"One Night with an Earl" by Jennifer Haymore

Title: One Night with an Earl

Author: Jennifer Haymore

Series: House of Trent, #2.5

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

Imprint: Forever Yours

Publication date: April 1st, 2014

My rating: 4 of 5

(Novella read on April 16th, 2014,  from a review copy received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.)  

Summary:

Beatrice Reece, Lady Fenwick, has retired from polite society. Everyone knows her late husband treated her abominably, and she simply cannot bear the whispers of the ton. But it's the night of London's premier masquerade ball — and Beatrice's one chance to revel in anonymity. She hopes no one will recognize her beneath her mask, not even the sinfully sexy stranger across the room who holds her captive in his gaze.

Andrew Sinclair would know beautiful Beatrice anywhere from the gentle sway of her hips, the richness of her hair and the lushness of her body. When he asks her to dance, the attraction is instant and all-consuming. The only woman he's ever truly wanted is finally in his arms. But when the clock strikes twelve, will this one reckless night fade into the morning light?

My Thoughts on the Novella:

One Night with an Earl is the 3rd story by Lady Esme - a character in the House of Trent series. Just like with her previous one His for Christmas, once again she delivered a lovely & romantic story about second chances.

In One Night with an Earl, we meet Beatrice - a young widow that had been abused by her late husband. She doesn't socialize in the ton anymore, but decided to make an exception for a masquerade ball, because she thinks that no one will recognize her.

But, at the ball (against his will), comes Drew. He was in love with Beatrice when she first came out (and apparently she had a crush on him, too), and they were becoming friends, but before he got the courage to propose, she got engaged to another (her father got her engaged to another, she had no say in the matter). So, the moment he saw her at the ball, he recognized her right away & decided that now is his second chance. He doesn't let her know who he is (in case she remembers him), or that he knows who she is, but the connection & chemistry between them is instantaneous, and their flirtation & banter is quite delightful.

I also loved how the author in such a short read & short time managed for the characters to get to know each other, and to develop them as characters quite well. Beatrice has been through so much, and her parents are awful, but she's strong & decides to fight for what she wants. As for Drew, he's not your usual hero for that time period, but he's really interesting character, and I would probably swoon over him in Beatrice's shoes, too. He's actually quite amazing.

Their chemistry was sizzling, the story was romantic, and the ending was great, too. I still haven't read any of the full-length House of Trent books, but I'm really looking forward to them now. If you're a fan of historical romances, I recommend One Night with an Earl.

 

 

 

Challenges:

 

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge