Ned, the Earl of Stranraer, takes a position as a servant in the house of Captain Francis Wycherley, the man he believes was in a secret relationship with his sister before she disappeared during a fire months ago, in order to try to find out what happened to his sister.
Cassie Blythe has been in love with a childhood friend Julian, but he has taken no romantic interest in her, so Cassie seeks out the Captain to get advice on capturing Julian's notice. However, during her lessons from the Captain, she begins to feel an attraction to the insubordination servant who acts in a protective manner towards her.

The story relies on the aristocrat disguised as a servant trope, but it does it very well and it doesn't overdue it. There is witty banter between the main characters, several humorous interactions when different sets of characters interact, as well as a mild level of mystery. I found the story quickly pulled the reader along, and was an enjoyable read.

I received a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I've read by Ms. Keysian and I'm on the fence about it. I felt in Ms. Keysian's attempt to make Edmund Talbot's passion for Cassie seem bottomless, she ended up making him seem more frightening instead. For a gently bred woman like Cassie who had no brothers who rough housed around her, Ned's explosive fury would have been scary. I've read lots of Regency romances and have never seen a gentlemen act this way.

I did love the plot of this story. It was inventive and the writing was well done. However, too many of Edmund's actions seemed too much over the top especially at the Duke's ball.

I was given an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Ned and Cassandra had a fun chemistry to read about and her teachings in the art of seduction but I felt it was very slow paced and hard to keep my attention.

I think I need to take a break from historical romances, because this one did absolutely nothing for me. Mostly because of the characters. Cassandra kicks things off by acting in a very unlikely way, running around in the dark with two men and not expecting that to ruin her reputation, then meeting in secret with a rake. She’s supposed to be smart, but there were times when I wondered if she had a brain at all.

Then there’s Ned, our earl-in-disguise, looking for his lost sister. His motives may be good, but he has serious anger issues. He has arrogant and condescending moments and can be rather judgemental too, but he is an earl, so while I didn’t like those character traits they weren’t entirely unexpected. His temper, however, was a bit too nasty for me to ever like him much.

Then there are the other men. One, the object of Cassie’s affections, seems to have a refreshing view of female sexuality – until it comes to Cassie, then he’s an idiot. As for the captain… nope. I didn’t like him, at all. Both he and his lady love are welcome to each other, pretending to be noble when really they’re both being selfish.

The plot has plenty of farcical moments that I think were supposed to be funny, turning the mystery into a bit of a romp at times, but the behaviour of all involved and the modern reactions sadly didn’t work for me.

I did, however, love the sense of place and time and all the little touches that brought the English countryside in late spring/early summer to life. The birds and the wildflowers and everything that made it feel like home. That was lovely.

Sadly, that wasn’t enough to win me over. This one wasn’t for me, and I’m starting to think a break from the whole genre might be needed.

the second book in the wayward in wessex series, unmasking the earl, follows miss cassandra blythe and her quest to get her childhood crush, julian carnforth, to notice her as a woman instead of the little sister he treats her like. after joining forces with captain francis wycherly to prevent julian and captain wycherly's current lover from indulging in a dalliance, cassie has the idea that wycherly might be the perfect person to help her attract julian's attentions.

if only his pesky manservant, ned ganstridge weren't around all the time and interrupting at the most inopportune moments. the thing is, cassie can't stop thinking about him. she's never felt this odd magnetic attraction with anyone. and suddenly she finds that she has to work hard to remember that she wants to kiss julian, because ned is all she thinks about.

but ned isn't really a lowly manservant. he's on a quest to discover the whereabouts of his missing sister and he believes that wycherly is connected to it somehow. and considering his opinion of wycherly, he is doing his best to protect cassie without blowing his cover.

but because he can't stop himself from interfering, it's only a matter of time before cassie learns who he is, and what he is up to. and then she can't stop herself from getting involved.

the chemistry between cassie and ned is intense. whenever they are in the same scene together they can't stay apart from each other. and it's only a matter of time before cassie admits that she may not be as in love with julian as she thought she was. cassie and ned just need to stop focusing on the nonsense around them and start communicating with one another honestly.

