The Earl's Christmas Pearl: A Duke's Daughters Novella

Lady Pearl is not like her sisters, her mother or even one to bring notice to herself. That explains her being left behind when the family heads out to the country for the holidays. While she thought perhaps she’d like to be a part of the festivities – she’s decided that time alone, gloriously alone to make her own decisions and choices with no one directing her sounded like heaven. She just never realized that the house, cleared for closing, would mean she would have to fend for herself – and having zero practical skills as a Duke’s daughter, that could make the whole experience rather more difficult. Owen Dwyfor, Earl of Llanover, has packed up his beloved pet Mr. Shorty the corgi and headed off to his London townhouse to heal and remove himself from the annoyance of people hovering and suggesting things for him. Wanting nothing more than solitude and quiet – no one is more surprised to run into Lady Pearl, unchaperoned and alone during the season. This was adorable, quick reading and full of banter and puns. Mr. Shorty is just a rascal (as most corgis are) and once Pearl and Owen discover that the constraints of society and ‘meddling ton’ are removed, they are able to be themselves with one another, and it leads to some wonderful discoveries for them both. It was sweet to see the trappings of society and expectations fall from their shoulders and, with expecting nothing of the other, finding great joy in sharing the time together. A lovely installment that fleshed out the two characters and their relationship nicely with plenty of conversation, self-discovery and amusement. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.. An earl who was very grumpy." Now how could I resist when this started chapter one! Pearl was estatic to be left alone in her parents' London town house, although it was not unexpected due to her mother being scattered mind. What was so humorous from the first page, was Pearl's long list of things she might do since she was alone.. I found myself smiling so much and waiting to see what she would do. Deciding to go out walking and of course, she runs into a man, oh, an intriguing man with a little dog he'd called Mr Shorty, but he hardly said a word as she watched him go up the steps to he neighbor's house. Owen only wanted to be alone. He needed to recover from his injury, away from his scheming mother and sisters who wanted to marry him off and also contemplate his business. But when Pearl determined she had no food and was very hungry she decided to knock on the neighbor's door. A delightful story that had me laughing, sighing and just enjoying every word! She deemed him the Grumpy earl. A Welsh earl with a Welsh corgi!! I love books with humor and romance and this fit that to perfection! Trust me you do not want to miss this one!