BOOK REVIEW: Earl on the Run by Jane Ashford

 I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Jane Ashford writes such sweet Regency Romances. Earl on the Run is book 2 in The Duke’s Estates series. My favorite part of book one, The Duke Who Loved Me, was the quartet of young debutantes who kept a humorous running commentary on the state of the ton and the progress of that heroine’s courtship. Now it’s the turn of one of those debutantes, Harriet Finch, to find her true love.

Harriet is an heiress, suddenly. The grandfather who threw her mother out and harried her father into ruin decided to leave his money to her, provided she serve as his pawn, his entree into society. Grandfather Finch made his money in trade and is desperate to connect himself to the aristocracy. Harriet has no desire to marry for a title. However, her father is dead. And her destitute mother wants a “better” life for her daughter.

Jack Merrill’s story is similar. His father (heir to an earldom) fell in love with a commoner and was banished to America where he entered trade. Jack was perfectly content but was summoned back to England when he inherited his grandfather’s estates. He has no desire to be insulted by the titled, especially not by his haughty, cruel grandmother. So he takes off. Disappears. However, he is curious about the country estate he inherited, so he sneaks off to see it before deciding what to do next.

His country home borders that of the estate bought by Grandfather Finch.

Jack and Harriet meet wandering about the grounds. Neither knows anything about the other, so they are free to invent their personae, which really means they are free to be themselves. Before long, they have fallen in love.

This should be an easy one. The match is something everyone around them wants. They want it themselves. But they haven’t been honest with one another. And they don’t want to marry to please other people. To some extent, their obstacles are invented and could be solved by a good long chat. But they are interrupted at inopportune times. And they don’t entirely trust their own feelings.

The two are kind-hearted and loving. Their goals align. The happily-ever-after is assured once they decide to be honest with one another. They are helped along by none other than James and Cecelia from The Duke Who Loved Me (and it was fun seeing their return.) 

I’m eager to see who the next heroine in the series will be!