A Winter's Earl

I'm so impressed! I heard great things about Annabelle Greene when she came out with The Vicar and the Rake. (Yes I own it, and no I haven't had the chance to read it yet - but you can bet I'm moving it up!) A Winter's Earl has an inctricate storyline and Annabelle Greene sets it all up beautifully. I'll admit, there were a few times I was biting my tongue to keep from yelling out loud at Sherborne... but STAY THE COURSE, it is so worth it! Clearly Ms. Greene knows what she's doing. Alongside the complexities of the interpersonal relationships, Annabelle Greene paints a very descriptive picture of the goings on within Sherborne's home. Between preparations for the encroaching holiday, the colorful cast of characters, and the realitiy of living in an ancient, drafty castle, A Winter's Earl is beautifully written. Thoroughly enjoyable for the holidays (and every day), I highly recommend this one!

Not a light and fluffy Christmas story but really good. I’ve really enjoyed reading Annabelle Greene’s other two MM historical books, The Vicar and the Rake and The Soldier and the Spy – books one and two in the Society of Beasts series – so I was happy to give this one a try. This book started out a bit slow for me but that may have something to do with real life interfering with my reading time. Once I had a chance to sit down and really concentrate on the book it didn’t take me long to become engrossed in the story. Something horrible happened to Richard 16 years ago and he blamed his lover and friend, Sherborne. Sherborne writes to Richard imploring him to come see him about a matter that is life or death. Beyond this aspect of the story there is a side story going on about the abandoned baby left with Sherborne. I was intrigued by this aspect of the book as much or more than I was by the main story about Richard and Sherborne. I had my suspicions of what was going on with the baby but I certainly didn’t figure it all out correctly and I think that’s a really good thing when an author can keep me guessing until all is revealed. There is a lot of back and forth between Richard and Sherborne to the point where it almost becomes tedious which is why I rated the book 4 stars instead of 5. In spite of that I did really enjoy this and the sexy time between Richard and Sherborne was pretty hot. I liked how their relationship evolved from one of antagonistic lovers to something more gentle and loving. I could feel how much they loved each other while at the same time still having negative feelings about what happened in the past. The blurb does a much better job giving you details about the book so I’m just going to close by saying I love historical MM romance and I think Annabelle Greene’s books are great additions to this genre. I’m looking forward to the next book in her Society of Beasts series coming in May 2022. A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

A Winter’s Earl by Annabelle Green A Regency Romance What a wonderful story filled with second chances, romance, and the holiday spirit. I was swept into the past and immersed in a story that made me hope for a HEA for more than one in this book! What I liked: * The setting, plot, character development, and beautiful writing * Richard Ashbrook: nobility, banished, abandoned by family, exposed, scarred, lonely, and hurt… * Sherborne Clarke: commoner, alone, wordsmith, gambler, alone, falsely blamed, martyrs himself…mourns the loss of Richard * Arturo: Sicilian valet to Richard, a good man, interesting, would like to see him in a book of his own * Parsley: abandoned female infant, taken in by Sherborne, catalyst to bringing the separated lovers together again * Pauline: housekeeper for Sherborne, capable, has a secret, and deserving * Hermione: wet nurse to Parsley, friend of Pauline, has a secret * The traveling menagerie and their human troop: brought something different to the snowbound people in Sherborne’s castle – the bear, parrot, and monkey were definitely something different * The story of what separated Richard and Sherborne and how it impacted them both – and learning the truth of the matter before the end of the book * That I was invested in the characters and rooting for them to get together again * That the second chance at romance came when both men were mature and wise enough to finally get it right * The conclusion and potential for happiness for more than one in the book. What I didn’t like: * The person that caused the trouble between Richard and Sherborne * The time lost to the two men * Knowing how horrible the laws and penalties for breaking them that existed in the era of this story and how they would have impacted Richard, Sherborne and others like them Did I enjoy this book? Yes Would I read more by this author? Definitely! Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin – Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review. 5 Stars