Sweet, but it fell a little flat for me.

I just found myself wanting a little more from this one. When Amelia and Brandon reunited, it was really promising! I was looking forward to the angsty romance. But, I felt like the romance took a bit of a backseat to the plot in this one. I would have appreciated a little more time with the couple building the romance, but that is a personal preference of mine.

I am interested enough to continue in the series, as well as go back and read the first book in the series.

This is a 2nd chance romance story. Amelia and Brandon were childhood sweethearts. Before they could act on their love, her father finds out and sends Amelia off to boarding school. Brandon gets sent to the atmy.
The story picks up 12 years later, where they meet accidentally at a masked ball. Brandon doesn't recognize her at first, but Amelia knows who he is.
But she doesn't have time for him. She is there to help bail her brother and by extension herself out of trouble.
Brandon senses something is wrong and wants to help. Her knight in shining armor to the rescue.
As with most of Anna Bradley 's books, there's alot of non stop action and some hot intimate scenes.
I started this book and couldn't put it down. I loved it.
5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

I’ve been meaning to read a book by Anna Harrington ever since I met her at a historical romance book conference a couple of years ago. But for some reason, I just never got around to it. So when I saw An Unexpected Earl available on NetGalley, I snatched it up to rectify my oversight. And I’m so glad I did!

I’ll start by saying this is the second book in Ms. Harrington’s Lords of the Armory series. I didn’t read book one and while this book does stand alone, I think the experience would have been enhanced by reading An Inconvenient Duke. And I will be going back to read that book since the main characters did make appearances and I’m now curious to read their story. I also think there will probably be more background about the armory and its purpose.

This book follows Pearce, a former soldier, and newly named earl. While investigating a criminal group, he runs into his childhood sweetheart, Amelia, and sparks fly. The connection between these two is wonderfully written. I could feel the wanting and heat between the characters just burning up the pages. I liked how Ms. Harrington was able to weave their childhood friendship and budding romance into their reunion. And of course, Pearce’s investigation and Amelia’s secret just make everything even sweeter.

If you like second chance romances or historicals with a touch of suspense, this might be the book for you. I was taken on a wild ride with all the action and romance I could hope for. I’ll most definitely be continuing this series and hunting out more of Ms. Harrington’s backlist.

I love Anna Harrington, she's an auto-buy for me. But her stories can be a bit touch and go. The first book in this series for instance - I sort of had no idea what was going on so it was a bit of trepidation that I picked up this one.

This is a second chance love story between Pierre and Amelia. I hate when the first part of a love story takes place off-book. This would have been really easy to add as a prologue instead it's sort of given to you piecemeal in their internal dialogues.

This book really improves and expands upon the Sceptor plotline. Sceptor is this secret criminal organization that has its hand in the highest levels of society including politics. In this case, they are blackmailing Ameilia's brother to add their members to political appointments. We still don't know who's in Sceptor or what their endgame is but their machinations become a little bit more pronounced and this book starts to answer those questions. You also get to see other members of the Armory band together to fight them. Amelia is trapped in the middle of this story and Pearce from the first is determined to pick up where they left off and protect her. Amelia has secrets that hinder their love from being rekindled. So Pearce is up against a lot to reunite with his first love.

It's really well-written and the story grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go.

This book grabbed me from the beginning. My favorite stories are childhood friends that meet again later in life to finish what they have started.
The heroine in this book tuns a successful charity for widows of war soldiers. They create items for sale and using those items, they und the charity. The heroine is very smart. Her brother is in politics because they are not of the aristocracy. When the heroine was 20 years old, she became trapped by a fortune hunter and so she was dependent on her older brother for everything. The hero was her childhood friend, 2 years older. When she was 16, her father found the 2 of them, in a compromising position. The hero was sent to war and the heroine was sent to school in Scotland. She never heard from the hero again. Fast forward 12 years, and she is dressed as a courtesan, at a courtesan masked ball. Her brother is being blackmailed and she wants to save him. She meets up with the hero. He is attracted to her and when he saves her from a carriage accident, he sees her face and nothing will stop him now.
This was such a strong story about how childhood love can become adult love and how a pure heart triumphs over corruption. I could not put this book down; I read while walking around the house.
Based on the criteria of story strength, level of writing, how the story just tumbles from the pages, this is a book for the keeper shelf. The basis of the sorry plot and planning is perfect. I recommend this story and give it 5 stars.

