A review by emmelnie
The Earl Was Wrong by Britt Belle

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.