I received an ARC of How to Catch an Errant Earl from Netgalley and the author, Amy Rose Bennett. This author is spectacular. I love the wit and humor she brings to her characters. Arabella Jardine, a bespectacled young lady who knows a lot about being a doctor and Gabriel Holmes Fitzgerald, an Earl trying to prove his legitimacy meet accidentally and are thrown together in a marriage of convenience. Amy Rose Bennett made me grin, made me tear up and brought me into the fairytale romance and I could clearly see everything she was describing. Fantastic story!

When forced to a marriage of convenience, can they find a way to the heart of the other or is their union already doomed ...

So here is the sequel of How To Catch A Wicked Viscount, I wondered how Arabella and Gabriel would meet.
They were both introduced this the first installment and while Gabriel was portrayed as a roguish rake never able to stop his profligate way even when he risks to be caught, and he is still at the beginning of the story. While Arabella is still the Bluestocking with medical knowledge from the first book.
Gabriel, despite his dissolute path is a kind man. He might have strayed on the sins road but he had known nothing else thanks to his awful devoid of care father.
When he kissed Arabella, he could have turned his bad and left, but he stayed and promised not to be faithful but to always be honest and to never keep secrets from her.
Which is an admirable trait, and whatever his past, he accepted Arabella’s every demands when as her husband, he could have done as he pleased, having every rights to listen only to his needs.
I do think I loved him even more than Arabella. Even if he does not recognize the signs, from their first encounter, he was smitten by her and wooed her immediately. He listens to her, shares his secrets and predicaments, tries to please her, and never belittles nor disregards her for her opinions and projects.
He is the best husband she could have wished, he might have flaws, he redeems himself by his deeds.
Arabella is a lovely woman with grand ideas and knowledges but in many ways she is also very naive and demanding. Hopefully she finds herself wed to such an awesome and accommodating man.
Her main problem was her lack of faith in her own worth, still when people are hurt, she jumps in and shows she is to be relied upon. But outside medical fields, she is unable to believe she can attract anyone eyes. Why at time her own lack of faith in Gabriel grated as not once did he do something to cause her to doubt his words. She was the root of her many struggles.
Their romance is sweet and mostly it was Gabriel who reaches out to her, he is opens and despite his mistakes, never shies away from a discussion nor to say the truth.
4.5 stars.
Mrs Amy Rose Bennett delivers a sexy and sweet journey to the heart of two people who do not know their own value.

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Berkley through Netgalley, but prior to it I had my own preordered. Here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2020/04/22/how-to-catch-an-errant-earl-by-amy-rose-bennett)


My Rating:  3.5 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library historical romance collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story. 


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Number of titles I have read by this author: 2

Love story speed: Medium burn, overall

Relationship dynamics: The Libertine Earl (H) / The Scottish Bluestocking Orphan (h)

Sexual content: Some; both “on-screen” and explicit

Triggers: Sexual manipulation (of H by h); laudanum addiction (H and supporting character)

Grammar/Editing: My ARC had a number of typos.

Review: This fast-paced novel is set in 1818 England and Europe and seems, on the whole, to be fairly well-researched. The author makes liberal use of the forced marriage plot as well as the forced celibacy trope, which is used to artificially extend the plot beyond what was strictly necessary. This is in contrast to the first book in the series (see my review here: https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2019/08/02/how-to-catch-a-wicked-viscount-by-amy-rose-bennett/), in which the author was much less heavy-handed. 

The main characters of this novel are Arabella and Gabriel. Gabriel, while a noted libertine, is also an artist and is remarkably honourable and patient. He insists on complete honesty within their relationship, which is something I enjoy. Arabella, while incredibly intelligent, is hyper-suspicious. Her self-doubt and lack of trust are both frustrating and infuriating.  Their romance could have been a lot more engaging for me if she had been less insecure and, quite frankly, manipulative. The supporting characters are mostly from the previous book. The male characters are physically distinguishable in this book, but are otherwise fairly similarly described. For that reason, I would recommend reading this series in order, as they are better introduced in the first book. The women enjoy better ongoing development. I suspect that this is mostly because they are the unifying element of the series.

The sneak peak for the next book is actually what has convinced me to continue with the series, hence the 3.5 star review. 

Indecisive Flower Petal version: He loves me not, he might care for me, he loves me not, what if he loves someone else, he loves me not, he might care for me...




Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I could not stop reading it but it was kind of meh writing and characters overall. A lot of it was just stilted dialogue as the main problem, I think. It could have been more fun and energetic. I would still probably be willing to read the next one to find out what happens to the other disreputable debutantes.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This novel says nothing new and takes a long time to say it. Rake accidentally ruins ordinary young intelligent woman who is gorgeous once she takes those glasses off, tells her he'll never change his ways even though it is clear his feelings for her differ from those he's had for any other woman, they are violently sexually attracted to each other - and yet. And yet, once they are married and have consummated the marriage, she refuses to have sex with him. *eye-roll* AND YET she also wants him to promise not to have sex with any other woman because he might catch something and eventually she WILL have sex with him, just often enough to produce an heir.
*eye-roll eye-roll eye-roll*

"If she were truly honest with herself, she'd admit she already missed his flirting - how it caused her pulse to race and made her think she might be special to him in some way, even when she wasn't. She was such a contrary fool." (p. 143 of the e-ARC)

YES SHE IS A CONTRARY FOOL. I patently disliked the heroine for much of the book because she is such a ninny.

This book is well crafted enough, but it is nothing remarkable. I'm not interested in reading more books in the series. I read an advance reader copy of How to Catch an Errant Earl from Netgalley.

I liked the two main characters in this book but I felt like there wasn't enough development of their love. I definitely believed they lusted after each other and there was a lot of telling about feelings but not a lot of showing. It felt like they just jumped from mutual attraction straight to love with nothing in between. Overall the book was okay for me, I'd read other things by this author but probably not the other books in this series.

The Bluestocking tames the Rake in a very entertaining way. Found by her family in a compromising position, Arabella and Gabriel agree to marry shortly after the book begins. What follows is the two of them getting to know and trust each other. Arabella wants to start charitable hospitals and an orphanage while Gabriel must prove he is the true Earl so his Evil cousin doesn’t take his title and lands. Can she trust a rake can change? Will he overcome his demons to trust his heart?