
P.S. please redesign the covers of the novels in this series!
March 1, 2021
Loved it!!! James is such a sweetheart. He has a big heart and loves fiercely. Viola too is amazing. Her love for James was so inspiring. They love each other so much you could feel it in every word and gesture. I think this may be my favorite one so far in the series and that’s saying a lot cause all of them are amazing.
February 20, 2020
Audio...3.75 Stars
The narrator does an excellent job with accents and distinctive voices, but her overall tone is too soothing. She is better suited for meditation audios.
Story..4.5 Stars
Oh I loved how persistent and determined the heroine was to make the hero hers. And there was no rediculous delay for not consummating the marriage. Of course there's a misunderstanding that happens, but it's resolved fairly quickly and it's a very emotional scene. Loved it!
I did roll my eyes once at the epilogue. I didn't care for how a certain piece of news was delivered.
The narrator does an excellent job with accents and distinctive voices, but her overall tone is too soothing. She is better suited for meditation audios.
Story..4.5 Stars
Oh I loved how persistent and determined the heroine was to make the hero hers. And there was no rediculous delay for not consummating the marriage. Of course there's a misunderstanding that happens, but it's resolved fairly quickly and it's a very emotional scene. Loved it!
I did roll my eyes once at the epilogue. I didn't care for how a certain piece of news was delivered.
June 3, 2021
Loved it!
I adore a h in pursuit. One who falls hard and does something about it.
Add on the gruff giant/petite lady combo? Irresistible!
So, I had to read this book.
No long review as has been few weeks since I read it.
The h sees the H and it's love at first sight for her (in fact, love even before sight!), only for him to ignore her charming, beautiful self.
Some reviewers find her pursuit annoying and I can see why. But it wasn't so for me. For me, I only wanted her to stop after one particularly nasty and humiliating altercation and she does, only to double down and cunningly trap him! I still adored her.
His pining for his first love adds to the angst and depth.
He leaves it almost to late to woo his lady but he does it well.
Recommended!
I adore a h in pursuit. One who falls hard and does something about it.
Add on the gruff giant/petite lady combo? Irresistible!
So, I had to read this book.
No long review as has been few weeks since I read it.
The h sees the H and it's love at first sight for her (in fact, love even before sight!), only for him to ignore her charming, beautiful self.
Some reviewers find her pursuit annoying and I can see why. But it wasn't so for me. For me, I only wanted her to stop after one particularly nasty and humiliating altercation and she does, only to double down and cunningly trap him! I still adored her.
His pining for his first love adds to the angst and depth.
He leaves it almost to late to woo his lady but he does it well.
Recommended!
April 24, 2024
I think I jinxed myself by being too excited for this story and entering it with too high of expectations. From what I gathered by reading Book 4, this would hit several tropes that I love. Grumpy-Sunshine, heroine falls first, beauty and the beast…
Heroine was sweet, beautiful, sunshine and smelled of peonies. She’s accustomed to men falling all over themselves to get her attention. She was baffled at how the hero would only frown at her and make minimal conversation during their introduction. Not in an egotistical way, she was just mystified and at the same time was instantly infatuated with him. She had her “inkling” that he was the one, she felt it in her bones, so she set out to capture his attention and eventually his hand in marriage.
Hero was a mountain of a man, about 8 feet tall (and wide) according to legend, and in true Elisa Braden fashion, he was not physically perfect. Which didn’t bother me at all. He was large, blunt nose, square jaw, a former stonemason turned Earl. He immediately was irritated at the heroine’s attentions and repeatedly told her to knock it off. Because he was never ever never going to get married.
I loved the first half of the story. The saucy, witty banter, her chasing him around, the heroines family and friends are all pleasant loving people… yet the hero rubbed me the wrong way about halfway thru. He was so overly dramatic in his “I’m not good enough for her” and “she will regret marrying me” and “I can never have kids and subject them to my mistakes” ….What mistakes?!? I don’t mind drama, but make it make sense.
Then he does something extremely stupid the day after their wedding, and his ex-gf kisses him, the heroine sees it, is understandably upset, he explains how he was not the one pursuing the kiss, but the heroine blames HERSELF because she forced him to marry her… now she understands that the hero must be still in love with his ex-gf, so now she’s kickstarting her drama works that everything is her fault and the hero is now chasing her around and begging for her attention. And she’s like NO. And then I was like NO too.
All of the fabricated drama became laughable at a point, and it killed all vibes of caring about their romance journey. I definitely liked Book 2 and 4 better.
Heroine was sweet, beautiful, sunshine and smelled of peonies. She’s accustomed to men falling all over themselves to get her attention. She was baffled at how the hero would only frown at her and make minimal conversation during their introduction. Not in an egotistical way, she was just mystified and at the same time was instantly infatuated with him. She had her “inkling” that he was the one, she felt it in her bones, so she set out to capture his attention and eventually his hand in marriage.
Hero was a mountain of a man, about 8 feet tall (and wide) according to legend, and in true Elisa Braden fashion, he was not physically perfect. Which didn’t bother me at all. He was large, blunt nose, square jaw, a former stonemason turned Earl. He immediately was irritated at the heroine’s attentions and repeatedly told her to knock it off. Because he was never ever never going to get married.
I loved the first half of the story. The saucy, witty banter, her chasing him around, the heroines family and friends are all pleasant loving people… yet the hero rubbed me the wrong way about halfway thru. He was so overly dramatic in his “I’m not good enough for her” and “she will regret marrying me” and “I can never have kids and subject them to my mistakes” ….What mistakes?!? I don’t mind drama, but make it make sense.
Then he does something extremely stupid the day after their wedding, and his ex-gf kisses him, the heroine sees it, is understandably upset, he explains how he was not the one pursuing the kiss, but the heroine blames HERSELF because she forced him to marry her… now she understands that the hero must be still in love with his ex-gf, so now she’s kickstarting her drama works that everything is her fault and the hero is now chasing her around and begging for her attention. And she’s like NO. And then I was like NO too.
All of the fabricated drama became laughable at a point, and it killed all vibes of caring about their romance journey. I definitely liked Book 2 and 4 better.
August 30, 2016
The fifth instalment in Elisa Braden’s fabulous Rescued from Ruin series is here and it doesn’t disappoint. Elisa continues the high standard set in the previous instalments and in When a Girl Wants an Earl tells the story of beautiful and spirited Viola Darling and the taciturn James Kilbrenner, Earl of Tannenbrook.
Tannenbrook has been a recurring character from the first book in the series, The Madness of Viscount Atherbourne and all throughout the subsequent books. He has come across as such a kind and honourable man and a stalwart friend that I was waiting eagerly for his happy ever after. He certainly met his match in the diminutive dynamo that is Viola!
Viola first hears about James through her best friend Charlotte who has become friends with Tannenbrook after he defended her against some vicious taunting by a drunken man at a ball. She instantly develops a strong fascination with him aided by her Inkling [oh, how I loved Viola’s Inkling!] that he is her destiny. She urgently needs to be married by the end of the Season and despite already having received numerous proposals, she determines that no other will do. Circumstances [in the form of the formidable Lady Wallingham] force Tannenbrook to attend the Season and Viola gets to meet the object of her fascination. Already being halfway in love with him, she falls hard and pursues James with a passion.
James has his own reasons for not wishing to get married and despite the passion Viola arouses in him, he tries to do the honourable thing and rejects her time and again – sometimes quite brutally. But Viola will not be rebuffed. Things come to a head at Lady Wallingham’s house party to which they have both been invited and Viola eventually gets her own way by compromising Tannenbrook leaving them no choice but to wed. Viola feels guilty at trapping James in this way but loves him too much to let him go. Of course James is secretly relieved that the decision has been taken away from him and he can let Viola finally catch him. But once married, both James and Viola must overcome their insecurities and deal with James’ past before achieving their happy ever after.
Elisa has presented us with a brilliantly mismatched couple for which I was rooting from the first page to the last. In appearance and temperament they are so far apart that really they shouldn’t work but Elisa’s talent is such that you couldn’t imagine a more perfect pairing.
Viola is a delightfully persistent heroine. Her pursuit of James could have come across as annoying or selfish but she is portrayed so well that you cannot help but truly like her and cheer her on with every scheme she hatches to gain James’ attention. Despite getting knocked back by James so many times she never concedes defeat and carries on with grace and determination. Her resilience in the first half of the book is so endearing and I found her reactions to James’ deepening Scottish brogue priceless! She tugs at your heartstrings but also makes you laugh out loud.
James did come across as being quite harsh and hurtful occasionally but the reader is aware of his reasons and he is never portrayed as brutish. He is fighting against his own feelings as well as the tenacious Viola so you really just felt sorry for him! He is such a decent and loveable man, you ache for him to defeat his demons and let Viola heal him.
As with all Elisa’s novels this one is also filled with strong emotional scenes [the prologue and Tannenbrook’s return of the handkerchief are prime examples], plenty of passion, heartrendingly tender moments such as Viola’s discovery of the sculpture and is liberally laced with laugh out loud humour. James’ attempts at wooing Viola are hilarious! What I love is that there is a current of gentle humour running throughout even in the emotional scenes and it is filled with wonderfully witty asides - not just from Lady Wallingham.
The secondary characters were brilliant – the incomparable Lady Wallingham, Charles Wallingham, James’ mam, his sister Nellie all contributed to their story. It was great to revisit Lucien and Victoria [Lucien’s ongoing and irrational jealousy of Barnabus Malby is so amusing], and we get a different perspective on certain events that happened in The Devil Is A Marquess via Charlotte and Chatham. Also the teaser regarding James’ presumptive heir only makes me eagerly anticipate the next instalment in this superb series.
When a Girl Wants an Earl can be read as a stand alone but I really would recommend reading all the other titles in the series. They are all excellent reads. To be honest, I would recommend you pick up the all the books for Lady Wallingham’s pearls of wisdoms at the beginning of each chapter alone. They are side-splittingly funny!
The series in order: [I love the titles – so clever!]
The Madness of Viscount Atherbourne [Lucien and Victoria]
The Truth About Cads and Dukes [Harrison and Jane]
Desperately Seeking a Scoundrel [Colin and Sarah]
The Devil is a Marquess [Chatham and Charlotte]
When a Girl Wants an Earl [James and Viola]
Tannenbrook has been a recurring character from the first book in the series, The Madness of Viscount Atherbourne and all throughout the subsequent books. He has come across as such a kind and honourable man and a stalwart friend that I was waiting eagerly for his happy ever after. He certainly met his match in the diminutive dynamo that is Viola!
Viola first hears about James through her best friend Charlotte who has become friends with Tannenbrook after he defended her against some vicious taunting by a drunken man at a ball. She instantly develops a strong fascination with him aided by her Inkling [oh, how I loved Viola’s Inkling!] that he is her destiny. She urgently needs to be married by the end of the Season and despite already having received numerous proposals, she determines that no other will do. Circumstances [in the form of the formidable Lady Wallingham] force Tannenbrook to attend the Season and Viola gets to meet the object of her fascination. Already being halfway in love with him, she falls hard and pursues James with a passion.
James has his own reasons for not wishing to get married and despite the passion Viola arouses in him, he tries to do the honourable thing and rejects her time and again – sometimes quite brutally. But Viola will not be rebuffed. Things come to a head at Lady Wallingham’s house party to which they have both been invited and Viola eventually gets her own way by compromising Tannenbrook leaving them no choice but to wed. Viola feels guilty at trapping James in this way but loves him too much to let him go. Of course James is secretly relieved that the decision has been taken away from him and he can let Viola finally catch him. But once married, both James and Viola must overcome their insecurities and deal with James’ past before achieving their happy ever after.
Elisa has presented us with a brilliantly mismatched couple for which I was rooting from the first page to the last. In appearance and temperament they are so far apart that really they shouldn’t work but Elisa’s talent is such that you couldn’t imagine a more perfect pairing.
Viola is a delightfully persistent heroine. Her pursuit of James could have come across as annoying or selfish but she is portrayed so well that you cannot help but truly like her and cheer her on with every scheme she hatches to gain James’ attention. Despite getting knocked back by James so many times she never concedes defeat and carries on with grace and determination. Her resilience in the first half of the book is so endearing and I found her reactions to James’ deepening Scottish brogue priceless! She tugs at your heartstrings but also makes you laugh out loud.
James did come across as being quite harsh and hurtful occasionally but the reader is aware of his reasons and he is never portrayed as brutish. He is fighting against his own feelings as well as the tenacious Viola so you really just felt sorry for him! He is such a decent and loveable man, you ache for him to defeat his demons and let Viola heal him.
As with all Elisa’s novels this one is also filled with strong emotional scenes [the prologue and Tannenbrook’s return of the handkerchief are prime examples], plenty of passion, heartrendingly tender moments such as Viola’s discovery of the sculpture and is liberally laced with laugh out loud humour. James’ attempts at wooing Viola are hilarious! What I love is that there is a current of gentle humour running throughout even in the emotional scenes and it is filled with wonderfully witty asides - not just from Lady Wallingham.
The secondary characters were brilliant – the incomparable Lady Wallingham, Charles Wallingham, James’ mam, his sister Nellie all contributed to their story. It was great to revisit Lucien and Victoria [Lucien’s ongoing and irrational jealousy of Barnabus Malby is so amusing], and we get a different perspective on certain events that happened in The Devil Is A Marquess via Charlotte and Chatham. Also the teaser regarding James’ presumptive heir only makes me eagerly anticipate the next instalment in this superb series.
When a Girl Wants an Earl can be read as a stand alone but I really would recommend reading all the other titles in the series. They are all excellent reads. To be honest, I would recommend you pick up the all the books for Lady Wallingham’s pearls of wisdoms at the beginning of each chapter alone. They are side-splittingly funny!
The series in order: [I love the titles – so clever!]
The Madness of Viscount Atherbourne [Lucien and Victoria]
The Truth About Cads and Dukes [Harrison and Jane]
Desperately Seeking a Scoundrel [Colin and Sarah]
The Devil is a Marquess [Chatham and Charlotte]
When a Girl Wants an Earl [James and Viola]
January 12, 2021
4.25 catching her brooding, giant, filthy Scot stars
Viola Darling is a diamond of the first water - she has men literally falling at her feet, and as of the middle of her second season, she has already declined 21 marriage proposals. But time is running out as her father does not have the means to sponsor her for a third season, so she knows she must marry soon. Viola has only ever wanted 1 man: the Earl of Tannebrook. Before she even met him, she knew he was a man of fine character, and once she laid eyes on him, she decided she would not take no for an answer: she would have him for her husband. The only problem? The earl made a fervent promise to himself fifteen years before that he will never marry.
James Kilbrenner was raised by a blacksmith and became a stone mason in his tiny village in Scotland, a life he was most content to have, until a solicitor showed up when he was 16 years old and informed him that he was the legitimate heir to the Earl of Tannebrook, a man who had just passed away leaving an estate and tenants in need of his presence in England. Reluctantly, he left his sweetheart with a vow that he would return for her, and he made his way to his new holdings where he reluctantly realized he was needed and accepted his responsibility. When he returned a year later to his childhood home, he discovered a tragic event occurred in his absence, and he blamed himself for not being there. Fifteen years later, he is still resolute that he will never marry so that he can never lose someone he loves again. If only the beautiful, persistent, and irresistible Miss Viola Darling would get that into her head!
But Viola is relentless - she will not give up her dream to be Lady Tannebrook and wed the only man she has ever loved. Will she convince James that she is the right woman for him? If she can persuade him to marry her, will he ever allow her into his heart? And if he cannot, will Viola accept having the man she loves knowing he can never give her all of himself?
What I liked:
--- I love the strong, silent, giant Scot H - totally up my alley!
--- Viola's efforts to get James' attention were entertaining
--- Fun revisiting of characters from earlier books in the series
--- STEAMY GOODNESS
What I didn't like as much:
--- James was a little too stubborn (he was 32 years old and still looking at things from a 17 year old's perspective too often)
--- Some miscommunication angst which is my least favorite form of angst
Overall, a very fun read with sparks, a determined petite lady, a giant Scot, and steamy goodness!
Plot --- 4.25/5
Main Characters --- 4/5
Supporting Cast --- 4/5
Steam Level* --- 4/5
Violence --- none that I can recall
Language --- not egregious
POV --- 3rd
*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild (nothing descriptive); 2/5 - 3rd base action/1 home run; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere (a couple of full-on steamy scenes); 4/5 - yes please! (erotica territory); 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all
Viola Darling is a diamond of the first water - she has men literally falling at her feet, and as of the middle of her second season, she has already declined 21 marriage proposals. But time is running out as her father does not have the means to sponsor her for a third season, so she knows she must marry soon. Viola has only ever wanted 1 man: the Earl of Tannebrook. Before she even met him, she knew he was a man of fine character, and once she laid eyes on him, she decided she would not take no for an answer: she would have him for her husband. The only problem? The earl made a fervent promise to himself fifteen years before that he will never marry.
James Kilbrenner was raised by a blacksmith and became a stone mason in his tiny village in Scotland, a life he was most content to have, until a solicitor showed up when he was 16 years old and informed him that he was the legitimate heir to the Earl of Tannebrook, a man who had just passed away leaving an estate and tenants in need of his presence in England. Reluctantly, he left his sweetheart with a vow that he would return for her, and he made his way to his new holdings where he reluctantly realized he was needed and accepted his responsibility. When he returned a year later to his childhood home, he discovered a tragic event occurred in his absence, and he blamed himself for not being there. Fifteen years later, he is still resolute that he will never marry so that he can never lose someone he loves again. If only the beautiful, persistent, and irresistible Miss Viola Darling would get that into her head!
But Viola is relentless - she will not give up her dream to be Lady Tannebrook and wed the only man she has ever loved. Will she convince James that she is the right woman for him? If she can persuade him to marry her, will he ever allow her into his heart? And if he cannot, will Viola accept having the man she loves knowing he can never give her all of himself?
What I liked:
--- I love the strong, silent, giant Scot H - totally up my alley!
--- Viola's efforts to get James' attention were entertaining
--- Fun revisiting of characters from earlier books in the series
--- STEAMY GOODNESS
What I didn't like as much:
--- James was a little too stubborn (he was 32 years old and still looking at things from a 17 year old's perspective too often)
--- Some miscommunication angst which is my least favorite form of angst
Overall, a very fun read with sparks, a determined petite lady, a giant Scot, and steamy goodness!
Plot --- 4.25/5
Main Characters --- 4/5
Supporting Cast --- 4/5
Steam Level* --- 4/5
Violence --- none that I can recall
Language --- not egregious
POV --- 3rd
*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild (nothing descriptive); 2/5 - 3rd base action/1 home run; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere (a couple of full-on steamy scenes); 4/5 - yes please! (erotica territory); 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all
September 14, 2023
Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person perspective from both the hero and heroine
Percentage which mains are first on page together: 13%
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: Yes
Format: audiobook from library (hoopla)
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
Ideally, yes. This series flows together with plenty of character overlap and references. Though I think this one is one of the most readable alone that we’ve had in the series so far, if you wanted to be a rebel.
Basic plot:
Viola wants James Kilbrenner BADLY. And she’ll do whatever within her power to make him feel the same.
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (1818)
- London and Scotland setting
- unrequited love (on heroine’s behalf)
- you’re okay with dubious consent from the heroine – she pushes repeatedly for most of the book even when he says no
- heroine pursues
- migraine rep (heroine)
- ruined heroine
- huge hero/tiny heroine
- well-endowed hero
- medium to higher steam – 4 full scenes
Ages:
- I want to say the hero is around 31/32 years old, I didn’t catch heroine, but I think early 20s
My thoughts:
I am really loving the level of angst Braden can put in these novels!
I ended up enjoying so much of this one. I wasn’t sure how much I’d love heroine pursues because I usually prefer the opposite in romance. But I really loved Viola. And yes, maybe she went a bit far with her chasing of James, but I enjoyed the way it all worked out. I think getting James’ perspective too is important to understanding where his thoughts (and consent) were at with Viola versus his fears.
I will say there was a scene about halfway through the novel, that takes place on a hill and brings Viola to her knees that utterly wrecked me. I was so broken for her in that moment and felt her hurt so keenly – and I just want to be beat up like this emotionally in every single book I read.
The latter half didn’t quite go exactly as I wanted it to – I felt like I wanted each to have to work a bit harder for each other. I didn’t want them to give in physically while holding out emotionally – because those types of scenes with sex without the emotional engagement give me nothing (personally). But overall I still really liked this one and loved so many aspects to this story.
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts: Any mistakes are my own (especially since I listened to audio)
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person perspective from both the hero and heroine
Percentage which mains are first on page together: 13%
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: Yes
Format: audiobook from library (hoopla)
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
Ideally, yes. This series flows together with plenty of character overlap and references. Though I think this one is one of the most readable alone that we’ve had in the series so far, if you wanted to be a rebel.
Basic plot:
Viola wants James Kilbrenner BADLY. And she’ll do whatever within her power to make him feel the same.
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (1818)
- London and Scotland setting
- unrequited love (on heroine’s behalf)
- you’re okay with dubious consent from the heroine – she pushes repeatedly for most of the book even when he says no
- heroine pursues
- migraine rep (heroine)
- ruined heroine
- huge hero/tiny heroine
- well-endowed hero
- medium to higher steam – 4 full scenes
Ages:
- I want to say the hero is around 31/32 years old, I didn’t catch heroine, but I think early 20s
My thoughts:
I am really loving the level of angst Braden can put in these novels!
I ended up enjoying so much of this one. I wasn’t sure how much I’d love heroine pursues because I usually prefer the opposite in romance. But I really loved Viola. And yes, maybe she went a bit far with her chasing of James, but I enjoyed the way it all worked out. I think getting James’ perspective too is important to understanding where his thoughts (and consent) were at with Viola versus his fears.
I will say there was a scene about halfway through the novel, that takes place on a hill and brings Viola to her knees that utterly wrecked me. I was so broken for her in that moment and felt her hurt so keenly – and I just want to be beat up like this emotionally in every single book I read.
The latter half didn’t quite go exactly as I wanted it to – I felt like I wanted each to have to work a bit harder for each other. I didn’t want them to give in physically while holding out emotionally – because those types of scenes with sex without the emotional engagement give me nothing (personally). But overall I still really liked this one and loved so many aspects to this story.
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts: Any mistakes are my own (especially since I listened to audio)
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
July 29, 2025
This book? Hilarious, steamy, and full of chaotic energy in the best way. Viola is the definition of “girl’s gonna get her man,” and honestly? I respect her for it. She’s bold, determined, a little outrageous, and absolutely impossible not to root for.
She’s head-over-heels for James Kilbrenner, the grumpy, broody Earl, who has zero interest in marriage and even less interest in being pursued. Naturally, she decides he’s the one. Does he say no? Yes. Multiple times. Does that stop her? Absolutely not.
Viola is the embodiment of “delulu but in a productive way.” She’s charming, unfiltered, and has absolutely no chill when it comes to James, who spends half the book trying (and failing) not to be completely undone by her.
James is a slow-simmer kind of hero. Big, quiet, emotionally constipated, with a code of honor and the world’s worst self-control when it comes to Miss Darling. Watching him go from “never” to “maybe” to “I would kill for her” is chef’s kiss.
It’s enemies-to-lovers light, more like grump-who-is-defenseless-against-chaotic-ray-of-sunshine. The banter is sharp, the tension is high, and when the scandal hits? You feel it.
Also, this book is so fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but the emotional moments still hit. Viola might be ridiculous, but she knows what she wants—and by the end, you’ll want it for her too.
Loved it. Needed more scenes of James slowly losing his mind over her, but still 4 very smitten stars.
🎶 "what a girl wants" - christina
🎶"every breath you take" - the police
🎶"cryin" - aerosmith
She’s head-over-heels for James Kilbrenner, the grumpy, broody Earl, who has zero interest in marriage and even less interest in being pursued. Naturally, she decides he’s the one. Does he say no? Yes. Multiple times. Does that stop her? Absolutely not.
Viola is the embodiment of “delulu but in a productive way.” She’s charming, unfiltered, and has absolutely no chill when it comes to James, who spends half the book trying (and failing) not to be completely undone by her.
James is a slow-simmer kind of hero. Big, quiet, emotionally constipated, with a code of honor and the world’s worst self-control when it comes to Miss Darling. Watching him go from “never” to “maybe” to “I would kill for her” is chef’s kiss.
It’s enemies-to-lovers light, more like grump-who-is-defenseless-against-chaotic-ray-of-sunshine. The banter is sharp, the tension is high, and when the scandal hits? You feel it.
Also, this book is so fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but the emotional moments still hit. Viola might be ridiculous, but she knows what she wants—and by the end, you’ll want it for her too.
Loved it. Needed more scenes of James slowly losing his mind over her, but still 4 very smitten stars.
🎶 "what a girl wants" - christina
🎶"every breath you take" - the police
🎶"cryin" - aerosmith
August 24, 2016
*I was gifted a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review*
I have been a little bit in love with James Tannenbrook since the beginning of the series. I have a soft spot for large, gruff, not exactly handsome heroes.
The story opens 16 years ago when James is 16 - he has just completed his apprenticeship with the stonemason and has planned out his entire life. On the way to see the girl he loves and plans to marry, he is waylaid by his sister and forced to go home. When he gets there, his entire life is changed. He leaves Scotland to become an English lord, but before he goes, he tells his love that he will be back for her and asks her to wait for him. When he returns a year later, it is to find that his love married another and he lost the son he never knew he had. At this moment, James decides that he will never marry.
Fast forward 15 years - James needs to find his heir presumptive and the only person who can help him is Lady Wallingham. Lady Wallingham will only help him if he agrees to participate in the London season and look for a wife. While he has no intention of marrying, he agrees to play her game. This is when he meets Viola.
Viola is a force of nature, she is astoundingly beautiful, witty, charming and every man falls at her feet - except the one she wants. James seems immune to Viola's charms and resistant to her desire to marry him. He is at times down right cruel to her. But Viola knows that this is the man she is destine to be with and will not let anything stop her - including James.
Viola is relentless in her pursuit of James and has faith that eventually he will see that she is right and they will be together. James is just as relentless in his desire not to be caught. Oh, he is attracted to her and he wants her - but he will never, ever marry!
When things come to a head and hands are forced, these two end up married. Viola feels both pleased and guilty - she is not one bit sorry that they are married, but she does feel badly about how it came about. She knows she loves this man and will do everything in her power to make him happy. Their wedding night love scene is part sweet, part hilarious and part heart breaking. When they visit with James' family the next day and Viola accidently witnesses a kiss between James and his first love - she is devastated, all the guilt for forcing James to marry her comes rushing back and she tries to leave him.
James is having none of that - she is his and he is not letting her go. But even as Viola agrees to stay with him, something has died in her and James wants it back. The path to HEA will not be easy for these two.
As always, the writing was great, the story flows perfectly, there are some warm love scenes, Lucien and Victoria make cameos and James attempts at wooing are laugh out loud funny. I really enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it. While it is part of a series, it could easily be read as a stand alone title.
I have been a little bit in love with James Tannenbrook since the beginning of the series. I have a soft spot for large, gruff, not exactly handsome heroes.
The story opens 16 years ago when James is 16 - he has just completed his apprenticeship with the stonemason and has planned out his entire life. On the way to see the girl he loves and plans to marry, he is waylaid by his sister and forced to go home. When he gets there, his entire life is changed. He leaves Scotland to become an English lord, but before he goes, he tells his love that he will be back for her and asks her to wait for him. When he returns a year later, it is to find that his love married another and he lost the son he never knew he had. At this moment, James decides that he will never marry.
Fast forward 15 years - James needs to find his heir presumptive and the only person who can help him is Lady Wallingham. Lady Wallingham will only help him if he agrees to participate in the London season and look for a wife. While he has no intention of marrying, he agrees to play her game. This is when he meets Viola.
Viola is a force of nature, she is astoundingly beautiful, witty, charming and every man falls at her feet - except the one she wants. James seems immune to Viola's charms and resistant to her desire to marry him. He is at times down right cruel to her. But Viola knows that this is the man she is destine to be with and will not let anything stop her - including James.
Viola is relentless in her pursuit of James and has faith that eventually he will see that she is right and they will be together. James is just as relentless in his desire not to be caught. Oh, he is attracted to her and he wants her - but he will never, ever marry!
When things come to a head and hands are forced, these two end up married. Viola feels both pleased and guilty - she is not one bit sorry that they are married, but she does feel badly about how it came about. She knows she loves this man and will do everything in her power to make him happy. Their wedding night love scene is part sweet, part hilarious and part heart breaking. When they visit with James' family the next day and Viola accidently witnesses a kiss between James and his first love - she is devastated, all the guilt for forcing James to marry her comes rushing back and she tries to leave him.
James is having none of that - she is his and he is not letting her go. But even as Viola agrees to stay with him, something has died in her and James wants it back. The path to HEA will not be easy for these two.
As always, the writing was great, the story flows perfectly, there are some warm love scenes, Lucien and Victoria make cameos and James attempts at wooing are laugh out loud funny. I really enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it. While it is part of a series, it could easily be read as a stand alone title.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2016
This is the story of James and Viola, he wants nothing to do with her but she wants everything to do with him. James is a veritable giant of a man and Viola is a petite lady. However, Viola is one determined lady but will her determination be enough to win over James? Their story is, at times, highly amusing but also heart wrenching. It was interesting to read how James started his life and how the events affected his behaviour later in his life. I loved reading about his friends that were in other books, just like catching up with old friends. However, this book can be read as a standalone. This is a book I can thoroughly recommend , once I read the first page I was hooked.
I was given an arc copy for an honest review.
I was given an arc copy for an honest review.
August 27, 2016
I received an ARC of When a Girl Loves an Earl in exchange for an honest review.
Spoiler Free
What a roller coaster of emotion! I loved this book from start to finish, which is as it should be as I looked forward to this story so much since reading Braden’s other treasures!
This is the fifth book in the Rescued From Ruin series, and although it includes some much loved characters from the other books, this can be read as a standalone. When a Girl Loves an Earl is the sweet and funny story of Viola Darling and her pursuit of the surly and elusive James Kilbrenner, Earl of Tannenbrook.
I think my favourite thing about Braden’s writing is her ability to make characters realistic. Her heroine’s have faults and quirks like any ordinary woman, and are never the perfect bimbo’s one too often finds in a historical romance. The way a character’s actions are described, so normal and particular to how one would act or react in real life, without being over descriptive. With Viola’s story I felt her emotions, cried when she was sad and was filled with happiness when she succeeded. James made me want to cuddle him and throttle him in turns, rolling my eyes with an exasperated “men” on occasion, and throwing the odd glare at my own partner whenever the character did or thought something daft Like I know my own fella does.
My favourite part of this story was the first chapter where we meet Viola. I got a real sense of her character there, she gripped me and made me laugh. I think Braden sets her scenes very well, and certainly grips me from start to finish. I couldn’t put the book down, and found myself as determined to see Viola through to her happy ending as the character was to ensure it.
The only thing I felt not so positively about with this book is the end felt a tiny bit rushed, a certain event that could have been played out with more focus, description and emotion seems like it had been edited out a little, and given the major revelation it led to I feel there should have been more emphasis on the lead up. This is a minor complaint, however, as I was still happy with the outcomes.
I whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone looking to read a romance that is well written, plausible with all loose ends tied up whilst also creating some new paths for (dare I hope) future stories in this series.
Spoiler Free
What a roller coaster of emotion! I loved this book from start to finish, which is as it should be as I looked forward to this story so much since reading Braden’s other treasures!
This is the fifth book in the Rescued From Ruin series, and although it includes some much loved characters from the other books, this can be read as a standalone. When a Girl Loves an Earl is the sweet and funny story of Viola Darling and her pursuit of the surly and elusive James Kilbrenner, Earl of Tannenbrook.
I think my favourite thing about Braden’s writing is her ability to make characters realistic. Her heroine’s have faults and quirks like any ordinary woman, and are never the perfect bimbo’s one too often finds in a historical romance. The way a character’s actions are described, so normal and particular to how one would act or react in real life, without being over descriptive. With Viola’s story I felt her emotions, cried when she was sad and was filled with happiness when she succeeded. James made me want to cuddle him and throttle him in turns, rolling my eyes with an exasperated “men” on occasion, and throwing the odd glare at my own partner whenever the character did or thought something daft Like I know my own fella does.
My favourite part of this story was the first chapter where we meet Viola. I got a real sense of her character there, she gripped me and made me laugh. I think Braden sets her scenes very well, and certainly grips me from start to finish. I couldn’t put the book down, and found myself as determined to see Viola through to her happy ending as the character was to ensure it.
The only thing I felt not so positively about with this book is the end felt a tiny bit rushed, a certain event that could have been played out with more focus, description and emotion seems like it had been edited out a little, and given the major revelation it led to I feel there should have been more emphasis on the lead up. This is a minor complaint, however, as I was still happy with the outcomes.
I whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone looking to read a romance that is well written, plausible with all loose ends tied up whilst also creating some new paths for (dare I hope) future stories in this series.
June 12, 2023
Beauty and her Beast
I have a deep and abiding love for big, burly, brutish heroes and they don't get much bigger than the Earl of Tannenbrook. Readers of the previous books in the series will be familiar with Viola and her pursuit of the seemingly uninterested Earl. I loved that the heroine was the one doing the pursuing, I really loved the fact that she lusted after him and made no bones about it as so often in historical romance it is the other way around. Her coaxing the Earl into giving it up, while using questionable and at one point dishonorable methods, was the highlight of the story. I must admit that Viola's relentless pursuit in the face of the Earl's disinterested was a bit of a turn off at first but the reasoning and the fears behind Tannenbrook's intransigence was realistic. I do wish that there had been a bit more groveling on his part but this is a small quibble. The story connects seamlessly to the other books and while this can be read as a stand alone, I would highly recommend reading the other books in the series as, with the possible exception of the third entry, they are all excellent reads. Steamy, romantic and witty sparkling dialogue make this one a must read. 4.5 stars
I have a deep and abiding love for big, burly, brutish heroes and they don't get much bigger than the Earl of Tannenbrook. Readers of the previous books in the series will be familiar with Viola and her pursuit of the seemingly uninterested Earl. I loved that the heroine was the one doing the pursuing, I really loved the fact that she lusted after him and made no bones about it as so often in historical romance it is the other way around. Her coaxing the Earl into giving it up, while using questionable and at one point dishonorable methods, was the highlight of the story. I must admit that Viola's relentless pursuit in the face of the Earl's disinterested was a bit of a turn off at first but the reasoning and the fears behind Tannenbrook's intransigence was realistic. I do wish that there had been a bit more groveling on his part but this is a small quibble. The story connects seamlessly to the other books and while this can be read as a stand alone, I would highly recommend reading the other books in the series as, with the possible exception of the third entry, they are all excellent reads. Steamy, romantic and witty sparkling dialogue make this one a must read. 4.5 stars
August 27, 2016
Miss ELISA Braden has done it again!
The story that will pull your heartstrings,make you laugh out loud and wish you were a fly on the wall. The storyline is unexpectedly fresh...something I haven't come across in regency romance .the tenacity of Viola on her hunt of the too endearing giant in James the earl of Tannenbrook made me love this book. Book 5 has very memorable parts that will be remembered by the readers.
If you haven't checked out the previous four books written by ELISA, then you are missing out on the best stories ever written.
The story that will pull your heartstrings,make you laugh out loud and wish you were a fly on the wall. The storyline is unexpectedly fresh...something I haven't come across in regency romance .the tenacity of Viola on her hunt of the too endearing giant in James the earl of Tannenbrook made me love this book. Book 5 has very memorable parts that will be remembered by the readers.
If you haven't checked out the previous four books written by ELISA, then you are missing out on the best stories ever written.
October 7, 2020
Beauty is as beauty does.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, beauty is only skin deep, it was beauty that killed the beast, she got her looks from her father…he was a plastic surgeon, she walks in beauty like the night…beauty, blah, blah blah.
Welcome to the world of Viola Darling, a woman so beautiful she blinds mere mortal men. They surround her like flies on a rotten peach. Yes, Viola Darling is the heroine from Elisa Braden’s When a Girl Loves an Earl, the fifth book in the Rescued From Ruin series. Evidently, Viola is a combination Ava Gardner/Elizabeth Taylor…at least physically. She also has a tad bit of a stalker-chick thing going on. In my humble opinion the stalker thing makes her less beautiful. Well, who is she stalking, maybe he doesn’t really mind? Au contraire mon capitan. She is obsessed with James Kilbrennen, Earl of Tannenbrook. She has been obsessed with him for a number of books. Why? We are not sure; except she has an “inkling.” She gets a lot of inklings, hopefully they are not too painful. Anyway, this inkling has led her to follow him around, jump out at him at parties, sends him gifts he doesn’t want. She has been an all-around nuisance. She is also very immature. She reminded me a lot of a junior high girl who writes those do-you-love-me-I-love-you-sign-here notes. I could not like her…more on that later.
On the other hand, I liked James. He was a standard bigger than life, bigggg, stoic Scottish hero. You know the type: big hands, big feet, big shoulders, big nose, big jaw…big! He is at least 8 feet tall, which means he probably has some other very big things hanging around. He also has another big problem, he’s one of those I’m not worthy guys. You see, at one time he was going to be the best blacksmith in the world, then someone died and he inherited the Earldom. He left his mother, sister and sweetheart behind. He also left a child behind, but he didn’t know about that until later. Now, he is not only “not worthy” he blames himself for the death of the child. I am not sure how his leaving had anything to do with the child’s death from fever, but oh well, mine is not to reason why. See, I can come up with a lot of sayings. Anyway, even with the “I’m-not-worthy-because-of-my-humble-beginnings,” and the guilt trip, I thought he had possibilities. Too bad he was sucked into Viola’s web.
Here’s the main issue I had with this story. Viola’s obsession. It doesn’t matter what James does or says, she will just take no for an answer. Her obsession with him is troubling. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be humorous, in another author’s hands it could have been. James has tried to tell her as gently as he can, that he wants no part of her, but she just does not let up. She is obsessed, and then hurt when her rejects her. She gives him a crappy homemade, embroidered handkerchief as a gift. He gives it back to her, and he makes sure she understands he doesn’t want it. She is surprised by his reaction to her gift. She is hurt in the process. What does she expect? He has avoided her at every turn. While others might think he was rude, I have to ask…just what do you expect him to do? He is dealing with someone who will not listen. If she had a normal brain, she would have understood the message long before the hanky incident. Then there is the “let’s make him jealous” routine. OMG! There is nothing more immature than deliberately trying to make someone jealous. Jealousy is not a pleasant feeling to deal with. There are so many issues when jealousy is involved in a relationship: trust, insecurity, truth. To deliberately try to make someone jealous so they will fall in love with you is juvenile. When this plot device appeared in the story, the book almost hit the wall. Nothing makes me groan more, then people playing hurtful games.
Then once Viola traps James into marriage, she starts to have second thoughts. I again groaned. What direction was the author leading us? Why did she now have a problem with her “inkling?” However, not to worry, there were tons of whankee-roo with oversized appendages….tons and tons.
Sorry to say, I could not like this book. I found the heroine incredibly immature. She was obsessed, she used tricks, and played games with the hero. She was only pretty on the outside, but her inner being was ugly. While James was a standard Romanceland big, strong brute of a hero, he deserved better. So far, for me this was the weakest in the series.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, beauty is only skin deep, it was beauty that killed the beast, she got her looks from her father…he was a plastic surgeon, she walks in beauty like the night…beauty, blah, blah blah.
Welcome to the world of Viola Darling, a woman so beautiful she blinds mere mortal men. They surround her like flies on a rotten peach. Yes, Viola Darling is the heroine from Elisa Braden’s When a Girl Loves an Earl, the fifth book in the Rescued From Ruin series. Evidently, Viola is a combination Ava Gardner/Elizabeth Taylor…at least physically. She also has a tad bit of a stalker-chick thing going on. In my humble opinion the stalker thing makes her less beautiful. Well, who is she stalking, maybe he doesn’t really mind? Au contraire mon capitan. She is obsessed with James Kilbrennen, Earl of Tannenbrook. She has been obsessed with him for a number of books. Why? We are not sure; except she has an “inkling.” She gets a lot of inklings, hopefully they are not too painful. Anyway, this inkling has led her to follow him around, jump out at him at parties, sends him gifts he doesn’t want. She has been an all-around nuisance. She is also very immature. She reminded me a lot of a junior high girl who writes those do-you-love-me-I-love-you-sign-here notes. I could not like her…more on that later.
On the other hand, I liked James. He was a standard bigger than life, bigggg, stoic Scottish hero. You know the type: big hands, big feet, big shoulders, big nose, big jaw…big! He is at least 8 feet tall, which means he probably has some other very big things hanging around. He also has another big problem, he’s one of those I’m not worthy guys. You see, at one time he was going to be the best blacksmith in the world, then someone died and he inherited the Earldom. He left his mother, sister and sweetheart behind. He also left a child behind, but he didn’t know about that until later. Now, he is not only “not worthy” he blames himself for the death of the child. I am not sure how his leaving had anything to do with the child’s death from fever, but oh well, mine is not to reason why. See, I can come up with a lot of sayings. Anyway, even with the “I’m-not-worthy-because-of-my-humble-beginnings,” and the guilt trip, I thought he had possibilities. Too bad he was sucked into Viola’s web.
Here’s the main issue I had with this story. Viola’s obsession. It doesn’t matter what James does or says, she will just take no for an answer. Her obsession with him is troubling. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be humorous, in another author’s hands it could have been. James has tried to tell her as gently as he can, that he wants no part of her, but she just does not let up. She is obsessed, and then hurt when her rejects her. She gives him a crappy homemade, embroidered handkerchief as a gift. He gives it back to her, and he makes sure she understands he doesn’t want it. She is surprised by his reaction to her gift. She is hurt in the process. What does she expect? He has avoided her at every turn. While others might think he was rude, I have to ask…just what do you expect him to do? He is dealing with someone who will not listen. If she had a normal brain, she would have understood the message long before the hanky incident. Then there is the “let’s make him jealous” routine. OMG! There is nothing more immature than deliberately trying to make someone jealous. Jealousy is not a pleasant feeling to deal with. There are so many issues when jealousy is involved in a relationship: trust, insecurity, truth. To deliberately try to make someone jealous so they will fall in love with you is juvenile. When this plot device appeared in the story, the book almost hit the wall. Nothing makes me groan more, then people playing hurtful games.
Then once Viola traps James into marriage, she starts to have second thoughts. I again groaned. What direction was the author leading us? Why did she now have a problem with her “inkling?” However, not to worry, there were tons of whankee-roo with oversized appendages….tons and tons.
Sorry to say, I could not like this book. I found the heroine incredibly immature. She was obsessed, she used tricks, and played games with the hero. She was only pretty on the outside, but her inner being was ugly. While James was a standard Romanceland big, strong brute of a hero, he deserved better. So far, for me this was the weakest in the series.
December 5, 2019
…
When a Girl Loves an Earl is the fifth installation to the 'Rescue from Ruin', a historical romance series, authored by Elisa Braden.
The focus of this journey way back then, included the main characters -- James Kilbrenner, the Earl of Tannenbrook, is defenseless against Miss Viola Darling, who is determined to win his hand at marriage. James is a rough, brusque, and surly giant of a man. Viola is petite, beautiful, headstrong, and determined. In her eyes, no one else will do. He resists for as long as he is able...
This series is intended for ***MATURE AUDIENCES ***
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
What a girl wants…
Miss Viola Darling always gets what she wants. Always. And what she wants more than anything is to marry James Kilbrenner, the Earl of Tannenbrook. She’s fallen hard for the giant, taciturn, surly brute, and she positively will have no other. The problem? He’s not interested. Not even a little. But Viola cannot afford to lose. And she has her heart set on James. If only he will bend to a bit of persuasion.
Is an earl like no other…
James Kilbrenner knows how determined the entirely-too-beautiful Miss Darling can be—the daft woman cornered him at a perfectly respectable dinner and mangled his cravat before he could escape. He has no desire to marry, less desire to be pursued, and will certainly not kiss her kissable lips until they are both breathless, no matter how tempted he may be.
And Onl the right one will do...
Thrown in her path by a meddling marchioness, James finds himself under sensual siege from a tiny, flirtatious sprite who puts both his heart and his vow to remain unwed at risk. And when scandal looms, he learns the hard way that a man can resist only so long before the indomitable Miss Darling gets her way.
This Regency romance series provides entertainment filled with humor, which tickles me to pieces. It's not the normal cream de la creme of the aristocracy, but unique individuals who form their own circle of loyal friends and family, who also visit London.
One unique aspect regarding fiction Historical romance is that the characters, no matter their station in life, are not always required to follow the strict and foolish societal rules. And more often than not, they find their ideal spouse as well. Isn't fiction grand?
This is NOT a clean series. Those who actually prefer steamy to clean and sweet might not view it as flawed. Due to this aspect, I recommend it with reservations. If you prefer clean and sweet reads, avoid this book. It is not fair to an author when readers provide bad reviews about steamy scenes if they know they are included in advance. I have been guilty of this offense myself, and take this opportunity to apologize for doing so. It takes a lot of time and effort for an author to research and write each book. And there are readers who prefer the material included in this one to a clean and wholesome read. However, I actually prefer the latter. This does have steamy sex scenes, so if you like a sex-free book this is not it. If you enjoy steamy reads, jump into this book looking forward to the pleasures painted here in words.
This book does have the ability to stand on its own, but if you read them in order, you will become more familiar with some of the other characters that carry over. Each story does include its own H.E.A., which is always a good way to conclude the adventure you have chosen to become immersed in.
..
When a Girl Loves an Earl is the fifth installation to the 'Rescue from Ruin', a historical romance series, authored by Elisa Braden.
The focus of this journey way back then, included the main characters -- James Kilbrenner, the Earl of Tannenbrook, is defenseless against Miss Viola Darling, who is determined to win his hand at marriage. James is a rough, brusque, and surly giant of a man. Viola is petite, beautiful, headstrong, and determined. In her eyes, no one else will do. He resists for as long as he is able...
