How to Catch an Errant Earl
(The Disreputable Debutantes #2)
By Amy Rose Bennett
A debutante with a scandalous past is whisked away from London only to create new headlines on the Continent.
After being expelled from a young ladies’ academy, it seems Miss Arabella Jardine will never find a well-connected husband. Not that she minds. A bluestocking at heart, she’d rather bury her nose in a medical text than wed. When Arabella is forced to accompany her family on a Grand Tour in Switzerland, she unexpectedly encounters the irresistible rakehell-in-exile, Gabriel, the Earl of Langdale. Arabella soon realizes the only thing worse than getting married to a charismatic but unrepentant rake would be to fall in love with him.
Dubbed the Errant Earl by the ton, Gabriel Holmes-Fitzgerald is no stranger to scandal. However, when Gabriel is caught in flagrante with the utterly delectable Arabella Jardine, he’s obliged to offer for her hand. He’ll endeavor to do the right thing even though he’s not a prize catch. He’ll certainly never let Arabella get close enough to discover the demons of his dark past. Indeed, there is one particular demon out to destroy Gabriel by exposing a long-buried family secret.
Soon Gabriel and Arabella find they are not just battling overwhelming desire, but in a fight to save their future together.
After being expelled from a young ladies’ academy, it seems Miss Arabella Jardine will never find a well-connected husband. Not that she minds. A bluestocking at heart, she’d rather bury her nose in a medical text than wed. When Arabella is forced to accompany her family on a Grand Tour in Switzerland, she unexpectedly encounters the irresistible rakehell-in-exile, Gabriel, the Earl of Langdale. Arabella soon realizes the only thing worse than getting married to a charismatic but unrepentant rake would be to fall in love with him.
Dubbed the Errant Earl by the ton, Gabriel Holmes-Fitzgerald is no stranger to scandal. However, when Gabriel is caught in flagrante with the utterly delectable Arabella Jardine, he’s obliged to offer for her hand. He’ll endeavor to do the right thing even though he’s not a prize catch. He’ll certainly never let Arabella get close enough to discover the demons of his dark past. Indeed, there is one particular demon out to destroy Gabriel by exposing a long-buried family secret.
Soon Gabriel and Arabella find they are not just battling overwhelming desire, but in a fight to save their future together.
"I must warn you, Miss Jardine," he said in a voice that was almost a purr. "I'm a man prone to acting on impulse, and I'm sorely tempted to kiss you right now…"
Arabella really shouldn't. Gabriel Holmes-Fitzgerald, Earl of Langdale, is a notorious rake. But the way he was looking at her — no one had ever looked at her that way before. And it was not as if her reputation was as spotless as newly fallen snow, she had, after all, been expelled from Mrs. Rathbone's Academy three years previous, and it wasn't as if the Earl of Langdale was Lord Byron. It would just be one little kiss, and no one would know. It would be their secret, forever…
From a chance meeting in the dungeons of Château de Chillon to the proclamation of true love, How to Catch an Errant Earl (The Disreputable Debutantes #2) by Amy Rose Bennett is the emotionally charged story of two very lonely souls discovering love when they least expected it.
One of my favourite Regency Romance authors is back with another passionate tale of love, heartache, danger, romance, and desire. Bennett is an author that keeps on giving. Her stories are always richly detailed with dashing heroes that a reader can fall in love with, and feisty heroines that one cannot help but admire. How to Catch an Errant Earl is everything I expected it to be, and then some.
With an enthrallingly sensual narrative, and a story that is as impressive in its sweep as in its brilliance, How to Catch an Errant Earl has a lot to recommend it. This book swept me away with its emotional love scenes, and its message that love, with the right person, is enduring, and happy endings can and do happen.
Miss Arabella Jardine is a young woman who is forced to hide her dreams. Her willful and spirited personality is tempered by her demanding and insulting aunt, who despises her. Arabella's treatment by her family is beyond cruel, and how she puts up with her vile aunt without losing her temper is a mystery. However, despite her past and current situation, Arabella is a compassionate and caring woman who is passionate about improving the conditions of orphaned and abandoned children. She is determined to help in any way she can. Her interest and understanding of medicine, thanks to her grandfather, also does not help with her domestic situation, for such interests are unseemly. It isn't until Arabella meets Gabriel that she begins to think about her own wants. I adored Arabella. She is intelligent, quick to smile, more than a match for Gabriel, and she is also this wonderful, passionate woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind, except when she is in her aunt's company — then she behaves submissively, but then you would when such abuse is unrelenting. Her depiction is superb. Kudos Ms Bennett.
Gabriel is a dashing rogue, who leaves a trail of broken hearts behind him. Women fall over themselves to be with him, and I can see why. Bennett has certainly depicted a swoon-worthy hero. However, Arabella is not like the other women he has been in a relationship with before. He is drawn towards her like a moth is to a flame. He initially passes it off as lust, having never been in love. However, he soon discovers that what he feels isn't just lust because he wants to know her — her thoughts, her feelings, what she likes, what she doesn’t. He cares about what happens to her. Gabriel’s life, despite his wealth and position, is not what it appears. A scandal, and not just because of his many passionate liaisons, threatens to destroy his reputation beyond salvation. He is unfailingly honest with Arabella about what the consequences could mean for her, and I think that is one of the reasons why I liked him so much. He is a rake, but he is an honest one. Gabriel is in all ways a contradiction. He never promises his lovers anything, until he meets Arabella, and then his promises take a significance that will change the course of his life. Bennett has portrayed a man who is scared of commitment, who is terrified that if he should love, then it will be thrown back in his face. His backstory is utterly heartrending, and it goes some way to explain why he does what he does. I thought his depiction was absolutely fabulous. Gabriel really drove this story forward, and I so enjoyed reading about him.
Bennett evokes a strong sense of time and place in this novel. The depiction of the Château de Chillon was sublime, and one could understand through Bennett's portrayal why the castle attracted so many romance writers in the 19th century, including, of course, the notorious Lord Byron!
There was nothing about this book I did not love. I was enchanted from the opening sentence to the last full stop. How to Catch an Errant Earl (The Disreputable Debutantes #2) by Amy Rose Bennett is a beautiful Regency Romance, and it is a book that I could happily read over and over again.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
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How to Catch an Errant Earl
Amy Rose Bennett
Amy Rose Bennett is an Australian author who has a passion for penning emotion-packed historical romances. Of course, her strong-willed heroines and rakish heroes always find their happily ever after.
A former speech pathologist, Amy is happily married to her very own romantic hero and has two lovely, very accomplished adult daughters. When she’s not creating stories, Amy loves to cook up a storm in the kitchen, lose herself in a good book or a witty rom-com, and when she can afford it, travel to all the places she writes about.
A former speech pathologist, Amy is happily married to her very own romantic hero and has two lovely, very accomplished adult daughters. When she’s not creating stories, Amy loves to cook up a storm in the kitchen, lose herself in a good book or a witty rom-com, and when she can afford it, travel to all the places she writes about.
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Take Care,
Mary Anne xxx