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Wednesday, July 5, 2023

HISTORICAL ROMANCE: The Earl's Hideaway, No Ladies Allowed by Esther Hatch



REVIEW

In this second volume of the A Romance of Rank series, readers find Lord Riverton confronted by a conundrum. With a number of sisters, Samson feels overwhelmed by all their demands, especially Dru, who seems to be taking her resentment of men in general out on him. After being embarrassed in front of his love interest, Samson leaves his home in search of a refuge. He ends up at a cottage taking care of a very special flower named Fernadale. When the cottage owner's niece shows up to expecting to take care of Fernadale, Samson finds himself facing the woman he's loved for years, Catherine Wallace. A former friend, now governess because of the scandalous fall of her family, Samson and Catherine decide that as long as nobody knows that they are living in the same house unmarried, it's okay, especially since Samson is using a fake name. As they work to take care of the house and the flower, their feelings for each other grow stronger. The arrival of Catherine's sisters leaves Samson once again surrounded by females that he can't help but accommodate. But believing that Samson rejected the opportunity to marry her, Catherine refuses to give in to her feelings. Additional misunderstandings and an unfortunate series of events at the ball celebrating the engagement of one of Samson's sisters leave the two in misery. But Samson is determined not to lose Catherine again.

I thoroughly enjoyed Samson and Catherine's romance. Catherine's feistiness and Samson's easy going nature made for some amusing encounters, especially because of the fact that they grew up together and saw each other in many kinds of situations. But they've both changed a bit in the four years apart and so they still manage to surprise each other. One of the things I found most enjoyable was Catherine's frustration with Samson's tendency to put himself last. Samson is the very opposite of the puffed up, arrogant Earl, as he loves to make his family happy, and often takes care of his own needs without help from servants. It was impossible not to love Samson.  And the interactions between Catherine and Samson were often amusing as well. I had to laugh out loud when the proposal finally occurred and Samson offered to get Catherine a hippo in order to get her to marry him. As Catherine says, "Who mentions a hippopotamus when declaring love?"  

Overall, I found the story well-written and delightful to read.  If you enjoy clean, historical romance with a large dose of humor, I highly recommend this one.

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