Normally, with the romance, I’ll say it’s very spicy, but this book is very stabby. The main character is quite obsessed with her sword and the desire to stab people! It’s part of the quirkiness of this book. Basically a very wacky book, but also kind of slow at times. I’m a huge fan of historical romance and Erica Ridley. This is part of the series but can also be read as a standalone.

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so hoping I would enjoy this book but it was just not for me. The pace was very slow and confusing. The humor felt forced and was too slap-stick. This did not feel like I was reading an "historical" romance, it felt like I was reading a contemporary where they dressed in 19th century clothes and rode in carriages. I did not care for Elizabeth at all. I found her character to be very selfish, conceited and cruel to children. Her aversion to children was immediately off putting. Although I didn't mind Stephen, I just thought he was dull. This is just not the book for me.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This is my honest review.

Elizabeth’s bloodlust and desire to stab someone with her sword constantly got old by the second chapter. She doesn’t seem to have any personality beyond that trait.

With the popularity (or maybe infamy) of the Wynchester family at an all-time high, the siblings have more cases than they can handle as a team. So, when they get a case to find a missing will and claim the castle from the Earl of Densmore (that may or may not have been lost to the Wynchester’s archenemy, Viscount Reddington), it is determined that Elizabeth, (sword-wielding, pain-ridden Wynchester) will have to take this case on her own. She leaves for Castle Harbrook, intent on confronting her client’s nephew, the Earl of Densmore and demanding the deed to the castle to be given to his aunt as his mother wanted, so she can open an orphanage that they had planned for years. But instead of the earl, she finds the earl’s very handsome cousin, Stephen Lenox. After being refused entry, Elizabeth goes “Beth the Berserker” on the front door. When she finally gets in, she finds the castle filled with boobytraps and odd inventions, all thanks to Stephen, but he has no idea where the earl is and has been trying to keep Reddington from claiming the castle. With a only the late countess’s letters to provide vague clues to the will’s hiding place, Elizabeth sets out to solve this mystery and maybe even enjoy a tryst with Stephen.

Stephen Lenox, heir presumptive to his cousin the Earl of Densmore, is a reclusive inventor, who normally wouldn’t leave his estate, but felt obliged to help his cousin, one the few people to ever stick up for him. His cousin asked him to stay at the castle for a “few days” and make Reddington think that Stephen was him, but his cousin has been missing for weeks. In the time Densmore has been missing, Stephen has improved the earldom and reinforced the security of the castle. Until Elizabeth arrived, Stephen felt like a prisoner, but now leaving is the last thing on his mind, but it is clear that while Elizabeth is attracted to Stephen and would be open to an affair, it would seem that her plans for the future do not include him. But the more time he spends with her, the more he wants forever.

I thought I was going to like this book a lot more than I did. It was just too much – too wacky, too modern, too annoying, too wordy, too slow moving and too over-the-top. Additionally, I found Elizabeth hard to like, she is just too vicious and blood-thirsty to be truly likable, her aversion to children was also off-putting and she came across as very self-centered. I did find the fact that she battled chronic pain to be a fascinating plot point but sadly it seemed to get lost in the bizarreness of the story. I liked Stephen, but he too was a bit much. This entire series is just not my cuppa – it is silly, slap-stick humor, mixed with 21st century morals and ideals, thrown into a 19th century setting with no fear of consequence. I know there are a lot of readers who don’t mind that in historicals, and those readers might well enjoy this book series, but I am not in that group.
2.5 stars
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Erica Ridley knocked it out of the park again! I truly love this whole family and each of their stories. Elizabeth's is no exception. I love her tenacity and her boldness. At times this is a mask for her, a strong front so no one sees her struggle, but it is also just her personality. She loves a challenge, and taking on this case herself forces her to hone skills other than fighting. I also appreciated her discussion of her disability and how she takes account of how she is feeling and manages it. I also adore Stephen, a tinker who is pretending to be his cousin Lord Densmore to cover for him after he accidentally gambled away the family castle that was meant for his aunt. Stephen loves math statistics and building contraptions. After breaking down the castle door (almost literally) Elizabeth and Stephen agree to help each other out by solving the clues left behind by the Earl's late mother to find the will gifting the property to the aunt. I really enjoyed their relationship, at first it is based on physical attraction but slowly they begin to learn and appreciate each other's quirks. Although they are initially physically attracted to each other, their romance is a little on the slower side, which I appreciated. They have a couple of disagreements, but I really loved that they took a breather and then came back to communicate with each other. Not only is the romance very cute, it is also fun! The rest of the story is also really fun as we deal with strange clues left behind, murderous booby traps, and the wild neighbor who won the castle in the wager and also believes that he has embodied the energy of Wellington. Truly another excellent installment in the Wild Wynchesters series!

Family by choice and not by blood, the Wynchesters come to the rescue once again in this fast-paced and witty romance. The comedy in this novel leans towards being slapstick and the author definitely shows creativity in resolving predicaments. Characters from previous books in this series appear in this one as well, but the plot is nevertheless a standalone and comes to a happy conclusion. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

I bulldozed through this book. I absolutely loved it!! Which surprises me a bit because, TBH, Elizabeth was not my favorite Wynchester. In fact, she made me roll my eyes a lot in the other books. BUT……the more I learned about her back story and why she is the way she is, I just fell in love with her.

The whole book is juts funny and cooky. Stephen and Elizabeth’s interactions are hilarious! Watching those two fall in love was an complete delight!!

Love, love, love! I give all the stars!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Erica Ridley for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Hot Earl Summer coming out August 6, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed the series. I love that each book is about a different family member. The castle setting was perfect. I loved that Elizabeth was a self declared spinster who knew how to use a sword. I think the writing is fun. I thought the relationship was done well. It’s nice to see Elizabeth had some freedoms to express herself. Stephen is also a fun character. It’s definitely a little modern, but I enjoy this series. I’m excited to read more books in this series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys regency romances!

Hot Earl Summer was a quirky, fun farce that kept me smiling. Although it's the fifth in a series, you absolutely don't have to have read any of the previous books to enjoy it. Previous characters do make appearances, but I had no trouble figuring out who they were and they didn't overwhelm the story or the MCs of this book.

Things I loved:
- Elizabeth, the FMC, is curvy and stabby. Her favorite thing in life is getting a chance to use her custom made sword, which she keeps concealed in her cane. Her thoughts are both charming and unapolagetically violent.
- Elizabeth also lives with chronic pain that is realistically portrayed. It doesn't take over the story or the romance, but it is definitely a factor in shaping her life and her personality.
- The Wynchesters are a wonderful found family that are close and completely supportive of each other's quirks.
- Stephen, the MMC, is clearly neurodivergent to some degree, and is a sweet, hot, nerdy cinnamon roll hero.
- Elizabeth and Stephen were both so accepting and supportive of each other's differences and it was clear that they were perfect for each other.

I can't think of anything I didn't like in this book. Even for a Regency romance, the historical aspects are pretty much nonexistent, and the plot was a bit thin but this is meant to be a farce, not to be taken seriously, so lack of historical verisimilitude didn't bother me at all. Now I really want to go back and read the previous books in this series. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

3/5 Stars

Thank you to Forever for providing me with an arc to read.

I recently read book 1 in the wynchester series which I enjoyed so I was excited for this one and I did enjoy it overall but not as much as book 1. I was really excited for this one since it has chronic pain representation and that was okay but not the best I have read. This one was fun and had the chaos I expect from the wynchester books but there were some things that got repetitive during this book and brought down my enjoyment.

Elizabeth Wynchester cares about bringing justice to those who need it with the help of her handy sword even though others don’t think she should be capable due to her gender and body. So when her next mission lands her at the Earl of Dunsmore’s Castle she is prepared to duel, not get locked inside with a handsome rogue who is guarding it. Stephen Lenox agreed to impersonate his cousin for a few days but he didn’t expect his cousin to disappear completely. Nor was he prepared for a woman to show up swinging a sword and threatening to break down the door if he didn’t let her in. But as more enemies threaten the castle they team up to settle everything once and for all.

