AN EARL LIKE YOU is the second book in Caroline Linden's Wagers of Sin series. Hugh Deveraux, Earl of Hastings, is a good guy forced to do some bad things for the right reasons. His late father left him in a very difficult position financially. Although he loved his family, Hugh's father left his family heavily in debt, with Hugh trying to pick up the pieces. Enter wealthy businessman Edward Cross into his life. Edward loves his daughter and he sees nothing ethically wrong with buying his daughter a husband without disclosing the terms and conditions to her before the wedding. However unlikely, Hugh falls for heiress Eliza Cross and having to keep secrets from her is almost his undoing. I love this hero and heroine. Caroline Linden tells a love story with complications yet packed with charm.

Hugh is a man forced to live with secrets. He protects his mother and sisters from the truth of how careless his father was with the family fortune, and he keeps from Eliza the true reasons he initially pursued her. Marrying for money is something a rogue would normally do, but Hugh's scruples torment him. The genuine feelings of love and desire that develop between Hugh and Eliza make for some enchanting idylls and steamy scenes. Hugh is a sympathetic hero and I love the way he treats Eliza and his sisters. Eliza has been a little sheltered by her father, even though he wants her to participate more in society, but she's no simpering miss. It isn't until late in the story when Eliza finds out the truth about the men in her life and their secrets. Her best friends provide support and act as a sounding board.

AN EARL LIKE YOU is a story about true love winning out against the odds. Although AN EARL LIKE YOU is part of a series and one of the heroine's best friends is the heroine of the previous book, this works as a standalone novel. I look forward to reading Lady Georgiana's story, hopefully, in the next Wagers of Sin novel.