I adored Constance more than I ever would have expected from her appearance in The Duke I Tempted. The more time they spend together feigning romance however, the more they come to understand each other and what hides behind each of their outward façades, For Julian, the hurt of the sham engagement to a woman he wanted to marry is often too much. For Constance, being tied to a man she calls Lord Bore and who constantly looks down on her won’t be easy. Still, they agree to convince society that they’re hopelessly in love for a short time, then break it off before the wedding. He would have loved to marry her before, but her offer of a hasty engagement now only makes him angry and hurt. However, by telling his sexual secrets to the world and jeopardizing the Charlotte Street club and all involved, she has gone a step too far. Julian Haywood, Earl of Apthorp has loved Constance for years, but has hidden it behind a veil of disapproval for her outrageous demeanor.

Now that she’s gained the stodgy earl the nickname Arsethorp, she sets out to save his reputation by offering to marry him. She writes a scathing poem about the Earl of Apthorp, revealing his Wednesday visits to the Charlotte Street sex club. If you’re used to ladies getting their reputation ruined and being forced to marry, Lady Constance Stonewell turns that trope on its head.

If you loved The Duke I Tempted, I think you’ll be delighted with this second installment as well. I hope those readers might give the author another shot because The Earl I Ruined is very different to its predecessor, while still having the wallop of emotion and lush writing that Peckham displayed in that first book. From reviews I’ve seen, this didn’t work for some readers because the issue of whipping put people off, and there were also concerns as to whether the hero was being faithful to the heroine by pursuing those proclivities with someone other than her. Peckham’s début, The Duke I Tempted, was very different to other historical romances I’ve read recently because the hero had a submissive side he exercised through visiting a sex club.

The Earl I Ruined checked all my boxes and them some, and made me lose sleep more than one night to stay up reading. Even better if they have some kind of history between them that means they’re hiding their feelings, afraid to get hurt, or have been secretly in love for years.

The best way to make me devour a book is to have characters that absolutely pine for each other.

The earl i ruined by scarlett peckham