by Catherine Hemmerling
Series: Lady Lancaster Garden Society #1
Genres: Historical Romance
Source: Publisher
Everyone knows William Bredon, the earl of Pembroke, has a reputation as a captivating rogue, determined to never marry until his duty to produce an heir requires it. So when he invites Lady Hannah Rochester to dance, Hannah vows to keep her distance. But the undeniably gorgeous William, with his dark humor and seductive gaze, draws her in nonetheless. Of course, Lady Hannah is not completely what she seems, either. A member of the dowager Lady Lancaster’s Garden Society, she secretly spends her days solving mysteries and uncovering intrigues, and when she brings William into the fold, a sinister plot develops that brings the two closer together. William’s protective nature ensures he remains by Hannah’s side, but he will not surrender his anti-marriage stance. Can intrigue, passion, and maybe even a little bit of scandal reform the most notorious of rakes?
I love a deliciously good Regency romance, wrapped in mystery with lovable characters and a feisty heroine and Taming Her Forbidden Earl delivered just that and more. The first in the Lady Lancaster Garden Society series Hemmerling had me laughing, sighing and completely wrapped up in this fast-paced tale.
The Dowager Lady Lancaster has enlisted the help of several hand-selected young ladies of the ton to secretly help her solve mysteries, and rescue those less fortunate. The ladies meet under the guise of a Garden Society. It is all quite prim and proper to the unsuspecting ton. Lady Hannah a member of the society is saved from dancing from a loathsome man, by William Bredon a dashingly handsome rogue, and the earl of Pembroke. She is drawn to him and immediately curious as to why he never wishes to wed. When the Garden Society realize that Hannah’s younger brother and the younger brother of Bredon may be involved in some illegal smuggling the Lady Lancaster suggests that Lady Hannah enlist his help and the tale that unfolds was captivating, hilarious, deliciously romantic and filled with danger.
I love women of the ton who go against the norm, have strong spirits and are intelligent. The Ladies of the Garden Society are all such woman and I cannot wait for all of their stories. This tale is for Hannah and I adored her. She is strong, confident, and assertive. I loved how William could turn her brain to mush and how her thoughts slipped from her tongue. William has spent his life protecting his mother and siblings. His father was abusive and he fears to turn into him. Ah, how I love flawed or damaged rogues and William was in a word – yummy. The banter and dance these two shared as the tale progressed was delightful and felt genuine. The dowager along with William and Hannah’s mothers were hilarious and I enjoyed this tread of the tale.
I love my romance wrapped in suspense, intrigue or a delightful mystery and this historical fiction really delivered. The author took an actual historical event and added details to create this tale. In the beginning of the book, the author says something like the best tale has a grain of truth and I could not agree more. The entire plot felt very genuine and the characters believable. From the first page, the author had me engaged and I love when that happens.
I highly recommend Taming Her Forbidden Earl to fans of historical romance wrapped in suspense. A delightful start to a new series and one I cannot wait to continue. No news on the next installment, but I will be stalking the publishers and author’s sites for details.
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
kimbacaffeinate
hehehe..i so agree!
Blodeuedd
I doubt that I will ever tire of the rake
kimbacaffeinate
Yeah so agree! i am really excited about continue this series..
Jennifer Bielman
I too like the women who go against the ton rules and let their freak flag fly. lol. This book sounds awesome. A lot of great characters to explore.
kimbacaffeinate
Ha..you are right, I was booked solid and Entangled pub teased me with it.,. and Ah I am so glad I caved…even if I am overbooked! thanks Nick!
Nick
You devour historical romances, Kim! 🙂 I love books about rogues and I love a good intelligent heroine! I’m glad you enjoyed the book, Kim! Great review!
kimbacaffeinate
They are! thanks so much!
kimbacaffeinate
ha..i have gotten a string of really good ones, of course I am getting more picky in what I say yes too, so that has really helped. This one was exceptionally delightful!
kindlemom1
I don’t usually read Regency books but it has been a really long time since I have read a good historical.
I am so glad you enjoyed this one. 🙂 All of yours great reviews lately are really making me want to read one!
kimbacaffeinate
Ooo Ok just for you cupcake I will list my top 10 fav romance authors during fiery hot reads!
kimbacaffeinate
Ooo I hope you love it as much as I did, I am really excited about this series, so many elements I love!
Andrea
Wow! I’m planning to read this very soon, and your review has me all kinds of excited. I hope I enjoy Taming Her Forbidden Earl as much as you did!
kimbacaffeinate
hahaha..you made me scroll back up and look myself! I am trying very hard to be cheery and positive We are awaiting test results for our oldest, and quite frankly I am a basket case..will be longest 7-10 days of my friggin life. Thanks for asking <3
Heidi
What a nice saucy blend. I had to look twice at the guy on the cover, I thought he was wearing some king of “Puffy Shirt” ha ha ha! Hope you are having a better day today!
kimbacaffeinate
this was/ is the start of an awesome series, it has all the elements I adore and cannot wait to read the next book, thanks so much Sam!
kimbacaffeinate
Yay..this one is worth a read, and I am excited about the series..and yes please may I have another Rake!
thegeekyblogger
To second B! I will never tire of a rake! I was this close to requesting this one and I am glad to hear it stood up 🙂 I am going to put it on my wishlist!
Christy (Love of Books)
You and historical romance. lol. Of course this sounds good, but who knows when I’d actually read it. Not March! 😀
kimbacaffeinate
Bwahaha..my list is so long for March…LOL
Bella's Shelf
This sounds like the PERFECT book to read on a FREEZING cold night such as tonight. I LOVE historical romances too. They make me swoon big time. I know you enjoyed, you gave it 4 French Roasts!
kimbacaffeinate
hahaha..I did and cannot wait for the next book..enjoy cupcake!
kimbacaffeinate
Thanks Candace I think you will enjoy this 😉
Candace's Book Blog
Since it’s fast paced, has a mystery and has great character it sounds like one I really need to read! HF is sometimes more slow paced so knowing it moves along quickly makes me more drawn to it. Plus great characters is a definite must in any book!
Book Savvy Babe
I love it when the women go against the ton too, sounds like a good one 🙂 Book Savvy Babe
kimbacaffeinate
Thanks Heather and this one was so delightful!
Sharon - Obsession with Books
A wonderful review! It sounds like another enjoyable historical – the characters all sound great.
kimbacaffeinate
OoO you are gonna love it chicka!
kimbacaffeinate
this was so good..hope you get to read it!
Crystal Burns
I’m liking the sound of this one!! I’m adding it to my TBR list 🙂
Sam
Hannah sounds like a great character. I also really enjoy reading about strong women and she seems like someone worth investing in. Great review, Kimba!
Jenea Whittington
Hannah sounds like one strong woman, and Williams sounds swoon worthy. Great review. Glad you enjoyed this.
Danielle Chapman
Sounds like another good historical book. I just love your review for it!
You need to make a post with a list of your top ten historical romances that you would recommend to someone who normally doesn’t read that genre. 🙂
Aurian
This sure sounds good and fun. I have added it to my wishlist.