One Good Earl Deserves a Lover ~ Review

Rule of Scoundrels #2

Back Blurb :

Lady Phillipa Marbury is odd. The bespectacled, brilliant daughter of a Marquess cares more for books than balls, flora than fashion and science than the season. About to become engaged to Lord Castleton., before she marries she wants to explore the scandalous parts of London she has never seen. And she knows just who to ask: the tall, charming, quick-witted bookkeeper of the Fallen Angel. London’s most notorious and coveted gaming hell, known only as Cross.

Pippa’s done her research and Cross’s reputation makes him perfect for her scheme. She wants science without emotion – the experience of ruination without the repercussions. Who better to provide her with the experience than this legendary man? And when this unusual female propositions Cross, it’s more than tempting. . .and it will take everything he has to resist following his instincts – and giving the lady precisely what she wants.

My View :

Lady Phillipa Marbury wants to know what happens during the wedding night, she wants to know all the details and most of all she want’s to know how to tempt her fiance, but to tempt her fiance she has to actually know what temptation and desire is and that is where the legendary Cross comes in. He alone can show her what her heart really desires. It is an interesting concept especially with the opening of Phillipa turning up at the Fallen Angel gaming hell, and waking Cross up in his office and propositioning him. Cross wants nothing to do with the serious and irritating Pippa but he can’t seem to brush her off, even whilst he is trying to get revenge on his long-term enemy, Pippa keeps popping up she is either meddling in his affairs or getting into scrapes of her own. Can this woman never behave?

The description of Phillipa is everything that I do like in a heroine strong-willed, intelligent, independent and free-thinking there is nothing more off-putting than having the female of the story constantly wilting and being a damsel. So from the back blurb, I was interested in seeing what happened with the slightly odd Phillipa and handsome Cross. unfortunately, I didn’t really take to Phillipa, as I have done with other characters before, she is obviously intelligent and free-thinking but I thought she came across as a bit of know, I found her constant correcting of people especially Cross very irritating and quite manipulative, everything has to go her way or not at all and personally I wouldn’t have put her as a central character, the only saving grace for Phillipa is the effect she has on serious, broody Cross.

“I would have found a way to get to you.”
“I am to believe that?”
“Yes.” He sounded so certain, as though nothing would stop him.
“Why?”
“Because it is true.” The words were ever so quiet in the small, enclosed space, and Pippa realized two things at that moment. First, that they had both leaned in, across the great slab of ebony – an emblem of power as strong as Charlemagne’s army – until they were mere inches apart.
And the second, that she believed him.
He would have come for her.

Whereas Cross or Jasper, Lord Harlow is the best thing about One Good Ear deserves A Lover, I just adore him, now he is everything that I love in a hero, he is in his own way a broken man from what happened to him. He has so many deeply hidden emotions, he is highly protective of everyone around him whether that be his sister or a prostitute working at the club and I just love the chemistry between him and the other founders of the club especially the large rock of a man, Temple (Book 3) who is such a great character.

“You wouldn’t have married him,” he said, rocked by gratitude to whatever higher power brought her to him. He kept her from marrying the wrong man.
“I told once that I do not care for dishonesty,” she said, ” And there is nothing more dishonest, I find than pledging to love one man when I have given my heart entirely to another.”
She loved him. . .

I have a real soft spot for this series, the whole series revolves around a gaming hell; The Fallen Angel where the founders have as they call it “Fallen from Grace” and they have managed to pull themselves from where they landed in the gutter and make something of themselves, true they did via a casino but this bunch are just the most resilient character’s that I have come across in a long time, Bourne. Cross. Temple and Chase are the most secretive, evasive, determined and complex foursome ever and they are a pure joy to get to know as the series goes along.

He broke the kiss before it consumed them both and pulled away, cupping her face in his hands. “I love you.” she sucked in a breath at the words, and she ran his thumb gently across the wicked bruise that encircled one of her enormous blue eyes.”My God,” he whispered, consumed by emotion before he repeated. “I love you so much.”
She shook her head, tears welling ” You never said it.”
“I’m an idiot.”
“You are rather.”
He gave a little laugh and kissed her again, softly, lingering on her lips, wishing they were anywhere but here, in about the most public place in Mayfair. . .

I did find this one, the second book in the series a little lacking, I can’t seem to put it into words but I couldn’t connect with this one as I did the previous A Rogue By Any Other Name, for me the thing that lets it down is Pippa, Cross is just amazing the story is equally as engaging and interesting as we would come to expect from Sarah Maclean, some really, really lovely scenes mainly revolve around Cross but this book in its entirety didn’t do it for me.
It’s a shame after the brilliance of A Rogue By Any Other Name, where we first meet the fragile, unrelenting and cold foursome, this in my view is the weak link in the chain, but it’s not going to put me off finishing the series as the next one is Temple who I have to say I am rather drawn to.

Ok, but still a bit of a letdown.

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