Review & Giveaway - - The Earl That Got Away

The Earl That Got Away

by Diana Quincy

Sirens in Silk - Book 2

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: September 30, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

American Naila Darwish always regretted calling off her engagement to the man she loved because he wasn’t successful enough for her family. Eight years later, she travels to England for her sister’s wedding and gets the shock of her life when she runs into Basil again. Overjoyed, she wonders if the fates have given her a second chance at love.

But Basil Trevelyn is not the same carefree young man Naila rejected all those years ago. Having unexpectedly inherited a noble title, he is now the Earl of Hawksworth, one of England’s most sought-after bachelors. Still bitter after Naila’s heart-wrenching rejection all those years ago, Hawk is cold and distant, suspecting Naila is after his money and position.

When the two lost lovers are repeatedly thrown together, they discover that the chemistry between them burns brighter than ever and that some feelings are too strong to deny. Will they allow pride and lingering resentment to keep them from seizing their last chance at happiness?  

PJ's Thoughts:

Diana Quincy is an author I turn to when I'm in the mood for Victorian romance brimming with layered characters, complicated family dynamics, and rich cultural representation. She never fails to take me on an emotional journey with a hard-won happy ending. 

The Earl That Got Away is a second-chance romance featuring an Arab-American spinster and an English earl. They met once before in Philadelphia, when he was a commoner and she, a young woman heavily influenced by the restrictions of her Arab-American family. Mistakes were made that separated them but are regretted to the day, several years later, when they unexpectedly meet again in London. However, their reactions to that reunion could not be more different. 

The journey on which Quincy takes Naila and Basil is a roller coaster of ups, downs, conflicts, attraction, and deep emotions. It's clear they both have feelings for one another but there are a boatload of feelings that need to be handled with forgiveness and understanding before there's even a hope of reconciliation on the horizon. If you like your romances with angst, you're going to love these two. 

Naila's family members play vital roles in both the separation and reunification of this couple, as is to be expected in a Persuasion retelling. Let's just say some of them elicit very strong feelings. 

As with the first book in this series, The Duke Gets Desperate (click to read Santa's review), Quincy imbues this second story with the traditions, challenges, and rich cultural representation of her own Arab-American heritage. I enjoy learning more about the author's culture through the characters of her books and am looking forward to whatever she has planned next. 

Have you read any of Diana Quincy's books yet? 

Do you enjoy reading about other cultures?

Do you enjoy Jane Austen retellings? 

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, October 18 will receive a Mass Market Paperback copy of The Earl That Got Away.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18