MY IRRESTIBLE EARL by Gaelen Foley

Publisher:   Avon

Date published:   March 29, 2011

ISBN:  978-0061733963

Genre:   Historical Romance

Book format:  Paperback

Obtained via:  Publisher

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com

Twelve years ago Jordan, Earl of Falconridge, put duty and country before the woman he loved. Now he’s back in England and before he knows it that woman is before him, as lovely and beguiling as ever. Jordan tells himself leaving her behind was for the best. After all, Mara, Lady Pierson, didn’t wait long at all to marry another suitor and he died rather prematurely. Once again, however, Jordan’s country calls and this time Mara is in the middle of the greatest threat—the life of the Prince.

Mara chose marriage over continuing to live with her harpy mother. In fact it was at a house party just after her mother slapped her she first met Jordan. Rather than wait for the man who stole her heart she married another. The best part of that short marriage was the birth of her son, Thomas. Thomas is her world, her reason for living and she will do anything for Thomas.

When Jordan returns to her life she finds she is more attracted to him than ever. Despite her vow not to wed or even become involved with a man again she quickly falls in love all over again with the blue eyed Earl. But Jordan’s secret life is not something she chooses to live with, but can she live without him?

MY IRRESTIBLE EARL is the third book of Gaelen Foley’s Inferno Club series.  I was lukewarm about book 1, MY WICKED MARQUESS but loved book 2, MY DANGEROUS DUKE. MY IRRESTIBLE EARL felt like step back for men in terms of the main characters.  Mara and Jordan fall in love seemingly minutes after meeting. He goes away and they pine for each other while still moving on with their lives.  They reconnect and they are in love all over again.  I didn’t find that credible. I did, however, like Jordan a lot. He is described as the thoughtful one, the one who fights with his brains as well as his body and I liked the way he thinks.

Mostly I liked Drake’s part in the story. He appears for a few moments in book 1, more in book 2 and in book 3 we get to know the man he had to become to survive even more. There is something just so appealing about this secondary character that I kept reading just in case he popped into the story again.

I also liked little Thomas. Most of the time children in books come across as way too precotious and quickly become annoying. Thomas is a very appealing two year old and Ms. Foley captured the real side of a two year old in a totally likeable way.

This series isn’t quite a stand alone. Each couple does have their happy moment but there is no final happily ever after for them. Instead the epilogues are teasers for the next book in the series. Although considering what the men and now their wives do, can they ever truly have a peaceful happily ever after?

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.