Book Review: What's an Earl Gotta Do? by Courtney McCaskill

About the Book:

Title: What’s an Earl Gotta Do?

Author: Courtney McCaskill

Series: The Astley Chronicles #2

Publication Date: Dec. 3, 2021

Synopsis: He lost her once. He can’t bear to lose her again.

Michael Cranfield, the Earl of Morsley, has been hopelessly in love with the girl next door, Lady Anne Astley, ever since they were fourteen years old.

This made it particularly jarring when she went and married someone else when his father sent him on a secret mission for the Crown in the wilds of Canada.

Now Anne is a widow, and Michael has a second chance to be with the woman he loves. He’s determined to marry Anne, take her back to Canada (where’s he’s spent the past four years training to be Governor General,) and wrap her up in cotton gauze so he’ll never have to be parted from her.

Anne still cringes when she recalls the day she learned with absolute certainty that Michael only saw her as a friend. But she isn’t the biddable girl Michael remembers, not any more. She’s found that being a widow, answering to no one, and running her London charity precisely as she sees fit suits her just fine. She is on the hunt for a husband, however, to give her the children she’s always longed for.

And, as much as she’d like that husband to be her best friend, if Michael Cranfield thinks she’s going to give up her charity, or let him boss her around, then he’d better think again!

What price will Michael be willing to pay to be with the woman he loves? What’s an Earl Gotta Do?

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:

I was so excited to receive a copy of What’s an Earl Gotta Do? by Courtney McCaskill. I’ve been looking forward to reading it since I saw that fantastic cover and read the title. The first book in the series, How to Train Your Viscount was a great read, so I knew I’d love this one too. And I was right! It’s a wonderful historical romance, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I love the romance in this story!! Michael has been in love with Anne since he was fourteen years old, and now that he has a chance with her, he won’t let anything stand in their way. They have such a wonderful love story that began when they were kids, and it’s filled with yearning, passion, and respect. And I adore how utterly in love Michael is and how eager he is to get a second chance with Anne. It seems like everyone but Anne knows how Michael feels, and they all try to help him win her over. It’s funny and charming and makes Michael very endearing.

Anne and Michael are both really stubborn, and after knowing each other all their lives, there are some definite communication issues that they need to work on. There are times when it feels like they don’t know each other at all, which isn’t shocking since they haven’t seen each other or communicated in years. They both make mistakes and assumptions, which causes conflict in their relationship. Plus, their career paths are on different continents, and a dangerous mystery snares their time. Even though many obstacles stand in their way, Michael is always determined to find a way for them to be together.

The mystery Anne and Michael set out to solve brings them closer together and gives both characters ample time to work together and become reacquainted. I think Michael learns a lot about Anne while investigating what happened to the missing boys. She’s smart, brave, and fiercely independent, and she is not the same young girl he remembers from years ago. She also doesn’t appreciate Michael’s attempts to protect her, and she proves on more than one occasion how capable she is of running her charity and taking care of herself. Luckily for Michael, Anne is looking for a husband and has tender feelings for him!

This is a wonderful friends-to-lovers historical romance and a great addition to the series. The characters are compelling and layered, the mystery is intriguing and exciting, and the romance is swoon-worthy. I enthusiastically recommend the book to readers who like second chance romance, friends-to-lovers romance, or historical romance, and I’m thankful to Courtney McCaskill for gifting me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

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