The Earl Returns
Series: Lords of Sussex #1
Author: Lillian Marek
Published November 5th 2020 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
The Earl of Merton is back. Can he stay alive?

After three years as an involuntary seaman in the Royal Navy, the Earl of Merton returns to an England roiled by unrest. The end of the war has brought economic hardship and unemployment. Merton starts a shipyard, bringing employment to his neighbors but embarrassment to his family. They want him to marry suitably and settle down to a normal aristocratic life. He is not interested...until he meets Miranda Rokeby.

Miranda is the daughter of a Boston shipowner visiting her English relatives. She has an American disdain for useless aristocrats...until she meets Merton.

Together, they may be able to overcome the opposition of their families, but they have another problem.

Someone is trying to kill the Earl of Merton.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After being presumed dead the last few years, Tom Wortham, the Earl of Merton, has returned, and is ready to take up his title again. Knowing that someone had a hand in his being impressed into the navy, and especially when more and more 'accidents' start occurring, he's wary about his family. Because of his experience in the navy, and seeing what awaits veterans when they return from war, he opens a shipbuilding yard on his estate, and the idea of being involved in a trade is almost too much for some. His elderly grandmother, and the dowager countess, wants him to marry, settle down, and forget about it, but the ladies who are paraded in front of him are too dainty and lady like. When he meets the American cousin of one of his prospective brides, Miss Miranda Rokeby, she's like a breath of fresh air. The grand-daughter of a viscount, her life in Boston has been one where her family and friends have respected her opinions, and it's normal for her to be around ships and seaman, and ambassadors and nobles alike. She has a disdain for nobles, especially the fops she has met in London, but with Tom there is a connection. Soon enough, though, Miranda finds herself at risk of the same madman after Tom, and it will take their combined efforts to discover the truth.

I really enjoyed this book. The premise of it all intrigued me, and I liked the twists and turns we saw surrounding the assassination plot. Both Tom and Miranda were lovely main characters, full of vim and vigour, who had different positions in society, yes, but could go toe to toe with the best of them. Their relationship was one of mutual respect and affection, and it was really refreshing to see. Tom has struggled in his time in the navy, one in which he wasn't expected to return from, and the subsequent plots against him would be enough to dishearten anyone, but he remained strong in his resolve. Everyone seemed to think of Miranda as a bumpkin, unaware of how society should act, but she was better than most of them. Her life back home was actually more prestigious than they thought, but still, she wasn't arrogant, or anything, which is another reason why she worked so well for Tom. I liked the side stories too - we see Miranda's cousin find love, meet Tom's best friend, the Duke Ashleigh (who is the hero of the second book), and obviously there's the mystery too. I had ideas of who was responsible for it all, but still there were parts that shocked me, and I was hooked until the end. A really good Regency read.

Dates Read:
January 30, 2021

Rating
3 Stars