This is an incredibly sweet second chance at love story that has the added spice of some really good intrigue.
Amelia and Pearce were childhood friends who were ripped apart because their 'status' was too far apart. They find each other 12 years later in much different circumstances and both embroiled in trying to solve shady plots that overlap. Of course, their old feelings come back with a bang, and of course, it's a pleasure to follow along on their story.
But seriously, as much as I loved the story of Amelia and Pearce finding each other once again, there is so much going on around them that that's what kept me turning pages. There are political machinations, a secret society pulling the strings, blackmail, shady shenanigans, and interesting characters that I'd love to see get their own love story in the future just so that I can know more about them.

I'm definitely going to be following the stories of the Lords of the Armory from now on.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the early read!

I’ve been a fan of Ms. Harrington’s historical romances for a few years now and have been looking forward to reading An Unexpected Earl since finishing the first book in the Lords of the Armory series a year ago. The story picks up with Brandon Pearce, current Earl of Sandhurst, a member of the Armory. He’s undercover, attending a party filled with known associates of Scepter, in hopes to get an invite into their depraved group. At the party, he sees a masked woman wearing a familiar locket, and realizes it’s Amelia Howard, his former best friend and first love.

Amelia Howard, sister to the Honorable Fredrick Howard, Member of Parliament, is at the party because she knows her brother is being blackmailed. Amelia doesn’t know what her brother is doing or what his secrets are, but she wants to help him and make sure their family isn’t ruined. When Brandon discovers that he and Amelia are connected via her brother’s scheming, the pair has to decide if they can trust one another and work together to help each other.

I love me a good second-chance romance, and An Unexpected Earl doesn’t disappoint. Right from the start there is a subtle yet powerful sexual tension between the pair. I needed them to reconnect badly, to share their innermost secrets and work together. Amelia is a smart woman and she mentally calculates the pros and cons of trusting Pearce. I like how she thinks it all through rather than just running on instinct. Yet, Amelia has a painful past and the memories keep her guarded, sometimes grieving for all she’s lost. There is some back and forth between the pair, but ultimately, their foundation is strong and their mutual trust allows them to move forward. I loved this pair and was completely caught up in their romance.

I also enjoy the whole Scepter aspect; it adds a depth and darkness to the stories. I appreciate the Amelia and Brandon work together to solve their mutual problems and hope that this trust and openness continues in future titles. There is a lot going on, but I was able to follow along easily. I also enjoyed a fun twist near the end of the book, figuring it out in time, but only due to the clues Ms. Harrington presented in the narrative.

Overall, I truly enjoyed An Unexpected Earl. It is exciting and action-filled. Second chance romances are one of my favorites, and Ms. Harrington excels with Amelia and Brandon. There is still much to discover and uncover regarding the evil Scepter, and I cannot wait for the next title!

My Rating: A Loved it!

This book has blackmail, secrets, love lost, love found. It keeps you entertained through the whole book. I was so involved the time past so quickly. Brandon/Pearce was friends with Amelia when they were younger, then they separated. Twelve years later Brandon is a war hero, he meets up with Amelia. This is where the blackmail, secrets and love come in. Anna Harrington writes stories that capture you and keeps you from beginning to end. I cannot wait to read more from her and this series.
I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest opinion.

This is a book about second chances for love and trusting the wrong person. Pearce was sexy as hell and made this a great book. Amelia came across a bit bipolar, on one hand she seemed strong and in charge and yet she let others control her life. 4 stars. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my fair review.

Pearce and Amelia were best friends as adolescents—until her father forced them apart. Twelve years later, they're reunited when Pearce begins investigating her MP brother's corruption. But Amelia's got a secret that could make a future between them impossible.

I enjoyed the plot and characters, the emotion and the intrigue. I found it a little difficult to believe that it took Amelia seven years to find a way out of her predicament, when it should have been obvious from the beginning. Also, I have to side-eye the claim that this is a feminist book, given the way Pearce manhandles Amelia and strikes her. That almost made this book a DNF for me.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Anna Harrington returns to Lords of the Armory, her series about ex-soldiers who join forces to uncover evil plan of a secret organization to thwart the government.

An Unexpected Earl focuses on Brandon Pearce, former brigadier who is now Earl West and the woman who is his former first love twelve years ago. Amelia Howard needs to stop her brother from turning her only possession, a land under her own name, to be put on turnpike trust. In order to that she has to find who has been blackmailing her brother. Unfortunately, Brandon Pearce seems to get in her way.

This book has second-chance romance between childhood friends. Gah. My weakness 😍. It's my favorite trope and I think Ms. Harrington writes the story well. I love that Brandon is determined to help Amelia - and to have her back in his side. I can believe that Brandon is still in love with Amelia and vice versa. Because the event that forced them apart twelve years previously is heartbreaking.

For me, Amelia feels a bit gullible though. I mean, everything that happens is because she trusts people easily. Sure, she has kind heart and maybe that's why she's so trusting. But the author also seems to want to make Amelia sounds smart and sassy, unfortunately, this clashes with her not suspecting anything at all.

However, I enjoy the book in overall. There's an excitement chasing scene in the middle too, involving boat and the River of Thames. Wow, that will look awesome on screen! Plus the Armory soldiers find out more about Scepter's schemes. I'm so happy that Merritt will have his book out in about four months. I'm curious with his "night" activities!


The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.

This is the first book I have read by Anna Harrington and I loved it! I found it to be a well-paced story with so much going on that I could not stop turning the pages to see what happened next.

A well told story complete with utter betrayal, a second chance romance, ritualistic mystery, intrigue, secret groups and of course revenge. I should also mention that the romance of Lady Amelia and Brandon Pearce is as steamy as it is sweet.

The secretive character of Merritt has my curiosity piqued. I look forward to seeing what the author has in store for him and any future installments in this series. A truly entertaining read!

I was given an ARC from the author via Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Will she be able to unburden her shame and still get the Prince Charming ...

Reunited after years apart, they are no more their younger self. Time took its toll and now they must move on their own path at their own pace.
Why when circumstances bring them together, they find themselves both on one side of the road.
Entrap in a web of lies and deceits, they struggle to find their way out and whom to trust or not.
Amelia has spend her life under the vicious clutches of her father then her brother. Nothing she does is left unchecked, she has no freedom outside the managing of her charity. And even this is under scrutiny and threatened if she does not behave as asked.
So when the few things she still has hold on is jeopardized, she is lost in an ocean of muddy water with leeches and deceit at every corner. So whom to trust when her faith has been broken and made her wary of men.
Pearce let go without a fight the woman he loved all this years ago because he believed he would never have been able to provide her with the life he think she deserves. So what a shock he has when he meet her again disguised as a courtesan and still unmarried. And while he works undercover for the crown to expose a dangerous society of villains, he agrees with himself he can’t let this second chance at rewriting their affair go to waste.
Yet it is difficult to help the woman he has loved for years if she keeps him at arm length, hold some vital informations and refuses to share her own burden which could be devastating for their own future.

This book was my first read by the author and while it standalone, I needed a bit of time to grasp all the nuts and bolts of the hero’s team and the villains circle. After I liked the many supportive characters, they are fun and meddling in the right way.
Amelia and Pearce relationship moves fast from the initial surprise to a game of cat and mouse until she surrenders to the love she never forgot and finally trust him with her worst secret.
Their romance scorches the pages and sizzles through the words.
I just would have like to see Amelia a bit less gullible and able to see through the lies earlier.
4 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen detailed lovemaking scenes.

