Although Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke are my go-to historical romance writers, Tracy is becoming one of my favorites in this genre as well! One wedding and an Earl is the fourth book in The Duchess Society series. And although you can read it as a standalone, I think it is much more fun if you read the whole series. Because then, the strained relationship between Oliver and Xander is totally clear (it’s explained in the wicked Wallflower). And the whole Leighton cluster are all characters from the previous books.

The attraction between Necessity and Oliver is almost setting your book on fire. And the banter between the two is hilarious. I loved Nessie’s free spirit and her goals in life. What a great independent woman! And Ollie, with his scars and grumpy exterior is just one big marsh mellow.

What a wonderful story and I can’t wait for another attribution to the Leighton cluster! Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Oliver Aspinwall, Earl of Stanford has a crumbling estate in need of much work. Enter Josephine Byrne, up and coming talented landscape architect hired by Ollie’s meddling brother. I adored this feisty pair and their interactions as they got to know one another in Tracy Sumner’s, One Wedding and an Earl. The fourth installment in her The Duchess Society series. After all, reputations are not always what they seem and it appears more than gardens are in need of repair. An inspirational story of overcoming vices and adversity to achieve dreams thought out of reach. Now about this Jasper character….

I received an E-arc copy from the author, Wolf Publishing via NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine

Should I read in order?
Ideally yes – there’s some page time with prior characters in the series and the series really is fabulous! But overall it’s okay on its own. There’s not a lot of page time for these characters in the prior books.

Basic plot:
After meeting Ollie years earlier, sick and recovering, Necessity is stunned at the chance to redo his ailing gardens and getting her hands on the plans of Capability Brown.

Give this a try if you want:
- late Regency time period (1828)
- mostly country estate setting
- soldier hero
- light touch of second chance – these two meet and have a light connection 3 years earlier
- hero is described as a ‘proper, regal grump’
- scarred hero – he was attacked outside a club in a prior novel in the series with a knife and sustained injury to his face
- hero has gray in his hair and is described as a ‘proper, regal grump’
- lightly experienced heroine – she had a previous relationship but didn’t get to explore everything she wanted to
- hero calls the heroine “sprite”
- work place romance – hero is an earl and the heroine is his hired gardener
- lessons – heroine wants to experience things she didn’t get to in her prior relationship – positions, locations….
- higher steam (4 full scenes within a shorter page count)

My thoughts:
Tracy Sumner has a such a fun series going with this one. It really has so many fun stories and personalities tied together. In this one, MacCauley wants his brother to find love like him, and sets up the gardener in his country manor to tempt him.

I struggled with this one a bit because it felt a bit like instalust? We get a short scene of them meeting years before, but it was nothing intense or engaging to me for the most part. So when they feel like they jump into this relationship so fast, I felt like I was missing something a bit. I felt like they didn’t know each other as well as I wanted them to know each other. And because of those things the tension was lighter for me in this one.

They have...not really an enemies to lovers relationship but it’s a touch volatile. It’s a bit bantery with lots of push and pull. I thought they were both a bit too stubborn in this book was a bit frustrated with their ending behavior.

Overall though, it was a scorching read and the characters were enjoyable, if not my favorite. Hope everyone enjoys if they give it a try!

This was not a favorite for me. I have enjoyed Tracy Sumner's book in the past, but this one felt different. I liked the story line, but the writing style just didn't stick with me and made it difficult to read, so much so, that I struggled to finish it. I wish the writing style was different because I believe the storyline could have worked great.

I had high expectations of this book from the description of a scared Earl and a women who saw past it. If only the scar played any part in the story except for it having led to the characters initial meeting. Everyone who was anyone saw past the scar, it made Oliver Aspinwall even more appealing to the women of the Ton.

Then there was Necessity Byrne, who I wish more people called "Nessie", as it made me do a double take on every sentence in which it was used. She was one who never backed down from a fight but by the end of the book it has me saying, "enough already".

I think the characters were made for each other because they both seemed to have an immaturity where they needed drama to keep the relationship exciting.

This one was not a necessity read for me.The

She is his gardner, he is an earl with a tortured past. Necessity sees no future but is determined to enjoy the time she has with the scarred Earl of Stanford as some call him now. since he was wounded and his face was slashed in a brawl behind one of the gaming hells of London.
I love Necessity, she is a strong, vibrant woman who even though dealt a horrible hand in life she has built a successful career at a time when women did not work. She is fiercely independent and proud, not afraid to admit she comes from the wrong side of London. And not ashamed of it either.
I enjoyed Necessity and Ollie's story. Ollie is the perfect tortured Earl with abuse in his past, the horror of war, and fighting an opium addiction he has much to overcome. With the help of his half brother and a fiesty gardner, maybe the future is not so bleak.
I loved this 4th in the Duchess Society series, this book captivates you. I read it in one sitting. The characters are very real and relatable and the heat level is high between Ollie and Necessity, making a scorching hot read. I give this one 5 stars and recommend as I look forward to the next Duchess Society installment.
Thank you to Wolf Publishing and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

THE REVIEW
Necessity Bryne lost her entire beloved family to cholera and was forced to set out on her own. Alone at the age of 12, she chose the difficult path, determined to become a famous gardener!

Oliver Aspinwall, Earl of Stanford is the legitimate brother to his half-brother, Xander. When their horrible father frames Xander for theft and forces him out of his house, Ollie is left to bare the abuse of their father alone. Scared, inside and out, from his fathers abuse and years of fighting for England, his Opium addiction got the better of him when he put himself in the path of a madman after his brother. He woke up with a nasty cut on his face and an Angel treating his wounds. Their first meeting left them both intrigued.

A few years later, Oliver is sober and a recluse at his country estate. Xander decides to send Necessity, now a well-known landscape architect, to live at the estate for a month and fix the dilapidated gardens. But he had ulterior motives as well; Xander hopes these two lost souls will find each other.

They dance around each other for a bit before Ollie can’t take anymore and then the real fun begins! A well and true love affair. One month before Nessie has to head back to London, but when their emotions get the better of them, the outcome of their month long affair is greatly altered!

I love everything that Tracy Sumner writes. Without exception. One Wedding and an Earl was a great edition to the Duchess Society and I loved her connection to Jasper Noble drawing him into the overarching storyline. I think I will LOVE his book!

TROPES
Historical Romance, Georgian Era, Country Life, Byronic/Brooding Hero, Damaged/Tortured Hero, Disabled/Wounded/Scared Hero, Rake Hero, Soldier/War Hero, Titled Hero, Soldier/War Hero, Bluestocking Heroine, Dresses as Male, Experienced Heroine, Hoyden Heroine, Independent Heroine, Orphaned Heroine, Scientist Heroine, Working Heroine, Angst Romance, Class Difference, Fling to Love, Beauty and the Beast, Forced Proximity, Lessons in Seduction/Teach Me, Second Act Breakup Romance, Five Star, Four Flame

One Wedding and an Earl is such a fiery read, and that’s because neither nobleman Oliver nor landscape designer Necessity can keep away from one another. Their attraction is such that Oliver’s brother has picked up on it. He hires Necessity to landscape Oliver’s derelict ancestral home, hoping that a fling between them will help bring his self-isolated brother back into interaction with the wider world.

So you’ve got a scarred duke, recovering from a period of addition and licentiousness and living in isolation, and a self-made woman from the slums of London. They both know that anything between them can’t be long-term, right?

I really loved Necessity and Oliver as characters because both are strong, both understand their own faults (even if they aren’t necessarily ready to address them), and both are smart. Each also stereotypes the other according to their class, and they have to overcome those assumptions to be together. Even then, each believes that something more permanent can’t happen between a child of the slums and a nobleman.

I loved the evolution of Necessity and Oliver’s feelings for one another, the welcome appearance (and real use of) characters from earlier Duchess Society books, and the humor Sumner injects through stupid guy fights and Necessity’s willingness to spend a lot of Oliver’s brother’s money.

But I struggled with a feeling of sameness when it came to Necessity and Oliver’s relationship. They are wildly attracted to one another from the get-go—and that’s where they stay. With a focus on their physicality, it was harder to understand the impact of their shared conversations when they’re alluded to and not given. Because of this, One Wedding and an Earl felt like it was going along on the same pitch, and I needed more variety.

It's still a great addition to a series that’s been amazing so far for Sumner. And the setups she makes for additional Duchess Society stories has me anxiously awaiting them!

