Alex St. Audley, Earl of Merryn, shows up at Gwendeline Gregory’s door to rescue her after. Gwendeline Gregory’s parents have just died and left her with absolutely nothing when. Gwendeline has no plans except to stay a local Inn after the loss of her home when Alex comes to the rescue of both her and her home. Alex thought he was rescuing a young girl, not the lovely young woman. His plans were to provide a house and yearly stipend quickly change when he sees the beautiful young woman and he instead his mind and informs her that her that father’s friends are getting together to provide for her. A charming hero to the rescue and the damsel in distress in need of rescuing. This my honest opinions is resolved to build a school for ladies in after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

Recently, I read Jane Ashford’s Earl to the Rescue, a refurbished version of the author’s first book Gwendoline, published in 1980.

Earl to the Rescue tells the tale of 18-year old Gwendeline Gregory, whose parents have recently died. The book opens with Gwendeline’s childhood home being sold to pay creditors. She has packed her meager belongings and is planning for an uncertain future.

Hours before her departure, Alex St. Audley, fifth Earl of Merryn—a friend of her father’s whom she has never met—arrives on her doorstep. Initially, Lord Merryn is startled that the orphan for whom he is to care is not a child. Regardless, he informs Gwendeline that he and several other benefactors have decided to provide her an annual income of one thousand pounds, as well as a small home in London. Gwendeline, of course, finds this all highly suspect and refuses his offer. The Earl of Merryn, being someone who is used to taking charge, does not take no for an answer. And from there, the sparks fly.

Earl to the Rescue is part old-fashioned romance, part gothic novel, and part comedy of errors. As such, it is a sweet love story (without all of the steamy sex scenes found in today's romance novels), complete with plot twists, constant action, and mishaps galore. Although I enjoy gothic novels and comedies of errors (and even the occasional Harlequin, I must admit), I prefer to read them separately, not all at once.

Thrown into this mishmash were a hodgepodge of personalities. My favorites were Lady Merryn, the earl's mother with a passion for writing novels; Miss Brown, Gwendeline’s former governess and the voice of reason and practicality; Carleton Ames, a cranky, quirky artist who hones Gwendeline's talent for painting; and Lillian Everly, the witty, kindhearted belle of the ball. While I loved those characters, Gwendeline herself often frustrated me with her naiveté and occasional indecisiveness. Thankfully, as the novel progresses, so does the heroine. By the end of the novel, Gwendeline has grown up, taken some control of her own life, and begun to understand her own mind.

***
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Earl To The Rescue by Jane Ashford is a refurbished version of her first book Gwendeline so it has a bit of an old school romance feel to it and is definitely sweet not steamy. I will admit that at first I was not particularly fond of the heroine as heaven forbid .... she doesn’t like books and hates to read, she does grow on you despite that. Recently orphaned Gwendeline Gregory is in a pickle, her parents left nothing but debt and everything including the home she lives in is to be sold to satisfy those debts. At the very last moment a rescue arrives, Alex St Audley, Earl of Merryn has come to take her to stay with his mother in London, and she is to have a season. He tells her that a group of her parents friends have created an annuity for her including a small house in London. Adventures ensue and if you are looking for a classic regency romance I think you will enjoy this book. Publishing Date November 27, 2018 #NetGalley #EarlToTheRescue #sourcebooks

Gwendeline Gregory's parents have just died. Her parents have neglected her for years. As they lived the high life in London, they left debt. The family estate is headed for auction and Gwendeline does not have a place to go or anyone to turn to for help.

Alex St. Audley, Earl of Merryn arrives at the estate of acquaintances of his after the ton is surprised to find out that Roger and Annabella Gregory had a child. Alex is expecting a young child with a nurse and governess. He is surprised when he finds a young lady who should have already made her debut.

