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American Lords Trilogy #1
Yankee Earl
Jason Beaumont, brash American privateer, was now Earl of Falconridge, and the Honorable Miss Rachel Fairchild could not have been more horrified. Until she found herself making the brute's acquaintance lying flat on her back in the mud, gazing up at a particularly fascinating portion of his anatomy. She grew still more flustered when the arrogant colonial proceeded to set London's tongues wagging with his daring exploits, and challenge her own cutting wit with his outrageous innuendoes. But most shocking of all was a surprise betrothal ball where she learned her own father had conspired to see her leg shackled, for better or worse, to the Yankee Earl.
353 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
448 people are currently reading
335 people want to read
About the author
Shirl Henke
63 books77 followersaka Alexa Hunt.
Working my way through college provided great life experiences for a novelist. One problem. I didn’t know I was destined to write books. Instead, I floundered around during and after receiving my B.A. and M.A. in history from the University of Missouri. None of my wide variety of jobs satisfied me: cashier for a loan company, public welfare caseworker, assistant circulation manager for a small daily, editor for several “house organ” newspapers, administrator of a federal information program for the elderly.
Finally I was offered the opportunity to use my history degrees, teaching in a large urban university in the Northeast. I truly enjoyed it. Unfortunately, when the history requirement was dropped for incoming students, so was my instructorship. After that I taught gerontology, sociology, proposal writing for social service agencies and freshman composition at the same university. Further life experiences. My last two years of teaching were in remedial English—just the nudge I needed to take this writing thing seriously.
Since childhood I’ve been an avid reader, everything from Robert Heinlein’s sci-fi adventures to Frank Yerby’s historical romantic sagas. More recently I became hooked on thrillers. Since childhood I had story ideas in my head, but never the epiphany to write them. Okay, maybe I just didn’t have the courage. But there were just so many times I could explain what a verb was to a college senior before I realized that maybe writing a book might be easier. I sold my first novel, a big historical romance titled GOLDEN LADY, to Warner Books in 1985. Within two years, I quit remedial comp. Now I can't imagine doing anything but writing for a living. In 2005 I switched over to the “dark side.” Tor published two political thrillers, CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY and HOMELAND SECURITY under the pseudonym Alexa Hunt. I’ve also written romantic suspense for Penguin Onyx and Silhouette Bombshell as Shirl Henke. Since I began my career, I’ve appeared on the USA TODAY bestseller list, been a RITA Finalist twice, received a BookraK Bestseller Award, and won three Career Achievement Awards, an Industry Award and three Reviewers Choice Awards from Romantic Times.
My husband Jim Henke is a former cabdriver, bartender, sailor, judo instructor and English professor. He's a scholarly authority on obscene slang and a master at its use, but an astonishingly understanding man who puts up with my all-night writing sprees and sudden dashes to my desk to jot down bits of dialogue as dinner burns on the stove. Since he took early retirement from academe, he has helped me brainstorm plots and research my novels.
After four years in the U.S. Air Force, our son Matt works in telecommunications and lives in an adjacent county with his brute of a cat, Max. Jim and I now share our cedar house in the woods with a pair of utterly adorable tomcats, Inky and Pewter, whose destructive capacity rivals that of a medium sized thermonuclear weapon. But just as life without writing would be unimaginable, so would life without cats.
For therapy when I'm not at the computer or off researching a new book, I cook large dinners for our extended family, putter in my garden and greenhouse, and still read voraciously. When deadlines permit, I love to travel. I'm a member of the Author's Guild, Romance Writers of America, Missouri Romance Writers, Sisters in Crime, Novelists Inc. and International Thriller Writers
I wrote my first twenty-two novels in longhand with a ball-point pen--it's hard to get good quills these days. Dragged into the 21st century, I now use one of those "devil machines. Another troglodyte bites the dust
Working my way through college provided great life experiences for a novelist. One problem. I didn’t know I was destined to write books. Instead, I floundered around during and after receiving my B.A. and M.A. in history from the University of Missouri. None of my wide variety of jobs satisfied me: cashier for a loan company, public welfare caseworker, assistant circulation manager for a small daily, editor for several “house organ” newspapers, administrator of a federal information program for the elderly.
