Review: The Earl, the Vow, and the Plain Jane (The Lords of Eton Book 2) by Cheryl Bolen

Print Length: 220 pages

Publisher: Harper & Appleton (June 12, 2018)

From Goodreads.com: Bereft of beauty as well as fortune, the exceedingly plain Miss Jane Featherstone has failed to attract any suitor during her three Seasons. Rather than be a burden to her brother and his obnoxious wife, Miss Featherstone vows to accept the first man who asks—even though she's always worshiped a lord who's far above her touch. 

Lord Slade must marry an heiress in order to honor the deathbed vow he made to his father, and he needs Miss Featherstone's help in wooing her beautiful cousin. After her initial anger, Miss Featherstone agrees to his scheme, telling him she's doing so because she admires his Parliamentary record of humanitarian legislation and his reverence for truth. But the more he's with the two cousins, the more attracted he becomes to Miss Featherstone. What's a man of his word to do? Break a vow to a beloved father—or follow his heart with Miss Featherstone? 

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

First off all, I feel obliged to point out (as I did not see anything in the description regarding this), but this story is an edited (and slightly expanded upon) version of her original short story; His Lordship's Vow.

Now, I had previously read His Lordship's Vow and had expressed in my review then how I wished the story had been longer, so when I saw this one and noticed it was approximately 113 pages longer, I was eager to give it a re-read! 

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like anything had changed. There was still no romantic buildup between the two leads even though it seemed everyone else thought they would be perfect for one another. In fact the entire "romance" between them seemed entirely too rushed, and the "solution" presented one that was so obvious it defies logic that someone as intelligent as Slade was didn't see it well before the last five minutes of the book.

Don't get me wrong, I adored these characters (as well as Slade's brother and Lady Sarah), but I don't feel this book did them justice. There was just as much attention paid to Lord Alex and his campaign than there was any sort of romance. 

I am sure there will be many other people who will enjoy this one more than I did. I have read other works by this author and enjoyed them, so I will continue to read more from them!

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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             The Earl, the Vow, and the Plain Jane is available from Amazon.com