Customer Reviews

As an Earl Desires

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The new Earl of Sachse is a wonderful hero. Camilla's character is revealed slowly. She's a tortured heroine but not depressingly so. She was unhappily married to the cruel, old Earl and has taken on the task of training the new Earl in the ways of the ton. He was quite happy as a schoolteacher and does not fit into his new role very well.
The attraction between the two is strong and believeable.Camilla takes a while to warm up to but the reasons are revealed early on. I really enjoyed this book. There is an element of mystery but it involves the characters and not an actual bad guy. There's even a slightly surprising ending.
I love Lorraine Heath. She is vastly under rated. This book is emotional and drew me in with the characters and not some ignorant adventure. If you want adventure. Read Tom Clancy. If you want a good romance that stays focused on the characters. This one's for you.

Heath's smooth storytelling quickly draws the reader into this charming, character-driven romance. I was delighted to find only one tortured character and even more pleased to find that it wasn't the hero but the heroine, Lady Camilla. I found the well-adjusted hero, Sachse, a breath of fresh air and the perfect foil for this heroine. Anyone seeking an enjoyable lovestory--one not loaded with murder and mayhem, but filled with sensuality and honesty--will find it in As An Earl Desires

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! It was a perfect love story. I extremely disagree with SusieQ's review. This book was not at all boring and it was extremely realistic. If you love historical romances, then please read this book. However, if you are not into lords, dukes, countesses, England, and all of that other stuff, then please read whatever you enjoy. Please do not read this and complain about it if you aren't into this type of book in the first place!!! This book is absolutely beautiful (as you can see SusieQ is the only one who disagrees here).

Despite being saddled with the name Archibald, the hero was completely delicious--the sort of man any woman in her right mind would walk through fire and water to call her own. Archie was honest, intelligent, charming, romantic, sexy, kind.....flawless (and I mean that in the best way).

Camilla's insistence on marrying a duke never had a convincing rationale, but her struggle with literacy was well done. Yes, the barrenness issue was over-highlighted; we've all seen this plot before, so there were no surprises there. Indeed, several elements were "old" in terms of being used often by romance writers. There was some predictability here, but I wouldn't knock off more than 1/2 a point for that because so much is well done. The joy in this book, for me, was in the truly loveable Archie, the willingness of each of these people to sacrifice their own desires for the other's sake, and the strong emotional elements present, particularly in the last third of the book. Keep the tissues handy!

This is a great novel. I read two chapters of it in the bookstore and knew I had to get it. I did not regret it. I could relate to the characters, the love scenes were tender, emotion bt. the characters were high, and the ending was just as great as the beginnng. I have read this authors books before so I should have known this book would be good. She has a way with emotions in her writing that is outstanding. She can describe something big like life and love in the simplest words. Read it if you want feel something as you read.

Having recently read & enjoyed "A Rogue in Texas" I looked forward to sampling Ms. Heath's latest novel, thinking it would be as good as that one -- WRONG.

What didn't I like about it? I could not believe that the author of "Rogue", was the same author who wrote this book! It's like she morphed into Julianne MacLean, and I do NOT mean that as a compliment. This book is a MAJOR come down from the talent Ms. Heath has displayed in prior work.

Spoiler Alert: Spoiler Alert:
I could barely maintain my interest in the plot, and ended up skimming before the end. I can't help but be particularly annoyed at the heroine's insistence that she's barren. In every chapter, she's reminding us she can't have a child. It was like a big hint-hint-hint that she'd end up with a child eventually, thanks to the hero's potent "seed". (And in this case, he's VERY potent -- she ends up with 5 children, for Pete's sake.)

(End of spoiler)
I also can't stand a novel that pays lip service to historical mores, values and behavior (in this case, of 19th century, aristocratic England) while filtering these through 21st century behavior. It's incredibly jarring to encounter 21st-century behaviors & beliefs in a 19th-century setting.

And note to Ms. Heath: I believe cravats went out after the Regency period.

While there is nothing particularly original or memorable about this novel, except that it stank up the room, I give it two stars for the fact that the H/H constantly talked with each other about their problems; there were no stupid misunderstandings; and the love scenes weren't rushed into (but for all her efforts, the author left this reader cold in that respect). The hero is also very sweet, but this actually worked against a higher rating from me--there should be some gray, a hero can't be all white or all black. In this case, he's all white & nice, but dull.

