The Bachelor Earl

Darcy Burke

Nov 2020 · Matchmaking Chronicles Book 3 · Zealous Quill Press

About this eBook

For two years following the death of her beloved husband, Eugenia, the Dowager Duchess of Kendal has grieved and kept to herself. Her cousin is hosting a house party and has persuaded Genie to attend—it’s the perfect opportunity to emerge from mourning. Genie is looking forward to seeing old friends but is shocked when she learns the true purpose of the occasion: to match widowed ladies with widowed and unmarried gentlemen.

Once infatuated with a young Eugenia Aldwick, Edmund Holt, Earl of Satterfield is thrilled when Genie arrives at the matchmaking house party. Mutual attraction sparks between them immediately, however he is in need of a wife who can provide an heir and she is unable to do so. Genie would also dearly love to be a mother after losing her daughter several years before. Can they embrace a second chance at love or will the demands of his title and the pull of her maternal heart prove too strong to ignore?

This is also the prequel to The Untouchables series!

Ratings and reviews

Updating my review. First read through I had some trouble connecting with the characters. However second go round some years later, and I had no trouble at all! So I suppose it's one of those "in the mood reads" ;) Dual POV. Well written and to the point. Really appreciated the epilogue as well, particularly in light of the whirlwind that brings the couple together. Open door intimacy, so if that's not your thing, I think you could skip past without loosing too much. Easy enjoyable read all in all!

It's a nice change to see a romance where the hero and heroine are a couple in their forties. The author does a lovely job of expressing the poignancy of a widow returning to society after losing a beloved husband. For example, when Genie meets a gentleman at the house party she's attending, she thinks to herself: "He looked to be the same age as Genie, with some gray streaking his dark hair. He was attractive in a distinguished, mature way. What did that even mean? It meant she hadn't considered anyone attractive since she'd met Jerome almost twenty years ago." This deftly written book has all the things I love in Regency romance, yet the older couple provides welcome variety. I received a NetGalley ARC, and this is my honest review.

About the author

Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. Join her Reader Club newsletter.

A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, artist daughter, and imaginative son who will almost certainly out-write her one day (that may be tomorrow). They’re a crazy cat family with two Bengal cats, a small, fame-seeking cat named after a fruit, an older rescue Maine Coon with attitude to spare, and a collection of neighbor cats who hang out on the deck and occasionally venture inside. You can find Darcy at a winery, in her comfy writing chair, folding laundry (which she loves), or binge-watching TV with the family. Her happy places are Disneyland, Labor Day weekend at the Gorge, Denmark, and anywhere in the UK—so long as her family is there too. Visit Darcy online at darcyburke.com.