#Review: HOW TO CATCH AN ERRANT EARL by Amy Rose Bennett

3 of 5 stars

   

Gabriel Holmes-Fitzgerald, Earl of Langdale, a known rake has a bigger problem than a furious cockolded husband. His hot-tempered cousin is planning on challenging his right to the earldom based on flimsy evidence that his parents did not have a lawful marriage. Now Gabriel is on the hunt for his mother who he'd not seen for more than two decades. His search takes him to Switzerland where he runs across blue-stocking Arabella Jardine. While trying to deliver a letter to Arabella, he is caught in a violent storm and when his horse throws him not far from the villa where she is staying, Arabella is the one who sets his dislocated shoulder. Impressed with her medical skills, Gabriel kisses her and is soon caught by Arabella's strict aunt. Will he do the honorable thing and marry her?

It seems that challenging legitimacy of a title seems to be a popular trope these days. This is the third book I've read with this issue. I was hoping that there would be some witty banter between Gabriel and Arabella, but that's not the case in this book. As soon as Gabriel kisses Arabella, she becomes unable to form a coherent sentence. I also wasn't fond of Arabella and what she does to Gabriel once they marry. The constant back and forth in her resolve was annoying. I did like the mystery of trying to find Gabriel's mother, but it wasn't enough to carry the book to 4 stars.

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

Blurb:

After being expelled from a young ladies' academy, a disgraced Miss Arabella Jardine is whisked away to the Continent until the controversy in London subsides. However, it doesn't take long for Arabella to shock her family all over again when an encounter in Switzerland with the irresistible rakehell-in-exile Earl of Langdale leads to a compromising situation. Despite his wicked reputation, Lord Langdale is the sort of man she has dreamed of marrying.

When Gabriel Holmes-Fitzgerald is caught in flagrante delicto with the apparently prim and proper Miss Arabella Jardine, he's obliged to offer for the young lady's hand. Unprincipled cad that he is, Gabriel is no stranger to scandal. He'll do the right thing and wed Arabella, although he secretly despairs his tainted soul will corrupt and ultimately destroy her.

When Arabella's life is unexpectedly threatened by an unscrupulous enemy from the past, one thing becomes crystal clear to Gabriel: the worst torment of all will be losing the woman he loves. And he would do anything, even sell his soul to the Devil himself, to save her.

Amy Rose Bennett has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. As she is an avid reader with a particular love for historical romance, it seemed only natural to write stories in her favorite genre. She has a passion for creating emotion-packed--and sometimes a little racy--stories set in the Georgian and Regency periods. Of course, her strong-willed heroines and rakish heroes always find their happily ever after.

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