About the Book
Book: Arranged with the Earl
Author: Jackie Killelea
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release date: May 13, 2025
A spinster with a tarnished reputation. An earl scarred from war. Can their convenient marriage withstand those aiming to steal everything they have?
Catherine Blynn resigned herself to a life without romantic love after a disastrous broken engagement. Although she’s always hoped to marry for affection, her father arranges for her to wed Loftus Cromwell, the broken Earl of Hardwicke. If she defies her parents, she risks her family’s ruin.
Loftus Cromwell had no intention to marry for love, only for the sake of his estate. But If he fails to win the love of his spirited and unconventional betrothed, he risks his conniving brother claiming everything he holds dear.
As treachery unfolds within the manor’s walls and a foe from Catherine’s past resurfaces, can Loftus and Catherine trust one another enough to unravel the truth before tragedy steals any chance of happiness?
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About the Author
Jackie Killeleais a born and raised small-town girl from Connecticut with a degree in English and Creative Writing. She started off her writing journey with poetry, soon shifting into novels and becoming hooked. On days when she’s not busy with her nose in a book, she can be found typing away with a cup of tea at her side.
More from Jackie
In Arranged with the Earl, Loftus’ study of plants and flora is his foremost pastime, aside from his duties managing his estate and those that come along with being an earl. In his conservatory, there are a variety of different species of plants that he cares for but, would he actually have had these plants in his conservatory and would they have been able to feasibly grow there if he did?
Well, according to my research and a bit of wishful thinking…yes.
The thing is, Loftus has a few native plants in his conservatory and those certainly would have been able to grow there, given that they’ve pretty much just been brought inside from other counties in England. Loftus knows his home country and the landscape as well as how to care for those plants, already. The trickier plants to think upon are the exotics.
For instance, when showing Catherine the conservatory for the first time, he mentions Black Hellebore(Helleborus niger). How would he have come to own this? This plant is native to the mountains and woodlands of southern and central Europe, so we must assume that Loftus would’ve had it imported, or grown from seed. Still, would a woodland plant grow well enough to produce flowers in a conservatory setting?
Well, fortunately for Loftus, Black Hellebore actually grows fairly well in containers and does well in partial shade, so where he placed it in the conservatory was a prime location and it isn’t a stretch of the imagination to think that it produces blooms there.
With each plant I chose to be in the conservatory, I had to research if Loftus would reasonably have access to it and if it would grow under conservatory conditions–as well as during the season in which the book takes place. Of course you, as readers, will still need to use your imagination at some points. I’m sure Loftus would agree that ideas, like plants, need lots of water and space to grow.
I do so hope you enjoy Catherine and Loftus’ story in Arranged with the Earl!
Sincerely,
Jackie
My Impressions
“Your nightmares are caused by the war. Mine are caused by a man.”
Ah! A new-to-me author of inspirational Regency Romance. Yes, please. Jackie Killelea has caught my notice with Arranged with the Earl, the second novel of the Saving the Spinsters series. These can definitely be standalone novels, judging from this one.
Catherine Blynn, 24, once engaged to the well-known Earl of Balfour, is considered a poor marital match. This at a time and locale – England, 1818- when a good match was considered the most important way to secure a young lady’s future. Unfortunately, Catherine’s parents care nothing for her feelings or needs, but only for their own social status. When Catherine muddles two matches that would have benefited her parents, her father promises her to an Earl in Cumbria who advertises for a wife.
Both Catherine and the Earl, Loftus Cromwell, have extreme misgivings entering this arranged marriage. Catherine has been extremely hurt by both her former fiancé and her father, and now doesn’t trust any man. Loftus has been denigrated and despised by his family as long as he can remember. They would have been happier if he had died in the war. Returning from the war with physical scars makes Loftus undesirable to the women of the ton, so why should his new wife be different? But Cate is different from his family or high society. She tells him, “God has saved you for a reason.”
I enjoyed seeing the ability of both Catherine and Loftus to see beyond the shallow appearances and expectations of the ton. Both are very kind and compassionate, though they obviously didn’t learn that from their upbringing.
It’s amazing the knowledge of plants that Loftus has. And he puts it to use to help others, yet he is viewed as a social misfit because of his interest. (Author Killelea obviously did a lot of research on plants for this book.)
This book made me very sad to see how some parents and siblings can treat family members. How can people be so selfish and wicked?
I loved the idea that despite gross wrongdoing on certain people’s parts in the novel, love and justice win.
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“We all have worth in God’s eyes, even if you can’t see past your own inflated ego.”
“He wished for everything to be perfect for her, but he could never be perfect himself. “
“Imperfections had never repelled her. If only her husband knew that.”
“‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted.’”
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Magnificent! I will be anticipating more from this author!
Blog Stops
For Him and My Family, May 28
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 28
She Lives To Read, May 29
Holly’s Book Corner, May 29
Betti Mace, May 30
Devoted Steps, May 30
Texas Book-aholic, May 31
Locks, Hooks and Books, June 1
Romances of the Cross, June 1
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 2
Pens Pages & Pulses, June 3
The Important Things in Life: God, books, & chocolate, June 3
Devoted To Hope, June 4
Stories By Gina, June 5 (Author Interview)
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, June 5
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 6
Cover Lover Book Review, June 7
Book Butterfly in Dreamland, June 7
Book Looks by Lisa, June 8
Pause for Tales, June 8
Blossoms and Blessings, June 9
Blogging With Carol, June 9
Simple Harvest Reads, June 10 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Jackie is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions 