I thoroughly enjoyed this very funny book, the 5th in the six-book series. The author introduces the family so well that readers who are new to the series aren't lost.

Elizabeth is the main female character, hilariously bloodthirsty, and always has weapons on her person. Elizabeth also suffers from a condition that causes her joint and muscle pain and occasionally leaves her bedridden. Unusually, her siblings chose to send Elizabeth - by herself - off on a mission. They normally won't send her alone because they don't want her to go to jail for assault or worse.

The lady who hired the Wynchesters had expected to inherit the castle from her sister, intending to convert it into a children's home. However, the deed to the castle is missing, and so is her sister's will. One of her nephews is claiming that the castle is his, particularly since he recently gambled away the castle - which he doesn't legally own - in a card game.

When Elizabeth enters the castle, she finds a young man present who is *not* the nephew in question, but the nephew's cousin who has a passion for science and inventing things - a cousin who would also love to find his feckless cousin. Meanwhile, he is posing as his cousin while waiting for him to return so he can leave. If he leaves the castle, someone with a claim - such as the man who won the game in a card game - might force themselves into the castle and remove valuables. The two of them begin searching the castle for the will and deed.

I received an e-arc of this book from publisher Forever via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

I tend to love historical romance, especially when you bring in good representation, humor and above all, swordfighting. Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me on a lot of levels. I will admit that I have not read any of the previous books in the series but that usually doesn't matter much in historical romance and I saw some reviews indicating the same thing so I requested an early copy of this one anyway. So it's possible that I would have enjoyed this more had I read the other books in the series but I'm inclined to think it's just a reader-author mismatch.

The story follows Elizabeth Wynchester who is on a mission to find the will of a client's sister and has to team up with reclusive inventor Stephen Lennox (currently pretending to be the Earl of Densmore) to find the will before the castle is seized due to a gambling debt of the absent Earl. At first, I had a fun time with Elizabeth and Stephen as I admired the former's bloodthirsty ways (she's always ready to stab someone with whatever sharp edged implement is available) and the way that Stephen is constantly trying to find some new contraption to build.

However, the appeal quickly wore off for me. The plot is just following the two of them as they dash from clue to clue and I was never really interested in solving the mystery and honestly by halfway, I was just skimming to find out what happened. The other issue is that I found Elizabeth increasingly off-putting and one-note. Props to the author for writing a prickly heroine and good disability representation but it felt like Elizabeth's identity was only the fighting and the disability. And as someone who's been involved in martial arts for most of my life, the CONSTANT references to needing to fight got obnoxious and frankly unbelievable and silly in parts. And my brain just couldn't skip over things that realistically, if they'd been in a movie, I probably wouldn't have been as bothered by. So I recognize that those may be more me issues than general reader issues.

On a personal character level, the walls that Elizabeth built around her heart made sense given her background but her stubbornness was frustrating rather than endearing, I think as a character she just wasn't working for me. And half the time, Stephen felt like a doormat to her and man, I just want more push and pull between the characters. If someone's going to be so stubborn about things, I'd like to see them get called out for it. I did appreciate the adult resolution of some of the conflicts but I just never really bought into the characters enough for the romance.

In a lot of ways, this reminds me of my experience with [book:The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels|55502861] where it's a somewhat silly, swashbuckling adventure romance that I just don't connect with. I feel like other readers who enjoy historical romance and some action will probably enjoy this more than I did.

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✰ 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰
✰ 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳
✰ 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
✰ 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺
✰ 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱

I never thought I would enjoy a historical romance about two main characters kinda trying to save a castle but I so did. Elizabeth and Stephen made it so delightful and sweet.
I adored it and would highly recommend if you're looking for something entertaining, with great banter and romance for this summer!

*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review

Okay, this latest installment of The Wild Wynchesters was kooky, and I mean that as a compliment. This is not the kind of historical romance with court intrigue and tea amongst the ton. This book has murder rooms, booby traps, swords, trap doors, and nerds with abs. I giggled so much as Simon and Elizabeth figured out how to be themselves and still accomplish their goals. Plus, the ensemble can't be beat (assuming you've read the other books). Overall, a worthwhile read if you loved the other books in this series. Not recommended as a standalone.

Hot Earl Summer started very very confusing for me since I hadnt read the rest of the stories, but I quickly caught up and then regretted not reading any of the other stories. I was intrigued from the get-go by the family, their missions and the amazingly weird character of Elizabeth. She was such an interesting person and I beyond loved the portrayal of someone with chronic illness and measuring their lives in percentages. As someone with chronic illness, it reminded me of myself and the way i approach things, and the over emphasis on appearing tough. And then Steven is just an interesting inventor who just loves her for who she is. I was a little bored by the fight scenes honestly but it didnt detract from the book. The Wynchesters are an incredibly unique and interesting family and I am going to go back and read the rest of the stories.

