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annerollins's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
A cute character focused romance about a very clueless earl entering a marriage of convenience in the hope of rebuilding his family relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
Multiple open door sex scenes.emmelnie's review against another edition
5.0
Britt Belle makes a fine entrée into romance with this debut! I think a lot of your feelings about this book will hedge on its hero, Sebastian. That’s because Sebastian isn’t just out of touch with his feelings; he’s slammed up barricades so high around them that he doesn’t even realize the prison he’s made for himself. You’re either going to accept his journey to awareness or be completely frustrated with the actions he takes. For me, I loved his journey.
He's matched well by his heroine, Emmeline. She’s grounded, someone who understands and works well with others and with her emotions. But at 24, she’s old for a debutante, and she doesn’t entertain great hopes for a marriage. So when Sebastian suddenly proposes (literally the day after they meet), she listens to his practical reasons for marriage and accepts both them and him.
Both Emmeline and Sebastian have been deeply affected by the death of a parent and the dangerous financial straits that’s left them in. For Sebastian, that meant throwing himself into learning to be an earl and rescue his family finances. For Emmeline, that meant caring for her younger siblings while her brother dealt with being unexpectedly thrust into a title. The true difference between them is that Emmeline’s family is, well, normal, while Sebastian’s is decidedly not.
I was fascinated by Sebastian’s family—his flighty and seemingly unfeeling brother, his flirtatious sister and estranged brother, even his youngest siblings. Frankly put, they’re a complete mess, and I hope Belle intends to explore them further, especially Belinda and Edward. Only parts of their actions are explained in The Earl Was Wrong, and I found myself wanting to know more and understand them better.
But the heart of this book is the growing relationship between Sebastian and Emmeline, and there are more than a few twists and turns on their journey to a true relationship. I’m a sucker for a marriage of convenience, and Belle has crafted a winning one with The Earl Was Wrong. Seeing this earl learn that he was wrong not only about his convenient wife but about many things about his family made this one charming read.
madlymusing's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a bloody delight.
If we break it down, much of the plot hinges on communication (or a lack thereof), but it doesn’t feel like that. Both Emmeline and Sebastian have their reasons for behaving the way they do, and when we realise that their marriage of convenience begins with nothing more than an understanding of each other’s reputation, we can forgive them much.
This is a classic Historical Romance that both pays homage to the genre and works as a marvellous example of it. I can’t wait to see what else the author has in store.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
If we break it down, much of the plot hinges on communication (or a lack thereof), but it doesn’t feel like that. Both Emmeline and Sebastian have their reasons for behaving the way they do, and when we realise that their marriage of convenience begins with nothing more than an understanding of each other’s reputation, we can forgive them much.
This is a classic Historical Romance that both pays homage to the genre and works as a marvellous example of it. I can’t wait to see what else the author has in store.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
plottrysts's review against another edition
4.0
If you follow Plot Trysts reviews, you may know that nothing is more annoying to us than miscommunication in a romance novel. It feels lazy: why come up with actual conflict when you can have pretend conflict that could be (and will be!) resolved by one honest conversation between two people who supposedly love each other?! It may surprise you, then, when we say that we really, really enjoyed this book, even though the conflict hinges on the inability of the two MCs to have an honest conversation with each other. So, we have to amend our stance on miscommunication: turns out we really appreciate it when it's done well (and not lazily).
Besides some really well-done miscommunication, what can you expect in this one? Well, it's a marriage of convenience between hot earl Sebastian and family-minded spinster Emmeline. Sebastian wants someone who can take charge of his younger siblings, and Emmeline has experience with that. Emmeline isn't particularly looking to marry, but when she gets the opportunity to get hitched to a hot young earl and have a family of her own, she doesn't think twice.
Once they're married, though, it turns out that neither Emmeline nor Sebastian really know what to do in a marriage. Sebastian tries to shoulder all the burdens, while Emmeline feels like he's not letting her be an equal partner; Emmeline tries to fulfill her part of the (marriage) bargain by getting close to his sibling, while Sebastian starts to feel jealous that she's spending all of her time with them. Obviously one good, long conversation would straighten them both out, but since they just met each other and are trying to get to know each other while also finding their footing in a new personal world order, it makes total sense for that conversation to be nearly impossible to have. Plus they're both virgins trying to figure out what the heck happens in the marriage bed, adding a fraught overlay to any frank discussion they might want to have.
Anyhow, this is a great debut that made us like things we usually go out of our way to avoid. Check it out.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
Besides some really well-done miscommunication, what can you expect in this one? Well, it's a marriage of convenience between hot earl Sebastian and family-minded spinster Emmeline. Sebastian wants someone who can take charge of his younger siblings, and Emmeline has experience with that. Emmeline isn't particularly looking to marry, but when she gets the opportunity to get hitched to a hot young earl and have a family of her own, she doesn't think twice.
Once they're married, though, it turns out that neither Emmeline nor Sebastian really know what to do in a marriage. Sebastian tries to shoulder all the burdens, while Emmeline feels like he's not letting her be an equal partner; Emmeline tries to fulfill her part of the (marriage) bargain by getting close to his sibling, while Sebastian starts to feel jealous that she's spending all of her time with them. Obviously one good, long conversation would straighten them both out, but since they just met each other and are trying to get to know each other while also finding their footing in a new personal world order, it makes total sense for that conversation to be nearly impossible to have. Plus they're both virgins trying to figure out what the heck happens in the marriage bed, adding a fraught overlay to any frank discussion they might want to have.
Anyhow, this is a great debut that made us like things we usually go out of our way to avoid. Check it out.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
levesc17's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
Lots of character growth for the male MC— this is a marriage of convenience story that I recommend for fans of the Bridgerton books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Pregnancy and Death of parent
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