This book was a bit lighter than I expected in terms of plot. I liked the book, and I was compelled by the main characters, but I found it to be less substantial than I expected. I also thought that a lot of the issues were unresolved, and the ending was pretty abrupt. While I like Ashford's writing style and enjoy her books, I think this might be the last one for me.

This was so cute and well written. I enjoyed this better than book one. The characters had real chemistry and I felt so bad for the heroines mom

Enjoy a love story between two people rebelling against the grown-ups in their lives. Harriet is tired of what her grandfather is pushing her for, and Jack Merrill is tired of what his great-grandmother wants.
When these two young people meet outside their traditional roles (Jack is hanging w/Travelers and Harriet doesn't know his position), they manage to forget the old people, expectations and start to fall in love. How they come to find out the truth about each other, please their grandparents, and trust in their growing love makes a wonderful tale. Jane Ashford paints a wonderful world, with strong characters and plenty of fascinating details about their world. (I received an e-arc from NetGalley; opinions are mine.)

Jonathan (Jack) Merrill, 28, is the ninth Earl of Ferrington. He grew up in America with his mother and is the wealthy owner of a shipping empire. When he learned that he was the new earl, he decided to travel to England and nose out this place to see if he really wanted to accept it.

Hooking up with a group of Travelers sometimes thought to be like gypsies, he hung out near Ferrington to learn about it. There is where he met Harriet Finch. She is staying with her mother and grandfather, Horace Winstead. He is a wealthy man, but very mean. He treats his daughter abominably and is looking for a titled man for Harriet to marry. Horace always thought that his daughter married beneath her.

Harriet and Jack are immediately drawn to one another yet wonder if their lives together could be so easy. Harriet’s mother is so terrified of her father that she has resorted to taking laudanum to calm her nerves.

Jack and Harriet are both naive characters which is why they came together so quickly. I liked Jack but Harriet is a neutral type of person. Her friends that visited seemed to have her vanilla personality as well. This is an easy type of story but there really isn’t that spark that I look for in this author’s books.

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

This is a charming and lighthearted romance, that has a fun and interesting feel. Jane Ashford's writing has an easy style that is quickly compelling, and well paced. I was easily draw into this sweet romance between two people who have different hopes and dreams than maybe they believe they are destined for. Ashford crafts her characters with care and they are all interesting and unique. She has also created characters that have been previously established in the first book in this series and they delightfully carry through into this story as well.

The focus of this romance is between Jack (the rogue), an American shipping owner and an heir to an earldom, he has not wishing for, and Harriet who has been whisked away to her wealthy grandfather's country estate, but all she longs for is freedom. When Harriet meets Jack with a band of travelers she is intrigued and finds a delightful rebellion in escaping to get to know him and the travelers together. Of course, it soon comes out the Jack is the lost earl and Harriet becomes confused by her blossoming feelings for the rogue she met and the Earl Jack is meant to be.

It was really interesting and unique to have Jack and the travelers be a new way for Harriet to discover more of the world outside of her Grandfather's control. I really enjoyed watching Harriet discover a strength in herself to seek out adventure and I love that Harriet is also open to learning about other people's traditions and cultures. I love that Jack finds a kinship with these travelers and they feel more like family than his relations. Jack and Harriet enter into a soft relationship and sweetly fall in love with each other. Their romance is light on the steam and sensuality but their relationship is charming and endearing. This is definitely the perfect option for someone who does not light any steam in the romance but is looking for a beautiful love story.

I really enjoyed this first exploration into Jane Ashford's work. I found her writing to be really good and I really enjoyed this story. I am looking forward to exploring more of her works. I would definitely recommend this is if you like a softly sweet romance about two people lightly falling in love while being surrounded by interesting and supportive secondary characters.

Heat Factor: It’s very sweet and charming, not steamy or hot.

Character Chemistry: They’re kinda cute and awkward, with glimpses of passion potential.

