| Title | : | The Actor and the Earl (The Crofton Chronicles #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 230 |
| Publication | : | First published May 1, 2014 |
The Crofton Chronicles: Book One
Elizabethan actor Sebastian Hewel is about to embark on the role of a lifetime. When his twin sister, Bronwyn, reneges on the arrangement to marry Anthony Redbourn, Earl of Crofton, Sebastian reluctantly takes her place. At nineteen, Sebastian knows he is getting too old for the female leads, and the male ones are hard to come by. He might feel like he’s in one of Master Shakespeare’s plays, but with his performance as Lady Crofton, he hopes to pay off his late father’s debts. Never mind the danger of losing his head should he be discovered.
Sebastian didn’t expect Anthony to be so attractive and alluring—not to mention shrewd. Anthony sees through the ruse, but not being the type of man to care if his lovers wear a gown or a doublet, he is charmed by Sebastian, and offers a mutually beneficial alternative. Fool Anthony’s fellow nobles and court in an extravagant wedding, then retire to Crofton Hall to play Anthony’s beloved wife for a year or two, after which the young, but sickly, Lady Crofton will succumb to a fever, and Sebastian can return to his normal life.
Sebastian will need every drop of his acting talents to survive with both his head and his heart intact.
Third edition – previous editions published by Dreamspinner Press
The Actor and the Earl (The Crofton Chronicles #1) Reviews
-
Nothing happens.
The action hinges on what things people choose not to do; what things they choose not to say, and where they choose not to say them.
Never mind an entire novel set in the age of Shakespeare and Elizabeth, which somehow manages not to take us anywhere near his Globe or her Court, but which still carefully reminds us of how big a deal both figures were.
While simultaneously avoiding anything to do with them whatsoever, is what I'm saying.
Takes work to be that mediocre. Takes real effort.
Fun and lighthearted, but ultimately too unimaginative a tale to capitalize on its many, many opportunities to entertain.
Abandoned at 71 percent; YMMV. -
I just finished reading this book and figured I’d better write the review now before I’ll have forgotten it. Like, tomorrow.
This book reads like a Harlequin. An old one from the 70s. One where the tiniest bits of conflict are supposed to get the reader riled up. Where the virginal heroine gets upset by bits of gossip, or by the hero being a bit short with her when he is upset about something else or by, oh horror, other women making a pass at her husband and husband not slapping these harlots down fast enough. It’s hard to believe that Sebastian, having spent years among actors/prostitutes even has such virginal sensibilities and is holding out for true love in a mercenary marriage like this one, but he does.
It is unclear to me why Sebastian falls in love with Anthony, besides the fact that he is handsome and he’s the first one he goes all the way with. I am not even sure when it happens. It is also unclear to me why Anthony apparently goes all insta-love about Sebastian. The former is worse, because the whole thing is written from Sebastian’s viewpoint and if he can’t translate his own feelings to the reader, what’s the point of being in a romance novel? Maybe first person POV would have helped in this case. As it is, there is so little elaboration on Sebastian’s feelings, it seems like the author is counting on the readers to insert their own emotions in the appropriate places. But as I mentioned before, the stuff I am supposed to get upset or excited about is so insignificant it hardly makes a blip on my radar.
The whole premise of the conflict in this book is that Anthony was a player before he got married, and other people don’t believe he can be reformed, especially being married to such a plain ‘girl’. Because Anthony doesn’t gush properly every five minutes (the flashes of possessiveness and jealousy don’t count, I guess), Sebastian shares these beliefs. Of course, everybody and their aunt keeps warning him not to lose his heart to the player, so I guess we can’t blame the poor boy. The only one who was any fun in this book was the real Bronwyn and that was only because she was so stupidly over the top with her ‘OMG! How dare you not shout your love for my brother from the rooftops!’.
All the episodes of barely-there conflict are resolved within a paragraph or three, as if the author is afraid that too much conflict will chase readers away. Instead, what it does is kill any tension. Only the last big scandalous misunderstanding lasts bit longer and, in proper Harlequin fashion, gets resolved with a grand public make up scene, after there has been most proper grovelling.
It’s really too bad, because I liked the idea of the story. And it functions quite well as a light, formulaic romance. The fact that most of the cross dressing charade went off without a hitch is not realistic of course. But that lack of realism didn’t bother me so much as all the missed opportunities for some meatier conflict.
I personally didn’t care for the sex in this book, which only lasted a couple of paragraphs per scene. Just like the conflicts. I found it uninspired, but your mileage may vary. If you manage to feel the love between the MCs here, it may actually be alright.
And was there a point to having a mute kid in this book? Did he have any other function than window dressing and padding the page count?
If you’re in the mood for something light, predictable and uncomplicated, this one may scratch the itch. -
Looking for something different, I found this and was intrigued by the fact that it was based in Elizabethan times, centres around a young 19 yr old actor of the day ( young men always took the role of the female as no women were allowed to act then ) and features a " cross gender " role reversal. In other words twin brother, the actor, takes the place of his sister, who has been betrothed to an earl who is a confidante of Queen Elizabeth 1st and a close member of her court. But the sister has eloped with another man - so brother agrees to take her place for the sake of family honour and becomes the ' wife ' of the earl who for his own reasons must marry again after his first wife dies.
Sounds good, and for the most part it was but it does have its niggles. The main one being that if found out this could be punishable by death - this is mentioned more than once - so secrecy is imperative, yet a surprising amount of people are aware of the deception so I expected this would be a main part of the plot. Not at all... nobody ever sees through their ruse ( one person has to be told but its because of jealousy, not discovery ) so it ends up taking a back seat in the book to the other side of the story - the lad falling for the earl,and then wondering if his feelings are reciprocated because one minute hes hot then the other, cold.
There were other aspects of it, that left me with questions too but after saying all that, overall I did actually enjoy it so its a hard one to rate..... because I didn't think enough was made of the " swap" it lost something, but it does have charm and is well written and smooth to read so I settled on 4* but in reality it probably comes in just under at about 3.75*. -
Okay Ladies and Gentlemen listen up.
I give you the character role of the year!
This is my first read from this genre, and I'd say it did not disappoint me. I'm a little surprise with the rating of this book. I usually choose a book based on the rating if not from the blurb, and the blurb of this book really intrigue me.
And I loved it. Ha! I like the setting of the book. I love this dysfunctional way the marriages of the society were (wives sleeping with noble lords who also have wives), but the main character finding this one person that can satisfy his needs leaving his old habits.
The characters? Totally lovable! Sebastian, an actor, being forced to play as her twin sister to marry the handsome Earl of Crofton, set forth to the biggest role of his life. I love how strong his character is with a soft spot for Antony.
And Anthony? The ever charismatic earl, and I might add, possessive man. You'll swoon if he give you all his attention. Though not really perfect. He does make mistakes.
There are scenes that I have a hunch on what will be coming but it never failed to set my heartbeat faster. I am like,
While reading this, I can't help but think how it would be awesome to make a movie of this kind.
Check this book out! Hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did. -
Thanks to Adam for the BR!
This is a fun read. It's a bit heavy on dialogue and light on plot, but still fun. I'll definitely read the next in the series. -
O:
Please, please let this one be good...
Also, I know this font. It is called Vivaldi.
post-read ETA:
Absolutely stunning. I especially love that the historical element wasn't completely an annoying gimmick of a plot device, as it is in some others.
It was witty, clever, inane, emotional. Rather in the style of Shakespeare - or perhaps more accurately reminiscent of some of Shakespeare's comedies - but certainly a lot more readable, as it is in modern English as opposed to Shakespearean.
I love that it's historically accurate-ish and nonesuch.
(Actually, it's more like stage Shakespeare, but at least that's better than complete anachronism...)
There is urgency and secrecy, but not crushingly so, not so weighing to the point that the reader can't simply enjoy the little inanities of everyday life, which makes it all the more real.
A clever, clever little read and highly enjoyable. I almost didn't want to set it down, but alas, it had been getting late in the hour and I realized I really should get at least a couple of hours of sleep before waking (*cough cough* later) in the morning to get on with the day. -
I gave this book 2½
This is a plot done before, and to be honest, done better–in Madcap Masquerade by Penelope Roth–but that’s not to say it’s not worth a read.
It’s set in an era that isn’t covered enough in gay historicals–Elizabethan England and although, as the title explains, one of the protagonists is an actor it’s not set solely in a theatre. Shakespeare does get a mention here and there, though–is there anyone living in London at this time who didn’t know him!?
Overall, it’s nicely readable, and the plot canters on engagingly, but there is a major error that runs throughout which made me grind my teeth and will do for others I suspect. Let me just get that out of the way first. An Earl is usually “an earl of somewhere” e.g. the Earl of Pembroke OR simply as a prefix e.g. Earl Waldgrave. They are NOT addressed as “Earl Crofton” but as “Lord Crofton” as is the case here.
That aside, the book makes a good attempt to get a flavour of the time without an overabundance of detail. The food is mostly convincing–there are good descriptions of feasts where the meat goes on forever and there’s nary a fork in attendance–and the clothes are nicely illustrated: the gaudy doublet and hose of the men and the uncomfortable and restrictive clothes of the women. There was one scene where Sebastian put on his own corset which I found a little unlikely, but in the main it’s well done. The author even manages to tip a nod to the make-up of the day–white lead paint for the face–by having Lord Crofton (Anthony) forbid Sebastian to wear it when not at court.
