Book Review: The Daughter of an Earl by Victoria Morgan

Title: The Daughter of an Earl
Author: Victoria Morgan
Genre: Historical Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: July 7, 2015 by Berkley

An American businessman in England, Brett Curtis has little use for the haughty ton beyond seeing his sisters happily entertained in London. But when his cousin mysteriously disappears after inheriting the title of Duke, he sets out to locate him and drag him home.

Lady Emily Chandler plunged into deep despair when her fiancé died in India, and now she is determined to prove that he was murdered. The brash American Brett Curtis’s reputation may be less than sterling, but he’s just the man to help Emily on her quest—if she can convince him to accept her dangerous proposition.

While their alliance uncovers a web of scandalous secrets, their undeniable attraction threatens to reveal something even more dangerous: true love.

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Reviewed by: Sara

Why I Read This Book: Sometimes I like to mix it up with some Historical Romance and one that promises "scandalous secrets" and "dangerous propositions" seemed like a good pick for me.

What I Liked: Many Historical Romances involve virginal, innocent female main characters, because as we all know women didn't even start thinking about sex until, like, the 1960s. (That's sarcasm, folks.) However, in The Daughter of an Earl, Victoria Morgan writes the main female character, Emily Chandler, as sexually experienced and confident. Which is a fantastic departure from the norm and very refreshing. It's great to get away from the doe-eyed innocent who's surprised by anything sexual to one who is both actively pursuing the male main character and making sure she gets hers.

What I Didn't Like: As much as I liked Emily and her confident sexuality it wasn't enough to make The Daughter of an Earl for me. The novel was very difficult for me to get into and seemed to start of slow and plodding. I also felt like there was simply too much going on. Brett Curtis, the male main character is supposedly looking for his cousin, but that part of the story isn't well defined and as a result seems to be too sparingly spread throughout the book. Which effects everything from Brett Curtis' overall story arc to The Daughter of an Earl's ending.

Overall Impression: Great characters can't carry a book on their own if there are issues with the plot. Unfortunately, the plot of The Daughter of an Earl suffered from a slow start and having undefined, underutilized plot points throughout the book.

Sara’s Rating: