When you gamble at love . . .When Hugh Deveraux discovers his newly inherited earldom is bankrupt, he sets about rebuilding the family fortune—in the gaming hells of London. But the most daring wager he takes isn’t at cards. A wealthy tradesman makes a tantalizing offer: marry the man’s spinster daughter and Hugh’s debts will be paid and his fortune made. The only catch is that she must never … only catch is that she must never know about their agreement . . .
You risk losing your heart . . .
Heiress Eliza Cross has given up hope of marriage until she meets the impossibly handsome Earl of Hastings, her father’s new business partner. The earl is everything a gentleman should be, and is boldly attentive to her. It doesn’t take long for Eliza to lose her heart and marry him.
But when Eliza discovers that there is more to the man she loves—and to her marriage—her trust is shattered. And it will take all of Hugh’s power to prove that now his words of love are real . . .
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I love this series
This was a sweet, easy read, but I didn’t love it as much as the first Wagers of Sin book, My Once and Future Duke, which was one of my top 10 reads in 2018. I just didn’t love the heroine. She was kind and sweet, but just a little too syrupy for my taste. After having a heroine like Sophie in Once & Future, who was so strong and fierce, this heroine, Eliza, was a bit of a push-over and didn’t have any self-confidence. The title itself, “An Earl Like You,” is a reference to the fact that Eliza can’t believe someone like Hugh could ever love her or find her beautiful. I loved books where a shy heroine develops self-confidence, but I didn’t see that growth with Eliza clearly. Her self-worth is tied to how Hugh sees her, not how she sees herself.
I enjoyed the relationship between the FMC & MMC, and how their friendship developed, and I also appreciated how rational Eliza was at the end when it came to resolving the conflict between her and Hugh (part of that is admittedly because of how dang nice and forgiving she is), but I just didn’t love it as much as Sophie & Jack’s story.
Really looking forward to Georgiana finally getting an HEA next in When the Marquess Was Mine!
Hugh Deveraux inherits the Earldom and realizes that the whole fucking thing is bankrupt. He can’t bear to reveal his father’s malfeasance to his mother or sisters, so he ruthlessly does the only thing he can to keep them afloat: gambling. As one does. 2 years later, a wealthy merchant basically blackmails Hugh into marrying his 22 year old spinster daughter, Eliza, and in return he’ll wipe away Hugh’s debts. The catch: Hugh can’t reveal the truth and has to court Eliza and win her hand with the promise of love.
Pluses: This is a well-written and well-constructed. It would have been very easy to make Hugh merciless and Eliza a chump, but I liked them both a lot. High stakes leading to emotional stakes is a favorite of mine, and this works.
Wishes: Man, whoever wrote this blurb didn’t do readers any favors. It gives away the whole fucking ballgame. The events described here happen on page 300 out of 365. And obviously we know Eliza is going to figure it out, but I figured it would happen idk, on like page 180? Lol.
Verdict: Recommended. In general, I dislike lying plots, but truly enjoyed this book. It’s always nice to discover a great read in an unfavored trope. I liked that Eliza and Hugh are both on journeys of their own, and I loved seeing them become better people for each other.
I’d also recommend this as a starter romance. Because of all the business about dowries, entailments, the aristocracy, and the rules of society—It would be a great way to introduce new readers into the basics of the regency romance.
Copied & Pasted from Twitter as part of a project where I’m reviewing the 2019 RITA finalists.