Unwrapping: Review of ONE GOOD EARL DESERVES A LOVER by Sarah MacLean

Lucky me! One of the last things that Avon Romance sent me when my tenure as an Avon Addict ended, and I merely became an Avon Addict Alum, was a print ARC of ONE GOOD EARL DESERVES A LOVER, a Rule of Scoundrels novel by Sarah MacLean. I do have to say that I have been eagerly awaiting the chance to read it but my schedule only allowed it recently - well, I was not disappointed.

***ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for ONE GOOD EARL DESERVES A LOVER:

The second in the incredible new Rules of Scoundrels series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean.

Lady Philippa Marbury is odd. The bespectacled, brilliant fourth daughter of the Marquess of Needham and Dolby cares more for books than balls, flora than fashion and science than the season. Nearly engaged to Lord Castleton, Pippa wants to explore the scandalous parts of London she's never seen before marriage. And she knows just who to ask: the tall, charming, quick-witted bookkeeper of The Fallen Angel, London's most notorious and coveted gaming hell, known only as Cross.

Like any good scientist, Pippa's done her research and Cross's reputation makes him perfect for her scheme. She wants science without emotion—the experience of ruination without the repercussions of ruination. And who better to provide her with the experience than this legendary man? But when this odd, unexpected female propositions Cross, it's more than tempting . . . and it will take everything he has to resist following his instincts—and giving the lady precisely what she wants.

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Pippa, Lady Philippa Marbury is in search of answers. With her wedding to the staid Lord Castleton only two weeks away, Pippa needs a research partner who can assist her in learning the ways of the marriage bed. She seeks out her sister's husband's partner, Cross  - as if Bourne would allow it if he knew.  With all that she's heard of his reputation throughout London, Cross appears to be the perfect man to instruct her in the ways of temptation, seduction, and all that follows.

Cross has more on his mind than he can already handle, what with the problem of Knight and his eagerness to do more than ruin Cross, so when Lady Philippa Marbury appears in his office in the middle of the day, he's not only shocked but worried. If Bourne were to find out that his young, innocent sister-in-law, who is on the brink of marriage, was found in his office in the notorious gaming hell, the Angel, Cross would only have to worry about how much longer he might live. As if things weren't bad enough, the lady in question requests that he aid her in her 'ruination'. Yikes!

I love this story. I adore Pippa and even though I didn't particularly care for the way that Cross treated Pippa in the beginning, once he came around to recognizing his own attraction to the intriguing girl who wears spectacles, I became a huge fan. I do believe that ONE GOOD EARL DESERVES A LOVER just might be Sarah MacLean's best yet!!

ONE GOOD EARL DESERVES A LOVER by Sarah MacLean is delightful and intelligent from page one straight through to the happily-ever-after. Pippa is innocent yet precocious. She's gentle yet feisty. She's easily overlooked by most but when fired up, she's more than sexy, she's a vixen. Cross annoyed me at first in his treatment of her as if she was a schoolgirl bent on learning things far beyond her understanding but once he came around and understood the fire that simmers beneath her bespectacled, scientific surface, there was no stopping him from showing her just want an excellent rake he could be. 

I love that there was more to this story than just Pippa's desire to learn more about what was expected from her on her wedding night. It was about pasts, futures, and using intelligence to outsmart even the most street wise crook. When Cross pushes Pippa back in the direction of Castleton, she takes matters upon herself to do what she's wanted to do since she first experienced the man who is Cross - she sets about to run a scam, not unlike a cross between the one pulled in Ocean's Eleven and The Sting, to save Cross from himself. Brilliant and wonderfully pulled off. Not saying one more word - you've got to read it to experience it.

I highly recommend ONE GOOD EARL DESERVES A LOVER by Sarah MacLean if you love a smart, incorrigible, and endearing heroine and a hero who is more than overwhelmed by her. If you love intelligent writing that carries you from scene to scene with an eagerness that culminates in a nearly scandalous happily-ever-after, then you will love this The Second Rule of Scoundrels book.

Happy Reading Everyone!

ONE GOOD EARL DESERVES A LOVER, a Rules of Scoundrels novel by Sarah MacLean, Avon Romance, available now in print and ebook formats.