This book was originally published in 1980. It reads like an old Harlequin romance. The plot moved slowly and was predictable.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

Easy historical romantic read. Filled with whispered innuendos, snide remarks and sly glances between characters; many of which are never explained. Was glad that Gwendeline's character "filled out," during the story. Typical storyline eased these problems , somewhat. Enjoyed the Ames family, Ellen and other supporting characters. 2 1/2 stars.
Voluntarily read ARC for honest review.

Devonshire

Gwendeline Gregory, age 18, is having to leave her home, Brooklands, after the deaths of her parents, Roger and Annabelle Gregory, in a carriage accident. Her home and all but her personal items are to be auctioned off to satisfy her father’s creditors. As she is an only child with no relatives, the solicitors are searching for a male heir to take the title of Baron. Having had just a sporadic education, she wonders how she will find work to support herself. She had rarely seen her parents because they didn’t come to Brooklands often.

Alex St. Audley, the fifth Earl of Merryn, stops in to see Gwendeline. He had known her parents and their wild habits and was surprised to learn that they had a child. So, several of their friends have gone together to offer her a small house in London and a thousand pounds a year. They feel it is unfair that her parents had left her in such dire straits. At first suspicious of his generous offer, she refuses, but ends up going to London with him anyway along with some of the staff and household items from Brooklands.

In London, Alex and his mother, the Countess of Merryn insist she stay with her for awhile and perhaps even allow Gwendeline to have a season. The petite and chatty woman is the author of gothic novels. Even with the kindness of Alex and his mother, she cannot help but wonder why they are being so generous to her.

As Gwendeline enters society, she meets some people who knew her parents that imply that the couple was rather wild and she wants to know more about them, as well as the people who support the home in London where she is to live.

Too much drama. Kidnapping not once, but twice is exhausting. I like Jane Ashford and have read many of her books. Some have been good and others not so much. However, I think that this book deserves 4 stars because the author used her imagination in numerous ways taking the story in different directions but ending in a great place. I will continue to be a loyal reader of her books.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Originally published in 1980 as Gwendeline, this… reads like a romance from the 1980s. There’s lots of action and not a lot of character development. I haven’t the faintest idea why publishers are backing up old backlist novels and re-releasing them with a brand new name and new cover, but changing nothing else. Frankly, it feels like a cash grab aimed at the loyal fans of authors who want to own entire collections, and it’s a real let-down.

Jane Ashford has plenty of good historicals, but this isn’t one of them. I have no idea why Gwendeline fell for Lord Merryn, who was autocratic, aloof and lied to her to get her to go along with his own plans, and why he fell for a naive teenager was dubious at best, since she was the living image of her mother who we discover he had a wild crush on. The ick factor was very strong with this one.

The only character I really liked was Lady Merryn, the hero’s mother, a fantastic lady who wrote gothic romances and adored the arts in all forms. I’d have enjoyed a story about her a lot more than this one. Two stars.

Earl to the Rescue by  Jane Ashford is an exciting twist to the usual foes that befall a young lady in a historical novel. Most young ladies have some sort of education and skill. Lady Gwendeline seems to have neither an education nor a useful skill. It felt pitiful. But she could still overcome her desperate situation in ways, that are more interesting.

Next, there's the Earl, who is sounds like every woman's fantasy. His looks would make many women swoon to the floor. Alex's bold demeanor with the young lady was refreshing. Most gentleman stay away from touching a lady at all costs.  Unless, they want to beaten or forced in marriage. However, it appears this stranger, Alex, is there to rescue the now, penniless daughter, Gwendeline. That alone made him a hero in my book. His mannerism were charming and a bit funny. It was obvious there was more to Alex than he showed. 

Jane Ashford created a book that lost me within its pages. Once I was in, I completely forgot the world around me. The characters lured me in deep. Funny, romantic, and adventurous this story was well-told. Overall, I highly recommend it to all readers.

** 2.5 Stars Rounded up ** This book was originally published in 1980 as ‘Gwendeline’. I have read and enjoyed several of this author’s books, but this really wasn’t one of those. I wanted to love it – and once I picked through the bits and pieces, I did like the core of the story. The writing was patchy and the story was slow and very predictable. However, it just mostly left me puzzled about the people who populated the story, their relationships and the time in which they lived as well as their interactions with each other.

