Rules for Engaging the Earl
Book #2 in The Widow Rules series by Janna MacGregor. Pub. date 4/26/22

This is such a DELIGHTFUL second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance between Jonathon, the Earl of Sikeston, and shipping business owner Constance Lysander.

Jonathon leaves behind his childhood friend and first love Constance to fight in the British army against Napoleon for the next ten years. During that time, Constance unknowingly marries a trigamist, Lord Meriwether, who disappears then passes away one month before giving birth to his child. Jonathon returns to London a war hero, and she asks him to marry her to legitimize her daughter.

I love the hearttouching wounded-grumpy sunshine trope. And in this story you can’t help but root for our hero Jonathon. He’s a recluse due to his physical war injuries and PTSD, and if that isn’t sad enough, he thinks he’s no longer good enough for Constance. Unfortunately he’s also become involved with someone trying to blackmail him (which is also keeping him further from her.) That same person is also causing serious problems for Constance’s business. Neither knows. There’s a lot more going on but I won’t be a spoilsport. I will say that I loved the interesting dynamics between the H’s; their getting reacquainted, Jonathon becoming an instant father, Constance helping Jonathon open up to her and the world around him. This is my first book from this author and won’t be my last (enjoyed it so much I just purchased book #1!) 5 stars. 📚😍

*Thanks so much for the NetGalley widget, Sara La Cotti via St. Martin’s Press! All opinions are my own.

Will he let his pride and fears tear them apart…

After the last book, Constance’s fate was one which had me wondering the most, husbandless and pregnant, she was in for a rough journey.
Why I loved her always cheerful view of life, she never let her circumstances put her down, she stands for herself and is not too proud to ask for help.
How she came to reach out to Jonathan after a decade without contact. To her, he is still her childhood best friend and the man who has always held a piece of her heart.
Why she can’t let him go when she is no more in need of rescuing, she has hope that together they might be able to built the family they both have lost.
But Jonathan is no more the young man she knew, she is aware war damaged him, but his wounds run deeper than expected. More than his body, it is the man in its wholesomeness who is broken. So aggrieved, he is rejecting everyone, determined to stay in the four walls of a prison his home has become.
It was not counting on the will of the people caring around him to see him finding a new purpose than ruminating in his study avoiding everyone.
Jonathan engaged with the belief was doing the right thing, but war left him crippled, a hallow shelf of his former self, and while his love for Constance was what sustained him during his time of agony, he can’t stand the idea of her seeing him for the man he has become, unsteady, wounded beyond repair and unworthy of being her protector. By dints of telling himself he is only half a man, he has driven away his friends and is able to stand the idea of watching her going away. Why he decided it was preferable to not have her than having her leaving him.

It was without counting on some matchmakers.

So what if betrayal and impeding wounds have changed Jonathan in a bitter reclusive hermit, abandonment and deception have not altered Constance cheerful demeanor nor her brightness.

This is a sweet story, with a heroine to root for, a hero in need of a good skull’s bashing, kind matchmakers and good friends.
4.5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes

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

Constance and Jonathan’s story in Rules for Engaging the Earl by Janna MacGregor, book two in her Widow Rules series, a friends-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, and Beauty and Beast all rolled into one marvelous story. Constance Lysander and Jonathan the Earl of Sykeston, had feelings for each other in their youth before Jonathan went off to war. Before he left though, Jonathan made Constance promise not to wait for him despite their feelings for each other as they had no idea if he would make it home. Constance was left penniless by her late husband, a trigamist who married her and two of her now best friends; disappeared with their dowries before dying. Society required that Constance find a husband so her unborn child will be legitimate so she turns to the only honest man she has ever known, Jonathan, her childhood friend who has returned injured from war. Jonathan had not visited despite being home for some time. Jonathan, the Earl of Sykeston, returned from war with some dark shadows threatening him. His injuries, both physical and mental, have left him a cold, dark hermit; a man suffering from PTSD who avoids contact with others, at all cost. Yet when the only woman he's ever loved summons him with a request for his hand in a marriage of convenience, he cannot resist agreeing to her request. When they meet up once again, there's an immediate connection between them, proving those long ago feelings never really went away.

Constance remains in London to recover from giving birth before eventually joining Jonathan at his country estate; turning the place into a home. What was supposed to be a marriage of convenience soon becomes so much more as Constance and Jonathan spend time together in his country home. The tension between these two is strong and when their relationship progresses beyond the convenience aspect, the pages sizzle. Constance was determined to love Jonathan in all senses of the word, including their marriage bed, and was not afraid to be passionate with him and his scars. Constance was a strong and independent woman, running her family shipyard, and not afraid to break through the armor Jonathan wore around his heart. Add in a matchmaking servant staff, especially North, convinced that love will help Jonathan learn to live again, a sweet daughter, Aurelia, who teaches Jonathan that there is so much more to life, and a love that brings out the best in you.

Ms. MacGregor wrote an amusing, entertaining, and emotional story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with humorous escapades, clever banter, stubbornness strong women, sizzling chemistry and endearing characters giving Constance, Jonathan and Aurelia a chance for a happy and loving future together. Rules for Engaging the Earl is a powerful look at acceptance, society rules, strong friendships and connections, a story which I highly recommend to other readers and look forward to the next book in this series..

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley, but the review is my own. The first book in Janna MacGregor’s series has come up in online recommendations for me from time to time as I am a big fan of historical romances. I thought the idea of a Regency / Victorian man married to multiple women to be an intriguing plot variation on a genre with a lot of stock elements, although I’ve not yet picked up the first book. In general, I love second-chance romances and a “broken” hero, although friends-to-lovers are less fun for me than enemies-to-lovers, as was the case in “Rules for Engaging the Earl”. As is typical of the genre, it’s a stand-alone romance that may benefit slightly from reading in order, but is not necessary. I really wanted to love this book, but it fell a little flat for me – slow burn romance is great, but I found the pacing to be too slow in general and something less compelling about the main couple. I was more interested in the third wife and the setup details for the next book. The tension between the pair and with the villain did not engage my feelings enough that I was not actually anxious for the resolution or cheering in relief at the happily ever after. The writing was better than most, the plotline engaging enough, it was overall a fine choice, though perhaps not the best this author can do. 2.5/5

My second Janna MacGregor book left me with mixed feelings. Jonathan and Constance, childhood friends separated for a decade, have evolved into adults with very complicated lives. I had trouble really liking either of these two. Despite the horrors of being severely wounded in war, Jonathan has too much rigidity and stubbornness and isolates himself from his entire support system thus becoming his own worst enemy. The distrust he has of his family of friends and the people who have cared for his family for generations is frustrating. Constance's plan to marry her childhood friend to "fix" her reputation seems simplistic and not characteristic of a woman successfully running her own business in a world dominated by men. Even taking the cultural differences of the time in which their story takes place into consideration, I found their story drawn out and although this author delivers a well-written novel, the story fell in some places.

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Constance Lysander married a guy who married two other women and got pregnant by her husband. He then goes and dies. When it is found out that he married two other women and Constance his brother tries to find her a husband so the baby won't be illegitimate. Jonathan, Earl of Sykeston is a childhood friend of Constance and friend of her husband's brother.. Jonathan came back from the war a broken man. Constance saves him . I love this series so far each book has been great. I just reviewed Rules for Engaging the Earl by Janna MacGregor. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Jonathan has been in love with Constance his whole life, but going into the military separates them. When they finally come together again, his heart and soul are broken and believes he is unfit for…well, anything but especially for Constance. The fact that he marries her to provide a safe space for her means absolutely nothing, he can keep her away from him, right?

I loved Constance, a woman who has been knocked around a little bit by life but is strong and steadfast. And I love that she has her own business!! How cool is she?? And to befriend the two other women who thought they had married her first husband…well, her heart is every bit as strong as her will. But breaking through Jonathan’s armor may be too much for her. Truly she was a brilliant character. I thought Jonathan was a little frustrating, but dealing with PTSD and being blackmailed for something you didn’t do is hard, whatever time period you are in. Overall, very enjoyable. Especially love North! And Aurelia!!

I love Jonathan and Constance. Jonathan is honorable, steadfast and stubborn. Constance has loved Jonathan most of her life but when he left to go to war, she married another. He was not a good person and left her alone with a little girl. Constance wants a man to love, to love her and her daughter. Jonathan is home but is injured and just wants to be left alone. Not going to happen. When Constance turns his life upside down, all he can think is that he wants her to go away. But he can't seem to make her go away. Has he fallen in love with his wife and her daughter? Will he be able to keep them close? Once she knows everything, will she want to stay with him?

This is book 2 of the Widow Rules Series. Constance Lysander is a woman who has no time to find a new husband, but she must, at least according to society. So, she turns to her childhood friend who has returned from the war, but is hiding out after the war left his injured. When he learns of her plan, he jumps at the chance. Can they find happiness?

I’ve been a fan of Janna MacGregor for a couple of years, and after thoroughly enjoying A Duke in Time, the first book in The Widow Rules series, there was no question about continuing the series. And I’m so glad I did.

Rules for Engaging the Earl is a combination of a marriage of convenience story mixed in with a reunion. Toss in a wounded hero, and magic is made.

Constance and Jonathan were childhood best friends and each other’s first love. But then Jonathan went off to war. Ten years later, Constance is a widow about to give birth and Jonathan has returned home wounded in more than one way and pretty much a recluse. He agrees to marry Constance to protect her and her child’s reputation, intending to keep his distance. But this is a romance, after all…

I was in tears as early as the prologue, and they continued until I reached “The End.”

Holy moly, did Constance and Jonathan tear at my heartstrings. I loved them both so much and couldn’t wait for them to overcome their obstacles and reach out for their happily ever after.

Constance is such a strong lady, willing to take what she needs and won’t let herself be used again after her disastrous first marriage. Jonathan is stuck in depression following being injured in the war and a couple of events following his homecoming. Both characters—but Jonathan in particular—showed growth, and their romance was well developed.

The only thing really keeping this from a 5 star read for me was the whole subplot with the “enemies” threatening Constance’s family business and Jonathan’s military reputation. It felt like it was just thrown in for some conflict, but it wasn’t developed enough for my taste and resolved a little too easily.

Rules for Engaging the Earl is one of my favorite reads of the year. I was pulled into the story from the first page, and it had a strangle on me until the last. I highly recommend this book for historical romance fans, especially if you like wounded heroes.

I loved the first book of this series, it was Katherine’s and Christian’s book. Christian was the brother of the trigamist and the one who took responsibility for his brother’s misdeeds. He’s the head of the family so to speak, and is best friends with Jonathan, Constance’s hero. Jonathan and Constance were childhood sweethearts bonded through the loss of their parents. Their love, though pure and sincere, never bloomed because Constance took over her father’s company and Jonathan, a young earl, was called by the government to become a marksman in the Napolean Wars as was his late father’s wish. Later, the scandal of the three wives explodes all over England and, Jonathan being back home, offers Constance a marriage of convenience for the sake of her honor and her baby daughter’s.

But Jonathan is wounded from the war. He misses parts of his right leg and walks with the aid of the cane. But that’s not all. He refused to fight an unarmed Frenchman in the war, following his code of honor, and his superior threatens to having him court-martialed. Trying to investigate many aspects of his case that don’t feel right and scared about having a relationship with a wife who he loved since he was a child, he isolates himself and refuses to see anyone for a year. Constance believes him traveling abroad working for the secret service, or so he tells him in the long letters Jonathan sends her. Finally, there’s one last letter in which he tells her to go back to him, to his estate. When Constance arrives she is shocked to learn that Jonathan wasn’t expecting her, that he has become a recluse, that he’s delegating all the earldom’s works in a secretary, that he spends his days playing shoot and that he is the grumpiest man alive. Little does she know that it wasn’t Jonathan who sent all those letters but a matchmaker in the house… but Jonathan has been reading all of her letters and that’s what’s been keeping him alive.

