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    The Earl's Defiant Wallflower: Dukes of War, #2
    The Earl's Defiant Wallflower: Dukes of War, #2
    The Earl's Defiant Wallflower: Dukes of War, #2
    Ebook189 pages2 hours

    The Earl's Defiant Wallflower: Dukes of War, #2

    By Erica Ridley

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    About this ebook

    A rags-to-riches, forbidden love, opposites attract romance from a New York Times bestselling author:

     

    Oliver York returns from war to find his father dead, his finances in arrears, and himself the new Earl of Carlisle. If he doesn't marry an heiress—and fast!—he and his tenants are going to be pitching tents down by the Thames. He definitely shouldn't be trading kisses with a penniless debutante... no matter how captivating she is!

     

    Miss Grace Halton is in England just long enough to satisfy the terms of her dowry. But a marriage of convenience isn't as easy as she'd hoped. Back in America, her ailing mother needs medicine only Grace's dowry can afford. Which means the dashing earl she can't get out of her mind is the one man she can't let into her heart.

     

    The fan-favorite Dukes of War series features roguish peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherErica Ridley
    Release dateDec 1, 2014
    ISBN9781939713278
    The Earl's Defiant Wallflower: Dukes of War, #2
    Author

    Erica Ridley

    Erica Ridley is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of witty, feel-good historical romance novels. When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

    Read more from Erica Ridley

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    Reviews for The Earl's Defiant Wallflower

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      I did enjoy the writing and the characters, but the ending felt as though the author wrote herself into a corner with all the problems and then just decided to declare them fixed.
    • 4/5
      This book was fairly easy to get into. The characters personalities seem to draw you in and it's definitely fun to read and let's you continue reading with ease. However I felt that the ending just randomly comes together. It almost feels like everything is just rushed nearing the end. A happy ending was simply thrown into the mix to make it all worth the while.The book its self was well written and definitely interesting. The characters were likeable. I loved how they interact from the very beginning, you could feel the chemistry between them.
    • 4/5
      The Earl's Defiant Wallflower by Erica RidleyHave read other works by this author and have enjoyed the reads.This one starts out in 1816 London and we find Lord Carlisle, Oliver York and he's glad to be back home, in charge of the family estate.His father is dead by an allergic reaction to seafood from his new mistress. He needs to have a wife and very soon...Story also follows Grace Halton and she's in charge of her mothers health and they travel to London and she needs to save her home.She needs to find a rich husband as Oliver asks her for a dance....Loved learning new words and finding out what they mean that are no longer used in today's world.They confide in one another, he learning about her money woes and her learning of his estate woes. He may have a scheme that will help his best friends pregnant girlfriend that will solve all their money woes.Oliver offers Grace his address so she can correspond with her mother without her grandparents burning them...Lots of action, scheming and how can things turn out good?Next book in the series is excerpted at the end. Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.Author bio at the end.Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.
    • 4/5
      Oliver, the new Earl of Carlisle needs a *very* rich bride to pull the estate his profligate father left him out of debt. Grace Halton needs a rich husband to get medical attention for her mother, attention her grandparents doubt. Grace's mother ran away from home and moved to the Americas, leaving grandmother bitter and angry. But when Grace and Oliver meet, a gauche American woman infiltrating the ton, they each decide they have nothing to lose in sharing confidences with the other - which leads to two impoverished and desperate marriage seekers falling in love with each other, the two least acceptable matches to accomplish their goals.

      The characterizations were sharp and witty, and Ms. Ridley's ability to spin a good story remains strong and true. I've read her gothic novels and enjoyed them as well - this one is more light-hearted and does not disappoint. I do have to say the sex probably wasn't warranted in this book. That they had the tension going all through the book was enough for me that I didn't need to sit in the marriage suite to watch the resolution to that. This might have been better done "door closed."
    • 4/5
      An enjoyable read with fun characters! I would have liked a bit more depth at times, such as with Xavier's character, but I am definitely curious enough to want to read the sequel.
    • 4/5
      I got this book through a LibraryThing giveaway sometime last year and have only just gotten around to reading it. I enjoyed it, and appreciated the relatively short length (easy to read in one night without losing too much sleep), but I did feel like it was a longer novel with parts missing, with many side characters and situations that needed more development, though I guess that's what the series is for.

