Blurb
In this delightful box set, after an earl cheats on his betrothed a duke offers to save the young woman with a marriage of convenience, not realizing she may be the perfect woman to heal his broken heart. And, after unexpectedly losing his bride to a higher-ranking peer, can the earl find a way to redeem himself if he were to meet the right woman?
Book One: The Duke Wins a Bride
Her betrothed cheated on her. The duke offers to save her. Can a marriage of convenience turn into true love? In this steamy historical romance, a sheltered baron’s daughter and a celebrated duke agree on a marriage of convenience, but he has a secret that may ruin it all.
She is desperate to escape …
When Miss Annabel Ridley learns her betrothed has been unfaithful, she knows she must cancel the wedding. The problem is no one else seems to agree with her, least of all her father. With her wedding day approaching, she must find a way to escape her doomed marriage. She seeks out the Duke of Halmesbury to request he intercede with her rakish betrothed to break it off before the wedding day.
He is ready to try again …
Widower Philip Markham has decided it is time to search for a new wife. He hopes to find a bold bride to avoid the mistakes of his past. Fate seems to be favoring him when he finds a captivating young woman in his study begging for his help to disengage from a despised figure from his past. He astonishes her with a proposal of his own—a marriage of convenience to suit them both. If she accepts, he resolves to never reveal the truth of his past lest it ruin their chances of possibly finding love.
Book Two: To Redeem an Earl
A cynical debutante. A scandalous earl. Can they open their hearts to love or will the mistakes of his past destroy their future? In this steamy historical romance, a cynical debutante and a scandalous earl find themselves entangled in an undeniable attraction. Will they open their hearts to love or will his past destroy their future together?
She has vowed she will never marry …
Miss Sophia Hayward knows all about men and their immoral behavior. She has watched her father and older brother behave like reckless fools her entire life. All she wants is to avoid marriage to a lord until she reaches her majority because she has plans which do not include a husband. Until she meets the one peer who will not take a hint.
He must have her …
Lord Richard Balfour has engaged in many disgraceful activities with the women of his past. He has no regrets until he encounters a cheeky debutante who makes him want to be a better man. Only problem is, he has a lot of bad behavior to make amends for if he is ever going to persuade Sophia to take him seriously. Will he learn to be a better man before his mistakes catch up with him and ruin their chance at true love?
Review
“The Duke Wins a Bride”
In book one of the Inconvenient Brides series, Miss Annabel Ridley catches her fiancé in a compromising position with the maid and demands that the wedding be called off. Her fiancé, the Earl of Saunton, as well as her neglectful father refuse. With no other choice, she asks the earl’s estranged cousin for help.
The widowed Duke of Halmesbury, Philip Markham, is in search of a wife, and the daring, intelligent Annabel proves to be exactly the type he’s looking for.
I don’t read marriage of convenience stories often. I enjoyed this one, but I had trouble connecting with the H/h (she had low self-esteem issues, and he was more fixated on bedding her than communicating with her). Also, there was the age gap discrepancy. He was 30, and she was 19. However, I did appreciate Annabel’s determination to secure a happy future for herself, and I respected Philip for his charitable efforts and the kind way he treated his staff.
Ms. Jarrett’s writing style is easy to follow, and she’s certainly done her homework in how to describe the gowns, scenery, etc, of the Regency period. I’m eager to read the next book. It’s the earl’s story, and I can’t wait to find out how he redeems himself.
3.5 Stars
“To Redeem an Earl”
In book two of the Inconvenient Brides series, the Earl of Saunton, Richard Balfour, is searching for a strong-willed, intelligent wife among the dull, insipid debutantes of London. Then he meets Miss Sophia Hayward. After he overhears her disparaging his character with a surprisingly sharp tongue, he realizes he’s the worst sort of man and wants to make some serious changes in his life.
Sophia doesn’t want to marry, so she does her best to scare off her potential suitors, including the dashing earl who’s womanizing, philandering reputation does him no favors. But then her life is threatened, and the earl proves to be the perfect ally.
WOW! I loved this book. I normally don’t like the trope of a woman convincing a cheating man to mend his ways, but it worked fabulously in this case. Deep in his heart, Richard was ready to improve his life and make amends to those he had grievously hurt, but he needed Sophia’s push to do so. They fit well together, and since he wanted to be faithful to her and actively remained so, I rooted for their relationship. I hate cheating in a romance book, and this book didn’t have any.
The mystery revolving around the person who was targeting the Balfour household was intriguing. Although I’d guessed early on who the culprit was, I enjoyed how Sophia, Richard, his brother Perry, his cousin Philip, and the other characters went about to find the blackguard.
The pacing was fast, and the sex scenes steamy. My attention was glued to the page.
It was great to see Philip and Annabel again (the couple from book 1), and Perry’s book is set up in the Epilogue. Stay tuned for that review.
Readers of redemption stories should love To Redeem an Earl. It’s a heartfelt read with flawed, likable characters that stand up in the face of adversity. Highly recommended!
5 Stars
— I’d love to know what you think of the book or my review. Please comment below.