Thank you St. Martins for the ARC to read and review.

Childhood best friends get a chance at love when Constance calls on Johnathon to save her from the scandal of her late husband's bigamy. His bravery in service to her majesty during the Napoleonic wars has left him injured both physically and emotionally and he pushes Constance away at every chance.

Brooding hero and strong heroine plus a great cast of secondary characters, chief of which is Regina the Mastiff.

Great historical.

Marriage of convenience, especially with a scarred hero, is one of my favorite tropes ever. It’s like my catnip. Constance and Jonathon were so deliciously angsty, I couldn’t put this book down. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Constance reaches out to her old friend Jonathan who has been injured in the war. She is pregnant and needs to get married after her husband has died. The feelings Jonathan has fir Constance has never left and de says yes. I enjoyed the chemistry between Jonathan and Constance. I liked this book.

I really enjoyed this book by Jana MacGregor. It was very well done and I would definitely recommend this to anyone.

I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin Publishing Company. This book doesn't disappoint. It will keep you guessing and cheering on these characters. There is drama, romance, mystery. Characters Jonathan and Constance who were friends when they were kids. Have a bond they may not understand. But will it help them when they meet up as adults? Friends want the best for you even though you might not know what that is. Secrets have a way of coming out. Who can be trusted? Is doing yes right thing the best thing? This book will make you sit down and not get up until you have finished every single page. This book is for a mature reader and can be read anywhere.

I enjoyed this story of a love that would try to bring someone out of the dark. Jonathan comes home from war injured in body and soul. He finds himself married to the girl he left behind. Neither knowing that they have the same enemy. I connected to the characters and to the story.

I received "Rules for Engaging The Earl" from Netgalley and voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Janna MacGregor is one of the best historical romance authors I have had the pleasure to read. She never fails to amaze me with her beautiful stories: the sizzle, the wittiness, the rapport between the characters are all outstanding... it's romance at it's best. This is the second book in the Widow Rules series. Constance Lysander and Jonathan Eaton,  the Earl of Sykeston, have known each other since their youth. In an unforeseen, unfortunate circumstance, Constance needs to marry before the birth of her chid, and she thinks of her best friend, Jonathan, who is now a recluse because of his severe war injuries. What ensues next are vivid descriptions and emotions displayed by amazing characters. The interactions between the hero and heroine are so heartwarming, a pure display of how we sometimes have to fight the demons within us before we show our unconditional love to the someone that we love, no matter how difficult that may be, because in the end, love conquers all and a bond, stronger together.

Janna MacGregor creates a wonderfully engaging story in "Rules for Engaging the Earl". If you enjoyed Book 1 in The Widow Rules series, you will love discovering Constance's story. I can't wait for book 3!

4 Stars! This is book 2 in ‘the Widow Rules’ series. It can be read as a standalone but I really enjoyed book one and recommend reading that one also. The main characters are Constance and Jonathan/Earl of Sykeston. I felt bad for Jonathan but after awhile he had me getting fed up. I wouldn’t have had the patience Constance did. She had all her own problems and Jonathan adding to them and Constance letting it go just got me annoyed. I prefer the female character to be strong, not let anyone use them or put up with other peoples poo. Ha! But other than that, I really enjoyed the book and can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I definitely recommend both the books I’ve read in this series!
*I received this book at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

This book starts off with a bang, it gets a little slow around the middle, I enjoy historical content so it didn't really bother me. I enjoyed the HEA and both characters were decent, although the hero is irritating at the beginning.

Constance Lysander and Jonathan Eaton, Earl of Sykeston, were best friends and sweethearts. However, the Napoleonic War changed everything. When Jonathan left to join the British Army, he made Constance promise not to wait for him, not knowing if he would return, but he also left her a list of suggestions of what to look for in a man, the qualities a man should have if he wanted to court Constance. Jonathan was an excellent marksman and had a highly successful military career, until he was injured, receiving disfiguring wounds to his right leg that necessitate use of a cane. Jonathan has been trying to design a better pistol cartridge, and he has been planning a training school for army marksmen, an idea viewed favorably by his former commanding officer, the Marquess of Faladen. However, he has learned that the Marquess of Faladen has given command of the school to someone else -- claiming, with some accuracy, that Jonathan is not physically able to teach some of the necessary skills. He is also burdened by the threat of a courts martial for desertion and conduct unbecoming an officer; these allegations are false, but it will be difficult to challenge the Marquess and prove otherwise. Jonathan wants nothing more than to withdraw from the world, ashamed of his war injury and not wanting anyone else to be tainted with the scandal that will ensue if the courts martial proceeds.

