Erica Vetsch continues her delightful Serendipity & Secrets series with The Indebted Earl!
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.
Click here to read an excerpt.
Oh, how I loved this book! I've read all three books in Erica Vetsch's Serendipity & Secrets series, and I can say that this one is my favorite!
There's romance, there's intrigue, there's found family. It's such a delightful story!
I loved watching Sophie and Charles fall for each other, and the angst each felt because of Sophie's late fiancé Rich was really perfection. Also, hello marriage of convenience plot! It's my favorite, and I thought it was executed especially well here.
I also loved the inclusion of the three girls who had been wards of the previous earl. Little Betsy was just the cutest (her insistence on calling Charles "Captain Earl" was adorable), I loved Thea's spunk, and Penny was certainly a typical lovestruck teenager!
The smuggling subplot did seem a little obvious to me, but I suppose I can excuse both Sophie's and Charles's blindness to it. (Had they communicated more, they would've easily put it together.) And it did lead to some really exciting scenes!
Overall, I loved this novel. Regency romance fans are sure to find much to enjoy here. 5 stars.
Note: While this is the third book in the series, and characters from the other novels do appear, it really can be read as a stand alone.
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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).
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review through Read With Audra. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing The Indebted Earl! <3 FYI, there is a companion novella that tells Cilla's story in the Joy to the World Regency Christmas collection. :)
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