Finally I was offered the opportunity to use my history degrees, teaching in a large urban university in the Northeast. I truly enjoyed it. Unfortunately, when the history requirement was dropped for incoming students, so was my instructorship. After that I taught gerontology, sociology, proposal writing for social service agencies and freshman composition at the same university. Further life experiences. My last two years of teaching were in remedial English—just the nudge I needed to take this writing thing seriously.
Since childhood I’ve been an avid reader, everything from Robert Heinlein’s sci-fi adventures to Frank Yerby’s historical romantic sagas. More recently I became hooked on thrillers. Since childhood I had story ideas in my head, but never the epiphany to write them. Okay, maybe I just didn’t have the courage. But there were just so many times I could explain what a verb was to a college senior before I realized that maybe writing a book might be easier. I sold my first novel, a big historical romance titled GOLDEN LADY, to Warner Books in 1985. Within two years, I quit remedial comp. Now I can't imagine doing anything but writing for a living. In 2005 I switched over to the “dark side.” Tor published two political thrillers, CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY and HOMELAND SECURITY under the pseudonym Alexa Hunt. I’ve also written romantic suspense for Penguin Onyx and Silhouette Bombshell as Shirl Henke. Since I began my career, I’ve appeared on the USA TODAY bestseller list, been a RITA Finalist twice, received a BookraK Bestseller Award, and won three Career Achievement Awards, an Industry Award and three Reviewers Choice Awards from Romantic Times.
My husband Jim Henke is a former cabdriver, bartender, sailor, judo instructor and English professor. He's a scholarly authority on obscene slang and a master at its use, but an astonishingly understanding man who puts up with my all-night writing sprees and sudden dashes to my desk to jot down bits of dialogue as dinner burns on the stove. Since he took early retirement from academe, he has helped me brainstorm plots and research my novels.
After four years in the U.S. Air Force, our son Matt works in telecommunications and lives in an adjacent county with his brute of a cat, Max. Jim and I now share our cedar house in the woods with a pair of utterly adorable tomcats, Inky and Pewter, whose destructive capacity rivals that of a medium sized thermonuclear weapon. But just as life without writing would be unimaginable, so would life without cats.
For therapy when I'm not at the computer or off researching a new book, I cook large dinners for our extended family, putter in my garden and greenhouse, and still read voraciously. When deadlines permit, I love to travel. I'm a member of the Author's Guild, Romance Writers of America, Missouri Romance Writers, Sisters in Crime, Novelists Inc. and International Thriller Writers
I wrote my first twenty-two novels in longhand with a ball-point pen--it's hard to get good quills these days. Dragged into the 21st century, I now use one of those "devil machines. Another troglodyte bites the dust
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
February 6, 2020
I love a good historical romance and let tell you... Yankee Earl isn't it.
Things I didn't like:
- Historically inaccurate
- Overly dramatic
- Heroine full of herself
- Hero very two-dimensional
- Romantic language and circumstances very juvenile
Things I liked:
- Sparring between Jason and Rachel
- Witty dialogue
- minor characters
Overall, I would not recommend this book.
My Rating: 3 stars
Things I didn't like:
- Historically inaccurate
- Overly dramatic
- Heroine full of herself
- Hero very two-dimensional
- Romantic language and circumstances very juvenile
Things I liked:
- Sparring between Jason and Rachel
- Witty dialogue
- minor characters
Overall, I would not recommend this book.
My Rating: 3 stars
January 10, 2018
The writing was just so bad I couldn’t make it past 2 chapters.
October 19, 2018
This was confusing.
The heroine (who is an obnoxious, 'sassy' female) thinks that her height gives her an advantage over most men.
She is five foot six inches tall! That's not tall. That's perfectly normal. What advantage?? It made no sense at all. Neither did this: ... how big he was, towering over her not inconsiderable height.
The sudden and totally 'out of the blue' announcement that Rachel's grandfather had betrothed her to Jason was ridiculous. There was NO mention of it prior to the ball - not even a hint (unless I missed something!) It was almost as if the author had thrown it in at the last minute.
