Series: The Heirs' Club of Scoundrels #2
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on August 4th 2015
Genres: Historical Romance, Regency Era
Pages: 352
Format: eBook
Source: Self Purchased
ISBN: 1250042216
Harrison Thornwick thought he was safe. The fourth son to the Earl of Thornwick, there was no reason he couldn’t lounge his life away, drinking and carousing in the notorious Heirs’ Club. But when the sudden deaths of his father and brothers leave Harrison holding the bag, he needs a wife in haste, unless he’s to defy the rule of the prince. Unluckily for Harrison, the prince has an entirely different rule for him—his wife-to-be, Miss Angelina Rule. But when he sees the lady in the flesh, Harrison finds her too beautiful and fascinating to resist…Princely command or not, Angelina has no desire to marry Thornwick. Waiting for her sweetheart to return from the army, she’s not about to be paired up with an Earl—especially with an infamous scoundrel like Harrison. But with Thornwick determined to make her his wife in more ways than one, Angelina will have to put up all her defenses if she is to resist being seduced…
Summary
Harrison Thornwick, never imagined that he would lose his brother and his family to a disease and the family manor practically burned down to the ground. Harrison hasn’t had to live a life of responsibility to now. So he sets aside his gambling, drinking and carousing to do what needs to be done. But while in the process of rebuilding, the prince gives him an ultimatuum marry the woman he has in mind or be tossed in prison for a duel he had no choice but to participate in. Miss Angelina Rule, is a true lady, but also has other interests. She is shocked to learn that her father, has huge gambling debts and in order to keep him from debtor’s prison and having herself and her grandmother tossed in the street, she must marry the Earl of Thornwick even though her heart is set on another. Harrison knows that he will have to be persistent, patient and understanding when winning over the lovely Angelina. He knows she is set on another man, but he is determined to prove to her of his genuine feelings for her.
The Hero
Harrison Thornwick has lost his whole family though various circumstances. He never thought he would become the earl when he was the fourth son. Harrison admits that he spends too much time with the pleasures that the city has to offer and not enough spending time with his family. He lost the woman he loved when she loved another man…his brother. And now that they have died, three months later he is still struggling with his grief and rebuilding the family manor. And just to add more weight upon his shoulders, he has no choice but to marry and he doesn’t even get to choose his own bride. But when Harrison meets Angelina he is spellbound by her. She is fascinating, beautiful and everything he could ever want in a bride. I truly adored Harrison, he comes off as a bad boy at times but he is so much more than that. He has some hidden depths and it was quite revealing to see them come out. He is a man that likes his own way in things, he isn’t afraid of some competition but is still honorable.
Though I’m seldom a gentleman, I do on few occasions decide to be one. I wanted to let you know I can be a gentleman. I can, at times, follow the rules and do the right thing, but it is never as easy, enticing or satisfying as doing what’s forbidden
The Heroine
Angelina is a heroine I just gravitated to instantly….honestly I think I could have been friends with her in another life. She lost her mom when she was younger and has been taught by her grandmother the social graces to get her ready for her first season. Her father she loves, and will do anything to help him. The past three years she has been in love with a military officer. Angelina loves to paint and help out stray dogs. I love her kind heart and the ways she goes about to help her father and she does get a bit creative in helping him with his debts so that she can marry the man she wants. I did enjoy her quite a bit, and even though she was a bit naive on occasion I did feel that she was realistic.
Plot and Story Line
The Earl Claims a Bride is a book I have had on my reader for over a year now and I still can’t believe I waited so long to read this one. But whew am I glad that I picked this one up especially since its my first book from this author. First off I want to point out that this book can be read as a stand alone. The series is based on three friends from Eton and their own stories. So its loosely connected but not too much though although, I am intrigued by the two friends and I can’t wait to get my hands on the other two books.
Now this book sets off with seeing our hero get the horrible news from his family following a duel he didn’t even want to participate in. What I noticed first off from him, though, was how honorable he is. He doesn’t let anger or frustration get the better of him. The author here really pulled me in quite quickly with this book. Then we get to our heroine and seeing her save another stray that is a puppy and been injured. We see her kind nature from the beginning and I loved her personality. We do get a little mix of the love triangle trope. Now first off we know who is the obvious man she will eventually pick but we have an added complication—an injured officer of the military who pursues her at the same time. Now his situation really melted my heart, because he lost his eye and has some scarring and she is the only one that sees him beneath the injury. He is full of anger though because of what has happened to him. But Angelina handles him so well. We see that she has great chemistry with Harrison and doesn’t have the same feelings that she used to have and realizes the difference between love and an infatuation. Amelia Grey really handled this aspect of the story very well. The only issue I had with the story was the actual romance between Harrison and Angelina. I didn’t feel as involved as I wanted to, it felt a bit off balanced in moments. However, I did enjoy this story quite a bit: sweet and fun and definitely want to pick up the other books.
The Cover
What a cover….I just love everything about it. I love the pose here, its different from the norm you usually see in HR. I like the sitting down set, and I love the tone of colors. And her dress is so gorgeous….the cover is sexy yet tender too.
Overall View
The Earl Claims A Bride is a sweet love story that engages the reader and pulls them into a ride of charm and sensuality.
I love that these work as standalone. I really need to weave a HF into my pile, I always have fun when I read them. The cover is lovely!
I like her books cos they are sweet 😀
Isn’t it nice to find a book you enjoy even if it’s been on your ereader forever?!? This one does sound like a good read despite your issue with the romance. 🙂
I read The Duke and Miss Christmas and thought it was adorable. So I have been wanting to read more from Amelia Grey and I’m glad you liked this book.