Lusting for the Broken Earl

by Olivia Bennet

He showed her his scars and, in return, he let her pretend that she had none...

Esther Nott, daughter of the Duke of Aishling, has dedicated herself to a life of charity rather than marriage. Having witnessed people’s capacity for deceit, she hides behind the walls she has built around herself to protect her virtue from dishonourable intentions.

Allan Blaksley’s past as a soldier has left its marks on both his body and soul. With a long scar across his back that he considers hideous, the broken Earl of Wiltshire is constantly reminded of his failures.

But despite their personal obstacles, both Esther and Allan manage to enter each other’s hearts…

Until a mysterious woman suddenly appears claiming that Allan is the father of her child. Unbeknownst to them, even though the woman’s motives seem purely greedy and materialistic, she will be proved to be only a puppet.

A puppet carrying out someone else’s well-planned scheme...

*If you like a realistic yet steamy depiction of the Regency and Victorian era, then Lusting for the Broken Earl is the novel for you.

This is Olivia's 6th novel, a historical Regency romance novel of 80,000 words (around 400 pages). No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a strong happily ever after.

Pick up "Lusting for the Broken Earl" today to discover Olivia's amazing new story!

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical

494 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2019

About the author

Having obtained a degree in Journalism, but with an affinity for literature and creative writing, Olivia Bennet knew from a young age that her future lay in the romantic ideals of the past. With a fascination for the Regency era and a good romance, she started her career as a historical romance author the old-fashioned way: with pen and paper.

Born in rural Devon, Olivia draws inspiration from the vast farmlands of the British countryside and the people living in the surrounding villages. An avid artist, she takes her sketchbook everywhere with her and captures the beauty of nature, which she then incorporates into her books.

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/17/2021)! 🎁

[Space Cowgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

When You See A Chance You Take It💕

Alpha Male Adult Regency Romance💞 and Mystery.

Alan🐺🍆⛲, only son, decorated soldier horribly wounded at Waterloo, is now the wealthy but reluctant Earl of Wiltshire after his father passes. He has a long badly healed scar all the way down his back, and PTSD, but he's alive!

Attending his cousin Edward's wedding, Alan🐺🍆⛲ meets Esther💃💋, the eldest daughter of a Duke in dire financial circumstances, and older sister to Edward's bride👰, Mary.
Esther💃💋 is something of a bluestocking, she is wrapped up in her charity, an orphanage. Specifically, it's one little orphan 👧girl, left at the orphanage steps as a newborn. Esther💃💋 has watched her grow over the years and has become attached to her.

Alan🐺🍆⛲ decides he needs to marry to produce an heir and because he is lonely, but he's afraid his nightmares, daytime terrors, and long, ugly scar will make him unsuitable to almost any woman.

Meeting Esther 💃💋at Edward's wedding is a godsend because she is witty, caring, and non judgemental, besides being beautiful and voluptuous! The only problem is his cousin Edward's younger brother, Harry👺, covets Esther💃💋, to the point of obsession. Esther💃💋 has tried to dissuade him without being completely rude, but He persists in his unwanted attentions. He seems slightly mad and has a terrible temper!
Could he be dangerous as well?

ARC Received from Bookfunnel🌀
I also got this book with KU.

What a wonderful, well written, adult Regency Romance💞! Every book of Ms Bennet's I read is better than the last!
The author gives great attention to detail in describing the society norms and the day to day living of the aristocracy, as well as weaving a great love💕 story. Great book!

[Carole Burant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a mainly clean Regency novel with some steam at the end on the wedding night. I struggled a bit with this story because it seemed to repeat itself often with not much interaction between the two main characters. As for the Earl being "broken", that really never became an issue! I just feel like this was not the usual Olivia Bennet novel and found it very stilted and lacking of her usual style. Saying that, I will still give it a 4 star review because I did enjoy the main plot of the story.

