Having not read the previous books, I am now delighted to find a new author to follow and earlier books to discover! This book follows Captain Charles Malvern, who is trying to honour the life of the man (Major Richardson) who saved his life, by assisting the major’s fiancée (Sophie). However, he soon finds himself with more responsibilities, when his uncle dies, leaving him as the new Earl of Rothwell and three wards to care for.
The characters in this book are well developed with Charles’ strong sense of responsibility evident from the start. He is a determined man, whose loyalty to others, drives him in all his decisions. Despites the almost insurmountable challenges that he faces, he is determined to do all that he can to support those around him. Likewise, Sophie faces the challenges of life without her fiancée, but when she sees others around her struggling, her selflessness means that she puts her own issues aside. Her fragility is balanced by her liveliness and her kindness towards others in need. The romance between the couple progresses gradually making it all the more realistic. I also enjoyed many of the secondary characters that added depth to this delightful story.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I mostly read contemporary fiction but I got my love of reading growing up reading historical fiction with Victoria Holt, Georgette Heyer, and others. I do like a good Regency and have enjoyed the Serendipity & Secrets series. The Indebted Earl is the story of Captain Charles Wyvern and Lady Sophia Haverly. The two meet when Charles returns Sophie's fiancé's belongings after he died serving under Charles aboard the Dogged fighting against France. Major Rich Richardson and Charles were both injured. Rich passed away but asked Charles to visit Sophia and his mother with whom Sophia was living with and caring for. The war is over and Charles doesn't have a position at sea. Mamie, Rich's mother, wants to visit the coast where she was born and Charles has just found out that he has inherited the family estate on the coast in Devon. He is now the Earl of Rothwell so he accompanies the two women to the coast stopping at his home first. They encountered the estate a complete mess and a trio of orphans that the old earl had sponsored on the Charles' doorstep, so the ladies stayed on to help. What a time that they all had! Something is afoot in the small village as well...a mystery to unravel on top of grief, disorder, and yet Charles just wants to get back to sea. I enjoyed the delightful dialogue with Charles using sea jargon to relate to everyday affairs on land and adjusting to a new life. The children add delight to everyone's life as healing begins and so does romance. This are some anxious times with the local activities to uncover. Loved it!
I received a complimentary ARC from Kregel Publications through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Indebted Earl is the third in the Serendipity & Secrets series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. This is a delightful sweet romance with a marriage of convenience and a second chance for both its emotionally scarred leads.

Sophia’s story resonated with me, with her feeling the loss of her fiancé deeply to the point where she feels she can’t move on. There’s also the uncomfortable position she has been put in due to his passing prior to her marriage.

Charles, meanwhile, has lost his friend and comrade, and made a promise to look after that friend’s mother and fiancee…the latter of whom happens to be Sophia. I felt for him having to deal with that sense of loss, and wanting to do right by his friend, while also finding himself inheriting an earldom from his uncle.

This was a nice, slow fall into love, with the right amount of romantic tension and will-they/won’t-they, but not to the point where the characters were infuriating. The romance has a good balance of internal conflict and external forces challenging them on the road to their happy ending, making for a satisfying read. If you love a sweet Regency romance, you’ll love this one!