Reviews

The Red Hot Earl by Darcy Burke

ela_35's review

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I didn’t really like Bianca so it made it hard to like this book. Even though she wanted St. Stephen’s Day to happen for good reasons, I didn’t like how she acted because she seemed a bit spoilt and like everything should happen just because she wants it to. 

Also, in the book Ash has red hair and the man on the cover definitely does not. It’s a small complaint but the fact that Ash has red hair is relevant to the story because he was made fun of because of it. 

I still want to try the next book in this series because the writing wasn’t bad, I just didn’t really like Bianca and I think that Poppy’s character will be different. 

kimmiereadsalot's review

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4.0

Free on Apple Books.

Cute. Enjoyable novella. Recommend.

annakr5's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.25

beckymmoe's review

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4.0

Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books, on 9/30/19.

A cute, fairly fluffy holiday romance!

The Red Hot Earl introduces readers to the world of the Love is All Around holiday novellas with Bee and Ash's story. It's loosely based on the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (honestly, I hesitated whether to mention that, since I was overly distracted at the start trying to figure out how) but is mostly a childhood friends-to-lovers story between two people who aren't overly fond of society but are terribly fond of each other.

There aren't any huge revelations here (other than bullies often have their own personal issues that cause them to lash out, and some of them manage to eventually grow up) but it is a sweet, optimistic story about two likable characters who deserve their HEA.

At this point, though, I'm mostly interested in seeing how Ms. Burke is going to make Bee's brother into a sympathetic character for book 3--he's not leaving us with a good impression here, that's for sure!

Rating: 3 1/2 stars / B-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

jillmlong's review

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4.0

This was a sweet novella inspired by the song Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I liked Ash and Bianca. The romance was nicely portrayed. I look forward to the next book in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

bookswithamb's review

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3.0

The Red Hot Earl is the first instalment in Darcy Burke’s new trilogy, ‘Love is all around.” It is set in 1811 and follows a woman named Bianca, who reconnects with her childhood friend Ash during her attempts to make the annual St Stephen’s Day party go ahead.

This was a very quick and easy read and I enjoyed the main characters. Bianca is very independent and didn’t necessarily always follow what was expected of her, which I really like. The main love interest, Ash, is an absolute sweetheart, and I liked the way their friendship was instantly rekindled despite the fact they’d been apart for so long.
I also really liked how it was loosely based on the story of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, as I’ve never come across something like that before.

As is the case with a lot of historical romance books, you shouldn’t go into this expecting historical accuracy, as that is just not what this is. If you are willing to look beyond that, this is a really nice and easy read for the holiday period.

I received an e-copy and voluntarily wrote this review.

choirlady76's review

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5.0

What an amazing start to this new series by Darcy Burke! I give The Red Hot Earl Huge 5 Stars! This book kept me captivated right from the first page! Burke is truly one of the best writers in Historical Romance! I highly recommend this book!

laffingkat's review

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4.0

This is the first book in Darcy Burke’s new Love is All Around holiday Regency romance series about three siblings. While all of the stories interconnect, each book focuses on one couple and can be enjoyed on its own.

This story focuses on Lady Bianca and her childhood friend Ash, now the Earl of Buckleigh. I was fond of both of these characters. I always enjoy strong, smart characters who aren’t too concerned about society’s expectations. I also appreciate stories about characters who happen to have disabilities (in this case, Tourette syndrome), but the disability is not the main point of the story.

Although it deals with bullying, this is generally a light read with humor, moments of excitement, and a sweet friends-to-lovers romance. While it is loosely based on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and is set at the start of the holiday season, it isn’t overly focused on the holidays. It does have a warm, optimistic tone that is suited to the season, as well as a fun theme song on the author’s website.

Note that this book includes explicit scenes of premarital sex.

I received an ARC of this book from the author and volunteered to provide an honest review.