Esther Nott, daughter of the Duke of Aishling, and Allan Blaksley, Earl of Wiltshire, have a very shaky start when she discovers he's a soldier come back from the war (she says they have too many problems when they come back from war) and he's attracted to both Esther and Bridget, the nurse who attended him after he was wounded in the war. Then there's also Harry, Allan's cousin, who is in love with Esther and is jealous of Allan, and plots to cause trouble between them.

I did love how Julia, the little 5 year old orphan girl that Esther has been attached to since birth, also got her HEA:) So, as I said at the start, I was a bit disappointed at the writing but it was still a good story.

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story. Allen, who was severely wounded at the Battle of Waterloo, currently suffers from what we now refer to PTSD. He feels as if he is a a “broken” man because of the scar and how could someone love him and then he meets Esther. It is a beautiful love story between Esther and Allen but there is someone who wants to destroy their new found love. It is well written and worth reading. I would highly recommend this book.

[Luminita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about broken hearts and mended lives.
A young man who falls in love but instead to explore and enjoy his new disvovered love, chooses to go to war. He comes back a broken man who seems to have become the shadow of his former self. The immediate consequence is him being too easily manipulated by his former commander. Fortunately, his first love proves to be strong and bold enough to do the unthinkable, and ask him to marry her. Their coming back together is slow and painful. Eventually they do get their happy ending but, I confess that sometimes I felt that the story was a little too slow-paced and dragged behind. Otherwise, a clean Regency love story with some adult-appropriate content during the wedding night.

[An Epilogue a Day Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esther is the eldest of three daughters but her only concern is her work with girls in a orphanage. Allan was badly injured in Waterloo and now he sees little meaning in his life. They both meet during a marriage that unite both of their families and they end up falling in love while overcoming challenges and a horrible plot to separate them. I really enjoyed the story and the relationship between the sisters and the cousins. The extended epilogue is specially sweet!

[Sw3 · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 23%. I'm so disappointed in this book because the premise sounds so good. Of the little I read, the war PTSD seemed pretty well written. I had to stop because I could just not stand the author's writing style. It's very much like stage directions. The interactions are very stiff and formal. There's lots of exposition-like dialogue. It's all telling, not showing. I also didn't care for the author's insistence that the h is "full figured" but also "not fat." It was annoying. I guess this author is just not for me. :(

[sandy forguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allan and Esther

Well written and good story. A lot going on in this book. Allan comes home a hero from the war with scars and insecurities. .Esther has her work at the orphanage and never thought she would marry. . Until she met Allan. good characters and they get their happy ever after. Would highly recommend.

[Gerri Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story with Alan the injured & scarred Earl who fought at Waterloo and Esther who is a young woman who loves working with orphans. They come together slowly and fall passionately in love except there is someone behind the scenes trying to ruin eveerything.

[Cynthia Panka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complicated Love Twists

This book moved right along and never slowed down. I wanted it to continue with the Duke and Allan to bring an end to the horrible orphanage ring. There were endless possibilities to continue...

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, "Lusting for the Broken Earl" was not one of Olivia Bennet's better books. I think the only good thing I can say about it is that it was an improvement on her previous book, but only because I was actually able to finish it. I wouldn't say that it was particularly well-written or memorable, but at least the plot (mostly) made sense and the main characters didn't consistently come across as TSTL.

My biggest complaint about this book is that the vast majority of it was filler that had nothing to do with advancing the plot, mainly in the form of needless description and exposition. Examples include multiple lengthy descriptions of the characters' homes, their clothing, and getting dressed for various social events. The characters also seemed to have variations on the exact same conversations over and over again, which was very repetitious. All of this combined to make the story drag, and frankly the first half of the book was pretty boring as a result.

Also, the central relationship between main characters Allan and Esther was not developed well at all IMO, which made this book very disappointing as a romance. Personally, I do not find it to be very romantic when the "hero" hasn't even settled on which woman he wants to court by the time the book is halfway over, and that is exactly what happened here as Allan was still agonizing between Esther and another woman from his past. Further, there was basically zero relationship development between Allan and Esther. It seemed like one minute Esther was refusing to even consider Allan as a potential husband because he might be "damaged" from the war, but then the next minute she was telling her sisters that she was head over heels in love with him. I could not figure out how she could possibly have fallen in love with him so quickly, especially when they had only met on three or four occasions and shared about 15 minutes of conversation in total.

In addition, it may be a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things, but I was incredibly bothered by all of the times servants announced people as they walked into rooms. Yes, there would have been some announcing during that time period, but I would think it was more of a convention when one first arrived at a social event like a ball or dinner party, not just upon entering a room at home or visiting family. However, at one point in this book, Allan's cousin Edward walks out of the drawing room in his own home and literally says that he'll be right back. When he returns about two minutes later, the footman announces him to the other family members who had remained behind. Why on earth would that have been necessary? It all seemed so ridiculous and excessive to me. Perhaps it was just another example of the filler I noted earlier in my review.

Overall, there was so much unnecessary filler and repetition in this story that it could have been shortened into a novella and still told the exact same story. It still may have been kind of boring with such a lackluster "romance" at the center of it, but at least it would have been a lot less frustrating to read.

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gentle romance that had some dramatic moments in it. Jealousy, betrayal, longing, unrequited love, anger, deprecation and love. Allen, the Earl of Wiltshire is emotionally stronger than he thinks. He feels the chance to marry will elude him because of his shame. He suffered physically from the war. He feels the scar left behind will put fear into any woman who sees it. He also suffers from some PTSD usually nightmares. Other than that he is financially successful and has an excellent reputation. His only family is his two cousins, Edward, the Duke of Daftwood and Edward's brother Harry. The down and dirty version of the plot was that Harry and Allen were enamored by the same woman. Lady Esther Nott, daughter of the Duke of Aishling. Harry went below the belt to break Esther and Allen up. He made several attempts to ruin and shame Allen's reputation. No one knew it was Harry behind the verbal and malicious falsehoods against Allen. At one point one of Harry's scheme worked and Esther distanced herself from Allen. But when the truth was revealed their courting continued. Still no one knew who was behind these verbal assaults. I enjoyed Esther's character. She was dedicated to ensuring the safety of orphans. This was her only goal in life even more important than marriage. That is until she met Allen. Esther is a determined young woman who will go the extra mile for the orphans and those that care for them. Esther had an emotional connection with one very special child Julia. All of a sudden, the orphanage is being closed down and she was told the staff and children were being reassigned throughout the city. No one would give her any information about the location of one of the staff members Sophia or little Julia. Esther tried many avenues to discover any information but they did not work out. Esther received an anonymous tip that lead her to Sophia who was sick and dying. Sophia informed her of what devious disgusting perverse plans Mr. Smith had for the children. But she did not know where Julia was. It was her brother-in-law Edward and Allen who picked up the cause. Harry was still a threat to Allen. At every available turn Harry would lash out at Allen with lies to convince Esther not to marry him. This is a very good read and is a page turner. The only drawback was the description of Esther's bodily reaction to being near Allen. I feel it needed a more sensitive and a more tasteful touch. Other than that, I do recommend this book.

[Elizabeth Connor · Rating 1 out of 5]

It pains me to say this, but if this were the first book I read from Olivia Bennett, it would surely be my last. Luckily, I have read other, much better, books from her. The best I can say for this one is that the characters were likable and it was brief.

Unfortunately, there were many things I did not like. Where do I begin? There was too much attention given to unimportant details. For example, "Satisfied that he was well put together, Allan opened the office door, which was located on the second floor of his home, and walked towards the stairway, which would lead him to the entrance of the sitting room once he descended them. As he approached the sitting room, a waiting footmen open the door and Allan walked in." I wish I could say this was the only example, but I often felt as if the author was desperately trying to increase the word count, and too often injecting drama where none was needed. At one point, the tension build-up as Allan approached Esther was ridiculously dramatic and I seriously considered giving up. Nevertheless, I persisted, knowing that the end was coming soon. And when the end did come, it was abrupt and anticlimactic. So disappointing.