'Unmasking the Earl' by Elizabeth Keysian is book Two in the "Wayward in Wessex" series. This is the story of Lord Edmund Talbot, the Earl of Stranraer 'Ned" and Miss Cassandra Blythe 'Cassie". I have read the other book but feel this is easily a standalone book.
Cassie thinks she is in love with Julian Carnforth. Julian just thinks of her as a little sister. So Cassie wants to learn to seduce him. When Cassie sees Julian going off with a lady named Lucy at a party she feels she needs to save him from this women. Captain Francis Wycherley is who brought Lucy to the party and who has a relationship with her. So Cassie and the Captain go off to confront the two wayward couple. Ned is pretending to be a servant to be in the Captain's house hold to look for clues about what happened to his sister. Ned's sister went missing after a fire happened Ned feels that the Captain has something to do with his missing sister.
Ned intervenes when Cassie tries to get the Captain to help her learning how to seduce Julian.
But they both find that they can't help fighting their feelings.
I enjoyed this story and their banter. Ned was frustrating a few times but overall really loved this book!
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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It's 1821 and Miss Cassandra Blythe has a plan, a ludicrous plan, to make the man, Julian Carnforth, she thinks she loves finally fall in love with her. In her stupidity she continues with her plan with the help of the rake Captain Wycherley. Meanwhile the Earl of Stranraer is searching for his missing sister, and blaming the Captain he enters his employ as the servant Ned Ganstridge. I would have preferred a lot more mystery and less of the romance as I found Cassandra's actions annoying.

Unmasking the Earl, by Elizabeth Keysian is a humorous historical romance with an underlying mystery, and it's the second book in the Wayward in Wessex series.

Cassandra "Cassie" Blythe is in love with her childhood friend and is determined to marry him, even though he simply treats her like a sister. When she seeks assistance and flirting lessons from a friendly rake, Cassie encounters an extremely forward mysterious servant, Ned Ganstridge, who demands she stays far away from the rake.

The Earl of Stranraer, also known as Ned Ganstridge, is working undercover as a servant, while trying to discover what happened to his missing sister. However, Ned continually encounters Cassie, and their attraction leads to stolen kisses. The lives of Ned, Cassie, and several other characters are intermixed, which leads to mishaps and issues throughout the story.

Unmasking the Earl is geared towards those who enjoy reading historical romances with humorous misadventures.


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Although not strictly adhering to the societal mores of the regency era, this was a fun little book, with the typical brawny H, and the usual risk taking, spirited h..it has a mystery, some passion and a great romance. Portions of the story were a little far fetched, but I'm forgiving if I liked the overall story.

I loved the premise of this book and I was hooked by the story from the very first chapter. The chemistry between Ned and Cassie was fiery from the start. I loved that they always seemed at odds with each other yet this is what drew them together. The story also had me laughing out loud at times. I got annoyed at the last twenty five percent of the book though. For me it was jumbled and confusing and came off childish. The ending was great but that last bit really threw me for a loop so only four stars for me!

This is an honest review in return for this ARC. Pleasant enough story however, I would have liked to see a bit more heat and intrigue. The story had the chance to be much more, in my opinion.

A while back, I ran across this author on Wattpad when she was just going about getting published. So when this title came to review, I jumped on it. I’m always looking to read and review titles from authors who got started on this social media website. Unmasking the Earl by Elizabeth Keysian is book two in her Wayward in Wessex series, and it was a fun, suspenseful historical novel.

Cassandra Blythe has it bad for her childhood friend. The problem is that he has his eyes set on another female entirely. Cassie plans on seducing him and who better to teach her the ways of seduction than the renowned rake, Wycherley. If only said rake’s annoying servant, Ganstridge, wasn’t taking up so much space in her head.

Ned Ganstridge is posing as a servant in hopes of finding his missing sister. Everything's going according to plan until he falls into an unlikely acquaintance with Miss Cassandra Blythe. There’s something about her that brings his body to life, but he’s too busy to entangle himself with the mystery of his sister looming.

This one started off really well. I always admire a heroine who sets a goal for herself and is willing to shun society’s rules and go after it. Cassandra is such a character, and it was fun watching her go toe-to-toe with who she thinks is an impertinent servant. Sparks fly high and hot, and the last thing she wants is to be diverted from her goal--obtaining marriage to her oldest and dearest friend. Ned doesn't want to be diverted either, but Cassie has no problems telling him to shove off, and it just confounds this man.

How fun it is to watch these two circle the other!

The plot, however, felt a bit far-fetched. Logically, I didn't understand Ned's theory in regards to his sister's disappearance. It doesn't make sense, all the leaps he took. The ending also churns a few chapters too long, and I found myself skimming.

Overall, this was a solid exploration into the world of lords and ladies with a good mystery subplot. The side characters added good bouts of humor, and Cassandra definitely gets herself into a pickle being the object of affection to this authoritative earl.

3.5 stars!

