Earl to the Rescue

Earl To The Rescue is my first experience with Jane Ashford’s work. Out on shelves on November 27th, it’s a good way to take your mind off the holiday craziness. Ms. Ashford’s writing style is smooth, her characters likeable and there’s adventure with a side of humor. I read the entire book in one sitting, during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. These days that’s saying a lot.

Our heroine is Gwendeline Gregory, daughter of the recently deceased Baron Gregory and his wife, Annabella. With her pale blond hair and striking aquamarine eyes, she’s the spitting image of her late mother. Gwendeline has spent all her 18 years living on the family country estate while her parents mostly lived in London. The creditors are forcing the sale of all assets to cover their outstanding debts. It’s hard to mourn for people you barely knew but easy to be a little angry and disappointed. Their thoughtlessness has resulted in Gwendeline being turned out on her ear.

Alex St. Aduley, Earl of Merryn, is our knight in shining armour. He arrives just in time to scoop Gwendeline up and escort her to London. He’s surprised both because he didn’t know there was a child until recently and that she’s not a baby. He thought to rescue his friends child but boy, oh boy, she is not a child. Gewndeline is dazzled by our hero. He’s tall, stylishly dressed and has the broad shoulders of an athlete. His auburn hair and cool gray eyes are a stunning combination. Finally a hero with, kind of, red hair.

After a misunderstanding about the nature of Alex’s offer, these two, and several servants, set off for London and Gwen’s new home. To start Gwendeline’s first season off on the right foot, Alex takes our girl to stay with his mother. Mom’s a trip, you’re going to love her. She’s a scattered-brained author of gothic novels. What transpires is a little like Pygmalion, there’s a lot for our heroine to learn in a short period of time.

This delightful romp takes us on a journey of loss, learning, friendship, love, revenge, adventure and a lot of bewilderment. I didn’t cry, not once. It’s not that kind of story, it sweet. I won’t hesitate next time I see Ms. Ashford’s name on a book, I’m going for it. As this is a romance book, there is a happy ending. We’d be disappointed if there wasn’t. Receiving a free book ARC is a privilege and one I certainly enjoy. Being able to share my opinion with you is a pleasure. Both are free and without obligation. Happy reading.

An enjoyable story that had the heroine, Gwendeline, left destitue after the death of her parents. The hero, Alex St Audley comes to the rescue with his mother acting as her benefactors. Telling her a falsehood that her father’s friends had all pooled funds to help her, he really was the one with the money.
Then a series of mishaps begin to happen with a kidnapping, scandal and the truth coming out about who really was providing the funds for her. She begins to have feelings for Alex but it seems circumstances get in the way.
A slow build on the romance between the two eventually ends in a happy ever after. An overall likable story by an author I follow.

Enigmatic Hero, Volatile Heroine
When Gwendeline’s parents die, she is left with no money and no home until a stranger turns up on her doorstep. Alex St. Audley, fifth Earl of Merryn whisks her off to London where his novelist mother introduces her to Society but Gwendeline can’t shake the feeling that she is being kept in the dark about both her parents London life (which she was never party to) and the source of the income that has been granted to her. An enjoyable story with a heroine who is poorly educated because she never worked at her lessons, who hates to read but has raw talent as an artist. There are the requisite Society events (Almacks, balls, riding in the park) plus kidnapping, attempted murder and several love triangles. The only reason I didn’t give this five stars is that I didn’t feel there was sufficient interaction between Alex and Gwendeline for them to form a connection and to make their love for each other believable.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first foray into the work of Jane Ashford. Though this book kept me entertained, I’m thinking that perhaps it’s not her best work. I read that it was previously released around 30 years ago. Perhaps that’s why it seems to be a little dated. I guess you would classify this as a traditional Regency romance, as there was no steam or hanky panky to be found.

Gwendeline was about to lose her home and just about everything she owned. Then Alex arrives, stating he’s one of a group of benefactors, and she was to come to London, where she would have a residence and would be taken care of and needn’t worry about anything. I really tried not to hold it against Gwendeline that she hated to read. She hated to read! That is SO wrong! What I did hold against her was that she seemed to be as dumb as a box of rocks. Then there’s Alex. He was a rather bland hero. As to their romance, there really didn’t seem to be much of one. I don’t see how they fell in love. There just wasn’t much interaction between them. All is not lost. There was a nice little side romance between Alex’s brother Andrew and Gwendeline’s friend Lillian. Also, there was enough mystery there to keep me turning the pages.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Lady Gwendeline Gregory has become incapable of keeping all that is dear to her. Her parent’s death has caused her to become destitute and wondering next where is she to go, who is she to live with, how will she survive and make a living to keep a roof over her head. In walks Alex St. Audley, Earl of Merryn to rescue her. He is surprised that she is not a child as he was expecting but a beautiful young woman. Under pretense, he convinces her to travel to London to meet her benefactors, but it is the Earl who is paying for everything. Alex’s mother persuades her to stay with her as a companion until she moves into her own place. There is so much going on for the heroine…love, kidnapping, unscrupulous people, a predator and a lot of miscommunication to boot. Was there any romance? Not early on and somewhere later…disappointing.

This was a very perplexing story and one that I had a hard time trying to figure out whether there will be a HEA. The plot was too slow, characters were not as appealing and lacking. I’ve read other novels by Ms. Ashford but this one I did not finish although there is potential to making it much better.

I don’t know if anyone if familiar with the Perils of Pauline, but Earl to the Rescue is very reminiscent of the series. Gwendeline is the heroine who gets into one scrape after another through no fault of her own. Just when you think she’s safe, she’s not.

I’m not sure if this novel can be considered a true mystery genre, but there is mystery and there is a lot of suspense because I never know when the heroine is going to get into another scrape and how in the world is she going to be rescued and by whom? On top of that are the mysterious notes and at least one villain on the loose. Just how many people are involved with her predicaments?

Through it all is Lord Merryn. Mysterious Merryn. I couldn’t figure him out. I believe that stems from the fact that this tale is strictly told from Gwedneline’s point of view only. I had to garner whatever clues I could from his reactions to things people told him, or how he always seemed to be there, sooner or later, when the heroine needed him the most.

I couldn’t judge their attraction by passion because this was a truly sweet story. The focus was definitely on the heroine, and she eventually figures out her feelings but it’s all because of their interactions, their growing relationship as the story went on, and what the hero and heroine learned about each other throughout the novel. I wasn’t exactly confident of their growing affections being real, certainly not from the vantage point of the hero. He was most proper. Powerful to be sure, but proper, so I have to say that I think this story played out within the strictures of the society of the period. At times the pace seemed slow, bogged down by the details of daily living, then it would speed up for a while, keeping those pages flipping, until it didn’t. Completing the book wasn’t a hardship by any means; I enjoyed Gwendeline’s stubborn refusal to accept what she was told because she intuited there was more to it – and she was right. The wrap up chapter was both exciting, dramatic and brought a happy ever after closure that seemed fitting for Lord Merryn and Gwendeline.

Earl to the Rescue was a nice story filled with adventures and surprises, a sweet romance and well worth reading.

Easy historical romantic read. Filled with whispered innuendos, snide remarks and sly glances between characters; many of which are never explained. Was glad that Gwendeline’s character “filled out,” during the story. Typical storyline eased these problems , somewhat. Enjoyed the Ames family, Ellen and other supporting characters. 2 1/2 stars.
Voluntarily read ARC for honest review.