I really enjoyed this book. this is my first book by this author and the writing was great! Constance's late husband, an evil person who married her and two of her now closest friends and then vanished with their dowries, left her impoverished. Constance goes to the only honest guy she knows: a childhood acquaintance who went to war and hasn't returned to see her despite the fact that he's been home for a long time. Jonathan. Loved the main characters and the plot!!

From the first book I read by Janna MacGregor I understood that her writing style was going to leave a mark with every story of hers that I read.
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Her books are romantic and have a happy ending but the turns ups and downs of emotions are perfectly crafted so that when you reach that final step it is with your heart in the book.
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Very few times I could say that I had hope for both characters and it is because she manages to get me into the head and heart of each one
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This is the story of Constance Lysander, the second of the three widows who were swindled by the same man, who, after marrying them and spending the wedding night, fled with her dowries and appeared months later dead in a ditch with a bag full of tickets that no one can decipher
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Of Lord Merriwheater's three wives, Constance was the most aggravated to find herself pregnant and alone with an aunt to care for. In the first book of the series, the first wife is the one who gives them shelter and helps them make a new path for each one. So Constance decides to write to Lord Sykeston, her childhood best friend, and ask him to agree to marry her to protect her daughter
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Jonathan has his own problems and after returning from war with a nearly destroyed leg, he is just the ghost of the person he was and who Constance longs for so much. But when he finds out about her need, he runs to help her, even though he doesn't think he can do more than give her his last name and offer her protection.
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The story is complex and both propose to set rules for their marriage but with desire starting fires every time they are close it is almost impossible to stay inside them
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Rules for engaging the Earl is a second chance romance, where memories of friendship and first love merge into a passionate romance that speaks of trust, acceptance and the family one chooses.
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Thanks to Janna MacGregor and St. Martin Press for give this beautiful book in exchange for my honest opinion I really loved this book

This is a second chance story that will definitely tug your heartstrings!

Second chance romances are one of my favorite genres to read so I was delighted that we get to experience all of the history and back story between these two sad souls.

MacGregor sets the perfect stage with Constance and Jonathan. Their history growing up together, young and enamored with each other, is the key to their strong connection years later. Bruised hearts but still deeply connected, they are attempting to build a family when Constance needs a husband to maintain her business and reputation.

Jonathan is stubborn but in love with her. He has many issues, including a physical one that makes him feel like a lesser man who is not good enough for Constance. There are so many layers in this character. He is fighting for his honor among men and her. He is battling war wounds and thievery. He is battling for his self-respect.

MacGregor loaded these two with issues, spark, heat, and stubbornness that make you shake your head. Jonathan was too much inside his head most of the story. I really wanted him to enjoy his marriage and child so much sooner. The fire was there, but we had to get through a lot of stuff to enjoy their connection.

Rules for Engaging the Earl is a powerful look at acceptance, society rules, strong friendships and connections, and great characters like North. Laced with heat, humor, and a full swing of emotions, it will captivate you.

Marriage of convenience, childhood-friends-to-lovers

Jonathan Eaton, Earl of Skyeston, had been in love with his childhood friend Constance Lysander ever since he left for the continent during the Napoleonic wars at 17 for a dangerous mission. He told her not to wait for him, and ten years later she married a man who had two other wives. Now, she’s pregnant, her husband dead, and with her future child about to be illegitimate she asks Jonathan to marry her before it’s born.

Only she learns she was the rightful widow all along. No need to marry, but they decide to anyway. She wants stability and respectability for her daughter and her shipbuilding business. She still loves him, and he loves her but he’s returned a bitter, injured war hero who fears a possible court marital and won’t subject his new wife to his company. He exiles her and the baby to London while he stays at home in Portsmouth.

All that is in the first few chapters. Nothing has happened yet.

After a year’s separation, Constance thinks her husband has called her home after traveling the continent for the Crown, but actually he has ignored every letter, the butler was the one who invited her and replied to her letters, and Jonathan has actually been holed up at home trying to clear his name and shooting at targets and being miserable to everyone.

By now, we’re %25 into the book, nothing has happened AND I hate this guy.

By the %30 they finally got to establishing the rules for how they’ll live together. Maybe now we’ll see some interaction and hopefully some rules will be broken.

At the halfway point, since she’s come back, they’ve had 3 interactions and only 1 since establishing their rules.

It’s a slow start.

While Jonathan is a selfish jerk who’s unkind to his wife and who has been wallowing too long, at least he has some character. Constance is too patient and forgiving and placid in the face of Jonathan’s rudeness. I wanted to see him put in more work to redeem himself and save his marriage and realize on his own that he needed to change. I also thought Constance so desperate for any scraps he handed out that she put up with too much.

There is a good plot in here, if you can get through the slow beginning and the rushed resolution. I’d read this one if you liked the first book in this series.

I received an arc from NetGalley

Overall I enjoyed this book. I didn't read the first book in the series so maybe I missed some of the background information, but the female lead just seemed entirely too perfect. With such an imperfect male lead, I would have liked to see some of that from her.

I liked this book, but sadly did not love it the way I was hoping to. The prologue sets up Jonathan and Constance as childhood best friends who share a fleeting kiss before Jonathan is forced to depart to join the army. This chapter is beautiful and completely sells you on their love for each other and their heartbreak at losing each other right when they've realized how deep their feelings go. Their love story as the book continues is a bit slower to start with Jonathan dealing with depression and PTSD that causes him to shield Constance from what he views as his own darkness. I wouldn't have minded this as much if it didn't feel a bit like a seesaw of them coming together in one chapter only to push away in the next.

That being said, I loved the subplot of Jonathan taking on Constance's daughter as his own - that bond was very believable and tugs at your heartstrings. The machinations of the villain of the novel weren't as strong as I would have liked - his villainy is clear when directed towards Jonathan, but Constance doesn't get nearly enough to do with her own problems with him.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rules for Engaging the Earl is a sweet second chance romance. Jonathan and Constance were childhood friends who became lost in life. Jonathan to the military and Constance to a man who married three women. This adorable second in The Widow Rules series continues with us already knowing Constance is Meriwether’s true wife, although his second marriage. The three women became friends/sisters in their desire to heal and to support teach other through the sad story of their husband.

Jonathan, I hate to say, is a bit of an idiot when he has been given a second chance to rebuild his relationship with Constance in a marriage to save her reputation. She is sweet, kind, strong and independent, except when it comes to Jonathan. She just knows they are still ‘right’ together. It takes him a bit to figure that out.

This light-hearted romance takes them both on a journey to discover what is important in a marriage and what is not. Ms. MacGregor, again, weaves a tale that will keep you wanting to finish to see how these two solve their problems and find their HEA. I love this series and am looking forward to Beth and Grayson’s romance.

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.”—Elbert Hubbard

Shocked to find her now deceased husband has left her not only pregnant and penniless, but also not considered his widow in the eyes of society. Apparently, he was already married to not only her, but two other women. Desperate to not let her child be considered illegitimate, she reaches out to her longtime friend Jonathan, the Earl of Sykeston. Knowing he has recently returned from serving in the war, it is her hope he will agree to a marriage of convenience, and when he does, Constance could never have imagined what began as series of unfortunate events, would develop into a healing balm soothing two broken souls…and proving once again, love conquers all…

Oh, how I’m a sucker for not only friends to lovers troupes, but broken heroes as well, and Janna MacGregor delivered both in her second installment to her The Widow Rules series. The journey between these two long time friends going from a marriage of convenience to realizing they’re soulmates is full of drama, passion and suspense! Thoroughly enjoyed reading Constance’s and Jonathan’s love story and would recommend to fans of this genre!




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

This book contained a very sweet childhood friends to lovers trope which I always really enjoy. I'm not usually a prologue person, but the prologue of Rules for Engaging the Earl was sweet and gripping and full of delicious pining. The story itself meandered a bit for me--I got frustrated seeing Jonathan just replay many of the same patterns, and while I think he had room for growth, Contance's character seemed rather static (though wonderful!). There was great heat between them and the sex scenes were steamy while also being tender and special. This book is a good match for histrom readers who liked a tortured main character, he was just a little too tortured for my liking.

This second book in The Wodow Rules series continues the story of three women who find themselves married to the same man...who is now deceased. How these women move forward in their lives is the focus of the series, this book leading us down the path that Constance Lysander has decided to take. Constance is "the true bride" of the deceased, but has born a daughter from their short marriage. She has determined there is a need to get married and to have a reputable father for her daughter. Enter her long ago love, the Earl of Sykeston, Jonathan Eaton. But Jonathan bears his own wounds from his service to the crown. In order to make this union work, they each come up with thtie own set of marriage-rules. The war of wills between these two and the rekindling of their love of each other gives us a storyline that is both heartbreaking and endearing as they learn the true bonds of marriage and love for each other. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #RulesForEngagingThe Earl

I enjoyed this book much. This is a friend ~lovers romance essentially. Constance is a sweet soul who's been hoodwinked already. She jas her daughter, her shopping business and she trust Jonathan.
Jonathan hasn't been the same since he came back from his spy assignment.

I loved that Constance is. Independent women who want to find love. Jonathan's been injured and having a hard time coming to terms with his new situation.

The sex scenes were spicy and I loved that they weren't any shy moments. It was refreshing to read. This was an absolute delight to read.

This book is all about my favorite trope: childhood friends getting together. Is there anything better than many years of pining all built up into one epic novel?

MacGregor did a fantastic job with this one. Constance and Jonathan are childhood best friends who shared their first kiss. But when the war came, Jonathan goes to fight and returns...damaged. Meanwhile, Constance's reputation is ruined because she married a man who was secretly married to SOMEONE ELSE. But she doesn't even find this out until she's pregnant! Gotta love the historical drama - seriously.

Basically, Constance needs a husband: stat. Enter the marriage of convenience, a good old classic. But there's obviously a ton of miscommunication between the two. This actually made total sense to me, since they both have so many issues and experienced quite a bit of trauma. This kind of stuff can't just be resolved quickly!

As teens, these two are just so hopeful. MacGregor really brings the angst here, especially once you see them turn into kind of bitter adults who haven't been dealt the best hand.

The smutty scenes were kind of amazing. Since Constance isn't a virgin (I love the experienced woman trope in a historical romance) she knows what she wants and doesn't hesitate to ask for it...or demand it.

The miscommunications make sense to me. They both keep secrets from each other but have good intentions - neither is malicious or trying to hurt the other. There's definitely some angst when these secrets come to light, but they're able to overcome their communication issues and finally enter into a true marriage.

Overall, it was a wonderful read! It's deep but not too dark and the smut is *chefs kiss.*

*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

P.S.: See the full blog post review live on FromTheReadingRoom.com, to be published on April 20th, 2022.

Janna is an amazing author that knows how keep the story moving while incorporating the characters from the other books in the series.

3.5 stars. Nice February read. Childhood sweethearts meet again. Baggage abound - him with his PTSD, her with her rather interesting marriage. But if course they find their way back to each other, with lots of help with help from friends and family.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press for this arc.

After learning that she is not only pregnant by her late husband, but that she was one of his three wives, Constance Lysander needs a new husband asap. Childhood friend and wounded war hero Jonathan, Earl of Sykeston, fits the bill perfectly. But both have experienced trauma from their pasts. Will this marriage of convenience crumble? Or become a true love match for the ages?

This was the first book I’ve read by the author and I liked it! The chemistry between the two leads was palpable (so much yearning) and you really root for them to get together at the end. I liked Constance and felt that she was a great blend of strong and vulnerable. Jonathan drove me a little crazy with his self-doubt and brooding, but he had a good heart and grows as a person throughout the book. It has a good amount of spice, which I liked! I also enjoyed the villain – he was a great foil to both Constance and Jonathan.

One thing that stuck out to me was the plot point about the Earl’s sister that only shows up once late in the book. It seems to have been a focal point of the last book (I would assume) but felt very jarring when referenced in this one. For someone coming in without reading the first one of the series, it was a bit confusing because you think that Jonathan would have brought it up in his inner monologue.

Good for fans of:
Dual POV
Steam
Friends to lovers
Brooding male characters
Strong female characters
Puppies and Babies!

Society dictates that Constance Lysander find a husband so her unborn child will be legitimate. Constance was left penniless by her late husband - a trigamist who married her and two of her now best friends and then disappeared with their dowries. Constance turns to the only honest man she knows - her childhood friend who marched off to war and hasn't returned to see her even though he's been home for some time. Jonathan, 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 that avoids contact with others at all cost. And yet he can't resist responding when the only woman he's ever loved summons him with a request for his hand in a marriage of convenience.

