Julian must get married by next year according to his father's will or he will lose everything. AND he must marry a "proper" lady and someone his father would have approved of. Lainey is the farthest thing from proper-she's interested in archeology, she speaks her mind and wears breeches. The two have a past, and Lainey has been holding a grudge against Julian. My only small complaint is it took too long to get to the point that we find out why she is still angry with him. But eventually they clear the air between them and then sparks fly and they're very compatible. It was so nice to see them finally happy.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

4 1/2*STARS*
Julian Huntley, the Earl of Melville, has problems with his self esteem. Abused by his father, he was constantly criticized for not being good enough. Five years after his death, he is still controlling Julian. To keep the ownership of all unentailed properties, he must marry a proper wife by his thirtieth birthday and approved by someone, but the solicitor doesn't know who that is. Julian wants one last adventure before his marriage, an expedition to Egypt. First he needs approval of his abilities from Eliana Bantham on a dig in Scotland, but she bears a grudge against him. Julian has to know why and fix it. They may fall in love, but she is not considered a proper lady. There has to be a solution, what?
This is one tough read.
Descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley

Just when our hero thought he had put his father's bullying ways to rest, the man makes a demand in his Will that infuriates him. He must marry a "proper Lady" to keep control of the important parts of his inheritance. Our heroine lives with her aunt and uncle and has been digging in the dirt of Egypt for years. Her first experience of the ton, and one particular man, made her decide to stay a spinster.
The characters in this story are unusual and have distinctive personalities. We get quite a bit of adventure and unusual scenery.
This is part of a series, but easily read on its own. There is only a hint of the previous book in this one.
Great fun.

She Went Looking for Revenge, But Found Love Instead

Elaina was angry at Julian, and she vowed to do everything in her power to ensure he did not go with her and her family them to Egypt. She was the one who would determine his fate, and she had already judged him wanting. What was the crime that Julian committed? He did not know.

Elaina and Julian would go to Scotland so she could judge his competence. As the two traveled, Elaina found herself perplexed by Julian. Her hate was slowly turning into something altogether different. How long would it take her to identify it, and would she give up her plan for revenge?

Julian's father was still controlling him from the grave. He decreed that Julian must marry by the age of thirty, and the woman he married must be approved by some unknown person. Otherwise, he would lose everything. He would disappoint the people depending on him for their livelihood. Before he followed his father’s decree, he wanted to have one last adventure, and Elaina had his fate in her hands. Soon enough, she just might have his heart in her hands, too. However, revenge aside, the two would face impossible odds. Elaina is not countess material. Julian knew his father and the agent he appointed would not approve of her.

It was lovely to watch Elaina slowly soften towards Julian. What was it that made her give up her revenge? It could have been love, but there was much more to the story. If you enjoy historical romance, you might want to read this delightful tale. I loved it and would recommend it.

Her come out was ruined by immature selfish young elites. Determined not to let him hurt her again and to prove him wrong. She sets out to prove he is not what everyone thinks he is, only to prove herself wrong.
I must say I had an inkling of how this book would end about half way through. It was sooo good to find out my inkling was correct. I really enjoyed this weekend read. The story was so satisfying and a feel good read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.

An insecure young man made a fatal mistake when he laughed at the wrong time, in this heart-warming romance. Years later the result comes back to bite him, almost costing him the adventure of a lifetime. Unlike his overbearing father, Julian Huntly cares about the people who work for him and make it possible to run his estates profitably, but in a last bid to control his son from the grave, Julian discovers that his father has set limits on his right to inherit the mines he has poured himself into. Deciding that he will take one last chance to follow his dreams before bowing down to his father's wishes, Julian applies to be part of an archeological expedition. This brings him face to face with Miss Elaina Bantham who despises him, although he cannot fathom why or what her grudge is against him. Ultimately, spending time together brings Elaina to the conclusion that Julian is no longer the crass young man who destroyed her debut, and when the truth emerges Julian is horrified by his actions. Falling in love with Elaina is not a good idea, but when he can no longer bear to live his life without her, the answer to all his dreams emerges, giving them both a second chance. The novel is gentle and romantic and comes to a sweet conclusion. I received a copy of this book as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Julian and Lainey had a rough start to their friendship and it continues in that same vein when he plans to travel with her on their expedition.
Julian’s father is dead but still demanding a proper wife for him as the Earl.
Lainey is not proper but oh so tempting to Julian.
Enjoyable bumpy journey with an exciting twist.

I enjoyed my journey of this storyline it was entertaining and well worth reading. The characters are engaging and kept me turning the pages.

Although I others the first book in the series, this enemies to lovers story had two sweet and damaged characters falling in love … and it was quite enjoyable . I wish we saw for of the Earl’s friends .. although the Duke from book 1 did make an appearance

3.5 ⭐️

I have not read book one in this series, but that wasn't a problem at all (so if you haven't read book 1 either, don't worry - you can jump right in at book 2). My only complaint with this book was that it took so long for the author to reveal what Julian had done to Elaina to make her hate him so much. That's not revealed until about half way through - I'm just never a fan of plot points like that being dragged out for so long. Of course I want to take Elaina's side, but I wanted to know if her anger and reaction to the event was actually warranted. I'll leave future readers to decide if it was or was not. I see where she was coming from, but I wish she hadn't let that event rule her life the way she did (and hadn't placed all the blame on him as he wasn't the only person involved). That aside, I really enjoyed this book. As I noted previously, I really liked Elaina and how she embraced her somewhat unconventional upbringing by her aunt and uncle. I also loved that she was willing to keep an open mind as she started to get to know Julian better - and then how she is able to put everything into perspective once she learns the full events of that moment that had so shaped the next few years of her life. Julian is a complicated and interesting character and the more I came to learn about him the more I wanted to see him succeed with Elaina. This being a romance it was pretty clear how it was going to end, but the journey there was definitely worth the time spent reading. I appreciated that the relationship between Elaina and Julian grew over weeks and months because it was clear there was more than just physical attraction between them and there was a solid foundation from which their relationship could grow over time. Rather than them being madly in love after just a few weeks of courting in London they had the opportunity to spend a lot of time together and really get to know one another. The part with her accident in Egypt wasn't really integral to the story, but showed her aunt and uncle his true feelings for her. And I could have done without some of the events once they were back in London only because it added more hurdles for the couple. The little twist at the end involving who was in charge of deciding if Julian's wife was "proper" enough was one I did not see coming.

Elaina can't stand Julian due to a past experience. Yet, they have to work together on a archeology dig together. The second book in the series, that can stand alone, which takes the readers outside of the normal environment and allows us to see more of life during that period of time. I love the brawiness of Julian and Elaina's independence. Awesome story full of great characters and truly engaging.

4.5 Stars
Julian Huntly, Earl of Melville, is being forced into marriage to a proper woman by his dead father. If he doesn’t wed before he’s thirty, he will lose everything that is unentailed including the coal mines he has worked so hard to improve & make safe. He has a year to have one last great adventure before being shackled to ‘a proper countess’ for the rest of his life. Miss Elaina Bantham has had an exciting existence away from Society as she’s travelled the globe and uncovered treasures with Lord & Lady Darlington, her aunt and uncle. It has been a wonderful distraction from her disastrous come out years ago. But now, the man who’d destroyed her chance for a traditional future, wants to join their expedition to Egypt and ruin her life.
The second book in the series & it’s easily read on its own. I loved both Julian & Elaina, both have their insecurities which only made me like them more. Julian is a braw Scot who uses his abundance of charm to woe everyone, Elaina is outspoken, prefers to be on a ’dig’ wearing breeches & she thoroughly dislikes Julian for ruining her debut. I loved how this couple were thrown together for a few weeks whilst on a dig in Scotland & how her defences were gradually eroded as she came to see Julian not the Earl. It was a slow burn romance that looked as though a HEA wasn’t possible until a solution could be found. I loved who the person was who made the decision as to Julian’s ‘proper countess’. A well written delightful romance of enemies to lovers
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read