I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, but all opinions are my own.

Overall, a great historical romance. It was sweet, sassy, sexy, and steamy. Plucky, independent woman meets dark, brooding man and relationship unfolds. I love it. This is two of my favorite things about historical romances.

Potential spoilers (although they happen early in the book so not too spoilery): she is pregnant and he is deaf. Not things I've come across in my previous readings and I quite liked them. It made for different situations and interactions.

The book started with them exchanging letters that were pretty sassy and I wish the author had kept that up throughout the story. I think it would have been a clever way for the two to get to know each other and maybe help with the awkwardness they had when they first met in person.

Also, I do wish there had been more sass between them than sweet, but that's a personal preference as I am a pretty sassy person.

A great read and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Hugh Winthrop, the future Earl of Albury, needs a wife, not to love, but one to provide an heir so decides to advertise for a wife in the London paper. Lady Phoebe Maitland’s has lost the trust she had in her family and the man she thought loved they’ve all betrayed and she’s desperate to find a husband on her own and answers a paper advertisement. Hugh decides Phoebe is just what he needs a marriage with a stranger, he’ll guard his heart and never fall in love. What he doesn’t expect is the heart has a will of its own. Phoebe is kind, giving and so caring everyone believes he’s made the right decision, but Phoebe soon finds she can’t live without love in her marriage starts a campaign to win her husband’s love. I have voluntarily read and reviewed the excellent book.

This was a very atypic read. Our Hero is Mute from birth and our Heroine was ruined and pregnant when they first met. He is looking for a wife with good connections. She is looking for an escape. Just the fact that he advertised for a wife was already intriguing to read this book. It's really fast pace, well written, with loads of angst, misunderstanding, sexyness. Not a bad read at all.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. The opinions expressed here are all mine.

4.5 stars. Our hero is a mute and possibly a bastard, or heroine starts off ruined, which I haven't come across before, the ruination is usually part of the story not a past event, I found this an interesting twist.
The main characters are both so damaged by different events in their pasts, but they are so tender with each other, and I loved the relationship progression between Phoebe and Hugh's father as well.
I loved the slow burn goodness in this book.
There is a lot of drama but it all follows a consistent cause and effect, never just heaping on for the shock value.
OMG the amount of torturous emotions in this book and that this book made me feel right up till the end were just wow!!
This series just keeps getting better, book 1 used to be my favorite but I think we have a new reigning champ :)

Stacy Reid is one of the best historical romance writers out there at the minute. she creates a perfect blend of romance, steam, drama and humour. I love that she uses atypical characters as main characters, our hero in this book has a disability that would have ostracised him from the public. Hugh was accepting of Phoebe and while he was closed off at times he was always there for her.

if you're looking for something different in the historical romance department I urge you to give this a go or any of Stacy Reid's offerings.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When Hugh Winthrop, the future Earl of Albury, decides to advertise for a wife in the London paper, he never expected an anonymous response from a woman who matches him wit for wit. Their back-and-forth letters leave him intrigued. But then the woman he’s been corresponding with shows up on his doorstep, enticingly beautiful and offering a marriage of convenience in exchange for his protection. Lady Phoebe Maitland expected to marry for love and nothing else, until the man she gave her trust betrayed her. The more intrigued she becomes by the mysterious and devastatingly handsome Hugh, however, the more she realizes he’s holding back from opening his heart due to long-held secrets. As passion flares wickedly between them, their marriage bed is quick to heat up.
This is the fourth book in the series & is easily read on its own. Another very well written captivating read. The characters have plenty of depth & I loved both Hugh & Phoebe. Hugh has been mute from birth, this is the first historical romance I’ve read which features this affliction & hats off to the author for how this was handled. He's a strong, intelligent man who is also a whiz in business matters having grown the earldom’s coffers since he took over from his father. He's also determined to keep a very tight rein on his emotions. Phoebe is a Duke's daughter who thought she loved George only to be let down badly. I loved the chemistry between Hugh & Phoebe & also the rocky road to their HEA was highly entertaining. I hope we find out what happens to Caroline during her season
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Will she be able to pierce the shell he constructed around his heart ...

An other amazing tale of love by Mrs Reid offers us, until the very end, I thought there would be no way for Hugh is see past and beyond his own prejudice.
Phoebe acted recklessly and a price she must pay because of it. Yet, it is so understandable when you see what parents she has, so unloving and only expecting what her value as their daughter could bring to them.
She just wishes to be happy and loved, not a foolish dream but it is not in her agenda if she must please her aloof parents. She made the mistake to believe the wrong man, thus her trust in the power of love is shattered but a tiger cannot change its strips, and whatever she does to bury her heart, if rightly enticed, she won’t be able to stop it to beat.
Hugh is a conundrum, so kind and caring with Phoebe when they meet, even a bit wild because she stirs some new feeling in him, yet he can be so ruthless if crossed (a certain Viscount will be left with a bitter taste). He was well taught by his father, so much he put his core in a box away and threw out the key with no mean to reach it.
I loved he never felt his disability impede his life, sure it showed the true colors of many persons he encountered but his handicap made him stronger, even more cunning and less to be swayed even by a loving smile.
I would have slapped him for the pain he caused to Phoebe, he is lucky she is no meek miss and despite her young age she knows what she wants and never gives up.

Those two are perfect for one another, so flawed they were made for the other to be whole again , she finally bringing a spark to his life, he giving her the means to blossom In the woman she should be.
5 stars

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Entangled, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

While I had read something from Stacy Reid before, When the Earl Met His Match is the first I’ve read in this series. However, it works perfectly well as a stand-alone, and I can’t wait to read more from her.

Hugh is an interesting hero in the way he defies some of the standard hero conventions. Like many, he has a family history that has impacted him and led him to be a bit more closed-off, but it’s how he acts once he’s with Phoebe that sets him apart. He is aware of her past, and never actively tries to assert himself in a possessive way over her, even while he is afraid of losing her to the other man from her past or to her family, who she defied to be with him for her own reasons. I appreciated that he put her feelings first, while also being willing to fight for their love when it really counted.

I also love that Phoebe had the courage to take matters into her own hands when she found herself in an unfortunate situation, resulting in her family wanting to make a decision for her, as was within their right to do, as it was the way of the world during the time this story is set. I do like that she does maintain her agency throughout though, responding with wit and humor to the anonymous marital advertisement.

This is a wonderful story, and it has definitely excited me to further peruse Stacy Reid’s backlist. If you love historical romance, you’ll probably love this one.

I received an e-ARC of this book but that in no way affects my review of it.

This is my first book by Stacy Reid but will not be my last. This was delightful from beginning to end.

I love the twist of fate that seemed to make these two destined for each other. The hero is mute which is very unique to see in historical fiction.

Their path to love is slow but sweet. The angst to get there is worth it.

Delightful romance with an unusual twist

This book tells a wonderfully romantic tale of Phoebe and Hugh marrying for their own reasons - her, for security and safety, him for her family's social connections - while resisting the temptation to fall in love with each other. The love story is exquisitely detailed with all the emotional intensity and connection we want. I absolutely LOVED the scene where he stood up to her brother (and the brother's minion) and practically dared him to interfere one more time! I was fairly swooning toward the end as Hugh and Phoebe's walls came crashing down, making way for the sweetest of HEAs.

The story itself is practically perfect. The less-than-perfect comes in the form of far too many anachronistic errors, continuity mistakes, and other confusing aspects that makes the reader wonder if the editor slept through the job on this one. Is he an earl, or a marquess? Does she have one lady's maid or two? Was that an embrace or was she drugged? Having read this author before, I can attest that this lack of professionalism is highly unusual and I tried to overlook it as much as possible. I certainly hope these have been addressed since my ARC copy was sent.

In short, this is an enchanting five-star romance that is slightly hampered by two-star editing. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

4.25/5 stars!

Both the hero and the heroine has to marry in the future. To stop her parents' marital machinations, the heroine made a decisive action that has consequences and brings her to the hero to ask for protection in exchange for a marriage of convenience. Thus the story shows the hurdles the couple face in the journey of love.

I truly like the author's writing style. It made the whole story flow quite well, and made the characters likable. Even though I didn't like some trope traits (nothing against the author, just my own personal preference) the author made the story quite enjoyable, from the flights of the heroine to the satisfactory ending of the book. This book won't be the last Stacy Reid book I read, and I look forward to more books by the author in the future.

Overall, this book has likable characters and an ending I'm quite pleased with. I would definitely recommend this to readers who love historical romances.

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

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was pretty good read. It was different because the hero was deaf so the characters had to work at understand. And coming to love each other.

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I stayed up all night to complete it. The main reasons for that belong to our two leads - Phoebe and Hugh. Firstly, one of the leads had a disability that I am seeing for the first time in a HisRom that isn't temporary or magically fixed. Secondly, both of them were just so soft. LOL. I loved Phoebe's character so much. She was bold and not just content to do nothing given the hard lessons she had to learn. It also did not make her cynical. Hugh tried to come off as all cold and standoffish but I totally loved (thanks Stacy) that he never crossed the line into being a jerk. They were both just really good people and their chemistry was so sweet.

On the cons side there were some issues with continuity that sometimes took me out of the scene. I hope they get fixed before the book gets published.

Overall, this was a very sweet book. It's 4th in a series and although I have read all the others (How to Marry a Marquess is a huge fav), this is a total stand-alone.

*Thanks NetGalley and Entangled for the ARC*

I was really excited to talk about Stacy Reid’s When the Earl Met His Match because my response to it’s so complicated. My initial impression was that I didn’t gel well with the writing style or the plot itself & then, before I knew it, I was fascinated by the story & couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

I’ll be honest: on the technical front this one falls kinda flat for me. But also, this romance ended up being a fun reading experience for me (🤷🏻‍♀️ at myself).

Lady Phoebe Maitland finds herself with quite the dilemma when the “unsuitable” man she’s fallen for takes her parents up on their bribe & walks away from their relationship. Unbeknownst to anyone, Phoebe is pregnant.

Determined to do the best she can for her baby, she proposes to a cynical man she had been secretly corresponding with, Viscount Hugh Winthrop. Hugh accepts her offer for reasons of his own but he vows to never develop feelings for Phoebe because loving women = bad, something he saw in his childhood.

When the Earl Met His Match is emotional & dramatic (sometimes overly so for my taste), steamy, & heartwarming. The way that Hugh warms to Phoebe’s pregnancy gave me some good feelings. I love how bold Phoebe is & how she learns to communicate with Hugh, who is mute. Despite their conflict, they take such care of each other.

But speaking of the conflict, that’s one aspect of the book that doesn’t seem executed as well as it ought. At around 30% I noted that I couldn’t find a sense of it, though it does become apparent again soon after. Overall, though, it seems that why Hugh agrees to the marriage & their conflict could have been foregrounded more strongly & precisely.

In terms of the writing style, it’s still not one that I “click with” wholeheartedly. But Reid knows how to tell a really sweet story & I really wanted Hugh to wise up so they could get their HEA.


3⭐️. Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

4.5 stars

A Good story, The heroine is in scotland and finds a dog/wolf starving. A young girl explains that its pining for his master, who she believes is dying and would Phoebe look after it. Phoebe agrees and is giving instructions how to get the dog to obey instructions. Later our hero places an advert in the paper for a wife, and Phoebe intrigues replies. There's a pen pal connection and then when Phoebe is desperate she travels to see Hugh and agrees a marriage of convenience. There are more secrets involved and quite a bit of angst. Phoebe is a great heroine and although I thought the will they/won't they went on a tad too long, I certainly recommend this book. Its part of a series but doesn't relie on the previous books.

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

WOW I loved this book! Hugh and Phoebe are some of the best characters-in-conflict I’ve read in a while and I could spend hours reading about their times out in nature! Stacy Reid is now an instant-buy author for me after this one and you can bet that I’m going to be buying this book the second it releases just so I can have a physical book of it! Now let’s get down to the knitty-gritty!

what I loved:
-if you’re a fan of old school romances then this is just for you! Hugh is a classic old school hero from the constipated emotions all the way to the way he refuses to let go of his belief that love is not for him. (even if your not a fan of old school romance’s, this is still a book for you! I loved it!)
-phoebe will do anything and everything to secure her future and safety, and the conflict that brings her to hugh was something I was not at all expecting!
-Hugh’s devotion to protect and make phoebe happy was a breath of fresh air. usually, emotionally constipated hero’s aren’t very good at being kind and caring, but hugh doesn’t seem to suffer from it at all and is one of the sweetest hero’s I’ve ever read!
-emotional baggage is big in this one with the hero, and as always, I’m here for it!! not to mention the surprise reveal of something MAJOR when phoebe finally meets him! I’m not going to spoil it because I was so pleasantly surprised when I read it and I don’t want to ruin that for anyone else!

what I didn’t love:
-I would have liked a bit more of sarah (phoebe’s lady maid) but that’s not really a problem, just a personal preference as I adored her!
-phoebe at the beginning of the book is a little naive, and while it works for the character arc she goes through, it was hard to read those first few chapters because of it. this is not to deter anyone from reading, just a fair warning that she might not be what you expected going into the book and to give it some time before making any decisions on how you feel about her! she definitely changes early on into the character that I adore! and in fact, this tad problem I have with her just shows how good her arc was because I adored phoebe after the first few chapters! this book still gets 5 stars despite my issue with phoebe in the first few chapters because I see now after reading the book what purpose her naivety had (and I always love a character that finds herself and her strength like phoebe did!)

overall this was a beautiful book that I will definitely be re-reading! this was just the read I was needing after having a previously rough month when it came to finding a good book to sink my teeth into!

*I received this ARC through NetGalley and voluntarily read this book. my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me the chance to read an advanced copy!*

Well, Stacy Reid has quickly become an auto-buy author for me, so I was absolutely gleeful when I saw this was up for request.

I loved Phoebe and Hugh. She’s delightfully sassy and goes after what she wants. Hugh is all gruff exterior, but he doesn’t know he’s a marshmallow. I truly loved reading these two get to know each other.

Plot wise, it was good. The unconventional relationship progressed organically; although I could have done with a million more scenes of them in the garden and definitely more conversation. The bit of conflict was not what I expected (although the reaction was) and thankfully didn’t last too long.

Overall, it was an enjoyable story with characters I loved. I’m definitely going back to read the other books in the series.

**Huge thanks to Entangled for providing the arc free of charge**

This was a great story. I was hooked from the beginning with the way the two main characters were introduced to each other. I started it and couldn't put it down.
It is the story of Hugh and Phoebe. Two people who have been affected by their upbringing. Two people who have secrets. These secrets bring them together. Can they work thru their emotional issues to make things work?

I thought the amount of emotion the author was able to evoke in this story was unbelievable. And the action was non stop. You had a runaway daughter, a rushed wedding, a death in the family, the birth of a child and a kidnapping.
Great Job! 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

Lovers of old school, rip your heart out, stomp on it, then hand it back to you type relationship angst will certainly want to meet this rich, handsome, refuses to love to the point he is his own worst enemy hero. Hugh Winthrop is programmed to view love and marriage through very jaded eyes. This causes poor Phoebe, the heroine, to be put through the wringer as Hugh verra slowly starts to change his mind and lose his heart in this back and forth, slow burn game of chest anguished emotions. Good thing for her and us she is feisty and determined enough to put up a good fight for the both of them and be the voice of hope and reason. Even with that, it was far from smooth sailing for these two destined to be together lovebirds.

The circumstances which brought Phoebe to Hugh’s door were far from ideal. In fact, it is a situation I normally steer clear of. As usual, Ms. Reid’s writing is so engaging, I soon found myself just rolling with it though. It certainly did give Hugh one huge way to be her knight in shining armor and showed us he clearly did have a good heart lurking behind a facade of cold indifference. Too bad for her the armour around that heart seemed unbreachable at times to the point one might think he was a tin man without one. Don’t get me wrong. These two did spend quite a bit of quality time bantering good naturedly back and forth, going for walks and picnics, and acting like a smitten couple. It was when Hugh’s walls went up their relationship took ten steps backward then tumbled down hill. You just have to be patient with this knuckle headed guy, folks. Accepting and even embracing as his own Phoebe's situation went a long ways with me wanting to give him a chance.

Oh, keep them going, Ms. Reid. I’ll certainly be back for more of these punches to the heart romantic tales.

Title: When the Earl Met His Match, Series: Wedded by Scandal (Book 4), Author: Stacy Reid, Pages: 249, pub date: 9/14/20, stand-alone but part of a series, feisty damsel in distress heroine, afraid/refuses to love hero, lots of relationship angst, OM baby drama, no OW drama, romance safe enough for me but might not be for others, mute hero, sign language element, non-virgin MC, not a manho.

Book 1 - Accidentally Compromising the Duke
Book 2 - Wicked in His Arms
Book 3 - How to Marry a Marquess
Book 4 - When the Earl Met His Match

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

This is one of the best hero’s I have seen in a long time. Hugh is magnificent despite his disability. He is gorgeous, he is witty and he is a protector. Phoebe is placed in a situation where she is forced to take charge of her own fate. The story of these two is unusual and emotional. The circumstances that bring them together are non traditional but they find a way that makes it work beautifully. The author does a magnificent job of crafting the story of a character that is non verbal with no lag in pacing. The story unfolds beautifully with great visuals created for the reader. It is just very well done.