An Unwilling Earl (Mayfair Men of Mystery, #1)

by Sharon Cullen

[stacey_is_sassy]

It needed more...

While reading An Unwilling Earl I was entertained at a very constant level. There weren't lows and no reaching for highs, just a middle of the range ...even... methodical... continuous... level. My heart wasn't pumping in excitement, fear or enthusiasm. There was no need for hubby to be close for cuddles, comfort or to chat with when the characters frustrated or annoyed me. It was a little predictable, a touch exasperating and unfortunately a wee bit tepid.

It's always hard to read a romance where the hero has been previously married and loved his deceased wife. In this case, he wasn't really over the emotional loss and had convinced himself there was no room for love again. He does eventually grow to have feelings for the heroine but they seem to be connected to his lust for her. There were signs of his protectiveness but again, I wasn't convinced it was from a place of love. It was more about his pity for the position she was in and what she had previously faced. He came across as a martyr, not a lover.

The suspense side of the story was interesting and I enjoyed it more than the romance, to be honest. It was scary to see what little could be done to catch a serial killer in those days. No forensic teams to dust for fingerprints or databases to check for matches. Even worse, the narrow criteria used to find the killers. It was unthinkable for a man of title and fortune to be capable of brutal and savagely violent murders, so they weren't even a consideration. Only the poor and underprivileged could act in such an uncivilised and barbaric way. Things have certainly changed throughout the years.

Unfortunately, while I liked An Unwilling Earl I wouldn't say this was a winner for me. Things fell into place a little too easily and seemed unbelievable. It just needed to be fleshed out a little more. I needed more passion, excitement and fervour to convince me that this Unwilling Earl had willingly fallen in love.

I have read and enjoyed previous stories by Sharon Cullen, so I will definitely try her again in the future.

Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.