An Unwilling Earl by Sharon Cullen – a Review

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Description:
Jacob Ashland’s life has taken an unexpected turn. He’s now the Earl of Ashland and expected to marry. But he’s done that before and had his heart ripped from his chest. When Charlotte shows up at his door needing protection, he offers to marry her––in name-only.

Charlotte, an orphan, suspects her sinister cousin of terrorizing London. When her maid disappears, she fears for her own life and runs away. Lord Ashland offers marriage, and it’s the perfect solution. But it isn’t long before she finds herself falling for her new husband.

Unfortunately, he won’t allow himself to love anyone ever again. And she knows her dark secret could destroy everything.

Review:

An Unwilling Earl begins with Jacob Ashland having unexpectedly inherited an earldom and he’s not excited about it.  He likes his quiet life as a solicitor and doesn’t want to give that up.  When Lady Morris shows up unexpectedly at his home, she tells him that her ward, Charlotte, is missing and would like him to find her.  He tells her that that’s not what he does, but she is insistent.  Lady Morris leaves in a huff because she is not used to anyone telling her no.  As he’s walking, pondering how his life has changed, he sees a young boy in danger of being trampled by horses and leaps into action to save him.  Once he makes sure the lad is safe, he notices his disheveled appearance and gives him some coins to get a hot meal.  The boy leaves, but for some reason, Jacob can’t shake the encounter.

When Jacob reaches his friend, they discuss not only his new earldom, but also a series of grisly murders happening in town.  The two of them fancy themselves as amateur sleuths.   When the talk turns to his friend’s mother hosting a ball in Jacob’s honor, Jacob is not happy about it.  He leaves telling his friend they will discuss it later.

Charlotte makes her way back to her ‘home’ in the poor part of town shaken to her core at almost being trampled by the horses and intrigued by the man who saved her.  She hopes that he didn’t notice she was a she because she’s hiding from those who would be searching for her.  She tells her roommate about the encounter and knows it would be best to just let it go, but she can’t.  When Charlotte makes the decision to see if she can spot the handsome man again, little does she know how much her life is going to change.

An Unwilling Earl is a nicely written story.  Jacob’s backstory is sad and has held him back and left him grieving and lonely.  Once Charlotte appears at his home, he feels the need to protect her, as he’s guessed that Lady Morris is the reason Charlotte ran away.  He convinces Charlotte to let him help her, but he knows he will have his hands full.  While he and Charlotte become more comfortable with each other, she eventually tells him the real reason she ran away and it doesn’t take him long to know that she’s in a no-win situation when it comes to her family.  The two embark on a mission of sorts to see who is actually responsible for the grisly murders in town and it doesn’t take long for danger to knock on their door.  

An Unwilling Earl is a story of second chances and reckoning.  If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll enjoy the read.  This is the first I’ve ready by Sharon Cullen, but look forward to the next.  Well done, Sharon Cullen!

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Publisher