The way the deception was managed–having Sebastian “visit” in his male persona while Lady Crofton was in bed with a mysterious illness was a bit unlikely. Despite having a couple of staff in on the truth it was rather unbelievable that a country house with dozens of staff would not sniff out what was really happening. There’s one section where Sebastian (as a male) goes over to visit neighbours and has a serious fall, and no mention of contacting his sister is made, let alone how that sister’s illness is continued when Sebastian isn’t on the premises. I mean, there’s no flushing toilets, so someone would notice at the very least, the lack of chamber pots.
There’s a fair smattering of OKHomo throughout, however. Everyone who is in on the secret from the beginning is all right with it, and the people who discover it as the book progresses are also perfectly fine, and are more concerned for the couple’s safety than the horror of what they are doing, as was the tone of the day. In fact everyone in the book–with the exception of Sebastian’s sister–is thoroughly Nice and all the conflict, which could easily come from external sources in this time and place, is managed by jealousy.
And that’s its major failing, really because I was never really convinced of the couple’s devotion to each other. That’s possibly because of the fact that the point of view is only from Sebastian’s side, so we never see Anthony’s feelings–although that’s part of the plot, too. But I didn’t understand WHY Sebastian fell in love with Anthony; I could see why Anthony fell for Sebastian as he’s quite doormatty until he finally has enough, but Anthony–other than being sexy and seductive–isn’t particularly nice until he realises that he might lose Sebastian for good.
So, all in all, a decent enough read and if you like the era you’ll probably appreciate it, but not a keeper for me. The sequel will be out later this year. -
A sweet morsel.
Playful, yet true of heart, this story does entertain. A fun romp that that earned a point by referring to my favorite Shakespearean comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. The bits interwoven into the story are delightful.
This story is very much in the form of a historical romance with a hastily arranged marriage between participants who then learn to care. There's a bit of slumming around London, but for the most part it is set in countryside at Crofton Hall.
It all begins with poor Sebastian, who finds himself in a bit of a spot and jumps straight from the pot into the fire. Playing a real game with serious consequences, but is the game too rich for his pockets?
Anthony, Lord Crofton, finds no trouble in taking what he wants. A master courtier, can one believe anything that falls from his lips? Indeed. I wanted to clobber him a couple times myself, but he finds favor so easily with sweetly murmured nothings:"You could tempt a saint to hand in his halo.”
Anthony and Sebastian's mutual deception is woven and they dance on. There is much that can be lost or gained with their subterfuge--yet, it is Anthony who stands to lose the most.
Enjoyable read for historical romance fans who favor identity switches and non-Regency tales.
~A copy was provided to me for a No Glitter Blown review~~
~~~Reviewed for
Hearts On Fire Reviews~~~ -
2 stars basically rounded up to account for the ending when Anthony made an attempt at courting Sebastian at the end of the book. Main characters: I started liking Sebastian but by the end of the book I didn't care one way or the other. I really disliked Anthony, I didn't like the amount of flirting he did with men and women, he didn't deserve Sebastian's love, I didn't care about his reasons for . Also he didn't stand up for Sebastian in some situations where he should have. I didn't see the chemistry between the characters. This book was a let down for me and I kept comparing it to some really good mm historicals I read this year where I was captured by the historical setting, the style and the romance.
-
This was fun. I have been curious about this book for a long time and decided it was finally time to read it. Goodness. From page one of Sebastian being Beatrice on stage in my favorite Shakespearean play ever... I had a feeling this would be good and it so was.
Speaking of Shakespeare and Much Ado About Nothing this story reminded me of the comedies I love from my dear, Bill. There was laughter and love and deceit and plain folly and... sigh no more ladies, sigh no more... This was fun, it was a joy to meet Sebastian and see him agree to dress up to play his twin sister Brownyn and marry the Earl of Crofton under the guise. What I didn't see coming was how soon Anthony Crofton saw through it all and how eager he was to take on the marriage to Sebastian/Anthony.It was one thing to play a woman on stage but another to pass for one in real life. Looking at himself in the mirror, he was in part disturbed that he made quite a handsome woman, though he wouldn’t go as far as to describe himself as attractive, and also that he really did look like Bronwyn. He sighed loudly, wondering just what he had gotten himself into.
This world, this time of Queen Elizabeth and the famous Globe Theatre is one of my favorites and while many in this story take same sex relations mildly, I found it refreshing to encounter. Mind you, the threat of losing ones head for... everything Sebastian and Anthony do is there but having the few that come into their grace and accept them and the charade made the story that much more enjoyable to me.
Sebastian and Anthony, oh boy. They get themselves into a bit of drama but the times they share together, I fell in love with. Anthony being jealous made me grin and Sebastian hearing awful chatter and gossip made me cringe. But these two, as they begin to live their life as Lord and Lady Crofton... it was, romantic and again, fun."Don’t go giving your heart to Anthony Crofton, Sebastian. He’s a good man, but….”
“But?”
“He’s a man who enjoys his pleasures. You’re not the first young man, nor woman, that’s woken alone in that bed.”
