Three gentlemen attempt to take their annual weekend away together, but hijinx ensue when they must detour to rescue damsels whose reputations are in distress.

What I liked: This was a lighthearted, upbeat read. The book defies the genre a bit, which was enjoyable. The romance is a slow burn, but I ended up finding it delightful.

What I didn’t like: It’s clear the author is setting this up to be a series, but there weren’t any Easter eggs about the supporting characters’ future until the very end. Overall, nothing to strongly dislike, just isn’t going to be an all-time favorite.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
No-scroll: 📵📵📵
Jaw-clench: 😬😬

Recommend if: you enjoy lighthearted historical romance, you like swoony but not overly graphic spice, you enjoy a tomboy protagonist

The whole idea of girls/earls trip was funny. I especially loved seeing it fleshed out. All the quirks from each character were put on display and made the trip that much more interesting. However...

There were a lot of fun moments, and I loved the quirky characters, but I was bored. If you've ever read my reviews, you'll know that boredom in books can wreck the whole thing for me.

The romance was fine, but I wasn't salivating over it. I thought there was cute moments and nice dialogue, but I wasn't feeling it in my heart of hearts. It wasn't triggering the emotions I want in a romance novel.

Overall, if you really enjoy historical fiction and want to read about dukes on holiday, maybe this will be for you. If you're a die-hard romantic like me, eh. Maybe don't read it, or change your idea of what this book is about before diving in.

This is a really cute historical friends to lovers romance. The pacing was really good, the plot was intriguing and the characters were very well written.
The story had a very modern feel to it with subjects like equality and being vegan, which I really enjoyed.
I especially loved the two main characters and their chemistry was amazing.
I can definitely recommend it, if you like a slow burn friends to lovers story with a modern vibe in a historical setting.

3.25 stars

Charming and cute! It had a little bit more meat to it than the average historical romance. (But also less meat: vegetarianism is a topic that I haven't yet found in other historical romances.) It tackled topics like friendship, (found) family, learning disabilities, grief and Alzheimer's. It's more of a character-heavy book, but also more in the sense of relationship development. Because I still feel like the characters could have been more developed. Though I still enjoyed the slow burn between Archie and Clementine (childhood friends rekindling their friendship in adulthood and falling in love), and the sisterly bonding of Clementine and Olive.

"Ted Lasso meets Bridgerton for a 19th century spin on The Hangover in USA Today bestselling author Jenny Holiday's laugh-out-loud bromantic comedy featuring three Regency-era Earls on their annual trip - ride-or-die buddies offering one another unconditional support in everything from Lady problems to family woes.

The perfect romp for fans of Evie Dunmore, India Holton, Virginia Heath, Manda Collins, and Suzanne Allain!

Even an earl needs his ride-or-dies, and Archibald Fielding-Burton, the Earl of Harcourt, counts himself lucky to have two. The annual trip that Archie takes with his BFFs Simon and Effie holds a sacred spot in their calendars. This year Archie is especially eager to get away until an urgent letter arrives from an old family friend, begging him to help prevent a ruinous scandal. Suddenly the trip has become earls-plus-girls, as Archie's childhood pals, Clementine and Olive Morgan, are rescued en route to Gretna Green.

This...complicates matters. The fully grown Clementine, while as frank and refreshing as he remembers, is also different to the wild, windswept girl he knew. This Clem is complex and surprising - and adamantly opposed to marriage. Which, for reasons Archie dare not examine too closely, he finds increasingly vexing.

Then Clem makes him an indecent and quite delightful proposal, asking him to show her the pleasures of the marriage bed before she settles into spinsterhood. And what kind of gentleman would he be to refuse a lady?"

I'd say this book exudes some Kenergy!

