Major Elijah Hollister never wanted to be an earl, particularly not when it meant losing his brother. When a bold adventuress shows up at his door seeking a treasure map, Elijah suspects his brother’s death may not have been accidental and that the lady knows more than she’s willing to share. Whether she’s a friend or foe, Elijah plans to keep her close–and hope the temptation of her kisses … doesn’t ruin them both.Miss Catriona Bowen can almost taste the fruits of her years-long quest to find one of Britain’s greatest treasures. The discovery will deliver the recognition and respect she deserves as an antiquary, despite the fact that she’s a woman. However, to find the map that will lead her to success, she must ally herself with a stoic, yet provocative gentleman with a different goal. And when a villain threatens their lives, she realizes too late that love is the greatest treasure of all.
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I love the history in this series (some true, some embellished, all fun & interesting) and although it is a stand alone novel; I suggest reading the series in publication order – the characters are all so worth getting to know.
Needing funds for his newly gained title because of this brother’s death, Lord Elijah Norris must part with some antiquities that had been saved over the years by his ancestors.
Cate Bowen has an uphill battle in trying to gain recognition & a foothold in the man’s world of archeology. She leans that Elijah is selling some of his treasures & she attempts to buy a tapestry that contains a map – one that may take her to the recognition she has been seeking.
However; Elijah is not inclined to help Cate plus the fact that he doesn’t know where the map is. This is the beginning of a fantastic romance with great chemistry and witty banter plus some a little drama & danger!
‘Major Elijah Hollister never wanted to be an earl, particularly not when it meant losing his brother. When a bold adventuress shows up at his door seeking a treasure map, Elijah suspects his brother’s death may not have been accidental and that the lady knows more than she’s willing to share. Whether she’s a friend or foe, Elijah plans to keep her close—and hope the temptation of her kisses doesn’t ruin them both.
Miss Catriona Bowen can almost taste the fruits of her years-long quest to find one of Britain’s greatest treasures. The discovery will deliver the recognition and respect she deserves as an antiquary, despite the fact that she’s a woman. However, to find the map that will lead her to success, she must ally herself with a stoic, yet provocative gentleman with a different goal. And when a villain threatens their lives, she realizes too late that love is the greatest treasure of all.’
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Romacing the Earl is the second book in Darcy Burke’s Legendary Rogues series and is a historical romance and adventure following Elijah and Cate as they work together to recover a lost treasure.
I loved this book between the amount of history nerds in this book and the adventure, it was perfect. I enjoyed the first book of the series, but I found enjoyed Romancing the Earl so much better. And speaking of the first book, Lady of Desire, Cate is actually the daughter of the two main characters from that book and it was lovely to be able to see them again in this book.
Cate, with her father and brother both influential men in the realm of antiquities, she feels overshadowed and overlooked as a woman in the field. She’s determined to make a name for herself, separate from the work of others in her family and I loved her tenacity and nerdy nature. I loved when Elijah was frequently exasperated by her forthright nature. I adored him, he was a little closed off, but his sense of duty is what made him such a great character to begin with.
The romance and connection between the characters are just right, but what really brought the book together for me was the balance between that and the adventure that they undertake, danger and all.
Although this book is part of a series and the characers are connected(and are in fact even connected to an earlier series), I think you can comfortably read Romancing the Earl as a stand-alone should you wish to without suffering any confusion. I like this series so far and am loving to follow the danger as the main characters search for the treasures of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I’m looking forward to starting the next book in the series, Lord of Fortune soon and I’ll be looking forward to seeing how thing will turn out for Kersey later in the series.
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I would like to thank Darcy Burke for sharing a copy of Romancing the Earl with me for reviewing purposes. This is my honest review.
Major Elijah Hollister never wanted to be an earl, particularly not when it meant losing his brother Matthew. When a bold adventuress shows up at his door seeking a treasure map, Elijah suspects his brother’s death may not have been accidental and that the lady knows more than she’s willing to share. Miss Catriona Bowen can almost taste the fruits of her years-long quest to find one of Britain’s greatest treasures. The discovery will deliver the recognition and respect she deserves as an antiquary, despite the fact that she’s a woman. However, to find the map that will lead her to success, she must ally herself with a stoic, yet provocative gentleman with a different goal. And when a villain threatens their lives, she realizes too late that love is the greatest treasure of all.
I was drawn in from the start & gripped until the end. I’d somehow missed this book & as I’ve read the other three books in the series reading this filled in some of gaps. It could be read on its own but the whole series about the 13 artefacts is so very good. Well paced story & believable characters had me enthralled from start to finish. I loved Elijah & Cate & their journey to a HEA
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
What an adventure. There is nothing in this book I didn’t like ( except the sex scene which this reviewer always skips but it doesn’t affect my enjoyment of the book). There was adventure, mystery, romance and suspense. Elijah and Cat make a perfect couple, so different but still very honorable. This is the second in this new series but it is lovely to meet up with some old favourites from books in other series. Ms Burke knows how to keep the story flowing and keep you turning the page. Even though I had read the future books of this series, so I knew what was going to happen, I still found it hard to put down. If you like Indiana Jones, you will love this.
This is one that I wanted to hurry and finish, but, then again, I did not want it to end. Good, exciting story, with lots of twists and turns.