The Other Countess by Eve Edwards

Title/Author: The Other Countess (The Lacey Chronicles #1) by Eve Edwards
Publisher/Date published: Puffin, July 1st 2010
How I got this book: bought it as a reward when I finished one of my big internships last year :)

Goodreads summary: "It's 1582 and eighteen-year-old Will Lacey's family is in trouble. After years of wasteful spending, his late father has run Lacey Hall to near ruin. Tasked with marrying his family back into fortune, the new Earl of Dorset is all set for a season at court to woo not just the Queen but potential brides with his jousting skills. But when Ellie – a strong-willed girl with nothing to her name but a worthless Spanish title – catches Will's eye, he faces a bigger battle than he could ever have anticipated."

You may have noticed I love historical romance, it is one of my favourite genres. But usually this means adult fiction. So when I saw this one, which combines historical romance with YA I knew I HAD to have it.

And really, this story is really cute! I mean, Will is a bit (well, a lot) of a jerk at first, but he learns from his behavior and he changes. For the MUCH BETTER! I mean, really, I LOVED Will once he stopped being a blind fool! He showed some real personal growth and I love it when that happens!

I really liked Ellie. She is indeed strong-willed and this book makes me SO glad to live in the 21st century! Cause really, for girls back then there weren't a whole lot of options. Ellie has the bad luck of having a scientifically-smart-but-really-oblivious-in-other-aspects-of-life father. I mean really, the man is clueless! And careless! I felt really bad for Ellie because of this.

I loved the chemistry between Will and Ellie and I also loved that she was so selfless in this that she put what would be good for him and his family first. I'm not sure I could have done that. I also really enjoyed her friendship with Jane and I'm looking forward to getting to know Jane better in the second book in the series! I really liked Jane as a character, as well as both of Will's brothers and his mother!

I did not like the stuff towards the end at Ellie's uncle's house. I also did not like that we skipped most of it and that it took so long before someone did something about it. I would have loved to at least check in sometime and feel Ellie's despair (I know, I live for the drama ;) in books, that is). I did really like the end, made me smile and I love that! :)

My rating: 4 stars