Plot: Harriet’s grandfather has swooped in and given his fortune to Harriet—after ruining his own daughter, Harriet’s mother, and forcing her into genteel poverty. Jack has inherited his family’s title, but he’s a Bostonian with Traveler roots—so when his grandmother cruelly points out what a failure he is, he joins a group of Travelers and ends up on his own property, right next to Harriet.

Overall: It’s a cute read with mild heat and a tidy ending.

If you like Georgette Heyer, this definitely has those vibes. Harriet desperately wants to escape her circumstances—she’s stuck with her controlling and cruel (and bumbling) grandfather who is rich and desperate for power. Her mother is terrified and horribly anxious, having lost everything, and Harriet’s future good marriage is the key to everyone’s futures. Dreaming of escape, she stumbles upon a group of Travelers when she’s attempting to snoop on the estate of the missing Earl, only to meet Jack…who is the missing Earl.

Jack grudgingly comes back from Boston to claim his title and seek out a family of his own only to discover his grandmother thinks he’s a gauche fool and is terribly disappointed in him. He bails immediately and joins a group of Travelers headed North, who happen to stop on his own property just next door to Harriet.

The main issue in this relationship is that Jack lies to Harriet about who he is, and Harriet is desperate to save her mother, so she “pushes” him to propose after they’re caught kissing (by her friend, who would never tell anyone). It’s a book where all the issues are really kind of silly and could be resolved by a few direct conversations, but in this book I feel like the culture and the times are very obvious, and it’s just not something that would be done. So despite the issues being a bit frivolous, they are quite real for the characters and it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book (although Erin would be very shrill about it).

This is a very closed door book with flowery suggestions of what MIGHT be happening behind closed doors but nothing remotely explicit. Being book two, I was actually very impressed with the presence of the couple from the first book—they’re very funny and bring a lot of banter to awkward situations, which I found very enjoyable.

Jack is very laid back, kind, and generous, which pairs nicely with Harriet’s more high strung energy. I would have liked more development on her part–she has a lot going on outside of her own character that steers her choices, and while there are suggestions of what she’d be like independent of those, we don’t get a lot of just “Harriet”.

All in all, it’s a classic Regency that would be appropriate for your grandma OR niece, and it’s good to have a few of that type of romance to recommend in the back of your mind. Don’t you think?

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

Jack has come from America to consider taking his place , the one denied his father, as an Earl. He was summoned from across the pond by an elderly and quite disagreeable relative and hasn't decided whether or not to stay in England.
Harriet is a young woman living with her mother and grandfather at an adjoining estate.
The two have an unexpected and unusual meeting which leads Harriet to believe Jack is something he's not. Jack isn't sure he wants to change her perception.
The story has a number of people who become involved in Jack's deception. Harriet has three girlfriends in particular whom she's known since her school days who are helping her, each in their own style. They attempt to assist both Jack and Harriet with their conflicts in their lives and with each other.
The characters are interesting, banter flows freely, and it's a sweet romance with kindness and friendship at its core.

I enjoyed the characters of this book— the main two as well as several secondary characters. The story was well executed and I found Jack’s approach to figuring out his problem somewhat amusing. There were a few parts where the story felt like it was moving a bit slow, but the story and characters kept me reading.

Well written, engaging and sweet. Harriet Finch lived in genteel poverty, with her mother who had married against her wealthy, bullying father's wishes. Grandfather Winstead has run out of heirs, so brings Mrs. Finch and Harriet back in to the fold, making Harriet an heiress destined to marry a title.

Meanwhile Jack, son of a disowned nobleman grew up in America and is stunned to find out he has inherited an earldom. Returning to England he meets his hyper critical great-Grandmother and decides to flee north to his country estate, falling in with a group of Travellers en route.

Fleeing the oppressive atmosphere at Winstead hall, Harriet ventures over to the neighbouring Ferrington Hall, home of the disappeared earl. In the grounds she meets a young man, Jack, who is staying at the Traveller camp. They become close but of course Jack-the-rogue is not in fact Harriet's ticket to a freewheeling life on the road, away from her Grandfather and the constraints of high society....

I enjoyed this book - the main characters are well written and nuanced. I am looking forward to seeing how Sarah and Charlotte fare later in this series!

Highly recommend this series! This is book 2 in The Dukes Estate Series. The series centers around four young debutants finding romance. Its such a fun, witty series! This one follows Harriet and has a trope that I love, which is a hero, or heroine, in disguise! "jack" was such a great hero and a perfect counter to the rebellious Harriet!

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

Jane Ashford writes such sweet Regency Romances. Earl on the Run is book 2 in The Duke’s Estates series. My favorite part of book one, The Duke Who Loved Me, was the quartet of young debutantes who kept a humorous running commentary on the state of the ton and the progress of that heroine’s courtship. Now it’s the turn of one of those debutantes, Harriet Finch, to find her true love.

Harriet is an heiress, suddenly. The grandfather who threw her mother out and harried her father into ruin decided to leave his money to her, provided she serve as his pawn, his entree into society. Grandfather Finch made his money in trade and is desperate to connect himself to the aristocracy. Harriet has no desire to marry for a title. However, her father is dead. And her destitute mother wants a “better” life for her daughter.

Jack Merrill’s story is similar. His father (heir to an earldom) fell in love with a commoner and was banished to America where he entered trade. Jack was perfectly content but was summoned back to England when he inherited his grandfather’s estates. He has no desire to be insulted by the titled, especially not by his haughty, cruel grandmother. So he takes off. Disappears. However, he is curious about the country estate he inherited, so he sneaks off to see it before deciding what to do next.

His country home borders that of the estate bought by Grandfather Finch.

Jack and Harriet meet wandering about the grounds. Neither knows anything about the other, so they are free to invent their personae, which really means they are free to be themselves. Before long, they have fallen in love.

This should be an easy one. The match is something everyone around them wants. They want it themselves. But they haven’t been honest with one another. And they don’t want to marry to please other people. To some extent, their obstacles are invented and could be solved by a good long chat. But they are interrupted at inopportune times. And they don’t entirely trust their own feelings.

The two are kind-hearted and loving. Their goals align. The happily-ever-after is assured once they decide to be honest with one another. They are helped along by none other than James and Cecelia from The Duke Who Loved Me (and it was fun seeing their return.)

I’m eager to see who the next heroine in the series will be!

This was a very nice romance story about misunderstandings and love.
The heroine is a young woman who has had her Season because her grandfather, who is a rich businessman, wants her to marry a title and he will make her his heir. She doesn't meet a titled man who doesn't look at her like a pile of coins. She is pretty, but before her grandfather made his offer, her mother and her lived in very tight financial circumstances. The heroine's mother was expected to marry a title also, but she fell in love with the grandfather's best employee. The man was very smart and business minded, but did not have a title. So after they married, the grandfather cut them off and did everything he could to prevent the man from becoming successful. It was so disheartening that the heroine's father died young. Her mother then struggled for years on the small amount of money they had. But she spent it all on the Season because the grandfather only gave them a small amount of money. So now the heroine has to marry a title in order to get away from the grandfather. The hero was born in America, the son of a Traveler and an earl who was kicked out of his family for marrying a Traveler. The hero comes to England to meet his family after he gets word the he is the new earl, hoping for a family. Instead, his great -grandmother thinks he is a barbarian and treats him horrendously. So, he runs away to look over one of his estates and meets up with a group of Travelers who let him walk with them. When they stop in a field near his estate, he doesn't tell anyone that he is an earl. He meets the heroine when they are both sneaking around the run down estate.
What I liked best about this story is that it was filled with love and passion, but not sex. Some secondary characters are very unique and contribute greatly to this story. The hero and heroine both grow in this story, and their love is sweet and pure. I felt good all over after I read this story. It is so heartwarming. I give it 5 stars and put it on my re-read list. I recommend reading this whole heatedly. It was such a nice read, very descriptive and transforming. I felt like I was right in the story. This definitely is a book worth it.

Earl on the Run is the second title in The Duke’s Estates series, and I found myself quite taken with Harriet and her “Jack”. Although two individuals who had the world upon their shoulders like these two did with their various family members might be hard to find in a small village. Their story is both simple and complex – any emotions involving family tend to be far from easy to resolve and between them, well, they have unique people messing with their emotions and their lives.

While Harriet and Jack find their way through growing emotions, and perhaps not the total truth between them at the start, the reader is given a bit of a lesson of the times in the very real difficulties that laudanum had on so many people’s lives for various reasons. In some ways, my heart ached for Harriet’s mother almost as much as it did for her. Each suffered at the hands of the man who would dictate Harriet’s life, but one was no longer strong enough to fight him.

I had such a good time watching this couple fall in love, face the challenges (not always together), and work their way through the deceptions and half-truths that started this bond they share. Harriet’s grandfather is such a nasty piece of work – and Jack’s great-grandmother isn’t much better. With relatives like these is it any wonder that neither wanted to be part of their families? Going along on their journey to carving out a future for themselves only, on their own terms was a delightful journey. Oh, of course, the road is filled with potholes and obstacles but the fun of reaching a destination is the journey to get there. I had fun with Jack and Harriet in Earl on the Run, and that really is the entire point.

I was also able to learn quite a bit about the Travelers, and as you’ll see, they are a fascinating people and one I’d love to see incorporated into more historical romances in the future. It’s the small things, the details of a way of life for that time that will always draw me in and hold my attention throughout any story. I learned a few things in Earl on the Run, things I wasn’t expecting and that is always a pleasant surprise for me.

If you enjoy a good Historical Romance, if you adore the sizzling chemistry but aren’t worried about closed doors, and if you adore watching two unlikely (on the surface) people open themselves up to the possibility of one special person believing they are the moon and the stars… then you’ll feel right at home in Earl on the Run.

*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.*

N.B. Before you grab Earl on the Run, my best advice is to read the first in the Duke's Estates book. In fact, go back back back to earlier Jane Ashford books that lay the groundwork for Earl on the Run. Or don't -- this book is an absolute gem, all on its own. I promise.

The plot is not that unusual. An American is appalled and shocked to learn he's the new Earl of Ferrington. It doesn't help that his great-grandmother is utterly appalling and is beyond rude to him. He decides he will check out his ancestral estate but incognito thank you very much. As far as granny knows, he's gone AWOL. She asks her recently married grandson (and his wife) to track down the missing earl.

Harriet Finch is living in a nearby estate, as it happens. She is miserable. She and her mother are under her wealthy grandfather's thumb and although Harriet is quite feisty, she can't bear to see her mother made miserable so she usually acquiesces with her grandfather's demands.

She escapes to a nearby gypsy aka Travelers encampment where she meets a charming rogue named Jack. You can fill in the rest :)

Jack is as charming and carefree as the day is long but before long, he's led to understand that as an earl, he has responsibilities to his people and his land.

Let me leave you with a wonderful quote. Jack has an illuminating conversation with Harriet's downtrodden mother.

"Please. I would like to hear about when you were most happy." Jack had actually found this a telling question as he was making new friends. People's replies revealed a great deal.

"I shouldn't say," she answered.

"Why not? Is the answer scandalous?"

"No!" She tapped his arm with her free hand. "Of course not."

"Well then?"

"It is just... I was happiest when I lived alone."

No more spoilers! You'll enjoy finding out how Jack and Harriet (and even her mother) find their HEA.

Jonathan Merrill has lived all his life in America, free from any obligation. But when he’s suddenly summoned to England and discovers that he has become the Earl of Ferrington, everything changes. He is instantly met with a fierce criticism for his manners and his American origins and decides to leave and go back to his beloved Boston. But first he wants to have a look at his main estate and sets on a journey on foot…
Harriet Finch has been left to the care of his wealthy grandfather together with her mother after her father’s death. He is a revengeful, petty man and he would like her to make a Ton match, while Harriet is determined to defy him in every possible way. So when she meets Jonathan, starts to fall for him and then discovers he’s an earl, she’s left with a great dilemma: embracing love or enraging her grandfather?
An enjoyable book with two likeable main characters, even if I disliked Harriet’s mother for her weakness and her grandfather for his boorish ways. I hoped in some cathartic moment at the end, some reckoning, but unfortunately it didn’t come…
I usually don’t read closed-door books, but I liked this one, even if I had hoped for some steam. The presence of the Travelers in the story helps quite a lot to make the book more intriguing.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story starts off with the hero "Jack"also known as the Earl of Ferrington who went missing mysteriously. . The reason he disappeared was because his grandmother treated him horribly. But he actually is in disguise living amongst a travelers camp. That's where the heroine Harriet Finch finds the rogue and a romance blossoms. She has no idea the man that she is starting to fall in love with is the same Earl that is missing. To Harriet, Jack represents freedom that she doesn't have in her current living situation with her grandfather. I felt bad for both characters they both had domineering family members that wanted to control their lives instead of giving them unconditional love. Her grandfather (who is nothing but a bully) wants her to marry someone only he approves of. Aside from the horrible grandparents Earl of the Run was an enjoyable read I would recommend picking up this book. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

I voluntarily received a copy of "Earl on the Run" via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Jack, an American, has recently been tracked down and been informed he is an Earl. Coming to England in hopes of family he is quickly disheartened when he is welcomed with comments of being a barbarian. Running away he joins a group of Travelers eventually finding his way to his ancestral land. And there he meets Harriet Finch, the most beautiful woman hes ever seen. But she has to make a good match or her and her mother lose everything... and he hasn't revealed he is an Earl.

With all the potential causes for angst I felt like there was no stakes. Or rather, the stakes suddenly dropped off at the 50% mark when his identity is finally revealed. And though there is interpersonal drama it felt a bit shallow.

I will admit some of the end I started to skim as I felt it was losing so much steam and my interest. As the issues were very much their own fault at that point and a lack of communication.

This is also a low to no steam romance. There are a few kisses but nothing more.

I am rating this a shaky 3 stars only cause I really liked the ground work at the beginning and would have loved to see more.

This was an entertaining, well-written Regency romance. It was clever, fun and steamy. It held my interest and I wanted to find out what would happen next. I This book can be read as a standalone story, though it is book 2 in the The Duke’s Estates series. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

GOOD READ!! Earl on the Run by Jane Ashford is book 2 in The Duke's Estates series and I so enjoyed this book. I will admit at times I thought the book dragged and could have used more excitement but I still thought it was a good story and read. What I really liked about this book were the Travelers. I found they made the whole story especially Simia and Mistress Elena. Jack the Rogue and Harriett’s (Miss Snoot) romance was sweet and I loved the banter in the beginning. I think a love story regarding Jack’s great grandmother and Harriett’s grandfather would be great fun. You will have to read this book to find out what I mean. All and all I found this book to be original, the true feeling of the regency era and very original. This story has a tyrant of a grandfather, a dragon of a great grandmother, a lost earl, a mother and daughter that are dependent on their father and grandfather, wanting to be free and roam, hating society, misunderstandings, wanting a family, being caught in a scandalous kiss, a kind duke and his duchess, good friends, learning to run an estate, Travelers that tell fortunes, kindness and falling love. I am recommending you read this book. It really was a good read.

***This book was gifted to me and I am voluntarily reviewing.

3.5 Stars
Pulled from his comfortable life in Boston by agents who insist he's the Earl of Ferrington, Jonathan Frederick Merrill, Jack to everyone else, arrives in London only to face a torrent of criticism from his great-grandmother. Angry and hurt, Jack resolves to have one look at his ancestral home, and then return to America. Harriet Finch has been carried off to her wealthy grandfather's country house, where she's seething with rebellion. She spends her days pacing the grounds, fantasizing about a way to escape the life her grandfather has planned. There she meets an intriguing, handsome rogue.
The second book in the series & it’s easily read on its own. I really liked Jack but was tepid towards Harriet both are disenchanted & jaded with their lives & they strike a bond when they spend time together. I thoroughly enjoyed this slow burn romance. The characters were well portrayed & had depth whether I liked them or loathed them. An interesting, entertaining read, which I did enjoy
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read