Ollie Aspinwall, the Earl of Stanford finds his return to England difficult. His brother is desperate to intervene in his life, and commissions Necessity Byrne, an infamous landscape architect to restore his gardens. His brother having found love, also wishes the same for Ollie, and knows that Necessity has gotten under his skin, from the day they meet, years ago. Necessity is determined to make a career for herself but soon questions it all, when her attraction to Ollie, begins to be all that she can focus on.
Both characters are so independent and determined but I almost believe that Necessity, puts Ollie in his place. Their attraction is evident from the start, and Necessity does not hesitate to go for what she wants. A tortured soul, I enjoyed seeing the genuine kindness of Ollie, despite the cool façade he initially presents. By the time I got to the end, I did hope to see what lay ahead for this couple, it was that good. I so look forward to reading more of this series, but can certainly say, that it can be read as a stand-alone. However, I don’t know why anyone would just read one book in the series.
I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book so much more but I didn’t feel the romance , only the attraction and steam

Oh how I wanted to love this book! I love a scarred hero and the woman who see's beyond them to the man beneath. Unfortunately, this "historical" romance read like a 21st century book in corsets. The themes were too modern for what I like in historical books. Also, the way they spoke just reeked of modernisms. It's too bad, because this could have been a fantastic book.

I really enjoy Tracy Sumner's books and I have read all of this series... safe to say I am *quite invested* in these characters. We've met Ollie in previous books - an Earl, ex soldier and the brother of Macauley, who is definitely my favourite character in this series. He's had a pretty rough childhood with a brief lightness of one summer with Macauley abruptly ended, and after that ... not much joy for him. A traumatic stint in India with the army, followed by racketing about London's opium dens (and various women) culminates in a fight which leaves him scarred and taken very firmly under Macauley's wing. When recovering, he wakes up to a "boy" in his room giving him some herbal remedies to mend his face. Enter Necessity Byrne! Of the Shoreditch Byrnes :) Having lost her family at an early age to illness, Necessity's ambition is to become a gardener at the level of her hero, Capability Brown.

They meet again a couple of years later and ... well that's the story so I won't write about that bit.

I enjoy all these books - loads of angst. Loads of lovely friendships. Great female characters.

A few little niggles with this one... I feel that the use of italics throughout the book has slightly taken the place of using writing to emote and emphasise. Perhaps because I've read these in a row and revisited one before this book, that technique starts to grate on me.

There are lots of recurring themes in this book - some of which work, some which are a bit daft. E.g. all the male characters fighting to show friendship, this is funny once. Now I just find it a tad tiring.

I am really looking forward to reading Dash and Theo's book.

This was an entertaining, well-written Regency romance. It was fun, steamy, flowed well and kept me reading. I wanted to find out what was going to happen. The chemistry and bantering between the two main characters was delightful. This book can be read as a standalone story, though it is book 4 in The Duchess Society series. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I loved Oliver’s rough edge and fearsome attitude when he confronted villains who clashed with his quite life. It was the soft side that he showed to Necessity that had her melting in his arms. Xander his older brother is where his true emotions of wanting to be better and forgiven that he fights for. I love the romance and the powerful story of the ties that binds a family.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Since returning from war and taking over his father’s title as Earl of Stanford, Oliver Aspinwall hasn’t had an easy go of it. His older brother is determined to bring Ollie into his rowdy group of close friends, all the while meddling in nearly every aspect of his life. Ollie also has a permanently scarred face and a crumbling estate to contend with. Now his brother has gone even further, bringing in a highly in-demand and beautiful landscape artist to restore Ollie’s gardens and possibly his damaged heart as well. But Ollie knows exactly what his brother is up to and isn’t willing to play along, content to instead remain hidden away in the country with his stargazing to occupy him.

Necessity Byrne has heard plenty about the so-called Scarred Earl and his scandals. A scandal herself having been raised in London’s rookeries, setting societal tongues wagging is par for the course for her and she’s not about to turn down the chance to restore the reclusive peer’s gardens, especially when she learns the design was originally put into place by none other than the famous Capability Brown. What Necessity isn’t prepared for, however, is the electricity she feels every time she remembers the one time she met the rakish earl years previously when he was first injured. She wants the job, so she’ll have to just ignore that irritating spark.

Once she’s installed on the earl’s estate, Necessity can’t help but meet every challenge he lays at her feet. Ollie and Necessity can’t seem to agree on anything, except their attraction, but Ollie wants her to stay, and she can’t see a life not lived in London, leaving Ollie to find a way to convince the headstrong landscaper to take a chance on a broken earl and reignite her dreams of having a family again.

