The Barbarian Earl

by Nadine Miller

Book Overview

The unscrupulous Earl of Stratham has offered his illegitimate son Liam a generous inheritance--if Liam marries the noble Lady Alexandra Henning. But an arranged marriage is an affront to Alexandra's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451198875
• ISBN13: 9780451198877
• Release Date: December 1999
• Publisher: Signet
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 0.8" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

A bitter earl plots the perfect revenge.

The Earl of Stratham blamed all his misfortunes on one woman--the noblewoman who scorned his suit years ago. With no legitimite offspring, the earl offers the most promising of his bastard sons the opportunity to inherit his fortune and his title if he marries the daughter of the woman who made him a laughingstock.Liam is a charming devil whose smuggling business has been broken up by the end of the Napoleonic wars. Although tempted to throw the inheritance back in his contemptible father's face, Liam discovers that he cannot turn away the opportunity to become one of the richest men in England.It makes it easier that the father of the noblewoman in question--Lady Alexandra Henning--is in desperate financial straits and cannot turn down the earl's offer to pay his debts and set up a generous income in exchange for the honor of his daughter's hand in marriage.At first horrified at her father's intention to "sell" her to pay his debts, Alexandra eventually reconciles herself to the marriage. But Liam soon discovers that he wants his wife to feel more than tolerance for him...and sets about trying to win her affection.However, at just the moment that Alexandra and Liam discover their love for each other, Liam must tear himself away to rescue a dear friend. During his absence, Alexandra is devastated by the discovery of the real reason for their marriage. Will she ever be able to forgive him for his duplicity?A delightful Regency read! I especially enjoy the appearance of characters from another of Nadine Miller's books, and the daringly "scandalous" democratic attitudes displayed by these very original members of the upper ten thousand.

Great regency

The plot involving a bastard of a nobleman marrying a pristine noblewoman who eventually succumbs to his charms is not a new one, but when done well, as in The Barbarian Earl, you end up with engaging characters and a book that leaves a smile on your face. Years ago, the Earl of Stratham pursued a haughty young woman who would have absolutely nothing to do with him. Decades later, the old, dying Earl has neither a legitimate heir nor a way to gain revenge on that woman; in Liam Campbell he finds both. The only reason Liam finds himself at his father's bedside is the promise of money to any of the old man's bastards who comes to see him in his deathbed. Liam despises the Earl, but the offer presented to him is far too tempting: Marry Lady Alexandra Hennings - the daughter of the woman who spurned the Earl - and inherit not only the title and homestead of the Strathams, but also the immense fortune the Earl has amassed. Liam, tired of living hand to mouth, figures he has nothing to lose and while he feels for the young woman forced to marry the bastard son of her mother's despised suitor, he knows that Alexandra must marry according to her father's wishes, so it might as well be he. Their wedding day is a complete disaster, but the next few days, as Liam vows not to go to his wife's bed unless she invites him, serve for the couple to get to know each other a bit better. By the time Alexandra decides she wants to claim her marital rights, Liam's past intrudes and he must leave her to help an old friend. Not only that, but Liam, despite his growing attraction and respect for Alexandra, has never told her how their marriage really came to be. When she finds out - after they've made love - that Liam married her to claim the Stratham inheritance, she is devastated. Both Liam and Alexandra are likable, three-dimensional characters. Alex may have started out as seemingly shrewish and snotty, but that's all she knows, and given the constraints of Regency society, her reactions to Liam's strange notions, such as wanting them to dine with the servants, are completely understandable. She proves sturdier than the "delicate" aristocrat she's been brought up to be, and in the end, she is, indeed, Liam's match. Liam starts off like many a rogue who despises everything to do with the nobility. He doesn't care for its rules, and if he can shock a nobleman or two, all the better. Alexandra, who is only a useful bridge to an easier life in the beginning, ends up stealing his heart. When faced with losing her, Liam honestly tries to correct the situation. Not only that, but he welcomes the family he's never had, and the responsibility of caring for his wife's little brother. The subplot involving one of Liam's half-siblings fits well with the rest of the book, it doesn't feel tacked-on or like it was there merely to add pages, even though the identity of the real villain is clear from the moment he appears. Fiona and Adam, the her

Well done

The premise of the book -- an earl requiring his unknown illegitimate offspring to marry a girl to exact revenge against her mother for slighting the earl twenty years before -- is, let us say, incredible (that is, not very credible). But Nadine Miller carries it off, mainly through excellent characterizations. She successfully links her character's personalities with their actions, so that the reader can really see that all their quirks and mistakes fit together. Her hero is likeable, her heroine understandable in her faults and we can sympathize with her reactions as event unfold, and generally this book is a lovely read.

Combustible Romance at its Best

This book has a great hook and keeps you going from page one. There is just enough softness to the heroine to redeem her shrewish episodes, a thing that is difficult for some authors to balance.One has to suspend belief about the bride nodding off during her wedding, but it was no less entertaining and suspenseful.When Liam is describing the moores to Alexandra, the reader is transported to the place inside Liam's generous heart. It's an outstanding rendering of the scene that tugs at the heart.Despite the terrible way Alexandra discovers Liam's secret, she soon relies on common sense and the acknowledgement of her love, performing magnificently in this fine and satisfying ending. An altogether beautiful romance you won't want to miss.-Lee Emory