The Earl of Buckleigh was once an untitled misfit, tormented at Oxford. Now, he’s overcome his challenges and is eager for the future, especially when his oldest and dearest friend, Bianca, needs help to save the annual holiday party. Ash has a plan to rescue the event, but when the bullies from his youth are up to their old tricks, he must risk everything to put the past behind him and find true … true love.
Furious when her brother refuses to host the St. Stephen’s Day party, Lady Bianca Stafford is committed to giving the villagers their celebration. In Ash, she sees salvation for their local tradition, and perhaps a future she never expected. But her brother has other plans for her—a Season and marriage, and not to Ash. When disaster strikes, everything she cares about is threatened and it will take a miracle—or a hero—to save the day.
The Red Hot Earl is inspired by the song and story, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Be sure to check out the Red Hot Earl version of the song on my website at darcyburke.com!
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Untouchables comes a Christmas Regency series! Don’t miss these holiday classics retold with love, passion, and heart.
Book One: The Red Hot Earl
Book Two: The Gift of the Marquess
Book Three: Joy to the Duke
more
The Red Hot Earl By Darcy Burke is the first book in her new series Love is All Around. What a wonderful start to a brand new Christmas series! I’m looking forward to reading more books in this series.
When Lady Bianca Stafford asks Ash, the Earl of Buckleigh for his help with rescuing the annual holiday party he is more than willing to do anything for his oldest and dearest friend, but soon things aren’t going as planned. When disaster strikes she isn’t sure that the party will be saved and her brother is making plans for her to marry and those plans don’t include Ash whom she has come to deeply care for.
I was given an ARC from the author/publisher. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.
Ashton Rutledge, Earl of Buckleigh, met up with his childhood friend of twenty years at a house party at the Viscount Thornaby’s manor. He had been gone to Oxford and stayed in London until he got his title and was forced to come home. His cousin was supposed to be the earl. He had been teased most cruelly when he was a child because he had a tick and had red hair.
Lady Bianca Stafford was the sister of the eighth Duke of Hartwell, he had just canceled the St. Stephen’s Day party. There had been one from the beginning of the first duke. Since he had stayed in London for ten years he had become mean, rude and unkind. She had been invited to Thornaby’s party and was waiting for her sister to go with her. Who did she find but her friend Ash?
The author is one of the authors I buy without worrying about being disappointed. She always writes an excellent book. This was no exception. There was some action, a fire, teasing, and just meanness.
I loved the way Bianca stood up for him when they teased him and were mean. The main characters were so sweet and kind. It was just nice to see someone happy. I highly recommend this novel, even though it is a novella, it is still very worth the time.
I received this ARC from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
The Red Hot Earl is book one in Darcy Burke’s new series Love Is All Around. I thought this was a magnificent story. Ashton Rutledge is a flawed hero who was bullied as a child. Those scars have left him struggling to conquer not just those who bullied him but to conquer himself. I thought Burke handled Ashton’s “handicap” with sensitivity and wisdom. I loved having a touchable, relatable hero. Bianca Stafford is not the typical Regency miss. She is bold and witty and quite determined to have things her way. There were moments when I didn’t much like Bianca and then she would do something magnificent – like defend Ash and I found myself admiring her. There are several steamy scenes in this book. Overall, a fabulous read. I am looking forward to reading this series. I was given a copy of this book.
I always enjoy reading a Darcy Burke book.
I’m never disappointed.
Lady Bianca Stafford is angry because her brother refuses to host the St. Stephen’s Day Party, a tradition their family has hosted for many years. Attending a house party on a neighboring estate, Bianca thinks she may find a solution to her problem. Once there, she sees her childhood friend Ash, now the Earl of Buckleigh. As they spend time together, they realize their bond has never broken. This first book in a holiday trilogy was a true pleasure to read with a very delightful heroine who spoke her mind and the Earl who loved her for it.
What an amazing start to this new series by Darcy Burke! I give The Red Hot Earl Huge 5 Stars! This book kept me captivated right from the first page! Burke is truly one of the best writers in Historical Romance! I highly recommend this book!
One simply has to love Darcy Burke’s books. Her stories are full of rebelious women with modern views, full of courage and filled with chuckles. Those stories don’t miss on anything. Hot gentlemen knowing what they do and sassy women learning a lot from men’s mistakes, being brave and wanting to make the world a better place.
I loved everything about this book and simply can’t wait for these series to continue.
A delightful Christmas novella based on Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Darcy takes inspiration from this tale to give us the red haired Ashton Rutledge, new Earl of Buckleigh who was bullied by his Oxford classmates who called him Ruddy. Ash has Tourette’s Syndrome that’s brought on by times of high stress and emotions. He has tremors, and sudden verbal outbursts that he can’t control. After school he went to London and became a Barrister and a pugilist (boxing) that helped him gain control over his Tourettes. He is totally surprised and unprepared to inherit his cousin’s Earldom. Unfortunately his school tormentors are neighbors and they haven’t changed.