There was a word used at least four times in this book that I could find in no dictionary: heartedly. I think Olivia Bennett meant to say heartily, but apparently no one caught this error before publishing.

With a title that includes the word lust, it would be safe to assume there will be some sex at some point. Alan was presented as a bit of a horn-dog, seemingly driven primarily by hormones, imagining the things he would like to do to Bridgette, and then to Esther. Esther wasn't much better. When they were finally married and consummated their union, it was disappointing, to say the least. The language was stilted and, frankly, it made me uncomfortable to read it. It reminded me of a Penthouse Forum letter. Ugh.

If you are unfamiliar with the author's writing, I implore you to choose a different one of her books. Generally, she's really good. Not this time.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lusting for the Broken Earl by Olivia Bennett. Allan, Earl of Wiltshire is home from the Battle of Waterloo where his back was blown open on top of his other injuries. He spent months in the hospital recovering, much of that time out of his mind on opium, given for the pain. He is slowly readjusting to his old life and contemplating marriage although his ugly back is of concern when thinking of intimacy. His cousin, Edward, the Duke of Daftwood is getting married and Allan is excited to be going to a wedding, although his thoughts continually drift to Bridget Crampton, his nurse during his hospitalization and the subject of his fantasies. At the wedding he meets Lady Esther Nott, daughter of the Duke of Aishling and is immediately attracted, as is his cousin, Harry, Edward's younger brother. Allan mentions Bridget to Harry and before long Harry has located her. Things start to get complicated.

Lusting for the Broken Earl is a good story and different than most of the plots that come along in these sorts of novels. Esther is of good blood, not certain she wishes to marry but rather chooses to continue her work at the local orphanage. She's beautiful and kind and a little spoiled by her parents, who have allowed her to remain unwed. Allan is a good man, suffering from recurring unpleasant dreams about the war and totally self-conscious about the scars on his back, despite the fact they are out of sight. He is obviously ready to marry, given his daydreams about not one, but two women. He has a good life, plenty of money, a best friend, and his cousins. He really could want only one thing: a wife. This is a good plot with good characters. What more could a reader want? I recommend it. It is an enjoyable read.

I received a free ARC of Lusting for the Broken Earl. All opinions expressed herein are solely my own.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lusting for the Broken Earl is an unpredictable story that holds the reader’s attention throughout. Because of his scars and nightmares about the war, Allan believes no one will want to marry him. Esther is the somewhat spoiled daughter of a duke. She is not sure she wants to marry. She has a kind heart and likes helping at the orphanage. When they meet, Allan and Esther like each other and feel comfortable with each other. They should be a perfect match, but jealousy and betrayal by those who want to keep them apart cause mistrust and create obstacles that seem insurmountable. Esther is more than disappointed when she believes Allan has fathered a child out of wedlock. She is ready to give up on their chance for love. Allan and Esther are wonderful people, but how can they prove themselves to each other? Their story is an interesting one. I recommend it.

I received an ARC of this book. I voluntarily reviewed it and the comments are my own.

[Ramona Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady Esther Nott was the eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Aishling and did charity work with orphans. She was not yet interested in marriage and her parents were not pressuring her to get married. Her middle sister Lady Mary was marrying Edward, the Duke of Daftwood. His younger brother Lord Harry was infatuated with Lady Esther trying to spend all of his time with her. Alan the Earl of Wiltshire was Edwards’s cousin and was going to be at the wedding. Alan had been in the Army and inviting at Waterloo been seriously injured nearly dying, and he was suffering from flashbacks of the months it took for him to heal and the battle itself. He met Lady Esther at the wedding and felt drawn to her during the conversation between them he suddenly felt like he had offended her but did not know how he had done this. To find out what happens between the lady and the two gentlemen you have to read the book. It's a good book...

