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

Constance Lysander needs to marry and fast, but who would marry on such short notice after she gave birth to another man's child? Constance decides to make an offer to her old friend Jonathan, the Earl of Sykeston. Unfortunately, he isn't the boy she remembers, but a recluse filled with grief over the injury to his leg that has emasculated him. He can't be what she needs, but Constance has other ideas. Add in a matchmaking servant staff convinced that love will help Jonathan learn to live again, a sweet daughter that teaches Jonathan that there is so much more to life, and a love that brings out the best in your. It's a recipe for a winning book.

I really loved this, and while there were some things I think that could have been edited out, it was a great story! I found Constance and Jonathan a great match, and was really rooting for Jonathan. He had such a bad life after leaving the army, withdrawing from his friends and family, spending all this time alone suffering from feelings of depression and inadequacy. I just couldn't wait to watch love change him. It was sweet and super fulfilling. Janna really knows how to pack on the romance. The lines she has her characters say, the way they treat each other, and the things they do just convey such a real life romance. Her books feel more rooted in reality rather than them having a plot full of unrealistic problems. It's kind of nice to see a couple solve real life issues that couples face.

First off I loved the writing style and the author told a wonderful story. That being said the storyline was just not for me. I was expecting more of a simple marriage of convince story and while this was one, as I saw someone else say, it was also a marriage in trouble story. That hit the nail on the head for me. I felt like the male lead had so many issues going on that overpowered the story. I can see how people could really enjoy this book, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

A fake marriage that evolves into a real one. Constance's rat of a husband took her dowry and the dowries of the two other women he was married to at the same time and then he died. And she's pregnant. Jonathan, the Earl of Sykeston, was her childhood BFF and he's willing to marry her to make the baby legitimate. But he's got issues, notably PTSD from his time at war as well as physical injuries, and he's unable to fully engage. It's not until after the baby is born and Constance moves to the country that things begin to thaw between them. It's a sweet story with a couple you will root for. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Rules for Engaging the Earl is the second book in the new The Widow Rules series by Janna MacGregor. I enjoyed this book so more than the first book in the series because I found it easier to connect with the characters and their emotions.
Constance discovered her late husband had married two other women besides herself. She was pregnant and needed to marry so sent for Jonathan to help. Jonathan Eaton, Earl of Sykeston, returned from war with physical and emotional scars. He isolates himself at his country estates with his work but quickly returns to London after receiving Constance’s request for help.
I loved how resilient Constance was and her unwavering support and love for Jonathan. He had let his injuries define him and needed Constance to pull him back to life. This was a great book, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

I was really excited to receive Rules for Engaging the Earl as an ARC from Netgalley! All of my views are my own.
I really, really loved the first book in this series and the hero/heroine. We meet Constance and Jonathan, this book's heroes in the first book, when Constance is about to give birth, and needs a new husband as she is the victim of a deceased bigamist. Jonathan and Constance grew up together, both had secret, unrequited love and a deep friendship before Jonathan went off to war. I love these characters already! Janna MacGregor's strength is her lovable, complex characters.
Despite my love of the characters, I had a hard time with this book. I am a veteran of a foreign war and have a good amount of friends with dehabilitating PTSD. Jonathan's dark PTSD and how he is treated was really hard for me to read. The darkness of Jonathan's mental state and how everyone around him dealt with it made this book a little too angsty, depressing and maddening for me. Jonathan's injury, his stubbornness, his anxiety and pushing everyone away made this book too dark for me. I do like how it ended, but I just had a hard time with a second chance romance (or more like third chance as it goes on) with all of Jonathan's troubles-- way too many for someone who I already felt like was getting kicked while down, was too heart-aching for me. This book right after reading the first of the series was a big shock to me, having a sweet, sweet hero in the first one to a dark hero that needs love was a huge contrast.
The dialogue is well-written and I really like the characters. I will read the next in the series, I could see where it was going and am looking forward to that book! Not every trope/subject matter will please everyone, and I love being supportive and hate being down on any book because I love almost every book that I read, but this one was a miss for me! I think readers where PTSD isn't something that is a real-life concern so close to them will really like this one.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this one. It has a bit of a slow start, but the story picks up the pace once Constance gets back to Portsmouth. I liked the heat and tenderness between Constance and Jonathan and how Jonathan melts for Constance's daughter, Aurelia.

