The Secret of the Surviving Earl (Racing Rogues, #4) (2024)

I absolutely adore this book and this series! Cara Maxwell has crafted a delightful series that has an underlying mystery and intrigue that builds upon each one. Through this Cara is able to make character that feel unique and fleshed out while being true family and friends to the heroes and heroines that have come before. Cara’s writing is quick paced, sensually sweet and does a beautiful job of focusing on the strength of the romantic couple as the plot develops. I definitely recommend this novel and this series as a whole, when read it order you have an understanding of the world and the people on a much deeper level.

This forth installment in the Racing Rogue series focuses on Cecily, a widow how has been living in the small country town her husband was baron to, and Burke, the mysterious missing gentleman of the previous novels. These two learn to love and trust each other and that taking a chance and risk is worth everything to them.

I think Cara Maxwell does a lovely job of quickly engaging the reader. Her characters feel real and their problems are something the reader can relate to at times as well as we root for their happiness. This novel has a lovely age gap, with an older heroine, and I love that age is never an issue that keeps them apart. I love that Burke is so intrigued by Cecily that he wants to help her any way her can. I love that Burke understands Cecily may need time and he does not begrudge her previous relationship with her husband, all he wants is a chance to love her now. These two learn how to support and stand up for each other and this is shown in the endearing ways they touch each other and act towards each other. There is a content note for past miscarriages and discussion around them, and I think Cara does a great job of care around to them and how the Burke can provide Cecily a listening and caring ear. This novel also has a sweet level of steam, these two have a delightful chemistry that transitions into a physical relationship of consent and understanding.

This is definitely a must read in my book! This fast paced, low angst story is a wonderful edition to such a charming series that should not be missed! I can not wait to see what is next!

Thank you to Cara Maxwell (through BookSprout) for an eARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gorgeous book, even more gorgeous series!
I’m so captivated by this series! I didn’t think it possible, but each book is better than the previous one. And they are all so different… Yes, they revolve around the same theme, horseracing, but this time we are not transported back in time to a racing course, but in the country, in a small village. But horses play a very important part in this story as well… I was waiting for this book since I met Cecily in The Speed of Seduction and to see her story intertwined with that of William’s missing friend was perfection! As in the previous books, I loved the character development, the flawless writing and the fact that the angst is never overwhelming and there’s an healthy dose of humor now and then to counteract the more heart-wrenching parts of the story. And the overarching mystery plot is very, very intriguing and I look forward to seeing how the villain will be brought to justice…
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Not who you think

Burke has gone by many names hiding to protect those he loves! I was surprised at Cecily secret heartbreak but it explains a lot. When Burke's past leads danger to Cecily home and 2 sisters he has a choice to make both are afraid to trust with good reasons. There is an age gap but not much is said about it and it certainly is not a deterrent to all the steam that is generated! Cecily had to be convinced to hire Burke which was one of the best decisions of her life!
Secrets are revealed which help with the title but not the cliff hanger! Burke is devastated as he should be to learn who the head of the syndicate is! Love how he reconnected with Will but do not like how the story ends in somewhat of a cliff hanger because danger is still very much out there waiting...

This is another of those books that has left the story arc unfinished and expects the reader to shell out for the next book to read the rest of the story. It's a ripoff, and I'm not afraid to say it. The author did it for pure commercial value, in order to make the reader pay for more than one book, and it's cruel to readers. No one should buy any of her books just to pay her back for this insult to the intelligence. A full star lost for this. The other star is for technical issues.

I write technical reviews, so there won't be a synopsis or much for subjective opinions other than the first and last paragraph. Instead, I focus on what most reviewers leave out, but niggles at readers and causes them to drop a star.

As said, there's an unfinished plot here. The romance aspect is completed, but the mystery aspect of the story is just getting interesting when the book ends. Some small side stories should have been left out. They make the book drag.

The pace is rather slow, with sections leaning on side characters that probably should have been left out. Angst is low to moderate at best until near the end, when the pace is picked up due to the mystery that ends on a cliffhanger.

The author uses third person multiple point of view with a fair bit of head-hopping. Filter words are used, taking the sentences from showing to telling mode and disrupting the point of view.

At one point in the book, present tense was used, where it's inappropriate in a romance novel.

I counted 25 contractions, which were rarely used at the time period of the book, as well as several words that had not yet been in the language at the time.

Some redundancy of ideas marred the book. As a mentor once told me, count on your readers to remember.

The author had numerous sentence fragments throughout the book, and they were not for stylistic impact, but done as a poor writing/editing job.

The characterization was well done, as explained in the novel. This is a gift the author has above other writers and she can build her writing around this. New characters were introduced near the end. This is a poor writing decision.

The development of the romance is reasonable and believable. Too bad it's so low-key in comparison to the main story that is unfinished.

The cover is neither eye-catching nor memorable. It isn't different enough from other Regency romances to stand out and say "Buy me" and its slightly dull colour scheme makes it even less of a standout in that plethora of similar covers. It also doesn't suit the story at all! The clothing of the people in the picture are from a ball, and the bulk of the book has the characters rather drab.

Overall, the story is interesting, but not standout. Perhaps if the end of the story were at hand, it might be better, but that was snatched out from under us. I do not recommend this book.

The mysteries surrounding the Racing Syndicate continue. I do enjoy how each story in this series tells a love story encased in mystery and intrigue while not concluding said mystery completely. With each book, new clues are revealed into this criminal Syndicate. It draws out the intrigue and is deliciously compelling. I was guessing throughout the story how Burkes history would be unveiled and how he would be reunited with his former life. The reveal did not disappoint and will admit, there were quite a few elements that caught me completely off guard. Of course, the true gem of the story is the love of Burke & Cecily. Two people, broken down by the hands life dealt them, coming together to heal those broken pieces to complete an ideal whole. I especially loved the family levity of her sisters, and her Mori & Nan. It brought a light hearted element to the whole story. Another treasure in the series of Racing Rogues, I cannot wait to see the end of Syndicate and how that will come to pass.
Cara Maxwell writes a wonderful story with characters that call to the heart.

I've only read the 1st book in this series, but overall this works as a standalone. I appreciate that the setting is rural England, not the ballrooms of the ton as in most Regency romances, and although both of these MC's have connections to nobility, they don't have luxurious lifestyles. The H, Burke, has been living as a drifter for the past five years, on the run from a shadowy group of horse racing fixers. Cecily, the h, is the widow of a baronet, living in the country on her own for the past 12 years. She is rather rough around the edges (takes a bit of time to get used to her). Their chemistry is what makes this book special. I love age-gap romances with older h's (Burke is 23, Cecily is 31) and I especially loved that even though Cecily brings up their age difference a couple of times, it's not seen as an insurmountable obstacle as in some Regency-set books.

I also love the fact that Cecily had a wonderful, long-term marriage, has been deeply mourning her husband for a year, and she's only been able to move on by increments. By the end of the book, she's able to finally look at a page of his journal, but she's not ready to read it yet. She tells herself that she will someday. Although she and Burke find their HEA, her late husband still has a place in her heart. This makes her a much more believable widow than many in Regency romance-land.

There are some beautifully written scenes, as well, such as the one with MC's helping deliver a colt. Cecily's emotional bond with this animal is so moving. The author provides a possible trigger warning at the beginning of the book regarding miscarriage, and I feel the need to mention that this scene and a later scene may hit too close to home for some readers. To the author's credit, this topic is handled incredibly well, and I appreciate so much that the HEA doesn't include a quick gloss-over of Cecily's fears, as most romance novels do, in order to provide a stock fairytale ending.

The secondary characters are humorous and enjoyable overall, including Cecily's twin sisters (for once, little sisters in a Regency that I found more interesting than annoying!). I actually wished they had been more involved in the plot instead of just blown off by Cecily. Pamela, in particular, experiences a harrowing event with Burke and I felt she should have been acknowledged more by Cecily.

A few things kept this from being a 5 star book from me:
--Anachronistic, American-sounding language. This is set in England in the 1830's, but much of this book reminded me of how people in rural areas of the US in the early 1900's would have sounded. Occasionally it was even more modern. Cecily's "f-bombs" highlighted her sauciness, but unless a young woman in those days had grown up in the rookeries, this wouldn't have been a word in her vocabulary. She wouldn't have learned it from her husband, family, or friends.
--I always dislike the trope of an H keeping a secret from an h to protect her, when in reality filling her in on some details would at least give her a heads-up so she could better protect herself.
--The villain's motives don't really make since until the last 20% of the book. There's an interesting twist, but that storyline becomes a cliffhanger, which will be continued in the next book in the series.

Overall: I recommend this book on the strength of its unique characters and the MC's chemistry.

This is the fourth book in Maxwell’s Racing Rogues series. It follows Cecily, a widow who has a lot of past traumas hanging over her, and Burke who has his own secrets and past trailing him. Cecily lives in a quaint village in the countryside, the estate her husband left her is in dire need of money to pay off loans… and in comes Burke, he wanderers the British countryside working whatever jobs he can get, never staying too long in one place. If you have read previous books in this series, then you may remember Burke being mentioned as the missing Earl!

These two were such a beautiful story, their romance developed as they opened up and slowly began to trust and heal one another. London society takes a backseat in this book as we spent most of our time in the countryside, which was a lovely change. This setting was so perfect for these two characters, neither of them really fit the rules of the ton, instead they live as they wish, working and living a more humble life than most people of their station. Cara does a great job of pulling you in immediately. We get a sense of who these characters are straight away, and it really makes you root for them. The characters were well rounded with quirks and flaws and traumas, you can’t help but love them and eagerly read awaiting the moment the characters open up and start to heal. I loved all the side characters, and they brought such a family feel to the story. I also really enjoyed the farm setting and how this linked them back to the horse racing syndicate.

The underlying mystery builds in each book and as the series progresses, we get closer to the final confrontation to take down the syndicate. I loved that we got some big information about leader, and I can’t wait to see what the characters do next. I really loved that they all got to together – all the characters of the of the previous books appeared in this one! – and seeing them work together really amped up the tension about the syndicate. I haven’t read that many historical romances where the mystery aspect flows through the series instead of singularly in each book, but I am really enjoying how Cara has integrated the mystery throughout.

You can read each book as a standalone, but the overarching mystery plot won’t be completed until the end of the series and reading the books in order gives you a greater understanding of the characters, the world and the mystery plot you wouldn’t overwise get. I’d recommend this book regardless but would say that it is a better reading experience if you read the whole series!

Overall, this was a wonderful story with a beautiful, sweet romance that was low angst with a fast pace and exciting progression of the mystery. As always Cara delivered another charming book to this series, and I am already looking forward to the next one!

Thank you to Cara Maxwell for an eARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ms. Maxwell is wonderfully diabolical!! This series continues to keep me on tenderhooks anxiously awaiting more. More twists, turns and HEAs. There is going to be a run on St. George's when this syndicate is unraveled and everyone is safe to live their lives!! Oh, perhaps many of the couples sharing a ceremony...just to give the clergy a breather! ::wink and sigh::

I have always held out hope that Burke was alive and trying to figure out who tried to kill him. Now we know he just kept moving and not truly stopping to find out. That fate brought him to Cecily's door was wonderful. Each with a spirit that was broken and in desparate need of love, comfort and healing.

Cecily enjoys country living and misses her dead husband, but worries that she is betraying him as she gets to know Burke better. Her needing to save her estateweighs on her because she does NOT want to have to ask her family for help or heaven help her, have to move back to her childhood home. Burke's idea to help keep Cecily solvent helped to create the perfect partnership between him and Cecily.

Together they start to heal each other's spirits. Cecily is not your run of the mill lady, she doesn't mind getting dirty and doing what must be done in the day to day workings of her estate. But she quickly discovers that Burke is just the help she needs without knowing she needed it. His patient, kind and steady presense help to center her and show her that she can heal. Cecily helps remind Burke that running is not living, it is simply surviving...not realy a life.

The HUGE twist that Ms Maxwell throws into the series threw me, but in a good way. The depth of greed, entitlement and just plain evil that is le Marionnettiste astonishes me, but doesn't completely surprise me (personal experience). It has galvanized those working to bring down the syndicate and allow them to be safe and live their HEA. Well done!!! There are two stories left in this series and I can't wait to see how it all comes together.

Ms.Maxwell offers a trigger warning before the story starts. Throughout the story the situation is handled with care, grace and a hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. She offers glimpses of the pain and strength through Cecily's help foaling. In Burke she shows a gentle understanding and strength in sharing the pain and the healing power of love. Thank you Ms. Maxwell for your care and grace.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Fabulous! After faking his own death, Burke has been on the run for the last five years, taking on ofd jobs to survive and never staying in one place very long. He finds himself in a small coastal town and inexplicably drawn to a widow, eight years his senior. Cecily’s husband died a year ago, leaving her a farm to run with an unexpected lien on it. Burke begins to work for her and their attraction cannot be denied. These two emotionally broken people are drawn together in love, lust and support. This story has a couple of interesting surprises and one devastating and heartstopping reveal. The portrayal of small town life is a refreshing change from that of London, and the characters who live there are a hoot….especially the two curmudgeonly old ladies. Your heart will soar and drop multiple times as you read this captivating installment in this creatively conceived and masterfully told series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Excellent

This is an awesome book!
Cecily stumbled upon Blake as he was hiding in plain sight. Blake is afraid for his life.
A widow who wants nothing more than to be left alone …
What is it about her that attracts disaster? Lady Cecily Garrity is starting to believe that she is cursed. Left devastated after her husband’s sudden death, she has made one wrong choice after another. And now her little farm – and her sanity – are falling to pieces.
Stumbles upon the vagabond lord hiding in plain sight …
Blake, Brown, Burns … he has gone by a lot of different names over the years. But the one he misses the most is his own. Forced into hiding half a decade ago, Burke has never allowed himself to get attached to another person or place. Then the aloof Widow Garrity captures his interest immediately when she quite literally falls into his path.
But the threat that has dogged Burke for years will not go away. Not unless he’s willing to fight – and fighting will mean putting everyone he loves, old and new, in perilous danger.
I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited. This in no way affects my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Expect the unexpected.
Right from the first I really liked Burke but it took a bit for me to warm up to Cecily. As I read more of the book Cecily was really dealing with some pretty nasty things. The book continued to draw me in and as I got to know Cecily I came to realize that she had a mother and brother who are not pleasant, a pushy neighbor, and a well meaning friend kind of. Then there are Burke’s challenges and those could bring all sorts of problems. These two were a pair. It has a good mix of characters and a well done storyline. I found the book clever and had a refreshing look at some serious issues. This is a very good book and I recommend it and hope you check it out. I did receive a free copy of this book from Booksprout and voluntarily chose to review it.

A story well told. There's a good bit of underlying suspense with danger lurking for Burke.
There are some good supporting characters too. While this can be read as a stand alone I think reading them in order (which I didn't )would be good.
I think there was a bit of a mistake with Burke saying he never used that name (while he is in hiding) until he gave it to Cecily, then Mrs Critchfield calls him Mr Burke, when she supposedly didn't know him by that name.
A couple of word choices in the amorous scenes could have been better: "cunny" ewww. "Love button" eye roll.
Overall I liked the storytelling, I will read more of her work. Having said that I was a bit disappointed there was a cliff hanger ending, oh well at least it won't be a chore to follow up on what happens.

And I have absolute faith in our ability to handle whatever comes together.

This fourth installment may be my most favorite of the series yet! It was a reverse age gap and also such an emotionally charged story. I was so glad to see that Cecily got her own story. While she’d already found love once; she was kind and a good sister to Simone and heartbroken from losing her first husband, I wanted her to find peace and happiness again. One of the things I’ve loved in all of Cara Maxwell’s books is how confident the FMC is of their sexuality. There is a trigger warning at the beginning for references and trauma related miscarriage, pregnancy loss, and infant loss. In that same thought I will spoil the ending in that there is no baby as part of their HEA.

Cecily and Burke . . .

