I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an advance reader copy of this story.

An Unexpected Earl, by Anna Harrington, is available at booksellers on 2-23-2021. The Lords of the Armory Book 2 give us Brandon Pearce, Lord Sandhurst and Amanda Howard. They have a long difficult relationship to deal with. Childhood friendship and love is a broken heart that never truly heals. Thrown together again they both understand the attraction is still there but how to get to the HEA becomes a test of will. Amanda's brother, a real piece of work as it turns out, is the catalyst that brings our couple into each others orbit. Amanda is fiercely devoted to her brother, willing to do anything to save him. She's a good sister, a good person, and brave. I liked her. Brandon is flailing around trying to figure out to live after the army & becoming an earl. He wasn't brought up to manage estates and move around in the ton. Poor guy. All in all they are both likeable and it was an enjoyable read.

#AnnaHarrington #AnUnexpectedEarl #TheLordsOfTheArmory #Netgalley # romance #historicalromance #SourcebooksCasablanca ( )

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. An Unexpected Earl by Anna Harrington is the second book in her exciting Lords of the Armory Series. I do think you should read the first book before reading this one as the series revolves around defeating an evil mafia-like organization called Scepter, and each story moves the Lords of the Armory closer to that goal. When Brandon Pearce, Earl of Sandhurst, encounters his first love Amelia Howard at a risqué mascarade ball, he’s determined to find out why she was there and how her brother is involved with Scepter. Amelia Howard is trying to find out who is blackmailing her brother, hoping to save him from the danger he seems to have gotten himself into when she encounters the man she’s never forgotten. This is a very adventurous second chance at love story with nasty villains, kidnapping, dramatic chases and rescues and a very satisfying HEA. I enjoyed reading this book and do recommend it and also the first book in the series. Steam Level: Medium. Publishing Date: February 23, 2021. #AnUnexpectedEarl #AnnaHarrington #SourceBooksCasablanca #HistoricalRomance #NetGalley #bookstagram #bookstagrammer ( )

This author always imbues her stories with all of the “feels”, and she has certainly outdone herself this time. Harrington has managed to squeeze a beautiful second-chance romance together with a suspenseful mystery that will keep you reading well into the night. I thought it was beautifully romantic, poignant, and heartbreaking when you learned what these two had been through – yet, they still loved each other after years of separation. It is definitely a sigh-worthy read!

The time is just after the Napoleonic wars and the English soldiers have returned to England. Many of them have a hard time adjusting to civilian life after the stress of war, but no help is offered. Many have lost limbs, sight, hearing, or suffer from what we would call PTSD today. Life after the wars is definitely not what these dedicated, loyal men would have chosen for themselves. There are few, if any, jobs available and many of the former soldiers were forced to live on the streets (sound familiar?). Now, there is a new threat to the realm – one nobody even knew existed until the sinister organization came after the Duke of Braddock’s sister. After his sister’s death, Braddock (An Inconvenient Duke), a former general, formed the Armory. The Armory is a place where soldiers from his former command can find sanctuary and maybe even help – and where they will band together to find and stamp out the sedition group known as Scepter.

Twelve years ago, Brigadier Brandon Pearce, Earl of Sandhurst, was an eighteen-year-old orphaned ragamuffin who lived with an innkeeper uncle in Birmingham. Being caught with a neighbor's sixteen-year-old daughter was both the making of him – and the shattering of him. Her father was a rich merchant, and after beating Brandon, he banished him. Brandon’s distant relative bought him an officer’s commission and his career was born. Brandon always loved that girl – and never forgot her – but knew she was above him and they could never be together. He always assumed she’d moved on, married, etc. – until he saw her across the room at a masked ball in London after he returned as a war hero – and inherited a title he didn’t expect. He quickly realizes his feelings haven’t changed, but she doesn’t trust him, treats him as an enemy, and is keeping secrets. He’s investigating her brother Frederick because the Armory is sure he is part of Scepter – is she also mixed up in it?

Amelia Howard was totally and completely devastated twelve-years-ago when she was torn away from the boy she loved and was sent to the far reaches of Scotland. She was threatened with terrible retributions if she dared to try to get in touch with him – and she knew her father would follow-through on those threats. She has loved that boy ever since – even though she’s tried to move on with her life. Fate just seems to have a vendetta against her – and it has shown itself in full-force when she meets Pearce at a ball in London. Goodness, how she’d love to be able to resume their relationship – she knows she still loves him – and always will. But there are things he can’t know – secrets she must keep, so she must avoid him at all costs. However, the persistent man won’t let her avoid him. He is everywhere she is – and her brother Frederick is pushing her to influence Pearce for him.

Pearce will do whatever it takes to keep Amelia safe, to protect her, but he has to learn all of her secrets before he can make a plan forward. I loved seeing Pearce doing all he could to regain Amelia’s trust – and that was no easy task – with good reason. I also loved seeing Amelia grow from Fate’s victim to Fate’s master. She grew from an accepting victim to someone who was strong and independent. I loved seeing the two of them overcome the obstacles that stood in the way of their HEA, but I wasn’t in love with the final solution of how they were going to be together.

I can highly recommend this book, this series, and this author. However, for me personally, had it been absolutely any other author, I would have bypassed the book as soon as I read the references to ‘feminist’ in the blurb. Yes, I firmly believe in being equal, but I detest that term that has, for me, become a negative. I loved the story and I’m glad I read it, so I’m glad I didn’t see that blurb before I just automatically requested the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )