ARC Review: Who's That Earl (Love and Let Spy #1) by Susanna Craig
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Series: Love and Let Spy #1
Author: Susanna Craig
Published August 18th 2020 by Lyrical Press
Goodreads Synopsis
From rising star Susanna Craig comes an exciting new series filled with high-stakes intrigue and thrilling historical romance...
Will scandalous secrets stand in the way of a second chance at love?
Miss Jane Quayle excels at invention. How else could the sheltered daughter of an English gentleman create lurid gothic novels so infamous someone wants their author silenced forever? Fortunately, Jane has taken steps to protect herself, first by assuming a pen name, and second, by taking up residence at remote Dunnock Castle, surrounded by rugged scenery that might have been ripped from the pages of one of her books. Her true identity remains a secret, until one dark and stormy night...
After years of spying for the British army, Thomas Sutherland doubts the Highlands will ever feel like home again. Nevertheless, thanks to a quirk of Scottish inheritance law, he's now the Earl of Magnus, complete with a crumbling castle currently inhabited by a notorious novelist. When the writer turns out to be the woman Thomas once wooed, suspicions rise even as mutual sparks reignite. As danger closes in, can Jane and Thomas overcome their pasts to forge a future together?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Seven years ago, Jane Quayle and Thomas Sutherland met and fell in love. Fate intervened and they were both separated but hadn't stopped thinking of each other. Now in very different places, they could never expect to meet again, but in the remote Scottish Highlands, at Dunnock Castle, they do. Jane has reinvented herself as the widowed Mrs Higginbotham, and secretary for the allusive Robin Ratliff, who's Gothic novels have taken the country by storm, but have also brought threats. The main secret Jane is keeping though, is the fact that she is in fact Ratliff, and has been writing under a pseudonym since her parents kicked her out at 17. She's been living in Dunnock Castle for the past few years, but her landlord, the former Earl of Magnus, recently died, and it seems as if his heir might not renew the lease, and kick her out. Thomas has been in the West Indies for years as a member of the British Army, but is recalled home when it's apparent that he has inherited the title of Magnus, through his late mother. He loves the Highlands, but can't reconcile himself now the person he once was. He arrives at his family seat at Dunnock, and is overwhelmed when he sees Jane is there. Thomas fabricates the idea that he is there for her protection, due to the threats being made against Ratcliff, and keeps his title a secret. Both have their own issues and concerns, but once they are back together, their old feelings and chemistry is undeniable, and it's inevitable for them to fight it any longer.
I just loved this book so much! I knew as soon as I saw the synopsis on NG that I would need to read it, and as soon as I was approved I put everything to one side and started it straight away. I fell in love with Jane as soon as I met her, and was intrigued by Thomas' back story, and wanted to know more about his life split between summers in Scotland and his time in England. Their characters were fully three dimensional, and so engaging that I wanted to spend as much time with them as I could. And when they were together, it was even better. Their banter and playful energy was infectious and every man and their dog - including Athena and Aphrodite - were rooting for the couple. The mystery and Gothic aspect of the book from Jane's books and who was out to get her was a nice interlude too, so the book was wholly about the romance - though that wouldn't have been a bad thing really. Jane and Thomas really grew over the course of the story, and the way they slowly let down their walls and sought out the other when times were hard was fantastic. I hope that in the next book in this series we'll see more of them too.
Dates Read:
May 12, 2020Rating
5 Stars
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