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The Impossible Earl
pbk
Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 11, 2024
Picked this one to read under my "FL has the same name as me" policy.
This title is very likely a hit-or-miss for readers depending on the tropes they enjoy. The FL is not especially pleasant, but she has definite goals as does the ML, and the conflict between these goals is what moves everything.
The "poor relation" governess-turned-alluring-heiress FL (Leonora!) has inherited an estate from her great-uncle in Bath. She realizes this is her chance to marry well, and sets off to Bath to do so. When she gets there, she finds the ground floor of the house has been rented out to the Earl of Kelsey (his dad is a Marquis) who runs a gentleman's club of the White's variety there, including gambling. Our FL is very set against gambling because her father impoverished their family with some bad decisions around that and we're off to the enemies become lovers races as she spends time trying to get his establishment out of hers. This also creates the situation for the FL and ML spend time together.
Our FL is a bit devious because she knows she only has the funds to have about a season, and she intends to find a decent husband in that period. She puts forth some plans, hinting that she has a bit more money than she does and sets forth into society very successfully. Of course, her plans are derailed as she and the ML get to know each other better and they are confronted with the basic and foundational conflict about their views on the gambling in the club.
I found myself very sucked into this story, which had an FL runs away section I enjoyed immensely. I found it flowed very naturally into a rather satisfying ending. Five stars with many re-reads in the future.
This title is very likely a hit-or-miss for readers depending on the tropes they enjoy. The FL is not especially pleasant, but she has definite goals as does the ML, and the conflict between these goals is what moves everything.
The "poor relation" governess-turned-alluring-heiress FL (Leonora!) has inherited an estate from her great-uncle in Bath. She realizes this is her chance to marry well, and sets off to Bath to do so. When she gets there, she finds the ground floor of the house has been rented out to the Earl of Kelsey (his dad is a Marquis) who runs a gentleman's club of the White's variety there, including gambling. Our FL is very set against gambling because her father impoverished their family with some bad decisions around that and we're off to the enemies become lovers races as she spends time trying to get his establishment out of hers. This also creates the situation for the FL and ML spend time together.
Our FL is a bit devious because she knows she only has the funds to have about a season, and she intends to find a decent husband in that period. She puts forth some plans, hinting that she has a bit more money than she does and sets forth into society very successfully. Of course, her plans are derailed as she and the ML get to know each other better and they are confronted with the basic and foundational conflict about their views on the gambling in the club.
I found myself very sucked into this story, which had an FL runs away section I enjoyed immensely. I found it flowed very naturally into a rather satisfying ending. Five stars with many re-reads in the future.
April 2, 2022
Once again a disappointing story by this author. I don't know what it is, but I find all her heroines unlikeable. Leonora is no exception. Starting the story as a humble governess, thanks to her father losing the family estate and fortune, she learns that she has been left property by an Uncle. This allows her to build her way back up into society and re-establish herself in her rightful place, as the grand daughter of an Earl. She takes the local vicar's daughter as lady's Companion, to Bath with her to claim her fortune. There she finds her Uncle's house still partly tenanted by a gentlemen's club owned by our hero, Blaise, Earl of Kelsey. Unable to find a way to evict him, Leonora has to learn to share her new home and try to come to terms with this man who ,her prejudice states, she must hate! Of course he's nothing as bad as she believes and she has to eat humble pie and admit she has been wrong all along. The thing is, that having come from semi-poverty back to a comfortable independent existence, I would expect her to be kind and empathetic to others social situations. The way she treats her companion Clarissa, supposedly a dear friend, is really bad. You feel that she really looks down on Clarissa for her poor looks and lowly station and is petty and jealous of her when she makes a match with a suitor she herself had turned down. She is never called out for this and it sat uncomfortably with me. She is also petty and unkind to Blaise and never really apologises. It's all about Leonora in Leonora's eyes and is shows a selfishness that is not admirable. It spoilt the story for me.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews