#Review: DEFYING THE EARL by Erica Ridley

 

 5 of 5 stars

Titus Noble, the Earl of Gilbourne, despises the ton and only leaves his townhouse for his duties in Parliament. He follows the rules to the letter, and his schedule remains exactly the same every day, just the way he likes it. When his aunt dumps a young woman, Matilda Dodd, off and announces that Titus is now her guardian, at least for the next 3 weeks until she reaches her majority and becomes an heiress. Matilda is fascinated with the stoic earl, and not even his facial scars dampen the respect and admiration she feels for him. At every turn, Titus pushes her away, but Matilda only grows fonder of him. How can he marry off his ward when his heart cries out to keep her for himself?

This was a delightful story of two damaged people who lost loved ones in the most horrific ways. I loved Matilda. She is a breath of fresh air as well as kind to everyone, even to this Season's diamond, who goes out of her way to insult Matilda for her humble background. Titus breaks his rigid schedule to help launch Matilda into Society, and she appreciates it so much, especially because she knows Titus is uncomfortable out in public. Titus's story is tragic, and he's been blaming himself for his family's carriage accident. That Matilda can pierce his armor and get him to smile was such a success. It takes most of the book before Titus realizes he's the one who has been holding himself so rigid and aloof from everyone. Even though he glares at everyone throughout the book, when it comes to Matilda, he does everything in his power to make her smile. That was such a wonderful quality. I loved that these two finally got their HEA! I'm looking forward to reading more stories in this series. They are delightful reads!

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