This Earl is on Fire

Bringing together the rakish Earl of Wolford with a new to the tonne debutante raised in the country had plenty of Wolf and Sheep moments, but it quickly became unclear just who assumed which part. Liam, Earl of Wolford, is a rich as Croesus rake with a long-held aversion to marriage, debutantes and the machinations of the tonne. His all-consuming passion for antiquities and the study of them is a closely held secret, while he wiles away his nights in various salacious pursuits. Mysteriously, he is set upon by a group of ruffians, beaten and left at the doorstep of one of his many houses in London, thought to be uninhabited. Liam’s tenants for the season have arrived. The Baron of Boswick and his wife have come to London to present their daughter Adeline with a season. Fortunately for him, they are not constrained by their titles or convention, and set about to nursing this unknown injured man to health. Hours and days pass, Adeline and her family talking with Liam, sharing stories and tales, and Adeline, dying for an adventure, shares her deepest wishes. See, Adeline has one leg shorter than the other, and she believes that her family, against her wishes, treat her as if she is in need of coddling. She is so far from that – steely determination, a heart of gold, and that curious lack of subterfuge that comes from a young woman well-loved by her parents. These two are both ‘broken’ although Adeline is far more capable of overcoming her own obstacles. Liam is stuck in that little boy hurt place, where machinations for his money and title played on his desires for a family and love, and left him without both. Now, closed off and quite guarded, he’s unable to discern genuine kindness and affection from moves that will end at the altar. What keeps him just on the side of being whacked upside the head with a book (only just this side, mostly) is the fact that his true character: his loyalty, his honor and that little voice that recognizes the true intention behind Adeline and her family’s actions are weighing on his mind and conscience. Bit by bit, Liam comes to realize that it isn’t because he feels indebted to them for his care and their friendship, but that he truly cares for Adeline, wants to see her happy and accepted, and will throw all of his not inconsiderable weight in society around to achieve that for her. Well matched these two are adorable: she’s so innocent yet observant, he’s jaded and not always seeing forest for the trees. With secondary characters that fuel the subplots of a wager of the original, the reason behind Liam’s attack and a good friend’s impending fatherhood the story ties nicely to the series and allows Adeline to shine in ways that shock Liam to the core. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.