This one was hard to get into, mainly because Con's "icy demeanor" really just hides a childish nature that is attempting to run away from everything. Usually, when you are inside a character's head, you sympathize with them, no matter how horrible they are. They have their own reasons for things, and, even if you disagree, you can see where they are coming from. With Con, I basically just wanted to smack him a bit, get him to wake up from his self-indulgent avoidance.



That said, the writing is lovely, and I did enjoy the overall story. I'd definitely recommend this author, though maybe not this particular story. It just didn't quite work for me.

I tried to like this book but it did not flow well for me.
This was a DNF

<b>"'Still thinking too much.' Bryn kissed him, long and deep. 'Or perhaps I'm just losing my touch," he murmured against Con's lips.'"</b>

This novel had its ups and downs. Its ups made me excited and its downs had me annoyed and ready to throw the book at the all. Except for the fact that it was an ebook and it would have hurt my precious laptop.
Conway, a super rich man, returns to his family home after his father's death to deal with all the money issues as well as his workers, where he meets Bryn, a man he used to be in a relationship with. His father had wormed his way between the two which make them hate each other, but there's still that underlying romance.

<b>"All that remained were the ghosts of his memories."</b>

The characters were done quite well, but their backstories were very, very weak. First, we have Conway, who rants and is angry for most of the book, even after he has been proven wrong. He's super angry about the lies his father told and that's... it. There's nothing more to his backstory than his father's lies and that he's still secretly in love with Bryn. He's very ignorant to the ways of the world, like he doesn't understand the concept that other people need money too and that they're not all automatically rich like he is. He then goes on to refer to himself as the "ice prince" several times, although no one else seems to view him this way - they just see him as an arrogant brat who does what he wants when he wants. It's pretty awkward to constantly give yourself a nickname that no one else uses to try and make yourself seem cold and aloof.
Bryn, however, was a really nice guy. He's now the stable master and can work with the animals very well. The fact that he knits his own clothes and such is really cute! I feel like Bryn had so much more depth and was a more interesting character throughout the entire novel. But once again, backstory wise, it's very weak. He was just paid less after the father caught him with his son.

<b>"He held out his hand, letting the horse sniff him first, before he stepped to his shoulder and gave him a few firm pats."</b>

World. I enjoyed the land that Conway owned, with its lakes and horses. SO MUCH MORE COULD HAVE BEEN DONE WITH THIS. Where were the moments that would have sent a reader's heart aflutter? They could have gone horse riding together and rekindled their friendship. They could have gone on a nature hike and seen beautiful things that would have set the perfect moment for a kiss. Instead, it's just Conway stomping around the world, glaring at every great thing he owns.

As for the horses, I did mention this when I was reading, but I was so excited to read an author who knew how to deal with horses. I am so sick to death of authors who say stuff like, "The horse trotted up to me and rubbed his nose on me," or "I reached out and touched the horse's velvet soft muzzle and the horse seemed happy." They never know how to deal with horses and it annoys me so much. Schwab, however, has either lovingly done her research on how to deal with horses or has worked with them before. I have never been happier than to finally read a novel where everything seems well-known to the author.

<b> "Here, too, the trees were encrusted in white, and frost made the grass glitter. Even without the fog, it wouldn't have been possible to see the house from here. No, like a malevolent spider it nestled in a shallow valley in the middle of these landscaped grounds."</b>

The way Schwab describes things is an instant hit for me. She can go into such easy yet brilliant detail that makes me wish I was there, breathing in the cold English air, or skating on such a natural skating rink. That's why I was slightly frustrated that the landscape wasn't used more in the story, to keep the plot going or to emphasise moments that could have made the story more vibrant and rich. Instead, we missed those moments in favour of Conway stomping about and treating other people poorly. How Bryn could be attracted to him, I'll never know.

Altogether, I did enjoy this story. It was a light, easy read, and I would happily recommend it to others who are looking for something to read in between heavier novels. It was just a shame to see such rich environment go to waste in this novel, but I hope to see further things from this author!

