An outsider at her first English ball, Jewel is fascinated with the beautiful dresses and lovely dancing, but she’s vowed to save the Earl of Winchcombe from her cousin’s marriage trap. At first glimpse of the handsome lord, her heart beats faster. As they plan to thwart her cousin’s machinations, she discovers a kindred spirit in Oliver–even if he’s a peer and she’s a lowly colonist. Caught … kissing the earl, the ball ends in disaster and Jewel’s displeased uncle whisks her away to Scotland.
Lord Scar, as the ton calls Oliver, would rather be anywhere than at a godforsaken masquerade ball, and when he learns from the free-spirited colonist about the nefarious marriage plan, he grudgingly accepts her help. Jewel intrigues him and sets his heart racing. Yet, when the ball is over and the mask is off–Oliver curses the scar that will send her screaming away.
When her uncle banishes her, Oliver comes to her rescue by offering Jewel his hand in marriage. She agrees, despite his disfigurement. But what’s a beastly lord like him to do with such a beautiful wife–especially when he discovers she’s delightfully saucy?
Each book in the What Happens in the Ballroom series is STANDALONE:
* How to Train Your Baron
* About an Earl
more
Trying to do the right thing during a London ball, the recent arrival from the colonies-Jewel- attempts to save the Earl of Winchcombe from a marriage trap. When ‘Lord Scar’ appears in answer to her note, confusion erupts and they are caught alone. A big no, no! That he is the twin of the handsome man she assumed was the earl and sports a scarred face makes no difference to Jewel. She only wished to do the right thing. Things go from bad to worse when her guardian sends her on a coach to Scotland to marry against her wishes. Lord Scar to the rescue! Things get scary for them with intrigue and hidden agendas, and kept me reading page by page. Loved the characters and the plot.
About an Earl is the second installment from the What Happens in the Ballroom series. It is, also, my first introduction to the writing of Diana Lloyd. I enjoyed this historical romance. I absolutely adored the characters of Jewel and Oliver. The story is a little predictable but still a delight to read.
I am giving About an Earl four stars. I would love to read more by Miss Lloyd in the future. Lovers of historical fiction and romance will definitely want to read this one. I am happy to have the opportunity to read it.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
What a fantastic historical romance!
Set just before the American Revolutionary War, this story follows Juliana (Jewel) as she fights to gain her own independence after being shipped from her Boston home to live with relatives in London. One good turn leads to a forbidden romance, a multi-layered conspiracy, and more than a few true tests of friendship.
Oliver and his twin brother suffered at the hands of their father, whose recent passing has made Oliver the new earl despite his desire to remain closed off from society due to his horrifying scars from childhood. He is instantly enamored with the whip smart yet unpredictable Jewel, and finds himself tangled up in her charms as they discover that her problems are surprisingly enmeshed with his.
The writing is clever, witty, and instantly captivating. The characters are well developed, layered with humor and heartfelt emotions. Even the secondary characters are well thought out and delightful additions to the story. The HEA and years-later epilogue were terrific. This is truly a wonderful story, one that I know I’ll be reading again and again. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Juliana “Jewel” Latham has come to London to visit her father’s sister and to recover from a broken heart. When she learns that her cousin means to entrap the Earl of Winchcombe into marriage, she intervenes. She sends a note to the Earl and when he arrives, he realizes he is not the target, his brother Penry is and he compels Jewel to point out her cousin so he can warn his brother. He manages to save his brother, but ends up compromising Jewel.
Oliver Chalford, the Earl of Winchcombe came to London to claim his seat in parliament, this was his first visit to the capital and his first society event. Oliver is scarred and past experiences have turned him into a hermit, rarely venturing from his country estate. At first he refuses to offer for Jewel, but when his brother threatens to give up his own love match to save Jewel, Oliver gives in. But marrying Jewel will not be easy – her uncle has banished her to Scotland.
Oliver tracks her down and saves her from exile and promises to help her get in touch with her father in Boston – he learned from her uncle that her father was arrested for sedation, but she is not aware. They arrive at his estate and learn that he has visitors. Oliver is stunned and angered to learn that someone has objected to his request to take his seat in parliament, claiming he is insane and practices witchcraft. Jewel overhears the exchange and rushes in the room claiming to be his betrothed. And so it begins…
This was an odd story with interesting characters, a bit of steam, a decent mystery and finally a HEA with an epilogue. The story does tend to ramble on and there are several inconsistencies and contradictions (that may or may not be corrected prior to publication). I felt the author had a good idea, but then added too many other elements to the story and fell back on the “misunderstanding trope” way too much. This is the second book in the series, but I didn’t read the first book and had no problems following this story.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*
The Earl of Winchcombe, Oliver Chalford, had been scarred as a child by his father. He had not been out in society for ten years. His brother talked him into going to this one ball. He was trying to claim his seat in Parliament but there were accusations that he was insane. Suddenly all kinds of things are going bad around him and he does not know who or why.
