Review: His Lordship’s Folly by Samantha SoRelle

Title: His Lordship’s Folly

Series: His Lordship’s Mysteries: Book Five

Author: Samantha SoRelle

Length: 271 Pages

Category: Mystery, Historical Romance

Rating: 5 Stars

At a Glance: My love of all the ways Alfie and Dominick flirt, and banter, and how much they adore each other grows with each book in the series. That’s the promise of this romance.

Reviewed By: Lisa

Blurb: Alfie and Dominick can’t wait to return to Balcarres House. After the year they’ve had, a little peace and quiet in the Scottish countryside is just what they need.

They’re completely unprepared for the chaos that awaits them or the sinister threats that soon turn violent. With more eyes on them than ever before, Alfie struggles with the weight of an earldom and Dominick can’t risk being seen helping him without putting both of their lives in danger. Even an attempt to enjoy some of their wealth turns sour when their decision to build a folly overlooking the manor leads to a vicious murder.

Or does it?

When the corpse disappears into thin air, the whispers about the strange new earl only grow louder and the need for discretion becomes even more vital if Dominick is going to stay by his lover’s side. As the autumn nights get darker, so do the events unfolding around them. Soon it becomes clear that someone wants them gone… one way or another.

Review: This wondrous series excels on two fronts: its mysteries and its deeply touching love story, and the ways in which those two components complement each other. It all comes down to Alfie and Dominick and the circumstance that are outside of their control, as well as the love that has endured between them despite hardship and years of separation. That abiding tenderness never diminished and only continues to deepen. When threats to life and limb are imminent, it shapes them into something stronger, more determined than ever to make a life together in the best way they can.

Back at Balcarres House, the seat of Alfie’s earldom, all is not as idyllic as he and Dominick wish them to be. Finding quiet, private moments together is difficult when there are always eyes and ears about the estate. Being caught together in a compromising position would spell disaster, it would endanger their lives, and hiring more help to care for the house and grounds is at direct odds to their desire for privacy. That’s where the folly in the book’s title comes in. Not in the lighthearted sense, though, to be sure.

Circumstance doesn’t do these men any favors, as the people who know Alfie as the Earl of Crawford have plenty of gossip and grist for the rumor mill to hold against him. Ironically, it’s only his inherent kindness that brings him under such severe scrutiny. The significance of those whispers and the conjecture eventually ties into not only the recent spate of gruesome threats and crimes committed, but of Alfie finally coming into his own as the Earl of Balcarres.

His Lordship’s Folly signifies Alfie’s ascension and commitment to those who rely on him as much as it’s a gripping murder mystery. Lord Alfie of the Mud is still there, he will never forget where he came from, but he is now coming into his own in such affirming ways as Lord Crawford, and Dominick will be there alongside him every step of the way. My love of all the ways Alfie and Dominick flirt, and banter, and how much they adore each other grows with each book in the series. That’s the promise of this romance.