This story was brimming with raw emotion so much so that it was even a bit hard to follow at times. Ollie’s struggle with addiction was a secondary feature in the previous book and I loved seeing him working to find himself at last out of the influence of substances and without his father’s abuse or the trauma of his life as a soldier. He was very much still finding out who he truly was, afraid of his feelings and yet at the same time, still willing to explore them. That took so much courage, and he was obviously so sweet and just desperate to love and be loved that it was impossible not to root for him. Necessity had this same factor going for her given that she’d lost her entire family at a young age, but for this same reason she often got in her own way, determined to maintain her independence and afraid to risk loving and losing again. She was also so certain that she and Ollie could never be together because of the disparity in their social classes that she didn’t really let herself acknowledge her true feelings for some time, but I was cheering her on so hard when she finally decided to step up and risk it all for her love. The chemistry between Ollie and Necessity fairly jumped off the page and definitely overwhelmed the two of them such that it took a while for their brains to come to terms with what they already knew in their hearts and for me, that made them very human and real. It didn’t hurt that they were both frustratingly awkward enough to be inexplicably charming. These two both needed each other, and both felt unworthy in their own ways, and I loved seeing them get over that and provide each other with the reassurance they needed. This story had plenty of steam as well as emotional depth and solid character development and likable supporting characters establishing a delightful found family. I found this story very satisfying in the end, even though these two did stress me out a bit in the middle, and I’m looking forward to Dash and Theo’s story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was captured in the first few pages of the book. From a brief time in the past that sets the
stage for the future...

Neither had much of a happy childhood, she in the slums and he at the manor. She left without a family when young, to make it on her own, he with a terrible father that seemed to punish him for just being.

Then one day she landed on his door step. A scarred recluse and a girl with dreams. Fate - or his half brother, seemed to have brought them together, but will they be able to find a true love?

Another wonderful addition to this series, not to be missed!

I’ve been enjoying The Duchess Society series by Tracy Sumner, so there really was no question that I would read One Wedding and an Earl. I wish it hadn’t been nine months since the last book was released, as it took me a little while to remember all the characters. But that little fact didn’t lessen my joy in diving into this latest installment.

Necessity and Oliver are both scarred characters. They each have very complicated and painful pasts they are working to overcome. There is also a powerful attraction between the two that leapt off the pages and made me keep turning those same pages to see that happily ever after fulfilled.

I reveled in the play between the two as their relationship evolved. And I’ll admit there were moments when I wanted to just reach in and shake Necessity to get over her misgivings regarding the differences in their stations and accept Oliver’s love. But, of course, there had to be some conflict.

My only complaint is that there wasn’t much plot outside of their romance. Don’t get me wrong, the character growth and development of the romance were incredible. But there just wasn’t much else outside of Necessity and Oliver.

Yes, a lot of the previous couples in the series make appearances, and there’s this male friend of Necessity that really could have been used to a greater extent to create more conflict. But in the end, it all boiled down to Necessity and Oliver having to break down their own barriers and grasp happiness. I just wanted a little more.

Even though I was left wanting more, I did enjoy One Wedding and an Earl. With engaging characters and a solid romance, I was drawn into the story and satisfied with the happily ever after. I definitely recommend this book to those who have started the Duchess Society series. There might be a little confusion with the secondary characters if the reader jumps in at this point, but for the most part, it does stand on its own.

4.5 stars, seen through a telescope on a rooftop in Mayfair on a dark, windy night.

If you are looking for a very spicy historical romance with a contemporary feel to it, look no further. With tropes such as grumpy x sunshine, class difference, found family, you're mine, it's always been you, and competitive characters exploring their sexuality together (yes, with angry sex!) while not having a care in the world about it being scandalous, this is bound to be a real treat!

In One Wedding and an Earl, our darling Xander Macauley decides to dust off his nifty little meddling skills by paying horticulturist Necessity Byrnes of the Shoreditch Byrnes to refurbish his (half-)brother Oliver "Ollie" (or baby bro) Aspinwall's hedges. That is, the ones in his Derbyshire estate gardens, but any other metaphorical hedges that get tended to in the process are definitely a plus in his opinion. (Do you see him smirking about his devious matchmaking skills, the little devil?)

This book hit the spot for me thanks to two major aspects - the fiery but emotionally vulnerable romance between Ollie and his Sprite (aka Nessie), and the found family / brotherly love between Ollie and Mac (as well as the extended Leighton Cluster with both Ollie and Nessie). Seeing Ollie and Mac trying to figure out their relationship, putting up boundaries and trying to respect those, was beautiful. And of course, I am not mad at how involved Mac was in Ollie's story, although he is definitely a scene thief. (When he admitted he fell first but made Pip wait for years? I swooned!)

"Lose the guilt, will you? I don't mind the scar. It shows a trace of what I feel like on the inside. (...) If it frightens anyone, my visage, well, good. Let it warn them away. If they could see what's here" - he tapped his chest - "they'd run in the other direction."

