THE RETURN OF THE EARL

Author: Edith Layton ISBN: 0060567090 9/2004 HISTORICAL Publisher: HARPER COLLINS/Avon
Time Period: Regency - 1800 - 1815

After fifteen years in cruel exile, Christian has finally returned to England to claim his rightful title. The new Earl of Egremont was a mere child when he was banished. Lovely and charming Julianne Lowell, who knew him then, must now determine if this suave and handsome mystery man is who he claims to be. But why would she not remember those eyes that sparkle like flawless gems? Christian is like no man she has ever met -- elegant and well-bred, but secretive and quite possibly dangerous, and seething with a sensual fire that steals her breath away. To trust this dashing stranger could place Julianne in grave peril if he is, in fact, playing a game of deception. But with her heart leaping madly at his slightest touch, how can she deny Christian the love and passion they both fervently desire?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

In THE RETURN OF THE EARL, Christian Sauvage and his father, Lord Geoffrey Sauvage, the Earl of Egremont, are falsely accused of stealing and then banished to the prison hulk Retribution for transportation to Botany Bay. Forgotten and presumed dead, it is little wonder that when fifteen years later Christian reappears to reclaim his father’s title and estates from his cousin, Hammond, he receives a most wary and hostile unwelcome. Could Christian really have survived confinement on a prison hulk as well as the deportation to the convict colonies of New South Wales ? Or is he just an imposter, trying to lay claim to one of richest earldoms in England ?

Enter Julianne Lowell, the tag-along sister of Christian’s deceased childhood friend, who is unwillingly blackmailed by Hammond ’s family into helping to prove him a charlatan.

There’s not a lot of sex in this romance; it consists of more dialogue than physical interaction between the two main characters. That’s no problem here for me, as I love a storyline filled with good dialogue, which THE RETURN OF THE EARL has in spades.

However, what did irritate me, at times, was that Julianne seemed to be rather wishy-washy when it came to knowing Christian as the true heir or not – after all, how could you not grow up with someone all through childhood, and then years later, when you confront them and they reveal things to you that no one else on earth could possibly know, how could you still remain so undecided?

Once you manage to suspend your sense of disbelief in that sense, though, the ever-evolving love that flourishes and bonds these two sensible and likeable people manages to salvage this story. Both leads are strong, determined, and refreshingly down-to-earth people, especially in the case of the Julianne. And just as preceding books written by Edith Layton usually are, THE RETURN OF THE EARL is very well written with a healthy dose of historical details and period atmosphere scattered amongst the mix.

While I do have to say this is not one of the best Edith Layton books I’ve read, it is still good enough to garner a 4 Rose Read award, and definitely a worthwhile read.

Nancy Davis