I had a lot of trouble getting into this one. It was mainly because I didn't like the MC. I didn't care for the way he spoke to people or how he treated them nor did I like that he was constantly throwing little tantrums. I found him to be obnoxious and childish.
Most of the book we spend our time in Con's constant monologue of how angry he is. He's angry most of the book. He is desperate to prove that his ex-lover was paid off by his father and then spends another good part of the book being angry and guilty over the fact his father betrayed him and his ex love.
What redeemed this book for me was Bryn and Ross. I liked both of these men but they weren't enough to save this book for me. Especially since we never got either's POV. I think if the author gave us some relief from Con's constant woe is me monologue and gave us a POV from Bryn, who was kind and happy, it wouldn't have been such a depressing read.
What else could have helped the book was giving the men more time together. It was another one of those books were the couple hardly see each other during the book and when they finally get together the book is over. It needed more romance because when the couple was together they were really sweet.
So in the end I didn't love it, but it wasn't all bad either.
If your a fan of historical romance I would say give it a go.

Happy reading dolls! xx

Liked the start and enjoyed the ending. BUT WHERE WAS THE MIDDLE?

The Return of the Earl opens in the PoV of a man reflecting on a lost love. Looking out a window from their long ago hideaway, he fondly remembers his lover and the afternoons and evenings they spent making love. The unnamed lover has been gone for years, but he's finally returning home. As the scene closes, he questions just what awaits when his lover finally reappears.

Viscount Conway, the 7th Earl of Stansbury ("Con") has been away from home for more than a decade. Banished from Harrowcot Hall by his father, he's spend the last thirteen years on the Continent and earned the moniker, "The Ice Prince," for his icy personality and cold heart. When The Return of the Earl opens, his father is dead and he's accompanying his steward to tour the estate. He hopes to sell or destroy anything not entailed, and be gone as soon as possible.

Approaching the estate, Con is assailed by awful memories of his father and life at Harrowcot, but also memories of Bryn Ellison, the son of the stable master who was his former best friend and lover, and the man who betrayed him after he was banished from the estate. Despite his best efforts to forget him, and disdain for Bryn's behavior after Con left, he can't control his curiosity about him.

In short order Con discovers Bryn has taken over for his father and is now the stable master at Harrowcot Hall. And, much like when he was younger, Con can't resist him (neither can we!). Con spends the next weeks snowed in at Harrowcot, alternately hating his ancestral home, surprised by his warm and loving staff, and lamenting his inability to steer clear of Bryn. He only believes the worst of Bryn because of information given to him by his father and it's super frustrating through the first half of the book listening to his constant internal resentment of the man.

If you have ever read a romance novel, you already know what Con is so slow to discover - the old Earl lied to separate Con from his lover. Duh. When Con finally realizes the truth, he spends another TOO LONG portion of the book feeling guilty for so quickly assuming the worst of Bryn. But Bryn (and this reader) finally have enough of all of this self-indulgent martyrdom and he finally FINALLY pins him down in the place they once used to hideaway.

Tough love, apologies and tenderness follow...and then Con and Bryn are a couple - in every sense of the word - again. They share stolen kisses, touches and make love following Con's apology and the book concludes with them living happily ever after... and with Ms. Schwab glossing over a few GLARING problems in a regency historical -

1. They're conducting a homosexual affair! An offense punishable by death.
2. They make barely any effort to conceal this affair!
3. Setting aside the fact that it's a homosexual relationship, Con is an EARL. Bryn is the stable master. They shouldn't be spending their free time together talking, let alone making love!
4. None of the staff seems to question their relationship as friends, or really, as lovers. WHAT??!!

Aside from these VERY REAL AND IMPORTANT oversights, I also struggled with the pacing of the book. The vast majority of this story is spent with Con either hating the estate or himself - and very little of it is spent developing either principal character or their relationship. We know little to nothing about Bryn and his life since Con left, or really, why he loves Con so intensely. He remains an enigma to the very end -though I would have liked to get to know him better. The reconciliation is sweet and moving, and they have a few tender and steamy scenes together, but the conclusion is rushed and spoiled by Ms. Schwab's liberties with historical accuracy.

