Book Description 

For three years, wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace has anonymously penned seditious pamphlets—and for almost as long, she’s corresponded with the reclusive Earl of Strathrannoch. When Arthur’s latest letter reveals his dire financial straits, Lydia sets out for Scotland to offer him the only salvation she can think of: a marriage of convenience. To, um, herself.

But the real earl has no idea who she is. When a bewitching stranger offers him her hand in marriage, Arthur Baird is stunned. And when he learns that his traitorous brother has been writing to her under Arthur’s name, he’s bloody furious. He’s content to live alone in his moldering castle, and he has no desire for a radical wife. (Or at least, he shouldn’t.)

But Arthur is desperate to track down his brother, who’s become dangerously entangled in British espionage, and he needs Lydia’s help. What he doesn’t need? The attraction that burns hotter each moment they spend together. As Lydia slips past his defenses and his brother’s mysterious past becomes a very present threat, Arthur will have to risk everything to keep her safe—even his heart.

My Review 

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was very excited to read the next book. However, readers can start with this book without being too lost; the protagonists from the first book are not central to the plot of this one. 

I don’t think the “wrong brother” trope is particularly common, but I’m here for it. Lydia and Arthur’s first impressions of each other are not particularly amorous, but they are united in the goal to track down Arthur’s missing brother. As the stakes get higher, so does their passion. I’m so sorry; that’s so cheesy, but there’s no other way to describe it. 

Both protagonists have always felt like awkward outsiders, but they found happiness through their passions: Lydia writes radical political pamphlets and Arthur devotes himself to the estate and his inventions. Neither of them had been particularly concerned with finding love, although Lydia thought she’d found a kindred spirit in her Scottish penpal. Of course, she’d really been writing to Arthur’s brother– hence the “wrong brother” trope, but it’s clear almost immediately that Arthur is the only brother for Lydia. 

Anyway, there’s also a fake marriage trope, which is another of my favorites… and of course, it doesn’t take very long for them to catch legitimate feelings for each other, although if we’re being realistic, I don’t think there was ever a point when they didn’t have feelings for each other. 

As much as I like a road trip, I wish they could have spent more time at Strathrannoch because it was such a cool house. There were zebras! Zebras! 

I would absolutely recommend Earl Crush. Lydia and Arthur had such great chemistry and their banter was top-notch. Vasti has quickly become one of my favorite authors and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. 

I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley