Reviews

The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham

geets88's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

caitlinmchugh24's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars.

cjcharding's review against another edition

4.5

4/5🌶️, MF, historical romance, Hoopla audiobook

(Very Short) Summary: A notorious gossip has a rumour published in a paper that ruins an Earl, and in order to clear his reputation, she offers to enter into a fake engagement. 

Tropes: fake engagement, “it’s always been you”, a bubbly extrovert who is insecure, a stuffy gentleman who becomes a freak in the sheets, mild kink (spanking, blindfolds, fondling in places they could be caught)

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I liked how it took the fake engagement and sort of flipped it because the FMC is proposing marriage to save the MMC when usually it’s the other way around in HR. This was a great example of “it’s always been you” as the MMC has always loved the FMC but the two of them are constantly getting in each others nerves and afraid to express how they really feel. Usually I dislike miscommunication tropes but since this is a YEARS long case of miscommunication, it was acceptable, especially since their true feelings unravelling bit by bit was delicious. So, not only was the love story sweet, but the spice was good too. Lots of variety, great “teach me” scenes, a sprinkling of daring and kink play, and a great example of a man who seeks out enthusiastic consent. Even their first kiss was an amazing scene. To top it all off, the narration was very good too. The only thing that annoyed me was the back and forth denying of feelings and doubting the other’s actions, but again, as this a book full of miscommunications and not trusting the other, I should have expected as much. 

heidenkind's review against another edition

4.0

I truly enjoyed this one and the tortured hero, but it was about 50 pages too long. Also the hero’s Dark Secret was crazy pants, but that I didn’t mind so much

librarianmillie's review against another edition

3.0

3.5/5. After reading this, I am changing my review on the The Duke I Tempted, which I now think I liked better. I liked this book a lot. I thought Constance was an enjoyable and plucky heroine. There were just a few issues that made me not rate this book higher. It drives me crazy when the main conflict is shitty communication. You're definitely both adults and know what you want- just say it. So many issues could have been avoided, if Julian (aka the earl) had just told Constance how he felt about her from the very beginning.

**spoiler**

I think a far more enjoyable conflict would have been exploring Julian's penchant for BDSM and his former work as a courtesan. There is so much to explore there. Instead it was kind of just brushed aside and Constance, who is a virgin, is like let's just give this a go. I think it could have still been non-judgmental, which is what I think the author was going for, while giving the sexual side of their relationship real depth and thoughtfulness.

Overall a very entertaining read that felt well researched and was a lively historical.

topy_loving_books's review against another edition

3.0

Disappointing. Nothing remarkable. I was expecting way more from this author, from the cover and not being a mass market. But the sex scenes were such a disappointment. So short, that I had barely times to noticed them. When it's well written, you'll feel the heat in your own body. Those scenes were as warm for me as my beloved fireplace on my tv. Also the kink was barely their that when it finally shows up in the end, you don't really care anymore.

I didn't see much development and evolution from the characters, which struggled to learn from their mistakes. It got frustrating. I font need the reminder with reality. But good point for the author making the hero a //////SPOILER////sex worker./////// It was refreshing.

barefootamy's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars

natalia_85's review

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The second installment in this series as not as good as the first and third books. Lady Constance was pretty annoying, honestly. And the Earl of Apthorp calling her “sweet girl” towards the end of the book made it feel like she was a child and he was an old creep - while both are actually depicted as being in their mid and late twenties. The tension and back and forth was maddening, and Constance just irritated me most of the time. I would honestly skip this one and just read the first and third books in this series.

nevclue's review against another edition

3.0

4 stars until about the 85% point, then 2.5 stars for the ending.

Lady Constance Stonewell is popular, outrageous, extravagantly wealthy, and the sister of a duke. She also has a penchant for gossip (some of which is legitimately gossip and some of which is necessary info--many might not agree, but I'm wholeheartedly on Constance's side that sharing information about men's personal habits is one of the few ways women can protect themselves on the marriage market). This gets out of hand when a baudy poem she wrote about Lord Apthorp gets published, scuttling Julian's chances of passing a bill that would have been a major achievement for his political career and saved him from a dire financial situation. The only thing Constance can do to rectify the muddle is propose to Apthorp, saving his reputation, his bill, and his (non-existent) fortune.

All of this is delightful. Constance was a delight. Julian was a delight. The miscommunication was a delight. My issues came with the resolution.

Spoiler

There is a dramatic miscommunication towards the end where Julian mistakenly blames Constance for scandalous information getting out. Every problem here could have been solved by having a frank conversation, which is par for the course for many romances. It's not my preferred method of having drama, but that's not actually my complaint here. The problem is that Constance solves the issue by leaving Apthorp at the altar and penning a tell-all piece in which she takes responsibility for all of the rumors. Apthorp realizes she's leaving because she thinks he will never trust her. So he writes his OWN tell-all laying out his history as prostitute. Then he becomes deathly ill because he gets soaked trying to stop Constance from leaving for the continent. Two problems here for me. One: this is way too much happening in the last 10% of the book. The bigger problem: THE MAN IS A POLITICIAN. He publicly outed himself as someone who sold their body because of a desperate financial situation and enjoyed it. This does not solve the problem. This throws a grenade in it. Yes, the 1750s were a lot wilder and less prudish than we give them credit, but the veneer of plausible deniability is still a key part of being a politician. So yes, I would buy everyone knowing about Apthorp's past and Constance's baudy play that's a history of their relationship IF Apthorp hadn't WRITTEN DOWN that this happened.

juliakahrss's review against another edition

4.0

i adored this