[Virginia VanSaders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Allan and Esther.  Allan is torn between two women and has to make a dicision which one is suited to be with him, and which one he has more feelings for.  It takes him a little while until her realizes Esther is the one for him.  Esther is also torn between her work and the prospect of getting married, especially to someone who was in the war.  She realizes she can have both; marriage and her work.  There are so many other factors in this story, and it was very appealing to me.  I loved the plot and all it was surrounded by.  Someone tries to keep them apart, but it doesn't work.  It is an intriguing story, to say the least.  I loved it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A love that neither want but the heart has a different plan. Esther was happy with her life and her work at the orphanage. Allan was a man who was working through his demons from a war injury. They meet at a party as her sister and his cousin were to marry. They do have an instant attraction but did not do much about it. Unfortunately Allan’s cousin Harry is in love with Esther who does not like him. As Esther and Allan continue to meet the attraction grows and they start to court. Harry works his hardest to come between them by using Esthers work with the orphans. Thank goodness the truth comes out and their love proves stronger.

[Shirley Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obstacles to overcome

Allan, Lord Wiltshire, wounded and scarred has faced flashbacks and nightmares since returning home from the war. Allan goes to his cousin's wedding and meets Edward's future wife and her two sisters.
Esther has been trying to keep from interacting with Edward's brother Harry as she doesn't have any feelings for him. Harry tries throwing obstacles in the path between Esther and Allan because he is jealous.
Allan's flashbacks and nightmares ease the more that he's around Esther and their path to love 💘 is rocky at best.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole time I read this I got some shady vibes ftom one of the characters from the start. Devious and manipulative and so very selfish! I was disappointed that Esther would have held it against Allan if he had a child out of wedlock, yet she expected support with her endeavors at the orphanage and with Julia. She's confusing and her double standards irked me. I loved Allan's morals and integrity. He had a big heart and was honest.

[TLynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allan, the Earl of Wiltshire, has returned from wore with emotional and physical scars. He is very self-conscious of his scars, but has gotten lonely and wants to find a wife. Esther Nott dedicates herself to help children at orphanages. They meet each other at their cousins wedding but they had several obstacles to get through before they have their HEA. The book has romance, suspense, mistrust and jealousy. It was well paced and a good book.

[Catherine Tijerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read by Olivia. Alan and Esther meet at her sister's wedding and share an attraction. She has her charity work and he has scars from the war. This book has romance, suspense,betrayal and more. I would recommend it to anyone over 18 due to some steaminess. I received this ARC free in exchange for a voluntary honest review which I have freely written here

[cheralyn r quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listing For The Broken Earl

Olivia Bennett is a mistress of writing books that deal with things that we deal with today & something that was dealt with in Regency times as well. Ptsd is something that was not understood in historical times but soldiers did have to deal with it. I enjoyed this book and the characters.

[Patricia A. Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story of two people finding each other against all odds. It shows that sometimes the invisible scars we carry are more damaging than the ones we can see. Olivia Bennett captures the feel of the Regency era beautifully and weaves a story of love, pain and betrayal that makes it hard to put the book down

[alfawolf1 ~Sherri K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esther and Allan's story is a sweet romance filled with despair, jealousy and troubles. Others have already given detailed reviews, so I will just say I enjoyed it! Another great story by Olivia Bennet!

[Sharon Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful!

Omg! What an amazing storyline and characters in this book. Exciting,fascinating and sad! Was so happy that Allan and Esther got together,you could feel their passion for each other. Absolutely wonderful ending.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lusting for the broken Earl

This read was okay and largely dependent on what you enjoy in a regency novel. The side stories were enjoyable. I feel the editing slowed the pace and created some repetition.

[Ramonita Roldan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allan & Esther's story was simply wonderful. He is hunted by the memories of war. Ashamed of his scar. She has devoted her life to fight for justice for orphans. Together they will faced every obstacle and succed. I really enjoy this story! Highly Recommend. Happy Reading.

[Tom Prejsner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance

Thank you for sharing these wonderful romance novels series books. Please keep writing more of these wonderful books. Thank you

[JMBooher · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book!

Love the storyline in this one. The characters have such twists and turns. Adore the difference the orphanage has in this book. Thank you Ms Bennett for writing it.