An Amazon Best Book of the Month!It is a truth universally acknowledged that a lady can do anything a man can do:backwards and in high-heeled dancing slippers. Lady Juliana, daughter of the Earl of St. Maur, needs all the help she can get. She’s running a ramshackle orphanage, London’s worst slumlord has illicit designs on her, and her father has suddenly become determined to marry her off.Enter … worst slumlord has illicit designs on her, and her father has suddenly become determined to marry her off.
Enter Major Neil Wraxall, bastard son of the Marquess of Kensington, sent to assist Lady Juliana in any way he can. Lucky for her, he’s handy with repairs, knows how to keep her and the orphans safe, and is a natural leader of men.
Unfortunately for both of them, the scandal that ensues from their mutual attraction is going to lead them a merry dance…
The Survivors Series:
Third Son’s a Charm (Book 1)
No Earls Allowed (Book 2)
An Affair With a Spare (Book 3)
Praise for Third Son’s a Charm:
“Shana Galen’s deliciously brooding hero and delightfully quirky heroine turn this tale of adventure into an endearing love story that kept me up all hours reading….Wonderful!”—Sabrina Jeffries, New York Times bestselling author
“Shana Galen delivers again!…A sharp, poignant battle of wills between a wonderful wounded hero and the only heroine brave enough to get past his defenses. Don’t miss it!” —Eileen Dreyer, New York Times bestselling author
“Shana Galen charms readers with poignant and unforgettable characters, humor, and a passionate page-turning tale that’s impossible to put down… Galen is an amazing talent and never disappoints.”—Lorraine Heath, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
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Spitalfields is the carbuncle on the buttocks of London. So, what is the unmarried, unchaperoned daughter of the Earl of St. Maur doing living at the St. Dismas Home for Wayward Youth (aka Sunnybrook Home for Boys) that is right in the middle of Spitalfields? Well, she’s doing the very best she can to care for a dozen orphans who are all prey for the criminals of Spitalfields. The roof leaks, the stores in the larder are coming up missing, the stairs are rickety and the locks on the windows and doors don’t work. Oh, yes, and she has become the target of Slag, the supreme lord of Spitalfields crime scene. Slag wants her – or more specifically her body – for his own use.
Lady Juliana St. Maur is no longer the flighty, spoiled debutante she was a year or two ago. So much has changed in her life, so much pain and sorrow has settled into her. It all really started years ago when her mother died – because she basically lost her father at the same time. He withdrew into himself and allowed Juliana and her sister to suffer from his benign neglect. Then, her sweet, beautiful, older sister married a man Juliana just knew wasn’t what he seemed. Sadly for her and her sister, she was proven correct because he turned out to be a profligate who only wanted her sister for her dowry. Then, her sister died in childbirth – but left her sweet, beautiful baby boy for Juliana to love. Imagine how bereft she was when the father of the baby showed up six months later and ripped that sweet baby, Davy, from her arms as well. Now, those orphans in her care will receive all of her love, care, and protection – and she will do whatever it takes to protect them.
Major Neil Wraxhall, acknowledged the bastard son of the Marquess of Kensington, is a troubled war hero. As the commander of a group of men formed by Lieutenant Colonel Draven, he was required to send his men on suicide mission after suicide mission until all but a dozen were gone from this world. Neil feels so much guilt and the ghosts of those eighteen men he lost haunt him at every turn – especially at night – in his nightmares. Between his feelings about being a bastard and sending all of those men – his friends and brothers – on suicide missions, he is a tortured soul. He’s lost to all that is good and sweet in the world. Neil is still on good terms with his father though – and occasionally handles small tasks for him.
Shortly after entering his club, the Draven Club, one evening, he is given a note that was delivered earlier. The message was simple – “Call on me at the townhouse at your earliest convenience. I have need of you. – Kensington”. Neil had no idea how those few words from his father would change his life. The mission sounded simple enough, all he had to do was go to an orphanage in Spitalfields and return the recalcitrant daughter of his father’s good friend, the Earl of St. Maur, to her home in Mayfair. That task should surely be quick and easy. That is – he thought that was the case – until he met the stubborn, opinionated, pig-headed young lady who had her feet dug in and absolutely refused to leave the orphanage.
What an absolutely atrocious morning Juliana was having! The cook quit, she was trying her best to cook for the boys and then Slag shows up and makes it very plain he intends to have her – then – on top of all that a tall, handsome man showed up to inform her that she was to return to her father’s home. Well – she straightened him out very, very quickly!
The book was a fast-paced page-turner that kept you interested and intrigued until the very end. The characters were wonderfully written and interesting, the story was wonderfully written and well plotted. One thing I particularly liked was that both the hero and heroine were virgins – but the book was still very sensual. Well done Ms. Galen! We also had ‘guest’ appearances by Ewan (from book one) and Rafe. The secondary characters were wonderful – especially all of those sweet orphans! While this is the second book in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone.
So, with all of that, why didn’t I give it five stars? Well, there were just a couple of things that sort of threw me off my stride in the book. First, there is absolutely no way an aristocrat in that time period would have allowed his daughter to live as Juliana’s father allowed her to do. He may have been inattentive, but he would not have allowed her to ruin herself and drag the family name into scandal. I also didn’t totally buy into Neil’s constant woe-is-me attitude about being a bastard. He was acknowledged, had a good education, etc. and during that time, from what I have learned, acknowledged bastards were pretty much accepted within society – they weren’t a preferred match, but they were accepted.
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”
Major Neil Wraxall’s life is turned upside down when his father asks him for a favor. Neil has been tasked with what seems like an easy mission; his father has asked him to persuade Lady Juliana St Maur to return home. The Earl of St Maur is tired of his daughter spending time at St Dismas orphanage and has decided that she should marry. Neil realizes that Lady Juliana is clearly out of her element when he walks into the orphanage; he smells burning bread, sees that the oatmeal has boiled over on the stove, notices three rats are running around the kitchen and notices Julia’s ball gown is splattered with flour and oatmeal. The cook has quit and twelve hungry boys need their breakfast. Neil realizes that this rescue mission is not going to be as easy as he thought.
The chemistry between Neil and Julia was apparent in the first chapter of the book. Neil takes a military approach to the orphanage. He notices that the doors and windows don’t lock properly, the roof leaks and the kitchen and bedrooms are a mess. He decides that the boys need structure and soon has them cleaning the kitchen and their rooms. But, that approach doesn’t work so well with Lady Juliana! Juliana is clearly out of her element but, she is determined to stay at the orphanage with the boys. Loved how the couple’s romance progressed and that they worked together to keep the boys home.
I enjoyed that Shana Galen chose to make No Earls Allowed a character driven romance. This choice changed the book from a good to an excellent read. Her descriptive prose enables her to weave in social commentary throughout the storyline. There is a dark undertone present in the plot but, the novel’s focus is positive. The fabulous characters and the dialogue and the well -paced plot drew me in to the novel. The secondary characters added warmth and depth to the story line. The characters and the witty dialogue reminded me of Ms. Galen’s Jewels of the Ton series which I adored. The novel’s conclusion was perfectly written as Ms. Galen balances the elements of suspense, trust and romance in the last few chapters.
No Earls Allowed features a romance between an unlikely pair; a former military hero with a complicated past and a stubborn heiress—their journey towards happiness makes for a delightful read with all the feels!
Here is a review by Barb: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2225471253
I love this couple and their story! It is full of action, adventure, character growth, fun, and fear and it is all blended together into a lovely story. There were some unexpected things and I wasn’t sure at first how that would turn out but I was very happy with how it was handled. I always love a strong heroine as well. I am looking forward to more novels in this series. I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
For me this was a truly different Regency romance setting anad I really liked the change. Yes, there are some balls and other society events but most of the story takes place in Spitalfields, a “not-so-nice” section of London. Lady Juliana, daughter of the Earl of St. Muir, has taken upon herself the running of an orphange there. Her father wants her back home so Major Neill Wraxall is sent to return her to her father. A simple job for one of the Survivors of Lt. Colonel Draven’s suicide squad during the Napoleonic Wars or so Major Wraxall thought until he met the very determined, very stubborn Lady Juliana.
Shana Galen has written a delightful story which has an intriguing plot, well defined conflict and a satisfying resolution, three-dimensional characters and meaningful dialogue. This is the second book in The Survivor Series. Book #3 can’t be released soon enough as far as I am concerned.
Galen never disappoints me…another winner here! This is the second in the Survivors series (of which I also loved the first!), and I simply sped through this one. Galen knows how to write compelling characters that pull you in. They are not perfect, they are vulnerable, and they are so relatable. Her H/h here are both simply wonderful, the build-up is slow and steady, and the love story sweet but passionate. It has it all…all the feels! If you haven’t tried a book written by Shana Galen, I urge you to. She is consistently that good! Looking forward to the next in series!
Lady Juliana St. Maur is attempting to keep a run-down orphanage together, with the 12 young boys, their 3 pet rats, and a very limited budget, and no help since her maid left, the cook just quit and the one remaining man servant frequently missing. Major Neil Wraxall, war hero and bastard son of a marquess, is sent to bring Lady Juliana home, which is a lot harder that he thought it would be, since she refuses to leave. The orphanage is located in a dangerous part of London, and a ruthless crime lord has his eye on Lady Juliana – he’ll either take her money or her virtue, and time is running out before he takes what he wants. Neil is exactly what is needed to keep Julia and the boys safe; if he can get past his demons and his lack of self-worth, he just might realize he’s found the place he belongs. I loved the impulsive, headstrong and tender-hearted Julia and I thought Neil was just what she needed to help in her efforts to provide a safe home for the orphans, and to change her mind about marriage as well. Neil had been wresting with his memories from the war, drinking too much, and had no direction in his life, so getting sucked into Juliana’s problems definitely gave him something better to do with himself. I liked the appearances of his friends from the Draven Club, and look forward to reading more in the Survivors series to see what happens with the rest of the men.
Oh I love Shana’s Survivors series. These men have been through hell from the war and they have to figure out how to live after being in a suicide squad that no one expected them to survive. The are the best of the best and live with guilt over the death of their comrades. Each one has a special hell that visits them with PTSD before it was understood. They have a club and support each other as their brothers. Each were cast offs from their respective families.
Neil Wraxall, recognized illegitimate son of the Marquess of Kensington is the leader of the group and carries the death of each one of his men as he ordered their respective mission. He was raised and educated like the society sons but not socially included because of his birth. I has no place is society and is kinda lost. He does odd jobs for his Father and gets an allowance that keeps him well set. He’s sent on an errand to take the Earl of St. Maur’s (his Father’s dear friend) only surviving daughter, Lady Julianna, home from the orphanage she runs in the Spitalfields rookery, a London slum. She’s was drawn there after the tragic death of her best friend sister who did various charity work. It was her way do deal with her extreme grief and to keep her sister’s memory alive. There were more reasons but that would be spoilers. Her father fears for her safety and wants her home. Neil thinks easy-peasy. He hasn’t tangled with the very stubborn and determined Lady Julianna. What a battle! But he’s up to it with his military background. He’ll secure the house and marshall the boys just like his troup.
Each of these characters are dealing with tragedy and grief. As Neil works to keep Julianna safe and the 12 orphan boys productive he can’t help develop a great deal of respect for Julianna. She on the other hand resents his presence at first but he makes himself so helpful and things are improving. He discovers the local crime boss has nefarious designs on her and that’s just not going happen on his watch. And so grows the adventure. An oh what a action filled twisty adventure. Neil discovers his heart isn’t dead and Julianna discovers she needs unconditional love in her life. Shana has a way of developing and growing her characters you just want to embrace. You root for them to succeed. I love the heart of her stories and how her emotion translate onto the page.
Thank you so much Shana for penning this story! It’s another favorite. And thank you to her publisher Sourcebooks (such an awesome stable of authors under their banner) for allowing me to review this for my honest review.
This is the second book in an entertaining series about a group of young noblemen who survived the English war with Napoleon, but each returned with stories of their own. In this tale, Neil is the bastard son of a marquess. He led men on dangerous missions in the war, but has come back a listless shell. He is asked by his father to complete a task, and it is here where he meets Lady Juliana. She has taken over an orphanage with very little help and things are not going well.
