Brown Eyed Earl is Book 3 in the Earls Trip series of irreverent Regency romances and it is a joy! Three young aristocrats (Effie, Archie and Simon) who bonded at school, have a trip together every year where they leave their responsibilities (and their awful families) behind and just enjoy each other’s company.

The third book is about Simon Courteney, a reluctant Earl and diligent parliamentarian who is missing out on his own life because of his awful mother and tragic family background. The other two Earls, Effie and Archie, are now married and it’s decided that the wives will join them for the second week of their Earls trip, along with Archie’s mother and her companion, Miss Brown (Diantha). Simon and Diantha have been swapping books and he is starting to notice her, while Diantha is seeing the good in Simon. They are lonely and awkward and learning to trust each other, with a shared kindness and sensibility they both feel. Meantime the ongoing bromance between the Earls is so much fun. 

Diantha and Simon’s slow burn is delightful to read – for much of the trip Simon doesn’t even know Diantha’s given name, but night swims, comets, lemon cakes and banter bring them closer and their chemistry is terrific. Even so, there are real problems for both of them: Simon’s mother is worse than toxic, and Diantha is being blackmailed. 

Brown Eyed Earl is completely unserious (and unapologetically modern), and yet there is an emotional core around parental neglect and the very few options that unmarried (and poor) women had in the Regency. At times I struggled to distinguish between the Earls, and be warned, some of the idiom is very recent – the Earls Trip novels are not for purists! It is lovely fun though, with endearing characters falling in love and enough comeuppance to make for a satisfying finish.

Thank you Jenny Holiday and Kensington Publishing for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Laura Black is a romance editor, reader and reviewer based in Queensland, Australia. You can visit me on Instagram @laura_black_reads