This series is intended for ***MATURE AUDIENCES ***
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
What a girl wants…
Miss Viola Darling always gets what she wants. Always. And what she wants more than anything is to marry James Kilbrenner, the Earl of Tannenbrook. She’s fallen hard for the giant, taciturn, surly brute, and she positively will have no other. The problem? He’s not interested. Not even a little. But Viola cannot afford to lose. And she has her heart set on James. If only he will bend to a bit of persuasion.
Is an earl like no other…
James Kilbrenner knows how determined the entirely-too-beautiful Miss Darling can be—the daft woman cornered him at a perfectly respectable dinner and mangled his cravat before he could escape. He has no desire to marry, less desire to be pursued, and will certainly not kiss her kissable lips until they are both breathless, no matter how tempted he may be.
And Onl the right one will do...
Thrown in her path by a meddling marchioness, James finds himself under sensual siege from a tiny, flirtatious sprite who puts both his heart and his vow to remain unwed at risk. And when scandal looms, he learns the hard way that a man can resist only so long before the indomitable Miss Darling gets her way.
This Regency romance series provides entertainment filled with humor, which tickles me to pieces. It's not the normal cream de la creme of the aristocracy, but unique individuals who form their own circle of loyal friends and family, who also visit London.
One unique aspect regarding fiction Historical romance is that the characters, no matter their station in life, are not always required to follow the strict and foolish societal rules. And more often than not, they find their ideal spouse as well. Isn't fiction grand?
This is NOT a clean series. Those who actually prefer steamy to clean and sweet might not view it as flawed. Due to this aspect, I recommend it with reservations. If you prefer clean and sweet reads, avoid this book. It is not fair to an author when readers provide bad reviews about steamy scenes if they know they are included in advance. I have been guilty of this offense myself, and take this opportunity to apologize for doing so. It takes a lot of time and effort for an author to research and write each book. And there are readers who prefer the material included in this one to a clean and wholesome read. However, I actually prefer the latter. This does have steamy sex scenes, so if you like a sex-free book this is not it. If you enjoy steamy reads, jump into this book looking forward to the pleasures painted here in words.
This book does have the ability to stand on its own, but if you read them in order, you will become more familiar with some of the other characters that carry over. Each story does include its own H.E.A., which is always a good way to conclude the adventure you have chosen to become immersed in.
..
March 26, 2019
Rating 3.5
Real short review here.
I liked it okay.
The storyline was good but it didn't captivate me. A little different as the heroine was the pursuer and very determined. Hero took a bit to come around.
His reasoning for not marrying was obscured and not understandable till the end. And it didn't really convince me on his reasoning.
I liked the hero more than the heroine.
Maybe wasn't in the right frame of mind for this story. Could just be me. 😊 Will try another of this authors book.
Real short review here.
I liked it okay.
The storyline was good but it didn't captivate me. A little different as the heroine was the pursuer and very determined. Hero took a bit to come around.
His reasoning for not marrying was obscured and not understandable till the end. And it didn't really convince me on his reasoning.
I liked the hero more than the heroine.
Maybe wasn't in the right frame of mind for this story. Could just be me. 😊 Will try another of this authors book.
July 22, 2025
Normally I do not like when h pursuing H but h was great and also a touch of angst!
November 17, 2023
3.75 stars
“And you see me as a butterfly?”
“Aye.” He nuzzled her temple, savoring the warmth of her. “I never knew how dark and cold it could be in the mud until a wee, bright butterfly landed upon me and refused to depart.”
Not a favorite of mine from Braden. Still good solid writing. But it almost read like a novella. The pacing was a little off and felt extremely rushed in places. This could technically be considered a slow burn but it didn't really feel like a slow burn with how she zooms through things which isn't Braden's usual style. She normally takes her time. It could also be because this read very similar to The Taming of a Highlander in characterizations and tropes go and that was much stronger than this one. That book was my favorite read of this year so far so it was hard not to draw comparisons and this fell short. There's the usual marriage of convenience trope that you get in a EB book and a huge towering gruff Scottish hero who falls for his dainty wife. His befuddled confusion over why someone so pretty, classy and sweet like Viola could want him was endearing. The scenes of him awkwardly trying to woo her and floundering was cute. And also shoutout to heroes who are not handsome. Heroes like James who are described as not classically handsome with blunt craggy features are so rare so it's a nice change. Viola finding his face so dear and perfect was sweet. Anyways, I didn't really love the trap him into marriage trope here only because it highlighted the heroine Viola's desperation in bagging the hero James Kilbrenner who she's been aggressively chasing after for months while the hero dodges her at every turn. Add to that the reason behind why James refuses to marry and doesn't want kids felt over reaching. James is a good egg and a decent man with a serious savior complex but he did have his idiot moments in here. And I felt the issue of him refusing to spill inside the heroine during sex took too long to confront till the very end. I honestly thought we were gonna get a The Duke and I situation given how single minded and determined Viola is. Thankfully we didn't. Just wish the subject of why he refuses to have kids and his secret "shame" was revealed to the heroine a little sooner. Like I said the pacing of this one was odd. It took a bit to get to the MOC marriage part and then stuff is just rushed through after that. James realizing he has feelings for her and actually loves her also felt a beat too late. I think this is the first HR I've read where the heroine knows from the very start of the book she's in love with the hero and doggedly pursues him.
On a side note, loved seeing Charlotte in this. The timeline of this book overlaps with Book 4 so seeing glimpses of Charlotte falling in love with Chatham in real time was adorable. <3 I really love this series. The overall theme in a Elisa Braden book is longing and it's everything.
“And you see me as a butterfly?”
“Aye.” He nuzzled her temple, savoring the warmth of her. “I never knew how dark and cold it could be in the mud until a wee, bright butterfly landed upon me and refused to depart.”
Not a favorite of mine from Braden. Still good solid writing. But it almost read like a novella. The pacing was a little off and felt extremely rushed in places. This could technically be considered a slow burn but it didn't really feel like a slow burn with how she zooms through things which isn't Braden's usual style. She normally takes her time. It could also be because this read very similar to The Taming of a Highlander in characterizations and tropes go and that was much stronger than this one. That book was my favorite read of this year so far so it was hard not to draw comparisons and this fell short. There's the usual marriage of convenience trope that you get in a EB book and a huge towering gruff Scottish hero who falls for his dainty wife. His befuddled confusion over why someone so pretty, classy and sweet like Viola could want him was endearing. The scenes of him awkwardly trying to woo her and floundering was cute. And also shoutout to heroes who are not handsome. Heroes like James who are described as not classically handsome with blunt craggy features are so rare so it's a nice change. Viola finding his face so dear and perfect was sweet. Anyways, I didn't really love the trap him into marriage trope here only because it highlighted the heroine Viola's desperation in bagging the hero James Kilbrenner who she's been aggressively chasing after for months while the hero dodges her at every turn. Add to that the reason behind why James refuses to marry and doesn't want kids felt over reaching. James is a good egg and a decent man with a serious savior complex but he did have his idiot moments in here. And I felt the issue of him refusing to spill inside the heroine during sex took too long to confront till the very end. I honestly thought we were gonna get a The Duke and I situation given how single minded and determined Viola is. Thankfully we didn't. Just wish the subject of why he refuses to have kids and his secret "shame" was revealed to the heroine a little sooner. Like I said the pacing of this one was odd. It took a bit to get to the MOC marriage part and then stuff is just rushed through after that. James realizing he has feelings for her and actually loves her also felt a beat too late. I think this is the first HR I've read where the heroine knows from the very start of the book she's in love with the hero and doggedly pursues him.
On a side note, loved seeing Charlotte in this. The timeline of this book overlaps with Book 4 so seeing glimpses of Charlotte falling in love with Chatham in real time was adorable. <3 I really love this series. The overall theme in a Elisa Braden book is longing and it's everything.
October 1, 2020
Something went seriously wrong with that one...It has no consistence at all among other things that I have found quite vexing.
I was hopping for a robust,witty heroine who would drive James crazy.The Magic of you by Johanna Lindsey,it is one of my most favorite books,and since the foreshadowing of James' and Viola's story in the previous book -the devil is a marquess- resembled awfully Amy's and Warren's story,I went all in with this book.Maybe that could be a huge factor to my dissappointment.
I was hopping for something funnier than cheesy and quite more enganging.I have skimmed through almost the whole book :/ Of course partly reason for that was all this Scottish -fortheloveofGod-Grrr.Half of the book is in Scottish that I don't care for -.- I don't understand why on earth would the guy still speaking Scottish?It has been 18 years with no interaction to his mother tongue.I am an expat 8 years in Amsterdam and my mother tongue doesn't appear out of the blue around people who do not speak it you know why?Because it is no linguistically accurate!
Maybe I am being hard I don't know but still I believe that if the writing and the plot were of sterner stuff,I would have enjoyed the book.
3 stars for the effort and because I do not wanna trash a new writer
I was hopping for a robust,witty heroine who would drive James crazy.The Magic of you by Johanna Lindsey,it is one of my most favorite books,and since the foreshadowing of James' and Viola's story in the previous book -the devil is a marquess- resembled awfully Amy's and Warren's story,I went all in with this book.Maybe that could be a huge factor to my dissappointment.
I was hopping for something funnier than cheesy and quite more enganging.I have skimmed through almost the whole book :/ Of course partly reason for that was all this Scottish -fortheloveofGod-Grrr.Half of the book is in Scottish that I don't care for -.- I don't understand why on earth would the guy still speaking Scottish?It has been 18 years with no interaction to his mother tongue.I am an expat 8 years in Amsterdam and my mother tongue doesn't appear out of the blue around people who do not speak it you know why?Because it is no linguistically accurate!
