Review: Kiss the Earl by Gina Lamm

Title: Kiss the Earl by Gina Lamm
Geek Girls Series Book Three
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Historical, Romance, Time Travel
Length: 384 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A modern girl’s guide to seducing Mr. Darcy

When Ella Briley asked her lucky-in-love friends to set her up for an office party, she was expecting a blind date. Instead, she’s pulled through a magic mirror and into the past…straight into the arms of her very own Mr. Darcy.

Patrick Meadowfair, earl of Fairhaven, is too noble for his own good. To save a female friend from what is sure to be a loveless marriage, he’s agreed to whisk her off to wed the man she truly wants. But all goes awry when Patrick mistakes Ella for the would-be bride and kidnaps her instead.

Centuries away from everything she knows, Ella’s finally found a man who heats her blood and leaves her breathless. Too bad he’s such a perfect gentleman. Yet the reluctant rake may just find this modern girl far too tempting for even the noblest of men to resist…

Review:

Kiss the Earl is the third installment in Gina Lamm’s delightfully clever Geek Girls series. In this outing, sweet Mrs. Knightbridge is matchmaking again and this time she sends unsuspecting Ella Briley back in time where she meets and falls in love with Patrick St. John, the Earl of Meadowfair. It is another fun adventure that old and new fans are sure to love.

Ella is a comic book artist who needs a date to a swank party to celebrate her new job when Mrs. Knightbridge once again decides to do a little matchmaking. Ella stumbles smack dab in the middle a fake kidnapping scheme concocted by Patrick and his closest gal pal Amelia Brownstone. Ella and Patrick are forced to go on the run to escape Amelia’s irate father. When Ella falls ill, Patrick whisks her away to his estate where the situation between them grows even more complicated after they are discovered in a compromising position.

Ella is a self-reliant woman and she refuses to give up her independence when she travels back in time. She is witty with a sarcastic sense of humor and despite being in a different era, she does not censor her thoughts or alter her manner of speaking.

Patrick is a gentleman through and through. He is a genuinely nice man who is extremely loyal to his friends. This is one of his best qualities, but when it comes to Amelia, he is willing to sacrifice his happiness for hers.

Despite the change in their relationship, neither Ella nor Patrick can see how a future between them is possible. Ella does not want to give up her career and Patrick has responsibilities that he is unable to walk away from. However, their biggest issue is Patrick’s promise to help Amelia. He sees no way to gracefully extricate himself from their harebrained scheme until he discovers that Ella’s well-meaning interference puts her in a very precarious situation.

Kiss the Earl is a charming addition to the Geek Girls series. Gina Lamm manages to keep the series fresh with another unique and diverse storyline that is just as captivating as earlier works. But it is the very creative and surprising solution to the obstacle standing in the way of Ella and Patrick’s happily ever after that makes their romance stand out from the previous two novels.