So while there is the fun with the pretend marriage, there are the real feelings between the men. Being told from Sebastian's POV we know how he feels for Anthony and it breaks me heart what he goes through, what he questions and what he fears. The angst was not what I expected and all I wanted was for these two to be okay. I wanted them to smile and fight over who is truly married to Anthony and I wanted them to make up because they are great when they are happy.“You are a sight for sore eyes,” Anthony said, and added in a whisper,“You are so beautiful, Sebastian. It’s a chore to keep my hands off you. You could tempt a saint to hand in his halo.”
The Actor and The Earl was a truly enjoyable read layered with comedy, deceit, romance, and passion. Le Sigh. I love my historical romances and this had the twist of seeing Earl Crofton with both his wife and his lover though they are the same person. I can't wait to read the next book to see what else these two can get into.
But, being the Shakespeare nerd that I am, I am going to go sing this and recite my favorite lines from Much Ado About Nothing and if you ever want to see a fantastic version (keeping with the time of the play) in film, see the one done by the Shakespeare master himself -
Sir Kenneth Branagh.
♪♫Sigh no more, ladies, sigh nor more;
Men were deceivers ever;
One foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never;
Then sigh not so,
But let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny;
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into. Hey nonny, nonny.
Sing no more ditties, sing no mo,
Or dumps so dull and heavy;
The fraud of men was ever so,
Since summer first was leavy.
Then sigh not so,
But let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into. Hey, nonny, nonny.♫♪
~William Shakespeare -
BR with
Nick!
Not very believable, but still a nice and easy weekend read.
Sebastian Hewel, the son of a famous yet heavily indebted naval captain, is a theatre actor in Elizabethan London. Anthony Redbourn is an earl and is engaged to Sebastian's sister. When Sebastian's sister runs off, he's stuck in a tricky situation. In order to pay off his family's debt, Sebastian agrees to masquerade as his sister and marry the earl. Anthony has his own reasons for going along with the plan, so the two find it mutually beneficial. It's not long before their business arrangement moves in a more carnal direction.
I think to be able to enjoy this you'd have to really suspend your disbelief. But I went with the flow, so it was a fun read. I liked that Anthony wasn't heterosexual, and that he was in on the plan before the wedding. I would have found it very ridiculous if Anthony was duped at the wedding, and then suddenly liked the idea of sleeping with a man.
I have to give kudos to the author for the level of detail she put in to the world-building. I have very little knowledge of the Elizabethan era, so it was interesting to read about the clothes, the food, and the social customs.
Overall, a quick and easy read. I'm looking forward to reading book 2,
Duty to the Crown. -
D'awww, the truest kind of comfort reads. Pretty good among the pickings of historical MMs. Very readable, peppered with enough Great Big Misunderstandings to satisfy anyone who loves Misunderstandings and Groveling in romance novels.
There are, of course, a whole bunch of unlikely things in the book: Everyone is very OKurgay about it, and the matter of homosexuality is gossiped all over the place as a matter of fact. Rather strange considering time and place and the fact that it's a hanging offense...
Little things such as, for example, the ability for Sebastian to ride all the way back to London from Crofton when according to Google maps it's half an island away. But maybe horses are faster and more durable than I imagine...?
The way the whole Seb/Bron thing seems highly unlikely considering that they're cooped up in a country house. Surely the staff must notice something odd about it? A year in the same house and they only appear together for a week? And what about Seb's voice? How does he mask it when he's shouting in the house?
There's also the fact that I'm not sure why the two MCs love each other at all... But if you're willing to mightily suspend your disbelief this is a very nice read. -
I needed an escape from editing, working, car worries, and life in general, and I found exactly what I needed in the pages of The Actor and the Earl by Rebecca Cohen.
I would love to see these two protagonists down the road into their old age, still cleverly concealing their ruse. In my mind, "Sebastian" leaves for the new world and "Bronwyn" and Anthony raise a passel of foundlings as their own. Sigh.
The author ripped my heart out, handed me the shredded pieces on a silver platter, then cleverly patched up the hurt. For all Anthony's worldliness, I see him as a very young man at times, for his experience is only physical, and emotionally he has a long way to go. In matters of the heart, the younger Sebastian must take the lead.
I wonder for Edward, and hope he has a happy ending, and had hoped to find out if Titan survived the snake bite. Poor horse.
And what of the real Bronwyn? Did Sebastion and her new husband get along? Were their children?
Okay, I'll ask nicely, hat in hand. Sequel, please? -
Free on Dreamspinners for 3/17/13 only!
-
I've been spoiled by a handful of really great historicals this month, or this probably would have rated a little higher.
Loved the premise (seriously, why aren't there more MM Historical Romances with one of the MCs masquerading as a woman?), but unlike the Lessons books (1910s) &/or On a Lee Shore (Regency) this one didn't quite have the same atmosphere nor did the characters have a way of speaking that would really set it as during QE1. A few choice words and messages with Ye Olde Tyme spelling don't rise to the level it needed to sound period appropriate.
