I used to love Regency Romance but I can’t get into them anymore.. I tried to read this book but I got bored so I did not finish it.

I enjoyed this read from Jane Ashford. This was a first time read of this author for me. I would read others. This book felt like part of a series, and I did feel a bit lost when previous characters were introduced. The author did a good job explaining the relationship between the current hero/heroine and the other characters. It got challenging when the side characters suddenly became the main focus.

While it was slightly distracting, it didn't take away from the book as a whole.

Sarah Moran is a voracious reader with a hand of the romantic. She is touring Tintangel when she rescues a man from drowning. Unfortunately, this results in a forced marriage arrangement.

Kenver Pendrennon (son of the Earl of Trestan) believes that he was born in the wrong time period and seems to live an honorable life (like knights of Old). When he is forced to marry Sarah, he is not upset but not excited either. His parents, however, are completely opposed to the match. Kenver goes through with the forest marriage, because he believes in his own integrity.

Kenver's mom does everything in her power to make sure the marriage is not a real one. She is the epitome of mother-in-law meets Godzilla. Sarah does her best to be kind and polite, continuing to see the good in her husband.

The mother-in-law invites a Duke and duchess to visit, thinking that this will show Sarah that she does not belong. Unfortunately for the mother-in-law, the judges happens to be one of Sarah's best friends!

The writing of the story is well done. I was held captive through most of the narrative. As mentioned above, the sub characters had some primary moments that were a bit confusing if you had not been a part of the series previously. However the sub characters do help carry the plot line, so they are quite critical to the story.

For those of you who like steamy romances, this one's definitely a slow burn. It's a very slow burn. When we get to the inferno, there is a bit of a fade to black. I certainly appreciated the fade to black that allowed our characters to enjoy their private moment finally. I do know that some romance readers would be bothered by that.

Lots of good in this. Solid 4 stars! Willing to read more by this author!

Note: I received an advanced reader copy from #NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another great historical romance by Jane Ashford!! She never misses for me, her books have a great story and great dialogue. A must read!

A chance accident lands Sarah & Kenver in marriage to avoid scandal. Even after one night in a cave it is clear that there is an immediate connection between these two. Faced with bitter contempt from Kenver’s parents, they embark not only on a marriage but a battle of wills with his family. Never has a more vile woman been met than his mother, this woman is beyond the pale. Sarah is a remarkable woman and wonderfully patient. Through her continuous turning of her cheek, Sarah continues to win people over. This was an enjoyable story and Sarah’s continuous tidbits of facts made for delightful little treat.

This book was a mediocre read. There was nothing that made it stand out from the crowd.

I had no real affection for the male MC. He could have done far more to stand up for his wife. At times he comes across as childish.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I didn't really care for Kenver. He didn't stick up for his wife for most of the story...that is a big no for me.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book 3 in the duke estates series. I really enjoyed this a great deal. I am glad that the characters worked together to overcome the issues they were facing. It made the read really enjoyable.

Compromised! Best start to a story sometimes! This one is really good. Kenver needs saving in more ways that one. Specifically, he falls of a cliff, and of course, in love with our heroine, Sarah, would-be-rescuer. Loved these 2!

I'm not certain that I've read any of Ms. Ashford's books before and was curious to try this one on for size. It's a story about Sarah and Kenver, who happen into a situation that forces them to marry, something his parents are furious about. The story is about Sarah and Kenver finding themselves as man and wife and how they want to live their new life together.

I could not stand how Kenver allowed his parents, specifically his mother, to treat his new wife. He is young, I get it, but he is the heir and it feels over the top how Sarah is treated. Maybe it is just my preference for a strong man, not just physically but also personality wise, but this drove me nuts and made me like Kenver less as the book went on.

Also, this is a "sweet" story. There is mention of attraction between the two leads, but no steam whatsoever in my opinion. Again, they are young, but I found this to be rather disappointing as there seemed to be attraction between them.

I received a free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

An interesting read that kept me engaged to the end. I loved the characters and the plot; they are so perfectly suited to the story. I enjoyed the few twists and turns woven throughout; they really kept me engaged. Well done.

After they fall down a cliff, Sarah Moran and Kenver Pendrennon are trapped by the incoming tide and forced to take refuge in a cavern. Since they spent the night alone together, he does the honourable thing and proposes marriage. Though strangers, their time together gives them a chance to discover that they share many interests, and the prospects for a happy marriage are promising. Unfortunately, Kenver’s parents, the Earl and Countess of Trestan, do not consider this a suitable match for their son and heir, and not only are they very determined, but they keep tight control over the finances.
The young people’s predicament reminds us of how limited were the choices for members of the upper classes during the Regency era, as Jane Austen frequently reminds us. Since to work for a living was looked down upon, the laws of inheritance left children dependent upon the generosity of the fortunate few who had inherited wealth and rank. In this novel patience, kindness, and honourable conduct eventually triumph despite the challenges, but this is an optimistic outcome.
Insightful. Recommended.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

As she walks along a cliffside to hide from her meddling family, Sarah Moran slips, and falls onto the beach with a handsome stranger. As the stranger takes the brunt of the impact, he's injured, and needs help moving from the sea. Finding no way back from the secluded beach, Sarah drags Kenver into a sheltered cave, and they spend the night in each other's arms. Now with no way around it, they are forced to marry to protect Sarah's reputation, and she realises that Kenver is not just a gentleman, but the heir to an Earldom. Though they might be happy, and pleasantly surprised, with their marriage, it's clear that Kenver's parents are against it, and will do just about anything to force the marriage to fail.

I really enjoyed this book, much more than I thought I would to be honest. I liked Sarah and Kenver, and the way their romance progressed from the first meeting, to falling in love and revealing their feelings to each other. The main thing I disliked about the book was Kenver's reticence and subservience to his awful parents. The Earl and Countess were some of the worst in laws I've read, and for a large part of Blame it on the Earl, Kenver listened to them, and didn't stand up for himself, or his wife. It was great when the Tereford's showed up, and you saw the Countess pandering to their every whim. I'm glad that they are such a tie in the series, and hope they'll be a big part of book 4 too. While not my favourite of the series - that's still book 1 - Blame it on the Earl was enjoyable, and a quick read.

What is the matter with the Earl? Why is he allowing his mother to dictate where his wife should sleep? The main characters in this book were very irritating, especially Kenver the Earl. He was a disaster, as a husband, for allowing his mother too much rein in his life. Now, Sarah had a bit of backbone, and the inlaws acted like a couple of territorial bullies. It was a rather irritating read, it made me angry most of the time, but that’s just me. Besides that flaw, it was an okay story with a gentle romance which was rather sweet.

“I read too much.”
“I would hope you read exactly as much as you wish to.”

A sweet, bookish heroine is buried by the abusive surroundings of her in laws in this enervating book.

My oh my. This book. I’ll start off by saying I do have personal experience with abusive, manipulative people. If I had realized how extreme that plot was in this book I would not have read it. Part of the problem was the heroine was so cute and amazing! Sarah and Kenver are a sweet, fanciful couple from the beginning. In fact, by chapter 2 I was worried about what would happen in the rest of the book, because they already seemed so happy and perfect.
And that’s when we get to Kenver’s horribly awful mother. Spoiler: She’s hateful through the entire book, even into the epilogue. There is never a real respite, never an apology to Sarah. This is even though toward the end of the book the countess physically assaults Sarah by dragging her out of a room. At one point Sarah and her husband leave this toxic environment- only to go back! To me this sends the message that this kind of abusive behavior is okay!
But that alone would not have made this a 1 star book for me. It takes a lot for me to give such a low rating. Throughout the book Kenver almost never stands up for his new wife, to a ridiculous degree. This is never addressed fully in my opinion.
Honestly I can’t even write out all the times this upset me throughout the book, or seemed to be handled inappropriately, because it was almost the entirety of the book. If you have any sensitivities to themes of abuse, bullying, toxicity, etc., I would urge you not to read this book.

Star Rating: 1/5
Tropes: Arranged marriage
CW: Bullying, toxic relationship, abuse

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet, easy read! I really enjoyed the plot and how the characters grew to love. Sarah is our heroine. She’s sweet, smart, strong and all the things we love in a MC! So when Sarah tries to save Kenver after a fall from a cliff, they get stranded in a sea cave all night! The save Sarah’s reputation, they get married but Kevner’s parents aren’t favorable to this situation. I loved how sweet Kevner is to Sarah and how he learns to stand up for himself! All in all a quick low angst read!

I felt so let down by the hero. She’s amazing and caring and will do about anything to make everyone’s life easier. While he is either too blind or too stupid and let himself controlled by his family when the truth and everything else is right in front of him.
Not sure how I feel about this book. I wanted to like it and hype it but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me . Maybe next time


Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

Forced to marry after being stuck in a cave overnight Sarah and Kenver are determined to make it work. Kenver's parents treat Sarah terribly, and try to do everything to keep them apart so they can get the marriage annulled. Kenver is an idiot by not realizing how awful his parents are and by not standing up to them (this trope went on far too long). Sarah's powerful friends don't make an impression on them either. It isn't until she does something that is compassionate and kind that Kenver's father begins to see her differently. Sarah is a great character and made the book worth reading, Kenver does redeem himself a bit in the end.

I have been provided with a review copy of Blame It on the Earl from NetGalley for an impartial review. This is the third book in The Duke’s Estates series and I just loved getting to reenter this world. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Blame It on the Earl by Jane Ashford is the third book of The Duke’s Estates series. Sarah Moran is relieved to return to the country after the London Season. Things take a dramatic turn when she is taking in the sights around the cliffs and encounters Kenver Pendrennon, who suddenly slips and drags Sarah down into the sea with him. Kenver, heir to an Earl, is initially knocked unconscious. Sarah pulls him into a cave where they must wait out the rising tide overnight. Because of this, rumors have began to spread in their absence. Sarah and Kenver must marry to avoid scandal. As the drama dies down, family members begin to show disapproval of the match. But this marriage has turned from a marriage of convenience into a true love match.

Jane Ashford has written a witty, funny, and sweet love story. It starts out with quite the event!

The plot sounded perfect and I really enjoyed the first few chapters but it was hard for me to stay hooked on the plot, especially when the points of view of characters from the previous books were added.
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Sarah is a bookworm fascinated with history and mythology and despite meeting unexpectedly, Kenver shares her passion for King Arthur and history. Both are perfect for each other but his parents do not accept the marriage because she is not a high-class lady with connections like they would like to be
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Kenver is the heir to the title but is treated like a child by his parents, especially by his mother, who tries to do everything possible so that they do not consummate the marriage
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For much of the book we see how Kenver manages to grow up and start to defend his position and give Sarah a place in his family
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It is a beautiful love story with a very pleasant rhythm, but I do think that it is necessary to read the other books in the series to stay full in the story
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Thanks to Kensington books and Jane Ashford for give me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion