Rating: 4🌈
As a long time fan of the novels of Georgette Heyer, I’ve loved to see the trope of regency romance given various interpretations by other writers, whether it’s keeping the stories within the same genre‘s era but in a LGBTQIA framework. Or, as Butler and a few others have , taken Regency Romance right into Space and beyond!
The Earl and the Executive is the first of three released Imperial Space Regency novels by Butler, a must read author for me. And I wasn’t aware that these books were available.
The story of Tiral Oican , newly poor, newly made heir to the family’s title, lands and much indebtedness, and his desperate attempt to save his family is a lovely classic Regency tale. It’s got all the expected appeal, twists, and elements we hope to see out of our Regency romances.
Tiral is a brilliant engineer who’s having to give up his career as a professional aeromech designer/engineer/professor at a university to become the head of his family, the Earl of Gret , albeit an extremely poor one once they discover the dead brother has mortgaged the estate to the hilt.
Like many a regency romance, Tiral finds there’s nought to do but offer yourself up to a rich family for marriage. Let the games begin!
Butler’s space tale plays by the rules of romance by bringing in a self made, handsome billionaire in disguise, Zev. Zev has a complex history and background. I wish he had been more fully explored than he came across. At least as far as family and the people around him. Tiral is a fully developed person and that extends to his family and friends.
Outside of the romance, the world building is fascinating in how Butler combines a variety of tropes , pulling together a diverse range of ideas and sciences to create the foundation this exists within.
There’s several types of investigations. Business, law enforcement, or just nosy! Butler has thrown in Steampunk inspired inventions, Regency dress (of course), as well as people with augmented features. And it all comes together smoothly.
Zev’s pursuit of Tiral towards the end was a bit frustrating but more in keeping with the tradition of this particular style of romance.
I absolutely enjoyed The Earl and the Executive: An Imperial Space Regency Novel by Kai Butler and am going through to the next in the series.
It’s a definite yes as a recommendation!
Imperial Space Regency series:
✓ The Earl and the Executive #1
â—¦ The Barony Bet #2
â—¦ The Inconvenient Count #3
Buy link
The Earl and the Executive: An Imperial Space Regency Novel
Blurb
An impoverished earl…
Tiral Oican has inherited his brother’s title, estate, and the tremendous debt his brother took out before his unexpected death. There is only one option to save the estate and all the people who are now depending on him: marry a rich heir who is willing to pay off the debt in exchange for Tiral’s title.
Now, scholarly Tiral must transform himself into a seductive fortune hunter. The only way he can see through the mess is by hiring a tutor in love. It’s too bad that Zev is so good at his job that Tiral is falling for him.
And a rich entrepreneur…
To protect his heart, Zev Laft has spent years fooling the ton into believing he’s no more than an entertaining flirtation. He just didn’t expect the ruse to work so well that the newest penniless earl to arrive on Lus for the season would assume him a demimonde and try to hire him to be his instructor in courtship.
Now one of richest men in the empire finds himself struggling to keep up the façade, when his own heart is being taken by a man he has no intention of marrying.
The Earl and the Executive is a slow burn stand alone 90,000 word MM Regency Romance Novel set in space with a HEA.
• Publisher: Kai Butler (April 6, 2020)
• Publication date: April 6, 2020
• Language: English
• Print length: 288 pages
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 