Earl’s Trip is a cleverly executed regency romance featuring 2 earls (and a person close enough to an earl that they count him) who go on an annual boy’s trip to break from their lives. I must admit, I wondered what sort of a break gentlemen of extreme wealth in the upper class of English society needed, and the author did a lovely job of rounding them out to be characters I could sympathize with. The main earl, Archie, when he’s not busy doing all the things rich men in this era get up to, cares for his mother, whose degenerative brain condition sounds like it is probably Alzheimers, and it causes her not to know who he is. More importantly, he’s a fierce defender of equity work and sees women as his equals, which makes him a perfect match for one of the girls (well, women, but I like saying earl and his girl). Clementine is wild and cannot be tamed; she doesn’t wish to marry, and she doesn’t wish to conform to societal expectations. So, what could they have in common, these two childhood friends, an earl with many obligations and a girl who wishes to be free to explore with an enthusiasm that would make a Transcendentalist weep with joy? They both love passionately, are willing to listen and learn, and prefer to be outdoors at one with nature, and delightfully, the author tells the story of them gradually figuring out what literally every other person (her sister; his two earl-friends) already know: they’re totally in love and perfect for each other.

This was such an enjoyable read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Jenny Holiday, and Kensington Books for this eARC. This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun historical rom-com that leaves you feeling good.


Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

Heat Index: 5/10

Vibes: romcom shenanigans, childhood friends to lovers, positive male friendships, vacations

Archie (earl), Simon (earl), and Effie (future earl) have been friends since they were young boys. And they have a tradition--Earls Trip, where they spend time together, relax, and have fun. But this year's trip gets diverted when a letter arrives, begging him to rescue his childhood friend Olive from an ill-advised elopement. Oh, and Olive's sister Clementine ran after Olive, so can he rescue her too? The trip is no longer just the earls, but a pair of girls; and Archie finds himself drawn to the grown-up Clementine, who's gone from his wild young friend to a blunt woman who refuses to marry.

As we all know, historical accuracy is not my biggest priority with historical romances. Is this book very concerned with history? Not at all. Is it a frothy, funny little story about a bunch of hapless lords dealing with ladies just CRASHING their PARTY. Yes.

Could it have been a lot more? I do think so.

I feel like this premise could've gone a lot further, and based on that and the cover (which I actually find rather cute and befitting the book, despite my general dislike of cartoon covers) I thought we'd get roadtrip romance vibes that we just didn't. In fact, while Archie and Clementine had chemistry, and their romance was cute, I think we should've leaned into the romance part a good bit sooner.

Quick Takes:

--Jenny Holiday has a really approachable, naturally funny writing style, and that's on full display here. I think it best serves the earls (well, the earls and the viscount). Their relationship was my favorite part of the book, and I don't necessarily think that's surprising or a bad thing. I love a romance, especially a historical romance, where the heroes are like "that's my brother. THAT'S MY BROTHER" [tearful manly hug].

This actually takes it a step further. Archie, Simon, and Effie are supportive and openly loving. They confide in each other. They bare their hearts to each other. Like, they have their little quirks and none of them are perfect creatures without flaw. They're funny and human. I just think these kind of friendships between men are so uncommon in fiction that it's just refreshing to see.

--You do have hijinx, right? You have an errant bullet early in the book (nobody is seriously injured--I think this is the second heroine I've read shoot the hero by accident this year?), you have phallic hedges, you have poetic drama. But while I by no means expected a Hangover-esque orgiastic trip from what was clearly a romcom.....

I don't know. Not a lot happened on the trip. Like, I get that it was supposed to be dudely bonding, but I didn't really see them... doing much... besides companionably hanging out? And I think you need more than that. I mean, there's some plot, but the pacing of the book just kind of made it feel less.

--I also think the pacing could've used some work. The official summary mentioned that Clementine asked Archie to teach her about sex, and he does... But like, in the back half of the book. It's not a big thing. It doesn't kick off the PLOT.

And I think that if it had, there would've been a lot more urgency to the story. I kind of felt like the book pulled a big "hurry up and wait".

The Sex:

So, the sex does something interesting. Again, it's kind of at odds with the description. There are a few scenes, and none of them go super far. Like, pleasure is had, but I kind of felt like the story was building up to a big wedding night scene and it... doesn't happen.

