Title: The Earl of SpadesAuthor: Emily Windsor
Series: A Lady to Suit #3
Pages: 312
Publication Date: July 9, 2026
Publisher: Senara Press
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical
Synopsis:
A gentleman the London Ton desires – a newly titled earl.
To Miles Firth, Earl of Stonewold, cavalry boots are more agreeable than dancing slippers. A former captain, he’s a man of order and command. And now earl – a reluctant one.
Lauded by society as a rugged war hero and most eligible bachelor, his one flaw, in their view, is an avid interest in…plants.
A lady the London Ton disdains – an unconventional spinster.
Miss Verity Seymour would rather be hurtling around Town in her Pomona-green phaeton with her eccentric aunt and ruined cousin than brave a stifling ballroom.
Branded by society as a scandalous spinster, her one merit, in their view, is an artistic talent for…cat portraits.
But cats are not Verity’s only portraits…
Where petals and peril entwine…
Drawn together when young by passions neither could deny, their hearts were shattered, a love out of reach. Until in London’s streets and hidden gardens, their paths cross once more and every glance threatens to awaken a desire long-thought buried.
But sinister eyes also watch on, and as both peril and temptation draw close, Verity and Miles must discover if love can bloom anew or whether secrets of the past will smother it forever…
With steamy hothouses, disreputable cousins, cats, notorious hell owners and…plants, the truth is waiting to be unearthed. A love waiting to be grasped.
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The Earl of Spades is a fantastically swoon-worthy addition to the A Lady to Suit series! I really enjoy Emily Windsor’s historical romances. Her writing style is immersive, and she has such a talent for creating layered and compelling characters and relationships.
I loved Miles and Verity, and I added Miles to my list of favorite fictional boyfriends very early on in the story. He’s definitely my favorite character in the book. Miles is honorable, thoughtful, humble, and generous. He’s the person you go to when you want support and understanding, and I just adored his patient and strong demeanor. Verity is fabulous and layered as well, and she’s much stronger than she gives herself credit for, especially when you learn all she went through. She shows so much growth over the course of the story, with the help of amazing friends and family and her swoon-worthy first love.
Miles and Verity have such a wonderful love story, and Miles’s declarations of love and affection were so gorgeous. Second-chance romances can sometimes be tough for me. It all depends on what happened in the past, how they treated and treat each other, and whether they learned and grew. This story is exactly what I love in a second-chance. You can tell both characters still hurt, but they’re never cruel or spiteful. I also think the reasons behind their split were compelling and believable. Now that they’re both a little older and have more life experience, things are different, and it’s interesting to see them confront the old hurts and unresolved feelings now that they’re more mature. Luckily, this time around they also have way more independence and support than they had in the past.
There are a bunch of different types of relationships in the story that I enjoyed, including friendships, sisterhoods, and found families. I think, other than the love story, the one between Verity, Theo, and Sephi is probably my favorite. They are such a strong and supportive unit, and Aunt Theo cracked me up with her constant “rescuing” of cats. At first, she seems a little flighty, but she’s actually so wise and strong. I described her as Yoda in a cat lady’s body. lol And I can’t wait to find out more about Sephi. I’m totally hoping we’ll see more of her in a future book! Miles and Dair are another compelling pair, and their relationship says a lot about both of their characters. I definitely need to see more of Dair because there’s definitely more to his story!
In addition to the characters, the plot is interesting, with intrigue and danger and a few twists I didn’t predict. It seems as if Miles might be a target, and with his likeness appearing in several paintings and repeated accidents nearly incapacitating him, it’s clear he’s caught someone’s focus. It’s also clear that Verity has secrets that she doesn’t want exposed, especially to Miles, which adds more intrigue to the story.
I also loved the discussions and comparisons to nature and art, and that the MCs share a love of things botanical-related. And it’s always fun to revisit favorite characters from previous books, and we totally get that here. Seeing new additions to the family and how all of their lives have changed and progressed is so lovely! That being said, if you didn’t read the first two books, you can totally read this as a standalone. The author provides ample context, and the characters in the first two books of the series have minor roles in this one.
- second chance romance
- found family
- slow burn
- hidden identity
Emily grew up in the north of England on a diet of historical romance and strong tea.
Unfortunately, you couldn’t study Regency slang, so she did the next best thing and gained a degree in Classics and History instead. This ‘led’ to an eight-year stint in engineering.
Having left city life, she now lives in a dilapidated farmhouse where her days are spent writing, fixing the leaky roof, battling the endless vegetation and finding pictures of well-tied cravats.