Rules For Engaging The Earl is the story of two former friends who secretly desire one another and yet both are hiding dark secrets with misguided thoughts of protecting the other. They embark on a marriage of convenience while trying to deny the fiery attraction simmering between them. I greatly enjoyed these characters with all their flaws and hangups as they tip-toed their way around each other. MacGregor does a brilliant job manipulating them both through a plot line that sees them going toe to toe with each other even as they fall more deeply into love. The support cast added so much depth and reinforcement to the story as readers get to see more of the characters from book 1 which I love. The author takes this story to another level by tackling issues like PTSD, abandonment and societal prejudices prevalent of the time period. Sexy, sizzling chemistry that threatens to explode keeps the heat turned up on this spicy historical romance. Highly recommended to fans of romance, especially historical romance and the friends to lovers trope.

The second book in the The Widow Rules series was a solid romance that read well as a standalone novel. This book hits all the high points for historical romances and features all the favorite tropes of “marriage of necessity/convenience,” “childhood friend to lovers” and a dash of “solving some intrigue.” The backstory allows the protagonists to shorthand the relationship and jump right into the infatuation phase all while the ongoing mystery of the bigamist first husband and the dirty army dealings percolate in the background. Characters have some real chemistry and the conflict is reasonable and believable.

That said, two major things kept this from being a great read:
1. I am really sick of reading romances where the whole plot is “man fails to do even the slightest bit of work on himself until a hard working and besotted woman teaches him to get it together (which reading between the lines means she just gets to do all that work for him…hooray!)” This is a personal pet peeve, but it did sour the reading experience.
2. I had to constantly check if I had read this book before since it is hauntingly similar to the Jess Michaels series based on the same premise. The characters and the men they marry, the friendships they form, the tropes for each pairing and even a few comparable names made it hard to see this as an original work with a new perspective to offer. I get that there are a finite number of ways to run the romantic cycle of the hero, but these resemblances definitely got in the way of my enjoyment.

All said, I would recommend this book to fans of historicals, but for me, it just didn't do the trick.

Jonathan, Earl of Sykeston, came home from the war a broken man, not only physically but mentally as well. He can no longer walk without a cane and he mourns the man he used to be by cutting himself off from everything and everyone he knows. When Constance Lysander asks for his help, she's the one person he can never deny. He's the only woman he's ever loved. She had been caught in a terrible scandal when it became known that her husband was married to 2 other women. Now she needs to marry so her unborn child will not be a bastard. Jonathan steps up and agrees to marry Constance in name only. They're both are hiding secrets and when Constance finally joins him at his estate a year later, they will be hard-pressed to learn to trust each other.

For me this book was about trust--Jonathan suffers from PTSD and feels he's unworthy of love and Constance has serious issues of abandonment. They tiptoe around each other with Jonathan hiding mostly in his study and Constance trying to find ways to reach him. I liked Constance as she tried to reach Jonathan with understanding and never pity. I felt so bad for Jonathan. He was so damaged and only the loving ways of a devoted wife could reach him if only he allowed it. When secrets are revealed, they threaten the fragile relationship they had formed. Ms. MacGregor does an excellent job of letting the reader into each character's most private thoughts. The plot moves along nicely with the addition of a couple of secondary characters. Looking forward to reading Beth's story next!

Rules for Engaging the Earl is the second book of the Widow Rules. One of three widows of a polygamous scoundrel, Constance Lysanderis pregnant and in need of a legitimate husband. Appealing to her childhood best friend, Jonathan, Earl of Sykeston, Constance gets a husband but he’s not the man she remembers or loved. War has taken its toll on Jonathan. A leg injury has left it hard for Earl to get around and bitter to the extreme. In a hard won HEA, Constance has to find the man beneath the anger and overcome a villain set on ruining them both. The story has a sweet HEA and plenty of steam with enough conflict for a page turning historical romance. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

This is book two in the The Widow's Rules trilogy, but can be read as a stand alone book. A wonderful friends to lovers romance that made my heart ache a few times. Constance and Jonathan were in love when they were teenagers, but Jonathan left to join the army. They swore to always be there for the other. After his near fatal injury, Jonathon returns a different man. He still loves Constance but he hates himself and feels unworthy. He doesn't want to see his friends or socialize. Constance finds herself needing to marry quickly and sends for Jonathon, knowing he'll come. But she has her own trust issues.

Outside forces cause both of them some strife while they are starting their marriage together, and resulting drama does come between them. Each tries to handle everything on their own, instead of communicating with the other. I felt this went on just a tad too long, but in the end I loved Jonathan's face off with the person who was interfering with his life and his grovel scene when winning Constance over. He was quite emotional and it touched my heart.