Lady Bianca Stratford is 22 and pretty much on the shelf. She’s nursed her dying father the last few years and missed her season much to her delight. She doesn’t want to be married as she’s intelligent and not afraid to voice her opinions that men do not appreciate. She and Ash were childhood friends and meet again at a neighbor’s house party. They renew their friendship and she jumps to his defence when he’s once again bullied by the men attending. When she stops by his estate on her way to stay at her sister’s estate she get’s snowed in and they spend so time renewing their relationship falling in love.
This is a delightful story of a man who’s learned to control his disability and finds a woman who accepts him as he is. She on the other hand finds a man who appreciates her abilities and intelligence who won’t dictate her activities. Together they will make the world a better place using their strengths to help others.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Darcy Burke has hit a home run with this first in a new series offering, The Red Hot Earl, which is loosely based upon the tale of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. What a smile I had on my face when I read this sweetly steamy story of Ashton Rutledge, the Earl of Buckleigh and his childhood friend, Lady Bianca (Bee) Stafford. When Bee’s brother Calder, the Duke, says he will not agree to host the annual St. Stephen’s Day party for the villagers, she is most distraught as their family has hosted it for years. When she can’t convince her brother to host it, she seeks alternative plans and tries to enlist the aid of Ashton. Unbeknownst to Bee, many of the other gentry in the area who were classmates of Ashton at Oxford tormented and derided him as he was different. During the years he resided in London, Ashton discovered ways he could control his twitches and other symptoms of his affliction. I loved how Darcy Burke was able to portray the growing relationship between Ashton and Bee. They had been friends for years so they were able to be at ease with one another which led to them trusting one another as adults. What was special to me was how Darcy wrote a very poignant and romantic description of Ash and Bee’s first kiss. Though they have to deal with some adolescent acting grown men, an uncaring brother, and an unforeseen catastrophe, they do find their HEA. I thoroughly enjoyed this little jewel and had a smile on my face the whole time.
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this work and voluntarily submit this review. All opinions state are my own.
A great start to another great series. Who doesn’t love the tormented boy who grows up to get his revenge and show that he is the better fellow and the strong girl who wont take no for answer and knows what she wants. For a short read this book has a lot in it and the set up for the next two books will have you waiting with batted breath. There was a couple of sex scenes and this reviewer as usual skipped them and it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. I am now looking forward to the next two books to see what happens. I received this as an ARC and freely give my review.
THE RED HOT EARL by Darcy Burke is the First book in the Love is All Around Series. This is the story of Bianca Stafford and Ash Rutledge, Earl of Buckleigh. Ash was bullied at Oxford for having a issue that sounded like Tourette Syndrome. Ash and Bianca are friends but after not seeing each other for a while, Bianca finds herself attracted to Ash. Bianca loves everything Christmas and this year brother Calder was to host the St. Stephen’s Day party, but he doesn’t seem to be wanting to do it which leads her to ask Ash to help with it. But this puts him back in the like of fire from those past bullies along with his feelings for Bianca. Bianca has her own issues too when her brother is letting her know that he will be settling her into Marriage and not to Ash.
Enjoyed their story.
A cute, fairly fluffy holiday romance!
The Red Hot Earl introduces readers to the world of the Love is All Around holiday novellas with Bee and Ash’s story. It’s loosely based on the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (honestly, I hesitated whether to mention that, since I was overly distracted at the start trying to figure out how) but is mostly a childhood friends-to-lovers story between two people who aren’t overly fond of society but are terribly fond of each other.
There aren’t any huge revelations here (other than bullies often have their own personal issues that cause them to lash out, and some of them manage to eventually grow up) but it is a sweet, optimistic story about two likable characters who deserve their HEA.
At this point, though, I’m mostly interested in seeing how Ms. Burke is going to make Bee’s brother into a sympathetic character for book 3–he’s not leaving us with a good impression here, that’s for sure!
Rating: 3 1/2 stars / B-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
Everyone loves a good underdog story and The Red Hot Earl is sure to deliver one. Burke sets out to inspire the soul with a powerful tale of heartwarming proportions. Ash is the little engine that could. He has a beautiful soul, but his past heartache has done damaged to his spirit. Bianca sees the best in him in a trying time. Forced to face off against the demons that shadow his past, can the Earl with a sweet heart find his salvation in the Lady with more than enough courage to spare? Words fail me but emotions drown me in the most delightful way.
What an amazing start to a new series! Darcy did an amazing job using the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as inspiration. These two are a perfect match because they see each other for who they are and always have. Even though they were old friends their romance was a whirlwind that neither one saw coming. It was a refreshing change to read characters like them that didn’t worry about things like others did.
I loved the snowball fight scene and how it all ended in the end and can’t wait for the next one.
Bianca is feisty and doesn’t hold back when she speaks her mind. I loved how she told people off and also calmed Ash when he needed it. She didn’t care about his challenges and realized he was what she wanted.
Ash has worked hard to put the past behind him, but it’s not completely gone. I loved how he didn’t treat her differently and remembered things about her from years ago. He was quiet until someone dared to treat her wrong.
