THE EARL CLAIMS A BRIDE - Amelia Grey
The Heirs' Club of Scoundrels , Book 2
St. Martin's Paperbacks
ISBN: 978-1-250-04221-7
August 2015
Historical Romance

England, 1817

Harrison Thornwick shoots a man in a duel in which he didn't want to participate, but he doesn't kill the man who called him a cheat and insisted on the duel. At the end of the duel, a messenger from the Prince Regent, Mr. Hopscotch, arrives to tell Harrison he is now lord. His brother the earl, his wife, children, and servants are dead from fever. The prince has also picked out a wife for Harrison because he wants to guarantee his cousin never inherits. Harrison doesn't like rules and seldom follows them, he has a horrible reputation as a wastrel among societies' elite for his drinking, gambling, recklessness, and women. He never planned on becoming a lord, he had three older brothers, and the one woman he had loved chose his older brother. In mourning, he retreats to his estate to find the manor house burned. These events make him determined to honor his family and become a worthy heir. Mr. Hopscotch shows up again saying the prince insists he marry Miss Rule by the end of the season or go to prison for participating in an illegal duel. Harrison, however, is determined no one will tell him who he must marry.

Angelina Rule has a tender heart. She saves stray dogs, which her father dislikes. He comes home to tell her he is in deep financial difficulty and that he will end up in debtor's prison if she doesn't marry Lord Thornwick. His distant relative, the prince, will pay his debts if she commits to the marriage. Angelina has been waiting for the man she loves, Captain Maxwell, to return. He has been in India for the last year, but he asked her to save him a dance when he returns. Angelina hatches a scheme to save her father and still be able to marry as she chooses, and surprisingly, Lord Thornwick agrees. She doesn't tell him, though, that she is selling the items she paints to earn money. Her grandmother helps but is appalled. If anyone discovers Angelina has sunk to the trade level, even to save her father, her reputation will be ruined. Everything must remain very secret.

Thornwick determines Angelina is just the woman he wants for a wife. The only problem arrives with Captain Maxwell's return. The soldier now has a scared face and wears a patch to cover his missing eye. Harrison knows the captain's wounds will make him all the more attractive to Miss Rule and begins his own campaign to win her.

This story has an interesting mix of historical protocols and modern sensibilities that will make the characters relatable to readers. That is not to say the hero and heroine seem too modern; they don't. Other characters instill a range of conflicting emotions and quandaries that make the story both interesting and entertaining.

Robin Lee