Book Review: What An Earl Wants

Author Kasey Michaels
Title: What An Earl Wants
Publisher: HQN
Publish Date: Nov 20, 2012
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley 
Book Blurb: Gideon Redgrave, eldest child of the late Earl of Saltwood, refuses to be humbled by the scandal that once tore his family apart. He's built his life in London society around one rule: trust no one. So the last thing he wants is to play guardian and role model to a headstrong boy…or to engage in a battle of wills with the boy's spirited half sister, who is fighting Gideon for custody.

Beautiful and bold, young widow Jessica Linden proves to be a formidable and passionate adversary. But the more they lock horns, the more Gideon realizes he'd prefer to have Jessica on his side…and in his arms. Especially now that a new threat—sprung from his father's supposedly defunct secret society—is poised to destroy the Redgraves once and for all.

Review: Kasey Michaels' opens her series with the Redgraves with a real winner. This is one of the few regency romances that I've read that didn't leave me frustrated with one or more of the characters. Jessica is a smart no nonsense heroine, who believe it or not doesn't do anything stupid that jeopardizes her life in the whole book!

Wow!

I thought that was a requirement of regency romance. All heroines must be kidnapped or nearly killed by a dastardly villain in the last 40 pages.

And there's a real intrigue in this story. Gideon's grandfather had started a hellfire club, that his son continued. The point of the club involves all sorts of naughty things as well as a plot to remove the monarchy!

Jessica and Gideon uncover all of this as a result of her wanting to gain custody of her half-brother Adam, who is really a halfwit!

Somehow the custody battle between the two takes a back burner to the intrigue, and Jess and Giddy's relationship blossoms. Even though these two find it hard to say, I love you, their relationship grows, and wonder of wonders, there's really no conflict between the two.

How did that happen?

The story really involves the two of them sleuthing out the deaths of some of the Society members including her father and step mother. The intrigue definitely keeps the pages turning, mostly because of Trixie, Gideon's grandmother.

OMG, she is the best character ever.

It isn't often you have a 70 year old lady send a note around to her grandson, because she was sleeping with a man, and he happened to expire during the act!

Yes!

So funny!

I have to say, I loved all the Redgraves, and though I am heartily sick of every historical romance being part of some series or another, this is one I will definitely follow, especially if the next book is as good as this one!

My only gripe is the ending. It lacked a little resolution. I would have liked something to have been resolved at the end of this book except for the fact the Society wasn't going to go after her brother.

Rating: 4 flowers