Earl of Griffith (Once Upon a Widow Book #6) by Aubrey Wynne – Review by Angela Hayes

Earl of Griffith by Aubrey Wynne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

Earl of Griffith is the sixth book in the Once Upon a Widow series by Aubrey Wynne. I have read quite a few of Ms. Wynn’s books now and can always count on her for an enthralling read. She has a flair for regency and historical romance – weaving stories packed full of authenticity, historical detailing, and engaging characters.
I have really enjoyed diving into her books and following along for all the adventures, angst, and swoony details- so when I saw this had released, I didn’t hesitate to let my one-click finger do its thing.
This is a delightful historical romance (set in the early 1800’s), with a ‘clean’ storyline (having only a few ‘passionate’ kisses), secrets, heartache, pain, insecurities, doubts, drama, angst, a little humour, banter, second chances, friends to lovers, slow-burn, emotion, and finding love unexpectedly.
I really did enjoy this story but then was so torn when it came to rating it. On one hand it is a really sweet and lovely story about taking a chance on love/ having a second chance at love. The characters were well developed and endearing, and the addition of a cute three-year-old who added extra charm with her adorableness and antics, really gave this story an extra element of sweetness. But there really wasn’t too much to ‘sink my teeth into’. Yes, there was a little drama at the beginning which sent out heroine packing back to England and the safety of her family estate. And there was the angsty drama from her insecurities which added a bit of push-pull tension to the whole thing. But overall, I felt that this was just “sweet”- and at times, maybe just a tad on the saccharine side.
I think this book would have been even better with a little more danger, drama, and spice. It also would have been better a s a complete standalone without trying to ‘tie’ it into an established series. Helen is Gideon’s younger sister – we met Gideon in his story Rhapsody and Rebellion (Enduring Legacy Book #7) – and Conway (our MC here) is Gideon’s business associate and friend. Conway is also the brother of Madoc from the previous book in this series- Earl of Brecken (Once Upon A Widow Book #5). There were mentions of other characters from other books/series too- but honestly, a lot of that felt like it was thrown into the story to try and force this book into the series by making ‘connections’ to other established characters. I felt that this book has a completely different feel, so while it is a very charming and enjoyable story- I just felt like it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, as an addition to this series. I hope that makes sense.
But, I am looking forward to reading more of Ms. Wynne’s books, as well as continuing this series.
Happy Reading…

Thank you, Aubrey Wynne!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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