Bridgerton collides with Marvel in An Extraordinary Lord

When I learned that Anna Harrington’s Lords of the Armory series is inspired by Marvel superheroes, I was intrigued. Her new book An Extraordinary Lord features a handsome hero who works a respectable job as a barrister by day and and whose nocturnal patrols make him the friendly neighborhood savior by night.

Set in the same Regency era as Netflix hit Bridgerton, Harrington weaves familiar superhero characteristics into her handsome heroes and it gives them that little something extra that makes them special. In Merritt’s case, he shares more than a few traits with Peter Parker’s Spider-Man. (Without the web-slinging, of course!)

Merritt Rivers’ dashing good looks are enough to make any woman swoon. But for Veronica Chase he’s a big risk. She and Merritt have the same goal, but in Merritt’s eyes she’s a criminal and can’t be trusted. What he doesn’t know is that she’s innocent and she’s trying to protect someone she loves and she’ll do anything to achieve her goal.

An Extraordinary Lord has the Bridgerton and Marvel crossover you need

Like Bridgerton, An Extraordinary Lord is set in Regency England. Merritt is one of the most eligible bachelors around and though he’s a revered war hero and successful barrister, he’s uncomfortable with the trappings of the ton. Veronica is equally uncomfortable, but for very different reasons.

What neither one realizes is that they’re better together than they are apart and it looks like fate is angling for a match.

I read An Extraordinary Lord in a day because once I started I needed to know what happened. Characters from her previous two books An Inconvenient Duke and An Unexpected Earl make appearances in this third book of the series. (Incidentally, I’ve been told An Inconvenient Duke is inspired by Iron Man and An Unexpected Earl is inspired by Thor) It should be noted that the book is thoroughly enjoyable as a standalone story, though I suspect I’ll enjoy some of the finer details as soon as I read the other titles.

I really enjoyed how Harrington mixes action with romance. Though Merritt has no reason to trust Veronica – and indeed, he doesn’t – he’s still drawn to the feisty and highly-skilled fighter with fiery red hair. Everything in him wants to know more about her, but he’s also bound to his duty and doesn’t want to get too close.

The action scenes are so well done that there are points when you forget you’re in the middle of a Regency-era romance. The action is very central to the tale, but what I love is that Veronica is no damsel in distress. She’s strong and focused and she means business.

If you’re looking for a fun summer read, I can’t say enough about Anna Harrington’s An Extraordinary Lord and I think it will make a fun beach read for anyone looking for something like Bridgerton that packs a bit of a punch.