Review: One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean
I just like Sarah MacLean so much. This lady makes me happy, also she makes me cry.
This book follows Lady Philippa Marbry, Pippa, who is very worried about her upcoming marriage to a lovely man with who she has no connection. In her nervousness, she goes to Cross at his gaming hell and propositions him as a sort of tutor as she has realized other ladies she knows seemed ahead of her. Cross holds himself apart from London society because of his own failings in the past, Pippa shows up in his life and sets him on a path that entangles him in his past life.
It is now many months later and I am finally filling out this review properly. I took notes while reading but I am properly synthesizing this into a proper reaction to this book.
It is really interesting that so many historical romances include 'odd' characters in a way that is not nearly as common with books that are set in the current day. These characters are typically coded as autistic or ADHD or dealing with another neurodivergence and/or mental illness. Pippa in this book is clearly coded as autistic and maybe as having anxiety. I think that Pippa is handled really respectfully and is treated like a whole person. I really loved the way she was written.
I absolutely love a secret. This book does an excellent job with secrets. Past me didn't expand on this but I do remember being very into the way secrets were handled in this book.
The best part of a romance novel for me is how they handle tension. I thought the first 3/4 of this book was excellent with tension, but it fell off for me a tad in the end, but could be because I was really tired while reading it. I did think the emotional core of this story was really consistent and this book absolutely worked for me in that realm. I laughed, I cried, I swooned.
Something I particularly loved about this book, and really about many Sarah MacLean books, is the way MacLean writes other romantic options. The other potential man and other potential woman are great and kind and sympathetic. I really love that these two characters are portrayed positively, they are just not compatible with our main characters. I particularly love the man, I truly want him to have a happy wonderful life. I love him.
I continue to have a ball reading Sarah MacLean's backlog.
I gave this book four stars.