That said, I did appreciate that Clementine wasn't a virgin; she just hadn't had good sex. Archie is really sweet and weirdly friend-like during these scenes, but he's also BARELY keeping it together. One of my favorite moments of the book is when he demonstrates the "tools" men can use to give women pleasure. I just wish we'd have more of that, or at least had it earlier in the story.

While this installment wasn't a home run for me, it was fun, and I think there's potential for the series. I want to know what happens to Simon and Effie. That's half the battle, right?

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really loved this. Such a fun historical romp. The male characters were so fun and soft and relatable. I loved them. The romance was sweet and spicy. The ending was lovely. The revelations were paced well. I just really, really enjoyed it. So fun. So sweet.

2.5-3 stars

This book was mediocre but still a fun, entertaining read. I’ve definitely read better Regency Romances.

This is a case where the story is light on the plot and focuses more on the characters, but it could’ve been improved with a bit more focus on the plot. I was very bored with this story and had to force myself to push through it. It took me about a month to read it because it wasn’t keeping my attention very well. I think the first thing that was a turnoff was the writing style. It felt very repetitive, some phrases were just too silly for me, some scenes didn’t make sense because they lacked explanation and detail, and some descriptions were just too drawn out. Sometimes, it took too many words to get a simple point across to the reader. Some of the content also felt too modern for a historical romance. Plus, the chapters were incredibly long - way, way too long in my opinion. I had a lot of problems with the writing and wouldn’t consider this top-tier, professional writing. It could’ve used a good editor.

As for the story, there are plenty of funny scenes and comedy dispersed throughout the chapters. It was full of light-hearted fun. I was really engaged in the first quarter of the book, but then it went downhill for me. The middle stalled out and became very boring, and then the ending was lackluster. By the time I got to the end, I just didn’t care anymore and wanted it to be over.

The three main guys were an interesting trio. These characters were quirky, charismatic, and likable; however, at times, I didn’t feel their chemistry together. It was a bit consistent. It also felt like the guys acted more like how girls would act together and not manly men of the era. They felt soft, too emotional, and easily persuaded by each other like girlfriends would be together. They didn’t feel like strong, masculine men, as I would’ve preferred. However, they cared for each other in huge ways. I liked the camaraderie between them and how they created this tradition of taking an Earl’s trip each summer.

But then this year, their annual trip was altered when a pair of sisters entered the story. They are both sassy, strong-willed, and independent women, but I found them irritating for the majority of the book. One of the sisters is a vegetarian, and that seemed to play a large part of her identity, which became boring and repetitive. She is also a feminist and anti-marriage. These modern concepts made the story feel disjointed for the time period it was supposed to be in. It didn’t feel like it fit in this historical fiction book at all. It felt forced and more like political/activist propaganda, which I didn’t like at all. This was probably my biggest turnoff of the book.

There is a slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance in this story. It was a decent romance, but I wanted more from it. I wanted to go deeper, and we didn’t. There are also a couple of spicy scenes, which I didn’t care for because I prefer closed-door romances. It’s not super graphic but it was enough to make me feel uncomfortable reading it. I would rate it at least PG-13.

I couldn’t really connect to any of the characters, and the plot was so boring. I also didn’t care for the writing style, so this author may not be for me. I don’t know if I’ll read another book by her. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work too well for me. It was just okay. It did make me laugh and there were parts I enjoyed, but it also induced a lot of eye-rolling and confusion due to the poor writing. I don’t know if I recommend it, but if it sounds interesting to you, maybe give it a try. You may have better luck with it than I did.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

The title of this book alone had me intrigued, and the premise sounded right up my alley. As a fan of the Bridgerton show and Lex Croucher's humorous regency books, I expected Earls Trip to be the perfect combination of both. Unfortunately, while the book had its humorous moments, I had a hard time connecting to the characters and the writing style. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the plot moved at a quicker pace. This is more of a me problem, but I also had trouble keeping track of which character was which.

I loved this book. It was such a cute, feel good historical romance with a modern tone and humor.

If you like Bridgerton (esp. Antony and Kate’s book) read this! Headstrong FMC, friends to lovers, and a decently paced slow burn.

