The Earl and the Executive: Imperial Space Regency Book 1, Kai Butler

While the setting promised some incredibly vast and fantastical uniqueness, the story focused on the regency era of England and the jaded wealthy man and the possibility of a love match if he swallows his hurt and accepts the earl's heart.  The research and application of that knowledge was near impeccable to my proletarian sensibilities.  What I was less impressed with was the tedium that dominated the majority of the book.  With a wonderfully sweet ending and a lovely confession from Zev there was something to enjoy by the end, it was just quite a slog to get there.

To be fair, this wasn't a poorly written story at all.  The subject matter was interesting, the characters had potential, and Tiral was both compelling on his own and heartbreaking in all the emotional abuse he received.  There were quite a few things to enjoy if you're willing to read slow yet witty banter that occurs and reoccurs and reoccurs again with no goal or intention beyond showing he and Zev share a sense of humor.  Nothing of interest occurs until at least two-thirds of the way through the book.

I was moved by Tiral but unimpressed with everything about Zev.  There are a few side characters that are interesting and amusing, but if their stories are anything as dry as this one I'll likely pass on reading them.  Even with the little mystery thrown in at the end this story could have been cut in half and would likely have benefitted from the subtraction.  Getting to the point sooner rather than later would have allowed for due attention to be given to the little danger plot which ultimately fizzled in the end as well because it wasn't exciting, dramatic, or even germane to the story itself.

So honestly I was bored by the story more than I was intrigued and if it weren't for Tiral I would probably have stopped reading.  It wasn't a bad story, just a piece of pre-packaged lunch meat when I was expecting a slab of prime rib.  Weird metaphor?  Yeah, I know, but being left unsatisfied when I was expecting all kinds of amazing feels like that.  Overall this had an interesting premise followed by a less than riveting follow-through, but a very sweet ending.

*$3.99 on Amazon

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.