Also, as I am Not A Fan of song lyrics detailed out in a story, I'm not fond of poetry popping up either. I mean, I get it; it's Shakespeare & Co. and Sebastian is an actor who performs in those plays and appreciates the sentiment of the ones recited for him. Me? Not so much. Plus, I think Anthony should have been made to grovel for a LOT longer before his apology was accepted. "I was drunk and things got out of hand" didn't really sell well with me.
That said, I committed to the second book as part of a challenge so I'm going straight into it. The plot sounds more interesting, so I'm crossing my fingers! -
I thought this sounded like it would be an amusing story, and it wasn’t bad. Though not as comic as I thought it would be, I found it enjoyable enough. However, I did have a number of reservations about the tale that knocked it down on the rating scale. Let’s see…
To begin with, I simply didn’t buy the idea that the ruse of Sebastian pretending to be his sister would work for more than a few days. Now it’s true enough that the twins are described as being rather androgynous in appearance, and Sebastian, as a young actor, had plenty of practice in portraying a woman. (Remember that in the 1500’s women on the stage were always played by men.) But---nope, I just wasn’t able to suspend my disbelief enough, not for a moment, to consider the possibility that this farce would be sustainable in the long term.
There’s also a bit too much “gay-okay” in this story for me, which is occasionally a problem with historical novels. A number of Anthony’s friends/servants have to be filled in on the secret to keep it going, and not a single person who knows the truth has any problem with it---or with the fact that Anthony and Sebastian are having a sexual relationship. Now, I’ve previously mentioned my own belief that historically speaking, there were actually more gay-friendly people in society in past ages than we are aware of. That is to say, in all eras of history there were likely friends and family of gay people who were supportive or at least willing to look the other way, but that these accounts have not been preserved in the historical record. But even if you are willing to accept my hypothesis, I think you’d agree that the casual way things are accepted in this story seems a bit unlikely.
On the other hand, I honestly have no idea what rules the aristocracy could break in Elizabethan England. I have the idea that the upper crust could probably get away with a LOT at that time (much more so than in the late Victorian age, for example). So---who knows? Maybe it isn’t entirely unlikely that men could have same-sex relationships, or at least indulge in same-sex activity, without it being a big deal as long as they were discreet…
I suppose the main drawback to this story, for me, was the fact that I never warmed up to Anthony. Sebastian was very likeable right from the start, and the story is told primarily from his point of view. The question is---why did he fall in love with Anthony in the first place? The reader never really does get to know Anthony well, find out much about his background or how his mind works. Frankly, there’s nothing on the written page that gives the reader any idea why Sebastian found him so alluring--- why on earth would Sebastian be willing to take such huge risks for someone who comes across as a selfish jerk a lot of the time.
So there you have it. I’m willing to overlook all sorts of problems with a book if I really care for the protagonists, but if I don’t, well...
On the plus side, there’s the fact that this book’s setting alone is fairly unusual---haven’t read many gay-themed novels set in the Elizabethan era. Though---on the minus side---there’s not much description here that gave me any real sense of what it was like to live in the year 1599.
Hmmm, seems like I only had negative things to say about the story! But nevertheless I did enjoy it as a pleasant diversion, though I’d have to say it probably would fit on the lower end of my sliding “pleasant diversion” scale.
I do like the cover! -
A jewel in the crown of MM Romance
If I have to describe it in one word it is captivating. There were so many things I liked about it that I don’t know where to start. Maybe with the fact that I was intrigued on first place by the setting and the plot since I’m a great fan of Renaissance England and Shakespeare and the theater and what not. Needless to say, this was a double-edged sword with all the expectations, the possible anachronisms to put me off and so on and so forth. Few pages in the book, I forgot to be attentive for these because it was so well written and entertaining and because… Sebastian. But I’ll come to this later. The fact is there are not obvious mistakes pertaining to the place and time and this includes the seemingly opposing information we get about the way the same-sex relationship was regarded by the other characters.*** The author avoided piling up historical info dumps and concentrated on what is important in a story such as this.
The love affair of Sebastian and Anthony is nothing if not dynamic and exciting to follow. Sebastian quickly turned to one of my favorite characters ever (all genres included). There are times I like a book as a whole, find the MCs nice and perfectly suitable for one another, or enjoy the dialogue and the descriptions but there is seldom someone “who has captured my heart so completely” like Sebastian Hewel. His talent, quick wit and the way he never let Anthony get away with all his slightly immature antics fascinated me. Despite being in love with the wayward Earl of Crofton almost from the start and getting married to him in his Bronwyn role, Sebastian never got himself into the “submissive housewife” model (which sadly a lot of characters in MM romance tend to do) but rather stood up for himself.
