The Earl Was Wrong

Belle (Fourth and Long) kicks off the Greydon series with this spirited Regency. Sebastian Grey, sixth Earl of Greydon, views marriage as purely a practical arrangement, hoping that his future wife will rein in the scandalous behavior of his sister and widowed mother. Emmeline Hart, a viscount’s sister who raised her younger siblings (proving she is practical and steady handed) and has expressed no interest in a love match, seems like the perfect candidate. Almost as soon as he and Emmeline are married, Sebastian sends all his female relations to his country estate where he hopes Emmeline will keep them in check while he stays in London. But when each letter she writes to him describes her blossoming friendship with his dashing brother, Sebastian is surprised to grow jealous. Emmeline, meanwhile, realizes that she wants more from their marriage than merely playing family peacemaker. Though the heroine’s arc is not quite as developed as the hero’s, there’s plenty of romantic tension between the two, and Belle adds depth to the marriage of convenience plot via the reality show–level antics of the extended Greydon clan. The result is a fun and fast-paced historical. (Self-published)