Not the Kind of Earl You Marry by Kate Pembrooke

It was fun to catch up with characters from book one, make the acquaintance of some new ones, and set the stage for the next book in the series. There's a richly depicted secondary cast surrounding Charles and Serena who add texture, humor, conflict, and support to the main characters without detracting from the central romantic journey. He was a bright ray of sunshine that I missed. I wish we had seen more of him in the latter part of the book. He was an absolute delight whose scenes with Serena, Charles, and Serena's father touched my heart and left me happily smiling. I adored Jem, the young boy who unexpectedly entered their lives and opened both Serena and Charles to new possibilities. Good thing the lady who held his heart was confident, self-assured, and boldly certain of what she wanted. While Charles had strong connections to certain members of society, he was neither titled nor wealthy, a deficit (in his eyes) that he felt strongly eliminated him from Lady Serena's marital consideration. I was intrigued by the cross-class facet of their relationship. Instead, they only deepened the affection and understanding between them. Yes, each had a secret tucked deep into their hearts but, eventually, those were revealed and it was a testament to their respect for one another that those reveals did not precipitate angst or drama. I liked that they were their true, authentic selves with one another. I enjoyed the solid foundation of friendship between Serena and Charles, the ease and open communications they shared. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes, one that Pembrooke used to good effect in this novel.

Not the Kind of Earl You Marry by Kate Pembrooke