As much as I love Xander, I must admit Ollie had me from the very beginning. (Sit your ass down, Mac, honey. You're still my main boo.) An emotionally and physically scarred earl, hiding from the world, both through physical barriers - his estate far removed from London - and emotional ones to avoid getting hurt? I'm WEAK. Combine him caring when he doesn't want to, being such a goner but very much in denial about it, with a strong self-made woman on a quest to become the best gardener of London as well as exploring her sexuality - roping in our very eager lord for the job - and I am done for.

"You're not the man for the job."
"This job is designed for me, Sprite."

Their romance? Gosh, it was beautiful. The pet names (*swoon*), the banter, the competition between them, the need to best each other in every single interaction made for some fiery scenes, both in words and in... well, other ways (smirk). This book was definitely more spicy (hello, dirty talking earl) than the previous ones - something about still waters that run deep, am I right? - because Ollie and Nessie do a lot of their talking through physical interactions.

"Two minutes. Then we decide."
"Decide?"
"If we stop at a kiss or decide to carry it further. Me?" He gave a careless toss of his shoulder. "I'll go as far as you let me."

Although it seems physical interactions are an easy way to communicate for both of them, they're also both unsettled by how easily and how quickly they succeed in becoming intimate on an emotional level with each other, despite both being traumatized individuals (complex trauma for both, and PTSD as well for Ollie) who have erected such high walls around themselves which they guard fiercely. Cue both of them getting vexed when they step on each other's vulnerability, because allowing themselves and the other to be vulnerable is so new to them.

"Why would you hope for better from a rookery girl of all people?"
"Because I let you see me."

This moment wrecked me, pulled my heart out. I'm literally tearing up again while writing this. Because, to be completely honest, I think this is what I loved most about Ollie and Nessie - their willingness to be vulnerable even though they might get hurt in the process. Both of them being so open, caring for each other in small ways... They're bad communicators, because they've never gotten the chance to learn, but they try their damned best and are so desperate for the other to actually see them. Ollie's willingness to apologize right off the bat when he senses he's hurt Nessies feelings made me swoon each time, because even though they're bad communicators, they're very much in tune with each others feelings. Can you imagine how proud I was when Ollie doled out this advice when Nessie was trying to keep Ollie at a distance by guessing at his thoughts? "You shouldn't presume to know how I feel before I tell you. Before I know myself." The answer is VERY.

"I have nerve with you, Necessity Byrne. With you I have loads of nerve. So much that I don't recognize myself half the time. (...) I dare where you're concerned. With all my nerve and not an ounce less."

Also, very noteworthy: tipping my hat off to the PTSD and complex trauma representation in this book. I've basically outlined the complex trauma above, but the PTSD flashbacks were once again on point.

So why 4.5 stars and not 5? A few small reasons.
1. Like with Scandalous Vixen, I got confused at the writing sometimes. It would've been beneficial to have more of or an earlier explication of what the author meant or what was truly happening between the characters.
2. Although I loved the PTSD and trauma rep, I have a hard time with books making it seem like a good relationship magically solves PTSD. Opening up about the trauma will have had its effect though. I tried to not let it bother me too much.
3. Jasper Noble. Condescending egocentric ass. Okay, okay, I kid, he didn't influence my rating, but he does have a long way to go to get in my good graces. So, good luck to him.

An easy read without too many complications. It was nice that Nessie had a different job to most but there was more steam than real story here which was a shame would have liked more plot this was either or arguments that made parts drag a bit. I also felt that by not having read the other books i might have missed out on some of the relationships as random people I didn't know got mentioned and popped up. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

One wedding and an Earl is the fourth book in the Duchess series, you do not have to have read the previous books but you’ll want to after reading this excellent edition.
Oliver the Earl of Stanford is a tortured soul, a cruel childhood and terrible battles when he was a soldier left him with an opium addiction and reckless behaviour leading to society ostracising him. Rescued by his half brother Xander Macauley he now leads a reclusive life on his estate, still haunted by nightmares .
Enter Necessity Byrne, a landscape gardener who has pulled her self out of severe poverty and become the must have landscaper to the rich and nobility.
There is instant attraction which scorches the pages as their relationship develops. Their intimate moments are to put it mildly some of the best I’ve read. As their relationship becomes stronger and even more passionate but the gaping division in their place in regency society starts to interfere with their relationship, Nessie in particular feels she is too far below an Earl for them to work.
This is a story of how love can survive all manner of problems, we have two characters who are meant for each other, each with their struggles. How they overcome them is brilliantly told. An immensely satisfying read which I thoroughly enjoyed.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.