HOW TO ENGAGE AN EARL

Author: Kathryn Caskie ISBN: 0061124842 7/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: London, 1815

All of London is abuzz with stories of the beautiful Royle sisters. Could these slightly scandalous triplets truly be the "secret" daughters of the highest prince in the land? One of them has already done very well for herself by marrying a duke. Now Anne Royle is about to take center stage as she discovers ... HOW TO ENGAGE AN EARL The last thing the Earl of MacLaren wants is a wife, so when he awakens to discover a fair-haired enchantress at the foot of his bed, he behaves as any man might by taking full advantage of the delicious situation. Then his family bursts in, and the chit brazenly announces that she is his betrothed. So he finds himself well on his way to being legshackled for life! Beautiful, reserved Anne Royle had never done anything so mad in her life. She entered the earl's bedchamber with no intention of seduction. Rather, she hoped to discover a document that could contain the truth about her heritage. But now her world is turned upside down, and while she trembles at the thought of her wedding night, she finds she longs for it in ways she never thought possible.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

HOW TO ENGAGE AN EARL by Kathryn Caskie is enchanting. Filled with vivid imagery, engaging characters and a plot that is so much more than the boy-meet-girl-at-party scenario one often finds when reading of the ton, that it has to be read to be believed. A clever tale, HOW TO ENGAGE AN EARL is a pleasure to read. The second book in a series, it is so well written that it didn't matter at all that I haven't read the first book.

When Anne Royle slips into the Earl of MacLaren's bedchamber during a party, she has no romantic thoughts on her mind. At least, none involving the Earl! A triplet, she is intent on searching for something that will prove her and her sister's lineage, something she has been told has been hidden in the Earl's bedchamber. But unbeknownst to Anne, the man himself is in the room, and when he confronts her in the darkness she does what any normal woman would do—she screams. Lady MacLaren, the Earl's mother, as well as most of London society, descend upon them and find Anne in the Earl's arms. So then, what to do? Especially since Anne's honor is in question.

The question is solved when the Earl's best friend announces the couple are betrothed. Amidst the flurry of a fake engagement and the ensuing social obligations, Laird MacLaren and Anne Royle get to know each other as they work to solve the mystery that first brought them together.

HOW TO ENGAGE AN EARL is highly entertaining and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Kay James