Introducing the Bow Street Bachelors—men who work undercover for London’s first official police force—and the women they serve to protect. . .and wed?
THIS EARL OF MINE by KATE BATEMAN
Series: Bow Street Bachelors #1
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Series: Bow Street Bachelors #1
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication date: October 29, 2019
Genre: historical romance
SYNOPSIS
WILL A FALSE MARRIAGE
Shipping heiress Georgiana Caversteed is done with men who covet her purse more than her person. Even worse than the ton’s lecherous fortune hunters, however, is the cruel cousin determined to force Georgie into marriage. If only she could find a way to be . . . widowed? Georgie hatches a madcap scheme to wed a condemned criminal before he’s set to be executed. All she has to do is find an eligible bachelor in prison to marry her, and she’ll be free. What could possibly go wrong?
LEAD TO TRUE AND LASTING LOVE?
Benedict William Henry Wylde, scapegrace second son of the late Earl of Morcott and well-known rake, is in Newgate prison undercover, working for Bow Street. Georgie doesn’t realize who he is when she marries him—and she most certainly never expects to bump into her very-much-alive, and very handsome, husband of convenience at a society gathering weeks later. Soon Wylde finds himself courting his own wife, hoping to win her heart since he already has her hand. But how can this seductive rogue convince brazen, beautiful Georgie that he wants to be together…until actual death do they part?
Shipping heiress Georgiana Caversteed is done with men who covet her purse more than her person. Even worse than the ton’s lecherous fortune hunters, however, is the cruel cousin determined to force Georgie into marriage. If only she could find a way to be . . . widowed? Georgie hatches a madcap scheme to wed a condemned criminal before he’s set to be executed. All she has to do is find an eligible bachelor in prison to marry her, and she’ll be free. What could possibly go wrong?
LEAD TO TRUE AND LASTING LOVE?
Benedict William Henry Wylde, scapegrace second son of the late Earl of Morcott and well-known rake, is in Newgate prison undercover, working for Bow Street. Georgie doesn’t realize who he is when she marries him—and she most certainly never expects to bump into her very-much-alive, and very handsome, husband of convenience at a society gathering weeks later. Soon Wylde finds himself courting his own wife, hoping to win her heart since he already has her hand. But how can this seductive rogue convince brazen, beautiful Georgie that he wants to be together…until actual death do they part?
Praise for This Earl of Mine:
"Bateman's scintillating first Bow Street Bachelors Regency is full of intense emotions and dramatic twists. Intelligent, affable characters make this fast-paced novel shine, especially for fans of clever women and the men who sincerely admire them. Future installments will be eagerly anticipated by Regency readers." -- Publishers Weekly starred review
"A book that begins with a Regency heiress seeking a bridegroom in Newgate Prison promises daring adventure, and Kate Bateman gives readers just what they're looking for in This Earl of Mine. ...Pure fun." -- BookPage
"Genuine romance that shines through...delightful leads and sexy capers." -- Kirkus
"Romantic, suspenseful, heartwarming, this book was absolutely delightful, and I'm already counting down the days to the next story set in this world." -- Natasha is a Book Junkie
"Delicious, witty, and ripping good fun! Kate Bateman's writing sparkles." -- USA Today bestselling author Laura Lee Guhrke
"Dashing, daring, and deliciously romantic!" -- USA Today bestselling author Caroline Linden
"A riveting new voice for Regency readers! Kate Bateman is now on my auto-buy list." -- Janna MacGregor, author of The Good, the Bad, and the Duke
"Bateman's scintillating first Bow Street Bachelors Regency is full of intense emotions and dramatic twists. Intelligent, affable characters make this fast-paced novel shine, especially for fans of clever women and the men who sincerely admire them. Future installments will be eagerly anticipated by Regency readers." -- Publishers Weekly starred review
"A book that begins with a Regency heiress seeking a bridegroom in Newgate Prison promises daring adventure, and Kate Bateman gives readers just what they're looking for in This Earl of Mine. ...Pure fun." -- BookPage
"Genuine romance that shines through...delightful leads and sexy capers." -- Kirkus
"Romantic, suspenseful, heartwarming, this book was absolutely delightful, and I'm already counting down the days to the next story set in this world." -- Natasha is a Book Junkie
"Delicious, witty, and ripping good fun! Kate Bateman's writing sparkles." -- USA Today bestselling author Laura Lee Guhrke
"Dashing, daring, and deliciously romantic!" -- USA Today bestselling author Caroline Linden
"A riveting new voice for Regency readers! Kate Bateman is now on my auto-buy list." -- Janna MacGregor, author of The Good, the Bad, and the Duke
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kate Bateman, (also writing as K. C. Bateman), is the #1 bestselling author of Regency, Victorian, and Renaissance historical romance. Her Renaissance romp, The Devil To Pay, is a Romance Writer’s of America 2019 RITA® Finalist and her Regency-set A Counterfeit Heart (Secrtes & Spies series) won the 2018 Book Buyer’s Best contest for Best Historical Romance.
Kate wrote her first historical romance in response to a $1 bet with her husband who rashly claimed she’d ‘never finish the thing.’ She gleefully proved him wrong. Her books feature her favorite intelligent heroines, (badasses in bodices!) wickedly inappropriate banter, and heroes you want to both strangle and kiss.
