The Earl's Return

THE EARL'S RETURN is the third book I have read from author Emma Lange. Either I lucked out totally and happened upon her top three, or this lady is one HECK of an author. THE EARL'S RETURN is gentle, poignant, and very pleasing. A page-turner? Believe it! In this story, Damon Ashford is a wonderful character. He is dark, haughty, and distant. He is the new Earl of St. Albans, the untried master of Whitcombe Hall. Once before, in his jubilant youth, Damon Ashford visited Whitcombe Hall, but the memories are not pleasant, for in his prideful youth Damon Ashford thrust his heart away. He had given it to an enchantress. Alyson Haydon is a beauty. At seventeen, Alyson fell deeply in love. She married someone else. Someone that was kind and generous. A husband who surrounded her with love and ease. But in the secret recesses of her heart, Alyson loved another. Someone, on one wretched day, she failed completely. Is this a lover's reunion? Hardly! How did Damon Ashford feel about returning? He was contemptuous! He returned to assume responsibility for an estate he was never trained to administer; to provide for a child who was not his; and to return to a woman he hoped never, ever to see again! And how did Alyson feel? She could not bear to think of him without catching her breath or feeling the tightening in her chest. But she would never, ever show his lordship he had the power - the power to hurt her deeply. Emma Lange pens a gem, from her lead characters, to her secondary cast, right down to her poignant storyline and she did it without the benefit of a single sexual encounter. Instead, the author relied on brilliant storytelling and extraordinary writing skill! THE EARL'S RETURN is forceful, competent and wonderful. For a book to receive a 9 or 10, it must fit into one main category: Would I read it again? You bet! Grade: A MaryGrace Meloche.

Heroine Alyson learns the definition of irony when her late husband's estate and title pass to her true love, Damon. As heroines go, Alyson is a a good one: she was a victim of an evil stepfather, but she is no dishrag. This story moves along at a nice clip, and Lange delivers a satisfying resolution.A great examle of the Regency genre.