Maybe I am being hard I don't know but still I believe that if the writing and the plot were of sterner stuff,I would have enjoyed the book.
3 stars for the effort and because I do not wanna trash a new writer
September 22, 2021
.
I listened to this audiobook quite a while ago and somehow never reviewed it.
SO this will be brief. I did revisit the second half and it was just as delicious as I remembered.
Viola Darling is a petite beauty who doesn't hurt for beaus, but who she wants is the gentle giant who avoids her.
He's one of those H's who refuses to love again because he's loved and lost before. He went so far as to make a vow about it. Silly really, as he was just a boy when he made that vow.
Viola knows nothing of this and is determined to win him over come hell or high water. She basically forces him into a situation where he must marry her. But she is all sunshine and rainbows until she comes face to face (around half way) with the cause of his reticence.
He however, has finally come to see that he wants their marriage and needs her love. So now he must chase her and convince her of his love.
It was all quite delicious. I liked both MCs and his backstory was unusual and interesting.
Safety is fine
I listened to this audiobook quite a while ago and somehow never reviewed it.
SO this will be brief. I did revisit the second half and it was just as delicious as I remembered.
Viola Darling is a petite beauty who doesn't hurt for beaus, but who she wants is the gentle giant who avoids her.
He's one of those H's who refuses to love again because he's loved and lost before. He went so far as to make a vow about it. Silly really, as he was just a boy when he made that vow.
Viola knows nothing of this and is determined to win him over come hell or high water. She basically forces him into a situation where he must marry her. But she is all sunshine and rainbows until she comes face to face (around half way) with the cause of his reticence.
He however, has finally come to see that he wants their marriage and needs her love. So now he must chase her and convince her of his love.
It was all quite delicious. I liked both MCs and his backstory was unusual and interesting.
Safety is fine
April 20, 2021
I am Really am into this series, and I’m loving this author. I’m not sure why I wasn’t into this Hero. He’s really a Good guy. 🤨🧐🤔 Hahaha haha! That’s probably it; I love the really screwed-up ones that fully redeem themselves by the end of the book. I did like the Heroine. She’s very determined and has a good heart. When it comes to a series, I read books in order for the most part. I feel like it gives me more context. The thing I like about this author is that each book is really different than the last. Each book is very personal to the Hero and Heroine, while at the time building on the current and possible future relationships with the other characters in this series. 💡 💡Moment! That’s what bothered me about this book. It takes place pretty much at the same time as the previous book. I thought there was too much revisiting of things already told in the previous book. So far, all of the other books that I’ve read in this series have been unique. 🤷🏼♀️
July 24, 2017
This is an another winner by Elisa Braden. it's awesome read, beautifully written and stunningly romantic... I highly recommend this story for a really good time...I can't wait for the next book
April 27, 2022
"I just knew, James. I knew you belonged to me. And that I belonged to you. From the first moment I saw your splendid face."
"My face is not splendid."
"It is to me."
5 stars!!
I absolutely LOVED this book! I've been craving a good historical romance lately, and this title caught my eye while scrolling through my kindle downloads. The blurb sounded exactly like what I was in the mood for, and I've enjoyed Elisa Braden's novels in the past, so I decided to start reading and just could not put this story down. I read well past my bedtime as I found I did not want to stop, but it was well worth my sleepiness at work the next day. In the beginning of this novel, we meet James, our steadfast and brusque hero...
And then, he was gone. Like a storm that had come on shore to ravage and tear asunder, he disappeared without a care for the damage. Only the echo of his boots thudding on polished stone gave evidence that he'd been there.
James is a proud Scotsman who had his whole life planned out. He was to be a stonemason from a small village and marry his sweetheart and enjoy a simple life. However, all of his life plans were thrown out the window when an English steward calls with the news that he is the new Earl of Tannenbrook. With promises to return soon, James travels to London in order to start running his inherited estate. After learning that his beloved has married another months after his departure, James vows never to marry again. Too bad Viola is convinced that he is the only one for her...
Viola had made a habit of forcing him to question himself. From the beginning, the indomitable Miss Darling had refused to accept anything other than his unconditional surrender. And he'd wanted her with every inch of his flesh, every thought in his mind, every drop of his blood.
I just loved Viola's determination and decisive spirit! She knew that she wanted to marry James before she even meets him and sets out to convince him of their destined betrothal soon thereafter. I loved how she was the one who pursued him and slowly wormed her way under his skin and around his defenses until he craved her just as much as she did him. I really would have loved for James to grovel more as he royally fucks up a few times, but his inner guilt and remorse was such an angsty pleasure to read. Elisa Braden absolutely delivers a brilliant romance with this one, and I will definitely continue reading more of her novels ♡
My James, the surly but honorable Earl of Tannenbrook....
October 29, 2021
5 Stars, all around for this Scottish Lord!
Plot Summary
Miss Viola Darling has decided she will only wed James Killbrenner, the Earl Tannenbrook. No other man would do, for he is best of men, even if she has to resort to the best and worst of tricks. James, a Scottish stonemason, turned an unlikely English Earl is as honourable as they come, has spent years reestablishing the earldom he never expected nor wanted. Reeling from a boyhood loss, he has vowed never to marry, if only this beautiful chit would stop pursuing him and leave him be. Beholden to Lady Wallingham, due to her aid in locating his cousin & heir presumptive, James has to bow to the dragon's demands that he fulfil his social obligations during the Season. This throws James & Viola into frequent proximity of one another and is testing his resolve. Trapped into a marriage he did not choose, with a woman he can scarcely resist, James is questioning how this slip of woman changed his life so completely and did it all with a smile.
My Thoughts
- Yet again, Ms Braden's writing flows, encapsulating the subtle nuances of emotions that keeps the reader hooked.
- The plot itself is not new, a hero, unwilling to marry and a besotted woman, find their way towards a HEA. What made this story different was the way it was told, the prologue gives you an insight into what is building up to be the big misunderstanding, you don't feel blindsided or end up calling it TSTL, but you as a reader are with the character, every step of the way.
- But the plot is not what Ms Braden uses to keep her readers engaged, she relies on the characters to do that. And this story delivered a couple of unusual, but endearing characters.
- The central plot resolve came much later than I would have liked but, looking at the overall picture, this was a cute story.
- Well balanced in humour and angst, opposites attract, has great chemistry and is paced pretty well, James & Violas's story was a cute read.
- Lady Wallingham has a larger presence in this book, Lord Wallingham is introduced and we get a visit from the devilish Lucien providing James with wooing lessons, one of the most hilarious passages I have read in a while.
The Hero
I loved this gruff, giant, surly Scot. He had elements of Simon from The Duke and I and Nate from The Duke's Stolen Bride but somehow was more adorable. Poor thing is so clueless with Lady Wallingham & Viola's machinations.
*We carry, deep within us, traumas of our past. But as we grow older and evolve, we rarely look at those horrifying experiences from a different perspective, mostly because we are afraid of getting hurt again and not surviving it the second time around* James was one such example, scared of experiencing the pain again. Or maybe, I am working too much if I feel like psychoanalysing a fictional character from 200 years ago and James's trauma was created just to add a bit of drama to the story. Whatever the reason, it was heartbreaking, the guilt & burden this guy carried for 15 long years and bore it all stoically. I greatly enjoyed reading about this hard as granite Scotsman (My penchant for Scottish heroes and psychological projects notwithstanding).
The Heroine
I don't know whether to call this girl naive or optimistic, so let's go with optimistically naive. She reminded me of Katy Perry from the How I Met Your Mother episode - Oh Honey! Viola most definitely redefined the word determined though. The single-minded approach in acquiring Tannenbrook was something I have rarely read. But, to be fair, it went from annoying to sweet very quickly and made it enjoyable. Her transformation from a besotted girl to a mature woman was handled very well. You feel for this girl, root for her and shed a tear or two for her at times and that made Viola a delightful presence!
My Recommendation
Read it, loved it, re-read it, loved it again, starting with the next one - Twelve Nights as His Mistress
Plot Summary
Miss Viola Darling has decided she will only wed James Killbrenner, the Earl Tannenbrook. No other man would do, for he is best of men, even if she has to resort to the best and worst of tricks. James, a Scottish stonemason, turned an unlikely English Earl is as honourable as they come, has spent years reestablishing the earldom he never expected nor wanted. Reeling from a boyhood loss, he has vowed never to marry, if only this beautiful chit would stop pursuing him and leave him be. Beholden to Lady Wallingham, due to her aid in locating his cousin & heir presumptive, James has to bow to the dragon's demands that he fulfil his social obligations during the Season. This throws James & Viola into frequent proximity of one another and is testing his resolve. Trapped into a marriage he did not choose, with a woman he can scarcely resist, James is questioning how this slip of woman changed his life so completely and did it all with a smile.
My Thoughts
- Yet again, Ms Braden's writing flows, encapsulating the subtle nuances of emotions that keeps the reader hooked.
- The plot itself is not new, a hero, unwilling to marry and a besotted woman, find their way towards a HEA. What made this story different was the way it was told, the prologue gives you an insight into what is building up to be the big misunderstanding, you don't feel blindsided or end up calling it TSTL, but you as a reader are with the character, every step of the way.
- But the plot is not what Ms Braden uses to keep her readers engaged, she relies on the characters to do that. And this story delivered a couple of unusual, but endearing characters.
