The Earl I ruined by Scarlett Peckham
The Secrets of Charlotte Street #2

Two people that danced around one another for years, played games, misconstrued situations, said hurtful things, hid their feelings and then had to come up with a way to repair a ruined reputation could not have been more entertaining than Constance and Julian. I don’t know if you have ever written something that was not for public consumption that became common fodder but Lady Constance Stonewell had that happen to her and the impact it had on Julian Haywood, the Earl of Apthorp, sees her trying to fix things and THAT sees them engaged but with an expiration date. Little do they realize that their perceptions might be misperceptions and that the time they spend together might make them want more than a pretend engagement. With balls to attend, money matters to deal with, family matters to contend with, people to convince and a steamy scene or two this book was a joy to read from beginning to end. I kept thinking that Constance was immature and often didn’t see the bigger picture or how what she did might impact others but in spite of that I can say that I was thrilled for the couple when they finally achieved their happily ever after. I am rather curious about who will have their story told next and can’t wait to find out.

Thank you to NYLA and NetGalley for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Absolutely phenomenal— Scarlett Peckham is one of the most exciting new voices in historical romance, and this book is brilliant. Full stop.

Julian Haywood, the Earl of Apthorp, has been ruined for the second time now and is devastated to learn that he's been betrayed by the girl of his dreams, Lady Constance Stonewell. Constance had good intentions, but as usual they've blown up in her face and she's wound up causing problems. To fix everything and save Julian's latest Parliamentary bill from the scandal, she suggests a faux engagement, of course they won't go through with it, but it should be enough to save his reputation. Since it's all pretend and they're not really in love, what could possibly go wrong?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this book, but the level of angst and back and forth between these two just got to be a bit much after awhile. Constance created so many unnecessary problems with her (albeit well-intentioned) meddling and generally made Julian feel awful about himself. Her reasoning for why Julian also made her feel bad about herself was rather immature and a bit of a stretch for me. I just wanted them to communicate like adults and get it together. When one of them finally did, the other didn't. Eventually, they did get it together and we got a satisfactory ending, but it was hard fought. Despite the angst, this was still an enjoyable read and I'd recommend it and intend to go back and read the first book in the series now and continue with the future installments. This was a very well-written book and once I got into it I really didn't want to put it down until I finished.

I received a complimentary ARC via NetGalley. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love this author! I have read this one and then the first in the series as well, and they are both fabulous. I would highly recommend both books in this series and this author overall!!

Review will be posted at www.allaboutromance.com
The best way to make me devour a book is to have characters that absolutely pine for each other. Even better if they have some kind of history between them that means they’re hiding their feelings, afraid to get hurt, or have been secretly in love for years. The Earl I Ruined checked all my boxes and them some, and made me lose sleep more than one night to stay up reading.

Peckham’s debut, The Duke I Tempted, was very different than other historical romances I’ve read recently because the hero had a submissive side he exercised through visiting a sex club. From reviews I’ve seen, this didn’t work for some readers because the issue of whipping put people off, and also concerns whether he was being faithful to the heroine. I hope those readers might give The Earl I Ruined another shot because it is so different from its predecessor, while still having the wallop of emotion and lush writing that Peckham displayed in her first book. If you loved the first book, I think you’ll be delighted with the second installment as well.

If you’re used to ladies getting their reputation ruined and being forced to marry, Lady Constance Stonewell turns that trope on its head. She writes a scathing poem about the Earl of Apthorp, reveal his Wednesday visits to the Charlotte Street sex club. Now that she’s gained the stodgy earl the nickname Arsethorp with her pique, she sets out to save his reputation by offering to marry him. Or at least fake an engagement.

Julian Haywood, Earl of Apthorp has loved Constance for years, but hidden it behind a veil of disapproval for her outrageous demeanor. However, telling his sexual secrets to the world, and jeopardizing the Charlotte Street club and all involved, is a step too far. He would have loved to marry her before, but her offer of a hasty engagement now only makes him angry and hurt.

They agree to convince society that they’re hopelessly in love for a short time, then break it off before marriage. For Constance, being tied to a man who she calls Lord Bore and who constantly looks down on her won’t be easy. For Julian, the hurt of the sham engagement to a woman he wanted to marry is often too much. The more time they spend together feigning romance, however, the more they come to understand each other and what hides behind each of their outward facades.

I adored Constance more than I ever would have expected from her appearance in The Duke I Tempted. She seems to be someone who loves attention and drama, but once we got to see how much insecurity she was concealing, I found myself relating to her. She is so worried that the world wants her only for fun and parties, and that she doesn’t have any true friends. That makes her particularly difficult towards Julian, who doesn’t seem to care at all about frivolity. It’s as though she thinks she has one weapon in her arsenal, and he’s immune. Little does she know, the earl is far more than he seems, and once they started to get to know each other, and Julian let her see his wild side, these two set off sparks like a bonfire.

The sex club has a really small role in this book, besides being part of the impetus for Julian and Constance’s connection, which worked for me. I’m not big on sex clubs in books, to be honest, so I liked that The Earl I Ruined was more about how Julian was affected by people’s knowledge of his proclivities, than about him really visiting there. That said, the scenes between Julian and Constance are hot! She’s so innocent, which I normally don’t love, but in this case it let Julian step out of his “Lord Bore” shell and take control.

Far and away, though, the best part of this book is how rich the history is between Constance and Julian. That’s what tugged at my heart and kept me turning (digital) page after page. I really believed that they had years of knowing each other behind them, including times of attraction and missteps and friendship. The foundation added something to the story that you don’t get from the average meet-cute scenario, and I fawned over both of these poor little damaged characters and how much they struggled to see what was in front of them.

Personally, I’m completely impressed with both The Duke I Tempted and The Earl I Ruined. Peckham is so strong right out of the gate with this fabulous series. I have no clue if there will be more but I’ve already heard buzz of a new series from her and I can’t wait to see what she does. Truly, she’s got a fabulous talent for emotional writing and I’m excited to read what comes next.

I'm so disappointed, I LOVED the first half but the second one not so much. I had my doubts about Constance since the beginning but I thought that she was going to change and in the end it was really hard for me to like her. She's immature, she makes mistakes and blames other people. She just can't admit that she's wrong. She doesn't seem to understand how her actions could hurt others. At first she had good intentions but most of the time she makes assumptions and she keeps making the same mistakes. I loved Julian but all of this makes me question why does he love her, I think he's too good for her. She doesn't respect Julian's boundaries, She judged him all the time, she had a snobbish attitude. She did things that concerned him without asking him and She gets angry when he doesn't agree with her when he has all the right too.


I loved Julian he's a Beta honorable hero who has been in love with the heroine since forever. He BLUSHES. And he has bad manners in bed if you know that I mean 😏🔥 He's not perfect but he's aware of his mistakes, he apologizes if he needs to, he's a mature man.

To sum up: Interesting plot, reversed trope (SHE ruins HIS reputation and she offers her hand in marriage), Loved the hero but the heroine ruined it for me.

I think I liked this story better than the first! I adored Constance’s character from book one and was so excited when I saw that she was the heroine for this book. Julian and Constance are amazing and their chemistry is slow and lovely to watch. I also love that this was a historical romance that takes place in the Georgian era. I love regencies but it’s wonderful to read romances that take place during different periods in history. She actually talks about wigs and a wig room! The sex scenes are absolutely sizzling and I loved them. I’m so happy we have a hero who flat out tells the heroine that she doesn’t need him to experience pleasure. My favorite scenes is the one where Constance masturbates... with an apple... urged on by Julian. Might be the sexiest scene in any romance I’ve read all year.

I reviewed Ms. Peckham's first book - I loved it. I didn't care for this one nearly as much.

The author has almost totally abandoned the premise for the series - Charlotte Street! - in favor of creating one dramatic scene after another, none of which was particularly compelling in any way whatsover. The heroine is lovely but her story lacks substance. Lord Bore is a bore. I hoped for more insight into his life at Charlotte Street (since IT IS the premise for the series), and instead his role was teased and then mentioned as a mere afterthought to advance the plot. These characters are ahead of the time and place in this novel - a virgin and a sex toy? - and the heaping on of difficulties followed by the ridiculous runaway scene at the end added up to a book #2 disappointment.

Hoping Ms. Peckham's next book sees her return to the form of The Earl I Tempted. The Earl I Ruined may have ruined me for this series.

Man, I love this series. I absolutely devoured THE DUKE I TEMPTED and, even though some parts of that book left me feeling a little ishy, I couldn't wait to read THE EARL I RUINED.

I love THE EARL I RUINED, book 2 in the series, so much. I love the characters, the story, the way the romance blossoms. Can't wait for #3!

Scartlett Peckham is now a must read author for me. Her writing is so smart and her characters so nuanced. Even when Constance and Apthorp made mistakes and hurt each other, I still felt for them so much. Incredibly moving.

Lady Constance Stonewell has really put her foot in it this time. Because of her big mouth, a little article was printed in a gossip column that all but ruins Julian Haywood, the Earl of Apthorp. Constance regreats her actions and sets out to make things right by offering the man she ruined her hand in marriage.

What Constance does not know is that Julian has been in love with her for years. He knows she means well, but entering into a fake courtship with Constance in order to repair his reputation is going to be the hardest thing he has ever done. Julian does his best to keep his secret closely guarded, but the more he is with Constance, the more he wants their courtship to be real. Could this be his chance to win her hand for real?

Author Scarlett Peckham is new-to-me, but I very much enjoyed reading what I just discovered to be the second novel in her THE SECRETS OF CHARLOTTE STREET series, THE EARL I RUINED. The characters are very complex and the story has such depth. Ms. Peckham really draws you into the world she has created here. Julian and Constance both have their secrets and both are very different people than what they allow others to see. It is when they are together that they allow their walls to come down and learn to be their true selves. THE EARL I RUINED is beautifully done and I look forward to going back and reading book one in the series, THE DUKE I TEMPTED. I am sure THE SECRETS OF CHARLOTTE STREET will garner Ms. Peckham many new fans.

The Earl I Ruined was a sweet tale if a bit long. I enjoyed it and simply could not put the tale down. I would recommend it.

What a great book. I finished this is 2 days! Good story line and great chemistry between the characters. Can't wait for her next book!!

This is a new author for me and I did enjoy the book, but I have to admit that I was a little shocked of some of the content. I am not a prude, but was just surprised that this was an issue that was brought up in that era, I mean I have read lots and lots of historical fictions and I know all about the rakes and brothels, but again still didn't expect this but by no means think that it is a bad book. So we meet Lady Constance and she had wrote a poem on Lord Alpethorpe who she claimed was the most boring man out there. She ruins him with the type of information she diverged and now wants to assist him in cleaning up his name and also protecting hers if her brother finds out what she did, (apparently I missed the first book) Anywhoo the rest is enjoyable in their fake relationship and the feelings they had never admitted.

This book threw all of my favorite tropes together in the best way: second chance romance, hate-to-love, and fake relationship. This mashup was done absolutely beautifully and with just the right mix of fun romance and angst.

The conflicts between Lady Constance and Julian Haywood, Earl of Althorp (our protagonists) felt so real and believable. The issues of trust and assumptions and judging people on the surface are all explored over the course of the story, and never in a way that seemed exaggerated. There is also a lovely cast of side characters, including Constance's brother and his wife, who were the hero and heroine of the first book in this series (which I also adored). I felt so immersed in Constance and Apthorp's London that after I finished reading I lamented the fact that I don't actually live there!

There is also a TON of pining in this novel, which I always always always adore in romances. The buildup is so well done -- I gasped out loud at how perfect the first kiss scene is. This is most definitely a must-read for everyone who loves historical romance!

Lady Constance Stonewell likes to match couples. She thought Earl Apthorp was a bore. So she thinks he wants to marry a certain girl and feels he is not the one for her. So she writes a poem about the Earl and someone puts it in the paper. His reputation is ruined. He also has a bill in parliament that he has sunk a lot of money into. He would also end up destitute. She does not even check her gossip to see if it is right. She has done something like it to his now wife. She almost ruined her.
Julian Haywood, the Earl of Apthorp, is devastated that she did this to him. He also worries about his mother and sister, they would have to give up the few things they have left to enjoy.
I found, at times, humor also it would be awful if he felt he could never trust her. He had loved her for eight years.
I really liked the way that her brother handled the problems she bought on with her impulsiveness.
The characters seemed well rounded to me and they were so very lifelike. There were a lot of complications but the author handled them well. Her writing was smooth, easy to read, and kept the interest alive. It was hard to put down and I read it in one sitting. I do recommend this book. It has something for most people.

I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Scarlett Peckham's THE EARL I RUINED was an absolute pleasure to read and I highly recommend it!
These are some of the notes I made while reading (contains mild spoilers):
- Utterly beautiful, lavish scenes, scrumptious descriptions, swoon-worthy characters, witty banter, intelligent writing, heartwarming & super sexy
- Reversed tropes (*she* ruins *him*), friends to lovers, foes to lovers, unrequited love
- Sex-and body positive/ re-affirming, an instructed masturbation scene, a dildo gift!

P.S. I highly welcome when authors give content warnings and I'd love to highlight them here too: There are referrals about sexual assault, prostitution, BDSM which I find have been handled in a very delicate, sensitive and considerate way.
P.P.S. I had the honour to read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and ideas are my own and freely given without bias.

#TheEarlIruined #NetGalley

ARC graciously provided by Netgalley. “The Earl I Ruined” is the second installment of the Secrets Of Charlotte Street Series, and I would venture to say that I enjoyed this story more than I did the first one. This book features Westmead's, from “The Duke I Tempted,” social darling and interfering sister Constance and the Earl of Apthorp, Julian Haywood, who Constance has nicknamed “Lord Bore.” The story starts out revealing that the supposed “Lord Bore” is truly anything but; a scandal sheet has revealed the rumors of some of his “perversities” which he indulges in an illicit brothel and speculates about his supposed taste for whippings. Julian is an impoverished Lord that has been working very hard on passing a bill in the house of Lords that would cause his finances to greatly benefit as well as his country estate. He has strived to remain under the radar and allow no hint of scandal or impropriety to mar his reputation or that of his family, and this recent publishing of mocking and speculative rumors will be the undoing of all his efforts and cause his ruin, both financially and socially.

Constance finds out that the club in which Julian is rumored to frequent is in danger of being discovered and all it's members revealed, one of which is none other than her disapproving older brother the Duke of Westmead, and is worried. The rumor was published because of her and her schemes to help and warn fellow female members of society from marrying unsuitable gentleman. Constance hatches a plan to restore the Earl's reputation, her brother cannot find out that she is the reason for yet another scandal, and she feels guilty that her scheme went horribly wrong; she never intended to out him to the masses and humiliate him. What ensues is a concerted effort in which Julian and Constance pretend to be a couple in love and engaged to marry and work to restore his reputation so his bill can be passed and his estate and finances saved.