I love Jenny Holiday and I love historical romance so I was basically just straight up heart eyes when this showed up on NetGalley. Predictably, this worked for me, though it wasn't a full five stars because I had a little trouble getting into the narrative style and for some reason was struggling initially to keep characters straight (this is not atypical for me with historical romances in which characters have first names, last names, and titles). But this was still really, really fun, and I truly can't wait for the next one.

A charming book that had more meat than most Regency romances because it somewhat tackled heavy subjects, such as Alzheimer's disease, learning disabilities, veganism and more. The two main characters, Archie and Clementine, are fully fleshed out. Archie, Earl of Harcourt, is dealing with a mother with dementia and was told in his formative years that he was stupid (he perhaps has dyslexia and ADHD). His childhood friend, Clementine, is a strict vegan who never plans to marry. After years apart, the two reunite when Archie, along with his friends Effie and Simon, must save Clementine and her sister, Olive, from an unwelcome suitor. The only discordant note I found was the somewhat explicit sex that suddenly appeared about 75 percent into the book. (I don't object to sex in books but this felt like a forced addition). If you like Regencies, then you should enjoy Earls Trip.

This was a fun book, however, I also felt like a was getting a lecture, which decreased the rating.
Three Earls (technically only two) Archie, Simon and Effie, head off for their yearly trip together, but not all goes as planned, as on the way they need to make a quick stop to save Archie's childhood playmates from ruin, who then join the trip and much to Archie's chagrin, change the trip dynamic entirely. New friendships form, as well as a romance.
I enjoyed the bromance, I feel like we don't see that very often in regency novels, and I liked the varied personalities of all of the characters. Wild clementine, loving but self conscious Archie, poetic and fashionable Effie (by far my favourite), Simon the politician and Olive who there is more than meets the eye. I enjoyed their interactions and development, as well as the friends to lovers trope.
What I didn't like was that I felt like I was getting a lecture on vegetarianism. Clementine couldn't even eat in the same room as people eating meet and then (SPOILER) Archie in the end gives up his favourite hobby, hunting, as well as eating meet for Clementine. I think this is supposed to be a sweet sentiment but I didn't find it so, having to change for someone isn't something I hold high in my books. It's great if you want to be vegetarian, but don't criticize and put down everyone else who thinks differently than you. I think if it focused less on this ( it didn't need to be removed entirely) I would have enjoyed it more.

A charming and fun Regency romance. I loved the humor and also the relationships. I look forward to book2.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was so fun! It gives a more modern feel to regency romance, perfect for readers outside the genre.

I was able to get the short snippet of Earls Trip for a read and just loved this premise so much! The writing and characters feels refreshing to me and I am definitely eager to get my hands on the full story soon when it releases. I'm very intrigued!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (Romance)
Release Date: April 23, 2024

Synopsis: Archibald, Earl of Harcourt and his two best friends, Effie and Simon take a two week long trip every year, the “Earls Trip”. This year, on their way out of town, they get a letter from the father of an old friend of Archie’s saying that his daughters are in a bit of a pickle. The men go out of their way to help the ladies, who then join them on their trip. As Archie gets reacquainted with Clementine Morgan, he realizes that there is much more to her as an adult and that maybe their friendship shouldn’t be left in the past. But will she be willing to change their relationship?

My Thoughts: this book was very cute!! I liked it a lot. It was definitely a slow burn, but I enjoyed watching the two main characters fall in love with each other. The premise of the Earls’ Trip and having the two ladies along for the ride was fun. I thought that the male friendship was fun to read and very deep, something I don’t think you see much of in regency romances. I also liked that the bond between the sisters deepened and that was nice. I also really enjoyed that this was a dual POV, which is more unusual in this time period of writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington books for providing me an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

If you love Regency romances or Slow burn friends to lovers, you’ll love this book.

I really enjoyed this romance! The characters were well-written and the relationships seemed genuine. When three friends get together for their annual trip away from day -to -day responsibilities, needed by all three, and unexpected side-quest invites a addition to their number that they were not expecting but is life-changing.