      My other major quibble was with the full chapter of backstory musing and reminiscence at the very beginning. I felt like I should be sending the author a beta-reader note on that.

      I'd rate this around a 3.5, so I'll round up because it's sunny out today.
    • 4/5
      I received this book in exchange for an honest review. The story line was pretty good and you couldn't help but feel for the characters with the grandparents who wont introduce her properly into society to the father that leaves the sone in shambles without a cent. Their journey together leads to love in all the right places in the nick of time.
    • 5/5
      This was very entertaining story of a young American beauty, Miss Grace Halton, who has come to England to find herself a wealth husband, it would be a marriage of convenience as she needs to return to America with her dowry to buy medicine for her ailing mother. But because she's not an English rose....and that awful accent....things aren't looking to good. Until she meets the Earl of Carlisle. Mmm! things maybe looking up.Oliver York returns from the war to find he is the new Earl of Carlisle after the untimely death of is father. To make things even worse, the finances are in a mess and he needs to marry an heiress fast. The penniless beauty he met at the ball is all well and good for a dance but he really should not have been trading kisses with her.Grace was a very loyal to her mom, and worried about her all the time. She had one goal and that was to be able to afford to purchase medication for her so she could be well again. She was also very human and couldn't turn away from a pretty face, but was very strong when the ton turned their nose up at her. I liked her. Oliver had a shock when he returned from the war and two fold when he took his seat. Things had to change and he didn't mess around and lick his wounds, there was work to be done and he knew he could do it some how. I liked how he took Grace under his wing even though he didn't have a lot to offer her.I loved this story, the characters were very likeable, if love romance at it's best I recommend you read this book.
    • 5/5
      The best thing I've read since Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series. Grace is an American looking for a rich, titled husband. She needs the money to bring her sick mother home to England. She is attracted to Oliver, the Duke of Carlisle. The only problem is his finances are in complete disarray and he is looking for a rich heiress to pull him out of bankruptcy.This is such a sweet, romantic story. Grace and Oliver are just adorable. There is a fairy tale quality about how they meet and fall in love. The ballroom scene in Chapter 6 was just magical. I loved how they talked about marriage during a dance, in between partners and suffering through mundane chitchat about the weather. By the end of the dance it is obvious they are in love but can't act on it. The supporting characters were comical and I'm looking forward to reading their stories in the rest of the series. It all resolved a little too easily and quickly. There was so much more scope for drama and comedy with the pair. I would have liked to see Oliver deal with a rival for Grace or someone rich and slimy who was trying to win the bet with her.I got to the end of the story too fast! I'd have loved a few more chapters in the middle of the book. I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to Oliver and Grace. Sigh.
    • 5/5
      Having grown up on Georgette Heyer books I was thrilled to find an author I like as much as or more than the books I remember of this genre from my past reading adventures. I will gladly read more books in this genre by Erica Ridley! Both Oliver and Grace are wonderfully developed in the story. Grace is flirtatious, smart and on a mission to find a wealthy husband to help solve her problems. Oliver is new to his earldom and thinks things are fine only to find out he might need to marry for money, too. How the two overcome the money obstacle is very interesting. Settings, clothing and characters are well developed and the writing excellent. If you enjoy regency romances Erica Ridley is an author of the genre I will thoroughly promote as one to be read.
    • 4/5
      Grace was looking for a husband so she could access her dowry to help her sick mother, and Oliver needed to marry an heiress to help save his earldom. I thought Grace and Oliver had lots of chemistry and I enjoyed the romance and the story a great deal. Was a sweet, quick happy read.
    • 3/5
