{The Widow Rules Review} Rules for Engaging the Earl by @JannaMacGregor

Rules for Engaging the Earl (The Widow Rules, #2) by Janna MacGregor
Series: The Widow Rules #2, The Widow Rules
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on April 26, 2022
Genres: Romance, Historical
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley
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Get ready for lost wills, broody dukes, and scorching hot kissing all over London.

Constance Lysander needs a husband. Or, so society says. She’s about to give birth to her late husband’s child―a man who left her with zero money, and two other wives she didn’t know about. Thankfully, she has her Aunt by her side, and the two other wives have become close friends. But still―with a baby on the way, her shipping business to run, and an enemy skulking about, she has no time to find the perfect match.

Enter Jonathan, Earl of Sykeston. Returned war hero and Constance’s childhood best friend, his reentry into society has been harsh. Maligned for an injury he received in the line of duty, Jonathan prefers to stay out of sight. It’s the only way to keep his heart from completely crumbling. But when a missive from Constance requests his presence―to their marriage ceremony―Jonathan is on board. His feelings for Constance run deep, and he’ll do anything to make her happy, though it means risking his already bruised heart.

With Constance, Jonathan, and the new baby all together, it’s clear the wounds―both on the surface and in their relationship―run deep. But when the nights come, their wounds begin to heal, and both come to realize that their marriage of convenience is so much more than just a bargain.

I received Rules for Engaging the Earl (The Widow Rules, #2) for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

We met Constance Lysander in book one of The Widow Rules series, A Duke in Time. As one of the wives of now deceased Meriwether, she was in a precarious situation. Not only did Meri marry two other women, he’d left Constance after a month of marriage and the conception of a child. Not wanting her child to be born out of wedlock, she reaches out to her childhood best friend and her true love, Jonathan, the Earl of Sykeston, for help. She had dreamed of marrying Jonathan for years, but now she desperately needed a husband. Only Jonathan will do.

Jonathan receives a letter from Constance asking for his hand in marriage. While he believes his war wounds will cause distinct problems in their marriage, he can’t deny his Constance anything. So he shows up with a special license ready to marry only to find out the babe has come and Constance was Meri’s legal wife. Therefore, the darling baby girl wasn’t illegitimate and Constance didn’t really need a husband. She still wanted Jonathan to be a husband to her and a father to her child. They go through with the wedding the next day which begins a journey to renew love after such terrible agony life has brought upon their heads.

I was excited to read this novel to learn Constance’s fate after reading the first book in the series. I fell in love with the pessimistic Jonathan from the very start. He was wounded in battle when he was shot in the leg multiple times. He almost lost the leg, but refused to give it up. Now he lives in pain and seclusion on his estate and for his first year of marriage he lives there without his wife and her daughter. I could feel his pain drip from the pages. I also recall yelling at him quite a few times for being a stubborn ass.

There are a few time jumps in this novel, but believe me, they are good for the story. We get to see Constance settled as a mother and her daughter a year into her life. Once Jonathan goes to the whimpering girl in the night, the two fall in love, and the bond of father and daughter begins. It takes Constance and Jonathan a while longer to resolve the threats to Constance’s business and the threat of a court martial for Jonathan, but once they learn of each others secrets, the fight for their love is truly tested.

You know MacGregor wouldn’t leave us without a happily ever after. Jonathan and Constance trek though so much to earn their true happiness. The journey is worth it in the end and I was so thrilled to read another five star novel from Janna MacGregor. If you’re in the mood for a courageous heroine, a surly hero, a meddling butler, a sweet baby girl, missing dowries, and a dastardly villain, Rules for Engaging the Earl is the novel for you. Now that Kat and Constance have found love, I’m eager to read if Beth will be able to find love with a certain Marquess in the next installment of The Widow Rules series.

Also reviewed in this series, A Duke in Time.