Tamed by the Earl by Carole Mortimer

Lord Daniel Somersby, the Earl of Latham, is relieved to be returning to his country estate in Kent after suffering through the boredom of yet another tedious London Season, as well as avoiding the more determined women set on marriage. He certainly doesn’t appreciate arriving home to find a brawl taking place in his stable yard.

Having disguised herself as a young boy in order to escape the unwanted marriage being forced upon her by her cousin, heiress Lady Josephine Kendall is set upon by thieves within days of her desperate flight, and her money and possessions stolen from her. A week later, with no money to buy food or lodgings, she is in dire straits, and that night seeks refuge in the stables of the absent Earl of Latham. The head groom finds her asleep there in the morning and takes pity on her by offering her employment. Giving her name as Jo Turner she continues to dress in her male clothing, and quickly learns to swear and curse like the rest of the men working on the estate. The only fly in the ointment is the jealousy of one the other stable lads when Jo’s horsemanship finds favour with the head groom. Unfortunately the earl arrives home unexpectedly at the very moment Jo punches and bloodies said stable lad’s nose.

Lord Daniel Somersby is more handsome than any man has a right to be, and it sets Jo’s heart aflutter just to look at him. He also brings a swift end to the altercation in his stable yard, and afterwards announces it is his intention to take a personal interest in “taming” Jo Turner into more acceptable behaviour. Faced with the choice of returning to the open road, along with possible detection by her cousin, or accepting the earl’s “taming” of the lad Jo Turner, she decides to opt for the latter. For the moment. Because if the earl discovers the stable boy is not a boy at all then Jo knows she will have no choice but to run again.

Will Daniel discover Jo’s secret? And if he does what will he do about it? Or will Jo’s cousin find her first and drag her back home to marry a man she could never like let alone love?