DNF at 7% I had better things to do than read on.
The heroine (who is an obnoxious, 'sassy' female) thinks that her height gives her an advantage over most men.
She is five foot six inches tall! That's not tall. That's perfectly normal. What advantage?? It made no sense at all. Neither did this: ... how big he was, towering over her not inconsiderable height.
The sudden and totally 'out of the blue' announcement that Rachel's grandfather had betrothed her to Jason was ridiculous. There was NO mention of it prior to the ball - not even a hint (unless I missed something!) It was almost as if the author had thrown it in at the last minute.
DNF at 7% I had better things to do than read on.
July 13, 2020
Good but.....
Well written as always by this author. That being said I found this book slow and predictable. The characters were one dimensional.
Well written as always by this author. That being said I found this book slow and predictable. The characters were one dimensional.
December 12, 2018
This was a well written (though not historically accurate as others pointed out) and engaging story! This is the first book by Shirl Henke that I have read and I will read more. I loved the hero and heroine, and how unpredictable the story was. The story was a bit far fetched at times but the passion and emotions were very convincing.
April 1, 2011
Your pretty typical historical romance. A good build-up - granted I'm a sucker for romance - but it kept me turnin the pages. However...
A bit overdramatic about the fact that the lady dwarfs so many men at her towering height of 5'6". Come on, really? Also trying a bit too hard at times with the historical dialect. And some of the language used during really "intense" scenes made me turn away from the book, shake my head, and roll my eyes, trying to forget that I had actually just read that...
But overall, entertaining for us romance suckers. :-P
A bit overdramatic about the fact that the lady dwarfs so many men at her towering height of 5'6". Come on, really? Also trying a bit too hard at times with the historical dialect. And some of the language used during really "intense" scenes made me turn away from the book, shake my head, and roll my eyes, trying to forget that I had actually just read that...
But overall, entertaining for us romance suckers. :-P
October 16, 2018
Okay, but a bit disappointing
One of the most frequent tropes in romance novels is misunderstandings fueled by uncertainty and lack of communication. If you read many of these novels you come to expect it but what separates the really good romance novels from the just okay novels is how long the novelist lets the two main characters wallow in the angst caused by those two things.
In this novel, the author troweled on the angst with both main characters back-and-forth questioning of each other’s motives and feelings dominating 90% of the narrative. Not once did they ever have a “lay your cards on the table” moment. Had they done that the novel would have been at least 75 pages shorter and made for a tighter, more compelling story. As it stands, there is a good deal of meandering, second guessing and hand-wringing that I felt was unnecessary. On the plus side however, there was decent character development along with a bit of a mystery as to “who’s trying to kill the Yankee earl.”
Unfortunately there were some period elements that I found a bit hard to swallow with the most egregious being the heroine’s frequent wearing of men’s clothes as she galavanted around the countryside. While this might have been designed to establish her independent nature, I didn’t find it believable. Finally, the character of Fox, the 10-12 year-old part Indian half brother of the hero, Jason wasn’t as believable as I wood have liked. He written as way too “wise” in his role as Jason’s conscience.
Bottom line: even with its flaws, it’s still a decent read. I just grieved a bit over how much better it could have been with a bit of pruning and little more realistic sophistication in the relationship between Rachael and Jason.
One of the most frequent tropes in romance novels is misunderstandings fueled by uncertainty and lack of communication. If you read many of these novels you come to expect it but what separates the really good romance novels from the just okay novels is how long the novelist lets the two main characters wallow in the angst caused by those two things.
In this novel, the author troweled on the angst with both main characters back-and-forth questioning of each other’s motives and feelings dominating 90% of the narrative. Not once did they ever have a “lay your cards on the table” moment. Had they done that the novel would have been at least 75 pages shorter and made for a tighter, more compelling story. As it stands, there is a good deal of meandering, second guessing and hand-wringing that I felt was unnecessary. On the plus side however, there was decent character development along with a bit of a mystery as to “who’s trying to kill the Yankee earl.”
Unfortunately there were some period elements that I found a bit hard to swallow with the most egregious being the heroine’s frequent wearing of men’s clothes as she galavanted around the countryside. While this might have been designed to establish her independent nature, I didn’t find it believable. Finally, the character of Fox, the 10-12 year-old part Indian half brother of the hero, Jason wasn’t as believable as I wood have liked. He written as way too “wise” in his role as Jason’s conscience.
Bottom line: even with its flaws, it’s still a decent read. I just grieved a bit over how much better it could have been with a bit of pruning and little more realistic sophistication in the relationship between Rachael and Jason.
October 11, 2018
I enjoyed this book. There have been other reviews that pointed out some fast and loose playing with historical details (window size, widows tax), but I will allow it for story telling purposes, because overall, those few incorrect details were just for that. The dialog between Jason and Rachel was great, they fought like cats and dogs, and, did she ever have a mouth on her! Rachel certainly had a good grasp of male slang and wasn't afraid to insult our hero at any turn. The action and adventure was a refreshing change from some of the more staid romances I've read recently, and the storyline was not just emotional. I loved the supporting characters, especially Rachel's sister, who turned out to be more than she appeared. I loved Jason's little brother, Fox, and hope Drum gets his own book. This book does have steamy sex scenes (for those who like to know these things), as well as some violence, and some particularly clever insults, but I don't recall any overt profanity.
December 27, 2020
I didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. The stubbornness & pride of both MCs gets really tiring after a while. It also looks like the author tried to thrown in as much teen fantasies as possible; wet clothes, wet & muddy clothes, naked voyeurism in lake, and so on. Also, too much emphasis on her tallness, and his abundant chest hair! Then there's the fact that both of them don't know what the other's feelings about them is, and they never try to talk it through, so they just keep guessing and assuming - wrongly - practically right up to the very end. Thank goodness there were sub-plots, as they made something to look forward to, & an unexpected plot-twist towards the end. And by the way, LOADS of punctuation mistakes in the book! Almost every time direct speech began with "That..." there would be no opening inverted commas. There were missing full-stops, and quite a few typos, that all in all I gave up sending edits to Amazon through my Kindle.
October 9, 2018
Badly researched, badly written
Note to Henke: poison oak does not grow in England. The Window Tax was not repealed until 1856, so even the very wealthy did not have big picture windows--actually no one did, plate glass production required industrialization, which was after the period of this book. "Chit" was to the best of my knowledge British slang which an American would not think to use. An infestation is an unusually large number of insects or vermin, not a case of poison oak. And these were just in the first 21% of the book. Sorry, I will have a better time cleaning my bathroom than reading this c#$p.
Note to Henke: poison oak does not grow in England. The Window Tax was not repealed until 1856, so even the very wealthy did not have big picture windows--actually no one did, plate glass production required industrialization, which was after the period of this book. "Chit" was to the best of my knowledge British slang which an American would not think to use. An infestation is an unusually large number of insects or vermin, not a case of poison oak. And these were just in the first 21% of the book. Sorry, I will have a better time cleaning my bathroom than reading this c#$p.
October 8, 2018
What Is It You Want?
This is a long, involved adult romance with several plots. I absolutely loved all of it.
Jason🐺🍆🌋🔫🔪, the Americanl, comes back to England to inherit the Earldom and the estates. His uncle has it all figured out that he will marry Rachel💃💋, to tie the two noble houses and two large estates together.
However, the two young people argue constantly even though the animal attraction is strong. Both of them also have different ideas about the future, too.
There is a lot of back and forth , angst, and mistaken cues from both of them.
This is a long, involved adult romance with several plots. I absolutely loved all of it.
Jason🐺🍆🌋🔫🔪, the Americanl, comes back to England to inherit the Earldom and the estates. His uncle has it all figured out that he will marry Rachel💃💋, to tie the two noble houses and two large estates together.
However, the two young people argue constantly even though the animal attraction is strong. Both of them also have different ideas about the future, too.
There is a lot of back and forth , angst, and mistaken cues from both of them.
October 20, 2018
I really had started to like the story, thinking they were a witty/snarky pair. However, the constant badgering of hateful words literally became more abusive. At first, their interplay was cute and witty, but with Jason and Rachel constantly belittling each other, it left a bad taste in the mouth. There was no way I could believe that they were falling in love with the constant hatefulness they were spouting at each other all the way to the end of the book, then suddenly they loved each other? Others may see this differently, but this is not the book or series for me.
November 29, 2018
Historical English romance with a newly arrived American titled fellow who needs to be married off to someone English to teach him how to integrate into 'ton' society.
Lord Jason Beaumont has inherited lots of land and the title, Earl of Falconridge and he quickly falls for Miss Rachel Fairchild with a series of meetings where there are lots of miscommunication.
Total fluff romance which is not deeply researched like some famous authors, but still a cute free read with some amusing dialogue.
353 pages and kindle freebie
2 stars
Lord Jason Beaumont has inherited lots of land and the title, Earl of Falconridge and he quickly falls for Miss Rachel Fairchild with a series of meetings where there are lots of miscommunication.
Total fluff romance which is not deeply researched like some famous authors, but still a cute free read with some amusing dialogue.
353 pages and kindle freebie
2 stars
January 19, 2019
Excellent!
I’ve enjoyed reading Rachel and Jason’s story. It was a pleasant surprise to read about an English woman, who in her own right is strong, resourceful and passionate. Mr. Beamount a yankee privateer is as stubborn as the day is long. He has fallen in love with Rachel; yet he earns to go back on the high seas looking for adventure when he has already found it in Rachel.
I’ve enjoyed reading Rachel and Jason’s story. It was a pleasant surprise to read about an English woman, who in her own right is strong, resourceful and passionate. Mr. Beamount a yankee privateer is as stubborn as the day is long. He has fallen in love with Rachel; yet he earns to go back on the high seas looking for adventure when he has already found it in Rachel.
April 9, 2019
Jason Beaumont was raised American and was a privateer until captured and her noble grandfather bailed him out and made him his heir. Rachel Fairchild runs the estate next door and is very happy to deal with the estate until she discovers her father and the Earl have decided Jason and Rachel should wed. As they work together to get out of the betrothal, they reluctantly discover an attraction, which is hindered by multiple attempts on Jason's life. Eventually, all works out.
July 23, 2019
A good read.
Jason and Rachel have chemistry and good banter. Rachel is strong and independent. They have a rocky relationship. Several attempts are made in Jason's life. My biggest complaint is how stupid Jason is with handling this. For a privateer, he does some really stupid things. Rachel is better at planning and preparing in case someone is going to attempt murdering Jason.
Jason and Rachel have chemistry and good banter. Rachel is strong and independent. They have a rocky relationship. Several attempts are made in Jason's life. My biggest complaint is how stupid Jason is with handling this. For a privateer, he does some really stupid things. Rachel is better at planning and preparing in case someone is going to attempt murdering Jason.
August 8, 2022
The family of Jason Beaumont and the family of Rachel Fairchild are trying to force this young couple to marry. Jason and Rachel agree to work together to fight against the betrothal, as well as fight against their own treacherous bodies. Oh, and someone is trying to kill Jason. This was an okay read. I liked the characters and thought they had some good chemistry together. Rachel was a surprising source of new and inventive curses. I would read another Shirl Henke book.
October 10, 2018
Wonderful story! Enjoy!
I enjoyed reading the Yankee Earl. This book is a happy, funny read.
It made me laugh, I loved the characters.
Exspecially Fox, Jason, and Rachel.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a funny, happy story, With characters that will still your heart.
Thank you! ❤️
I enjoyed reading the Yankee Earl. This book is a happy, funny read.
It made me laugh, I loved the characters.
Exspecially Fox, Jason, and Rachel.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a funny, happy story, With characters that will still your heart.
Thank you! ❤️
December 11, 2018
An American becomes heir to an earldom and has to learn the ways of the aristocracy in this charming historical romance. It was fun to switch up roles and have the American heir be a male this time and watch him swim in unchartered waters as he assumes the role of nobleman. Fortunately, the heroine is there to guide him. Naturally, sparks fly and they end up falling in love.
