Serendipity and Secrets #3
March 23rd 2021, Kregel, Print and Ebook
Genre: Historical Fiction
Period: Regency
Can Captain Wyvern keep his new marriage of convenience all business--or will it turn into something more?
Captain Charles Wyvern owes a great debt to the man who saved his life--especially since Major Richardson lost his own life in the process. The best way to honor that hero's dying wish is for Wyvern to escort the man's grieving fiance and mother safely to a new cottage home by the sea. But along the way, he learns of another obligation that has fallen on his shoulders: his uncle has died and the captain is now the Earl of Rothwell.
When he and the ladies arrive at his new manor house in Devon, they discover an estate in need of a leader and a gaggle of girls, all wards of the former earl. War the new earl knows; young ladies and properties he does not. Still wishing to provide for the bereaved Lady Sophia Haverly, Charles proposes a marriage of convenience.
Sophie is surprised to find she isn't opposed to the idea. It will help her care for her betrothed's elderly mother, and she's already fallen in love with the wayward girls on the Rothwell estate. This alliance is a chance to repay the captain who has done so much for her care, as well as divert her attention from her grief. When Wyvern returns to his sea commission, she'll stay behind to oversee his property and wards.
It sounds so simple. Until the stalwart captain is arrested on suspicion of smuggling, and Sophie realizes how much he's come to mean to her. Now she'll have to learn to fight, not only for his freedom but also for his love.
My Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Indebted Earl was an enjoyable conclusion to Erica Vetsch's debut Regency series.
It might be unusual, but I think I might have enjoyed this one the most. It provided a clever take on the marriage of convenience trope whcih was not trite or corny.
Charles and Sophie are both hurting people, and both are suffering from what we would call survivor's guilt over the death of someone they loved. The same person, as it turns out. .Sophie's fiance was by turn Charles' best friend from the navy.
What begins as two people having to adjust to new circumstances becomes an interesting story of two young people learning to grow and as they take on the responsibiluty of an estate and three young girls. The irony is that both were seeking solitude and an escape, but life does not always give us what we want.
The slow burning romance, and messages about learning to trust made this a memorable and meaningful story. Unlike the others, where some of the themes felt a little forced this one seemed more natural and more lighthearted. I also appreciated how the protaganists in this story had connections with characters in the last two, but still stand alone.
My only complaints were a few details that didn't really fit the setting and were obviously put in for the benefit of modern readers. There;s no way, for example, that someone in 1814 England would have to explain who Nelson was to their fellow countrywoman. Nelson was a national hero. and a celebrity. I doubt there was anyone who didn't know who he was.
Thanks to Audra Jennings Blog Tours for sending me Netgalley widget for this title. I was not required to write a positive reivew and all opinions expressed herein are my own.
Charles and Sophie are both hurting people, and both are suffering from what we would call survivor's guilt over the death of someone they loved. The same person, as it turns out. .Sophie's fiance was by turn Charles' best friend from the navy.
What begins as two people having to adjust to new circumstances becomes an interesting story of two young people learning to grow and as they take on the responsibiluty of an estate and three young girls. The irony is that both were seeking solitude and an escape, but life does not always give us what we want.
The slow burning romance, and messages about learning to trust made this a memorable and meaningful story. Unlike the others, where some of the themes felt a little forced this one seemed more natural and more lighthearted. I also appreciated how the protaganists in this story had connections with characters in the last two, but still stand alone.
My only complaints were a few details that didn't really fit the setting and were obviously put in for the benefit of modern readers. There;s no way, for example, that someone in 1814 England would have to explain who Nelson was to their fellow countrywoman. Nelson was a national hero. and a celebrity. I doubt there was anyone who didn't know who he was.
Thanks to Audra Jennings Blog Tours for sending me Netgalley widget for this title. I was not required to write a positive reivew and all opinions expressed herein are my own.
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Erica Vetsch is a New York Times best-selling and ACFW Carol Award–winning author. She is a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota with her husband, who she claims is both her total opposite and soul mate.
Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks.
A self-described history geek, she has been planning her first research trip to England.
Learn more about Erica Vetsch and her books at www.ericavetsch.com. She can also be found on Facebook (@EricaVetschAuthor), Instagram (@EricaVetsch) and Pinterest (Erica Vetsch).
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing The Indebted Earl!
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