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A review by justinkhchen
Earl's Well That Ends Well by Jane Ashford
3.0
3.5 stars
Can a novel still be categorized as romance when your romantic leads are levelheaded to a fault? Earl's Well That Ends Well, with its homonymous word play of a title, might has misrepresented itself as a potentially quirky, lively affair. While the book is skillfully crafted and never dull, the minuscule presence of courtship might disappoint readers seeking escapist romance fun.
The romantic pairing will instantly hook you: a well-reputed widowed earl in his 50s (still handsome and in good shape, as the book constantly reminds us), and a Spanish noblewoman (in her early 40s) with a traumatic past, perfectly content with solitude for life. Even though the mutual attraction is established early on, author Jane Ashford keeps them at arm's length: the earl too polite to encroach, the noblewoman too stubborn to disrupt her hard-earned peace. This standstill is maintained well into 70% of the story, when their relationship finally comes to the forefront and advances. When it rains, it pours, even though the sample-sized romance still manages to close out the narrative on a gratifying note, it remains an off-balanced storytelling, even for the most patient reader.
**Minor spoiler ahead**
To fill that romance-less 70%, Earl's Well That Ends Well paints an engrossing world packed with a surprisingly large cast of secondary characters, and a very plot-driven narrative. I was pleasantly surprised to realize the main narrative through line involves solving a serial kidnapping scheme. Being the fifth book in a series, I'm sure readers with previous knowledge will be happy to see characters returning for another round.
**Minor spoiler ends**
While I didn't get the brash banter filled, passion-exploding novel I was hoping for (I mean, the earl is clearly going through a midlife crisis, how can you not have fun starting with that?), I do appreciate Jane Ashford's more sensible, slowburn approach. Just beware in Earl's Well That Ends Well, it focuses more on things happening around the two leads, rather than things between them.
***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
Can a novel still be categorized as romance when your romantic leads are levelheaded to a fault? Earl's Well That Ends Well, with its homonymous word play of a title, might has misrepresented itself as a potentially quirky, lively affair. While the book is skillfully crafted and never dull, the minuscule presence of courtship might disappoint readers seeking escapist romance fun.
The romantic pairing will instantly hook you: a well-reputed widowed earl in his 50s (still handsome and in good shape, as the book constantly reminds us), and a Spanish noblewoman (in her early 40s) with a traumatic past, perfectly content with solitude for life. Even though the mutual attraction is established early on, author Jane Ashford keeps them at arm's length: the earl too polite to encroach, the noblewoman too stubborn to disrupt her hard-earned peace. This standstill is maintained well into 70% of the story, when their relationship finally comes to the forefront and advances. When it rains, it pours, even though the sample-sized romance still manages to close out the narrative on a gratifying note, it remains an off-balanced storytelling, even for the most patient reader.
**Minor spoiler ahead**
To fill that romance-less 70%, Earl's Well That Ends Well paints an engrossing world packed with a surprisingly large cast of secondary characters, and a very plot-driven narrative. I was pleasantly surprised to realize the main narrative through line involves solving a serial kidnapping scheme. Being the fifth book in a series, I'm sure readers with previous knowledge will be happy to see characters returning for another round.
**Minor spoiler ends**
While I didn't get the brash banter filled, passion-exploding novel I was hoping for (I mean, the earl is clearly going through a midlife crisis, how can you not have fun starting with that?), I do appreciate Jane Ashford's more sensible, slowburn approach. Just beware in Earl's Well That Ends Well, it focuses more on things happening around the two leads, rather than things between them.
***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***