I Kissed an Earl »

San Francisco Bay Area native Julie Anne Long originally set out to be a rock star when she grew up (and she has the guitars and fringed clothing stuffed in the back of her closet to prove it), but writing was always her first love. She began her academic career as a Journalism major, until she realized Creative Writing was a better fit for her freewheeling imagination and overdeveloped sense of whimsy. And when playing guitar in dank, sticky clubs finally lost its "charm," Julie realized she could incorporate all the best things about being in a band—namely drama, passion, and men with unruly hair—into novels, while also indulging her love of history and research. Since then, her books have been nominated for numerous awards, including the RITA^®, Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice, the Holt Medallion, Bookseller's Best, and The Quills, and reviewers have been known to use words such as "dazzling," "brilliant," and "impossible to put down" when describing them.

Violet Redmond's family and fortune might be formidable and her beauty and wit matchless—but her infamous flare for mischief keeps all but the most lionhearted suitors at bay. Only Violet knows what will assuage her restlessness: a man who doesn't bore her to tears, and a clue to the fate of her missing brother. She never dreamed she'd find both with a man whose own pedigree is far from impeccable.

"Savage" is what the women of the ton whisper about the newly styled Earl of Ardmay—albeit with shivers of pleasure. Born an English bastard, raised on the high seas, he's on a mission to capture a notorious pirate for vengeance. But while Violet's belief in her brother's innocence maddens him, her courage awes him . . . and her sensuality finally undoes him. Now the man who once lost everything and the girl who has everything to lose are bound by a passion that could either end in betrayal . . . or become everything they ever dreamed.

Library Journal

Violet Redmond had been humored for so long by her family, especially by her brothers, that she considers her bored yet intemperate behavior to be acceptable. Her elder brother Lyon had disappeared from their midst a year ago, something to do with that awful Olivia Eversea. Violet overhears sea captain Asher Flint, the newly minted Earl of Ardmay, discussing his search for a pirate called Le Chat and decides the miscreant is her missing sibling (Lyon = lion = big cat). She impetuously stows away on Flint's ship, and when he discovers his surprise "guest," Flint thinks the unbridled Lady Violet needs disciplining. Or does he find her determination and constancy regarding her brother's innocence more appealing than annoying?Verdict The talented Long (Like No Other Lover) adds to her Redmond/Eversea series with this lushly written story of two strong, steadfast individuals in opposition as they navigate rough waters to finding the truth yet hesitant to acknowledge its repercussions. Long's sumptuous language reveals her protagonists as flawed yet resolute and finally more than open to passion and love. Exquisite for romance fans. One caveat: the quality of the proofreading in this finished edition is well below par; Long and her readers deserve better. [Ebook ISBN 978-0-06-200018-7.]—Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal