To Marry an Earl
When James Fenwick, the new Earl of Bowcott, learns that the girl he’s loved since childhood is being sold off like chattel, he’s determined to step in and save her. He makes an offer her father cannot refuse and insists on a proper engagement. But when Kate meets James again, her old friend cannot bring himself to admit it is him whom she is to marry. Soon, an intricate charade and a past that cannot be escaped jeopardize James’s chance at rekindling their friendship, to say nothing of winning Kate’s heart. Can love truly conquer all, or was this a match doomed
from the start?
I had trouble relating to Kate from the first. Her situation did not
seem remotely uncommon for the time: at best, a completely disinterested
father, at worst, an abusive one plus a weak, submissive mother who
essentially offer her to the highest bidder. That was essentially the
lifestyle of the British elite, was it not? Make a match for your family
that benefits them in terms of money, power, influence, land, titles,
etc. I feel like a daughter's approval was rare, a love match even
rarer. So I really didn't understand Kate's self-pity.
And then
her childhood friend/love snags her. Who cares if they ended on bad
terms? Who cares if he abandoned her? Who cares if she didn't fully
trust him? She was going to be married, fast, one way or the other and
she just caught the break of her life. Someone her own age, that she was
attracted to, that she had a pleasant history with would fill that
role. And they would have every opportunity to build something stronger
and deeper than they had before. She had every reason to be filled with
relief, joy and hope. To be grateful and eager. At least that's what I
would have said to her had I been her friend.
Despite that, I am looking forward to checking out future books by this fairly new author.