      I received an electronic copy of this book in return for a review.I admit, I fell in love with the characters here. The plot resolved far too tamely for my taste, with open ends left everywhere, presumably for the rest of the series. But the characters! The heroine is an American, out-of-place in Regency England, looking for a rich husband so that she can fetch her mother from America and make her well again. The hero is a recently impoverished, recent Earl veteran who needs an heiress. Unfortunately, they're both attracted to each other.That much of the plot worked fine for me, and as I said, the characters sold it. But rather than developing from there, it resolved itself all too neatly. It was a shame. It's a good read, but it could have been a great one.
    • 3/5
      The relationship between the romantic leads was charming but the ending felt a bit forced.
      Grandmother Mayer is horrible. So the fact that she's completely won over by the ending just seems unbelievable.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this historical romance with a touch of humor. I voluntarily chose to review this and I've given it a 4.5* rating. This is not for the under 18 readers. I really adored the hero who tried not to helplessly fall in love with the heroine. Sometimes when you try to do the right thing, things will work out, just maybe not the way you thought. Anyway, it has a happy ending.
    • 3/5
      This is the first full novel in the Dukes of War series and had more of a story to it than the prequel basically because there was more time to lay out the plot line. However, unlike the Viscount’s Christmas Temptation I did not feel connected either with Grace or the Earl. I found Grace a bit whiny too and preoccupied (if we were told about her mother we were told about her 100 times). The male lead was also preoccupied but rather than a sentimental issue his was rather more serious.Once again this is a light read so do not expect things to be too historically accurate for example Grace’s whole attitude and demeanour was a little too modern for my liking. The story is often halted for lengthy descriptions of the setting and the frequent descriptions of Grace and her fragrant smell, luscious lips and enticing eyes, possibly to make up for the lack of substance in the story. The relationship had various issues which were neither adequately explored nor adequately explained. There was little or no romantic build up, or character development, and then the whole situation was resolved much too quickly for my liking. Unfortunately, the author missed an ideal opportunity to create great deal of tension and drama between this couple. In short, this book felt rushed and was all a bit too obvious.One other failing is that we do not really get to know any of the other minor characters who are likely to be subject to the subsequent novels. There were some moments of hilarity where they were concerned but not enough to keep the reader vested in all the characters major and minor to ensure the reader continues with the series. In short this was a lackadasical effort. In short another light read that kept me entertained to the end. However, I hope that the second novel is more developed, less rushed and less obvious than this one. Full Disclosure: ARC received from Netgalley for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      'Ballroom Waterloo...it was as much a hell as the battlefield he'd escaped.' Oliver York, the now Earl of Carlisle, inherits a title that has nothing more to recommend it than that it is. His dissolute father has driven the estate into the ground. The only way to keep a roof over his and his dependant's heads is to marry an heiress.He and his friends have returned from Napoleonic war. For some the damage is obvious, for others not.Oliver and his gallant friends, more battle scarred than any thing else are quite a menagerie. There is Captain Xavier Grey who has retreated into a listless amnesia or possibly we would say post traumatic stress disorder. He appears unable or doesn't want to communicate, but his friends take him around to the various ton happenings, invariably ensconcing him in the library. This of course feeds into the plot. Then there's the Yankee, Miss Grace Halton who desperately needs to marry, preferably someone wealthy, so that she can collect her small dowry and bring her ailing mother to England. Grace's wicked grandmother attempts to foil all correspondence between Grace and her mother. Indeed Grace is so closely guarded on the one hand and yet left to run the gauntlet of ton parties on the other that the disconnect is surreally outrageous. Basically Grace is thrown into the battleground of balls and parties with no protection. She's sniped at, given the cut, disdained by the young ladies and leered at by the dissolute roué's of the ton. How is she going to marry successfully and rescue her mother without the desired entree of family and breeding?Of course despite the fact that neither are suitable for each other, Grace and Oliver and we are aware of the electricity between them but their relationship is one that can never be.An easy fun read.A NetGalley ARC

    Book preview

    The Earl's Defiant Wallflower - Erica Ridley

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