Attracted to the Earl (Imperfect Lords: Book 3) by Bronwen Evans

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept, Loveswept

Date of publication: May 28th, 2019

Genre: Romance

Series: Imperfect Lords

Addicted to the Duke—Book 1 (review here)

Drawn to the Marquess—Book 2 (review here)

Attracted to the Earl—Book 3

Where you can find Attracted to the Earl: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book synopsis:

Unable to read or write, an earl discovers love in the last place he expects to find it—within the embrace of a brilliant woman—in this sexy, irresistible novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans.

What’s an earl to do?
The Earl of Argyle has died suddenly, leaving his brother Guy Neville at a complete loss. The dull-witted second son, as his father used to call him, Guy is now responsible for the estate and his brother’s seat in the House of Lords. Shamed by an inability to read or write, his distress is multiplied by an inquiry from a dyed-in-the-wool bluestocking who wishes to use the Argyle library and study a rare plant on the estate. Guy’s first instinct is to decline her request—until he catches a glimpse of Miss Abigail Pinehurst.

How’s a girl to behave?
Abigail cares for only one thing: plants. She is unconcerned about how she looks, what she wears, or the impression she makes on men. An orphan who turned to books for solace in a miserly, cruel institution, she now makes her living illustrating the greenery she adores. Lord Argyle, in fact, with his uncanny memory and chiseled features, is the first man to capture her attention—a ridiculous distraction since he is so far above her station. But her unreasonable heart has a mind of its own.

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My Review:

Guy Neville doesn’t know what to do. His older brother passed away, leaving him The Earl of Argyle. The reason Guy is at a loss is that Guy doesn’t know how to read or write. If it came out that he was illiterate, it could cost him the Earldom. When Guy meets the beautiful Abigail Pinehurst, Guy knows that his cousin has sent her to spy on him. Can he trust her? Or will she be the one to uncover all his secrets and use them against him?

Abigail Pinehurst is being used to spy on Guy. She doesn’t want to spy on him. With her reputation at stake, as well as her sister’s, Abigail would do anything to keep her blackmailer from talking. But, once she gets to know Guy, she wants to help him. Can Abigail do that without letting him know about her past? Can she protect her sister?

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I am going to start this review with a trigger warning. There are several explicit scenes of child abuse. Guy endured emotional, physical, and psychological abuse that took years for him to get over. I went cold reading what he went through. Some people might think that the descriptions were too much, but I disagree. Those graphic scenes only showcased how strong he was. If you are triggered by child abuse, then do not read the book. Unfortunately, Guy’s abuse is a significant part of his character and part of the plot.

Guy’s inability to read or write had me wondering. Did he have a form of dyslexia? Everything that was mentioned made me think that he did.

Whenever Guy remembered his childhood, I got tears in my eyes. He had cracked ribs at 7. He was forced to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. He was dunked into wells. He was starved. He was beaten. All because he couldn’t read or write. My heart broke into smithereens every time he remembered something. I was thrilled that he had a secure support system when he was an adult. The support and love that he was denied as a child were there tenfold.

Abigail didn’t have a much better childhood. Her childhood wasn’t talked about until the latter half of the book. I was heartbroken when it was revealed where she came from. Then I got angry. When everything was explained, I understood why she decided to spy on Guy. She had Dora to protect.

Abigail and Guy had some serious chemistry going. From the minute she showed up, dripping wet, the sparks flew. I wasn’t too surprised when their chemistry exploded.

Their sex scenes were intense. I liked that Abigail wasn’t a shy virgin. She was able to look at Guy and not shrink from the size of his member. She was able to take intense pleasure from them having sex. I liked that Guy didn’t have to be gentle with her.

The main plotline, Guy’s disability and Abigail being sent there to spy on him, was well written. I liked that Guy went from being terrified that his disability would get out to not caring. He was willing to have someone else take over rather than have Patrick take over the estate.

I felt terrible for Abigail in this plotline. She was being blackmailed into doing something that she didn’t want to do. All she wanted to do was sketch the Ghost Orchid. Instead, she was forced to look for anything that would give Patrick leverage over Guy. It was a horrible position to be in.

I couldn’t stand Patrick. He was a slimy man who got what was coming to him. I wished that Kit did what he threatened earlier. It would have taken care of a lot of things.

I did figure out what Abigail’s secret was early in the book. The author dropped enough hints. But it wasn’t until Patrick saying something that it was confirmed.

I liked the end of Attracted to the Earl. I loved the note that Abigail got from her mother. The epilogue made me smile. I loved seeing them in a good place!!

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I would give Attracted to the Earl an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is violence. There is no language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Attracted to the Earl I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**