Lady Cecily Garrity is still mourning her late husband and has been alone for quite a few years. Burke, who has gone by several other names during his period of hiding in plain sight, has been a vagabond over the past 5 years in order to stay out of sight of illegal horse racing fixers who would put his life and that of the people close to him in danger. But she could use some help with the farm. And he is very attracted to her. Will his feelings for her make him stand up and confront his enemies so he can live his life again? Or will he continue to run to keep the widow Garrity safe from the danger that follows him?

This is a wonderful regency story with age gap and it is a wonderful story. Cecily is a widow and is living in the country. She loved her husband and has been mourning him. Burke is on the run from some bad men. They meet by accident and they work on a relationship. I enjoyed this story it is not like the usual regency stories that I read but this is so enjoyable. The characters are wonderful and they are great together. The story was fun to read and I felt the pain that Cecily still carried for her husband.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This book is my favorite book of the series so far. Not only was the love story super satisfying, part of the overarching mystery was revealed. Cecily and Burke stole my heart. Their relationship was tender and super steamy (this book was definitely steamier than the others). Cecily’s grief and her struggle with fertility were beautifully represented. I appreciated that there weren’t magic fixes for either struggle. I had been wondering about Burke after reading Simone and Will’s story, and I was glad to learn more about Cecily as well. Technically you could read this as a stand-alone, but I definitely think it works better when read as part of the series for background.

Four and a half stars.
So I started this series in the middle and wasn’t wowed by book three but I really enjoyed this one. Cecily is a fiercely independent widow struggling to keep her demons in the past. Burke is a sweet, charming young man who is on the run from mistakes he made five years before. Dynamic characters in a well written story make this a hit for me. Although I don’t know if it’s accurate, the look at small town traditions just added to the tale.
On my recommended reading list.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

I liked the book but it stopped in the middle of the story. They had their HEA but left it hanging about the murder attempt. So odd. As another viewer stated the author makes you buy another book to get the ending of the story. I won’t buy the second book to satisfy my curiosity because I do t like the manipulation

Loving this Racing Rogues series and need to go back and read the first two.
Lady Cecily and Blake meet when she hires him to help save her farm. He's a hard worker, but becomes much more. Little did she know he would save her from the sadness she has carried with her since the loss of her husband.

Burke has been running from trouble for five years. He’s looking for a job. Cecily does not hire him at first. But the next day he gets the job. Now they both realize that the other has sadness and trouble in their lives. They work together and attraction grows as they solve problems together.

Burke & Cecily had an entertaining read. Good characters. I got a copy of the book. And am voluntarily leaving my review.

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/10/2023)! 🎁

It was just fine.

Loved the mystery of a wandering gentleman who was looking for work only to find a widow who was about to lose her farm, while working for her he discovers a way to help her save her farm. While working, he falls in love, but he is a hunted man so tries to save her from the people after him to protect her. Who is after him? Its not who he thinks and why.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Beautifully written and the characters drew me in from the start. Burke and Cecily are well matched and both wounded souls that need healing. Mystery, danger and romance set in a small town makes a dreamy steamy regency romance. I enjoyed reading their journey of trust and accepting love and promises of a future filled with happiness.

Lady Cecily Garrity is a young widow, for whom the grief caused by the loss of her husband and the suffering experienced even before, have led her to neglect the management of her life and she finds herself on the verge of losing the family property.
She is introduced to Mr. Burke, a young man who lives on the run from the mistakes of a mysterious past and it is with the help of him, his family and some faithful friends, she will seek to rebuild his life.
Cecily deviates a bit from conventional because she is older than her partner, being the first to take the initiative at a time when women were strongly repressed and having had a previous relationship where there was love and allowing herself to have the opportunity to love again.
Despite the physical attraction since the couple's first interactions, the author builds the relationship little by little, showing some of the internal conflicts of both characters in addition to the growing moments of passion.
I started the series for this work and was so interested that I went looking for the previous books. Now, I eagerly await the next book in the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I like the interesting twist around the end of the story, which started pretty much similar to girl meets boy, but with a couple of unresolved pasts. You get the bonus of learning something about racehorses and breeding them.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.