Who's That Earl - Susanna Craig
Updated: Nov 12, 2020
Date Read: August 16, 2020
Review: This started a bit slow but I really loved Jane. Tossed by her parents, after they found one of her novels, she was smart enough to figure out how to survive and make a living. The passion between them has a nice heat level. There's enough suspense to keep things moving too. The secondary characters are well written and multi-cultural. Somehow I didn't get enough of an impression of Thomas. He didn't have as much of a presence but this could be because he's a spy and trying to be low-key. His attraction to her is definitely there and I love that she's always been somewhat plus-size and self-sufficient. She's a bit closed-off, but that's understandable given her history.
Series: Love and Let Spy #1
Type: Regency/Scotland
Heat: 7/10
Tropes: Appearance vs Reality (She's pretending to be a widow who transcribes for a popular gothic writer, he's working for the crown as an investigator and hasn't revealed he just inherited an Earldom), Second Chance Romance, Mystery, Suspense.
Premise: Thomas Sutherland, while on military-intelligence assignment in Dominica (West Indies), finds out he's inherited an Earldom back home in Scotland so he returns to find he has a tenant - Jane Quayle, or rather that's how he knew her. She's now Mrs. Higginbotham, a plump widow and the amanuensis (author's assistant/transcriptionist) of the famous gothic suspense novelist Robin Ratliff. Thomas has always been drawn to her and offered for her before he was called away in the army (her father said "I have no daughter"). Will they trust each other with their secrets? Will Thomas find out who's been sending threatening letters to Ratliff? Will Thomas continue to be jealous of her dearly departed husband? Will they admit that they've loved each other for years? Will General Scott keep trying to matchmake his men? How can Thomas - Lord Magnus, afford to take care of his castle and the families that live on his land?
The Good: Strong heroine who knows what she wants and a man who lets her make her own choices. Love it.
The Bad: I thought the very beginning could have been shortened, maybe started when they first saw each other.
**Many thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in order to write this unbiased review.**
Author Website: http://www.susannacraig.com/