I was entertained by The Return of the Earl and I didn't dislike it but... it's a frustrating and inaccurate snapshot of queer love in regency period England.

Con, the prince of ice, has returned from 13 years of exile. When he comes face to face with the man he loved long ago, he must deal with the past.
This isn’t the type of book I normally read, but I accidently got it so I gave it a try. It wasn’t bad. It had a decent plot and characters.

The Return of the Earl was a sweet, easy to read romance that captures the reader’s heart almost immediately.

The novel follows Con who, for the last 13 years, has lived on the Continent after his father exiled him from England. He is known as the Ice Prince, but when he returns home to Harrowcot Hall – a place haunted by the memories of his long-lost love – Con finds himself rethinking everything he once thought he knew about himself and the person he used to be, especially when he comes face to face with Bryn Ellison. Con is convinced Bryn betrayed him all those years ago, but as Con’s icy demeanour begins to melt, Con has to face the past and reawakened passions.

I always adore old lovers stories, where the lovers haven’t seen each other after a period of separation, and have to wrestle with their subsequent hate and attraction to one another. Schwab adapted this trope quite expertly, and then tension between the two lovers – Con and Bryn – was apparent and tender.

Con was a strange choice of protagonist: the reader is reminded every page about his reputation as “Ice Prince”, but he never lived up to it. He didn’t seem like an icy, arrogant character: he was just rude, hysterical and, excuse my phrasing here, but he reminded me a lot of a female heroine in a Gothic romance. Every second sentence was “bloody this”, and “damn that” and him complaining about ... well, literally everything. He was an incredibly despondent character who engages in a lot of self-pity. I was also confused by his choices, specifically why he chose to believe his father over Bryn especially considering how much he hated his father.

While I was disillusioned with Con, I did really enjoy Bryn’s character. He was loving and incredibly patient with Con, especially in situations where I would have told Con to go shove something somewhere. My one issue with Bryn is that we didn’t see enough of him! I enjoyed his presence on the page and his interactions with Con, but as soon as he left, the story dwindled. I feel as though this novel could have been far better with two POVs, as opposed to one. If we had gotten Bryn’s thoughts as well as Con’s, then we could have understood the love from Bryn’s side of things, and how he felt with Con leaving him for over a decade. Or maybe even more flashbacks to their childhood, and how that love developed from friendship in the first place. The slow burn was already present in the novel, but by utilising more than one POV, the tension and the romance would have been upped a notch and benefited the story.

Schwab’s writing perfectly complemented the story and I found no issue with her prose. It was highly sophisticated and lovely to read, so much so that I want to read her other m/m novel, even with the few annoyances I found in this story. It was also very obvious that Schwab had done her research on Regency England. Everything felt very authentic and true to the time period. Colour me impressed by Schwab's research skills and how easy she made it feel to be immersed into a historically accurate story.

If you're looking for a loving and quick read, then look no further than The Return of the Earl. While the novel suffered a little from the choice of protagonist and the frequent self-deprecating discourse, the romance was wonderful to read as it rekindled.

Well, this was a pleasant surprise. I'd not heard of this author before requesting this book from Netgalley. And when I did some research I found that most of her titles were m/f romance. This is only her second gay romance title. As soon as I finished this book, I purchased her first gay romance title.

Pros:
An easy read. I read it all in one sitting.
I'm not a history buff of that era but it felt authentic.
Bryn, He was adorable. And he never gave up.
The slow burn of their reacquaintance.
HEA
Lovely epilogue

Cons:
Con. Whiney. Entitled. I understood the reason, but he was an arse for too long. Especially when it was clear to even the most obtuse that his 'staff' were really pleased to have him back.
The cover. Hideous.
Bryn had two different coloured eyes. Yes. I got that the first 10 times you told me!
Did I mention the cover?
I'd have liked Bryn's pov.

There were a couple of errors in the first 15% of the book. A spin when it should have been spine. And Con referring to himself when I think he meant Ross. But I didn't notice any errors after this.

