I Kissed An Earl by Julie Anne Long

Violet Redmond and Asher Flint, the Earl of Ardmay



I Kissed An Earl (Pennyroyal Green book 4)

by Julie Anne Long

Book Blurb:
Violet Redmond's family and fortune might be formidable and her beauty and wit matchless—but her infamous flare for mischief keeps all but the most lionhearted suitors at bay. Only Violet knows what will assuage her restlessness: a man who doesn't bore her to tears, and a clue to the fate of her missing brother. She never dreamed she'd find both with a man whose own pedigree is far from impeccable

"Savage" is what the women of the ton whisper about the newly styled Earl of Ardmay—albeit with shivers of pleasure. Born an English bastard, raised on the high seas, he's on a mission to capture a notorious pirate for vengeance. But while Violet's belief in her brother's innocence maddens him, her courage awes him . . . and her sensuality finally undoes him. Now the man who once lost everything and the girl who has everything to lose are bound by a passion that could either end in betrayal . . . or become everything they ever dreamed.

I am all out of order with these books. I first read #1 The Perils of Pleasure and then jumped forward to #5 What I Did For a Duke and now I just finished #4 I Kissed An Earl. I dislike doing that. I prefer to read books in order even if there is not a main story theme that carries over from novel to novel. There are just too many Redmonds and Everseas and I started to feel that I was mixing everyone up. I am going to bite the bullet and just buy them all because I love them that much. So my plan is to re-read my review from book #1 The Perils of Pleasure and then start with book #2 Like No Other Lover and so forth. 

Having said all that, I will admit that you probably could read I Kissed An Earl as a standalone book but I would not recommend it. There are a lot of character references to previous stories and I found myself caught between aching (from not knowing what happened in those stories) and then being confused with the amount of parents, siblings and opposing Eversea family members that were mentioned. 

Once again Julie Anne Long has captivated me with fabulously memorable characters. With each book I read, I feel the driving force behind my love of this Pennyroyal Green series is the magnetic allure that the protagonists have over me. Being an avid fan of the historical romance genre I am always delighted when an author has found a new story to be told with mesmerizing characters. 

The rising conflict between Violet and Flint had the pair stuck in a arduous circumstance. Over and over again Violet and Flint had to remind themselves that their situation was not going to end well for either of them. Violet was fiercely protective of her estranged brother, Lyon and Flint was determined to bring Lyon (AKA the pirate La Chat) to justice. Of course that particular brand of justice could result in a death by hanging which would devastate Violet and the entire Redmond family.  

To top off the entire conundrum, Flint was after vengeance for death of his Captain role model which Lyon caused. Just to add more resentment into the mix, Flint's entire future wealth was riding on this capture. Yep, it was not going to end well. 

I ended up adoring BOTH Flint and Violet so I could not choose sides and I celebrated every single time one got an advantage over one another. I was so torn. 

Their passion was a slow angsty build up. So much so that I thought the pair were going to eventually suffer from lust combustion. I thoroughly enjoyed reading how their relationship transpired. 

Teasers: men like servants or pets, encrypted puzzle note with breasts, sexy potato peeling lesson, descriptive actions for V's and curves