An Earl to Remember by Stacy Reid

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Title: An Earl to Remember
Author: Stacy Reid
Series: Unforgettable Love #2
Published by: Entangled: Amara
Release Date: August 22, 2023
Format: eARC
Pages: 266
Genres: Historical Romance
Source: NetGalley
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2023 COYER Chapter 3, Lenoreo's 2023 Diversity Reading Challenge, Lenoreo's 2023 Netgalley and Edelweiss Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks
My rating:

Blurb:

Miss Georgianna Eleanor Heyford may be naught but a gentleman’s daughter, but even she’s heard the rumors about the Earl of Stannis’s exceptional charm and good looks. Surely she can cater his luxurious yacht party without getting swept away. But a terrible misunderstanding leaves Georgianna fired, furious, and with little recompense. Which is precisely when her opportunity for vengeance washes ashore…

Daniel Rutherford, the Earl of Stannis, has absolutely no memory of who he is. They tell him he must have fallen overboard, and the only person he seems to recognize is the lovely Georgianna—who strikes a chord of familiarity…and the faintest memory of heating his blood. Only now this inelegant, poorly dressed woman claims to be his wife !

But the truth is, Georgianna is finally getting her revenge. The dashing earl will work off the money he owes her and no one will be the wiser. Except the longer he stays with her and her younger sisters, the more it feels like he belongs there. And that perhaps he’d find a forever place in Georgianna’s heart…at least, until his memory returns...

My Review:

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

4 stars — This is one of those books that kind of challenged me, b/c honestly?  There were aspects that I was initially NOT a fan of.  And I think I’m still thinking of them.  But at the same time, b/c of those aspects, I think I was surprised at how much I ended up loving the parts I loved.  Vague enough for you?  *snort*

Here’s the thing.  I think I requested this book based purely on author alone.  I’ve really been enjoying Ms. Reid (though I will admit, they’re not guaranteed hits for me).  I reread the blurb after I started, and I feel like I’m glad I didn’t reread it earlier b/c I’m not entirely sure I would have thought it was my thing.  I’m not a revenge/vengeance girl.  And this…isn’t quite that.  I mean, to a degree, but not as salaciously as the blurb makes it sound.  Part of it is trying to get recompense for how she was slighted, but part of it is trying to save her reputation.  And deep down, Georgie is a kind-hearted person, so she waffles a lot about what’s she doing.  So it’s not a MWAHAHA situation so much as a balance of fiery indignation with concern with fear with…just lots of feelings.

I actually really enjoyed Georgie.  She was really quite complicated, especially for a woman of her times…times that were on the verge of changing.  She had dreams and passions that were only barely acceptable for a woman of her station.  She had huge responsibility for her family, whom she truly loved and cared for so much.  And she was doing her best trying to balance all that.  Even her occasional recklessness with her reputation (ie her desires for physical intimacy) were something that puts her in the sex positive column for a modern woman, but were scandalous for that time.  I know that probably bothers historical romance reading purists, but I appreciated the reality of it.  I loved that deep down she was a caring person, but someone who was pushing those boundaries in trying to right some wrongs done to her.  She was flawed, but she was fiery and funny and lovely.

And if Georgie was complicated, Daniel was complicated to the point of almost confounding.  I was NOT a fan of Daniel in the beginning.  I know men like him existed, and were probably the norm of that time, but it’s not someone you expect for your romance hero, you know?  Oh sure, readers say they want rakes, but then they balk at the reality of a rake.  And you do get to see him being a full rake at the beginning — cold, arrogant, ruthless, and 100% in for some debauchery.  If you have zero tolerance for that, steer clear.  But here’s the thing — somehow Ms. Reid made his journey interesting.  I think what I reluctantly admired about his journey is that it wasn’t easy and fairytale-ish, where he just has amnesia, learns the love of a good woman, regains his memories, and poof is a different person.  That may be what I wanted initially, but I think I would have been annoyed at the lack of realism in that transformation.  Instead we got someone who struggled with it, who still felt elements of his natural personality, but because of being thrown into a made up situation that he believed to be true, he was able to explore other facets of himself.  And then he remembers, and he kind of initially goes back to who he feels he truly is.  And yes, I was disappointed in some of his choices.  But I also saw that they became more complicated as he was supposedly getting his revenge.  And part of me wanted him to change sooner, but part of me appreciated that it took him time to wrap his head around how he had changed and grown, and how to make that fit into his *real* life.  I guess, in the end, it made it more believable.

Since their relationship was so bizarre, filled with lies and all that, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about them together.  Sometimes I wasn’t a fan of Daniel pushing, but in the end he did respect her boundaries (mostly).  I never felt uncomfortable.  And there were so many sweet and beautiful moments that made me smile.  Not to mention the steamy connection was palpable.

I think where the story really shined was the dynamic of Georgie with her sisters, and how that affected Daniel as well.  I truly loved it.

So yeah.  It was 100% different than I was expecting, but I think I was surprised how much I enjoyed it given how reticent I was about Daniel at the beginning.  I guess for other readers it depends if you’re looking for pure fairytale, or if realism is something you can appreciate…even if it makes you uncomfortable at times.