The fourth book in the Wedded by Scandal series is titled When the Earl Met His Match. A story full of emotion and lots of drama. When the Earl Met His Match reminds me of an old school historical romance with heart-rending moments and steamy romance.

When the Earl Met His Match by Stacy Reid is book 4 in the Wedded by Scandal Series. This is the story of Phoebe Maitland and Hugh Winthrop. I have read the previous books which did add to my enjoyment of this one. But, I do feel you can make it a standalone book if you wish to do so. Phoebe had hope to marry for love but when she is betrayed she will settle on another path. Hugh is to be the next Earl of Albury and he moves forward to find a wife via the newspaper. When he starts a correspondence with Phoebe he becomes intrigued by her, but when he actually sees her he is taken by her beauty. But secrets are in place that make have to be revealed along with the past coming back into their lives. I am a really big fan of this author and her writing. So I would whole heartily recommend it and of course this series.

This was my first Stacy Reid book, but it definitely won’t be my last! I went into the book blind, and fell in love with it! Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes, so I was excited when I realized this book was a marriage of convenience. Neither main character is marrying for love, but that quickly changes when they start to have feelings for one another.

At the beginning of the book, the couple start communicating through letters before they even know who the other person is. I loved this aspect of the story, and felt like it added a lot to the background of the story a way that kept it interesting and fast paced for the reader. Once they meet in person, we quickly learn that Hugh is mute. Phoebe put a lot of effort into learning sign language so that they could communicate, and I loved that!

Hugh’s sister Caroline was a great addition to the book. I loved how she quickly bonded with Phoebe, and they had a sweet friendship. I really enjoyed the part she played at the end of the story too, which made everything work out with a happy ending! I am hoping the next book in the series is Caroline’s story! I can’t wait to read it!

5 stars
I received this book for free in return for an honest review.

This book is an intersting change from most historical romances. Our hero advertises for a wife in the paper and gets multiple responses. The one he is most interested in is a snarky reply from a woman who doesn't seem as interested in becoming his bride as arguing about why he is doing it.
Fast forward to a few letters, when a young woman shows up on his doorstep in Scotland. Seems like they both have a secret. She is pregnant and unmarried and he is mute and must write or sign his comments.
They marry for convenience but then the fun begins. While he is wary of having any feelings for a woman because of his mother's bad behavior she finds a way to worm her way into his life and finally into his heart.
This has truly been an interesting read with two very strong characters who despite their issues that could ruin them in the ton are strong enough to not let it destroy their relationship in the end.

I absolutely loved When the Earl Met His Match! Hugh Winthrop, the mysterious Earl of Albury, has never been part of London society due to nasty rumors about his true parentage. When he places an ad in the paper seeking
a wife, he strikes up an unlikely correspondence with Lady Phoebe Maitland, whose parents want to force her into a loveless marriage worthy of her station. Phoebe and Hugh are wonderful heroes, full of character and pluck, and I enjoyed reading their slowly building connection. But what made this romance so compelling is that Hugh has a speech disability and communicates through sign language. I've never come across a hero with a speech impairment in a romance novel, much less a regency era love story, and while I'm not a sensitivity reader, it seemed to me like Reid did a great job.

When Hugh Winthrop, the future Earl of Albury, decides to advertise for a wife in the London paper, the correspondence he receives from one woman, leaves him intrigued. When Lady Phoebe Maitland arrives on his doorstep asking him to marry her and to provide the attention she needs. Yet after they marry, Phoebe begins to understand how his past is preventing them from having a true marriage. Yet Phoebe’s own secrets threaten to destroy any chance of happiness that they may have.
The letters between Hugh and Phoebe reveal the chemistry between them, with their friendly but lively debates. When they finally meet, the attraction between them is evident and both characters are well described, with Phoebe’s strength and determination evident from their first meeting. Her relationship with Hugh’s family, further reveals the true character, one that Hugh falls in love with. Hugh is an interesting character and probably the most original that I have read of late. The complexity of their relationship is delivered effectively by Ms Reid, making for an interesting read.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

When the man she loves betrays her, Lady Phoebe Maitland and her parents are trying to force her to marry a man old enough to be her grandfather, she turns to the man she berated for advertising for a wife and asks him to save her and her unborn child.

