I Kissed an Earl by Julie Anne Long Series: Pennyroyal Greens #4
Published by Avon on June 29th 2010
Genres: Historical Romance, Regency Era
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
ISBN: 0061885665
Violet Redmond's family and fortune might be formidable and her beauty and wit matchless—but her infamous flare for mischief keeps all but the most lionhearted suitors at bay. Only Violet knows what will assuage her restlessness: a man who doesn't bore her to tears, and a clue to the fate of her missing brother. She never dreamed she'd find both with a man whose own pedigree is far from impeccable."Savage" is what the women of the ton whisper about the newly styled Earl of Ardmay—albeit with shivers of pleasure. Born an English bastard, raised on the high seas, he's on a mission to capture a notorious pirate for vengeance. But while Violet's belief in her brother's innocence maddens him, her courage awes him . . . and her sensuality finally undoes him. Now the man who once lost everything and the girl who has everything to lose are bound by a passion that could either end in betrayal . . . or become everything they ever dreamed.
MY REVIEW
Summary:
Violet Redmond, even though she loves her family, tends to feel smothered too much by them, so aching for adventures, she secretly boards a ship in search of her missing brother who is rumored to be a pirate and one who has been sinking ships and taking cargo. Unwilling to believe that her brother would harm innocent people, so goes in search for him, however the Captain of the ship that she is on is hunting this notorious pirate for vengeance since once of his friends was killed by him. The Earl of Ardmay, is furious that this woman could be so courageous and formidable at times, and feisty as hell. So they engage in betting against one another, and before either of them realize it, desire flares up quite like a fire to kindling, and must learn to trust in each other before they lose each other….
The Hero (Lavay, Earl of Ardmay)
Lavay, born a bastard, but was raised on a ship, is now a captain, and upon hearing of a pirate sinking ships, and killing his friend, he has made a vow for justice and has promised to get his vengeance. However a spunky young woman may just ruin everything, for she intends on saving her brother, but the passion he feels for her starts to grow to love and Lavay wonders if he will have to choose between duty and love.
The Heroine (Violet Redmond)
Violet, loves her family dearly, but has never felt a true part of them. She years for excitement and adventure, and when she hears a rumor about a notorious pirate, she has a feeling that pirate is her older brother, who left England years ago and hasn’t been heard from since. Violet, on a whim, decides to sneak aboard a ship, convinces the captain, through her own kind of smarts, that she must at least go his direction, since she knows he is after her brother, which she is wanting to prove his innocence. Violet, has never had a taste of passion, but from the first moment she encounters Lavay, she knows that it could be her undoing, and she might have to choose between the love of her family and the love of her heart, body and soul.
My Thoughts
I Kissed An Earl is the fourth installment in the Pennyroyal Greens series by Julie Anne Long. I have recently this past year discovered this author, and I have just loved each of her books that she has written (even though its only been a few so far) I just read this so fast that my head spin, I was so caught up in the story and the entertaining characters that had me laughing through most of it. There was such a witty side to the story, even though the plot there wasn’t much except toward the end, it was their interaction with each other that made it far from dull, and a fun and warm love story!!! Although far from my favorite read, it did make me smile, laugh, and feel contentment at the end!!!
My Favorite Quote
I am captain of The Fortuna I have a great responsibility to my men and now to the bloody King of England. My fortunes are dwindling. My reputation and my entire future rest upon my success in capturing this pirate for bounty. And yet..I cannot sleep at night for wanting you,”
About Julie Anne Long
Well, where should I start? I've lived in San Francisco for more than a decade, usually with at least one cat. I won the school spelling bee when I was in 7th grade; the word that clinched it was 'ukulele.' I originally set out to be a rock star when I grew up (I had a Bono fixation, but who didn't?), and I have the guitars and the questionable wardrobe stuffed in the back of my closet to prove it.
But writing was always my first love.
I was editor of my elementary school paper (believe it or not, Mrs. Little's fifth grade class at Glenmoor Elementary did have one); my high school paper (along with my best high school bud, Cindy Jorgenson); and my college paper, where our long-suffering typesetter finally forced me to learn how to typeset because my articles were usually late (and thus I probably have him to thank for all the desktop publishing jobs that ensued over the years).
Won a couple of random awards along the way: the Bank of America English Award in High School (which basically just amounted to a fancy plaque saying that I was really, really good at English); and an award for best Sports Feature article in a College Newspaper (and anyone who knows me well understands how deeply ironic that is). I began my academic career as a Journalism major; I switched to Creative Writing, which was a more comfortable fit for my freewheeling imagination and overdeveloped sense of whimsy. I dreamed of being a novelist.
But most of us, I think, tend to take for granted the things that come easily to us. I loved writing and all indications were that I was pretty good at it, but I, thank you very much, wanted to be a rock star. Which turned out to be ever-so-slightly harder to do than writing. A lot more equipment was involved, that's for sure. Heavy things, with knobs. It also involved late nights, fetid, graffiti-sprayed practice rooms, gorgeous flakey boys, bizarre gigs, in-fighting—what's not to love?
But my dream of being a published writer never faded. When the charm (ahem) of playing to four people in a tiny club at midnight on a Wednesday finally wore thin, however, I realized I could incorporate all the best things about being in a band — namely, drama, passion, and men with unruly hair — into novels, while at the same time indulging my love of history and research.
So I wrote The Runaway Duke, sent it to a literary agent (see the story here), who sold it to Warner Books a few months after that...which made 2003 one of the most extraordinary, head-spinning years I've ever had.
Why romance? Well, like most people, I read across many genres, but I've been an avid romance reader since I got in trouble for sneaking a Rosemary Rogers novel out of my mom's nightstand drawer (I think it was Sweet Savage Love). Rosemary Rogers, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Laurie McBain...I cut my romance teeth on those ladies. And in general, I take a visceral sort of pleasure in creating a hero and a heroine, putting them through their emotional paces, and watching their relationship develop on the page. And of course, there's much to be said for the happy ending. 🙂
And why Regency Historicals? Well, for starters, I think we can blame Jane Austen. Her inimitable wit, compassion and vision brought the Regency vividly to life for generations of readers. If Jane Austen had written romances about Incas, for instance, I think, we'd have racks and racks of Inca romances in bookstores all over the country, and Warner Forever would be the Inca Romance line.
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