An undeniable love. An impossible choice.The EarlGarrick Helmsley, an earl in both England and Scotland, returns from the Crusades to find his Scottish inheritance challenged by his uncle. Forced to secure his claim in Linkirk, he agrees to marry the daughter of a powerful border lord. But no sooner does he agree to the arrangement than he meets Lady Emma Waryn—the impulsive and irresistible … Waryn—the impulsive and irresistible sister-in-law of his old friend, the Countess of Kenshire. Before he knows it, he finds himself escorting Lady Emma to Scotland. The more time he spends with her, the more he wishes to end his betrothal, but the situation in Scotland only becomes more heated.
The Lady
Lady Emma loves her elder brothers, but their protectiveness frequently drives her to the brink of madness. The last thing she wants is more of the same in a husband, so she has pledged never to marry a powerful, domineering man. Yet the Earl of Clave is both of those things—and he immediately stirs her passion. Garrick might not be the husband she thought she needed, but she soon realizes he’s the only one she wants.
The Earl’s Entanglement is a forbidden love medieval romance for fans of alpha male heros and strong female heroines. It is the fifth book in the Border Series but can be read as a standalone novel.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful story that is a romance and so much more. This story had it all, action, love, gut wrenching suspense and a tension that continually built until the very end. Garrick and Emma’s story will keep you spellbound, and I found it hard to put down. The writing and story were superb. I received an advanced free copy of this book to read and happily leave this review. This is a book you do not want to miss.
I absolutely love the border series books. Cecelia Mecca definitely has a gift for story-telling and absolutely does her research because I am totally transported to this place and time period. All of these stories are entertaining…I find myself vested right from the get-go. The hero and heroine in this story have quite a bit of chemistry and I found myself rooting for them from the beginning. It’s questionable if they will be able to overcome all of the obstacles that are in their way.
Although all of the books in this series are stand-alone and do not need to be read in any particular order, it is better to read them in order to avoid spoilers.
“The Earl’s Entanglement” is the fifth book in Cecelia Mecca’s Border series. I am absolutely loving this series. I have read every book so far and been mesmerized by her style of writing. Her storylines continue to be flawlessly written and rich in medieval historical details. Her characters are well defined, multi-dimensional and strong willed. Her plots have substance, captivate her readers, are fast paced and are well thought out. In my opinion, in a relatively short time she has become an exceptional author on the scale of Kathryn Le Veque (I author I adore reading). Garrick, Earl of Clave and Linkirk and Lady Emma Waryn have great chemistry and make a perfect couple, too bad he is honor bound to marry another to protect his Scottish Earldom of Linkirk. There lies the emotional dilemma facing them both as they struggle to be together and do what is right. It is this struggle that makes for a wonderful storyline. I never give spoilers but I will say the surprise twists turns and epilogue make for a very satisfactory conclusion. This book was a great read and I highly recommend it to all fans of Scottish medieval romance.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from the author in exchange for my review. It was a pleasure to give my honest opinion about the book.
Another fascinating read. Rich with history, wonderful characters, and the dangerous times in Medieval England and Scotland. I was gifted this book.
I will admit to waiting with a certain level of impatience for each new story in this series and when it finally comes out, I eagerly read it. As in immediately. Because…well…I am a sucker for a good historical romance and when it happens to come in a series…oh yea.
The stories take place during the reign of King Edward and the men are strong and the women are feisty.
Likes: the location/timeline is unique to my reading, which makes the story building that much more entertaining for me. Given that this is a series; we will see many of the same characters traversing the different halls or at least made mention of. I always love the chemistry that exists between the hero and heroine and often the sudden “hit on the back of the head” when one or the other finally realizes that they are in love, for indeed, these stories all have a happily ever after.
