An Earl Like You

(The Wagers of Sin #2)

Caroline Linden

Hugh Deveraux/Eliza Cross

My Rating:  5/5 Stars

When you gamble at love . . .

When Hugh Deveraux discovers his newly inherited earldom is bankrupt, he sets about rebuilding the family fortune—in the gaming hells of London. But the most daring wager he takes isn’t at cards. A wealthy tradesman makes a tantalizing offer: marry the man’s spinster daughter and Hugh’s debts will be paid and his fortune made. The only catch is that she must never know about their agreement . . .

You risk losing your heart . . .

Heiress Eliza Cross has given up hope of marriage until she meets the impossibly handsome Earl of Hastings, her father’s new business partner. The earl is everything a gentleman should be, and is boldly attentive to her. It doesn’t take long for Eliza to lose her heart and marry him.

But when Eliza discovers that there is more to the man she loves—and to her marriage—her trust is shattered. And it will take all of Hugh’s power to prove that now his words of love are real . . .

An Earl Like You is the second book in author Caroline Linden’s newest series, The Wagers of Sin. This series focuses on three young girls from different backgrounds, who become friends while being students at Mrs. Upton’s Academy for Young Ladies. Each story focuses on one of the three girls and the journey to find their HEA. This story features Eliza Cross.

Eliza Cross is a very wealthy heiress, but to London society, she will never fit in because her father is in trade. She’s shy and quiet and would rather spend time with her dog or in her gardens than at a society ball. Her father longs to see her married, she longs for a love match.

Hugh Deveraux is shocked to find out after his father’s death that the estate is in deep debt. With two sisters without dowry’s and all the estates mortgaged, Hugh is desperate. Then Edward Cross approaches him with a deal to solve all his financial problems…

I loved Hugh and Eliza from the very beginning. Eliza is a sweet girl, warm, generous, honest, but quite shy. It’s been just her and her father since she was three years old when her mother died. Although many will not like her father for what he did, I actually did like him. I didn’t approve of what he did, but I did understand it and knew that it was done out of love for his only daughter. As for Hugh, I really felt bad for his situation. Losing his beloved father, to only find out his father has left the family in deep debt. He is a good man, trying to protect his family and to make things right again. Although he started courting Eliza in the beginning to better his family situation, it was obvious that the more he got to know her the more his feeling started to grow and it truly caught him off guard. Eliza not only won the hearts of Hugh’s family but Hugh himself!

This was such a beautifully written story and a unique twist on the marriage of convenience. Ms. Linden did a fabulous job giving us a story with a wonderful couple, fabulous secondary characters, a cute pup named Willy, and a perfect ending! Loved it!

~ Rose

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An Earl Like You – Caroline Linden:

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