Review: Intentions of the Earl (Scandalous Sisters, Book 1) by Rose Gordon

From Goodreads.com  When the impoverished Andrew Black, Earl of Townson, hits rock bottom, he makes an agreement that will end his eight year poverty streak once and for all. In order to gain his fortune he must do but one simple thing: ruin an innocent girl’s reputation enough to make her flee to America. Brooke Banks isn’t interested in marriage, or so she thinks. She came to London to have a good time, and that’s exactly what she’s doing. Widely known for her tendency to flout the rules, she suspects nothing when a handsome stranger appears on her doorstep. Thirteen days, a handful of kisses and one scandalous situation later, Andrew and Brooke will have to choose to stick to their original plans, or decide if a life together is worth the risk.

WARNING: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages.

                                                      

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 My Rating: 4 stars out of 5

I have been a fan of Ms.Gordon's for a long while now, so I had extremely high expectations for this novel. I was already (sort of familiar) with the Banks sisters; Brooke, Liberty & Madison after seeing them pop up in some of her other works. 

Andrew is not your typical "romantic hero" which was a refreshing change. After Brooke refuses the advances of another man (Benjamin, the Duke of Gateway), he calls upon Andrew to "ruin" the reputation of one of the Banks' sisters (he doesn't care which), in a feeble attempt to leave the family no choice but to leave England and flee back to America. After some reluctance, Andrew realizes that by accepting Benjamin's offer he stands to gain more than he dreamed possible - a reconciliation with his mother. He eventually agrees, and turns up soon thereafter on the Banks' doorstep, intent on courting whichever of the sisters he thinks will be  the easiest. 

He encounters Brooke first, and immediately the chemistry is apparent in the way they play off each other (their first meeting was hilarious)! And after a few dates, some secret kisses, a plot, a guilty conscious and one very hot scene (no they do not have sex out of wedlock for anyone wondering), Andrew succeeds in ruining Brooke's reputation. 

However, Andrew quickly realizes that he's taken on more than he ever bargained for when he realizes his feelings for Brooke are real and not part of the role he has chosen to play. Now the question becomes how does he win over Brooke and prove to her that his love is genuine? And what of his wager with Benjamin? Thankfully, Ms.Gordon wraps all of it up in a believable (and nicely written) way. There was another major plot twist revealed in this novel that had my mouth falling open, but it definitely fit in with the overall plot and explained why certain characters acted the way they did. 

As is typical with all of Ms.Gordon's books, Intentions of the Earl is a fun and engaging read. I have already devoured the next two books in the series (reviews coming soon) as I found once I started - I couldn't stop! I just HAD to know what was going to happen next! 

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Intentions of the Earl is available for purchase currently FREE from Amazon.com