Taming Her Forbidden Earl (Entangled Scandalous)

by Catherine Hemmerling

[Angie]

Taming Her Forbidden Earl is a fun combination of Historical Romance and Mystery. Lady Lancaster hosts a group of women who help those in need and solve crimes all under the pretense of a garden society. She keeps an eye out for young ladies who have an independent streak and special talents and invite them into her circle. Hannah has a knack for reading people, since she's a rare lady who reads quite a bit herself. She learns that her brother is involved in some smuggling activities and must put a stop to it before the news spreads around. The earl of Pembroke, William, also has a stake in this, since his brother is too involved, as well as his arch nemesis who results to blackmailing the lord and lady to get her to marry him. Such a mess!

I liked Taming Her Forbidden Earl, but it was more Historical Crime Fiction rather than a mystery. There's nothing for Hannah to really solve. She's actually just trying to stop a crime to keep her brother out of trouble, and keep herself from marrying the horrid Lord Shrewsbury. It was still fun reading about Hannah's antics as she does whatever it takes to help her brother, and she won't let a man take over even though it may get dangerous. She even goes undercover and ends up committing arson!

The romance was also cute. William has a reputation for avoiding marriage like the plague. He doesn't want to settle down until he's old and nearly on his death bed, to avoid ending up like his abusive father. But he's immediately smitten with Hannah. She's completely different from the giggling girls he usually busies himself with. Hannah is intelligent and full of good humor. He tries to resist her, but spending so much time together makes that impossible. It also doesn't help that their mothers are secretly working to push them together!

In the end, Taming Her Forbidden Earl was good, if not very memorable. It definitely satisfied my craving for a Regency romance, and the criminal twist made it a bit more exciting. I really adored Hannah and how she could poke fun at herself when she does something embarrassing. The romance was sweet, and I loved the "if I can't have you, no one can" drama at the end!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.