(3.5) Everything is not always as it seems. A definite theme in this story. What I like about this story is that it has the witty banter and quirky characters found in the first book in the series (at least through the first third of the book). The middle kind of drug a bit for me but it did pick up again at the end of the story. I loved Ned and Cassie’s interactions (especially Ned’s constant busting in and under the breath remarks). Very funny. Good characters and situations. A nice read.

I would have liked more story on the Captain and the woman he loves. It was a great side story that I think could have been expanded more.

Definitely a buy book. I in my own opinion down starred it for one reason. The way some of the events were tied up. It was a little too much for me coming to late in the story for some of it so it felt a little rushed. Now for the rest.... I sincerely enjoyed the humor of reading a nobleman acting in a servant capacity. I must say that was a splendid way of putting this plot line together! I liked the hero and the heroine. It is a romance with passion and heart. It had a few places that made it touching emotionally due to the circumstances (sorry not writing a spoiler). So for me it was a totally enjoyable read. I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna

Publisher's Description:

Devastated by the disappearance of his sister, the Earl of Stranraer has gone to extraordinary lengths to find the notorious rake responsible, and enters his household incognito to wreak his vengeance. But his enemy has an unexpected protector—the innocent but headstrong Miss Cassandra Blythe.

Cassie is determined to learn the art of seduction. But she is blindsided by her body's thrilling response to the wrong man—a mysterious servant who shows up at the most inauspicious moments to spoil her lessons in love with warnings of her imminent ruin. When she learns the handsome servant's identity and the reason for his deception, she resolves to help Stranraer, but only if he abandons his vow to destroy his enemy.

The earl is sorely tempted give the meddlesome beauty a lesson in seduction she’ll never forget. But she turns the tables, and he gets his own lesson in forgiveness…and love.

My Thoughts:
Having only recently discovered this author I must say that I found this second book of the Wayward in Wessex series even better than book one.
The characters are very well thought out and the storyline captures and keeps your attention.
Cassie is certain that her future lies with her childhood friend. She has after all been in love with him for years, so she enlists the aid of a notorious rake to teach her the ins and outs of attracting the attention of the man she has loved since she was thirteen.
Edmund, Earl of Stranraer is undercover as a servant in the household of the man he is certain has everything to do with his sister's disappearance.
His attempt to become Cassie's protector turns into something quite different.
Will Cassie's penchant for helping those who have befriended and attempted to help her turn into love or hate between herself and the earl?
This well written tale scores 4.75 of 5 stars from me for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 4 of 5 flames.
I look forward to additional titles in this series.
Although this is book #2, I believe it reads well as a standalone title.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this title from the publisher to read.
This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Overall a wonderfully written historical. Good strong characters. Enjoyed!

I really liked, Ned, the hero of this book. He has a temper, acts impulsively, yet is vulnerable and protective of those he cares about. Cassie is a good match for him. They complement each other and helped the other grow in the course of the story.

The author tied some scenes together in interesting ways which I won't go into so as not to reveal any spoilers.

I received an advance reader copy from netgalley in exchange for a fair review. I found Ned very funny when he was pretending to be a servant and how Cassie saw through his attempts. Very enjoyable read.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. Loved the book. The love story between Cassie and Ned is well written and a good read. The disappearance of his sister plays a big part in the book. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a good romance book which ends in a HEA.

3.5 stars
Several months earlier there was a fire at the home of Edmund Talbot, Earl of Stranraer’s Aunt Claudette’s & it was feared that Edmund’s sister Georgiana had died, but when no trace of her was found Ned went to extraordinary lengths to find the notorious rake responsible, Captain Francis Wycherley and enters his household incognito as a servant, Ganstridge, to wreak his vengeance. There he meets the innocent but headstrong Miss Cassandra Blythe who wants Wycherley to teach her how to seduce Julian the childhood friend she loves.
Cassie is determined to learn the art of seduction. But she is blindsided by her body's thrilling response to the wrong man—a mysterious servant, Ganstridge who shows up at the most inauspicious moments to spoil her lessons in love with warnings of her imminent ruin.
I enjoyed the book but until about half way through I disliked Ned, he was just so angry all of the time. He did gradually change & began to learn to rein in his anger. Cassie although likeable was headstrong & was way too modern for a Regency young lady. Julian was also a revelation in not minding that the woman he loved wasn’t chaste in fact anything but. However the characterisation is good & any changes in character are gradual & well written. The pace of the story was good & kept me reading. The book had lots of humour especially Ned’s attempts at being a servant, there’s the mystery of a missing sister & plenty of romance. I look forward to more from the author