I liked Elizabeth and Stephen together and enjoyed their relationship. Stephen very much felt neurodivergent of some flavor which was for me more relatable than Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s chronic pain did piss me off at times as someone who has had chronic pain for over a decade. I understand that this is set in a period where medicine ain’t what it is now but her chronic pain felt very vague at times with at some points her joints were talked about a lot in ways that felt like hypermobility and other times it wasn’t at all connected to that so it overall felt so vague. I know that chronic pain isn’t always specific but this felt so vague that it felt sometimes inconsistent with what chronic pain meant for her.

Overall this book was fun but it wasn’t what I fully was hoping for. I do want to continue finishing this series as I have skipped around a bit. I liked the family elements in book 1 which I think is why this one fell a tiny bit flat for me as there isn’t a lot of family time in this one. If you like historical romance this may be great for you, I just am still learning what I like in historical romance novels.

I just finished Erica Ridley’s newest installment in her Wynchesters series, Hot Earl Summer. And I cannot recommend it highly enough! Five starrs, an utter delight!

This book is perfect for historical romance girlies, but you know who else I think will love it? Fantasy romance girlies! This book features a Victorian setting that honestly just reads more like a vaguely described fantasy setting. It’s full of modern sensibilities with characters who dance to the beat of their own drum in spite of the classism and patriarchy around them. Plus, it’s set almost entirely in a crumbling castle filled with booby traps. We’ve got a stabby FMC, an oddball found family, and a brilliant MMC inventor who falls hard. And the romance has all the feels, full of depth and growth in the characters as they find healing together. And did I mention chronic illness rep and likely neurodivergent rep (the term isn’t used)?

This is the fifth book in the Wild Wynchesters series. It features a family of orphans adopted by an eccentric nobleman. Each sibling has unique skills and they band together to fight injustice and oppression in Victorian England wherever they find it, finding love along the way. In Hot Earl Summer, sword-wielding Elizabeth has to team up with reclusive inventor Stephen to find a missing will while defending a castle against a neighboring nobleman.

If you haven’t read any other books in this romance series, you can start with this one. I’ve actually only read the one before this, My Rogue to Ruin, and this one. And I enjoyed them both immensely. But I do think there are some things I’d enjoy even more if I’d read them in order and I do plan to go back and read the rest of the series.

4 stars! I thought the Beth and Stephen had great chemistry, where they complemented each other’s weirdness (in a good way). They just supported each other just as they are, which was lovely. Beth has a chronic illness which causes her to be in pain occasionally, and I thought it was handled really well. It’s a Wynchester book, so there is lots of banter and the quirky siblings are around, but it can be read as a stand alone.

Hot Earl Summer is a light, fun, sometimes goofy Regency romance that also has really well done chronic pain representation.

This installment of the Wild Wynchesters series is about Elizabeth, a plus size woman who lives with chronic pain day in and day out. Elizabeth has lived with her condition all of her life, which led her family to treat her as useless and basically threw her away. After she was found by the Baron and joined the Wynchesters, she took up fighting with swords and other implements as a way to ensure neither she nor her adopted siblings were ever victimized again.

Elizabeth is the point person in the Wynchesters’ latest case helping an older woman regain the property inheritance she should have received from her sister. What develops from there is the main story of the book. Stephen, Elizabeth’s love interest, is stuck at the castle at the heart of the dispute. Stephen is a kind and rather unique sort of person who falls fast for Elizabeth.

Some of the story gets pretty goofy but intentionally so. I enjoyed the silly parts and the laughter. But as a plus size woman with a chronic pain condition, Elizabeth’s character and her experiences with her disability touched me deeply. It felt true and I saw myself in her in many ways (not including berzerking.)

I enjoyed Hot Earl Summer and look forward to Jacob’s book. Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. All opinions are solely my own.

