Return of the Long Lost Earl: Historical Regency Romance Mystery

by Kate Carteret

[chymerra]

I know that I have mentioned this in past blogs, but I am a massive fan of historical romance. I am not going to fangirl over how much I enjoy them. I’ve done that enough in past blogs. I am also a fan of mystery/thriller/suspense novels. When the two are combined, I am thrilled to death. So when I read the blurb for Return of the Long Lost Earl, I needed to read it. I am glad I did because this was a great combination of historical romance and mystery.

Return of the Long Lost Earl is the story of Lady Geraldine Myers and Captain Ashley Winters. Geraldine is betrothed to the heir of the Earl of Kingsmead. She is unhappy with the decisions being forced upon her. Begging and pleading with her parents and brother fall on deaf ears. Then Captain Ashley Winters shows up at her betrothal party and throws a wrench in things. Is Ashley the long-dead son of the Earl of Kingsmead? If so, who is buried in his grave?

I enjoyed the mystery angle of Return of the Long Lost Earl. The author did what few mystery authors have been able to do. She was able to keep me guessing if Ashley was Hunter. She was also able to take two past murders and intertwine them into the plot. It made for a fantastic read because I didn’t know what was going to happen next.

The romance angle of Return of the Long Lost Earl was sweet. It wasn’t love at first sight for Geraldine or Ashley. Instead, they fell for each other as they got to know one another. I also liked that there was no sex. After the last few books that I have read, I need a book where sex wasn’t the main focal point of the book. It was refreshing.

I liked Geraldine. I thought that she was progressive for her time. She wanted to make her own decisions and didn’t want to be forced into things. I liked that she kept an impartial view of Ashley’s claims. She challenged Ashley about why he stayed away from Kingsmead for so long.

I did have my doubts about Ashley. He came across as shady. But as the book went on, I started to wonder if he was Hunter. I liked how the author slowly released bits and pieces of his past. I did like him though, even if I thought he was shady for most of the book.

The end of Return of the Long Lost Earl was terrific. I loved how the author was able to resolve the mystery of who Ashley was along with the other two mysteries brought up in the book. I will say that justice was served. I loved how Ashley and Geraldine got their HEA.

I would give Return of the Long Lost Earl an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is no language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread Return of the Long Lost Earl. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**