Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Review: Unmasking the Earl by Elizabeth Keysian

Title: Unmasking the Earl
Author: Elizabeth Keysian
Genre/Age: Historical Romance/Adult
Series: Wayward in Wessex Series (Book
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Format: ebook via NetGalley
Rating: ✺✺✺
LinksGoodreads
SynopsisDevastated by the disappearance of his sister, the Earl of Stranraer has gone to extraordinary lengths to find the notorious rake responsible, and enters his household incognito to wreak his vengeance. But his enemy has an unexpected protector—the innocent but headstrong Miss Cassandra Blythe.

Cassie is determined to learn the art of seduction. But she is blindsided by her body's thrilling response to the wrong man—a mysterious servant who shows up at the most inauspicious moments to spoil her lessons in love with warnings of her imminent ruin. When she learns the handsome servant's identity and the reason for his deception, she resolves to help Stranraer, but only if he abandons his vow to destroy his enemy. 

The earl is sorely tempted to give the meddlesome beauty a lesson in seduction she’ll never forget. But she turns the tables, and he gets his own lesson in forgiveness…and love.

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book.**

When a woman's smart mouth leads to scandalous kisses...

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Ned is undercover. He's left his titled life behind to take up the identity of a servant in hopes of discovering the whereabouts of his missing sister. He suspects his new employer to be the guilty party and Ned will stop at nothing to learn the truth. One thing he isn't prepared for, however, is a lovely young woman to come barreling into the situation, threatening to reveal him and destroy his plan.

Cassie knows there is something different about this servant, despite the strange accent he wields or the common clothing he wears. And when she begins to visit a known rake's home, Ned takes it upon himself to save her from a ruined reputation. But Cassie is determined to ignore the brute's commands and solve the puzzle of the earl-in-servant-clothing.

Unfortunately for the both of them, their bickering turns to stolen kisses and their attraction is hard to ignore. The mystery surrounding Ned's sister is still unsolved but the pair stand a chance of figuring it out if they work together. Miscommunication, untimely interruptions, and a pesky constable add to the adventure.

This book! Ahhhh... I loved it. Okay. Let's start with the characters. Wow. Ned was domineering and pure alpha male in every sense of the word. Even under the guise of a servant, his presence was that of a titled gentleman. I knew from the moment I met him that I could like this guy. He was hot-headed and his jealous bone was downright adorable.

And Cassie was a young woman with guts and a dream to wed another. She was oblivious and naive in many ways, but once she saw the light, I was glad to see that she didn't revert back to ignorance. She matured a lot throughout the story. I wish she had given a certain idiotic gentleman a piece of her mind, but karma seems to have taken care of that.

The plot was rather interesting because it definitely kept me guessing. Even when I thought I had figured it out, there were a few twists thrown in. And the churchyard scene? I gasped at least three times within five minutes. My children thought I was going nuts!

The romance here was full of passion. From the first kiss to the scandalous last scene, I loved every moment of it. This was one of those pairings where the couple tried their best to avoid their lust for each other but couldn't deny it in the end. I love those couplings because they're always intense and exciting. It's not really enemy-to-lovers but definitely nuisance-to-lovers. Great pairing, indeed. 

In closing...
I have to get my hands on the first book in this series and those to come. Five scandalous suns!

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