When the Earl Met His Match
Series: Wedded by Scandal #4
Author: Stacy Reid
Published September 14th 2020 by Entangled: Scandalous

Goodreads Synopsis
When Hugh Winthrop, the future Earl of Albury, decides to advertise for a wife in the London paper, he never expected an anonymous response from a woman who matches him wit for wit. Their back-and-forth letters on the true nature of love, something they disagree on wholeheartedly, leave him shocked—and intrigued. But then the woman he’s been corresponding with shows up on his doorstep, enticingly beautiful and offering a marriage of convenience in exchange for his protection…

Lady Phoebe Maitland expected to marry for love and nothing else, until the man she gave her trust betrayed her. The more intrigued she becomes by the mysterious and devastatingly handsome Hugh, however, the more she realizes he’s holding back from opening his heart due to long-held secrets she struggles to understand. As passion flares wickedly between them, their marriage bed is quick to heat up. But when Phoebe’s past threatens to destroy the fragile bond they’ve formed, even a budding belief in love might not be enough to save them.
Goodreads

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

Lady Phoebe Maitland knows that as the daughter of a Duke, she is expected to marry well, but she only cares about marrying for love, and her music teacher, George Hastings, the son of a viscount, should be perfect. After spending a night with him, she fully expects her father to give his blessing, but he refuses, and pays George off to leave. If only it was as easy as that, but there was an added complication from their time together, and now the Duchess is claiming she will put Phoebe in a guarded house, and as soon as the child is born, it will be given away to a baby farm. Luckily, she's been writing letters to a gentlemen advertising in the paper for a wife from a respectable background, and as soon as can get away, she flees to the Scottish estate of the Earl of Albury, where she meet's Hugh, and they marry. Hugh is mute, and the scandal around his own birth and rumours of his illegitimacy have plagued the family since his mother left, and with the old Earl dying, he needs to marry quickly, and have a partner who can help both himself, and younger sister, Caroline, navigate London society. Meeting Phoebe was nothing he expected, and the added complication of a baby doesn't help matters, but Hugh promises to protect her, and the baby, though their marriage will only be one of convenience.

I loved another one of Stacy's books that I read recently, My Darling Duke, so when When the Earl Met His Match became available to request on NG, I knew I needed to apply for it. Reading this book was fantastic, and such a fabulous book for a lazy Saturday morning. I loved the voices of Hugh and Phoebe, and the way they first interacted, through Phoebe taking ownership of Hugh's dog, Wolf, after an illness, to the witty banter through the letters between them, was perfect to break the ice. Their chemistry was vividly clear, and Phoebe's relationships with her father- and sister-in-law was wonderful, and showed how important she was becoming to her new family, who wholly appreciated her, unlike her parents. Some of the angst and plot points were a little obvious, but all in all I really enjoyed the book.

Dates Read:
August 29, 2020

Rating
4 Stars