I liked this book very much. But not as much as the first book and that’s mainly because of Jonathan. I loved him very much, but he’s verbatim the wounded hero, stupidly stubborn and grumpy to a fault. He refuses love to exist in his life, he doesn’t want anyone near him, not even friends, and if it wasn’t for the people around him he would never give himself a chance at life. He didn’t feel any more different even though I loved him anyway. What made up for the typical grumpy hero was the heroine, Constance. MacGregor has created a heroine who is a businesswoman and the mother of a baby. Thanks to that she takes on the hardships of being an independent working woman, a mother and a wife. The sleepless nights, the exhaustion, the responsibilities, the lack of time for herself… that was refreshing as it’s not a subject that is talked about often in historicals.

Also the people who work for Jonathan, his staff, were so lovely, so charming and loving, They’ve been with his family for generations and many of them have known the earl since he was born. That’s why one of them takes matters into their own hands and decides to have their mistress rekindle her love with their master. The members of the staff weren’t the typical stiff kind of servants, they felt more like found family for their masters and the baby, and that was beautiful.

Janna MacGregor has a talent for writing love, and even more talent for writing steamy hot scenes that are sensual, suggestive, vivid… and full of love. You can feel that the hero and heroine are deeply in love, they always have been. Both of them have trust issues as both of them have been betrayed by other people, still I felt that all of the problems between them would have been solved if they sat and talked their minds right from the beginning. They were childhood friends who swore to always be there for the other when in need, they are not two strangers who randomly met on the streets. They should have trusted each other even if they couldn’t trust in anyone else. Thankfully their love is bigger than whatever trouble they find in their lives so, in the end their family becomes stronger and more united than ever, they even made me a bit emotional to be honest. I love found families in books, especially when one of the main characters has children whether is their own, adopted, some deceased relative’s children… and the other main character becomes a parent by association. I loved Jonathan’s growing love for little Aurelia.

4.5 Stars

I was absolutely captivated by this book! I could not put it down and finished it in one evening.

I’m always a sucker for a well done historical romance, but throw in a grumpy hero and a sunshine heroine, on top of a fantastic series story arc, and I was hooked!

Jonathan and Constance have a lot of history, which really helped set up this book. I really enjoyed how they not only had their own issues to work through, but they have an external foe as well.

One of the best characters in this book was a side character, he meddled and took absolutely no grief for it, every time he was on the page he was up to something.

This is the second story of the three women who were married to the same man unknowingly. Constance was pregnant at the time and found out she was the true wife. Johnathan was her best friend growing up and is now an Earl. This is a marvelous story of second chances and resilience. Johnathan and Constance both have a lot of scars from their past. Janna MacGregor does a wonderful job of using humor, witty conversations and soul searching to develop unforgettable characters. Regina the dog, and North the butler will stand out even though they are minor characters. It is a totally memorable story with a great happy ending.

Rules of engaging an earl is part of a trilogy but I don't think you have to read the books in order to know what's going on beforehand. They can be read in any order.

I had some mixed feelings for this book. I loved the fact that this was a best friends to lovers story. I do love a good one. I had mixed feelings because of their reasons to marry. I think it's hard for me to get into marriage of conveniences.

I also think that Jonathan was too broody through most of the book even though he had his reasons.

I did like Constance and how she wasn't willing to put up with him despite the fact that she loved him and that he was one of her best friends. I liked how independent she was.

The pacing of the book was a bit slow sometimes but otherwise it wrapped up well. It was a three star rating.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing me the chance to read and review.

Take one young, naiive earl (eager to serve his country) whose best friend is a girl (that knows they are soul mates) and life doesn’t ever go the way you think it will. Constance vows to always keep a dance free for him. Jonathan returns from the war almost 10 years later with a mangled leg and vows to never let anyone get close to him.

A scandal of huge proportions leads Constance to ask Jonathan to marry her. He leaves after the wedding to become a hermit at his estate in Portsmouth. Events lead Constance to move to live where the earl is.

I couldn’t understand the reason behind Constance marrying Lord Meriwether when she was so much in love with Jonathan for years. It didn’t make sense to me, especially because she was running her own business. Not sure whether he ended up dead or just moved elsewhere.

I did like that Jonathan was a man of honor and married Constance to aid her even though he was a broken man. He had so many demons in his life that he needed Constance to bring light, joy, and hope. Just takes her pushing and prodding for him to realize it. His “rules for engagement” are harder to live by than he thinks. Lives can’t be organized into boxes with no emotions involved.

I will be reading book 1 of this series and looking forward to reading more by J MacGregor.

I received an arc copy of the book for my opinion.

This is a second chance romance with some different tweaks. Constance Lysander was married previously to a scoundrel who also married two other women, he abandoned them all and then accidentally died. He left Constance pregnant and alone. Fearing her status in the order of marriages, Constance was concerned with the legitimacy of her child and appealed to her childhood friend, Jonathon, Earl of Sikeston to marry her and give her child a father. Jonathon had always cared about Constance and agreed to the marriage. However, he did not intend to live as husband and wife. He'd been damaged both emotionally and physically while serving in the war. Due to that, he didn't want to open himself up to the potential heartbreak that exposing himself to her could bring.

The story details how Constance gradually tears down Jonathon's barriers and makes him want to live fully again. There are other things hanging over his head that he decides to challenge as well. He finally figures out that he doesn't want to live in the shadows any more.

Constance's character is spirited and strong. She's just what Jonathon needs. The fact that the two of them always loved one another tugs at your heart. It's a strong story and the way it blends into the previous story and adds the side characters is well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This is the story of two people who have been best friends most of their lives. They have loved each other most of their lives. Unfortunately, circumstances have taken them down vastly different paths. Now, after meeting up again, they marry to help each other deal with their circumstances, and their feelings..
Constance realizes that Jonathan is determined to keep himself closed off from everyone including the world itself. Jonathan realizes that he loves Constance, but it's better for her if he stay's distant. It's a fight to the end. Constance realizes that she is not only fighting for Jonathan's love, she's fighting for his soul.
What a wonderfully heartwarming story. You won't want to miss this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the chance to read an early copy of this book!

The elements of this book just didn't work for me--there's second chance, kids, deception-based conflict, angst, meddling servants, and a prominent antagonist, and none of those things are my favorite. I enjoyed the first book in the series, and we continue to see the other two wives as secondary characters, one in wedded bliss and the other being set up for her book. This is a fine historical romance with a businesswoman heroine, a wounded veteran, and a bit of steam. But with miscommunications keeping them apart and a flat antagonist improbably after them both separately, the story didn't draw me in.

My first by this author and I was really intrigued by the premise. It's definitely a unique sort of twist on the second-chance romance. The angst in the prologue immediately drew me in and had me rooting for these two characters from the get go.

As we got a bit further in, it felt like some things should have been explained a bit earlier on (such as the MMC's potential for a court martial) and some descriptions were over dramatic compared to the rest of the story. It also felt like there were a few too many story lines going on that detracted from the main story.

Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second installment in The Widow Rules series. I recommend reading these books sequentially as it will help in understanding the relationship of the widows. In my humble opinion, this book deals with PTSD (before they knew to give the affliction a name) for both the main characters: Constance and Jonathan. Constance Lysander is the remaining family of the Lysander's and runs the family company. She has become recently widowed; even though her husband left with no indication of where and for how long, many months before she learned of his death. She was left pregnant and alone. Her PTSD stems from this abandonment. Jonathan, Lord Sykeston, was injured during the Napoleonic war and almost lost his leg. Even though he was able to keep it; it causes him a great deal of pain and he'll never walk without a cane. Jonathan had a bad experience with his commanding officer (who, in my estimation, is a bully) and has felt depressed and unworthy since being released from the army. He has become a recluse. Constance and Jonathan had been the best of friends for all their lives in Portsmouth. When, after 10 years apart, Constance reaches out to him asking that he come to her aid; he doesn't hesitate to go to her. This is the beginning of the next chapter in their lives; one where they must learn about each other again and hopefully find that their closeness as children will help them as adults.

I found Constance's strength and compassion a very admirable trait in a woman running a business in a man's world. She has a heart of gold when it comes to family and friends; as well as all her hard working and loyal employees. Jonathan has become a shell of the man he once was and in his despair doesn't know how to pull himself out of it. With a well-meaning butler playing match-maker Jonathan may find his way back through Constance's presence in his life once again.

This is a well written story with believable and fully developed characters. Fair warning: there are a few descriptive intimate scenes that might be considered a bit risque for the prudish set. All-in-all this was a good story and a welcome addition to the series.