My last review of the year, and I’m really delighted to share my publication day review of The Earl’s Marriage Dilemma by Sarah Mallory. Published today (19th December) by Mills & Boon/Harlequin Historical, it’s now available via Amazon in the UK and US for kindle and in paperback, on other major e-book platforms, and also through the publishers’ websites. My thanks to Sarah for providing an e-copy to allow me to write an early review.
Over the last few years, Sarah has introduced me to the delights of Regency fiction. I keep promising to read more, to try other books set in the same era – the lure of modern times is always too great, but whenever Sarah says “I have a new book coming out, could you perhaps…”, my answer is always an immediate “yes”. The Major And The Scandalous Widow (you can read my review again here) was one of my 2023 Books of the Year – and I certainly wasn’t the only reader who loved The Night She Met The Duke (you’ll find my review here), the worthy winner of its award as RNA Historical Romantic Novel of the Year 2024. And the books just get better and better – I also loved Snowbound With The Brooding Lord – an emotionally engaging and quite wonderful second chance romance, with the most extraordinary chemistry between its characters (you’ll find my review here).
So, let’s take a look at her latest…
Hired by the Earl… desired as his bride?
Conham, the new Earl of Dallamire, is resolute: he must wed a wealthy bride. It’s the only way to bring the estate that his late father squandered back into prosperity. But a late-night encounter with beautiful stranger Rosina Brackwood leads Conham to question his carefully laid plans…
Running away from her abominable brother, Rosina is in desperate need of refuge. So when Conham offers her a position as his land steward, it’s an offer she can’t refuse. Yet as they live and work together in close confines the crackle of chemistry is impossible to ignore…
If you’re looking for a book that grabs your attention from the first few pages, you’re going to love this one – a dramatic and engaging start as Rosina flees her captors at the dockside, seeking help and finding it with Conham, the Earl of Dallamire. Hearing her story of treachery and betrayal by her brother Edgar, he’s horrified – but her experience in running her own family’s estate has given her a set of skills that he would find particularly useful, deciding to take her on as his land steward for his inherited estate near Gloucester, while he tackles issues of his own at home. Despite their growing attraction to each other (and my goodness, you can feel it…) it seems there can be no future for any relationship – he needs to marry money, his father having gambled away their fortune, and despite her many attractions, Rosina doesn’t have a penny to her name.
But she really is the most wonderfully drawn character – very much a woman of her time in so many ways, but with an independence and inner strength that means she can more than hold her own in a male-dominated world. But she has a softer side too – a level of emotional fragility, a real sympathy with the struggles of the tenants on the failing estate – while earning the respect of everyone whose path she crosses. Her relationship with Conham starts as a professional one, then turns into a tentative friendship, until it shows signs of becoming something more – and I really enjoyed the way they circled each other, both aware that nothing more could ever come of it.
The supporting cast is excellent too – I particularly liked Conham’s friend Matt Talacre, a supportive presence for them both, and really enjoyed the subplot of his work to revitalise the baths and pleasure gardens on the estate (and I noticed he’ll be taking centre stage in the author’s next book – I’ll look forward to that…). Unfortunately though, Rosina hasn’t seen the last of the suitably villainous Edgar. And I loved the setting – a long way away from the usual London “season”, much more accessible to a reader who’s less familiar with that world. The conventions – the behavioural constraints, the acceptable behaviours, society’s expectations – are still very much present, but there’s a fresh and really different feel to the story.
You might think you wouldn’t enjoy Regency fiction, but this may just be the book to change your mind. The dramatic moments, the strong characterisation, the fascinating level of historical detail bringing a less than familiar world vividly to life – and if that doesn’t convince you, there’s that constant sizzle from the chemistry between Conham and Rosina, a growing romance that I found entirely real and convincing. The whole story is beautifully told – a strong plot, a few surprises, a lot of obstacles on the way to love – and its conclusion really couldn’t have been more perfect, filled with warmth, and everything I could have possibly wanted it to be. Such an enjoyable read, and a book I’d recommend really highly…
About the author
I write under the names of Melinda Hammond and Sarah Mallory: I am a proud patron of the Lancashire Authors Association and a long-time member of the Romantic Novelists Association.
I have been telling stories for as long as I can remember – many of them born of frustration when I was stuck in a classroom longing to be rescued! I love anything romantic, whether it is a grand opera or a beautiful painting. It doesn’t necessarily have to be happy, as long as it is inspiring.
I was born in Bristol and grew up on Barton Hill, an area of small terraced houses built in the nineteenth century between the mills and the railway. I think my love of adventure stories is due to the fact that I grew up with three older brothers and lived in a street full of boys! My love of history and the English language was fostered at grammar school, where I soon discovered the delights of Georgian and Regency fiction, first of all with the works of Jane Austen and then Georgette Heyer.
I left school at sixteen to work in companies as varied as stockbrokers, marine engineers, biscuit manufacturers and even a quarrying company, but I never lost my love of history, and when I wasn’t reading and researching the Georgian and Regency period I was writing stories about it.
When I was at home with my first child, I decided to try my hand at writing seriously, and my first historical novel, Fortune’s Lady, was published by Robert Hale in 1980. I have now published more than twenty novels, over a dozen of them as Melinda Hammond, winning the Reviewers Choice award in 2005 from Singletitles.com for Dance for a Diamond and the Historical Novel Society’s Editors Choice in 2006 for Gentlemen in Question. Writing as Sarah Mallory for Harlequin Mills & Boon, The Earl’s Runaway Bride won a coveted CataNetwork Reviewers Choice award for 2010 and I have won the the RNA’s RoNA Rose Award in 2012 and 2013.
After many years living on the West Yorkshire moors, I have now moved to the remote Scottish Highlands. The new house overlooks the sea, where the stunning scenery inspires me to write even more!
I like the sound of this one Anne.
Like you, Anne I don’t often read historical romance but after reading your review I’m intrigued. Off to get it now.
Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did, Anne! x