BOTM 1 - August 2021 - A Beastly Kind of Earl

[Joanna Loves Reading, Bluestocking of HR novels]

Discussion thread for the First BOTM of August 2021. Please remember to use the spoiler tags when necessary! (Please see 'some html is ok' for instructions.)

Happy Reading!



A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy


An outcast fighting for her future...

Thea Knight loves a spot of mischief. She especially loves her current mischief: masquerading as her sister, while finalizing her scheme to expose the dastardly knaves whose lies ruined her life.

Then Lord Luxborough, big, bad-tempered, and scarred, upends her game by maneuvering her into marriage. But her sister’s name is on the license, so the marriage won’t be valid. Thea’s idea? Keep pretending to be her sister until she can run away.

A recluse haunted by his past...

Rafe Landcross, Earl of Luxborough, has no love for mischief. Or marriage. Or people, for that matter. The last thing he wants is a wife—but if he marries, he’ll receive a large sum of much-needed money.

Then he learns that Thea Knight is using a false name. Rafe’s idea? Pretend he doesn’t know her true identity, marry her, and send her packing once the money is his.

A compelling attraction that changes their lives...

But as passion ignites and secrets emerge, the mutual deception turns tricky fast. Rafe and Thea face irresistible temptations, unsettling revelations, and a countdown to the day when Thea must leave...

Fun, tender, and steamy, this Gothic-flavored historical romance tells of a fake marriage between a grumpy, scarred hero and a trickster heroine who reminds him how to play

[Preeti]

This is in my tbr from the last few months, finally, I am going to read it.

[Mamacita aka MawMaw]

So In!

[Milly Jane]

Definitely in! Mischief and grumpiness, love it! Looking forward to it.

[Lauren]

Great pick! This has been on my TBR list as well

[Mamacita aka MawMaw]

Mine too. I voted so early & was worried this one didn't have much chance, so I went to the next one on my list. But I was so happy when this one won especially since Slightly Married didn't because that was my top one. It sounded really good tho, so I'm gonna read it anyway.

[Joanna Loves Reading, Bluestocking of HR novels]

I read this one a couple months ago so will not be rereading. I hope to participate in discussion though.

[Lady Nilambari]

Read it a few weeks ago! Enjoyed it quite a bit, the interaction between Rafe & Thea was hilarious...Really enjoyed the Bishop's charachter...hoping to participate in this discussion!

[Milly Jane]

I jumped the gun and read this last month because I thought we were reading it then! So I am having another read through, slower this time. The banter in the conservatory between Rafe and Thea is hilarious, he seems quite puzzled and unsure what to do about her. I love a heroine who is able to confuse and tease a hero.
I like her aloof friend Arabella Larke and look forward to reading her story. The Bishop is so funny, a very unexpected characterisation.

[Milly Jane]

One of the things I found surprising in this book (view spoiler)[ It surprised me to find that the marriage was actually not legal, by that I mean I was expecting some hidden twist that made it binding and neither of the protagonists were aware of until the end, a little trick by the naughty Bishop perhaps, who would proclaim at the end they were married all along, but that didn't happen. (I remember an old book, it may have been a Barbara Cartland, where a girl marries in someone else's place, but it turned out to be legal, the twist being her middle name and last name was the same as the other girl.) But in this story there was no hidden clause making it legal, though this book did have plenty of it's own twists and turns, the play and the actors performing Thea's story was one I didn't see coming. (hide spoiler)]