Scan barcode
A review by happily_after_heas
The Earl Was Wrong by Britt Belle
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's been a while since a book has been titled so appropriately. If you are curious what this book is about, just take a look at the title. The earl was wrong, is wrong, and continues to be wrong SO MANY times throughout the book. He does redeem himself but good lord. (And I say all of this in a good way, a wonderful way.)
Sebastian aka Lord Graydon might just be the most beautiful idiot in all of London (a legit note I made as reading). His younger sister is completely out of control and is lucky she hasn't been caught in a compromising position yet. His mother is completely self-absorbed and cannot spare a moment for any of her five children bc she is too busy banging whatever twenty-something man comes her way (which now that I type it out sounds like it might be nice if he knows what he's doing or is willing to learn. I digress....). So when he laments to his bestie Adam, a commoner (gasp!), Adam jokes that Sebastian should marry. And since Sebastian doesn't have a sense of humor--he lost it about ten years ago when he inherited the title and all its impoverished lands and had to grow up overnight--he agrees and finds himself a bride ASAP.
He literally chooses the first woman he sees per his aunt's recommendation: Miss Emmeline Hart. His ears perk up when he hears that she is "sensible and reliable" and has assisted in raising her younger siblings, as well as assisted her brother when he inherited his viscouncy. Man, if only it were this easy to pull a husband! (Except I'm not sensible and only mildly reliable so....) But even more importantly, bc she is 24, she's seen as desperate which might work in Sebastian's favor bc he is disgustingly handsome and that would intimidate us only mildly attractive women sitting on the shelf. Much like Babe the Pig (that'll do), Emmeline will do bc all Seb wants is a wife who will form relationships with his siblings and make them happy (and behave) and keep his mother from scandalizing the entire family even more. He refuses love and does not want passion bc he saw it consume his parents to the detriment of their children and their standing in society. (They sounded like a really devoted, horny couple. But like, in a bad way.)
Sebastian aka Lord Graydon might just be the most beautiful idiot in all of London (a legit note I made as reading). His younger sister is completely out of control and is lucky she hasn't been caught in a compromising position yet. His mother is completely self-absorbed and cannot spare a moment for any of her five children bc she is too busy banging whatever twenty-something man comes her way (which now that I type it out sounds like it might be nice if he knows what he's doing or is willing to learn. I digress....). So when he laments to his bestie Adam, a commoner (gasp!), Adam jokes that Sebastian should marry. And since Sebastian doesn't have a sense of humor--he lost it about ten years ago when he inherited the title and all its impoverished lands and had to grow up overnight--he agrees and finds himself a bride ASAP.
He literally chooses the first woman he sees per his aunt's recommendation: Miss Emmeline Hart. His ears perk up when he hears that she is "sensible and reliable" and has assisted in raising her younger siblings, as well as assisted her brother when he inherited his viscouncy. Man, if only it were this easy to pull a husband! (Except I'm not sensible and only mildly reliable so....) But even more importantly, bc she is 24, she's seen as desperate which might work in Sebastian's favor bc he is disgustingly handsome and that would intimidate us only mildly attractive women sitting on the shelf. Much like Babe the Pig (that'll do), Emmeline will do bc all Seb wants is a wife who will form relationships with his siblings and make them happy (and behave) and keep his mother from scandalizing the entire family even more. He refuses love and does not want passion bc he saw it consume his parents to the detriment of their children and their standing in society. (They sounded like a really devoted, horny couple. But like, in a bad way.)
This is possibly the beginning of the reader seeing how wrong Seb gets it. (Not even counting how he tries to manage his sister.) There's also the time I call him a "turd," when I note that "he is such an ass," shout "YES YOU ARE THE COMMON DENOMINATOR! You are the problem!" [this was when he was starting (!!) to think he was the problem.
For romance reasons, they agree to consummate the marriage in one of the most awkward, and likely realistic, sex scenes between two people with zero experience. Egads. It's painful. But despite all that Sebastian is a goner for the sex. He understands why it makes people crazy and tries (weakly) not to give in to these urges. However, it is in the boudoir that Sebastian starts to feel something, though he doesn't admit it to himself. Instead he lashes out and shows us his jealousy. He cannot explain it as it is so out of character for him. But we know. And we just sit here and eat popcorn as we watch him fall. He continues to go to Emmeline's bed and eventually realizes he's terrible at it and she's not into it at all. It's a literal starfish moment. So we reach a turning point when Seb does something SHOCKING (to me, at least) and I note: "Thank you jesus for getting some help. Maybe you're not the idiot I think you are." This is where we finally see Seb and Emmeline become closer and start to let the walls come down.
Of course it's not all gravy from here and Seb continues to take a few steps forward and then a giant fall backwards on his ass. And while he's terrible with people and emotions, he's actually kinda sweet in a weird way. He's just very scared and dealing with family trauma that he doesn't realize he needs to deal with. This book feels a lot more about Seb and his moronic tendencies but it's also about a woman discovering who she is away from her family and finding herself in her new role of wife and the expectation vs. the reality. Emmeline must decide what she truly wants and how to demand it. Bc what she knows she wants is love. And while he may be an idiot, she wants love from Sebastian. Sebastian has the ability to provide a level of security and independence for Emmeline that she didn't think she'd ever have and we discover that Emmeline provides a safe place for Seb to find himself again as a man, a husband, and an earl.
All this said, I need book two now and request it be Belinda and Adam. Please and thank you.