Julianna Latham was a cousin of Lord Dunwoody. Her father sent her to England so she would be safe. She was born in Boston, so the upcoming war was important to her father. Lord Dunwoody and his family held a ball for her but she had heard of the plan to compromise Penry(the Duke’s brother).
So she wrote a note to the Earl about it and had him met her by the fountain. She needed to tell him so he can save him. Both their lives changed.
A lovely story with a lot of misunderstandings, and some twists. The book read easily and was well written. The characters liked each other but were too new to the relationship to know each other well.
A Scottish Maiden was mentioned but it was eventually a guillotine. She thought he was going to marry his girlfriend, the Scottish Maiden. I believe you will love the bantering, the mystery of it all, just keeps it exciting, entertaining and fun. I highly recommend this wonderful book.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it. (l
I loved the setting of this story, 1775, and how some history was brought into the plot. Scarred heroes are my catnip so I was eager to read this story. Even though the mystery was not too mysterious, it was still a good plotline and seeing how it all came together was very enjoyable. The attention to details was the highlight of the book even if the story was a little slow for me and the writing a bit different and a little hard for me to read. All in all, a good story with a nice mystery storyline.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
Good story
This book was okay. I just got so tired of both of them not trusting each other and blowing things out of proportion and causing so much needless drama. Yes, drama is good for a storyline but spoiled brat drama is not.
During the beginning of the American revolution, Jewel’s father sends her to England. At a family ball she overhears a conversation between her aunt and cousin to trap an earl. Jewel steps in to save him, but accidentally ends up in a compromising position with him herself. Oliver, Lord Winchcombe, also known as Lord Scar, goes along with Jewel on a long engagement. Someone wants to destroy Oliver and Jewel wants to be the one to save him. At the same time her father is imprisoned for his participation with the Sons of Liberty. A complicated story of finding the answers to so many questions. Pay attention to the complexity of the story. Good start to the series.
Oliver, the Earl of Winchcombe, has been a recluse for years doing estate business by strictly by post. Bearing a horrific scar across his face from his tyrannical father, has left Oliver weary of socializing with people. His nickname of Lord Scar has only reinforced his belief that it’s not worth it to socialize with the ton. For the first time in over ten years, Oliver and his twin Penry attend a masquerade party and Oliver is surprised when he receives a mysterious note to meet in the garden. There he meets Miss Jewel Latham who warns him of a plot to trap him or his brother into a marriage by her horrible cousin. Oliver reaches his brother in time, but is caught kissing Jewel. When he attends Jewel’s uncle to offer for her, he’s shocked to be told that Jewel has been sent to Scotland. There’s more going on than a slight scandal and when Oliver rescues Jewel, they try to figure out who’s trying to destroy Oliver while making Jewel disappear.
There was a lot going on in this book with the mystery surrounding who is trying to discredit Oliver. Could Jewel’s cruel uncle be at the center of the mystery? I enjoyed the mystery as it unraveled throughout the book, but I wish a bit more time had been spent on Oliver and Jewel’s love story. I can understand Oliver falling for Jewel quickly especially since he thought of himself as a beast, but it would have elevated the book to 5 stars in my opinion if more time had been spent on the relationship especially Jewel falling for Oliver. Ms. Lloyd has written another intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable story. I look forward to the next book in the series.
About an Earl (What Happens in a Ballroom)
book 2 by Diana Lloyd is an interesting but complex Historical Romance. can be read as a stand alone, see HOW TO TRAIN A BARON, book 1. Set just before the American Revolutionary War, and in Scotland.
Follow, Oliver Chalford, the new Earl of Winchcombe, Lord Scar, as the ton calls him and
Bostonian Julianna (Jewel) Latham, an American on their journey to find happiness and a HEA.
A forbidden romance, a multi-layered conspiracy, tests of a true of friendship, betrayal, deceit, a cruel plot, a charge of lunacy, and a beautiful colonist, intrigue, mystery, and love, kept me turning pages. Well written and well excuted. the characters are well developed, with bits of humor, and lots of emotions. The secondary characters are well thought out and great addition to the story. I loved the epilogue (years later) and HEA. Another intriguing and enjoyable Historical read. Does slow some toward the middle of the book, but picks up nicely, in my humble opinion. I look forward to more of Diana Lloyd’s stories.
“I voluntarily received a complimentary copy, however, these are my honest opinions. I was in no way required nor compensated to write a review.”
Rating: 4
Heat rating: Mild
Reviewer: AprilR
What Happens in the Ballroom #2, A delightful retelling of a tale as old as time, truly I never get tired of Beauty and the Beast trope (is it technically a trope). New author to me and as a second story in the series it can be read as a standalone. I love Jewel and Oliver. Jewel is a colonist her father sent her to her aunt, his sister, to be safe during this upcoming war. When Jewel foils her aunt and uncles plan to trick the Earl of Whichcombe into marrying one of their daughters they try to send her off to Scotland. Oliver is grateful to the beauty that saved both him and/or his twin brother from a forced marriage, so grateful he kisses her unfortunately in walks her cousin and aunt and very loudly announce that Lord scar has ruined Jewel. After thinking about it Oliver decides he will do the right thing and marry Jewel but her uncle has already sent her off. That doesn’t stop him though he tracks her down and after procuring a lady’s maid/chaperone he whisks her off to his country estate.
Oliver’s claim to his title is challenged, his scar makes people think he’s in league with satan and that he’s crazy, Jewel thinks she’s helping when she declares herself his fiancee. While Oliver tries to get all his contacts and acquaintances to help prove he’s not insane together Jewel tries to figure out the purpose of her uncle’s scheme and why he’s trying to steal her money. Together Oliver and Jewel make a great team they have wonderful chemistry between them. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story it was well written with fantastic characters and a tangled web of deceit that Oliver and Jewel manage to work their way through to get to their HEA.
A fun and funny story. Oliver makes his first foray into society in years and gets caught in a dilemma. Jewel is in the place she doesn’t want to be but has decided she will still be a Good Samaritan. The story is delightful as these two become entangled together. Their relationship proceeds on a start and stop basis sprinkled with a host of silly misunderstandings. The characters that support them are an interesting mix of daring and outlandish. Their adventures and encounters will keep you turning the page to see what they willl come up with next.
Best laid plans often go awry and Jewel is only trying to do the right thing. Warn Penry the Earl of Winchcombe that her cousin was going to entrap him in a compromising position at the masked ball. The only problem is that Penry is the twin of the real Earl, and he just acts in his brother’s place. It is his scarred brother Oliver that answers the missive, who is really the Earl.
Oh yes, Oliver has been in seclusion for years due to this scarring and feels he will never find a lady to accept him. But Jewel, an American, doesn’t seem to find him distasteful!
There is an intriguing journey that has a mystery, scandal, humor, and emotions that pull at the heart. I really felt for Oliver and he won a place in my heart and I was anxious for them to have an HEA.
I really did enjoy this second book in the series and look forward to the next! Don’t miss it! I read this through NetGallery and the Publisher!
About an Earl by Diana Lloyd is the story of Julianna ‘Jewel’ Latham and Oliver Chalford, the Earl of Winchcombe. I have read the previous book but feel this was a standalone book.
Oliver is the Earl but he was scared when he was a teenager so his Twin brother Penry does a lot of the front face of the title since he is self conscious of his scars and is know as Lord Scar by some. But when he learns of a marriage ploy that may his brother may fall victim to he goes forward to do something. Jewel’s father has sent her to England to be with her Aunt and Uncle. But Jewel finds that they aren’t so welcoming as she would have thought. Then she learns of her cousins plot to trap the Earl and wants to help stop that. This all leads to Oliver and Jewel meeting and being caught in a compromising position…but her Uncle doesn’t insist on marriage but instead send her away. Oliver goes forward to help her which of course gives them time for their feelings to grow.
Enjoyed their story.
About an Earl is the second book in author Diana Lloyd’s “What Happens in the Ballroom” series. This is the first book I’ve actually had the pleasure of reading from Ms. Lloyd and it won’t be the last! Although this is second in the series, I do believe it easily reads as a standalone. In saying that though, I do plan on going back and reading the first book in this series after enjoying this one so much!
Oliver Chalford or “Lord Scar” as he’s known to the ton, is the Earl of Winchcombe. He was scarred as a young man and has hidden away on his estate for years. Coming to town to claim his seat with Parliament has him attending a ball where a young miss sets her sights on his twin brother. Only Oliver is the one who is caught kissing the girl’s cousin, Jewel Latham.
Juliana “Jewel” Latham a Boston native is staying with her aunt and family in London. When she overhears a plot by her aunt and cousin to trap the Earl of Winchcombe into a compromising situation, she steps in to prevent it. She doesn’t plan on being the one caught kissing an Earl.
What a great story! I really liked both Oliver and Jewel. With Jewel being from the colonies and Oliver’s scarred face, both are considered outsiders that don’t fit into London society. Oliver struggles with believing anyone could care for a man with his disfigurement, and Jewel struggles with a betrayal from her past. Together they struggle to trust each other and there are misunderstandings aplenty between them. I loved the banter between them and the obvious attraction from their first meeting. They were such a sweet couple who I really longed to see overcome the obstacles that kept them apart.
Ms. Lloyd did a wonderful job with the writing and storyline. Both were excellent and flowed well. There were several secondary characters that added to the overall enjoyment of the story along with a mystery that connects Jewel and Oliver together. Being this was my first book from Diana Lloyd, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I can happily say I loved this story and would not hesitate to read from this author again!
I give this book 3,5 stars.
I liked this story because of the plot and intriguing storyline. It is a historical retelling of “Beauty and the beast” with a big historical plot and storyline.
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The American Civil war beginning stages leads Juliannas father to send her to England to live with her uncle and aunt who treats her really bad. She helps Oliver and his brother Penry out of a trap laid by her family, but gets sent to Scotland because of this. Luckily Oliver saves her and takes her to his estate but that is only the beginning of their problems and they have to fight the gossip, her uncle and others who wish them harm to get their HEA.
The romance between The Earl of Winchcombe (Oliver Chalford) and Jullianna (Jewel) was sweet, but unfortunately they ruined some of my enjoyment of it by being stubborn and choosing to misunderstand conversations instead of talking to each other and clearing it out
The villains are fantastic and so are the side characters. Unfortunately the main characters stupidity and stubbornness plus that the book was way too long ruined some of my enjoyment of the book and I had to reduce the stars.
I got this book from Entangled Publishing and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 Stars
An outsider at her first English ball, American Julianna Latham (Jewel) is fascinated with the beautiful dresses and the lovely dancing, but she’s vowed to save the Earl of Winchcombe from her cousin’s marriage trap. When she first glimpses the handsome lord, her heart beats faster. Caught kissing the earl, the ball ends in disaster and Jewel’s displeased uncle whisks her away to Scotland.
Lord Scar, as the ton calls Oliver, would rather be anywhere than at a godforsaken masquerade ball and when he learns from the free-spirited colonist about the nefarious marriage plan, he grudgingly accepts her help. When her uncle banishes her, Oliver comes to her rescue by offering Jewel his hand in marriage. She agrees, despite his disfigurement.
This is the second book in the series but is easily read on its own. A well written book which was well paced & had well developed characters everything for a five star read but it fell a little short for me. I’ve thought about the book for a couple of days before writing my review to be able to analyse my feelings about it. I was drawn in from the start & my interest held until the end but I wasn’t gripped. I loved Oliver & my heart ached for how he was treated. I liked Jewel but didn’t love her, I also found that the chemistry between the pair wasn’t there & I found it hard to believe that they’d fallen in love or even lust. So a book that promised much but for me didn’t fully deliver
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Mrs. Lloyd surprised me with this book; it was my first book of hers to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was romance, mystery, and twin heroes. Such a recipe for a delightful read and I was not disappointed. Their are alot of small characters but they are sprinkled throughout the book so at no point did I become overwhelmed or not know who someone was.
Julianna is a typical heroine that transforms into a women of heart. Not able to sit by and watch someone be trapped into a loveless marriage by her cousin; she sets out to warn the gentlemen. Oliver, Earl of Winchcombe, and Lord Scar to most of society has had a hard life and is just trying to take his rightful place in the House of Lords. Julianna and Oliver are tested on so many levels and the book weaves a long but intriguing road to their future. It seems to be fate has stepped in and altered their lives as they have been secretly pawns in the same game of chess.
The story was well wrote and very interesting, it kept me entertained and left wanting more. This is the second book in the What Happens in the Ballroom and am excited for the third. Please note every book ends on a happy ending and can be read separately. Reading them all just deepens your connection to the characters and brings extra little background tidbits.
I highly recommend this book.
While the blurb was good and the beginning was intriguing, somewhere after it lost its spark for me. Like I liked how the main couple met, but the story itself was just ok. I think the main thing was that it was way too long and that the story could’ve been condensed. I will say I’m glad I tried a new to me author.
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.