Hugh Winthrop, Viscount Huxley and heir to the Earl of Albury, has a lot on his plate. His father is dying and expects Hugh to wed, but warns him never to love a woman, Hugh’s mother was never faithful to the earl and Hugh is most likely not his child, nor are his younger siblings, but the earl loved him without question and accepted him as his own – even though Hugh is a mute and has been since birth. Hugh decided to spare himself the inconvenience of a season and just advertise for a wife – his ad generated several plausible matches and an ongoing correspondence with Phoebe, who was outraged that Hugh would advertise for a wife. So when she shows up at his home and asks him to marry her – he has to check his emotions, he is wildly attracted to her and likes her, but his fathers warnings ring loud in his head – she will be just like his mother – unfaithful and inconsistent – but he figures if he expects her to behave that way and never loves her, it won’t matter.

They settle into a routine and when she gives birth to a daughter, he is thrilled, they grow even closer after the death of his father and Phoebe knows she is in love for the first time in her life, she knows that they agreed to a marriage of convenience, but now she has hope that they will have a love match. All the signs are pointing that way, but when Phoebe’s brother Richard interferes, thinking he is helping her, her dreams of HEA are crushed by Hugh’s indifference. Can Hugh let go of his pain and love her or is it too late?

Hmmm – this was an interesting book, well written, but filled with errors and inconsistencies – but to be completely fair, this is an ARC and may have been an uncorrected proof that will have the errors fixed before publication – it also featured a hero with an unusual disability – muteness – while this is not the first historical romance I have read with a mute hero – it is the first one where that disability didn’t seem to be a detriment to the hero – no worries of fathering mute children, no prejudices against his disability and no one seems to find it odd – which in a society that judged everyone for everything comes across as completely unbelievable – the fact that her mother was more concerned about rumors that he was not the earl’s biological son than the fact that he was a mute – just didn’t ring true. Hugh is a complex character with deep seated pain that he refuses to acknowledge, he thinks he can just turn off his emotions and therefore will never feel pain but Phoebe forces him to face the pain and take the risk that not every woman is like his faithless mother. The book has meddling, well intentioned family, steamy love scenes, abduction, an ex that won’t take “No” for an answer, a lot of angst, some heartbreak, some groveling and finally a HEA. I thought this was an OK” book, neither great nor bad, I didn’t love it or hate and while I wouldn’t read it again, I am not sorry I read it. This is the fourth book in the series, but they are loosely connected and can each be read as stand-alone titles.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher,*

Oh my. This was wonderful. I've never read a Stacy Reid book before and I am sad that I've not. I will definitely read her other works.

I loved Hugh and Phoebe. Hugh was loyal and protective and tender and just great...until he shut himself off from Phoebe. And then I wanted to smack him lol I loved Phoebe's heart and her determination.

While this is book 4, don't worry. It can be read as a stand alone and you will be like me and want to go back and read the previous ones in the

I am a sucker for a marriage of convenience trope, especially if it is the consequence of a little compromising situation. If you are like me, then you will love this one. Stacy Reid's brings you another enchanting read that combines both with When the Earl Met his Match (blissful sigh).
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When Lady Phoebe Maitland answers the Gentleman of Distinction and Wealth's advertisement for a wife, it is not to throw her hat in the game and be considered as a candidate, but rather to chastise him about his unromantic wife seeking endeavor. Alas, a misadventure later, Phoebe finds herself on the doorstep of the said gentleman, Hugh Winthrop, the future Earl of Albury propositions him into the sort of marriage of convenience she seemed so adamant against. Fear not, for when the two meet, their passions ignite, and what might have started as a business arrangement soon transforms into a fiery affair.
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I have never fallen so quickly in love with the hero before. Hugh was sweet, caring, sometimes oblivious, but endearingly so. He made the perfect match for Phoebe who albeit being a strong and confident woman, needed someone she could count on. Moreover, the chemistry between them leaped at you from the pages. This book was simply unputdownable and I was blissfully book happy for the entire read. Go read Phoebe and Hugh's story, you won't regret it.
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5/5 ~
#fridayinaprilbookreviews
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* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Thank you @entangled_publishing for this ARC.

