Oxfordshire, England, 1821 Devastated by the disappearance of his sister, the Earl of Stranraer has gone to extraordinary lengths to find the notorious rake responsible, and enters his household incognito to wreak his vengeance. But his enemy has an unexpected protector–the innocent but headstrong Miss Cassandra Blythe. Cassie is determined to learn the art of seduction. But she is blindsided … she is blindsided by her body’s thrilling response to the wrong man–a mysterious servant who shows up at the most inauspicious moments to spoil her lessons in love with warnings of her imminent ruin. When she learns the handsome servant’s identity and the reason for his deception, she resolves to help Stranraer, but only if he abandons his vow to destroy his enemy.
The earl is sorely tempted to give the meddlesome beauty a lesson in seduction she’ll never forget. But she turns the tables, and he gets his own lesson in forgiveness…and love.
Each book in the Wayward in Wessex series is STANDALONE:
* Distracting the Duke
* Unmasking the Earl
* Vanquishing the Viscount
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This was the first book I’ve read by Ms. Keysian and I’m on the fence about it. I felt in Ms. Keysian’s attempt to make Edmund Talbot’s passion for Cassie seem bottomless, she ended up making him seem more frightening instead. For a gently bred woman like Cassie who had no brothers who rough housed around her, Ned’s explosive fury would have been scary. I’ve read lots of Regency romances and have never seen a gentlemen act this way.
I did love the plot of this story. It was inventive and the writing was well done. However, too many of Edmund’s actions seemed too much over the top especially at the Duke’s ball.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
3.5 stars
Several months earlier there was a fire at the home of Edmund Talbot, Earl of Stranraer’s Aunt Claudette’s & it was feared that Edmund’s sister Georgiana had died, but when no trace of her was found Ned went to extraordinary lengths to find the notorious rake responsible, Captain Francis Wycherley and enters his household incognito as a servant, Ganstridge, to wreak his vengeance. There he meets the innocent but headstrong Miss Cassandra Blythe who wants Wycherley to teach her how to seduce Julian the childhood friend she loves.
Cassie is determined to learn the art of seduction. But she is blindsided by her body’s thrilling response to the wrong man—a mysterious servant, Ganstridge who shows up at the most inauspicious moments to spoil her lessons in love with warnings of her imminent ruin.
I enjoyed the book but until about half way through I disliked Ned, he was just so angry all of the time. He did gradually change & began to learn to rein in his anger. Cassie although likeable was headstrong & was way too modern for a Regency young lady. Julian was also a revelation in not minding that the woman he loved wasn’t chaste in fact anything but. However the characterisation is good & any changes in character are gradual & well written. The pace of the story was good & kept me reading. The book had lots of humour especially Ned’s attempts at being a servant, there’s the mystery of a missing sister & plenty of romance. I look forward to more from the author
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Unmasking The Earl is an outstanding historical romance by Elizabeth Keysian. Ms. Keysian has again delivered a book that is a joy to read. The characters are phenomenal and the book is well-written and a nice smooth read. Cassandra has been in love with Julian for years. When Julian slips away from the ball with another woman, Cassandra enlists the aid of Captain Wycherley, a rake. Ned has been searching for his sister since she went missing after a fire. He gets a job working for Captain Wycherley believing he has something to do with his sister’s disappearance. Cassandra and Ned’s story is loaded with drama, humor, sexy bits, action and suspense. This book hooked me on the first page and held me hostage until the end. I enjoyed every page of Unmasking The Earl and look forward to my next book by Elizabeth Keysian. Unmasking The Earl is book 2 of the Wayward In Wessex Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
Unmasking the Earl, is without a doubt my favourite book by Elizabeth Keysian. It is a remarkable, witty, captivating, exciting and incredibly romantic story that grabbed my attention from the very beginning. I flew through this book! The characters are amazing, I loved them all. Cassie is a sassy, troublesome, strong willed, temptress and Ned is a very enticing, very alpha male, totally swoon worthy hero! I loved every minute of their complicated relationship! Their chemistry was amazing and even their frequent misunderstandings couldn’t throw me off. Love the characters, love the story and love the writing! I highly recommend this book! I can’t praise it enough!
Witty, romantic story with great characters.