The heroine isn’t just TSTL, it is worse than that. She reminds me of the old cartoon series where Snidely Whiplash is always tying Nell Fenwick to the railroad tracks – she never learns.

The hero just puzzles me. I guess in my cartoon scenario, he’d be Dudley DoRight. He seems to be in a world of his own. He doesn’t share any information or tell what is going on – but – yet he shares ‘glances’ or ‘smiles’ with others that makes you think there is a conspiracy of some kind. He manages to do some TSTL stuff as well.

The basic story is:

Gwendeline Gregory’s parents have just died and left her with absolutely nothing. She never really knew them because they placed her in the country and only visited for a short period each year – and they had house parties, etc. during that time. So, when they died and their holdings had to be sold off she isn’t terribly bereft. Now, the parents deaths and the legal aftermath didn’t just happen in a day, yet when the hero, Alex St. Audley, Earl of Merryn, shows up at her door to ‘rescue’ her, she has absolutely no thoughts and no plans even though she has to be out of the house that day. She thought maybe she’d go to an Inn for a while.

Alex shows up expecting an infant or a young child and he has planned for the future care of that child. It is his plan to provide a house and yearly stipend. However, when he arrives, the young child turns out to be a lovely young woman. Alex makes up a story about a ‘group’ of her father’s friends getting together to provide for her. (How can he be good friends with either or both parents and not know something about the child?) He takes Gwendeline to London and places her in his mother’s home with plans to provide a season.

Gwendeline learns some hurtful things about her parents, meets a bad guy, gets kidnapped, gets rescued, gets kidnapped, etc. Alex does some stupid things, keeps secrets when he should be speaking up, etc. – Then finally HEA.

As I said, I enjoyed the core story, but you had to really pick it out of all the stuff going on – and it is slow going. I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether you wish the read the book or not.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

I was disappointed by the rather simple writing style and the utterly predictable plot. Both main characters, as well as the secondary ones, were one-dimensional and had no growth arc to speak of.
Alex, Earl of Merryn, is high-handed and aloof, not to mention arrogant. With little in the nature of redeeming qualities. He hardly ever takes Gwendeline’s opinion or feelings into consideration, and lies to her repeatedly.
Gwendeline, child of nature, likewise has little to recommend herself. She’s not very bright nor educated, and isn’t especially kind or warmhearted either. She’s very superficial, silly, juvenile even, and prone to jumping to (wrong) conclusions.
Gwendeline and Alex spend very little time in each other’s company, so how can they fall in love? There was little substance to the romance part of the story. We mostly follow Gwendeline on her round of social calls and through her misadventures with the evil Mr. Blane. A pity we see everything from her point of view, which is not the most insightful. Though “luckily” she’s in a position to eavesdrop on important conversations so we also know how the secondary characters fare with regards to their love life.
I did not care for the story nor the main characters.

An enjoyable story that had the heroine, Gwendeline, left destitue after the death of her parents. The hero, Alex St Audley comes to the rescue with his mother acting as her benefactors. Telling her a falsehood that her father's friends had all pooled funds to help her, he really was the one with the money.
Then a series of mishaps begin to happen with a kidnapping, scandal and the truth coming out about who really was providing the funds for her. She begins to have feelings for Alex but it seems circumstances get in the way.
A slow build on the romance between the two eventually ends in a happy ever after. An overall likable story by an author I follow.

3 Stars Earl to the Rescue. Gwendeline was about to lose her home and everything in it. Her parents were killed in a carriage accident and her home was being sold to cover her father’s creditors. As she had no relatives she could stay with, she was trying to figure out what she could do. As she was pondering her alternatives, her butler announced a visitor. It was Alex St. Audley, the fifth Earl of Merryn. Seems he and some others thought she was a child and were going to move her to a small house in London with a thousand pounds a year to live on. It was slow paced but I liked it. I received an advance copy from Net Galley for an honest review.

Normally I would be giving a much different review of a Jane Ashford title… Current Title. I have followed Jane Ashford’s works for many years now, I particularly enjoy her more recent Regency Romance titles. I was disappointed and even annoyed to realize that Earl to the Rescue is a re-issue, re-titled, new covered version of Gwendeline (paperback and hardback versions) published in 1980. While technically there is not one thing wrong with republishing a title, I personally dislike not knowing that is what I’m getting beforehand. I did not enjoy Gwendeline very much back then, so if I’d known the facts I would not have requested this title.

If you are a die-hard Jane Ashford fan and want to be able to read her entire collection – without paying the amazingly high prices asked for earlier works – then this would be perfect for you. For me, Earl to the Rescue has so much going on in it that you do need to search out the core story. The core story is good, it just happens to be buried under kidnappings, lies, misdirection, possible scandals and untimely deaths. Many readers will enjoy this story, for me it was a ‘good book’… that I had read years ago.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

2.5 stars
After the death of her parents had left Gwendeline destitute, she was brought to London by Alex St. Audley, Earl of Merryn. There was a mystery concerning her parents and also how Merryn was involved. Gwendeline was a young woman and also acted immaturely at times. Likewise, Merryn didn’t fully explain his actions. Most of the story moved along at a slow pace and it was only towards the end that all the action took place. Gwendeline and Alex had little to do with each other but nevertheless seemed to fall in love. I dislike giving a poor review but this book wasn’t for me. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Earl To The Rescue is my first experience with Jane Ashford's work. Out on shelves on November 27th, it's a good way to take your mind off the holiday craziness. Ms. Ashford's writing style is smooth, her characters likeable and there's adventure with a side of humor. I read the entire book in one sitting, during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. These days that's saying a lot.

Our heroine is Gwendeline Gregory, daughter of the recently deceased Baron Gregory and his wife, Annabella. With her pale blond hair and striking aquamarine eyes, she's the spitting image of her late mother. Gwendeline has spent all her 18 years living on the family country estate while her parents mostly lived in London. The creditors are forcing the sale of all assets to cover their outstanding debts. It's hard to mourn for people you barely knew but easy to be a little angry and disappointed. Their thoughtlessness has resulted in Gwendeline being turned out on her ear.

Alex St. Aduley, Earl of Merryn, is our knight in shining armour. He arrives just in time to scoop Gwendeline up and escort her to London. He's surprised both because he didn't know there was a child until recently and that she's not a baby. He thought to rescue his friends child but boy, oh boy, she is not a child. Gewndeline is dazzled by our hero. He's tall, stylishly dressed and has the broad shoulders of an athlete. His auburn hair and cool gray eyes are a stunning combination. Finally a hero with, kind of, red hair.

After a misunderstanding about the nature of Alex's offer, these two, and several servants, set off for London and Gwen's new home. To start Gwendeline's first season off on the right foot, Alex takes our girl to stay with his mother. Mom's a trip, you're going to love her. She's a scattered-brained author of gothic novels. What transpires is a little like Pygmalion, there's a lot for our heroine to learn in a short period of time.

This delightful romp takes us on a journey of loss, learning, friendship, love, revenge, adventure and a lot of bewilderment. I didn't cry, not once. It's not that kind of story, it sweet. I won't hesitate next time I see Ms. Ashford's name on a book, I'm going for it. As this is a romance book, there is a happy ending. We'd be disappointed if there wasn't. Receiving a free book ARC is a privilege and one I certainly enjoy. Being able to share my opinion with you is a pleasure. Both are free and without obligation. Happy reading.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. This did not influence my review.

Interestingly, as I started to read Earl to the Rescue by Jane Ashford, I noticed it is a re-release of the 1980 novel titled Gwendeline. Whether this explains the less-steamy nature of the novel or whether the author generally prefers to shy away from more explicit sex in her books, this is a refreshingly sweet Regency Romance despite some dark undertones and a tendency toward melodrama.

