What Guy and Abigail went through as children was horrible. Most adults would be bitter, but it just made them stronger.
Attracted to the Earl, was a joy to read.

2.5☆

What I liked:
The writing style
Most of the characters
Part of a series: Imperfect Lords
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading more from this author.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book started out hot right away, and I was actually looking forward to reading the bonkbuster,, but the heat sizzles out and drags for the majority of the book. By the time the couple reconnected, the fire is pretty much gone out

I can’t decide between a 4 or 5. The dilemma is that despite being one of my favorite authors Bronwen Evans is a problematic author for me. On one hand I absolutely love her books. The stories are always romantic with a good dose of danger and mystery. The MC’s are always perfect for each other and I am always desperate for the next book in the series.
On the other hand her hero’s are always huge rakes and there are always sex scenes with other women ( usually before meeting the heroine). I hate scenes with OW since these are supposed to be romance books. Luckily her books are so good that I am able to overlook these scenes. Her hero’s are honorable and good men and that helps.

So what I didn’t like:
• the scene at the beginning with widowed Lady whatshername. I honestly can’t remember because she was never brought up again. This was completely unnecessary. It served no purpose whatsoever. This book did not need that extra sex scene. I would expect that if I was reading smut and I do read it on occasion. I just feel that romance novels don’t need these cheap, contrived sex scenes with OW, they are better than that.
• I thought the romance moved a little too fast. I would have liked the hero and heroine to spend more time together getting to know each other while looking for the ghost orchid.
• things resolved themselves rather quickly and neatly. I would have liked to see them work together to resolve things. I also would have liked to see Abigail and Guy’s mother work things out.

What I did like:
• the heroine wasn’t a virgin!! And not only was the heroine not a virgin but she had taken lovers and enjoyed sex!!! We don’t see that enough in historical romance and I understand it’s the time these authors are writing about, but I am so sick of the rake and the virgin stories. Give me an ex prostitute for a heroine any day.
• the story itself! This was a great storyline. I absolutely loved it. I love that they had both been through so much yet came out stronger on the other side. They also realized that love could help them heal. It may not sound like it after the ranting but I really loved this book.

So I guess I’m going to go 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Safety: after the one scene in the first chapter there are no safety issues.

This novel focuses on those who struggle with disabilities and how society views those that are affected by one’s past. The sins of the father or mother carry on to their children, who are judged by it. Society is cruel to those who struggle with hardships.
Abigail Pinehurst Arrives at the Earl or Argyle’s estate to search for and draw a rare flower. Abigail has much on her shoulders, it doesn’t let it bring her down. Guy Neville, the current earl, cannot read or write. A war hero and intelligent, Guy has help from the one person he trusts. However, his cousin wants the title for himself and plans to discover Guy’s secrets. Abigail and Guy are instantly attracted to each other but are afraid to tell the other of their secrets due to judgements of society. When the stakes become higher, they need to trust in love that was developed between them. Loving someone despite their faults or disabilities is a sign of true sign of love and acceptance.

The storyline according to the description seemed interesting enough. I will be honest and say that it was difficult for me to even read this book. I will try not to give too much spoilers and will stick to my major reasons for not fully appreciating this book.
There were some things in the book that put me off. Like, opening with a bedroom scene between the hero and his mistress even if the hero has not met the heroine. It is just not my idea of how I want to be introduced to a book and its main characters. Sure, there was more to the plot (a secret twist to the background of the heroine) than what was written in the description which other readers might find interesting. But for me it was sort of a trigger. It is an issue I have always struggled with whenever I read about it so I finally decided not to finish the book.
Since this is a new author for me I will have to check her other books so I can gain a better insight of her writing style.