I loved this book. Hugh and Phoebe were well-written characters, and their romance was difficult but tender. In spite of his hard-headedness at times, I loved Hugh’s kindness and the care he showed. to everyone. I loved Phoebe’s bravery and her refusal to meekly accept others’ dictates. This was a lovely story.

Oh My, I loved it. Hugh and Phoebe were the perfect pair. I liked the added mystery to the store. Good writing and a HEA.

A Curious Lady responds to the ad in the paper titled A Gentleman of Distinction And Wealth. He's looking for a wife. She's curious why. Their correspondence becomes a lifeline when she needs his help. Traveling to Scotland she hopes he wont turn her away. They both have secrets to share. Her hope is love will bind them together. Even though it's fate they're together, the Gentlemen has a wall around his heart. A real tear jerker I would rate more than five stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

I wanted to enjoy this, but I just didn't. First, let me just say there is good mute representation with one of the main characters not being able to speak. Everything else was lackluster. There are two tropes used that are some of my least favorite, one is miscommunication, and I won't say the other in case of spoilers. The dialogue is brutally stilted and feels so fake it's absurd. The cover made me think it was going to be steamy but, at least in the 52% I was able to read, there was not one steamy scene. It was a disappointment all around, and when the miscommunication came into play, I just couldn't keep reading.

I was not prepared for the angst! Another great read from Stacy Reid!
It loved both Phoebe and Hugh. Phoebe was a great strong female lead who some might call reckless but she really she was brave to travel the distance she did, not knowing what the outcome would be in order to protect herself.  I loved their banter over the course of their letters. 
And that gutwrenching part towards the end had my heart breaking as I read it.

When Hugh Winthrop, future Earl of Albury, advertised for a wife in the London papers he never expected to look forward to each response from the anonymous lady. When she shows up on his doorstep, offering a marriage of convenience in exchange for his protection.

Lady Phoebe Maitland had planned to marry for love until the man she gave her trust betrayed her. So she runs to the man who she had been corresponding with, never expecting to grow in love with the man who holds back from opening his heart, despite the passion that flares between them.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

She's impulsive, he's controlled.

I really enjoyed this book. Why?
At first it took a bit to get me into the book, but then, once we are introduced to Hugh, I was all in.
Hugh is mute (loved him and loved that he had am impairment). He's 25 and i really liked that he only had two other lady friends.

Phoebe, the young teenage daughter of a duke is impulsive, head strong and more than a bit willful.
She and Hugh correspond through anonymous letters for months.
What i liked is that most of their courtship takes place when she is heavily pregnant with another man's child. Hugh is a complex mix of incredibly accepting and yet also incredibly standoffish.

Recommend. Well done, Stacy Reid.

This book firmly captured my heart. The characters were incredibly likable and the story compelling. A found this book quite refreshing. While it delivered everything I expected, it also had that little bit of something special that truly made it stand apart from the crowd. Phoebe had a strength and a fierce determination that is not always something you see associated with a historical heroine. I found her very realistic and I loved that even though she was an amazing character, she was not perfect. As for Hugh, he was a very original hero. A heart stealer for sure and a very swoon worthy guy but he was no cookie cutter book boyfriend. The story being told has romance, sweetness, steam, emotion, drama and poignancy.

{Many thanks to Netgalley and Entangled for a copy in exchange for an honest review.}

This is a book that is packed with emotion. It actually reminded me a lot of all the old school historical romances with the amount of heart-rending moments.