May 23, 2023
A Good Story
I enjoyed this story. Two headstrong characters are fighting to avoid a marriage of convenience. However, someone is trying to kill them. There are numerous dangerous moments. Will Rachel and Jason discover who is threatening their lives? Will they be able to settle their differences? Read on and enjoy.
I enjoyed this story. Two headstrong characters are fighting to avoid a marriage of convenience. However, someone is trying to kill them. There are numerous dangerous moments. Will Rachel and Jason discover who is threatening their lives? Will they be able to settle their differences? Read on and enjoy.
October 9, 2018
Fun read!
A Yankee Earl and a lady of the ton shouldn't get along at all. And Jason and Rachel are like gunpowder and fire whenever they chance to meet.
Who would have guessed that they would fall in love?
A Yankee Earl and a lady of the ton shouldn't get along at all. And Jason and Rachel are like gunpowder and fire whenever they chance to meet.
Who would have guessed that they would fall in love?
October 13, 2018
Loved it
I have read of American relatives who were to inherit, but none with as well written a story as this was.
Believable, twists and turns and treachery. Great read! Two thumbs up!!
I have read of American relatives who were to inherit, but none with as well written a story as this was.
Believable, twists and turns and treachery. Great read! Two thumbs up!!
October 14, 2018
Great!
Wow what a page turner! Filled with romance and adventure this book was a delight! It also has a great twist in the story. It was very surprising. I lol forward to the next book.
Wow what a page turner! Filled with romance and adventure this book was a delight! It also has a great twist in the story. It was very surprising. I lol forward to the next book.
October 14, 2018
A couple of fathers decided when and who the two should marry
It was pure blackmail for him and her. She had a little more time to accept the ineveitable. Lots of twists and turns. I didn't expect the the to be R rated but that can be easily skipped
It was pure blackmail for him and her. She had a little more time to accept the ineveitable. Lots of twists and turns. I didn't expect the the to be R rated but that can be easily skipped
October 22, 2018
Nice read
Enjoyed the book. It had a surprise ending to the mystery of who was trying to kill Jadon. St least I was surprised at the villains.
Nice make x f suspense , mystery and romance. Enjo how all the characters were portrayed also
Enjoyed the book. It had a surprise ending to the mystery of who was trying to kill Jadon. St least I was surprised at the villains.
Nice make x f suspense , mystery and romance. Enjo how all the characters were portrayed also
October 28, 2018
Good story line
I enjoyed the characters and suspense of this story. I was surprised by the ending, it was not the villian that I thought it was. The fighting was a little over the edge, but still a good solid story.
I enjoyed the characters and suspense of this story. I was surprised by the ending, it was not the villian that I thought it was. The fighting was a little over the edge, but still a good solid story.
November 16, 2018
Exciting
A great adventure and a wonderful idea for this series of books! American men who inherit titles. What fun and an unlikely count as adds to the fun! Love Fox! Great character! Good read!
A great adventure and a wonderful idea for this series of books! American men who inherit titles. What fun and an unlikely count as adds to the fun! Love Fox! Great character! Good read!
January 8, 2019
Jason
A rebel by nature, and the grandson of an English Lord, Jason makes a devil's bargain in the name of loyalty. What he doesn't know is that his neighbor, Rachel, is a part of that bargain. Will either of them live to tell the tale?
A rebel by nature, and the grandson of an English Lord, Jason makes a devil's bargain in the name of loyalty. What he doesn't know is that his neighbor, Rachel, is a part of that bargain. Will either of them live to tell the tale?
January 22, 2019
Wonderful
An amazing story. Full of passion, romance, adventure and my favourite, a strong headed heroine. The struggles between the hero and heroine was absolutely fun at times and drew me in..Definitely recommend!
An amazing story. Full of passion, romance, adventure and my favourite, a strong headed heroine. The struggles between the hero and heroine was absolutely fun at times and drew me in..Definitely recommend!
November 24, 2020
Pirate or Lord, which is it to be?
What an exciting read this was. It kept you glued to the pages until the very end. You may have thought you knew who the evil one was just this story has lots of surprises. Great story!
What an exciting read this was. It kept you glued to the pages until the very end. You may have thought you knew who the evil one was just this story has lots of surprises. Great story!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews