Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets Outlander in this action-packed Scottish romance where a marriage of convenience leads to secrets that could be deadly. With two young sons to care for and a large estate to run, John Erskine, the widowed Earl of Mar, needs to remarry as quickly as possible. And beautiful Lady Evelyn Pierrepont would be the perfect match. But there’s more behind the English lass’s … Pierrepont would be the perfect match. But there’s more behind the English lass’s calm demeanor than she’s letting on, including a smoldering allure not even John can ignore.
Evelyn has no desire to wed the rugged Scottish earl, but at least she’ll be able to continue her work as a spy-as long as her husband never finds out. Yet the more time Evelyn spends with John and his boys, the fonder she grows of their little family, and the last thing she wants to do is put them in danger. As alliances shift and enemies draw closer, soon everything they hold dear is at risk: their lands, their love, and their very lives.
Lords of the Highlands series:
The Highland Duke
The Highland Commander
The Highland Guardian
The Highland Chieftain
The Highland Renegade
This was an entertaining book. Lady Evelyn Pierrepont finds herself in a marriage of convenience with John Erskine, the widowed Earl of Mar, a widower with two young sons. His sons need a mother and he needs money. Evelyn wants to continue her secret efforts to support Prince James and the Jacobite cause. The events of this story held my interest and the book was fast-paced. I enjoyed this book and would read other books by this author.
Hear, hear! If you enjoy eighteenth century Scottish politics and equate sex and lust with romance, this book is for you. While book #6 in the Lords of the Highlands series, THE HIGHLAND EARL stands entirely on its own, and the Author’s Note explains why. John Erskine was a real historical figure, and Amy Jarecki mentions what artistic liberties she took in writing this novel. Sad to say, it is one such liberty that caused my main issue with the book, apart from the two large ones.
Our fictional John Erskine, the Earl of Mar, is a Scottish widower with two sons aged 9 and 5. He had loved his late wife, but he needs money and a mother for his sons. On April first 1713, at a ball, he meets Lady Evelyn Pierrepont, a duke’s daughter. She’s pretty enough, and he surmises she’ll do just fine. For Evelyn, however, it is lust at first sight. John is Secretary of State for Scotland, and Evelyn’s father is thrilled when John asks for Evelyn’s hand, because of John’s invaluable political connections. Evelyn agrees, not that she has much choice, but it suits her purposes as a spy. So far, so good. Alas, here is my problem: John had been married ten years to a woman he genuinely loved, and she had died three months prior after a short illness! I nearly choked! Three months! He didn’t seem destitute, he never showed that he was grieving, unless the author told us in passing, and the boys seemed entirely unaffected. We’re talking three months after the passing of a beloved wife and mother here, gentle readers. Of course, as the author *told* us, he would never be able to love again, which was a non issue in itself. He wasn’t even in lust with Evelyn until he saw her bare nipples. No, not my idea of romantic hero at all.
Now, Evelyn, she of the oft-mentioned bountiful bosoms. She who displays none of the qualities needed in a spy – in spite of being repeatedly *told* that she is so talented – until the very end. But the cheeky lass did kill a rabbit so we could see how skilled she was with a bow and arrow. I didn’t find John a suitable romantic lead at all, and his dislike of Evelyn’s dog didn’t help. He is a boor (not a boar), he seems to be angry most of the time, he’s always cursing (no f-bombs), and his obsession with Evelyn’s breasts reached a point where I wondered if there would have been a romance at all had she been flat-chested. At 15%, I had the story at three stars (those three months of widowhood didn’t sit well with me), but at 62%, I had had it with her blasted boobs! I also wondered why she bothered trying to make nice with John when all she had to do was to shove her bare breasts in his face. Sigh. I also never understood why Evelyn moaned in French once while having sex; it came out of nowhere (pardon the pun). And I hope the “belle visage” is corrected in the final version.
Amy Jarecki’s knowledge of the politics and customs of the era is irreproachable, but Evelyn seemed rather clueless at times, especially considering her social standing and her spying. After much justified doubting, John decides he is head over heels in love with Evelyn – he had gone without seeing and touching her cushiony assets for a little while – and she is madly in love with him because he is so bonny, so talented in bed, and so kind to his servants and the little people. The boys were fine, and I did feel that John loved them. In the last quarter of the book, the focus shifts away from Evelyn’s tantalising torso to concentrate on politics and a lot of action ensues; this was well done. From a historical point of view, it was an interesting story; it would have made a terrific historical fiction novel, but as a historical romance, in my opinion, it was a bust.
Still reeling from the death of his beloved wife, John Erskine, the Earl of Mar, must nonetheless remarry as soon as possible. His two young sons need a mother figure and he has too many responsibilities with his own estates and his position as Secretary of State for Scotland to do it all himself. Lady Evelyn Pierrepont seems a perfect choice, especially since her dowry will enable John to finally pay off his father’s debts so his sons will be free from financial stress.
Evelyn has no wish to marry the rough highlander but agrees, knowing this position will enable her to continue on as a Jacobite spy, so long as her husband never finds out.
John can’t bear the heartbreak of falling in love again, but he and Evelyn have an undeniable chemistry and soon she also finds herself growing attached to her new family. But with both Evelyn and John keeping secrets and making biased assumptions, their blossoming relationship is as much at stake as are their lives.
Frankly Evelyn’s naivete and willingness to wholeheartedly believe gossip rather disgusted me. Luckily, it disgusted her too and she worked hard to make amends to John and to actually get to know him as his true self. This book had a bit of everything: characters who showed development and grew together, steamy times, romance, danger, intrigue, plus cute kids. Once the heroine got it together, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Let me begin by saying this is the first book I have read in this series. I have mixed feelings about this book. While I really enjoyed the characters and plot I found the story dragging in several places. I feel like this is a feel good story that was fairly quick to read.
The Highland Earl is the sixth book in the Lords of the Highland series. I’ve not read the entire series but have added them to my TBR list after finishing this book. This book is full of intrigue, mystery, action, betrayal, politics, a marriage of convenience and romance. John, the Earl of Mar, has lost his wife and inherited debt from his father. He doesn’t want his sons to ever have to have that worry so he is looking for a new wife and stepmother for his two sons. Lady Evelyn comes with a good dowry and is a duke’s daughter so he decides she will do nicely and makes arrangements with her father. Lady Evelyn is a Jacobite sympathizer and doesn’t agree with her father’s business or political dealings. She supplies information she finds from her father to a man she thinks is also a supporter of the cause, but things aren’t always as they appear. Evelyn slowly comes to realize this and finds out she is mistaken about her new husband’s beliefs. The characters were strong and well developed. The book was well written, face paced and hard to put down! I can’t wait to see who the hero will be in the next book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Evelyn, the English heroine, tries to even the playing field by spying for what she thinks is a good cause. But things are sometimes not as they appear, including her new arranged marriage husband, who turns out to be much more than just a verra handsome Scottish face.
John hasn’t completely gotten over the loss of what he considered the perfect, docile wife. He’s still in love with her and doesn’t want to let down the walls around his guarded heart. He’s got two young boys to raise though so has no choice but to secure a nuturing, wealthy wife so he can climb out of a mountain of debt his father passed along to him.
These two get thrown into a melting pot of lies, deceit, and life threatening betrayal. Surrendering to one another is the only way they will survive to defeat their enemies. With back and forth relationship angst, true love eventually conquers all. It just takes time, patience, a carefully laid out plan, and a willingness to put everything on the line for one another.
I liked the fact Evelyn tried to right wrongs she saw happening around her. Though she had to do so covertly, she was fighting for social justice in her own, privileged way. It took awhile for John to allow himself to think of Evelyn in more ways than just a means to his future and a warm bed at night.
Title: The Highland Earl, Series: Lords of the Highlands (Book 6), Author: Amy Jarecki, Pages: 384, stand-alone but part of a series, afraid to love again widow hero with two sons, much younger virgin heroine, thinks she’s doing the right thing leads to trouble, still in love with his dead wife,
Book 1 – The Highland Duke (Akira & Geordie), Pages: 384, 3/28/17
Book 2 – The Highland Commander (Magdalen & Aidan), Pages: 384, 6/27/17
Book 3 – The Highland Guardian (Reid & Audrey), Pages: 368, 12/19/17
Book 4 – The Highland Chieftain (Mairi & Dunn), Pages: 352, 7/31/18
Book 5 – The Highland Renegade (Robert & Janet), Pages: 384, 1/8/19
Book 6 – The Highland Earl (John & Evelyn), Pages: 368, 6/25/19
(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley)
This Regency read has the setting of all the makings of a civilized society, but… when underpinned with the turbulence of its time, the characters have the opportunity to show what they truly are made of.
Evelyn, Lady Mar, is a young woman who is emotionally challenged when she finds out her father leads a path of greed. She, then, is encouraged, by Monsieur Dubois, who lives his life in duplicity, to spy on her own father and prevent him from reaping the rewards of his schemes. However, Dubois, too, is a schemer who dups many.
As Dubois’ spy, she marries John, the Earl of Mar, a widower of only a few months. He has worked for the Crown for years. He’s known as Bobbin’ John for a reason which I’ll let you ferret out as you get into the story. The earl marries for two reasons: He has two young children who need a mother and he needs the dowry which comes with his titled wife to pay debts his father left on the property when he passed away. This marriage has all the markings of a marriage of convenience – Evelyn has easy access to spy for France through Dubois. In so doing, she thinks to support Scotland and the Jacobites.
Matters of the heart arise, taking this marriage of convenience toward an engaging emotional journey. Will Dubois’ conniving for his King and his own pocket destroy Evelyn’s marriage? Will John’s loyalty to family and home take center stage verses the Crown? Can John love another when his heart belongs to his dead wife?
If you like your Regency reads with fewer steamy scenes (I do), dangerous encounters and more character development, this story is an easy choice. Jarecki always writes a well-balanced story, one full of entertainment.