The plot was definitely an interesting twist on the typical historical plot device in which the couple must marry to restore the heroine's reputation. I wasn't sure if it would work out in a way that made sense, but it did and it was plausible and believable. I enjoyed the fact that Julian had been in love with Constance for years, but as a result of her errors has to find out if he can truly come to trust her again while still loving her. I also enjoyed seeing how Constance came to see Julian in a whole new light after knowing him for years and discovering his hidden depths. Julian's involvement with the brothel on Charlotte Street is interesting, but in my opinion is not truly explored as much as I would have liked. It almost seems like it was a minor secondary part of his story, despite the fact that so much of the plot is centered around the revelation of his supposed tastes. I noticed this in “The Duke I Tempted” as well, where the activities the characters are involved in at the brothel are merely discussed in the background and it's not until very late in the story that the reader gets a glimpse of how the main couple is affected in their relationship by the goings-on practiced at the brothel. I wish the main couple could indulge and explore earlier in the story. That is my main complaint with this story, the pacing was not what I was hoping for, which is a shame because there was great potential with these characters.

There were some loose ends that were not quite tied up in “The Earl I Ruined” that I was left wondering about, mainly regarding how and why Constance came to find out the rumors about Apthorp. There was some talk about an actress, but that was never fully explained or clarified. Another thing I found interesting was that Westmead seems to be very different in this story than his characterization is in his book, he certainly seems far sterner and harsher than I remembered and thought he seemed quite different. He also seemed entirely too casual about Constance finding out that he is a patron of the brothel on Charlotte Street and that topic is never really fleshed out or discussed very much, Constance doesn't really question or wonder too much despite being very interested before. These are just a couple of things I was left wondering about after finishing the book and would have liked to have seen cleared up. Ultimately, however, I very much enjoyed Julian and Constance and their relationship in this story. I liked them both as individuals and as a couple as well. Their interactions and history together and how their romantic relationship pans out was satisfying and their mutual discovery that they are more compatible with one another than either one ever imagined was great.

Enjoyed the story of Constance and Julian because it was well written, entertaining and kept me wondering what she would fo next to top the last antic. They are two people who have secretly felt deeply for each other without letting the other one know their feelings. Instead they both were very cutting in their remarks to each other. There is s HEA but a lot happens first, including her exposing him to public ridicule, then proposing a fake engagement, her manipulation of people to see things the way she wants and their each acknowledging their true feelings. It is an entertaining story with s lot of “what next” to keep your attention. I would recommend this as s good read and definitely worth your time.

The predecessor to this book, The Duke I Tempted, was one of the best books I read this year. It was so good. So damn good and I've been excited to read this sequel since reading the snipped provided in the first.

But... (you knew that was coming right?)

It wasn't that "The Earl I Ruined" was bad. In fact, I loved many, many parts of it. The character of Constance was as divine here as she was in her first showing. The hero, Apthorp, grew from a rather flat character in the first to a complicated, well worthy hero. The author inverted the "ruined reputation" trope to have the hero be the one in need of rescue and our heroine stepping deftly in to save him. I loved all of this. All of it. The love story between our hero and heroine was beautifully written.

But...

Where the hell was Charlotte Street?! The plot was tangled up in so many subplots I felt it lost focus on the central, main conflict of our hero/heroine. And Charlotte Street, the house of illicit activities that only the highest ranking and well connected men and women of rank get access to, which is what the entire series is based on and was a well visited location in the first novel was only alluded to here. For much of the novel we were left in the dark as to how exactly our hero was connected to it, and when it was revealed in the final quarter it was so instantly accepted that I felt it fell flat. I loved Constance's open mindedness- it was a huge part of her appeal- but I felt a disconnect between how quickly she accepted his role at Charlotte Street and her innocence. Shouldn't there have been more questioning? Not a scene of melodrama, but perhaps one of humor since so much of their relationship was tenderly humorous. But it was over in a snap of the fingers: he revealed his role. She accepted it. And that brings us to his very public reveal... were there no repercussions for his revealing what was supposed to be a private and secret club? I didn't buy it. It didn't feel honest to the story and coupled with so many subplots, I just didn't enjoy it as much as the first.

I adore this author's imaginings and the places she takes readers to. I love the characters she creates. She's already created two of my favorite heroines in romance. I just hope that this sophomore slump is rectified in the next novel.