Engaging the Earl

by Mindy Burbidge Strunk

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He had no intention of marrying—least of all the girl next door.

Miss Sarah Brown has never expected much from life. As the plain daughter of a humble knight, she knows her chances of marrying well are slim. But when her father announces that she shall have a London Season, Sarah begins to dream that perhaps love might find her after all. With her dearest friend’s help—and a daring plan to learn the art of flirtation—Sarah sets out to discover what her heart truly wants.

Reginald Thornbeck, the Earl of Stoke-on-Trent, prides himself on being practical, responsible, and happily unattached. Yet when his sister’s “harmless plan” to help her friend attract a husband turns into something far more complicated, Reginald finds himself unexpectedly drawn to the very woman he meant to save from heartbreak.

A delightful tale of friendship, flirtation, and unexpected love, Engaging the Earl will charm readers who adore clean Regency romance, heartfelt storytelling, and timeless happily-ever-afters.

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Book Details

Genre

Historical Romance

Subgenre

General Historical, Georgian (1714–1837), Regency (1811–1820)

Series

The League of Eligible Bachelors

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

1 None

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

2 Mild

Publication Date

February 23, 2023

Language Versions

English

Narration Type

Human

Fiction Form

Novel

Sarah and Reginald

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked reading about the friends and their relationships. I liked how the characters interacted and learned and grew. I enjoyed the family dynamics. I liked the slow growing romance. I definitely recommend this story.

Read for the hippopotami

With her father's recent knighthood, Sarah Brown is spending her first Season in London alongside her friend, Mariah. They both intend to make a match this Season, but Sarah quickly learns her upbringing limits the number of eligible gentleman willing to look in her direction. She'll have to settle for a country gentleman, if only she could put Mariah's brother, Lord Stokes, from her mind.

Reginald Thornbeck is not in want of a wife. He prefers to spend his time at the club with his friends, but when he overhears his sister instructing Miss Brown in the art flirtation, he must step in before Mariah's ridiculous advice leads the woman completely astray.

But instruction has a way of turning into something real, and soon Regi finds himself considering not only marriage, but also making Sarah his wife. He need only convince her that she belongs in his circle and in his arms.

This was such a sweet story. I really loved Sarah and Regi. Their relationship starts as simply friends with Regi looking out for her as he would his sister. A bit of flirting is all it takes for him to really notice her. Their interactions were adorable. The theater scene--OH MY GOSH. SO CUTE. I was grinning the whole time. I absolutely loved it. I may have to test the herd of hippopotami out on the husband, because what else am I to do with such inspiration? XD Easily my favorite book of Mindy's that I've read, and I'm looking forward to reading how the rest of those eligible bachelors get leg-shackled XD

Fairly engaging

The book is pretty good, but not nearly as engaging as I prefer. The pacing was a bit slow and although I liked the MCs, I felt like they weren't as fully-fleshed out as they could have been. I don't know much about the Regi's personality or background. And Sarah was very bland- it seemed as if her good manners was her entire personality.

That said, I liked it enough to keep reading. It had its charming moments. I especially liked how in the end, the conflict was not based on poor communication but a very real concern on their parts.

Swoon-worthy!

Oh how I loved this book! Life has been busy and I picked it up to give myself a fun escape and could hardly put it down!

The story grabbed me and swept me along for a delightful adventure filled with sweet heart-pumping lessons on flirting to stolen kisses in the library.

It was clean, had believable characters, and is a Regency childhood friends to lovers story where the main characters must overcome the difference in their social standing to decide if love is worth fighting for.

Precedence, Charades, Puzzles, and a Unique Public Proposal

Although I have been a dedicated fan of Regency romances since the pandemic, I was surprised to gain some new information on that period. “Fish” used in playing cards initiates tender, private conversation. “Precedence” is revealed to be a necessary factor in hosting dinner parties. Sarah was a neighbor and childhood friend of Mariah and her brother. However when Reginald goes off to school, the relationship is interrupted. He returns as a powerful Duke much higher in status than her father, who is a Knight. Since Mariah is her best friend, she helps Sarah as they spend their first season in London. As Reginald attempts to protect his sister, he discovers Sarah’s intelligence and many appealing qualities. This leads to his attempts to “tutor” her behavior for the Season. Sincere conversations and humorous situations reveal Sarah to be the only woman he has ever found to tempt him to give up bachelorhood. Then he must convince her their love can overcome restrictions of status, culminating with a unique public proposal that touched my heart! At the end, there are enticing teasers about Mariah’s future. I look forward to the next book in this series.