This was unfortunately too over-the-top for me, and the characterization for each main character felt really heavy-handed. The overdone eccentricities made it difficult to feel connection to either main character, and they ultimately felt more like caricatures than people. This particular book is not for me stylistically and I chose not to finish the book after teaching 30%, but I plan to read more by Erica Ridley, because I sense that I would likely enjoy less zany plot set-ups and characters that she writes.

4.5/5 ⭐️

The Wild Wynchesters are back, this time with Elizabeth at the helm! She's determined to help their latest clients create the orphanage/school of their dreams, but in order to do that, she must defeat the dastardly Earl of Densmore. Elizabeth is SO ready for a fight, but finds an inventor instead...one who is house-sitting and handsome as heck! There's instant chemistry between Stephen and Elizabeth, and but it's hard to explore it when there are bad guys about, wacky inventions doing their thing, and a castle full of hidden secrets they must uncover.

I had the best time with this book! What a breath of fresh air! I loved the chemistry, the Rube Goldberg machines (yea science!), and the mystery of it all! It was also HILARIOUS. I found myself laughing out loud so many times! I love that Elizabeth was an unapologetic, curvy, courageous, if a bit stab-happy, heroine. She's also dealt with chronic pain her whole life, and I was thrilled to see that representation in an historical romance. I really enjoyed Stephen's character as well. It was great to see the ensemble cast again, all of the characters we've gotten to know and love in this series, who are loving and living their best lives. Happily, there's more to come in this series!

I'd like to thank Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own!

This book started out so promising: chronic pain representation, non-traditional gender stereotypes for the FMC and MMC, and lots of quirk to the characters.

There's a promise of romance and sexual attraction, but this never results in any spice. There is plenty of kissing, but there are also two closed door scenes where spice is implied, but never written out.

The story itself was okay until the quirkiness of the characters became almost absurd and silly. The light heartedness of the book comes through, but I never once laughed.

This is one of a saga of books, but I won't be going back to reading the others. I was disappointed and was happy to be done with the book.

A fun little historical romance set in the Victorian era. This was sweet and cute and a ton of fun to read if you are into more of the historical romances

This was such a fun, quirky, sweet historical romcom! And, even though it's part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone...which I did...without feeling like you've missed something. The characters are fantastic, both the family and, of course, the two mains. I love that Elizabeth is such an unorthodox lead - one with a real love for going head-first into battle and unabashedly proclaiming her enjoyment of swinging her sword. She battles her chronic pain with grace and doesn't let it stop her when it comes to doing what needs to get done. She's a true warrior! Stephen is such a sweet man who loves inventing machines that make life easier (if not always faster). I really enjoyed watching these two characters, who were used to being on their own, come to terms with each other and, ultimately, fall in love. Their chemistry is wonderful and their banter was smart and witty. These two are a perfect couple and their adventure was truly entertaining. This was my first Erica Ridley book but I know for sure it won't be my last!

Elizabeth and Stephen together make for an exciting adventure. They are amusing and entertaining throughout the entire story. The plot sees them coming up with all kinds of neat tricks while on the hunt for a missing document. Elizabeth is fierce despite her difficulties and is willing to fight to protect the weak. Stephen is a creative genius who didn’t know he was lonely until Elizabeth. The dialogue is jaunty and easy to follow. Readers will have so much fun turning the pages and getting to know another Wynchester. Make sure to get your copy of this absolutely marvelous book.

Elizabeth Wynchester adores vanquishing villains with the sharp blade concealed inside her cane. Her latest mission takes her to the Earl of Densmore’s castle, she’s to find a will & the deeds to the castle so that Miss Oaks can open her orphanage but she didn’t expect to meet reclusive inventor Stephen Lenox. Stephen agreed to impersonate his cousin for a few days, he didn’t expect the earl to vanish altogether. Time is running out for Elizabeth to complete her mission but that will mean leaving Stephen.
The fifth Wynchester to find love & another fast paced book with plenty of humour. I loved both Stephen & Elizabeth their chemistry sizzled. The villain whilst being nasty has delusions of grandeur & is also a comical figure. I love the Wynchesters who are always there for each other & once again they rally to help Elizabeth. A captivating romance which I thoroughly enjoyed
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own