Despite a typical historical romance book cover, vague back cover copy, and a ubiquitous title that fails to distinguish this work from any other of its ilk, For The Earl’s Pleasure provides an unusual paranormal love story that has little to do with the Earl’s actual pleasure. In fact, for most of the book the Earl finds himself strapped to a table being tortured while his spirit ventures off to elicit help from Abigail Smart, the resident ghost whisperer.

Although Abigail and Valerian Rainewood had been close childhood friends, his older brother’s accidental death and her newfound ability to see spirits promptly ended their alliance. Since that time, Valerian has adopted the attitudes and behavior generally associated with the title thrust upon him after his brother’s demise. Even as adversaries, Abigail and Valerian managed to maintain their sexual chemistry. When he mysteriously disappears one night and then reappears as a spirit that only she can see, they form a new relationship—neither childhood friends nor adversaries, but something altogether different.

The motive for Valerian’s kidnapping and torture remains a mystery throughout most of the book. Hints of secrets and scandals within Abigail’s family also haunt readers in each chapter. Additional people in the story, including Abigail’s ditzy maid, overbearing matchmaker, and withdrawn mother combined with Valerian’s younger brother, cranky grandmother, and assortment of friends, make for some interesting and fairly well-developed secondary characters that go beyond mere one-dimensional mentions. In For The Earl’s Pleasure, everyone’s motives come under suspicion. Even with the mystery, suspense, and various hauntings, there’s still plenty of time and space devoted to the growing romantic relationship between the two main characters.

Once readers get past the surprise of reading a paranormal historical romance disguised as a traditional Regency romance, they should enjoy figuring out the mystery and watching the developing romance. Not everyone will find the occasional instances of physical intimacy with a semi-ghost particularly seductive, however, so the book’s main strengths lie in its intriguing story and humorous encounters with eccentric inhabitants of the spirit world.