I can’t imagine why there are people who don’t see the chemistry between the Sebastian and Anthony when they practically have the whole periodic table between them! :) Now, seriously. There’s love, there’s a battle of characters, there’s lust enough (to burn up a library for example) and much more. I’d say they were made for each other. Not in the sense most people expect (fall in love at first sight, get married, adopt 7 kids and never ever dare to appreciate another’s good looks) but it's the kind that moves and thrills.
It is true that Anthony has a lot of the bad boyfriend characteristics. He’s selfish, immature, either afraid or unable to express his feelings properly and he is prone to cheating. Yet Sebastian falls in love with him and the reason is simply this. He falls in love. Anyone who had ever experienced it must know that it doesn’t happen because the object of their love is the perfect human being but because s/he is s/he. Besides, I have the feeling that being the little seductive fighter that he is, Sebastian could be easily bored with someone who doesn’t keep the intrigue alive.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this book both to people who like historical and have a weakness for the Renaissance and to those who don’t because it is amazing either way.
*** If you want to see the reasons behind this opinion, you can check them
here. -
The Actor and the Earl has been on my TBR list for years, but because of numerous mixed opinions of the story, I’ve held off reading it. I finally gave in and decided I needed to see for myself, and I must say, my OWN opinion is a little conflicted.
Nineteen year old Sebastian Hewel has almost reached the end of his run of playing the female lead in the London theatres. When his twin sister Bronwyn elopes, Sebastian and Anthony (Lord Crofton) come to a mutual agree to have Sebastian pretend to be Bronwyn and fill in the “real-life” role of his wife in order to pay off the Hewel family debt. Of course, Anthony has his own reasons for the fake marriage. It was only meant to last for a few years...and Sebastian’s heart was never meant to get involved...
Thoughts:
I could NOT put this book down; stayed up LATE needing to finish it and got less than 3 hours of sleep on a work night!
I loved the idea of the crossdressing character: the hero playing the role of a female in public, and completely male in private. Even though it probably wasn’t very realistic that no one ever figured it out, it was still a fun concept.
I loved that homophobia was never an issue at all. Everyone that found out that Sebastian and Anthony were intimate had other reasons for disapproving, but not because they were both men. It was refreshing not having to deal with that whole issue.
For a while there was a disconnect in the passion between Anthony and Sebastian, of course it was all meant to be sexy fun in the beginning. So once there were obvious feelings involved, I was then more connected to the characters.
Anthony kept pissing me off! It seemed that every few pages he was having to ask for forgiveness over some screw up or another. It was fun seeing him groveling and the makeups were always sexy and intense. I just wanted him to suffer a little more.
I’m not sure if I can trust that Anthony will stay true to his commitment; I will just have to continue on with Anthony and Sebastian’s story in the sequel Duty to the Crown. Even though I’m not a huge fan of romances with established couples, I want to find out what happens next. I’m crossing my fingers that there will be scenes from Anthony’s POV!
I need to know more about Anthony. He wasn’t one to share! How was his relationship with his first wife? I know it wasn’t true love, but what was it? What does Anthony do for the queen? There are reasons for Anthony needing to marry “Bronwyn”, but the details were only briefly touched upon...and I want more!
Also, does Edward Fenson get his own story? I would love to read more about him.
Overall, its a fun story with a decent display of humor, romance and angst; but the characters might drive you crazy.
Reviewed for The Blogger Girls -
Just read this straight through. I really enjoyed this, especially since, for once, an MC stood up for himself at every juncture and not let his significant other get away with pulling shite. WOOHOO! (Okay, maybe it's more common than I make it sound, but wilting flowers are my big time pet peeve.) Sebastian was awesome. Innocent, but strong in heart and intent. Even if he felt hurt, he didn't take anything but his due, and made sure Anthony knew it and worked for it.
Anthony was a good character too. He did his wooing and apologizing well, and I came to wholeheartedly like him and approve of him.
I like the plot of this book, and while they often acted much more rambunctious sexually in public than any aristocracy would have in 17th century England, I took it with a grain of salt and easily was able to look easily past the faults and be entertained by the story.
I'm excited to see what happens next, the plot of the sequel sounds like a doozy! -
This may be a five star read to only me but I don't care. This is exactly in my wheelhouse. Loved it.
This is where I confess I'm bi-fictional :). I adore m/f historical romances in the traditional vein - Elizabethian, Victorian, Regency and Clan-Era Scotland are my favorites. Love them, especially when the female character bucks her era's gender roles.
This is that . . . but m/m. Some of my favorite tropes from the genre are here, just a bit . . . skewed.
And Sebastian? Forget the role that society has set for him, he's going to make his own, life, tradition, law and even his husband be damned.
SO MUCH FUN! -
Loved this courtly Elizabethan romp!
Great fun and accurate historical setting. The Elizabethan theatre is a m/m setting that works: men were encouraged to cross-dress, LOL.
Rebecca Cohen's writing is, as far as I can see, flawless. Great editing from Dreamspinner.
The cover is very appropriate. I had to look twice to see it was the same person! Another Anne Cain cover I love. *happy sigh* -
When i think that my kindle not recognizing this book led me to reset my kindle and lose all my library because it would not sync baack after, just so i can read this, makes me even more pissed at how bad this was
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I don't read historical novels. I just don't I especially don't read historical romance. So why did I sit down and read this book in two sittings (damn the need for sleep)?
The story itself is simple, if fresh and quite unique. Anthony, the Earl of Crofton needs to marry into a family who is overtly loyal to Queen Elizabeth. He arranges a marriage with Bronwyn Hewel. Unfortunately Bronwyn runs off with a stable hand just before the wedding.
Sebastian Hewel is an actor in a Shakespearean troupe. As it is considered unlucky for women to take the stage, and as Sebastian is relatively new, he plays only female roles. Thus he is adept at pretending to be a woman, which is no mean feat when considering the amount of clothing women are required to wear at these times.
It suits both parties, that Sebastian take on the role of his twin sister and marry the Earl. Of course they then fall in love and have a series of adventures, as lovers do,
There is nothing particularly remarkable about the story, but the way it is written is definitely cause for celebration. The story is told in a very straightforward way and gives you a glimpse into the lives of a poor actor and a super rich Earl, in Victorian London, without overloading you with information or trying to teach you anything.
We learn a lot about women's dress because we struggle with it alongside poor Sebastian, and we learn a lot about a woman's role in society because Sebastian is forced to learn pdq and again we struggle to get to grips with it alongside him. There are some beautiful historical details and a very delicate hand in painting pictures of day to day life, even down to the books they read and the games they played.
There must have been a lot of research as the book is full of little authentic details, such as a doll being called a poppet, ladies taking ale with their breakfast, and eels having so many bones they have to be picked from the palate. Of course the bigger authentic details are astounding as well.
It's amazing there's room for sex scenes but my goodness there are. I never realized how erotic it was to have to strip off so many clothes. The sex is hot but not gratuitous and fits in perfectly with the tone and pace of the story.
Whilst I can't, in all honesty, say this is at the top of my favourites list, this is only because I have read some pretty amazing books and it is saying a lot that it has made its way onto the list very comfortably. I would recommend this book without qualms to both those who love, and those who generally hate historical romance. -
This started a little wonky for me. It wasn't that I didn't like the characters or anything, it just seemed so very convenient and easy the way Sebastian and Anthony ended up together. But more on that later. I enjoyed a lot of this story in the end. While I thought at the beginning I'd end up having to slog through this, once the story got rolling it was a smooth read and I enjoyed myself.
Sebastian and Anthony...well to say Anthony's got a bit of arrogance is an understatement. I swear the man never thinks before he opens his mouth. But I do appreciate that Sebastian doesn't always take it lying down. He's much more able to stand up for himself and put his foot down when Anthony's being stupid. I liked Sebastian as a character. He's made the best out of an originally awkward circumstance; I mean standing in for your twin sister at her wedding as she's run off with another man is a bit much to ask of anyone even if Sebastian has spent time playing the female roles on the stage. But I felt for him as his real feelings got involved and he wasn't sure where he stood with Anthony.
As an actor myself, I enjoyed the touches of Shakespeare and the stage in this story. I've been to the Globe and it was so fun to see it mentioned here and the history behind that building. All of these little touches added a lot of enjoyment to this story for me.
Where this fails for me is a bit in the beginning and really stems more from how acceptable their relationship is in the historical context. Not to mention the few people who find out about their unusual arrangement have absolutely no negative response. Their responses actually are much more modern acceptance than historical abhorrence for the unnatural. It was a minor glitch, but it bugged me just the same.
Still I liked that things didn't go totally smoothly for these two and Anthony definitely needed to step up with his grovelling. ;) There were some really fun moments, and after the first little bit this was a quick enjoyable read. I will look for the sequel and see where these two's story goes next. -
I'm not quite sure how to rate this. It was better than just ok but I'm not sure that I can say that I actually liked it. I absolutely adore the premise but the execution didn't really work for me.
I had a very hard time picturing the book in my head. I'm not any sort of stickler for historical accuracy in romance novels, as long as everything seems fairly realistic I won't quibble over dates or anything. In M/M especially I tend to prefer less-than-perfect adherence to the rules of the time in order to get a happy ending. However, in this book I had a hard time even remembering the period in which it was supposed to be set. It didn't read like a historical at all to me. I'm not sure exactly why that was, but it did hinder my enjoyment a bit.
At the beginning of the story I liked Sebastian a great deal. He seemed like a confident, competent, clever adult. However once he married Anthony he seemed to immediately transform into a nervous, insecure, awkward child. I didn't understand the reason for this change in his personality. At the beginning I liked Anthony as well, however he quickly developed a habit of fighting with Sebastian over absolutely nothing. The tiniest little sentence from either of them would send the other off in a fit of anger or tears, which always seemed like a huge overreaction to whatever had been going on. It felt like the characters' personalities changed when it was convenient for the plot rather than when it was organic for the characters.
I did not feel the love between Sebastian and Anthony at all, especially on Anthony's side. . At the end of the book I wasn't very confident that Anthony would not just go on and continue to make the same mistakes. I felt that if he had really been in love with Sebastian in the first place, those mistakes never would have been made.
Maybe my worries will be addressed in future books in this series, but I don't think I liked it enough to read more. Now it sounds like I disliked this, which wasn't really the case either. At least I was never bored. I don't regret reading it but I doubt it's something I would read again. -
Yes, the plot is flimsy. And yes, the main love interest is kind of an ass. But I have to say I did enjoy this, although I can't tell you why. I'll try nonetheless.
I liked Sebastian. I liked the comedy of errors aspect with the twins (although despite Bronwyn being in Kent, did anyone think to consider she might not want to be killed off, what if she ever wanted to return to London?) And you can't have identical twins that are opposite genders. But anywho.
The emotional turmoil of Sebastian's discovery really hit me hard. I think it was reading Sebastian's side of things, and how upset he was but at the same time how strong he was It also worked for me that we did not see Anthony's POV in this case, so I really related with Sebastian and was just as in the dark as he was.
I do wish that Anthony wasn't quite such an ass though. Yes, he was sweet at times. And yes, he seemed to care for Sebastian. But the childish pouting and lashing out was really unattractive. It reminded me of abusive relationships where one hits the other and then immediately is super apologetic and all "It'll never happen again! I just love you so much!" I'm OK with them needing to have had a few fights prior to the big one, I get the build up and culmination of events. But it was one too many for me. And one in particular made me question whether Sebastian should be with him at all .
One thing that could have pushed my rating up were steamier sex scenes. They weren't fade to black or anything, they were just kind of... meh. -
¿Por qué lo leí?
Me llamó la atención un m-m-romance que no involucrara menage-a-trois y que fuera una serie completa, en este caso trilogía. Un romance isabelino que involucra a un conde bisexual y un actor y una vida cortesana parecía y sonaba como una historia interesante.
¿Por qué no me convenció?
Anthony, el conde. No puedo lidiar con su personalidad y no concilio la idea de que Sebastian se sienta atraído por esa criatura. Todo el tiempo cambia de humor, hoy odia, mañana ama. Llevaba una vida de libertino, disfrutando de los placeres de ambos sexos y la aparición de Sebastian tenía toda la pinta de que iba a hacerlo cambiar. Pero es el favorito de la reina y se la pasa en la corte o dando fiestas y eso no me atrae para nada porque él no es más que un pusilánime sin personalidad definida. Dice algo hiriente y luego lo tenés lloriqueando porque está arrepentido,cuando algo no sale como él lo desea se enrabieta y se ofende como si tuviera cinco años y no casi cuarenta. Lo peor es que un momento dice una cosa y al rato lo tenés demostrándote todo lo contrario.
De más está agregar que no pienso seguir los siguientes libros siendo Anthony el protagonista. -
This is a refreshing reading historical again. I think I read this one at the right time.
I really enjoyed this one, despite my constant need to slap Anthony for his clueless and stupid and idiotic behavior ! There I said it.
Good thing is, Sebastian made his choice to make him 'work' for having Sebastian.
I really wanted to jump into the book at 80 percent mark to smack Anthony's head! I mean, seriously? Stupid much?
Of course I can understand what kind of man Anthony was before he married Bronwyn/Sebastian, but still.
I was tempted to give this one one star instead of four, because of that one moment of Sebastian's heartache. But it won't be fair for Sebastian, because I liked him a lot, especially after he made it clear to Anthony, that he's not that cheap and easy!
I need to read book two, but I'm a little coward. Because the blurb is not doing good for my 'trust issues'.
Score :
Sebastian 1 - Anthony 0.
Note to author : Anthony is an Earl. The mention of 'His Grace' was kind of annoyed me. I think Sebastian should called him 'My Lord' instead of 'His Grace'. He's not a Duke. -
★★★☆☆
Light and fluffy after reading a somewhat depressing book for the last couple of days and this fit the bill. Reminded me of the 70's romance novels where the mf have to marry in some contrived situation and this was the 21st century's version with Sebastian an actor impersonating his twin sister in a marriage with Anthony, Earl of Crofton. Anthony likes boys and girls so he's fine with Sebastian's impersonation.
Shakespeare plays a role throughout and Sebastian and Anthony stumble along to their HEA with the usual misunderstandings and communication mishaps in these type of romances. Suffice it to say, Seb and Anthony get their man. -
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