Avoid this novel if you've enjoyed Ms. Heath's Western romances. She should definitely go back to these, as aristocratic British society settings do not suit her at all.

Maybe, now and then, there was a phrase or two, not many, which seemed *slightly* modern. And yes, it's true that Camilla insists she is barren several times... but then again, she truly believed she was, and in those days that was a bit of a curse if the hubby wanted heirs. Yes, I knew that that was a clue that she would NOT be barren -- this is, after all, a romance. But none of that bothered me in the least.

The hero is so kind, so SMART, so compassionate, sexy, and well-adjusted(he did not grow up as a blue-blood) -- and yes, he's also tall, handsome, and all of those other great things -- but we expect that in a good romance.

What I didn't expect, and loved, was how beautiful the story was, and how beautiful Heath's writing is... her prose. She writes so beautifully!

And yes, I loved the plot, despite being frustrated at times by Camilla's
resistance to Arch -- the rewarding ending is well worth all of it. I've read this book three times and I'm STILL keeping it on my KEEPER shelf. It stands up well to many readings, and I don't really KEEP all that many romance books (I have bought quite a few, I must say). And I simply fell in love with Arch. I know quite a few ladies who would give an awful lot to have one month with a man of his compassion -- to be able to have a whole lifetime with a man like this is the stuff romances are made of.

I think the love scenes are beautifully written and full of passion.

To each his own, but I give this one 5 stars! My first Lorraine Heath book. I would like to try some more.

Sooo boring. Camilla was such a materialistic, power hungry woman that I found it hard to like her. The author threw in some charitable deeds to balance things out but she came up very short. It didn't help that she accomplished these deeds with someone else's money. In contrast, Archie was just a little to perfect. He was so syrupy sweet that it became uncomfortable. Grovel, grovel. A little bit of conflict between the two would have been quite refreshing.

Well written? Yes. Enjoyable? Not for me.

In 1879 Archibald Warner struggles with the pomp and circumstance of being the new Earl of Sacshe although his predecessor's widow Camilla offers plenty of help and advice on etiquette. Camilla makes it clear to Arch that she will find him a proper wife and in the process plans to marry a duke. Arch does not want any acceptable spouse; he wants Camilla, who is two years younger than him. She refuses to consider being his spouse as she is barren and he needs an heir.

As Camilla pushes respect over love, Arch showers her with kindness even telling his solicitor to back off on how she spends his money and occasionally steals a kiss that always jolts her. He plans to marry Camilla or no one, but he knows how difficult that will be to achieve as she is stubborn and her late spouse his predecessor scarred her mentally, hopefully not for life.

Victorian romance readers will enjoy Lorraine Heath's latest historical starring a wonderful male protagonist. Fans at first will dislike Camilla as being a snob, but change their tune as they get to really know her especially what she does with her "excesses" and how her past (childhood poverty and the previous Earl) shaped her present. It is the change in attitude by the audience towards the female lead that makes this a fine tale while showcasing Ms. Heath's storytelling skills.

Harriet Klausner

Anyone familiar with Lorraine Heath's novels will recognize a big difference in "As an Earl Desires" -- neither our hero nor heroine is Texan. They're both English.

Archie is a great hero. I loved him from the start. Having recently been informed that he is the new earl, he goes to London and does NOT have the best time of his life. He's a schoolteacher from a small town in northern England, not a wealthy carefree rake. To help ease him into the aristocratic circles in which he now finds himself, Lady Sachse -- his predecessor's widow -- comes forward. They develop a friendship that -- yes, of course -- leads to romance. But the journey from this point to the inevitable end is a very satisfying one, and I recommend it. No -- this isn't "war and peace", but who wants to read "war and peace"? If you want to immerse yourself in the lives of two people -- one wounded and the other sensitive, loving, and willing to help -- then read "As an Earl Desires." There's a twist or two for you to smile at, and also sets up perfectly the next book in the series, "Promise me Forever." Two thumbs up to Lorraine Heath!