I have been granted an advance copy by the author and publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

The opening scene at the masquerade ball grabbed me and kept me reading late into the night.

The couple, Pearce and Amelia, had great chemistry. Pearce was a tough but sensitive male lead. Amelia was kind and strong and no shrinking violet. Their past relationship when they were younger really added to the smolder that happened when they met again at the masquerade ball.

I liked that the conflict in the story was complex and difficult to unravel. Some romance novels rely on clichéd situations that are easily overcome. That was not the case here and I enjoyed the unravelling every step of the way.

One very small miss for me was the name of the evil organization ‘Scepter’. It just had Maxwell Smart vibes for me and I couldn’t take it seriously.

This is an entertaining Regency romance with likeable characters and amazing chemistry. I recommend it to historical romance readers.

I read the first scene between Amelia and Brandon and I was hooked in their story. Star crossed young lovers that are separated due to their families meet again once they are older and sparks fly between them. It is fast paced mystery romance with beautifully written characters of Amelia and Brandon. This book has tropes of star crossed lovers, childhood sweethearts, second chance romance and also has an underlying trope of spy/ mystery which I really enjoyed. It is book two in Lords of the Armory series but can be read as a stand-alone book. I would highly recommend this book.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

This author always imbues her stories with all of the “feels”, and she has certainly outdone herself this time. Harrington has managed to squeeze a beautiful second-chance romance together with a suspenseful mystery that will keep you reading well into the night. I thought it was beautifully romantic, poignant, and heartbreaking when you learned what these two had been through – yet, they still loved each other after years of separation. It is definitely a sigh-worthy read!

The time is just after the Napoleonic wars and the English soldiers have returned to England. Many of them have a hard time adjusting to civilian life after the stress of war, but no help is offered. Many have lost limbs, sight, hearing, or suffer from what we would call PTSD today. Life after the wars is definitely not what these dedicated, loyal men would have chosen for themselves. There are few, if any, jobs available and many of the former soldiers were forced to live on the streets (sound familiar?). Now, there is a new threat to the realm – one nobody even knew existed until the sinister organization came after the Duke of Braddock’s sister. After his sister’s death, Braddock (An Inconvenient Duke), a former general, formed the Armory. The Armory is a place where soldiers from his former command can find sanctuary and maybe even help – and where they will band together to find and stamp out the sedition group known as Scepter.

Twelve years ago, Brigadier Brandon Pearce, Earl of Sandhurst, was an eighteen-year-old orphaned ragamuffin who lived with an innkeeper uncle in Birmingham. Being caught with a neighbor's sixteen-year-old daughter was both the making of him – and the shattering of him. Her father was a rich merchant, and after beating Brandon, he banished him. Brandon’s distant relative bought him an officer’s commission and his career was born. Brandon always loved that girl – and never forgot her – but knew she was above him and they could never be together. He always assumed she’d moved on, married, etc. – until he saw her across the room at a masked ball in London after he returned as a war hero – and inherited a title he didn’t expect. He quickly realizes his feelings haven’t changed, but she doesn’t trust him, treats him as an enemy, and is keeping secrets. He’s investigating her brother Frederick because the Armory is sure he is part of Scepter – is she also mixed up in it?

Amelia Howard was totally and completely devastated twelve-years-ago when she was torn away from the boy she loved and was sent to the far reaches of Scotland. She was threatened with terrible retributions if she dared to try to get in touch with him – and she knew her father would follow-through on those threats. She has loved that boy ever since – even though she’s tried to move on with her life. Fate just seems to have a vendetta against her – and it has shown itself in full-force when she meets Pearce at a ball in London. Goodness, how she’d love to be able to resume their relationship – she knows she still loves him – and always will. But there are things he can’t know – secrets she must keep, so she must avoid him at all costs. However, the persistent man won’t let her avoid him. He is everywhere she is – and her brother Frederick is pushing her to influence Pearce for him.

