I received a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Ellen and Ollie fell in love when they were 17 but their love was not meant to be and Ellen married a man old enough to be her father. Now Ellen is widowed and Ollie has come back into her life but Ellen's secret has the power to devastate them all. I really loved Ollie. His devotion and love for Ellen throughout his life was so pure and he was willing to humble himself over and over again for her. Ellen on the other hand pissed me off. I understood her motives but her lying for so long even with Ollie's constant love was irritating. Can't wait to read what comes next from this author.

What can I say, except this book had mix and match in everything! From lovely story to suspense, romance, great characters, writing and plot. After this book I want to read more books in this genre.

Ellen Hillgrave married Lord Fieldhurst. She was seventeen years old and wanted to Marry Oliver but that was not to happen. She had one son, Phillip, She adored him and had come to care for Arthur Fieldhurst. Fourteen years later he dies and she is a widow with a thirteen-year-old boy. She has had a good life with Arthur and been fairly happy. But her son is acting out from the death of his father and is very naughty and also was suspended from Eton.
Oliver McCaron, Earl of Armbruster, Has spent seventeen years alone but has made the estate so rich it would take more than three lifetimes to spend it. He is a good guy and takes care of his estate. He is asked by his friend O'Leary of Scotland Yard to check out a Chartist in the form of Antonine Bertrand, they were afraid he might be a cause of hurting the crown. A long time ago, he knew Lady Fieldhurst, she was his love and lover.
There are so many twists to this story. It is written well, easy to understand and is well-plotted. The characters are wonderful and engaging. I read this excellent book in one sitting. and was totally entertained. The interactions between the characters was amusing, witty, and seemed so realistic. I love it. I highly recommend this novel.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I really liked this! We had young love, broken hearts, secrets, and longing. We also had loyalty, protectiveness, blackmail, vengeance, and finally a happily ever after. Oliver and Ellen left me with a smile :)

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Although, it doesn't say in the title this has to be book two in the Mayfair Men of Mystery series. This is the story of Oliver and his lost love. I really didn't know how I was going to like this because I have a hard time enjoying second chance romances. However, I have to say this was a moving compelling story. I enjoyed it a great deal.

I have been a fan of Sharon Cullen's work since I "discovered" her in the All the Queen's Spies series. One of those books is a favorite HR of mine to this day! I was excited to receive this ARC and read her latest.

Deceiving an Earl is a second chance romance between Oliver McCaron, Earl of Armbruster and the recently widowed Lady Ellen Fieldhurst, who shared a passionate encounter years before and planned to run away together; however, Ellen's parents learned of her intention, and she was coerced into marrying an old man instead. Though time has changed some things about both of them, it has not damped their desires for one another, and when Ellen needs help, Oliver steps up to the plate. Can he protect her, forgive her, and trust her once again?

This was a quick, fun read that I enjoyed - I'm looking forward to more from Sharon Cullen already!

Oliver McCaron, Earl of Armbruster, is an influential, self-made man who lives life by his own rules. Though he’s never lacking for female attention, there’s only one woman he wants. And she’s the one woman who won’t have him…again. Widowed Lady Fieldhurst has spent the last seventeen years avoiding Oliver, after one glorious night together. Her parents had already planned out her life - she was never to become Oliver’s wife, despite their plans to run away. To protect her secret, she had to follow their wishes and marry the elderly earl they had chosen. Now Ellen’s world is threatened by a blackmailer who could expose everything. She’ll have to face the only man she’s ever loved and ask for help. Because if the truth comes to light, it could ruin more than one life...
This book was rather disappointing to me. I’ve read a number of books by this author and enjoy them but I really had some issues with this one. I really liked Oliver (which is why I actually finished the book) but I didn’t like Ellen at all. I didn’t like her reactions to certain situations and just didn’t like her reasoning.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

So, this is both what exactly what you know what it's going to be and not at the same time.

✓: Oliver gets the obvious pro check-mark. He had a few uneven, frustrating moments for me, but he also goes through some major crap in this. I mostly wanted to pat him on the head.

✓: Phillip started as almost a caricature and ended as one of my favorite parts of the book.

✓: The epilogue!

✓: Ellen won't go in my Character Hall of Fame by any means, or even my Character Hall of Like. However, regarding past!Ellen and most of current!Ellent? I don't hate her or even dislike her or begrudge her for the most part, and I appreciated that Cullen really painted a complicated picture instead of keeping it quite so binary "evil first husband vs one true love" like the usual. [Spoiler on Goodreads]

✘: On the flip side, I also disliked that it felt like Ellen spent most of the time wringing her hands and trying not to cry, especially when other parts of her character were on point and multifaceted with her cool salons and awesomeness.

±: [Spoiler on Goodreads.]

✘: The villain sucks.

✘: What happened to the French guy?

tl;dr: 3.5 for complicated family plots and angst. (Also, I want to read an O'Leary centric book, please.)



Disclaimer: Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the free ARC, with no incentive or coercion on your parts.

I just really enjoyed this book. It was just really easy to get lost in this book. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

A well-developed historical romance with a solid and unique plotline. Good characters and dialogue moved the book along quite nicely.

Ellen and Oliver met when they were seventeen. They quickly fell in love and Oliver proposed. Unbeknownst Ellen parents have enteredin a betrothal contract with the older Earl of Fieldhurst. Renowned surgeon, William, has been nipping at Ellen’s heels for months. While Ellen only sees him as a friend, William needs more. When Ellen rebuffs his proposal, William discovers a long-held secret he uses to force Ellen’s hand.

Oliver McCaron, Earl of Armbruster, spent seventeen years wondering what happened to his Ellen to change her mind about marrying him. Ellen instead married the Earl of Fieldhurst, a man twice her age. While in the same circles, the two never spoke to each other until Oliver showed up at Ellen’s salon

The author delivers another has given us another stunning storyline Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. The story goes back and forth between the past in the present, so we get to see Ellen and Oliver at seventeen and at thirty-four. The road they take is made even more complicated by Philip and William in very different ways. Ellen is tough with a huge heart. Her son always comes first. While he never intended to,
Oliver has waited for Ellen to hold his heart once again.
The authors has written a well developed cast of characters and just the right romance that kept me captivated all the way through to the satisfying and perfect end

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

I was thoroughly enchanted with this story of two star-crossed lovers. Ellen and Oliver met when they were 17. They quickly fell in love and promised to marry. Oliver's father took Oliver to their estate to further his education of becoming an earl someday. Unfortunately during those few days, Ellen's parents entered her into a betrothal with an much older Earl of Fieldhurst. A week before the wedding, Ellen and Oliver become lovers. They are both virgins. They agree to run away to Scotland to marry. Unfortunately those plans never come to fruition.

It is seventeen years later when the story basically begins with flashback to their prior assignation. There is murder, mystery, blackmail and more entanglements in this historical romance. The road that these two face is just full of strife and discord. Ms. Cullen really put these two characters through so much that it was impossible to not fall in love with them. This story just took my emotions and pulled them all around and wrung my heart out. I really hated to put this down as I was so intrigued by these two.

This book was written in a multiple POV format. I love getting into the characters' thoughts to really understand them so much better. Here we get more than just the two main protagonists.

There are some scenes that may trigger issues for some here by way of violence. It is not highly descriptive (as murder mysteries and thrillers) but it may not be suitable to all. I highly recommend this story to anyone over the age of 18.

I absolutely adored this book. I'm usually not one for historical romance but I figured I would try this one out and it did not disappoint. I read this book kind of fast but it held my attention to the last page.

Miss Ellen Hillgrave and Oliver McCaron, Viscount Fairview met and fell in love when they were both 17, but she ended up married her to the Earl of Fielhurst to protect her secret. Widowed Ellen is now the mother of a 16 year old son, Philip. Ellen and Oliver meet again seventeen years late at a literary salon hosted by Ellen. He’s now the Earl of Armbruster and lives by his own rules. He soon finds her son Phillip is in trouble and Ellen’s world is threatened by a blackmailer who threatens to expose everything. A great story filled with twist and turns to keep the story exciting. I loved this captivating story and I voluntarily wrote a review.

Deceiving an Earl is kind of heartbreaking for most of the book. I loved that Ellen and Oliver reach their HEA, but it was really hard getting there. Don’t think I did not like the book, I did, I was just frustrated that Ellen doesn’t have any backbone. My preference is for strong female characters to emerge especially during difficulty. Ellen seems to be weak when confronted by others, her parents, her son, William, but not with Oliver. Ellen is determined to protect her son at all costs to herself and to Oliver. On that she is stubbornly strong.

Oliver is amazingly patient and just a kind man. Even when told to stay away from Phillip, he still takes him in and takes time to listen to him. He is so in love with Ellen, even when she is pushing him away, he cannot stay away. He even admits that no other woman could measure up to Ellen. It's why he waited seventeen years.

The group of gentlemen who like solving ‘cases’ is still an interesting and supportive group. Oliver knows that Ashland and O’Leary will be there for him, just as he was there for them. We met these gentlemen in the first book, An Unwilling Earl. (Go back and read it if you have not done so, yet).

This is a great weekend book and second on the Mayfair Men of Mystery series. Although it can be read as a standalone, I enjoyed reading it in sequence. Just make sure you know it deals with difficult subjects, such as discussion of autopsies, the beating of a woman and hitting her son. Yes, everything ends relatively well, but is difficult on your heart.

Deceiving an Earl by Sharon Cullen is the story of Ellen Fieldhurst and Oliver McCaron, Earl of Armbruster. Ellen and Oliver where young and in love but her parents had other plans for her so she was sent off to marry Lord Fieldhurst. Now 17 years later she is a widower who has been avoiding Oliver ever since that day they loved and was torn apart. But now in their present day Ellen has a son that isn't listen to her and she hopes that Oliver can help. There is more going on than just that but it does put them on the path to be together again.
Enjoyed this second chance at love.

There were some very likeable characters in this story, Oliver McCaron, Earl of Armbruster was an honourable person. Even though Ellen hadn’t treated him well, he still loved her and wanted to help her in any way he could. Ellen and Oliver had first met seventeen years ago and throughout the story there are flashbacks as to what happened between them during their time together. Ellen’s son Philip, was a young man in need of guidance but unfortunately Ellen was unable to assist him. I found myself getting frustrated with Ellen, why was she so weak, especially when it came to helping her son and why didn’t she trust Oliver with her true feelings? There is another story that concerns Armbruster and his friend Ashland, helping Detective O’Leary investigate unsolved murders. Of course, there is a particular vile villain, whom I’m happy to say received his comeuppance. I did find this an absorbing read, even though some parts were uncomfortable to read. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another wonderful historical story about ladies and dashing Earl's, from start to finish this is an awesome read you won't want to out down

I received a copy from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my own honest opinion

Who doesn't like a second chance romance? I really do and this one took 17 years from young love to finally meet up again, and in a most unusual circumstance.
The hero, Oliver, Earl of Armbruster has been working with Scotland Yard and now he is directed to find out some information on a certain person. But it also has him running into his young love, Lady Ellen Fieldhurst, now widowed and with a sixteen year old out of control son it seems! He really does not want to get involved with her again because she truly broke his heart and he has never forgotten her..
One think leads to another and he ends up helping her with her unruly son, trying to get him on the right path. She on the other hand is being blackmailed by a doctor to reveal one of her big secrets which will make a mess for several people.
I have to say I just wanted to shake Ellen at times and that is the work of a great author that evokes those strong feelings for her characters. Can these two find that love again they had and bring it back to life? A lot of twist and turns and truly kept my interest!

Oliver McCaron, Earl of Armbruster, is an influential, self-made man who lives life by his own rules. Though he’s never lacking for female attention, there’s only one woman he wants. And she’s the one woman who won’t have him…again.
Widowed Lady Fieldhurst has spent the last seventeen years avoiding Oliver, after one glorious night together. Her parents had already planned out her life - she was never to become Oliver’s wife, despite their plans to run away.
Now Ellen’s world is threatened by a blackmailer who could expose everything. She’ll have to face the only man she’s ever loved and ask for help with her son. If the truth of her past comes to light, it could ruin more than one life...
An unruly and self serving young lord, his mother who can not control him and a man who doesn't want to become involved compile the main cast in this tale.
Will Ellen's secret come to light and how will Oliver take the news of the secret she has kept for over fifteen years?
I liked this book but since I guessed the secret early on in the story it was not a surprise to me and made this book a bit dull.
I am a Sharon Cullen fan but this one would not rank as one of my favorites.
I gave this book 4 of 5 stars for story line and characterization.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book to read.
This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.