Earl Crush
Ratings6
Average rating4.3
A reclusive earl’s life is turned upside down when a stranger shows up on his doorstep with an astonishing proposal—and an inconvenient connection to espionage.
For three years, wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace has anonymously penned seditious pamphlets. And for almost as long, she’s corresponded with the Earl of Strathrannoch, whose political ambition is matched only by his charm. When Arthur’s latest letter reveals his dire financial straits, Lydia sets out for Scotland to offer him the only salvation she can think of—a marriage of convenience. To, um, herself.
Unfortunately, the Earl of Strathrannoch has no idea who she is.
When a bewitching redheaded stranger offers him her hand in marriage, Arthur Baird is stunned—but when he learns that his traitorous brother has been writing to her under Arthur’s name, he’s bloody furious. He’s content to live alone in his moldering castle, and he has no desire for a provocative, radical wife. (Or at least, he shouldn’t.)
But Arthur is desperate to track down his brother, who’s become dangerously entangled in British espionage, and he needs Lydia’s help. What he doesn’t need? The attraction that burns hotter each moment they spend together. As Lydia slips past his defenses and his brother’s mysterious past becomes a very present threat, Arthur will have to risk everything to keep her safe—even his heart.
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2 primary books#2 in Belvoir's Lending Library
Belvoir's Lending Library is a 2-book series with 2 released primary works first released in 2024 with contributions by Alexandra Vasti. 1 book is still to be released. The next book is scheduled for release on .
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Having received an arc of this book through netgalley, I found myself immediately intrigued by the synopsis having not read any of the authors previous books.
The story quickly took off with likable protagonist whose romance quickly had my attention and I found myself reading til the end craving the happy ending for them. Lydia, the female protagonist was able to stand on her own two feet with an adventurous spirit with an partner whom matched her with wit and spirit.
The history seemed well researched but also written enough for it not to take away from the novel, I would definitely recommend this book to other historical romance readers and look forward to reading other works by this author
4.25/5
I loved this book although so many crucial moments were written from Arthur's point of view. I would have loved to hear from Lydia instead.
Every time they were intimate, it was from Arthur's point of view, every single big and small thing was from his point of view. And when Davis proposed, it cut off and went straight to Arthur again, how he felt about this etc.
This is one scene I would have loved to see Lydia's feelings - we never see what happened next. Did she tell him she's married to his brother instead? Did she tell him she's in love with Arthur? Did Jasper? How did she feel about it? A few weeks earlier she would have said yes, but what was her thought process now??? And later? Everyone acted like that never happened even though it must have been extremely awkward for all of them. Just... The book missed this because I feel like it hasn't been resolved.
Other than that, I loved the book so much, it was amazing. I loved Lydia and Arthur and the epilogue was so cute too. I love the fake dating trope and it was done excellently!
I was genuinely confused at the start of the book when Lydia arrived at Strathrannoch. The story progresses with a couple of twists about Davis, Arthur's younger brother, and it kept the story line interesting. Arthur and Lydia have a lot of chemistry and I feel like this book was much spicier than the first in the series. I thought the continuation of the story following this group of intelligent, outspoken (for the time) women was well done and I'm looking forward to the next.
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