The Earl's Secret Passion

Gemma Blackwood

Mar 2023 · Scandals of Scarcliffe Hall Book 1 · Gemma Blackwood

About this eBook

Two warring families. One forbidden love. Lady Cecily Balfour was always taught that the Hartley men are mad, bad and dangerous to know. When she meets Robert Hartley, Earl of Scarcliffe, she makes a few additions to that list: Stubborn. Infuriating. Handsome. Charming. Tempting. Society expects Cecily to make an advantageous match of her father’s choosing. What can she do now that her own choice is a man she is expressly forbidden to see? The Earl of Scarcliffe enjoys hunting, drinking, billiards, and bachelordom. Love does not feature on his list of requirements. Especially for a woman with a stubborn streak a mile wide and a penchant for riding off on his favourite stallion. And if that same woman is a Balfour? Not a chance! But Cecily just happens to have a pair of striking blue eyes, a taste for adventure and a rapier-sharp sense of humour… Robert’s heart is in as much danger as his head will be if they are caught together. When Robert and Cecily defy their powerful families for love, what will they have to sacrifice in return?

Ratings and reviews

Character development was mediocre. The ending drama was poor, one gun with twin barrels, one shot already discharged, but the hero shoots three warning shots into the air then is handed another gun by the character who stated he only had the one gun. They're all in a ditch, then they're in the middle of the road. How? Proofread.

nice story.. except towards the end, it was dragged unnecessarily with all those bandits and highwaymen entering the plot and making the story boring!! otherwise, a nice read.

Thin plot,, shallow characters, no sense of era or locale.

About the author

Gemma Blackwood writes historical romance with dashing heroes, brave heroines and the sweetest of happy endings. She can be found on the sunny southwest coast of England, where she writes in a shed at the bottom of her garden - the only place she can get away from her inquisitive cat.