Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Samuel, Earl of Crofton
SERIES: Crofton Chronicles
AUTHOR: Rebecca Cohen
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 277 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 6, 2023
BLURB:
Only the selected few get to attend the special evenings hosted by Samuel Redbourn, 9th Earl of Crofton, the Hellcat of the Ton.
Despite his reputation, Samuel is not the man everyone thinks he is. He has lost a lot in his young life, and after recovering from his addiction to laudanum, it’s time to make the Ton take notice. There’s one thing he wants above all, Hugo, the only man he’s ever loved. But Hugo Cavalier was sent away by his father after he was caught in bed with Samuel, and when he returns to England several years later, there is no guarantee they can rekindle what they once had.
Historical gay Regency romance. A standalone novel in the Crofton Universe.
Please note: contains scene of period drug use, addiction, and recovery.
REVIEW:
NOTE: This story takes places in the historical Crofton Chronicles world and this is the second of the Regency Earls of Crofton books. This can be read as a standalone but is part of a larger family legacy series and there are some spoilers and timeline overlap for the previous book, Charles, Earl of Crofton. Personally I think reading the Charles book adds a lot to this one as there are many recurring characters.
Samuel Redbourn, Viscount Crofton, has fallen in love for the first time. Hugo Cavalier is the bastard son of a Duke and a well regarded actress and Samuel meet by chance on a carriage ride. When they get to London, they attend a party where Samuel’s father is also in attendance and does not expect to see his son who was supposed to be at University there. After a bit of a conversation, they leave.
Samuel does not like the academic life and wants to take his place with is father and learn the ropes of managing the family estate and their business dealings. He also is going to have to get married and provide an heir. Which he knows and and his betrothed is a friend and well aware that they are both fulfilling their family obligations. But then Hugo and Samuel are caught by Hugo’s father. He packs him off to travel the continent leaving Samuel behind. To say that Samuel is unhappy is quite an understatement. But needs must and he does his duty.
Samuel and his wife have three children, but the third child dies and shortly thereafter Diana dies as well leaving Samuel a widower with two small children. He’s sad, but when he discovers that Diana had deceived him and done something unforgivable, well he spirals into depression and anger and eventually addiction. He’s really in bad shape by the time his supposedly dead father returns to help him. They have to come up with a ruse for the extreme likeness of the man to his deceased father and his father’s love who is also supposed to be dead 😉
The manage to pull Samuel back from the brink. And then Hugo is back in England. But is it too late? Has Hugo moved on? Does Samuel have a snowball’s chance in hell of rekindling the true one great love of his life? His reputation in tatters after the descent into madness and despair, he’s trying to rebuild it with the sometimes unwanted help of his father, his aunt Amelia and the rest of his close friends. But he’ll never be truly happy until he at least tries to rebuild his relationship with Hugo. And oh my, what fantastic and outlandish schemes they get up to! But is Hugo willing to give up his life in Egypt as an archeologist for a quieter life with Samuel and his children? It remains to be seen.
This is another wonderful story of the Redbourns and what they are willing to do for love. Samuel is a mess and thanks to the love and support of his family, he is able to overcome his addiction and get his life back on track. He knows he needs to be there for his children, but he is still heartbroken over what his wife has done and what it means for his future. Through the encouragement of his father and his lover Timothy, he set out to see if there is any hope of recovering his one true love with Hugo. Hugo has spent 5 years away from England for the most part and has avoided seeing Samuel on his rare visits. But he is no longer the same man either. He has grown up and become his own very capable and competent man. He’s worried that he won’t be enough for Samuel who has this new glamorous persona – the Hellcat of the Ton with this exclusive parties and salacious events. What he doesn’t know is that a large part of these stories are manufactured and bear little resemblance to the truth. Samuel has taken no lover since his wife died and he has never been with another man after Hugo. So they have to try to each overcome their fears of having their hearts broken again and commit to each other. Samuel stands up for himself and he will stand for nothing less than all of Hugo.
I loved seeing the whole Redbourn clan back together. Charles and Timothy returning from the dead so to speak to support Samuel is quite the plot twist. Aunt Amelia is up to her usual tricks and Marsh and the rest of Charles’ close friends and Samuel’s a well round out the very capable cast of characters who see this hilarious and convoluted plot through to the finish. Samuel’s gratitude to this father is shown in the most delightful and romantic way also. Such a clever and fun story! Highly recommended. If you’re a fan of any of the Crofton books, you will really enjoy this one.
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