Review: Attracted to the Earl (Imperfect Lords #3) by Bronwen Evans

Print Length: 240 pages

Publisher: Loveswept (May 28, 2019)

From Goodreads.com: What’s an earl to do?

The Earl of Argyle has died suddenly, leaving his brother Guy Neville at a complete loss. The dull-witted second son, as his father used to call him, Guy is now responsible for the estate and his brother’s seat in the House of Lords. Shamed by an inability to read or write, his distress is multiplied by an inquiry from a dyed-in-the-wool bluestocking who wishes to use the Argyle library and study a rare plant on the estate. Guy’s first instinct is to decline her request—until he catches a glimpse of Miss Abigail Pinehurst.

How’s a girl to behave?
Abigail cares for only one thing: plants. She is unconcerned about how she looks, what she wears, or the impression she makes on men. An orphan who turned to books for solace in a miserly, cruel institution, she now makes her living illustrating the greenery she adores. Lord Argyle, in fact, with his uncanny memory and chiseled features, is the first man to capture her attention—a ridiculous distraction since he is so far above her station. But her unreasonable heart has a mind of its own.

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My Rating: 2 stars out of 5

The premise of this story seemed intriguing, and having enjoyed the first two books immensely, I was excited for this one. However, everything about this one unfortunately fell flat for me. 

To begin with, I would not call this a love at first sight novel. This a definitely a lust at first sight novel. Even though she shows up soaking wet, (it is specifically mentioned that she looked like a drowned rat), Guy is immediately aroused by the sight of her. He is also, rightfully mistrustful considering the situation with his cousin. 

However, even the secrets between them are not enough to keep them from bedding each other. Even when Guy takes a nasty tumble they can't keep their hands off each other (to the point where I began to feel that their lust for one another overshadowed every other part of the book). It is a bad sign when the budding relationship between Kit and Abigail's sister Dora, was more interesting than the main one. 

And then there was the ending. In which everything was quickly and a little too neatly tied up with a bow and hand delivered. Even with one source of conflict being resolved, I found it too hard to believe that everyone was so willing to overlook the vast difference in their social standings. And not only willing to overlook it, but willing to risk their own good names and reputations to lie about her past. It was just too much, and it didn't work for me at all.

Even with that, I do believe this story will still be well received by those who enjoy this author as well as those who enjoy stories where things are not always as they appear to be.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                 Attracted to the Earl is available from Amazon.com