Occasionally things were mentioned that had already been covered and this seemed unintentionally repetitive e.g. the fencing master story.

I got the impression at the beginning of the story that Ross was also gay. Con mentioned that Ross had been destined for the church but that wouldn't suit his inclinations. But after that at no point did Con confide in Ross or did Ross imply he knew the situation between Con and Bryn, so I assume I misunderstood the author's intentions.

All in all an enjoyable read.

3 stars

A second chance.

A trip to an earlier time. The earl and his stable master grew up together as best friends. This is the story of a huge misunderstanding and how they manage to resolve it.

Posted to Amazon and Goodreads

There's a few things expected when reading a historical romance, especially a Regency one, and for the most part, this one has those.

However, in the first few opening parts of this story the author gets the name wrong of one of Britain's finest, and most well known, Neo-Classical Georgian architects, Robert Adam when she erroneously gives him an extra S. It's a minor point for sure but one that should have been spotted in editing and proofing.

Putting that aside though, this is a gentle little romp through country life as a reluctant Earl, still smarting over a perceived slight some 13 years earlier.

Characters were nicely developed though, again, a little bit repetitive in the phrasing when referencing Bryn's heterochromia and with Bryn calling Con "my Con" all the time. Little bit more variety would have worked well here.

The steam levels are fairly low but the slow burn pays off in the final quarter of the story and the epilogue is lovely and in keeping with the historical setting.

Return of the Earl is a book in search of a plot. I'm not sure how Schwab managed to fill a full novel with pretty much nothing, but the story never goes anywhere and nothing really happens. The Earl returns, he was under the impression his former lover betrayed him, he's mopey about it, finds out fairly soon that he was lied to, they make up, book ends. That's truly all that happens here.

Perhaps if the characters were more nuanced or their personalities had more tics, we might have had something here. But the Earl is angry and confused, the stablemaster is smug most of the time, and both behave in very anachronistic ways (e.g., despite desperate financial times when people can't get work, antagonizing the employer is not exactly smart). Of course, there is 21st century moralizing added in about slavery and treating servants with respect and not as objects. I didn't believe in either character and both felt more like YA heroes/heroines than mature adults. I completely skimmed past the romance.

Granted, M/M genre doesn't always have to be angsty or full of drama. But at the same time, it has a sophisticated enough fanbase who want stories with depth and interest. There just wasn't enough meat on the bone here to make the book worth remembering. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

4 Stars!

I love historical romances and if they are MM on top of it? It’s like Christmas all over again. So of course, I was going to ask to review this one.

Con, the Earl of Stanbury, Viscount Conway, is back at his family’s home after a 13-year-exile. He’s moody, grumpy and arrogant, all good reasons for him to be known as the Ice Prince in the continent. The last place he wants to be is at Harrowcot Hall, but his secretary convinces him that he needs to settle all his affairs there and then move on if he wants to. The last thing he expects is to find Bryn, the stablemaster’s son and his ex-lover still there, now as the new stablemaster, throwing Con out for a loop.

Aside from a few phrases here and there that didn’t quite make sense to me, the book was very well-written, the descriptions and the imagery transported me back in time and made me feel as if I was seeing it all happening before me.

I didn’t quite like Con up until after the 60% mark or so, grumpy didn’t even begin to cover what he was. Temperamental and moody as all hell, maybe? *shrugs* There were a few times where I wished I could’ve slapped some sense into him, especially where Bryn was concerned. It didn’t quite make sense to me that he would believe his father so readily when the man had never been all that good of a father to him. Or that Con could be so arrogant as to prefer to run away and not apologize for his beliefs. Yes, he made up for it, but by then I was more than fed up by his behavior.

I loved Bryn, he seemed like such a sweet, reliable, strong man. I would’ve liked to read more of his POV than just the Prologue, too. Con and Bryn had great chemistry, at least once Con pulled his head out of his a** and started behaving like a man and not a moody teenager, that is.

Overall, this was a delightful read (when I didn’t want to strangle Con). Very well-written and researched. I think the author did a great job at portraying the era the book is set in and I will likely read it again in the future. Very recommendable!

*** Copy provided to the reviewer via NetGalley for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement. ***

When your father is a manipulative, vengeful man and you are still a young man, your views of your reality can be easily mislead. Con comes back to his estate thinking the worst. He has no desire to be there and cannot wait to leave. Weather keeps him there temporarily but life and interactions he doesn’t expect slowly change his view and understandings. He is called the Ice Prince but you see him thaw as the story continues. You see him grow up and Bryn though he doesn’t know the whole story is steady and supportive through it all.
The age old he said, they said and gosh how can I face him after all that happened is told in a way that has you hoping it all works out.
Love Regency era books. So many taboo’s and so many more chances to get caught. Servants are everywhere. So when an author finds a way to give the MC’s that ease of getting together you relax and enjoy the story.

really quite enjoyable, i would love to see more in this line from the author!

I liked the book,but did not loved it.
the novell(a) was short.
but also a bit long,it took the characters too
long to come together.
low angst,low drama.
a sweet story.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. I enjoyed this book and it is well written. It is set in an era when it was against the law for two men to have a sexual relationship. The Earl banished his son (Con), after finding him with one of the stablemen (Bryn) to the Continent where Con remained for 13 years. The Earl dies and after several years Con returns home for a brief visit. The visit is extended due to snow and eventually Con and Bryn rekindle the love they once shared. I would recommend this book because it is a very endearing love story that survived many obstacles.

I really enjoyed this! Con's bloody-mindedness was a little exasperating, but I guess it made everything a bit more interesting, lol. Still, I think he was grumpy for perhaps a couple of chapters too many, otherwise this might have been a 5 star read.

This is a really good book if you're in the mood for a short and sweet historical romance, which I was.

3.5 stars
Alan Dormer, Earl of Stanbury previously Viscount Conway was known on the Continent as the Ice Prince, icy of manner, icy of heart. Now, after thirteen years of exile, Con returns home to England and to Harrowcot Hall, a place haunted by memories of a long-lost friendship and past betrayals, a place where all of his dreams shattered and died.
He certainly does not expect to come face to face with Bryn Ellison again, the man whom he once loved beyond everything and who repudiated their bond in the cruelest way imaginable or so Con’s father told him.
Con can’t wait to leave but the weather conspires against him & as snow and frost close in on Harrowcot Hall, Con's icy demeanour starts to melt while he grapples with old hurts and newly awakened passions.
A quick easy read of betrayal, misunderstandings & second chances. Con was icy & aloof at the start of the book, understandable from the way his father brought him up & his mistreatment however once the truth was revealed his icy demeanour melted like snow on a sunny day & the ‘new’ Earl was warm & caring & very likeable. Bryn was stolid, caring & constant. A well written enjoyable read the first I’ve ead from the author & won’t be the last

Didn't really enjoy this book. I found that reading the story from only one characters POV very off putting and his bitterness went on for too long.

The cover reminds me of those I saw on gaming characters (not that I play much) though I could do without that knots on the neck.

Cover's aside the blurb drew me to grab this story. Betrayal that came between young lovers, Ice Prince and all that. Sounds promising: bring them on! Story-wise, it was an interesting plot. The Return of the Earl even presented assorted supporting characters, such as the Earl's secretary Ross, an American creole sent for school in England who became friend with him, the Earl's house staff, and of course the ever-so-kind stablemaster Ellison. The main character himself though: one Alan "Con" Dormer, the Earl of Stanbury... His portrayal of tortured soul was often just too exasperating for me.

Personally, I thought Con played victim too well all his life that he couldn't be anything else. He didn't act like a 32 year old nobleman with money and power, more like petulant child with tantrum. I wish the hero could take a more aggressive way confronting his old friend and lover's past betrayal. Instead, for most of the pages he sulked and mooned over things; and - weather permitted - running from reality.

That saying, the novella told a nice story of holiday in the country; the traditions an estate and its household and tenants had. And Ross came top as my favorite character here; I imagined he would bring an interesting spin-off to this tale.

Advanced copy of this book is kindly provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.