Earl Crush
A Novel
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4.2 • 13 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“Bridgerton at its sexiest . . . Crush? Ha. I’m in love with the earl!” – Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author
USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti returns with another hot, hilarious Regency romp about a reclusive earl and the wallflower-turned-radical-pamphleteer who turns his life upside down.
For three years, wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace has anonymously penned seditious pamphlets—and for almost as long, she’s corresponded with the reclusive Earl of Strathrannoch. When Arthur’s latest letter reveals his dire financial straits, Lydia sets out for Scotland to offer him the only salvation she can think of: a marriage of convenience. To, um, herself.
But the real earl has no idea who she is. When a bewitching stranger offers him her hand in marriage, Arthur Baird is stunned. And when he learns that his traitorous brother has been writing to her under Arthur’s name, he’s bloody furious. He’s content to live alone in his moldering castle, and he has no desire for a radical wife. (Or at least, he shouldn’t.)
But Arthur is desperate to track down his brother, who’s become dangerously entangled in British espionage, and he needs Lydia’s help. What he doesn’t need? The attraction that burns hotter each moment they spend together. As Lydia slips past his defenses and his brother’s mysterious past becomes a very present threat, Arthur will have to risk everything to keep her safe—even his heart.
"Wildly delightful! With Earl Crush, Alexandra Vasti has crafted a marvelously funny and sexy read featuring a brawny Scottish earl, zebras, and a feminist heroine ahead of her time. This belongs on every romance reader's keeper shelf!" – Joanna Shupe, USA Today bestselling author of The Duke Gets Even
“Vasti follows Ne’er Duke Well with another fiery and delightful Regency . . .This is a winner.” – Publisher’s Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Vasti follows Ne'er Duke Well with another fiery and delightful Regency. Lydia Hope-Wallace, a writer of radical political pamphlets, shows up on the earl of Strathrannoch's doorstep in Scotland after three years of pleasant and enriching correspondence to propose a marriage of convenience. Unfortunately, the earl, Arthur, has no idea who she is. It turns out Lydia was corresponding with Arthur's flighty younger brother, Davis, who has absconded with a rifle scope prototype that Arthur invented. Arthur fears the prototype will be put to nefarious purposes, and Lydia agrees to help him find Davis, though their ferocious attraction to one another makes their search more complicated. Serious subjects, like the Highland Clearances and a potential political assassination, lurk in the background, but much of the foreground action has the feel of a caper, rife with lighthearted misunderstandings and clever set pieces. Meanwhile, when Lydia and Arthur finally give into their intense attraction, showers of sparks fly. This is a winner.
Customer Reviews
Ro,amce and Intrigue
Lydia, a politically minded heiress, travels to Scotland to meet and propose to the man she has corresponded with for almost three years. When she arrives at his home, Arthur Baird, Earl of Strathrannoch, denies knowledge of the letters that have brought here to his crumbling castle. When Arthur realizes it is his brother who wrote the letters, he is determined to find him. The search for Davis leads to a possibly traitorous plot. This is a well-written adventure and mystery that provide the opportunity for a lovely romance. The characters, for the most part, are likeable (not the villains, of course). I like Arthur and Lydia. Their attraction is obvious, but comes with a bit of hesitation. Arthur truly needs the fortune Lydia offers, but he wants her to know that is not the reason he wants her to be his countess.
I received a special copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.