I also don't think I've read a heroine like Phoebe recently, she starts off very naive, a typical debutante character who is innocent and believes that love will triumph over everything else. She is very impetuous and doesn't think things through--a trait that results in disaster early on in the book. She is a character that it's very easy to feel sorry for, one who you wish to have a happy ending. She is such a strong character, and I loved how her bravery shone through even from the very beginning.

Hugh I loved right from the start. He is someone who wishes to marry just to please his father. I loved his relationships with his family, and, in fact, some of my favourite scenes were where Phoebe bonded with them too. It was especially heart-warming to see how Phoebe gradually wore away at his father, who is not the most welcoming toward her.

Part of my rating is my frustration with Hugh over his refusal to accept his feelings. If you like emotionally constipated heroes then you'll adore Hugh haha. But as much as I loved him as a character, and how sweetly he treated Phoebe, it was so annoying when he kept denying his emotions, right up to the very end! Phoebe is almost the direct opposite in that she will throw herself into whatever she believes to be correct.

I also didn't like that Wolf pretty much disappeared later on. He seemed to play such an important part in the beginning that I missed him a lot whilst he was gone.

As a whole this was a lovely story, packed full of sweet moments (but also containing some hot ones!) with a wonderful found family story at the very heart of it.

The title is so apropos for this story and Phoebe. I swear Stacy can pull tears out of anything. Phoebe and Hugh engage in a marriage of convenience but something happens to them along the way. How can they live without each other even if one is too stubborn to believe that his feelings are more than just protective. Hugh having a disability just makes him more of a hero in my eyes. How can we resist such a man? Phoebe is not about to lie down and do nothing. Oh no, she decides that she will indulge him in kindness, hugs and kisses and understanding. So how can Hugh possibly resist? Psst…he can’t and finally learns that his feeling are also love. And their baby Francesca is such a great addition to this story.

When the Earl Met His Match by Stacy Reid
Wedded by Scandal Series #4

Smiling as I finished this book – just what I needed today! Still smiling as I think back on the story and remember so many of the positives and how they took me away from the lack of internet, phones down, fires raging, political shenanigans and being so far from family. Yes, this was the perfect book for me to read today!

What I liked:
* Lady Phoebe Maitland: a bit naïve at the beginning of the book but all grown up by the end. From a good family with high expectations for her…one of which were her own. Capable of making tough choices and willing to do what it took to preserve herself and those she loved. I really liked Phoebe.
* Hugh Winthrop: a viscount who would be Earl before the end of the story. A child raised to follow duty, honor and his father’s wishes eschewing, sentiment, emotion, and love. He, too, grew in this book finding what was truly important.
* The story and the way it was written
* The way the story made me care, feel, and want the couple to have their HEA.
* Wolf: a special dog :)
* The complexity of the story
* That eventually there was a HEA and that it felt so good when it finally came about.
* Wondering about: Hug’s mother and what really happened, where Hug’s brother William is, wanting to hear the stories of how Caroline and William will find their own partners, wondering what will happen to Viscount Malfoy.

What I did not like:
* Phoebe’s parents – seemed despicable to me to care more about prestige, power and position than about their daughter’s happiness.
* The warped attitude Hugh’s father instilled in him though the father did have redeeming qualities.

Did I enjoy this book? YES!
Would I read more in this series? Definitely!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

One thing I love about Stacy Reid is how she can write such beautiful heros. The last two books Stacy Reid has published, have had a hero with a disability, that were beautifully portrayed. The hero from When the Earl Met His Match is no exception. I would prefer to let the reader unravel it all so I will not put too much info in the review. One last thing I have to mention is that, sometimes when reading, you begin to know exactly what is going to happen. I feel like Stacy Reid gives me the unexpected which I love. Cant wait to read more! If you are knew to this author please also read My Darling Duke which is one of my favorites.