You Never Forget Your First Earl

Ella Quinn

May 2018 · The Worthingtons Book 5 · Zebra Books

About this eBook

In this Regency romance, an English aristocrat needs a wife for his post, but the woman he chooses is searching for love. With her three good friends all recently married, Elizabeth Turley is ready for some husband-hunting of her own. One gentleman in particular sparks her interest. Geoffrey, Earl of Harrington is tall, handsome, and dashing. He’s also just a bit too sure of himself. But Elizabeth has observed enough about the rules of attraction to pique the earl’s attention. Yet once she has it, the discovery of a troubling secret taints her future happiness…

Lord Harrington must marry or lose a prestigious position in Brussels, and pretty, well-connected Elizabeth fits his needs admirably. But could it be that he has underestimated his bride? She doesn’t bat an eye in the face of the danger they encounter overseas. She’s strong-willed, intelligent, and more enticing each day—yet also more indifferent to him. Now Geoffrey faces his greatest challenge: to woo and win his own wife, or risk losing her for good…

Praise for the USA Today-bestselling Worthingtons series

“The happy and chaotic family life that takes place around the edges of the love story is what makes this novel so delightful. A fun read.”—Kirkus Reviews on It Started with a Kiss

“Quinn offers a refreshing take on historical-romance conventions…. Grace Burrowes’ readers will also appreciate the intelligent commentary on issues of the day.”—Booklist on When a Marquis Chooses a Bride

Ratings and reviews

After seeing the woman he had wanted to marry choose another, Geoffrey, Earl of Harrington, must go wife-hunting again. This time, Miss Elizabeth Turley is on his radar. She has everything Geoffrey wants in a wife: she is poised, she is a wonderful hostess, and she is accomplished in everything that matters to be a stellar diplomat’s wife. Elizabeth is also beautiful, which would be an advantage in the marriage bed, which she would hopefully also enjoy. Elizabeth is on the marriage mart, the wonderfully handsome Lord Harrington has caught her eye, but Elizabeth wants to marry for love. When Geoffrey starts courting her, Elizabeth feels something is off; she knows he needs a wife, that Geoffrey must marry quickly in order to start his new position in Brussels, but is he even interested in her as a person? Geoffrey has never even entertained the idea of falling in love, and he is utterly clueless as how to court a woman, and I found that this was astonishingly well done by Ms. Quinn. Geoffrey is not a rogue, he is not a jerk, but he really looks at Elizabeth as if she were a candidate for a position, which in fact is the case; he has no idea what romance is. There were quite a few very entertaining scenes, and I just loved this part of the book, essentially the first half. However, the second half did not go quite like I expected. The pace slowed down quite a bit, and as trustworthy as Ella Quinn is when it comes to historical facts, I had not anticipated YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST EARL to be nearly as much historical fiction as it is a romance. Mind you, the attention to detail is spectacular, and the research must have been painstaking, but this was not quite what I had bargained for. Rating YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST EARL was somewhat problematic for me. It is a great book, so well detailed that it’s almost like experiencing the story in real time, and I suppose it is a question of expectations and personal interests; there was too much history for my taste, but I’m positive that I will be in the minority. I found it fascinating to read about how people and the aristocracy fared in those difficult times; travelling by ship and coach; the expectations of men and women when it came to marriages; and how women were told so little about marital duties. But my real problem was Geoffrey’s cluelessness: while it was cute at the beginning, it became annoying in the second half. His epiphany at the end never convinced me that he really loved Elizabeth; it still felt more to me that he missed having sex with her. Oh, he liked her, he certainly admired her, he valued her as a friend and a partner, but love? I still don’t think he loved her. And I know this is wishful thinking, but I would love to read Vickers’ story – Elizabeth’s lady’s maid; what a fabulous character she was! As were Elizabeth’s brother Gavin, and the delectable Lord Littleton, whose story I hope will come very soon. I give 3 ½ stars

Elizabeth Turley's three friends have all married so she's more than ready to marry. Geoffrey, Earl of Harrington is tall, handsome, and dashing, he’s also just a bit too sure of himself. Elizabeth has observed enough about the rules of attraction to pique the earl’s attention. Lord Harrington must marry or lose a prestigious position in Brussels, and pretty, well-connected Elizabeth fits his needs admirably. Another very good well written book from the author. I found that I wasn’t enamoured of Geoff to begin with he came across as a little petulant however as the novel progressed I found I liked him more & more. I especially liked his Grandmother & cousin Apollonia (love the name) taking his courting skills to task. Elizabeth is an intelligent & very likeable young woman, The attraction between the pair is apparent from their encounters. It was a very well paced story which I didn’t want to end. I also loved that characters from other series made cameo appearances. My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I know you will love this book. No down time, read straight through front to back.

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn ’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat cruising the Caribbean and North America. Europe is next! She loves having readers connect with her. Website: www.ellaquinnauthor.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor Twitter: www.twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor Blog: ellaquinnauthor.wordpress.com