The Mad Earl's Bride {short story}

I see many Loretta Chase books in my future! I adored this little novella. It was extremely well done. I loved the dark qualities it managed to evoke while at the same time having humor and sweetness.

Both Gwen and Dorian were wonderful characters. Gwen was such a refreshing change from other historical heroines. She was intelligent and possessed a dry humor that I really enjoyed. Dorian made for an equally interesting hero because he thought his life was over. He was prepared to die, but at the same time feared being put into an asylum for his final days.

Overall, I found the plot to be unique and the characters to be excessively charming.

Loved the story of Gwen and Dorian. A marriage of convenience, Gwen playing nurse to a dying madman turned into a very lovely romance. I was tuned into this story because of another readers love of Bertie Trent. We both found him to be the best side-kick ever. Stumbling, bumbling Bertie is a favorite character of mine and I'm so glad to have him back again.
The medical mystery added a nice touch to a dark gothic tale. The windswept moors are always a nice backdrop. Even though romances almost always have a happy ending this one did seem especially sweet since it wasn't supposed to happen at all.

This little gem of a novella comes in between of 'Lord of Scoundrels' and 'The Last Hellion' and since both of those are one of my all time LC's favorites, I must say this has just joined those two.

Everything in this novella worked to perfection. I can't tell you how much I loved the heroine. She had enough strength without being overbearing, and such compassion and sweetness, I just couldn't help but love her.


The hero was just as noble as you'd expect him to be, but also someone you felt the compassion for.


The plot was totally unexpected and worked so well within the romance, it touched me deeply because it hit too close to home.


If you've never read LC before, you may as well start with this one!


Melanie for b2b

THE MAD EARL'S BRIDE by Loretta Chase is an exciting Regency Historical Romance set in 1828 London. A novella. #3.5 in the "Scoundrels" series, but can be read as a stand alone. Please be aware it originally appeared in the print anthology Three Weddings and a Kiss. A glimpse into the issues of the 1800's,with mental illness, misdiagnosis,finding balance,finding a cure for mental illness and finding true love and your soul mate. This is the Earl of Rawnsley and Gwendolyn Adams' story. Gwendolyn is a wonderful nurse and with her Dorian's health is returning. Some say Dorian is mad, but is he really? For you see, all Dorian wants to to be left in peace and await his death, just as his mother did. But did she really have a mental illness show more or was some other nefarious act in play. To learn more on Dorian and Gwendolyn, you must read "The Mad Earl's Bride" you will not regret it, I didn't. Banishing misconceptions and ideas of mental illness,for you will see the power of knowledge. I love the way this author incorporated mental illness into her storyline T he village and others was misinformed on a diagnosis given that was totally wrong,and the Earl himself as well as his mother suffered. It shows how so many people are misdiagnosed and what happens to their lives and to their loved ones as well. Well done indeed! 158 pages packed full of passion, knowledge,and the power of love. Received for an honest review from the publisher and Edelweiss.

RATING: 4

HEAT RATING: MILD

REVIEWED BY: Aprilr, Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More show less

This is a charming early Loretta Chase novella. The "mad" earl marries a woman who coincidentally wants to be a doctor (but couldn't be in those days). The story is serious and sweet and funny at the same time. It was great fun to see Bertie Trent, from Lord of Scoundrels, as the earl's best friend. He's just as goofy and surprisingly wise as before.

A really lovely novella with humor and heart that I can see returning to over & over.

Charming, just charming.

Sweet story. Interesting plot. Well executed.

The story revolves around a man who has a family history, he believes, of madness. He experiences severe headaches, sees flashes of light, feels as if he sees specters.

When he suddenly finds himself to be an earl through a macabre yet humorous (well, I thought it was funny) happenstance, his begetting of an heir becomes very important.

Enter a young miss with a love of medicine and a capacity to see the whole picture.

What ensues is, well, charming, sweet, and interesting.

Well written, just long enough yet not too long. Yeah, there is some dissonance with a couple of issues, but all in all, it works.