TITLE: Charles, Earl of Crofton
AUTHOR: Rebecca Cohen
SERIES: Earls of Crofton
SERIES ORDER: 3
RELEASE DATE: 05/04/2023
GENRE: Gay Romance, M/M Romance, Historical Romance, Regency Romance
CW/TW: Drug Abuse and Withdrawal
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
BLURB:
Anyone who had thought Lord Byron mad, bad and dangerous to know, obviously hadn’t met Charles Redbourn, 8th Earl of Crofton.
Charles Redbourn cares little for anyone’s opinion, life is there to be lived and the London Ton provides a host of pleasures. He is used to getting his own way and, after another clash with the impertinent Captain Timothy Thorne, Charles is determine to put the uniformed upstart in his place.
Both are stubborn and passionate men, and someone is going to win this battle of wits—to the winner the spoils.
But when enemies turn into lovers, they must face an uncertain future. Charles has to decide which is more important, Timothy or the Earldom of Crofton.
MY REVIEW:
I really enjoyed reading this story! This is the first book I read from Rebecca Cohen and I will definitely be reading her again, especially the books set in the Crofton universe. In this Crofton universe Rebecca explores the lives and loves of the Earls of Crofton from the Elizabethan/Stuart Era all the way to modern times in three different series: The Crofton Chronicles, Earls of Crofton and Modern Crofton. The Earls of Crofton series, which this book is from, bridges the gap between Crofton Chronicles and Modern Crofton by exploring different eras between the two series (Early Stuart, Restoration, and Regency.)
In this book, we meet Charles Redbourn the 8th Earl of Crofton. Charles is married and has a son that’s about to be married himself, Samuel. As customary during this time, he and Lucy (his wife) enjoy their dalliances with men and women alike on the side. (Marriages during this time were arranged for political reasons and to conserve the bloodline. Once an heir was born, the couple was pretty much free to do what they wanted.)
One of those men, and the man that ended up changing Charles’ life, is Captain Timothy Thorne. Initially these two clash like it’s no one’s business, but who doesn’t love a good enemies-to-lovers story with plenty of snark and banter? Captain Timothy Thorne (of the Light Dragoons) is battling demons from his time at war and there’s something about Charles that calls to him, but he’s not sure what to do with it. Charles, after being encouraged by his friend, sets up a game of cat and mouse where he lets Timothy know that he’s the prize. In the meantime he gets to know Timothy and ends up helping him discover and awaken his sexual side.
I loved Charles and Timothy together. I loved their snark and banter in the beginning, I loved their friendship and closeness as they got to know each other, I loved their steamy scenes (so hot!), and I loved how they fought for each other no matter the obstacles or consequences! I was really intrigued by Samuel in this story. My heart went out to him in this story, especially at the end but knowing who his love interest for the next book is chef’s kiss! His story is next and I actually already have it queued up to read in my Kindle. I will say here, as his story runs parallel (at least part of it does) with Charles’ story, Samuel gets addicted to alcohol and pain killers to try and ease his pain. As Charles and Timothy are the ones that try and help Samuel overcome that addiction, it’s written in this story.
If you are in the mood to read some steamy MM historical romance, you need to check out Rebecca Cohen’s Crofton series! She also has a paranormal romance series as well as a contemporary romance series if those are more your speed. All MM Romance.
You can buy her books on Amazon, or if you like renting books through KU, they are on there as well.