WHEN TO ENGAGE AN EARL

Sometimes you get what you want, but it might not be what you need.

Jane Wilkinson’s dreams have finally come true: she’s officially the sole resident of Spinster House. Though other women in 1817 dream of marriage and children, 28-year-old Jane is happy to be permanently on the shelf, and she won’t allow herself to be distracted by a visit from Alex, Earl of Evans. For his part, Lord Evans is recovering from a public jilting and wishes to marry quickly in order to move on. The two are happily independent, but somehow, life—in the form of family, friends, and a mysterious cat—keeps shoving them together. No matter how much everyone but the couple seems to believe they’re meant to be, however, Jane’s desire to remain a spinster may keep them apart. MacKenzie’s (How to Manage a Marquess, 2016, etc.) third Spinster House book is a delightful continuation of the series but can stand alone for new readers, who will want to hunt down the first two titles after meeting their heroines in these pages. The small-town English setting is cozy, and the large cast of characters is well-drawn and adds enjoyable humor to the proceedings. Though Poppy the cat and a spinster’s curse are distracting dei ex machina at times, even supernatural interference is welcome when it comes to pairing up a hero and heroine that every reader will root for.

A charming addition to the Regency spinsters-on-the-shelf subgenre.