Gwendeline Gregory is a recently orphaned eighteen-year-old gentlewoman whose father gambled away the family resources and whose mother’s reputation was no better. Gwendeline hardly knew her parents since they buried her away on a country estate while giving themselves over to a hedonistic lifestyle. They died in a carriage accident, leaving her with nothing.

Despite an inborn resilience and stubbornness, as well as a conspicuous beauty, Gwendeline has nothing to fall back on and she’s beginning to despair. The estate is just days from being sold off to pay creditors. Then Alex St. Audley, Earl of Merryn, pays a call.

The earl is young, wealthy, strikingly handsome, and possesses a forceful personality. He introduces himself as a friend of her parents. He’d come to take over care of the daughter of these friends, having just learned she existed. However, he was expecting a young child. He has to adapt his plans on the fly. Although Gwendeline initially resists being managed, she has no other choice. She finds herself carted off to London to be housed and brought into society by the earl’s mother.

Gwendeline adapts well to the ton. She’s beautiful, charming and intelligent. She is befriended by another debutante and hires an ex-governess to be a companion in the townhouse provided to her by the earl and a concerned group of her father’s old friends. Yet the earl’s story doesn’t quite add up. She can’t find out who these other friends are. It is shockingly unacceptable for her to be “kept” by the earl alone. And people drop references to her parents that make her aware that they were even worse than she’d realized. Most disturbingly, she is stalked by a “friend” of her mother, whose interest in her is blatantly unsavory.

All the while, the earl pops in and out of her life, always seeming to be present when she needs a helping hand, but mostly keeping his distance. She is intrigued by him, though frustrated by the suspicion he is hiding something.

Eventually, all the old secrets come to light, but not before she is abducted, twice, and rescued each time by the earl. Of course she has fallen in love with him, but doesn’t understand that he has also fallen in love with her.

Gwendeline pulls off the feat of being naive, yet smart. The earl is controlling, yet not quite arrogant. The antagonist is chilling and convincingly evil. The remaining supporting characters are entertaining. I’m glad Sourcebooks brought this novel back for Romance fans to enjoy.

Gwendeline Gregory has been left destitute following her parents’ death in a carriage accident. She's trying to work out how she will live when Alex St. Audley, Earl of Merryn arrives & whisks her to London where a house & one thousand pounds a year has been arranged for her by several people. She's in over her head in London Society then things take a more sinister turn.
I’ve read other books by the author which I’ve enjoyed but I struggled with this book. I liked Alex & all that he did but I couldn’t relate to Gwendeline at all, I found her extremely immature & just plain annoying. I know she's no bluestocking but did she have to stress that she was stupid! The pace of the book varied & when the pace slowed I found myself skimming pages until it picked up again. So an OK read for me, if it had been the first book I’d read by the author I don’t think I'd read another but as I know her other books are so much better I'll certainly give her another try.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I love historical fiction however this book fell short. I so wanted to like the book, but didn’t. The beginning of the book was so slow until about halfway through.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating 3.5/5

I had a hard time finishing this mainly because of two things: 1) the damsel in distress trope and 2) the S.L.O.W. pace. With any HR I read, because of it's severe rules I want a really strong heroine with a bit of a backbone. However, Gwen was very weak and played the damsel in distress role to the T. Also, the pacing was so horribly slow that it was a while before there was even a hint of romance and when it finally blossomed, it wasn't as grand as I like it to be in my HR.

I've read other Jane Ashford's books and thoroughly enjoyed them, but this one fell flat for me. Alex St. Audley, Earl of Merryn, is the hero who rescues destitute Gwendeline Gregory after her parents' deaths. I had a hard time connecting with the H and h and with hardly any interaction, they fall in love? The last ballroom scene was so far-fetched. Was there no one who could act as they watched the villain abduct Gwendeline? I actually didn't care if these two got together in the end. The plot was bizarre in spots, moved slowly in others and just didn't excite me in the least.