- The central plot resolve came much later than I would have liked but, looking at the overall picture, this was a cute story.
- Well balanced in humour and angst, opposites attract, has great chemistry and is paced pretty well, James & Violas's story was a cute read.
- Lady Wallingham has a larger presence in this book, Lord Wallingham is introduced and we get a visit from the devilish Lucien providing James with wooing lessons, one of the most hilarious passages I have read in a while.
The Hero
I loved this gruff, giant, surly Scot. He had elements of Simon from The Duke and I and Nate from The Duke's Stolen Bride but somehow was more adorable. Poor thing is so clueless with Lady Wallingham & Viola's machinations.
*We carry, deep within us, traumas of our past. But as we grow older and evolve, we rarely look at those horrifying experiences from a different perspective, mostly because we are afraid of getting hurt again and not surviving it the second time around* James was one such example, scared of experiencing the pain again. Or maybe, I am working too much if I feel like psychoanalysing a fictional character from 200 years ago and James's trauma was created just to add a bit of drama to the story. Whatever the reason, it was heartbreaking, the guilt & burden this guy carried for 15 long years and bore it all stoically. I greatly enjoyed reading about this hard as granite Scotsman (My penchant for Scottish heroes and psychological projects notwithstanding).
The Heroine
I don't know whether to call this girl naive or optimistic, so let's go with optimistically naive. She reminded me of Katy Perry from the How I Met Your Mother episode - Oh Honey! Viola most definitely redefined the word determined though. The single-minded approach in acquiring Tannenbrook was something I have rarely read. But, to be fair, it went from annoying to sweet very quickly and made it enjoyable. Her transformation from a besotted girl to a mature woman was handled very well. You feel for this girl, root for her and shed a tear or two for her at times and that made Viola a delightful presence!
My Recommendation
Read it, loved it, re-read it, loved it again, starting with the next one - Twelve Nights as His Mistress
March 18, 2023
When A Girl Loves An Earl, is the fifth installment in the "Rescued from Ruin" series and in this one we get the long awaited story between Viola and James. This is a unrequited romance and I absolutely adored it so much. I love a heroine going after her man and being the one pining after the hero. Both of these characters are so strong willed and feisty and so so stubborn and I loved seeing these aspects if I am being honest. They are so real with each other. I couldn't seem to get enough of their bantering and interactions. Elisa Braden really knows how to write good historical romance and most especially wonderful characters that just captivate you so deeply.
In this one we have our hero, who grew up as a Scot and had his own dreams that didn't include being part of the Aristocracy. But when he ends up the sole heir of the earldom, he has to sacrifice everything to do what needs to be done and loses the woman he loves and more. But now he is fully fledged into his role, and determined never to marry or have children. But then he is overwhelmed by a young woman who has her heart set on him. James is torn because he knows that there is something real between them but at the same time he also can't give into what he is feeling for Viola. But Viola knows he is the only man she could ever love and will fight for their relationship no matter the stakes.
What appealed me the most about this book was seeing a heroine going after the hero. I loved how determined she is and strong she is about it. Now there are some factors to this that can prove to be ingorant at times, especially to the consequences of her actions. But she definitely learns the cost of her actions and accepts the responsibility that comes with that. I loved how Elisa Braden developed this story, I wasn't sure what would happen here, but it actually ended up being such a solid read and I became endeared by this pairing and we got hints for the upcoming next story and I can't wait for it.
Definitely a win of a historical read and truly loving this author!
In this one we have our hero, who grew up as a Scot and had his own dreams that didn't include being part of the Aristocracy. But when he ends up the sole heir of the earldom, he has to sacrifice everything to do what needs to be done and loses the woman he loves and more. But now he is fully fledged into his role, and determined never to marry or have children. But then he is overwhelmed by a young woman who has her heart set on him. James is torn because he knows that there is something real between them but at the same time he also can't give into what he is feeling for Viola. But Viola knows he is the only man she could ever love and will fight for their relationship no matter the stakes.
What appealed me the most about this book was seeing a heroine going after the hero. I loved how determined she is and strong she is about it. Now there are some factors to this that can prove to be ingorant at times, especially to the consequences of her actions. But she definitely learns the cost of her actions and accepts the responsibility that comes with that. I loved how Elisa Braden developed this story, I wasn't sure what would happen here, but it actually ended up being such a solid read and I became endeared by this pairing and we got hints for the upcoming next story and I can't wait for it.
Definitely a win of a historical read and truly loving this author!
December 7, 2018
***4.0 "Filthy Scott" stars***
This series is so freaking good. The characters are so rememberable and I love the couples.
James Kilbrenner
James has decided to never marry but Viola keeps tempting him to abandon his plans. She is determined to tempt him to unleash his inner filthy Scott, and teach her pleasure!
Viola experienced love at first sight for James Kilbrenner and is determined to make him her husband.
Viola
Totally enjoyed watching these two fall in love. I'm crazy about James and Viola was perfect for him!! I hate to see this series come to an end. I am going through these books too quickly.
This series is so freaking good. The characters are so rememberable and I love the couples.
James Kilbrenner
James has decided to never marry but Viola keeps tempting him to abandon his plans. She is determined to tempt him to unleash his inner filthy Scott, and teach her pleasure!
Viola experienced love at first sight for James Kilbrenner and is determined to make him her husband.
Viola
Totally enjoyed watching these two fall in love. I'm crazy about James and Viola was perfect for him!! I hate to see this series come to an end. I am going through these books too quickly.
May 5, 2019
Well Elisa Braden has knocked another one out of the park! I absolutely loved this book & these characters. Even though they were such opposites in every way they were just a perfect fit. I loved that one of the most beautiful qualities about Viola was the "sparkle" she had about her, and how James brought out that sparkle. The story touched my heart in so many ways. This will definitely be on my all-time favorite list, as are all of the books in this series. I just have one question for the author, "when will you be releasing your next book Elisa?" No pressure, lol.
April 26, 2023
April 2023 Reread: I think 2021 Me was butthurt that the beginning half of this novel was infinitely better than the latter half because lemme tell you that the angst was exquisite!!!
I love the H+h pairing. The hero is so charming, always making the heroine laugh, and they were wholesome together without being saccharine. It was wonderful.
The spy stuff really lost me the first time, and even this time I didn’t bother. I just reread my favourite scenes and that’s that.
2021 Review:
This was disappointing, and the first read so far by Elisa Braden that I would consider not worth reading it. I was looking forward to Viola Darling's Tannebrook Hunt after it was teased in the previous book, The Devil Is a Marquess.
Viola immediately falls in love with Tannebrook after hearing a story of his chivalry to her friend, Charlotte, and when she meets him, she decides he is the man she will marry. And so off she is in pursuit, one of the most popular beauties of the season, of the one man who does not swoon at her feet.
Or so he says. Tannebrook is an unwilling English lord. He was a working-class Scot before it was discovered that he was the last heir of an English title. After having his heart broken by a childhood love, he's resolved never to marry. Viola's machinations put a wrench in his plans.
However, I never got into Viola's love for him, and I never got into Tannebrook's refusal to be with Viola, when it was clear that he was attracted to her and liked her. My personal preferences is for a story with some real angst, which is why it was boring, and therefore, disappointing to read.
I skimmed this about halfway through.
I love the H+h pairing. The hero is so charming, always making the heroine laugh, and they were wholesome together without being saccharine. It was wonderful.
The spy stuff really lost me the first time, and even this time I didn’t bother. I just reread my favourite scenes and that’s that.
2021 Review:
This was disappointing, and the first read so far by Elisa Braden that I would consider not worth reading it. I was looking forward to Viola Darling's Tannebrook Hunt after it was teased in the previous book, The Devil Is a Marquess.
Viola immediately falls in love with Tannebrook after hearing a story of his chivalry to her friend, Charlotte, and when she meets him, she decides he is the man she will marry. And so off she is in pursuit, one of the most popular beauties of the season, of the one man who does not swoon at her feet.
Or so he says. Tannebrook is an unwilling English lord. He was a working-class Scot before it was discovered that he was the last heir of an English title. After having his heart broken by a childhood love, he's resolved never to marry. Viola's machinations put a wrench in his plans.
However, I never got into Viola's love for him, and I never got into Tannebrook's refusal to be with Viola, when it was clear that he was attracted to her and liked her. My personal preferences is for a story with some real angst, which is why it was boring, and therefore, disappointing to read.
I skimmed this about halfway through.
August 30, 2016
I found Ms. Braden's books by chance - and I'm happy I did!
I've read this series since the beginning, so I'd pre-ordered this book and I wasn't wrong: "When a girl..." is my favorite so far, together with Book 1.
Viola is quite insistent on pursuing (poor) Tannenbrook, and some people may even find her a bit annoying because of this, but she is not! She knows who she wants and I guess she noticed since the beginning that Tannenbook only needed (strong) encouragement!
I'm looking forward to Ms. Braden's new book!
I received an ARC from the author of this book for a truthful and honest review.
I've read this series since the beginning, so I'd pre-ordered this book and I wasn't wrong: "When a girl..." is my favorite so far, together with Book 1.
Viola is quite insistent on pursuing (poor) Tannenbrook, and some people may even find her a bit annoying because of this, but she is not! She knows who she wants and I guess she noticed since the beginning that Tannenbook only needed (strong) encouragement!
I'm looking forward to Ms. Braden's new book!
I received an ARC from the author of this book for a truthful and honest review.
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