Copy provided for an honest and voluntary review
St. Stephen’s Day celebration is a Stafford family tradition, but Lady Bianca’s brother (Calder) refuses to host. She goes to a short house party to recruit another host. Once there, she is reunited with the new Earl of Buckleigh, Ashton Rutledge, who was a childhood friend. Ash has a condition similar to Tourette’s syndrome, but he has learned to (mostly) control the tics and vocalizations. Unfortunately, the bullies from his days at Oxford, are also at the party. And they haven’t outgrown the need to torment Ash with innuendos and outright rude behavior which aggravates his condition and forces Ash to leave the party early because of his embarrassment. Bianca returns home knowing that Lord Thornaby is the wrong person to help with her quest; she flees to Ash when she discovers that Calder has plans for Bianca and Thornaby to marry. Ash and Bianca plan the celebration only to have Lord Thornaby and his cronies nearly destroy everything in an effort to ruin Ash and Bianca’s hard work. But A & B get their HEA and we are started on another adventure from the great mind of Darcy Burke. P.S. Be sure to read all the extras at the end of the book for a rare treat.
Destined
Ash is a new Earl. He suffers from a disability and doesn’t have fond memories of his childhood except for the times he spent with Bee. Bee is fierce and determined. She doesn’t want marriage just to do good around her. When these two meet again years later they fall right back into the friendship they had before. This is a sweet fairytale story about accepting people as they are and forgiving those who have wronged you. It’s another heartwarming story from Darcy Burke.
Heartwarming, fun, emotional and engaging journey for this exciting couple that started out as friends and are destined for so much more…… was a thrilling adventure from beginning to end filled with intriguing charters. Great reading!
This is a great start to a new series, with lots going on. Bulling, sickness, family problems, just to name a few.
The New Earl of Buckleigh, Ashton Rutledge has had an affliction since birth, that causes a tick in his neck, and problems with speaking at times. His own father picked on him, then sent him to Oxford to make a man out of him. But all it did is make everything worst as three of the students bulled him badly for years. Ash was able to leave early do to how smart he was, but the damage was already done. Needing a way to control his illness he turns to fighting and becomes a well known pugilism. Fighting helps him control his feelings .
Lady Bianca Stafford, is fun loving, witty, outspoken women for England in 1811. She enjoys activity that is unladylike as in shooting, snowball fights, and loving the outdoors. She isn’t any good at sewing, playing music or dreaming of a coming out like most women her age. She is now living with her brother the New Duke of Hartwell. Calder who has been in London for 10 years. He is nothing like the brother she knew as a girl. He is cold, unfeeling and cruel.
She is told by Calder that The Annual Holiday Party always held by her family is canceled. No matter what she tries or says he will not listen. Knowing how the whole area looks forward this event she sets out to find a way to have it without her brothers help.
Her and her sister Poppy, The Marchioness of Darlington, go to a house party, where she runs into Ashton. They have not seen each other for 10 years. They were the best of friends at children. As soon as she see what a fine looking man her has becomes, she is surprised to have strong feelings for him. When Ash see’s Bianca he also stuck by the lovely young women she is beautiful.
As they learn about each other, deal with the same three men who were at school with Ash. Then get stuck in a snowstorm while falling in love with each other.
This is a very fast read, with so much to like and fight against and cheer for the under dog.
I received and ARC from the author, and am giving my opinions freely. Don’t miss this book its great.
I can’t wait for the next one…. enjoy
What can I say about this 1st book in a new series by Darcy Burke – ‘Love is All Around’ – it is wonderful. This story of Ash and Bianca is so nice, it will make you have feelings of love and joy. This was a wonderful way to spend a morning, it made my day so happy.
I can not wait for the next 2 books to see what is going on with Poppy and Calder.
Keep up the good work Darcy Burke, your stories make me happy.
Managing heroines drive me mental, and yet, the way Bianca goes about it didn’t bother me at all. It’s the sense of manipulation that I don’t like. Bianca is simply forthright. Rather than steering other people to see her way in order to help her, she does it herself She’s such a force of nature that the people around her can’t help but bend to her will. Ash isn’t quite a full-on gothic hero, he’s just too sweet, but he does share many of their defining traits. He’s a bit of a loner with a tragic backstory and the love of the right woman makes him even greater than he already was. I enjoyed reading about this group of characters and I’m looking forward to learning more about them in the next book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley.
I’m so excited for this series!
This first book grabbed me from page one! Especially Bianca’s brother, “Chill”! Well, that’s for another story, so I’m staying tuned. *sigh* As for “The Red Hot Earl”, I love, love Bianca and Ash! And yes, the title fits in so many ways!
Bianca is a beautiful, and headstrong heroine. She’s simply amazing throughout this book. Ash is strong, kind, and having overcome so much in his life, and still battling some of those issues, upon being reunited with his childhood friend, he quickly forms a wonderful relationship with “Bee”. I appreciated that they were so supportive of each other, and I enjoyed the smooth and natural way things progressed between them. What an entertaining and fun read!
Can’t wait for the next! This promises to be a series that can be enjoyed not just around the holidays, but all year long.