I was in such a mood for historical romance and Manic Pixie Dream Earl sounded like such a fun, refreshing book, probably filled with surprises and some drama, perfect for me. Continue reading to find out if it met my expectations and if I enjoyed it.
Synopsis:
When not writing, poet Edward Astley, Viscount Featherfinch, spends his time fending off the young ladies of the ton—and some of its young men—and avoiding his cruel father. As heir to the earldom, Edward knows he must marry someday. Alas, he is already hopelessly in love with someone. Hopeless because not only is Miss Julianna Evans not a member of the aristocracy, she is employed. She is a magazine editor—the only one to publish his work. Also, in all their years of increasingly personal correspondence, they’ve never met.
Also, she thinks he’s a woman. Named Euphemia.
Julianna is baffled. How can her soul mate not want to meet? Could it be that Euphemia is not the simple country girl she claims to be? Perhaps she’s wealthy. After all, she’s never cashed any of the bank drafts Julianna has sent. Perhaps Euphemia simply doesn’t want rank to come between them. Well, no more. Having extracted the details of a trip Euphemia is planning, Julianna squanders her meager savings and surprises her at the scene.
He is very, very surprised. As is she.
Now the two will have to decide what is true, what is not, and whether the truest thing of all—love—just might be worth an earldom . . .
Book: Manic Pixie Dream Earl | Series: Earls Trip #2 | Author: Jenny Holiday | Publisher: Kensington | Genre: historical romance | Pages: 384 | Published: 27.05.2025 | Rep: demiace pan MC, pan MC
*Thanks to Hambright PR I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley. This has no impact on my honest opinion.*
It was very easy to get into the book. Edward, or “Effie, as his friends call him, is a poet, a gentle soul and he loves his friends, a woman he doesn’t know and maybe even his parrot, Leander. The story starts when he and his friends start for their annual Earls Trip to Brighton in a bit of a chaos which was fun to read. I also liked the friendgroup of Effie, Simon and Archie a lot. The three of them have such a healthy friendship, loving each other unconditionally and accepting each other the way they are. They tell each other everything which is exactly what Effie does: he tells them about the editor of a magazine he loves despite never having met her in person.
But lo and behold, they actually do meet, just a day later in Brighton to where Julianna followed him, thinking he is her best friend (a woman) and because things in her life don’t go according to plan, she spontaneously takes a trip. Their first meeting was both kind of cute and kind of awkward which basically set the tone for the rest of the book.
Unfortunately most of Effie and Julianna’s interactions were both cute and awkward. They’re already bonded by a deep friendship though they soon notice that knowing someone’s soul doesn’t necessarily mean knowing everything about each other. It is clear to everyone but Julianna that they’re both deeply in love and honestly, it was a bit exhausting to read. I do understand why Julianna is so averse to marriage but since she knows – or should know – Effie so well, they way she treats him felt just wrong. On the other hand Effie is struggling with his own problems but contrary to Julianna, he actually talks to her about his feelings, both about his problems and his feelings towards her even though not very clearly.
I expected some drama and funny moments in Manic Pixie Dream Earl, like their first meeting being a huge surprise for both, maybe followed by an argument, maybe some secret trysts,… but literally nothing happened but niceties. Especially Effie was just so good and so nice it bordered on boring. Their whole relationship was a bit boring to me. There was no drama whatsoever and I was always waiting for something to happen – but even the twist in the story was just proving again how good Effie is. Don’t get me wrong, I do like a fictional man who is good from the bottom of his soul but this was just a bit too much for me.
I did enjoy reading Effie’s chapters and how he sees the world and the people around him. I liked him as a character but couldn’t really grasp Julianna. She was somehow just there. I liked some of the scenes of them together and how Effie describes his surroundings from both a painter and poet’s point of view, that was very lovely to read! Julianna and her characterization were unfortunately pale compared to this vivid picture the author painted of Effie. I did enjoy Manic Pixie Dream Earl but I just wish there was happing a bit more, especially plot wise.
I’ll definitely read book 3 in the series because it does promise some conflicts and probably a more interesting dynamic between the main couple.
Rating:
YOU MIGHT ENJOY MANIC PIXIE DREAM EARL IF YOU LIKE…
friends to lovers | historical romance | healthy male friendships | independent women | the seaside | queer characters | writer x editor | aristocrat x commoner | age gap | painting | writing | there were two beds (but they still share one)
What’s the last historical romance you enjoyed? Have you read Manic Pixie Dream Earl and if yes, what are your thoughts?
Until next time,