Erica Ridley is such a delight to read when I need a bit of a reset. I'm so please with this offering. Thank you!

The book was cute. It started off slow but it quickly picked up. The characters were relatable and it turned out to be a cute love story between 2 unlikely lovers.

This series has been the most fun, the Winchester's are a great bunch of sibling’s not related by blood but nonetheless they support and care for each other. Elizabeth's book is castle-filled with the heir presumptive in close proximity chaos ensues when she is tasked to find and honor the Will of the departed Countess. A fun read regency or historical I am not sure but i enjoyed reading.

Earnest, silly, and fun, Hot Earl Summer is another great installment of the Wild Wynchesters, a series I am forever going to be recommending. You get social justice, you get a powerful, sword-wielding woman who also happens to have fibromyalgia, you get a guy who is trying to help his family out but loves to invent machines, multiple duels, hijinks, booby traps, and so much more.

I did feel like this might be the silliest and most earnest of the series so far. Elizabeth is funny and very pro-stabby stabby, and Stephen (the tinkerer) is very introverted and sweet. Their personalities are very accentuated and they are quick to be attracted to each other. At first I thought it was insta-love, but I think it is more insta-lust, and then the rest of the story brings on the romance part!

So glad that Elizabeth got the book and love story she deserved! Definitely recommend if you love found family, chronic illness representation, a woman who calls herself a berserker, and women absolutely showing up men in battle.

Thanks to Forever for the e-ARC and ARC!

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I can't say that this was a book that fit with me. I liked that Elizabeth had a disability and still worked hard to live her life as normally as she could. I also did not know that this was a book in a series and had not read any previous books so the sibling characters did not mean anything to me. I really like when I "know" the characters when the show up in the following book.

This book was also too over the top silly for me. I was tempted to stop reading but wanted to see how this band of misfits would be able to stop the invading army of the neighbor.

Of course, there is a nice HEA.

4.5 stars rounded up

Another rollicking caper with the Wild Wynchesters!! I've been waiting for Elizabeth's story and this did not disappoint. If you're new to the series, Elizabeth is a hilariously bloodthirsty swordswoman who is also disabled dealing with chronic pain and joint issues that occasionally sideline her. But she hates to be seen as weak and has a larger than life personality.

In Hot Earl Summer, she is sent off to help a client by herself. An ancient castle is under contention- an old woman says her sister was going to leave it to her so she could start an orphanage, but her will is missing. Meanwhile, the womans wayward nephew gambled the deed of the estate away to a local Earl who is a puffed up misogynist running battle reenactments. And locked up in the castle refusing to let anyone in is the nephew in question. Except that when Elizabeth fights her way into the castle, she discovers he is NOT in fact the nephew but rather a cousin who looks similar. Stephen is a quirky tinker and inventor who was instructed by his cousin to keep the castle safe. It quickly becomes clear that there is chemistry between Elizabeth and Stephen as they work together to follow clues to find the missing document, and defend against the invading Earl who thinks the castle should belong to him.

If this sounds a bit wild and convoluted, it is but in a fun way. It's a wonderfully entertaining caper that also has a heartfelt romance between two people who are very much themselves. I adore the dynamic between Elizabeth and Stephen and this book had me laughing on many occasions. I've loved this series and look forward to reading about the final Wynchester sibling! I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This book was silly and entertaining for being a historical romance. I loved the disability represented in this. I didn't read the first books in this series and would have enjoyed it if I have. I will be reading the other books and will re-read this one once I do.

Yes, yes, yes. Thoroughly enjoyed this one even though I haven't read the others in this series. Now I need to!

I'm an absolute SUCKER for a historical romance that has an abundance of humor and well-developed characters. Which is EXACTLY what this book is. The banter is impeccable. The characters are so lovable. And the story is just an absolute delight to read. Any fan of historical romance is going to enjoy this one.

I’m an eclectic romance reader. When I read the description of Hot Earl Summer I was immediately intrigued! I was excited to hop in when we were gifted an E-Arc for review.

Elizabeth Wynchester is a part of an eclectic family that bands together to fight crime and solve mysteries. As with each member in this family, Elizabeth has a speciality, sword play. When an elderly woman approaches Elizabeth’s renowned family with her case Elizabeth feels connected to the woman’s plight and jumps at the chance to do a case solo. It just so happens that this case brings her to the doorstep of the Earl of Densmore’s castle, a reported gambler. That sneaky Earl of Densmore is able to coax his inventor cousin, Stephen Lenox, of his to pose as him at his castle to avoid his neighbor who he gambled the castle to. Fun fact, this neighbor is really into battle reenactments, oh…and technically the Earl of Densmore is not the rightful owner of the castle he has gambled away. How will Elizabeth and Stephen prevail?!?!

This was such a fun forced-proximity, espionage, mysterious, historical romance!

I loved that I never knew what was coming and the quirky charm this brought to every chapter. From sword fighting smc’s with definitie Nancy Drew vibes to crazy contraptions invented by our adorable mmc to battle re-enactment villains. I loved the humor brought in by our main characters and our FMC’s fixation on Stephen’s abdomen.

If you are looking for a historical romance that will put a smile on your face, this is the one for you! I would definitely suggest adding this book to your TBR!

Zany, crazy and unconventional, the Winchester family takes their work very seriously. When Miss Oaks comes to them for help, Elizabeth must take the job on her own. A will and deed to Castle Harbrook are missing. The castle was promised to Miss Oaks by her sister for a children's home, but the Earl of Reddington lays claim as an IOU from her nephew's gambling. Inside the castle is the cousin of the missing nephew. A tinker and inventor. Not conventional at all. They have their work cut out for them to defend the castle until the rest of the Wynchester family. shows up. It seems a perfect match between the cane-welding Elizabeth and Stephen with his unusual and practical inventions. It's not easy to admit you're in love and can't live without the other.
Never a dull moment with the Wynchesters.
Descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

I love a good historical romance! This has been my newest obsession since reading Evie Dunmore’s League of Extraordinary Women series and this one didn’t disappoint!

This one was very fun. I loved the Wynchester family! This was the first one I’ve read by this author so now I need to pick up the rest of the series! I did get overwhelmed with keeping track of the characters so I may need to reread after I finish the other books in the series.

I loved Elizabeth’s character. I loved how determined she was despite her chronic pain. Adored Stephen and his inventions/booby traps! This was such a fun read with a lot of action! I had originally picked this one up because I loved the cover so I’m glad I enjoyed it as much as I did :)

Hot Earl Summer is the perfect Elizabeth Wynchester book I was looking forward to! One: the title is amazing and two: Elizabeth was her brash, deadly, and strong self throughout this book and I loved it! Even when she met Stephen, she never changed who she was.

They both accepted each other for who they were and when there was a miscommunication, once they had time to cool down, they talked about it and what should change next time the situation comes up. Also, Elizabeth is chronically ill and Ridley shows how she handles it in her everyday life especially when it’s a bad day and that was awesome to see in a historical romance where back then, they didn’t know that term.

As always I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Wynchester family and how accepting they are of each other and the people their family falls in love with. AHHHHH I can’t wait for Jacob’s book and I’m so sad it will be the last book!!

I absolutely loved the first two books within the Winchester series and was excited to jump back into another book with this quirky family. I appreciated and related to the chronic pain representation though the FMCs complaints/how she wanted to be treated were not consistent and confusing. While I wanted to enjoy the unique characters, the plot and behaviors were too zany, too outlandish. This is more of historical fantasy and was not for me.

A silly and joyful summer read.

I quite enjoyed the disability representation in Elizabeth, a chronic joint pain sufferer who is nonetheless a berserker warrior prone to breaking down doors and fighting in many on one sword fights (even if she'll be paying for it the next day). Stephen is similarly delightful, a nerdy inventor tinkerer constantly coming up with new machines.

The book is definitely very over the top in pretty much all the ways, from the ridiculous inventions to the hijinks the characters get up to and down to the besieged castle premise, but it's all great fun and very entertaining.

This is my first Wild Wynchesters book and I did feel a bit overwhelmed at times by the sheer amount of characters. They don't appear for most of the book but are out in full force for the main battle scene, and Elizabeth does speak about her siblings quite often as they are central to her life. I do think it worked fine as a standalone but I suspect it reads even better if you're already familiar with all the background characters.

The only thing missing for me, I think, is there was a surprising lack of steam, especially for a book with "hot summer" in the title and how horny for each other the characters were. There is only one open door scene that is fairly short and happens quite late in the book. I was kind of expecting a much more steamy and hot and heavy affair between the MCs based on the plot summaries and interactions between them early in the book and then was quite surprised when they kept putting it off.

I should also note that Elizabeth is bisexual though it doesn't have strong impact on the plot.

Thanks to Forever for gifting me an eArc of this via Netgalley!