A review by yourbookishbff
When the Earl Desired Me by Lydia Lloyd

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

If you, like me, live for explicit declarations of fidelity, goner heroes who haven't noticed another woman since the day they met the heroine, and quick-off-the-mark men who are not remotely ashamed of it, have I got the book for you. I struggled with the friend group at the center of this series after reading the first installment, and had actually feared this specific character's book, given how he's portrayed as a side character. The "Downstairs Menace," preying on servants and carousing through London without a care in the world? No thanks. It wasn't until an ARC reviewer assured me that this would be a wholly different story - that a more nuanced and endearing story lies beneath his reputation - that I gave it a chance. I'm so glad I did, because Lloyd directly examines class difference (and the resulting power imbalance, impact on consent/agency) through this love story, giving us a window into "downstairs" life and its very real hazards. I fell in love with this hero by the end, and appreciated that the unique turns the mystery takes late in the book actually helped to address my frustrations with the behavior of his friends. Lloyd weaves in epistolary elements as flashbacks, building out a really compelling and romantic second-chance love story for this unlikely couple.
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