The Earl Claims a Bride

June 1, 2015
This second installment of the Heirs’ Club of Scoundrels Regency series is a middling follow-up to the satisfying first entry, The Duke in My Bed. Harrison Thornwick, who’s just become an earl after the sudden deaths of his father and brothers, is in an uncomfortable position. The Prince Regent has threatened to throw Harrison into jail for dueling if he refuses to marry Miss Angelina Rule. He is incensed by the prince’s demand but softens when he meets the beautiful, strong-willed, and witty Angelina, who is also told she must marry Harrison or her father will go to debtor’s prison. Unfortunately for Harrison, she admits that her heart belongs to another. Their first encounter and much of what follows feel forced and hurried. After only minutes of dialogue, Angelina declares that Harrison is “a wretched soul.” But Harrison decides to fight for her, and soon Angelina is torn between Harrison, who arouses her passion, and the man to whom she believes her heart belongs. All the melodrama detracts from the engaging possibilities of young love.

July 1, 2015
Harrison Thornwick, the new Earl of Thornwick, has a simple choice to make: marriage or prison. Angelina Rule's father faces financial ruin unless she marries well, and the prince regent has decided that Harrison will be the perfect husband for her. If Harrison doesn't agree to marry Angelina, the prince will have Harrison imprisoned for participating in an illegal duel. Needless to say, neither Harrison nor Angelina is thrilled with the idea of having someone else dictate whom they will marry, especially since Angelina fancies herself in love with Captain Nicholas Maxwell. However, if the two of them pretend to go along with their engagement, it just might buy Angelina enough time to figure out a way to be with her captain. Unless, of course, Angelina finds that actually marrying Harrison may have some merits of its own. A judicious amount of dry wit and an abundance of simmering sexual tension add plenty of romantic zing to Grey's gracefully written second book in her Heirs' Club of Scoundrels series (The Duke in My Bed, 2015).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)