Constance Lysander's last ten years have also not gone quite as hoped. She has taken over her father's shipbuilding business and has kept the business successful with the help of experienced quality employees. She also thought she found a husband in Meriwether Vareck, but he turned out to be a cad, marrying three women in quick succession, not telling the new wives about the existing wives, and abandoning all three women, taking their dowries with him before dying in an accident. This betrayal and fraud were difficult for the other two wives -- Katherine and Blythe (Beth) -- but even harder for Constance, because their short time together resulted in a pregnancy. Constance has asked her best friend Jonathan to marry her, so that the baby can be born legitimate, and he has agreed. However, on the day of the wedding, Jonathan arrives to learn that the baby, Aurelia, has been born (not really an issue, as the vicar will be paid well to say the birth happened after the wedding ceremony took place), but also that Constance, who was wife #2, is actually the legal wife of Meriwether Vareck -- his first marriage, to Katherine, was not valid -- and so, she is Lady Meriwether and her daughter is legitimate. While marriage is no longer necessary to preserve her reputation, and that of her daughter, Constance still wants to go through with the wedding, and Jonathan agrees.

However, as soon as the ceremony is completed, Jonathan leaves London to head back to Portsmouth, stating he has some things he needs to resolve before Constance and Aurelia can join him. It will be a year before they see each other again, when Constance arrives at Sykeston Gardens, at the invitation of Jonathan -- though he has not actually extended the invitation -- the family butler, Mr. North, has been scheming to get Constance home, knowing that Jonathan needs her. Jonathan has confined himself to his study, spending his time with target practice and working on his new pistol cartridge, and stewing over his situation. He has neglected the home and property and left the running of the estate largely to his trusted servants. Jonathan does not want Constance at Sykeston Garden disrupting his well-ordered but dismal life, and he is convinced that if the courts martial proceedings ever commence, that Constance will be shamed and that she and his friends will abandon him, but yet she exerts a pull that he finds hard to resist. The secrets he is keeping from Constance, as well as the lies that Mr. North told in his effort to bring Constance and Jonathan together, will test Constance and Jonathan. When things seem to be improving, events will occur that will disrupt their lives and result in a split that may prove too great to overcome.

"Rules for Engaging the Earl" is the second in The Widow Rules series, focusing on the wives/widows of Meriwether Vareck. As a result, major characters from the first book (which includes Constance) play a prominent role in this book, and it was enjoyable to read about them. Constance and Jonathan are well developed characters, and the reader will enjoy their interactions, even when Jonathan is being his most obstinate. The passionate scenes are well crafted. The story has a great supporting cast, including Regina, the mastiff who is essentially the mistress of Sykeston Garden prior to Constance's arrival, and who will play a starring role in the relationship between Constance and Jonathan. The book was enjoyable, and I look forward to the third book in the series.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Enjoy this continuation of the The Widow Rules series. The writing continues to sparkle while the story manages to be both a stand alone romance between the war-damaged Earl of Sykeston and Constance Lysander and to advance the mystery of the trigamist marriages of late Mariwether Varek. Now I can’t wait for Beth’s story.

4.5 stars

Constance and Jonathan’s tale was a wonderful read! I enjoyed watching these two learn to trust one another, especially after the betrayals they previously suffered. Jonathan’s personal growth was immensely satisfying considering he was his own worst enemy for most of the story. Regina, the delightfully human-like mastiff, was a hoot and Constance’s daughter, Aurelia, deserves mention for melting Jonathan ‘s beastly, damaged heart. Overall, this was a fantastic entry to the series!

I knew that Constance and Jonathan wouldn’t delude me. Ever since I met them in the previous story, I was certain that behind their unreadable facade there was something going on. I enjoyed their story very much, the love they had for one another was amazing and I’m so very sorry that the book ended too soon. A suitable historical romance with the perfect adaptation and great characters of their time.

LOVED this book! Another winner in the series. This book follows Constance, the pregnant widow of Meri, who left her in dire straits. A friend arranges a marriage for her with Jonathan, a dear friend from her childhood. Jonathan agrees to wed her, but not to be a husband. Constance won't stand for any less than a true husband and this is their story.

I loved the characters and found myself totally engrossed in their story. I especially loved how Constance dragged Jonathan back into the land of the living, despite his best efforts to hide from the world. After his war injury, he no longer saw himself as having value. Add in his despicable former superior officer who is determined to keep him cowering alone, and you have an engaging story, with several layers of complexity.

Fans of the genre will love this book and want to put it at the top of their TBR list. The author is on my must read authors' list.

I enjoyed the story! Constance was brave and compassionate and Jonathan was broken but redeemable. My one hmmm - I’m not certain women were allowed to own businesses like the women in these books but that might be a perk of the peerage I wasn’t aware of.

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