“The Earl’s Entanglement” is book five in Cecelia Mecca’s Border Series and while each story does work as a standalone, you really are best starting with book one
In an era when peace was dictated by the alliances made through marriage,Garrick heads for his Scottish stronghold, being kept safe for him by his mother, in order to get betrothed to the daughter of one of the most powerful chieftains in the area. Despite his reluctance to get married, he is fully aware of his duty and the need to protect his mother’s inheritance, hence the strategic marriage. The unexpected occurs when he stops at the stronghold of Geoffrey Waryn, where he meets the Earl of Kenshire’s incorrigible younger sister. The attraction between them is instant but Garrick knows that if peace is to be upheld in the district, he cannot allow his thoughts to dwell on Emma. When meddling Sara intervenes and persuades her husband to allow Emma to travel to Scotland with with Garrick, it adds fuel to the fire. The book, as with the other novels in this series, is fast paced, exciting and intensely romantic. Garrick is a powerful hero commanding attention, and Emma is his match in every way. One feels for the star-crossed lovers as they both recognise the importance of marriages to build alliances and the sense of impending doom to their relationship. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and was unable to put it down. Although it is part of a series and many characters from previous books appear in this one too, it is nevertheless a stand-alone and comes to a most satisfactory ending. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
I love Ms. Mecca’s Border Series. I especially love this book. It has become my favorite. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting characters I have met before and I absolutely love Garrick and Emma. I didn’t envy our hero for the tough choices he was forced to make and just couldn’t imagine how there could be a happy ending for our H and h. I highly recommend not just this book but the whole series!
My heart is bursting with a warm smile inside as I turn the last page. This was a one sitting book because I could not bear to put it down. With phrases like “He wanted her more than he wanted to breathe “ this was a perfect romantic story. Garrick Helmsley is having to marry a bride he has not met to save his mother and their lands, as the alliance is crucial to the future. Lady Emma Waryn only wants to travel to see her friend Clara before she gives birth to her first child. But her brother Geoffrey was having none of it until he could travel with her. His wife Sara has just given birth so that time may be delayed. But as fate often does, Lord Garrick, Sara’s longtime friend stops at their home on his way to see his mother and sign papers for his marriage. Clara and Garrick’s first meeting is magical. I still feel that tingle just thinking about it. In the end Clara has Garrick and his men as escorts to see her friend because it is on their way to his mother’s. What Garrick does not tell Emma is that he is going to sign papers for his marriage contract. Can they ever be together without starting a war if he pulls out of the expected marriage? An expert in creating an intricate story with history and three dimension characters, Cecelia Mecca had me hooked from the first page. I fell in love with Clara and Garrick with all the suspense and twist in turns to this tale. Filled with the history of the Scottish and English borders, the romance and struggle for power will take you through a time in history that will stay with you after the story ends. This book, as all of Cecelia’s books, will go on my to be read again list.
Since his father’s death in battle, Garrick Helmsley has been forced to return to England to claim both his earldom of Clave there and the one he has inherited in Scotland. His Scottish holding of Linkirk is threatened by his uncle so Garrick agrees to his mother’s plan for him to marry the daughter of a powerful Scottish border lord. But almost as soon as he agrees, Garrick meets Lady Emma Waryn, the sister-in-law of one of his childhood friends. Garrick finds himself escorting Emma to Scotland and wishing he weren’t betrothed.
Emma loves her family dearly but she’s tired of being smothered by their protectiveness and certainly doesn’t want more of the same in a marriage to a powerful man. But Garrick doesn’t fit with what she expected of a powerful earl, and she soon realizes he’s the man she wants for a husband despite all arguments to the contrary. Garrick risks starting a war if he breaks his betrothal, but for once he may put his own happiness above that of the others around him.
This was such an enjoyable listen and an excellent narration from Tim Campbell. I loved the fact that Emma was unwilling to compromise for anything less than all of Garrick and he never asked her to. It would’ve ruined everything if he’d suggested she become his mistress and I’m so glad that wasn’t the case. I appreciated that both Emma and Garrick were realistic about the obstacles they faced, but they never let that detract from the romance growing between them or from their determination to be together. I really enjoyed the communication between these two as well and I think this wound up being a real comfort read for me even with the contentious setting.
Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-earls-entanglement-by-cecelia-mecca.html
Loved this book. The entire border series is wonderful. Great characters and plenty of action. Not a single book in the border series is boring!
The Earl’s Entanglement is the fifth book in the wickedly exciting and addictive five star “Border Series”.
Cecelia Mecca is a wonderfully talented, “A List” author who masterfully creates rich enticing stories filled with suspense, adventure, danger, passion, and all consuming romance. Garrick and Emma’s story is another sizzling romance with monumental hard choices that could start wars and divide the borders even further.
I only wish the book could have been longer and included more suspense filled scenes of dangerous threats being enacted and of the heroic desperation to save and protect loved ones.