An Earl Like You: The Wagers of Sin

Gambling often does not turn out well when the person is desperate to make money. Or so they say!! Hugh Deveraux, Earl of Hastings inherited a bankrupt estate and needed to earn some funds quickly and marry a heiress for money. He had loved his father and his family had always been a happy one, so when he realized there was no money for his sister's dowry or to take care of his mother, he did what he thought was best. As the best laid plans go, he was soon indebted to Edward Cross and the bargain was for him to court and wed his daughter and never let her know their arrangement! So you know how this might go, don't you? Hugh does meet Eliza Cross and starts courting her.. Eliza is such a sweet girl and had no hopes of attracting a suitor. But she starts to fall for Hugh and everything starts happening. I loved this story and it is one of my favorite tropes of the marriage for convenience and tangle it seems to always cause! Caroline Linden gives us a well written heartwarming tale that will pull you through the pages as quickly as you can read. As I turned the last page all I could do was sigh and hope that the next book in this series will be written soon!

An Earl Like You is the second book in author Caroline Linden’s newest series, The Wagers of Sin. This series focuses on three young girls from different backgrounds, who become friends while being students at Mrs. Upton’s Academy for Young Ladies. Each story focuses on one of the three girls and the journey to find their HEA. This story features Eliza Cross. Eliza Cross is a very wealthy heiress, but to London society, she will never fit in because her father is in trade. She’s shy and quiet and would rather spend time with her dog or in her gardens than at a society ball. Her father longs to see her married, she longs for a love match. Hugh Deveraux is shocked to find out after his father’s death that the estate is in deep debt. With two sisters without dowry’s and all the estates mortgaged, Hugh is desperate. Then Edward Cross approaches him with a deal to solve all his financial problems… I loved Hugh and Eliza from the very beginning. Eliza is a sweet girl, warm, generous, honest, but quite shy. It’s been just her and her father since she was three years old when her mother died. Although many will not like her father for what he did, I actually did like him. I didn’t approve of what he did, but I did understand it and knew that it was done out of love for his only daughter. As for Hugh, I really felt bad for his situation. Losing his beloved father, to only find out his father has left the family in deep debt. He is a good man, trying to protect his family and to make things right again. Although he started courting Eliza in the beginning to better his family situation, it was obvious that the more he got to know her the more his feeling started to grow and it truly caught him off guard. Eliza not only won the hearts of Hugh’s family but Hugh himself! This was such a beautifully written story and a unique twist on the marriage of convenience. Ms. Linden did a fabulous job giving us a story with a wonderful couple, fabulous secondary characters, a cute pup named Willy, and a perfect ending! Loved it!

Started well and interesting, but I think the book got a bit dragged towards the end. Overall a decent read.