At a glance:
- Dual POV
- Open door
- Childhood best friends
- Marriage of convenience
- Second marriage for the FMC
- Baby from previous marriage
- Women in business
- Meddling butler
- Massive mastiff
- Strong female friendships

Content warnings: war injury, cheating in previous marriage

Constance Lysander needs a husband. She’s a widowed mother whose former husband was married to two other women at the same time. Enter her old friend, Jonathan, Earl of Sykeston. Injured on the battlefield, Jonathan fears that he’s ill equipped to be a good spouse. Constance and Jonathan have loved each other forever, but neither one has ever said anything. Can Jonathan step up and be the partner that Constance needs?
This historical romance was a sweet and steamy read. Even though there weren’t many sex scenes, the scenes between Constance and Jonathan were steamy yet tasteful. I loved how Constance picked herself up after such betrayal and didn’t play the victim card. I love reading these stories because of the setting and the pageantry, having the characters going to a ball, and dueling. I will continue reading this author’s work. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book. This review is my unbiased opinion.

Well you know if it is written by Janna MacGregor then it’s going to be the best book ever, and this one is no exception! I absolutely love this book as I have love all her other books! It is an exciting read, thanks for another great book Janna!

It was an entertaining story and I appreciated the characters, had fun, and escape to another time.
It made me smile and root for the characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I have been waiting to read more of this series. I am obsessed with this story and cannot wait to read more. I just adore the author and the story so keep ch and recommend it to everyone.

This is the second book in the series. I enjoyed the friends to lovers theme of this book. The addition of a baby in the love match was lovely. The extra characters helped fill this book out. This was a lovely story filled with pain but full of hope and renewal. There was sex in this book which this reviewer skipped as usual. I received this as an ARC from Netgalley and freely give my review.

I am really loving this series! I fell in love with all three women in the first book Janna released in this series, A Duke in Time. Katherine, Constance and Beth were all thrown into a scandal when they discovered they had all married the same man when they all showed up at the Solicitor's office for the reading of his will.

Constance and Jonathan really intrigued me with the little bits we got of them in the first book, and I couldn't wait to see how their relationship developed. They grew up together, and Constance had initially thought they would most likely marry, until the day Jonathan informed her he was going away because he had joined the army. Now, 10 years later, she is in desperate need of his help, and even though they haven't seen each other in all this time, he is the only one she would ever think to turn to in her time of need.

Jonathan certainly was one surly, brooding Earl! Badly injured in the line of duty, he has since secluded himself at his estate, hardly seeing anyone if he can help it. But when Constance sends a missive asking him to marry her, there is no way he can refuse. What ensues is two people trying to get to know each other again, one very eager, and one just wanting to stay secluded.

I really love reading Janna's regency romances. I love the period of time they take place in, I love the gowns and the aristocracy, the carriages, the duels, just all of it! I love getting lost in this time and place. I really felt for Constance, she really has had a bad go of it. Abandoned by her wayward husband, finding out she's pregnant, then finding out the loathsome cad spent all of her dowry AND married two other women? Too much for one young lass to deal with. And then she marries Jonathan but this new husband isn't attending to her either. What a mess!

I loved seeing Kat and Beth again, along with Randford and Grayson. Little Aurelia stole my heart, and I wish I had a Mr. North in my life!

It took Jonathan a bit of time (almost too much time!) to get his wits about him and realize what he stood to lose by keeping his wife at arm's length. He was dealing with quite a few things, though, to be fair. It was good to see his friends never give up on him.

I loved the conclusion to their story (for now) and I truly hope we will get to see much more of them in the third and final book of the series which will focus on Beth and Grayson - at least I hope it's Grayson!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

4 stars

The second book in her Widow Rules series, Janna MacGregor delivers a heart wrenching and angsty tale of two damaged people who must overcome their demons in order to really uncover the love that they have shared since their days as childhood best friends.

Constance and Jonathan feel so believable as characters because of their various respective imperfections and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them learn how to be a lover, friend, and partner to the other. MacGregor really hit the nail on the head with the emotional and physical aspects of this love story because let me tell you, I was HERE FOR THE STEAM. There are a few moments here and there that could have been explored more and Jonathan's one step forward, two steps back characterization did irk me at times, but I found this book to be an overall delight!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Paperbacks for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

A wonderful book to read. Had all my favorite tropes: friends to lovers, wounded hero, marriage of convenience. The hero and heroine were a great couple. I wished they had communicated more to each other about their problems outside of the marriage. If they had, the grovel wouldn't have been so amazing. I highly recommend reading this book and the others in the series.

I liked this better than the previous book. Constance and Jonathan. Oh my! My heart broke for them so much. Both of them were childhood friends and then Jonathan had to leave because he joined the army(or navy? never mind). Years later, when Constance is left penniless, with two other wives and a child by her late husband, she asks Jonathan for a favor: to marry her. Jonathan will do anything to make Constance happy and that includes marrying her even if he thinks otherwise. Now, Jonathan has a wife and a baby but it's not enough to bring him out of his seclusion. However, after a year of silence, Constance has had enough of Jonathan's solitude and she's determined to fight for their family. Constance will do anything to make Jonathan realize that a marriage of convenience can be so much sweeter than just a bargain.

This served both friends-to-lovers and marriage of convenience tropes beautifully. Because of his war injury, Jonathan prefers to stay out of sight and out of mind. But Constance and her daughter Amelia slowly make their way into his heart and I WAS SO EMOTIONAL reading it. Jonathan is so broken and I mean emotionally... psychologically that he doesn't see the help that is being extended to him. I was satisfied with the ending and so happy to see these two characters getting what they deserved all along: LOVE and a FAMILY which they both lost at a young age.

Overall, I loved this book and would highly recommend it! Besides the tropes, Jonathan and Constance, I really loved the found family that Katherine, Constance, and Beth formed. I'm also looking forward to reading Beth's story in the next book.

First off, I want to say how much I love MacGregor's writing. She makes interesting characters with unique plot lines. That being said, I feel like the book blurb mislead me. I was expecting a marriage of convenience plot, but I was given a marriage-in-trouble plot instead. I'm not a fan of this trope at all, and was very disappointed when this ARC turned out to have this. The one-year gap between the marriage and their reunion is what makes this a marriage-in-trouble plot. I might have been able to get past that, but then the MMC's cruelty made it too much for me. I really think the book blurb needs to be revised or reworded. I feel like other romance readers might have an issue with this, too.

Once again, please let me say that Janna MacGregor is an amazing writer. I have loved SO many of her other books. Don't let this review make you think that she doesn't write well, because you should definitely check out her other series. The only reason I'm giving this three stars that I I want other readers to check out her other novels. Anyone wanting to read this needs to know that the blurb does not reflect the material inside.

This is the second book in The Widow Rules series, but is able to be read as a stand-alone, which is what I did.

I was not expecting such deep characters, and I loved the book for it! Jonathan and Constance were close childhood friends until he went off to war. Constance ends up marrying a man, who I can’t even refer to as a gentleman. Needless to say, tragedy strikes and Constance finds herself a widow and with child. In the end, She writes Jonathan and he agreed to marry and take care of her, even though it’s been ten years and he’s been hiding from the rest of the world.

The story delves into Jonathan’s deep struggles post-war and living with physical injuries. Constance’s grace, patience and understanding are admirable yet will it be enough to break through his steel exterior?

One of the deeper and more emotional historical romances I’ve read, but that made it both captivating and compelling. Plus who doesn’t love some spice ☺️

Thank you to both @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my own personal opinions.

Rules for Engaging the Earl
The Widow Rules
by Janna MacGregor

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a second chance romance. Generally I’m not a huge fan of second chance romances because the reasonings behind screwing up the “first chance” are often what I would consider lame and avoidable. However in this case our hero is needed by his country to go off to war and is gone for a long time - so understandable.

This is also a scarred/wounded/injured hero trope which is one of my favorites because I love the whole - oh I’m so (something negative) how could anyone ever love me? And then yes but she sees your inner value and does love you and - HEA. However in this book his inner monologue pity party was a little more extensive than I feel was strictly necessary.

So a surprising book all around in that my less favorite trope worked and my favorite trope didn’t work quite as well. But all in all a solid regency romance featuring a widow with baby taking place largely at the country estate which I always find fun. There are several humorous moments and I love how independent the ladies are. There is some focus towards then end on post combat ptsd and the value of finding support and acceptance through communicating with others of similar experience. I felt this could have been expanded upon but was glad it was mentioned because many do not address this topic. Love the cover.

Open door, medium-lower steam. Trigger warnings, combat ptsd, black mail, combat injury. Deceptive first husband.
4/5

Interesting plot line, second chance lovers, grumpy/sunshine hero and heroine. Constance is a pregnant widow, Jonathan is her childhood best friend who just returned injured from war. She has asked if he will marry her to save her and the baby’s reputation. She’s the owner of a ship works, her previous husband married 3 women at the same time and stole all their dowries. Jonathan marries her the day after her daughter is born and then leaves her right after their wedding. He’s full of self loathing and has a court-martial being held over his head. When she shows up at his home a year later sparks fly.

The beginning of the book was a bit slow and the dialogue was a bit clunky. Once the author got into her groove and the story picked up it turned into a very enjoyable read. Lots of feeling, moderate steam, would read more of the series. I do feel the beginning might have been more enjoyable if I would have read the first book in the series so if you can start there then I recommend it.

At its most elemental point, this is the story of the creation of a marriage. The main characters have struggles, both internal and external, but they find their way through the muck and mire to a HEA. And it also utilizes a trifecta of my favorite tropes: friends-to-lovers, second chance romance, and marriage of convenience. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but this book is just so swoon-y and romantic.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.