The plot has not only colorful characters and funny moments, but there is also intrigue and danger. Neil and Juliana find that they have a heated attraction to each other, to put it mildly, but both want to keep the proprieties of the day. Some things are just beyond their control….
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it to readers of historical romance who enjoy some humor and danger with their hea. I am sooo looking forward to another book in this series!
I read this as an arc on Netgalley which affected my review in no way at all.
Wonderful, Enchanting, Intriguing, Emotional and there are so many more words to describe this amazing book. It literally held me captive until 2:30 in the morning because I could not put it down. At the last page my heart was smiling!! Shana Galen took the hero Major Neil Wraxall, bastard son of a Marquess and made his character come to life, with all of his haunting memories from the war. He and the heroine Lady Juliana, spoiled daughter of an Earl evolve right there on each page as each deals with their issues and each others. Juliana has been devoting herself to an orphanage and trying to keep it afloat with 12 boys, who will make you want to just jump in and help them. The story begins when Neil is sent on a simple mission to fetch Juliana and make her go home as she has been spending too much time at the orphanage. You see, his father is a good friend of Juliana’s father so there is a connection. Enough said. What follows is a an entertaining, sometimes funny (yes there are pets you will squeal about!) and at times dangerous journey as Neil and Juliana spark a friendship (ok I might say slow burn) while trying to navigate the care of the boys and outside forces that are determined to cause harm. I truly am caught and pulled in by this series “The Survivors” and cannot wait to see who comes up next!!!! Thank you Shana for writing this story and touching my heart..
Lady Juliana, daughter of the Earl of St. Maur, needs all the help she can get. She’s running a ramshackle orphanage in Spitalfields, London’s worst gang lord Slag has illicit designs on her, Enter Major Neil Wraxall, bastard son of the Marquis of Kensington, sent to bring Lady Juliana home. Neil realises that getting Juliana to go home won’t be easy so he decides to keep her and the orphans safe.
A very well paced book that had me hooked from the beginning, the characters were very well fleshed & Neil had my heart when he showed the youngest boys how to make a bed. Juliana is impulsive, headstrong & trying to make amends for losing Davy. Neil still suffers from nightmares & feels survivors guilt. The boys are delightful & a certain thumb sucker steals the book. I look forward to more in the series, after all there were twelve survivors!
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
I liked this book, but not as much as the previous book.
Lady Juliana St. Maur aka Julia, last surviving daughter of the Earl of St. Maur has taken over the St. Dismas Home for Wayward Youth or as she calls it Sunnybrooke Home for Boys, an orphanage in Spitalfields. Her father has allowed her to continue her work there believing that it was part of her grieving the loss of her sister, but now he has had enough and he wants her to come home.
Enter Major Neil Wraxall, aka Warrior, war hero, member of the Survivor’s Club and illegitimate son of the Marquess of Kensington. His father and Juliana’s father are friends and the Earl has asked Kensington to have his son bring Julia home. Neil believes this will be an easy “mission” and he will be back in his club drinking gin before dinner.
Neil’s first encounter with Julia is certainly not what he expected, he didn’t expect a gorgeous woman in a ball gown covered in flour, he didn’t expect rats and he didn’t expect to have to wrangle boys and get breakfast. He tells Julia he is here to escort her home and she tells him she isn’t leaving. Her maid has quit, her cook has quit and now her teacher is leaving, she cannot leave the boys alone. Neil decides to help her get things in shape at the orphanage, so he can keep her safe until he can get her to leave.
Julia’s father has let Julia stay at the orphanage as long as she agrees to participate in ton events and she doesn’t cause a scandal. Julia really could care less about the ton, she has no desire to marry and doesn’t trust men. Her heart was broken when her sister died and she lost her nephew Davy. She pours all the love she had for them into the orphanage and she will not leave. She is not exactly thrilled to have Neil there, but considering the unforeseen threats she has received from the local crime boss Slag, she isn’t in a rush to get rid of him.
What began as a simple mission to bring a pampered earl’s daughter home has morphed into an epic battle of wills and neither Julia or Neil is willing to give an inch. Neil makes repairs and unwillingly helps with the boys, earning Julia’s respect. There is an immediate attraction between them, but they both fight it. Slowly Julia begins to trust Neil and finally shares the threats Slag has made. Neil vows to keep her and the boys safe and promises that he will take care of Slag.
When it appears that Slag is no longer a threat and Julia is safe, Neil decides to leave. Julia asks him to stay, she knows she loves him, but Neil can’t seem to let go of the past and enjoy the future. He cares for Julia, but he is not the man for her. Julia is left broken hearted and Neil returns to his “life”. It seems there will be no HEA for these two, until Rafe steps in and Slag reappears and Neil realizes that he loves her, but it might be too late.
This was a very well written book, the story moves right along and there is no lagging, the secondary characters are wonderful – loved the boys! There are cameos by Rafe & Ewan (yes!), steamy love scenes, some amusing moments, some nail biting moments and finally a very, very hard earned HEA. There is much to recommend this book, but the idea that a young unmarried woman could do what Julia was doing and still be accepted in polite society defies belief and Neil’s overwhelming guilt and his negative outlook got to be a bit tiresome.
This is the second book in the Survivors series, but it could easily be read as a stand alone title with no problems. I would happily recommend this book and can’t wait for Rafe’s book!!!
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*
A Major who survived the war with Napoleon carries the guilt of the men who never returned. Now his mission is to retrieve an Earl’s daughter from an orphanage and get her home, only to her the orphanage is home. So what’s a major to do, but take charge of twelve boys and give them the direction they need to become good men and convince the young Lady that someone else can take charge. A humorous love story with a villain who won’t let go and a Major who final realizes he’s worthy of love.
Neil Wraxall was a bit of a mysterious character in the first Survivor book. Book two is his story and it is quite the story, indeed. Neil is haunted, haunted by guilty memories. As the leader of a suicide squad, he had to send more than one of his men to their certain deaths. He is baring surviving the nightmares of war, and his brother’s death in that war. He should have been able to protect them or not have survived at all. Now out of the the military, he is given a “mission” by his father to aid his good friend, the Earl of St. Maur. His daughter, Lady Juliana is running an orphanage that is falling apart around her. She refuses to leave her boys and stays there more days and nights than not. Neil is sent to get her to return home. Only he gets much more involved than he planned. Much is needed to make the orphanage liveable plus the rambunctious boys need a man’s touch. Will Neil be able to complete his mission? Will the dastardly villain get his clutches on Lady Juliana? I always greatly enjoy Shana Galen`s books. I was fascinated with Neil during his appearance in book one. His story did not disappoint.
No Earls allowed by Shana Galen is the second book in The Survivors series. I just love this series and this particular story so much! I didn’t think it would be possible for the second book to be better than the first but here we are. I LOVED Neil, I LOVED Juliana and I LOVED the story. I am hooked! Sleep is pretty much a nuisance at this point because it’s interfering with my binge reading. I Highly recommend this story/series.
I loved this so so much! Julia is exactly what I would have been like in that time period (though I would never have been able to meet someone as awesome as Neil!) She is strong, not a physical strength but in the way that she takes a life tragedy and turns it around. not that she is uncaring but she uses what she has learned to help others and find salvation for herself as well. The orphans are sweet and if you are a bleeding heart like me you will contemplate going out and adopting every child without a home you come across. Any author that can tug at your heartstrings like that is automatically put on my favorites list. I also liked how real the characters were. Neil had some obvious PTSD in a time before it was considered a thing. I wanted to hug him too. The children didn’t all instantly bond to Julia but had to learn to trust her despite her months with them because they had been hurt before. The characters just grabbed you and you were powerless to let go. The romance was sweet, filled with heartache, and seemed genuine. I loved the surprise at the end and the happily ever after.
Neil finds himself in way over his head when he is send to bring Juliana home to her father. In the ensuing chaos, Neil completely won me over with his charm, sincerity and protectiveness, just as he eventually won over Juliana and some adorable children. While Juliana was a bit naive, her determination was enough to make up for that irritation for me. Lovely hero and a highly recommended read.