Pearce will do whatever it takes to keep Amelia safe, to protect her, but he has to learn all of her secrets before he can make a plan forward. I loved seeing Pearce doing all he could to regain Amelia’s trust – and that was no easy task – with good reason. I also loved seeing Amelia grow from Fate’s victim to Fate’s master. She grew from an accepting victim to someone who was strong and independent. I loved seeing the two of them overcome the obstacles that stood in the way of their HEA, but I wasn’t in love with the final solution of how they were going to be together.

I can highly recommend this book, this series, and this author. However, for me personally, had it been absolutely any other author, I would have bypassed the book as soon as I read the references to ‘feminist’ in the blurb. Yes, I firmly believe in being equal, but I detest that term that has, for me, become a negative. I loved the story and I’m glad I read it, so I’m glad I didn’t see that blurb before I just automatically requested the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Anna Harrington is one of my favorite Regency authors and I always enjoy her books. This book, the second in the Lords of the Armory series, was an enjoyable read from start to finish.

Brandon Pearce is a former Brigadier and now a reluctant Earl. While attending a masquerade ball, he is drawn to a beautiful woman dressed in a scandalous scarlet gown. She seems very familiar, but Brandon can't figure out how he knows her.

While at this same ball, he is approached by Frederick Howard, a member of Parliament, with a business proposition. Little does Brandon know that this might be the key to his quest of finding out more about a criminal group called Scepter. Brandon and his friends of the Armory have been trying to find out who is behind their activities and maybe Howard will be able to help.

Of course, there are complications when Brandon discovers that the lady in red is his childhood friend, Amelia Howard, sister of Frederick. What is her involvement in her brother's affairs? Brandon and Amelia were torn apart after being discovered in a compromising position over a decade ago. But, neither has truly forgotten the other.

This book is full of intrigue and secrets that drive the characters in their actions. Amelia must help her brother, who is being blackmailed, in order to save her beloved Charity for War Widows. Frederick obviously has secrets worthy of blackmail and Brandon is definitely more than he appears.

The book has plenty of action and just the right amount of steamy romance, as well as the usual misunderstandings that I love when reading this genre. But, it is much more that that with the addition of the men of the Armory. Although they are no longer in the Military, they are still involved in protecting their country. At times, this book is almost like a spy novel.

Ms. Harrington is a wonderful writer and her characters come alive as you read this book. There is a happily ever after ending (of course!), but there will surely be more books in this series. I was given the chance to read an ARC of this book through Netgalley and chose to review it.

"Orphaned tavern rats...weren't meant for beautiful daughters of wealthy industrialists." Brandon Pearce had to give up the girl he loved in order to save her reputation. He made a career for himself as a brigadier and later became the Earl of Sandhurst. Twelve years later, Amelia Howard's world is still in chaos. Her brother is being blackmailed and he's trying to use her property to "fix" it. Pearce comes crashing back into Amelia's world as he investigates a mysterious criminal group that has ties to politics and high socitey.

This is the second book in the Lords of the Armory series. It is named for the training facility/social club that the previous hero establishes for former military men. While this book can mostly stand alone, there is an overarching investigation through the series that began in book one. The individual pieces are resolved at the end of each book, but the larger intrigue continues.

I really enjoyed this book, but it was a bit like making a dessert: you have to have some patience while it bakes. There was a good deal of set up of Pearce's and Amelia's backstories, the Scepter, and the blackmail. It does payoff though...sparks fly when they're together! There's great push and pull in their relationship as Amelia and Pearce try to trust each other again.

There are also some excellent author notes at the end!

Tropes: Childhood Sweethearts, Second Chance Romance, Spy/Govt Work

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #AnUnexpectedEarl #NetGalley

Anna Harrington’s writing is vibrant, exciting, and straightforward. She can write amazing ‘battle of the wits’ dialogues, which is my favorite thing in romance novels. Her lovemaking scenes are really hot and spicy. Her main characters, even if the reader can’t really see them, scream love with every part of their bodies. And that love means mutual respect, mutual admiration and meeting each other on equal terms. Those scenes were amazing Anna Harrington made me want to read the previous book of this series and, of course, the next. I can’t wait for it to get published!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it is beautiful and exciting and its love story is incredibly sweet and dreamy. So let’s begin with why I didn’t give it a bigger rating. One could be blamed on me totally and the other isn’t really that bad but it spoiled the surprise a little. The first thing is that I don’t get British politics, I don’t mean the parties and the minister and all that, I do get that, being as I am from a more or less neigbor country. It’s the how the local politics work, and I say this in the present tense because they haven’t changed much in the last 200 years. And to fully understand all the plot, let’s say that understanding a little about mps, local councils, seats and all that would have helped. I’ll explain later. The other negative point is that I understood what had happened to Amelia’s personal life and how it would develop right from the start. That was a little bit obvious so yes, it spoiled the surprise a little but not the enjoyment; the plot twists at the end and the love (especially the love) made this book a great read.

Amelia and Brandon were very young lovers twelve years ago, they had been childhood friends, best friends, then lovers. But one night when they were starting to be intimate for their first time Amelia’s father discovered them. Amelia came from a rich family, Brandon was an orphan living with his uncle in his inn. Amelia was sent to school in Scotland and Brandon’s another relative, the earl of Sandhurst bought him a military commission and so he was sent to fight in Spain and Waterloo after that. He became a war hero, he worked his way up in the army and now he’s back as Brigadier Brandon Pearce, earl of Sandhurst as his relative had died.

Things didn’t go well for Amelia, when her father died she inherited all his fortune and a piece of land, while her brother inherited all of the land (save for that little piece) and no money. She sent letters to Brandon but they were never replied. Desperate, she eloped with a man her brother approved of but instead of having a honeymoon, her new husband ran away with all of her money. Now, she lives under the care of her brother and runs a charity that helps war widows when she learns that Frederick is being blackmailed.Brandon is set to uncover the plot as he is now a member of the Armory And that’s how one night at a ball Amelia and Brandon meet again and realize that where once there was fire…

Amelia is a phenomenal heroine. She’s brave and fierce, a little bit stubborn, sweet and luscious (according to Brandon). She and Frederick agreed to keep her scandal a secret but despite that mistake she has always been in love with Brandon, the gangly boy she grew up with. Once their love was sweet and innocent, now that he’s a grown man she feels something else, something deep and hot and eternal. But she can’t have him, and she can’t let him know why. I also found refreshing that she’s still a little naive.

I loved Brandon even if sometimes he was a little overbearing. You can understand that he’s used to command people and have his decisions and orders obeyed without question, but he loves the way his Amelia stands up to him. Because she’s always been his Amelia. He loves her and wants to marry her and he knows she feels the same about him but he doesn’t understand why she’s set on making an enemy of him or why she keeps her distance. Still he is so protective of her and so loyal that step by step, little by little, he regains her trust and her confidence.

Amelia and Brandon team up to uncover the Specter plot, while at the same time rekindle a love that is not dead, only asleep. The loyalty and the faith they’ve had, the protective they’ve been of each other all those years of not contacting for fear that the other might be fatally punished. The longing and the need… it’s too much.

Amelia Howard finds out her brother is being
blackmailed. Then he blackmails her to obtain property left by her father in her name. Looking for his blackmailer takes her in a direction she never expected and the man she loved and lost ends up back in her live. A criminal organization is a threat to the government and Amelia finds herself in the middle in a deadly situation. Only one man can protect her. Can she trust him? A fast paced page turner that is a passionate affair with multiple secrets.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.