GOOD EARL GONE BAD - Manda Collins

#2 in the Lords of Anarchy Regency romance series

ROMANCE AND MYSTERY, HISTORICAL-STYLE - 3.5 stars

Plot - 3.5 stars - Hermione Upperton begins by controversially joining a driving club, usually a male-dominated activity. But when her father loses her prized horses in a bet, she becomes embroiled in a surprising set of circumstances with her horses at the center. When her father then goes on to lose her hand in marriage to Lord Mainwaring, they work together to solve the mystery.

Writing - 3.5 stars - Collins did a good job of capturing my attention from the beginning. Hermione is caught up in events through no fault of her own, and it's interesting to watch both the mystery and the romance move forward.

Characters - 4 stars - Hermione is fairly headstrong and controversial due to her skill with her horses, but she also tries to follow convention as much as possible. She's not particularly reckless, it's just that her interests are not the usual female activities. Mainwaring is a gambler, but not in the usual way. He's intelligent and a whiz with numbers--one of the first card counters it seems--and he's not obsessed with gambling, he just enjoys it. This means Hermione has tried to avoid him because she's lived too long with her father's excesses. But with her father's bet...and with Mainwaring's involvement with her friends and her life...they become attracted to each other despite the pitfalls. I liked these two characters as they grew to be friends and then lovers in the midst of a mystery. I was rooting for them to have a successful relationship.

Title - 2 stars - I don't understand the title. Lord Mainwaring is good, so it can't be referring to him. And Lord Upperton (Hermione's father) isn't really a main character, so I don't see him as the good earl gone bad. The title is just too negative and doesn't reflect what I think the story is about.

Cover - 3.5 stars - A colorful, if fairly routine cover.

Overview - 3.5 stars - The main characters are pleasant, intelligent, and work together well to determine the answers to the mystery surrounding Hermione's horses. The mystery was a bit confusing at times, but it didn't really detract from the romance, which in my opinion was the starring feature of the book. The marriage-bed scenes were hot but caring. There was quite a bit of reference to the first book in this series. Since I haven't read it, I felt a little left out, especially when they referred to a friend who had died. Although this book can definitely be read as a standalone, reading Book #1 would have made it more enjoyable.

I liked this addition to the Lords of Anarchy. Jasper and Hermione were great characters, and I enjoyed watching them get to know one another and then develop feelings for each other. The storyline caught my attention right away and held it throughout. I liked the direction the story took, and was pleased with the outcome.