When not traveling to exotic locations ‘for research’, Kate leads a not-so-secret double life as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several TV shows in the UK, each of which has up to 2.5 million viewers. Before writing romance, Kate was director and valuer at her own UK Auction House, Batemans in Stamford, Lincolnshire. She currently splits her time between Illinois and her native England and writes despite three inexhaustible children and that husband . . .who still owes her that dollar.
Kate wrote her first historical romance in response to a $1 bet with her husband who rashly claimed she’d ‘never finish the thing.’ She gleefully proved him wrong. Her books feature her favorite intelligent heroines, (badasses in bodices!) wickedly inappropriate banter, and heroes you want to both strangle and kiss.
When not traveling to exotic locations ‘for research’, Kate leads a not-so-secret double life as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several TV shows in the UK, each of which has up to 2.5 million viewers. Before writing romance, Kate was director and valuer at her own UK Auction House, Batemans in Stamford, Lincolnshire. She currently splits her time between Illinois and her native England and writes despite three inexhaustible children and that husband . . .who still owes her that dollar.
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This Earl of Mine by Kate BatemanMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
The synopsis for This Earl of Mine sounded really promising. The idea of a marriage of convenience between an heiress and a prisoner who's actually an undercover Bow Street runner is something different I haven't seen before. The concept really has merit, but unfortunately I didn't click with the writing as much as I hoped. The deeper you go into the story, the more convoluted and unrealistic things get. There were also a lot of historical inaccuracies in the speech and slang used, but I won't go into detail about those since they may be edited out in the final copy.
Georgiana Caversteed is a filthy rich heiress who is the sole beneficiary of her father's massive shipping empire. She is the oldest of two daughters and uncharacteristically for the time, was groomed to run the business she inherits. We're told that she's exceptionally smart and capable of being in charge, and she can handle herself well at the helm. Strangely, she doesn't seem to come across any opposition or antagonism as a woman in the workforce, at a time when women simply weren't given this kind of power over men. I also felt that it we were not shown this work ethic she had, only told. She went to the office exactly one time and she did no work while she was there. In fact, she reveals that she makes a "monthly visit" which simply isn't realistic for someone to be able to run a business of that size.
The heroine's wealth is predictably a magnet for fortune hunters, most especially her greedy cousin Josiah. Rather than get trapped into marriage by him who has become increasingly uncomfortable in his advances, she comes up with a desperate plan to be rid of him. The plan is to marry a prisoner at Newgate who is to be hanged, and she will almost instantly be a widow with all of the freedom that entails. Her plan goes awry when she is set up with Benedict Wylde. He's the second son of an Earl who is there undercover as a Bow Street runner. There was no way for him to refuse the marriage and he signs the papers on the dotted line. This was a big plot hole for me because in order for the marriage to be legal his name had to be his own on the paperwork. Even though he was posing as a smuggler for the government, apparently he didn't feel the need to use an alias. No, he used Ben Wylde instead of Benedict. Therefore making the marriage airtight and ineligible for annulment. I'm sorry, but I couldn't suspend my disbelief to go along with that explanation.
Soon after their impulsive nuptials, the two of them come face to face at a social event, and she is completely rattled to find out that she's now saddled with a husband that isn't part of her plans. Benedict is very attracted to his wife, but there are two factors getting in the way of a true marriage. His family history has made him cynical about love, and a wife was simply never a consideration. He's an ex soldier who runs a gentlemen's club with his two best friends, and earning money to help his brother pay off their father's debt is his primary concern. His family debt and her abundant wealth convince him that he could never be her equal financially, and she would never believe he wasn't with her for her money, right? The synopsis is misleading when it says that he courts her in order to win her heart. That's not the case at all, he actually keeps his emotional distance for the majority of the book, and she is the one who convinces him to give their marriage a chance at the end.
My favorite part about the book was Benedict. I felt that he was very respectful of her, you could immediately feel his desire and admiration for his adventurous wife. He was protective, genuine, and despite his lack of funds, he never once considered trying to use her for her money. He really was a man of honor that she could trust with her heart. He even worked himself to the bone to help his brother with the family debt even though he wasn't under any obligation to do so. He certainly could have lived much more comfortably if he kept all of his hard earned money, but he chose the more difficult path. One of the conflicts is his investigation of a stolen submarine prototype, and a plot to rescue Bonaparte from St. Helena. Along the way, he indulges Georgiana's thirst for adventure and allows her to join him on his reconnaissance as he hunts for the traitor.
The heroine's original scheme to marry, become a widow, and carry on with her life and freedom didn't make a lot of sense. Once she announced that she was a widow, she would be right back where she started with fortune hunters attempting to fill the role of husband number two. Then when her plan altered, she was going to reveal her husband, but live separate lives as many do in the ton. However, feelings and unbridled passion soon complicated matters, and she yearned to start a real future with the man she was falling for.
The side story with her sister Juliet and her childish beau was pretty cheesy, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes over the fact that she was jealous over their immature crush. What she had in common with Benedict was much more solid and enduring, to yearn for what her sister had was silly.
I tried out a new to me author hoping that I would have a fresh historical romance series to follow, but unfortunately I don't think she's the right fit for me. Or it's possible that I happened to choose the wrong book as my introduction to her writing. Whatever the case may be, this wasn't horrible but ended up being just okay overall. The execution could have used a little more work in order to give it a more realistic feel. I think many will find more to enjoy than me, so don't just take my opinion into account. There are many glowing reviews to be found, so make sure to research some others as well.
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