New Release Review
Earl Crush
by Alexandra Vasti
Historical Romance
Regency 1818 Scottish lowlands and London
This Regency rom-com features an heiress with crippling social anxiety who has been secretly writing seditious pamphlets and corresponding with a reclusive Earl in the lowlands of Scotland. When the Earl hints that his castle is in danger and he lacks the funds to keep it running, she and her good friend decide to travel from London to offer a solution to both their problems. The proposal is a marriage of convenience, which will provide him with the necessary funds to restore his castle and grant her the freedom afforded to a married woman of that time.
Though Lydia does not expect this man to be the Earl, she feels instantly attracted to Arthur. Nevertheless, Lydia is determined to ignore this feeling and focus on returning to London to leave behind this humiliating episode.
When Arthur discovers that his deceitful brother not only had been stringing Lydia along for the last three years, and has stolen the prototype of a potentially dangerous weapon while playing footsie with Bonapartists, he convinces Lydia to go on a quest to find Davis and put a stop to whatever shenanigans he’s up to.
The story is filled with plenty of action and intrigue, along with the clever humor and wit I've come to appreciate from this author. As a steamy romantic comedy, it features at least three on-page, open-door intimate scenes, some heavy petting, and one fade-to-black scene.
The supporting cast features some familiar characters. Selina, the Duchess of Stanhope, makes a brief appearance, and Lady Georgiana, who convincingly played a ditzy blonde in the first book, returns with her little dog, Bacon, which was rescued from the Thames. We also learn more about Lydia's loving family of older brothers; the Earl has created a refuge for his chosen family at his Lowland castle. Could there be a prequel in the works for Bertie and Huw? This large cast does not clutter the storyline but enriches the world the author is developing in the Vasti-verse.
The story is narrated in the third person past tense, alternating perspectives between the main characters.
The featured tropes
only one bed
fake marriage
love through letters
road trip
found family
It is the second book of a planned trilogy, but somebody could read it as a standalone.
The first book was a little slow for me to get into; it wasn’t until I listened to the audiobook that I could engage with the characters. This book had me right from the beginning and was a pretty quick read. The author’s notes were well researched and informative, as well as entertaining.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Net Galley; the opinions are my own.