ARC/Bkfunnel/ A Marriage Deal with a Guarded Earl by Elizabeth Everly

  For any other questions, please contact:
Elizabeth Everly <elizabeth@elizabetheverly.com>

 

"I buried one husband the world chose for me. I will not be handed a second across the wreckage of my own name."

Victoria, Lady Hemsworth, has already survived one marriage arranged for her, and she has no intention of enduring a second. Widowed, sharp, and quietly ruined by a name that was never truly hers, she wants only to keep her small daughter safe and her independence intact. Society has other plans. A drunken baronet, a scheming relation, and a single whispered scandal are closing every door she has left, and a woman alone cannot fight all of them at once.

The Earl of Harwood is the last man she expected to step between her and the wolves. Reserved, formidable, and carrying griefs he never speaks of, Elias offers her the one thing that will silence the gossip and put her beyond her enemies' reach: his name, his protection, and a marriage that asks nothing of her heart.

It is meant to be an arrangement, and Victoria knows exactly what arrangements are worth.

But a woman braced her whole life for the price on the far side of the page does not know what to do with a husband who stands beneath her daughter's window in the rain because the child asked whether he would come. And a guarded man who married to do a decent thing did not plan on wanting the one part of the bargain he swore he would never claim.

My 5 STAR Review TITLED:  Victoria finally gets to fight !

Victoria has been made to feel small for years by the bully of her deceased husband Gerald, his brother who happens to hold the honorable title of Sir. And the mother who is just as evil if not more so. It's her way or the highway with no holds barred.  About that honorable Sir. He's not honorable at all and doesn't deserve that title at all !!

I loved Sophy (the daughter) and her wax doll, Ruth ! That led to some serious and often funny conversations with that doll ! She wins the hearts of many and I can easily see why.  I liked the nickname for the daughter because her full first name was a mouth full !

I felt all the emotions that Victoria was going through and was so hoping that things would work out for her personal happiness. Elias was someone that I quickly rooted for also. He admits his faults quickly but also hides his tenderness expecting no reward for it.  The strain on his temper is often put upon and he admits to Victoria that he is well known for a bad temper. But he reins it in for Victoria and Sophy.  The conversations between Elias and Victoria are often very funny as she is reluctant to trust his gentleness. She's been fooled before.  I loved how he kept her boundaries without pushing even though it cost him. 

Great ending and I loved the Epilogue and it's extension.  

I was given an ARC for the author and I adored it.