One Wedding and an Earl

Ah!! This book is my new favourite book, in a favourite series! The pining! The longing!

This story was going along, feeling good. We had some hurt comfort backstory, a re-meeting, so many hand clenches and intense gazes… and then. AND THEN—

Literally the hottest and most emotional library scene ever. How was it so hot? And so emotional? I kept glancing down at the page number because I couldn’t believe a scene with that much intimacy was happening that early? And pulling it off?

These characters were just so unique! And their compatibility was so intense that it was squeezing my heart to bits!

Our heroine Necessity was a self-made business woman from the wrong side of town. She was ambitious, irreverent, intelligent, and she was hot and she knew it. She was just.. cool! I’ve never read a romance heroine like her.

And Oliver was more than just your average scarred and reclusive earl. He had this over-thinking and obsessive personality and I loved the way Necessity made him feel so off-kilter. He was pursuer-y but he also so solicitous? ..flexible? I can’t even find the word to describe it, it was just such a uniquely masculine approach to this relationship.

I love the way this author writes scenes, they’re so cinematic. I’m a sucker for characters who keep something that belongs to the other MC in their pocket (because they’re just so in looove 🥰). I loved the dynamic between Oliver and Xander from the previous book. Plus, this was just a god-tier social class difference trope.

Another Great Storyline!

Ollie had never forgotten Necessity or the kindness given to him when he had been cut years previously or how she vowed to be one of the greatest gardeners of her time.
Years later, his brother had asked Necessity to sort out the Earl’s gardens. Ollie wasn’t happy with the situation and he knew he had a strong attraction to her and he had his widow in the village to take care of any of his needs.

Necessity’s reputation as a great gardener was taking off and she was in high demand, she was attracted to Ollie and wanted him to show his adventurous side in and out of bed. He’s had quite a reputation as a rake and a lady’s man before he was injured and it was whispered what his kisses were like and she wanted to taste and feel for herself if his reputation was true! She wasn’t looking for a HEA with him, just a good time.

I loved the take on this story, Necessity knowing and taking what she wanted and that Ollie after fighting his feelings gave in. The banter and passion between them could burn the pages and the interaction with the Leighton cluster was just amazing.

One hot, steamy read you’ll not want to miss.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Historical romance. Regency England. Book 4 of the Duchess Society series. Tragic childhoods for both Ollie and Necessity have made them both wary of romantic entanglements. Oliver, now an earl, has had a shady history of opium dens, brothels, and getting slashed in the face in a gambling hell back alley. He’s now a recluse fixing up the estate where he suffered from his abusive father. Necessity, orphaned when cholera killed her whole family, is soon-to-be the most sought after landscape architect in England. When Necessity is recruited to fix up Oliver’s garden, they give into the attraction, but neither ask for anything more, knowing their own personal traumas and their vast differences in social standing. However, these two are delightfully fiery together and are certainly destined for greater things, if they would just allow themselves to ask for more. Also, a great intro to another street thug with a suspicious history and I’m looking to reading more about him in a future book.

One Wedding and an Earl by Tracy Sumner is the newest book in The Duchess Society. This is Ollie and Necessity’s story. We were briefly introduced to them in the past, and this is the expansion of it that many fans of the series, myself included, have been waiting for.

Ollie remembers Necessity’s kindness to him in his recovery from the assault in the alleyway behind Mac’s in the Rookery. Mac fancies himself a matchmaker and hires Necessity who happens to be the best landscape architect since Capability Brown, to help rehabilitate the grounds at Ollie’s estate.

Attraction flares, agreements are made, feelings develop, and sparks fly! Along the way, a bed may be broken (and repaired). Of course, a heart or two may be mended on the way to their happily ever after.

The Leighton Cluster also makes several appearances. I enjoy the way that Tracy weaves beloved characters from prior stories into current books. It feels like we’re visiting with old friends. Her vivid imagery both of the environment and their emotional states is top tier. It’s one of the reasons she’s on my short list of must-read authors. I strongly recommend adding One Wedding and an Earl to your TBR list!

I received an ARC from the author. The opinions expressed above are my own.

Fantastic new entry to the Duchess Society series by Tracy Sumner. Necessity Byrne is working to become a sought after garden designer, while Oliver, the Earl of Stanford, is known as the "Scarred Rake" and has retreated to his rundown country estate after playing the rake for a number of years. Xander Macauley, Oliver's half-brother, hires Necessity to rescue Oliver's gardens. Oliver and Necessity met once several years before, where sparks flew. Now that they meet again, the sparks become a crescendo. Necessity and Oliver fall into a physical relationship, with neither planning for more. But the heart wants what the heart wants.

I loved this book! Necessity and Oliver's banter is totally amusing and readers can feel the chemistry between them. I also loved checking in on the rest of the Leighton cluster. There is some dithering but not so much that it gets tiresome, and it is great to see the couple come back together without some huge physical drama.

The secondary characters here are also great. Jasper, a secondary love interest for Necessity, deserves his own book!

5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own,

Imaginative and well thought out ( well researched) A very intriguing and emotional regency romance. Well worth the read.

Necessity Byrne is a landscaper with a reputation for being a healer given her knowledge of herbs. When Oliver, the Earl of Stanford, is injured she heals him and left a lingering impression. Years later, Oliver’s brother hires Necessity to redo the gardens as family estate and the sparks immediately start flying between the two who have never forgotten one another, though much of their time is spent arguing. The pair must balance their professional relationship with their strong attraction that of course, leads to real feelings.

This is the fourth book in The Duchess Society series, but can be enjoyed on its own, though the couples from earlier in the series, do make appearances, especially Xander from book three as Oliver is his brother. I really like the Duchess Society group so I was very happy to learn that this book was a continuation of the series rather than the start of something new. I absolutely adored both Necessity and Byrne. I loved Necessity’s independence and willingness to seize the opportunities that come to her with confidence. I loved that Oliver had such a sweet and loving relationship with his brother and his family, despite his loner tendencies (I’m a sucker for heroes with community). I loved the two of them together and am very happy with how their story came out. As always, Tracy’s writing style is just wonderful and easy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wolf Publishing, and Tracy Sumner for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where do I begin with my love for this book?!
Or this series, truly, it's one of the greatest series I've ever read.

This is the story of Ollie, an earl that tries to find his footing in the world, after his service in India, a battle with laudanum addiction and getting closer again to his brother. And Nessie, a common girl, alone in the world, who has the gift of working with plants and who wants to become the best horticulturist in London.

Both are amazing characters, round and complex, so endearing and so beautifully constructed, with a lot of details about them and a lot of scenes to reveal shades of their personalities. Nessie is "the earth", she breathes plants and all things landscaping and has the gift of healing with plants. Ollie is "the sky", an earl with a big family legacy, a troubled childhood which bleed into his hard, adult life, a children whisperer with a kind heart and a love for astronomy and star gazing.

Their story is lovely from the beginning to the end, though my favorite part was the beginning up until middle, all that dancing, taking and giving, the verbal spats, being almost enemies, but so attracted to each other. The air crinkles with the energy their connection and denial of it generates. All that heat, and the hot scenes, their loving is a big part of the book and there's nothing boring or redundant about it.

Not to mention their friends, now almost family - all make an appearance and Nessie even brings her friend into the mix, so the supporting act is stellar, like in all this series. Can't wait to read his story, too. I also can't let unmentioned the little feminist bursts Nessie has in the beginning, her character is so empowering and inspiring, for the time she lives in, she is totally free, having her own business and is very careful to keep her independence, while willing to explore what a love life can offer. She finds her perfect match in Ollie.

The whole story is nicely paced and beautifully written and it's a great addition to the already wonderful series, it was a pleasure being swept into this world again.

I received a copy of this in order to offer my personal view on it.

Excellent book, my favorite in the series so far! I loves how Necessity is a strong woman from the ‘slums’ and Oliver never wanted to change a single thing about her, she didn’t have to become a different person to earn his love. And likewise, Oliver didn’t have to hide his demons to be worthy of Necessity, she accepted his faults. Their chemistry was top notch, probably the best intimate scenes of the series for me. The writing was excellent, everything flowed well, characters and storylines from the past stayed well defined. I really look forward to the next book!

Despite having a long TBR List, when I saw that I could get an ARC for this book, I had to request it and move it to the top!

This next chapter of The Duchess Society Series does not disappoint! Nessie and Ollie are one HOT couple, and you cannot help being pulled into their story, and seeing how they manage to find their HEA.

It was fun "seeing" the couples from the previous books, and meeting a future MC. A delicious romp of a book! 4-1/2 stars

Thank you Wolf Publishing and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review of ARC from WOLF Publishing

An extremely heart-warming and thoughtful story about an earl and his horticulturalist coming together to find love....

I always love historical fictional romance and I wanted to start with one of my favorite genres and let me tell you guys, Tracy Sumner, has joined my favorite authors list. This was my first book from her and I am so excited to read her other books!

James rating: 5 out of 5 heart in the flame stars! ✨

This book was completely awesome! I fell in love with Ollie and Nessi and loved their story of how they got to their happily ever after. I was hooked from the first chapter and I got all warm, tingly, sweet and of course steamy feelings from this book!

Some of my favorite parts from this book are Ollie and Nessie's banter, the steamy scenes *fans thyself*, their love and the brotherhood moments of Xander and Ollie. I absolutely melted with the interaction we had from Kit and Ollie.

If you guys love historical fiction and want an heartwarming story to begin 2023 with, this is the book for you!!

Thank you so much WOLF Publishing for this ARC!

This is the 4th book of The Duchess Society Series, my first time with this series. You can read it as stand alone. This book was good.

Lord Oliver Aspinwall, Earl of Stanford. Tormented war hero, ruffian, outcast, opium addict. People call him The Scarred Earl. Necessity Byrne was the best landscape architect in England. She come to the Derbyshire estate to fix the ramshackel garden.

They had meet 3 years ago when Lord Oliver get injury, Nessie give him some herb medecine. They feel something at that time. When meet again in the future the spark still there. They try to ignore each other but the attraction so hard, Nessie try to focus on her work, Lord Oliver trying to woo her even he said dosnt need countess, dosnt need love.

I love how Nessie understand Oliver, she understand his struggle, his pain. For that Oliver fall over head to her, when they are sepperated, how misserable both of them!

“I lie awake at night aching for you. My body mourning, my heart heavy, like someone died...I’ve missed you more than I’d imagined, more than I’d intended. More than I’d dreamed I could miss anyone. More than I like."

SWOONNNN

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

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