ARC Review: The Secondhand Earl (Second Time Brides #2) by Sky Purington
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Series: Second Time Brides #2
Author: Sky Purington
Published September 26th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
What happens when a lady loses her heart to a tortured earl with a damning secret?
Lady Grace Howard and her ailing son have no choice but to move in with her sister Maude and her husband. Although welcome, she is too prideful to remain with them overly long. So when she crosses paths with a cynical war-wounded earl who needs her dowry but loathes the idea of falling in love again as much as she, Grace agrees to a marriage of convenience. Little does she know there is more to the bargain. Something she would not have liked one bit.
While Charles, Lord of Newcastle, needs Grace’s dowry, the business her brother-by-marriage brings to his port is the driving force behind marrying her. It’s something she must not know about, lest her pride land her in the arms of the wrong suitor. Despite preferring honesty, he agrees without understanding how much hiding the truth might cost him. But then, he could not anticipate how fond of each other they would become. How much they would help heal one another’s hearts. Moreover, he could have never foreseen passion—let alone love—igniting between them. Now his secret will likely become a damning truth.
Will Charles and Grace be able to weather the storm when it comes? Or is their marriage doomed to be as superficial as initially intended?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
After her beloved husband died, leaving her and his ill son with gambling debts, Lady Grace Howard's only hope is to travel to her sister's estate in Scotland, and try and find something new. Grace is too proud to rely on charity for too long, but she will not marry unless she can find a husband who will care for her son as much as she does. So when the scarred Earl of Newcastle, who lost his wife and child before heading off to war, arrives to visit his old friends, knowing that he needs investment, and better yet, a wife, to save his estate, it's as if fate has something in store for Grace. Charles is kind, and though he has let his estate go to ruin, he cares for his people, and that's what she needs. However, will she be able to get over the baggage her late husband left her with to allow herself the chance to find love again?
I liked this book so much more than the previous one. The couple had a real connection, and both helped each other recover from their pasts in a safe and sensible way. It wasn't an instalove, but an attraction that formed into a true friendship and real love and affection for each other. Grace had to come to terms with her love for her late husband, while also hating that he gambled away their money, and risked their futures. Her love for Alex was plain for everyone to see, and Charles embodied the perfect stepfather figure in his life. This was a fantastic regency romance.
Dates Read:
April 22-23, 2024
Rating
3 Stars
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