To Seduce an Earl by Lori Brighton
Historical Romance
July 26, 2011
E-Book
Self Published

Reviewed by Mandi

At the young age of thirteen, Alex Brisbane discovered what blackmail was. Lady Lavender knew his family’s secrets, that they were related to Russian royalty, something despised in England at the time. With his family already half starving, he sees going with Lady Lavender to her brothel as an opportunity. Not knowing why she chose him or how she knows all of this information about him, she will teach him how to pleasure women. But now as an adult, he knows he is stuck in the brothel as a whore. He can’t escape, as Lady Lavender’s henchman watch his every move. Plus he knows if he did escape them, she would make sure the world knew what he really is. And threaten his family. So night after night, Alex is stuck with a new woman or virgin. Families send their daughters to this brothel so they can become more experienced with sex, before settling down with a husband.

But when Grace Brisbane walks through his door, his heart lightens. Grace has actually been tricked by her brother, thinking she is in this house to find a book about her treasure hunting fascination, but he actually sent her there to experience kissing. What she doesn’t know is her step-brother is in deep debt, and she needs to marry to keep the family out of financial ruin.

Grace soon learns the truth about Alex and her family’s situation. With a dying mother, and a younger sister, she knows she must do something for them all to survive. So she decides to go back to Lady Lavender’s, and Alex, to go through with learning some seduction, to land herself an Earl and save her family. But soon, she has eyes only for a certain male prostitute. Meanwhile, Alex is making plans to escape with another colleague of his.

It’s not often that I come across a male prostitute hero in a historical romance, which is why this book caught my eye. Alex has such a jaded heart – being used for so many years. At the time he meets Grace, he could really care less what is done to his body. But then Grace walks through the door and a little spark emerges in his heart. He feels attraction towards her. And as he gets to know her – hope that maybe, just maybe there is another life for him to lead. Grace is all pure, and innocent, and although he usually services random virgins, there is something special about her that Alex doesn’t want to sully.

Grace has a lot on her plate with a very ill mother and a step-brother that has put the family into financial ruin. She is at a loss as to what to do. But she falls for Alex pretty fast and hard, and I found their romance to be believable. Grace is caught between trying to seduce an earl, who is a family friend that sees her as more of a sister, to her true romantic feelings towards Alex.

I’m not sure how I feel about Lady Lavender, who is set up as more of the villain in this story. She has Alex and his two colleagues as prisoners in this brothel. They can’t escape partly because of her henchman and partly because of her blackmail. Although she takes them around to balls or outings sometimes. I wanted to yell at them – stop being weenies and just escape! Maybe because they are men? Is the blackmail after all of these years still enough to keep them there? Alex does hint at leaving and Lady Lavender makes a threat that she will recruit his brother – but his brother is now an adult. Not a teenager anymore. Not really a viable threat. So I had a hard time totally buying into the “prisoner” scheme.

But, I did buy into Alex’s shame of what he is, and his struggle with his conscience about the man he could become. He is pretty beaten down and I really enjoyed his emotional journey he takes with Grace.

Rating: C+

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