The “fallen” ladies of Puddledon Manor’s Benevolent Home are determined to rise above scandal—and forge a sparkling new future operating their own brewery and alehouse . . . With Christmas around the corner, Miss Caroline Anderson hoped to persuade a London tavern owner to carry the Home’s Widow’s Brew—only to discover the dastard was more interested in her ankles than her ale! To her further … her ale! To her further annoyance, her stagecoach back to Little Puddledon is waylaid by louts and a snow-covered ditch. Amid a nasty storm, Caro seeks shelter at a nearby estate—only to be greeted by Viscount Oakland, aka Nick, her brother’s childhood friend—and her schoolgirl crush. Now he’s the half-dressed host of what is clearly a holiday bacchanal. Still, his house is irresistibly warm . . .
Ever the free spirit, Nick has invited the wilder gentlemen of the ton, and an assortment of London’s lightskirts, to celebrate Christmas in a more traditional, pagan fashion. So he’s surprised to find Caro at his door. Now, with a blizzard raging, he must take her in—despite his fear she won’t take to his guests, and worse, upend his party. But she may surprise him—and upend his life . . .
Praise for What Ales the Earl
“A pure delight.”
—New York Times bestselling author Betina Krahn
“A fun, heartwarming Regency romance elevated by witty dialogue and a unique
concept.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Entertaining, earthy . . . readers will look forward to more stories about the women of the Benevolent Home.”
—Booklist
more
3.5 stars for me.
90% inter dialogue or their fighting inter dialogue. Also reading about his past bed partners even when he’s being with Caro and still comparing their moments with his paid ‘friends’ is disturbing, he’s thinking A. Lot. about those ‘friends’. He’ll even tell Caro he had one of his ‘friends’ in the same bed the night before she laid in his bed…
Another point is Nick’s constant complaining of wanting to bed a woman but don’t want a child, an heir to his cold hearted uncle’s title, he wants to marry Caro but don’t want sons to inherit. For a man in his 30s he’s still bitter about losing his parents and his Italian family and forced to live in the bitter cold of England and in a cold mansion.
Christmas miracles, Will there be?
Nick knew Caro when he was a child and went to his best friends Henry’s family home for school holidays and Caro is the only sister with 10 brothers, she was also a tomboy when she could escape her parents watchful eye. She harbored a crush on Nick then and won’t see him for over 10 years later. Caro was 17 when she went to work in a Marquis home and the titled man forced himself on her a few times with sweet words and touches. Her own father despises her for allowing a man her husband’s gift and tells her she’s not his daughter, all in a letter! What a jerk!
On her way home from a less than fruitful trip to London in the hope of securing another tavern to carry her ale, Miss Caroline Anderson finds herself stranded when the stagecoach to her home slides off the snowy road into a ditch. Caro and the other passengers seek shelter at a nearby estate, only to find that it is owned by her childhood friend Nick, now Viscount Oakland. He’s clearly in the midst of some rather unsavory holiday entertaining, but his house is warm and Caro is out of options at present.
Nick has invited some less than respectable characters to his home for Christmas, always hoping to thumb his nose at the overly pious uncle who made his childhood a misery. He’s surprised to recognize Caro at his door and even more shocked at the thoughts she soon has him entertaining, ideas that threaten to turn his whole life upside down.
I enjoyed the festive redemption vibe of this story. Nick and Caro both had some serious emotional issues and it was nice to see them face and work through them. Nick got a chance to rethink his choices and turn his life around for the better. He and Caro were both extremely lonely and when they realized that they were better off together, this was really sweet. However, this didn’t actually happen until right at the end of the book. The majority of the story felt like both of them, mostly Caro listing all the reasons they couldn’t or shouldn’t be together and this got a little repetitive for me. Other than that, the story had some cute analogies that made me laugh and most of the characters were charming, though I found Caro to be rather tiresome. I also never understood how Caro, as the only daughter of a member of the gentry, wound up in service; that just didn’t make sense to me. I would’ve liked a bit more closure between Nick and Caro just because they didn’t really get it together until the very end and we didn’t get to see them much as a couple without Caro sniping and scowling at Nick.
Overall this was a sweet story and I’d like to check out the rest of the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.