A countess in name only… …tempted by a night with her husband! Part of Penniless Brides of Convenience: Eloise Brannagh has witnessed firsthand the damage unruly passion can cause. Yet she craves freedom, so a convenient marriage to the Earl of Fearnoch seems the perfect solution! Except Alexander Sinclair is more handsome, more intriguing, more everything than Eloise anticipated. She’s set … anticipated. She’s set her own rules for their marriage, but her irresistible husband might just tempt her to break them!
Penniless Brides of Convenience miniseries
Book 1 — The Earl’s Countess of Convenience
Book 2 — A Wife Worth Investing In
Book 3 and 4 — coming soon!
“The book opens up like a succession of Russian dolls, revealing more and more about the protagonists in all guises. And this is Kaye’s strength as a writer: setting up a plot and characters shrouded in mystery, and then revealing them with increasing complexity as the story moves on … This is a book not to be missed.”
— All About Romance on A Scandalous Winter Wedding
“What a wonderful culmination A Scandalous Winter Wedding is to the Matches Made in Scandal series … Ms. Kaye has fast become one of my favorite authors of historical fiction”
— Romance Junkies on A Scandalous Winter Wedding
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The Earl’s Countess of Convenience is the first book in author Marguerite Kaye’s newest series “Penniless Brides of Convenience” and what a fantastic start it is! I look forward to reading the rest of the series!
Alexander Sinclair has become the Earl of Fearnoch on the death of his only brother. He must marry before his thirtieth birthday or forfeit his inheritance to his cousin an inveterate gambler. Although not interested in the lands or the title, Alexander feels a responsibility to the people and his mother who will be affected. So he arranges a marriage of convenience with a friend’s niece.
Eloise Brannagh lives with her twin sisters and their Uncle’s wife, Kate. They’ve lived with Kate ever since their parents and younger brother died in a tragic accident. To accept a marriage of convenience she feels she will gain freedom for herself and her sisters.
I really liked Eloise and Alexander from the start. Their experiences from the past keep them from wanting to marry or fall in love. They both went into this marriage of convenience with every intention of keeping it platonic. But there is definitely a spark between them and they struggle to stay away from each other. They were a sweet couple and I couldn’t help but want them to find a way to trust and admit their love for each other.
This was a beautifully written story of two people who truly deserved to find love. With wonderful secondary characters that will have their own books in this series, this was a book I enjoyed from start to finish. I enjoyed Ms. Kaye’s writing style and look forward to seeing where she takes the rest of this series!
The earl in question’s need for a convenient bride is based on a fallacy (no, earldoms can’t be entailed away if the heir isn’t married by some arbitrary age) but the author rather adorably admits they know that and used it for a plot device anyway because, you know, fiction, so I’m inclined to give it a pass. Other than that this is a really well-researched story with some nice historically accurate details in there to help the reader’s suspension of disbelief.
Eloise and Alexander both have dreadful parents who have thoroughly soured them on the idea of love and marriage, though Eloise’s were more emotionally abusive and Alexander’s both emotional and physical, so it seems entirely logical to both of them that a marriage of convenience without physical entanglements would work. To the reader, it’s obvious from their first meeting and the sparks of attraction flying that the attempt is doomed to failure, though to innocent Eloise, it’s not obvious at all. I have to say I’d have thought Alexander to be a bit more worldly-wise and a bit more inclined to step back and think, but he was the one under a time constraint so had to make the decision quickly.
Overall this is a nice pairing with a slow-build of passion between the two main characters, side characters relegated off stage so they didn’t detract from the drama between the protagonists, which worked very well. I did get frustrated with Alexander’s obtuseness a few times and his boss Marcus frankly needs a woman to break his heart and show him the error of his ways, but a thoroughly enjoyable story. Four and a half stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review from the author.
Terrific start to the new series. Eloise and her twin sisters, Phoebe and Estelle, have lived with their aunt ever since their parents and brother died. Eloise is a practical young woman, and when her uncle informs her that a friend is interested in a marriage of convenience with her, she gives the offer serious consideration. The promise of the freedom of a married woman without the downfalls of the intimate side of marriage is very appealing.
Alexander never expected to inherit the earldom, and to fulfill the conditions of the inheritance he must marry by age thirty, just a few weeks away. Otherwise, everything goes to a cousin who is well-known for his profligate ways. It would also leave Alex’s mother in dire financial straits. He hadn’t planned to marry at all, his work as “Victualling Commissioner for the Admiralty” keeps him busy and frequently out of the country. There are also other issues that cause him to insist on an in name only marriage, issues that have haunted him for years.
I loved the first meeting between Eloise and Alex. Neither is what the other expected, which throws each of them slightly off-kilter. However, they are open and honest about their expectations, and a deal is quickly reached. They also didn’t expect the sparks that flew between them, ones they tried desperately to ignore. To protect the public illusion that their marriage is a love match, Alex and Eloise must spend time together. As they do so, they discover that they like each other, and that liking adds fuel to the attraction that continues to grow. Every time that attraction flared to life it made keeping their distance even harder.
I loved seeing Alex and Eloise get to know each other. Both of them have excellent observation skills and quickly learn the little things that please each other. I especially loved the gift that Eloise made for Alex and how it showcased her understanding of him along with a sense of humor. Alex also demonstrated his understanding of Eloise and what makes her tick with the unexpected gift near the end of the book. One thing they have in common is their cynical views of marriage and their determination to avoid those pitfalls. But the time they spend together has each looking upon their pasts with different perspectives, and their feelings begin to change. But not everything is as it seems, and Eloise starts to suspect that there is more to Alex than he shows the world. I loved the scene where she confronted him with her suspicions and ached for them both as he finally confessed the events that had such a significant effect on him. I ached for Eloise as she finally admits her feelings, first to herself and then to Alex, only to realize that he won’t return those feelings. There are some eye-opening twists and turns on Alex’s horizon, and I loved seeing them each come to pass. His big moment at the end was fantastic as he let go of his fears and opened his heart.
I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. Eloise’s sisters are as intriguing as she is and I look forward to seeing how their dreams work out. I expect that one of the books will be Kate and Daniel’s story. I have a feeling that, like Alex, there is more to Daniel than Kate knows about. I also hope to see more of Eloise and Alex in the later books.
This was truly a delightful book to read and although I hadn’t planned on reading it all in one day, I did! Eloise Brannagh agrees to a marriage of convenience to Alexander Sinclair, the Earl of Fearnoch, and they each have their rules….the marriage is to be in name only, no falling in love and no kissing! Well, the kissing part falls to the wayside pretty quickly!!!
Eloise is such an innocent but has a strong character and vows to never fall in love because of what love did to her parents. Alexander is hiding a secret regarding his work and he also vows not to fall in love because of something that happened on his last mission.
I loved the tender moments between them, as well as the confrontations, this author knows how to weave her story to make it very interesting!
I was given a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
First in a new series Penniless Brides of Convenience: Eloise Brannagh has witnessed first-hand the damage unruly passion can cause her parents were madly in love but such a passionate relationship also meant violent arguments. she craves freedom, so a convenient marriage to the Earl of Fearnoch seems the perfect solution! Except Alexander Sinclair is more handsome, more intriguing, more everything, than Eloise anticipated. Having set her own rules for their marriage.
Another story where the hero must marry before a certain age or lose his inheritance, he could only lose the unentailed part of the earldom, he couldn’t lose the title nor anything that was entailed the note at the end eased my feelings. I really liked Eloise a strong woman who had to grow up quickly to care for her sisters, she was clever, charming & practical. It took me a little time to fully warm to Alexander but the more I read the more I liked him. A well written well paced book which I enjoyed & was interested to delve further into Alex’s past & some of the revelations I didn’t see coming. I look forward to more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read