THE ELUSIVE EARL is book three in the Bad Heir Day Tales series by historical romance and mystery writer Grace Burrowes. This series follows several Regency aristocrats who are recapturing their noble titles and their place in society. The overarching theme of the series is that when aristocratic families find themselves without an heir to the title, they turn to Leopold St. Didier to avert familial disaster. In each story, St. Didier locates a legitimate claimant to a venerable and imperiled title. The idea was that in each book, the heir would want nothing to do with the good fortune fate has foisted upon him. However, this time in THE ELUSIVE EARL, Graham is not unwilling but still has major challenges to overcome.
Graham MacNeil is a Scottish laird and earl who was transported seven years ago for a crime he didn’t commit. Graham pled guilty to the inadvertent killing of his frail grandmother by an overdose of laudanum. Sentenced to Australia, Graham survived a hardscrabble life there but is now back in Scotland, determined to find out who truly killed his grannie. Graham is assisted by Morna, the woman that he left behind without explanation. He was trying to protect her, but dude, he did not make good choices!
The whole reasons why Graham pled guilty seem a bit far-fetched, as do many of his other choices. I decided to just let that go and enjoy the rest of the story. THE ELUSIVE HEIR feels closer to a cozy mystery with two romantic side plots, of our primary couple as well as a secondary couple. Having Graham run the investigation as an amateur sleuth with the assistance of his lady love feels like Burrowes’ historical mystery series with Lord Julian. I’m pleased with that vibe, as I think the mystery series is my favorite of Burrowes’ different series to date.
St. Didier was around at the castle back when Graham’s grandma was killed, and he assists in the current investigation now. St. Didier is my favorite character in this series, and I can’t wait for the book that features him getting his Happily Ever After! Burrowes indicates it will probably come much later in the series, though, as she has many other stores to share first.
Graham MacNeil wants nothing to do with the family earldom, much less with a drafty castle full of rumgumptious relatives, or with the nosy neighbors determined to inspect the prodigal laird. His sole reason for returning from exile is to discover the truth behind the crime that saw him consigned to seven years transportation.
And she\'s carrying grudge!
The sole reason, that is, other than Graham\'s abiding and undeclared regard for Miss Morna MacKenzie. Morna was devastated by the old scandal and by Graham\'s departure. She\'s not about to give any more of her heart to a man who kept secrets then and is still keeping secrets now. Graham and Morna will have to learn to trust each other and their hearts if they are to discover who was responsible for shattering their world years ago, and who will go to any lengths to keep them apart now.
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