“Sizzling, Witty, Passionate…Perfect!”
—Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author
Christi Caldwell, USA TODAY bestselling author of the Wicked Wallflowers series, combs London’s underground and finds romance and danger for a missing lord and the lady who loves him.
To solve a mystery that’s become the talk of the ton, no clues run too deep for willful reporter Verity Lovelace. Not even … clues run too deep for willful reporter Verity Lovelace. Not even in the sewers of London. That’s precisely where she finds happily self-sufficient scavenger Malcom North, lost heir to the Earl of Maxwell. Now that Verity’s made him front-page news, what will he make of her?
Kidnapped as a child, with no memories of his well-heeled past, Malcom prefers the grimy spoils of the culverts to the gilded riches of society. Damn the feisty beauty who exposed the contented tosher to a parade of fortune-hunting matchmakers. How to keep them at bay? Verity must pretend to be his wife. She owes him.
The intimacy of this necessary arrangement—Verity and Malcom thrust together in close quarters—soon sparks an irresistible heat. But when the charade ends, the danger begins. Will love be enough to protect them from a treacherous plot devised to ruin them?
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In Bed with the Earl – (Lost Lords of London #1) – Christi Caldwell
I am a huge fan of Christi Caldwell’s writing. Huge!
Her newest book, In Bed with the Earl, is magnificent. This is the story of a young boy kidnapped and eventually ends up living in the sewers under the London streets, his name was Malcom North. Malcom had made quite a tidy fortune by becoming what could be considered the King of Toshers, or the sewer rats. Toshers were men, women and children who were barely able to make a living by finding anything worth money in those sewers. Malcom also had a secret that he had to face when it came out who he really was.
Miss Verity Lovelace, scandal sheet reporter out looking to find the long lost Earl of Maxwell (see above about Malcom’s secret) is bound and determined to get the story about the long lost Earl. If she can do this she will keep her job at The Londoner and be able to continue to support her younger sister Livi and their old nursemaid Bertha. Like Malcom, Verity also has a secret about who she is.
One late night Verity ends up in the sewers under London and learns more about sewer life than she wanted to know. Between muck, rats, falling on slippery rocks, losing her slippers, being rescued by Malcom, being propositioned and shot at Verity finds her man and her story. Unfortunately, she still gets fired from the paper.
This is where the story of Verity and Malcom begins. I don’t know where Christi Caldwell goes to find her characters but where ever that is, she finds the most amazing men and women and is superb at telling their stories.
Her wordsmithing had me in the sewers with Malcom and Verity, then on the street while they were shot at, outside Gunter’s eating ices and by the Serpentine. She is inspired by her characters to give the reader only the best of experiences.
Verity and Malcom’s story flows and takes the reader through so many emotions, anger, sorrow, apprehension, pain, infatuation, humour and finally leading to love. One can’t read a Christi Caldwell story without having a box of Kleenex beside you. Make sure when you sit down to read In Bed with the Earl you have that box by your side. You will need it.
I was given an ARC copy of this book and this review and the thoughts and opinions I have expressed are my own.
In Bed with the Earl is the first book in the Lost Lords of London series. The book was well written and flowed smoothly from scene to scene. It captured my attention at the beginning and held it until the end. The characters were well developed and perfect for each other and was very easy to connect with feel their emotions. The book was a wonderful start to the series, and I can’t wait for the next book.
Percival Northrop, the heir to the Earl of Maxwell, was kidnapped as a child from his sickbed after the death of his parents. His mind has blocked the good memories he had of his early childhood and only remembers his life as Malcom North, the man trying to survive in the underground sewers. His memories slowly started coming back to him when his identity is exposed. He didn’t want the title or the responsibility of an earl and was appalled when he was hounded by fortune-hunting women.
Verity Lovelace, the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Wakefield, had been working at The Londoner since both of her parents had died. She struggled to support her sister, Bertha (their former nursemaid) and herself and had worked hard to become a reporter. She was furious and felt intruded upon when another reporter stole her story and claimed it as his work. To save her job she needed to find and acquire the story of the lost heir to the Earl of Maxwell. When Verity exposes him, Malcolm coerces her to pretend to be married so she can have a place to stay until she finds a job. But someone is trying to stop her from writing her story. Can they overcome the obstacles and have their happy ever after?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was my first book by this author, and I really enjoyed the start of this new series!
Verity Lovelace (what a great name, right?!?) is in a bind. But, that’s not exactly new in her life. She’s the illegitimate daughter of an Earl, and after her mother’s death in childbirth with Verity’s baby sister, and her father’s death soon after, she’s been on her own to raise her sister, with the help of the family nursemaid. She’s been working at the local gossip newspaper since she was twelve, doing things around the offices, and 3 years ago she started as a reporter. Her new boss is a sexist jerk, and is looking for any reason to fire her. The story everyone wants to know about now is the missing Earl, who was kidnapped as a child, never to be heard from again. If she can’t find him, and convince him to tell his story, she’ll lose her job, and the roof over her small family’s head.
Malcom North doesn’t remember his childhood, before his life as a homeless tosher, a sewer dweller who makes his living collecting treasures from the bowels of the city. When Verity finds him and exposes his true identity, he is FURIOUS. How dare this woman come along and upend his existence, after he fought his whole life to make it for himself. He doesn’t even remember his other life, and wants no part of being the Lost Earl of Maxwell. But Verity keeps popping up, and screwing up his plans, and finally they come to an agreement. They’ll pretend to be married for one year. That’ll keep the fortune hunters (and their marriageable daughters) away from him, and keep a roof over her and her sister’s head until she can find another job. But, neither of them expects the connection they form.
Malcom and Verity have instant chemistry, though they both have reasons to fight it. Verity has no interest in being like her mother, and falling in love with a man who can’t give her the life she wants. Malcom just wants to be left alone to his sewers, and to not be made to feel all these feelings. He keeps everyone at a distance for a good reason, and has no plans to stop until Verity makes him reassess everything. Their connection was BIG, but they only occasionally gave into a kiss here and there for a long time. So it was a SUPER SLOW BURN, almost up to the end.
Malcom’s makeshift family, who he calls “his people”, or “associates”, not servants, or friends, and certainly not family, were all truly great! I loved how he finally came to accept his love for all of them, as they’d been showing him their love in differing ways all along. Verity’s sister was a delight too, and it was great watching how she handled the things that came their way. Wily like a fox, that one! There were also unexpected characters who made impressions on me too, and I hope to see more of all of them in the future, though it appears that book 2 is about 2 totally new characters.
Super slow burns are usually not my favorite, but this was almost more of an enemies to friends to lovers, marriage of convenience, forced proximity, mystery, trope super jam, and I enjoyed it so much! Since it was a historical, I expect to wait longer to get to the sexy times anyway, so that part worked too. I really liked this author’s voice, and this world she’s created, and the unique awesome characters who inhabit it. Book 2 sounds great too, so it’s going on my list. I definitely recommend this one!
Wow, in my opinion, this has got to be one of the best stories Christi Caldwell has ever written! Malcolm and Verity’s story is filled with doing whatever it needs to survive, righting wrongs, memories returned, accepting the future, and oh, so much more. Malcolm is a hero like no other and even in his rage, he had my heart and I just wanted to hold him. Verity is a total spitfire and I absolutely adored her.
This is a story that will grip your interest from page one and with a couple of twists and turns that you never see coming, you will get to the end with a full heart.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
This is the first in a new series by Christi Caldwell, Lost Lords of London. Malcolm, the lost Earl of Maxwell & Verity, fearless reporter, meet in the sewers beneath the seedy streets of London. Both have survived hardship and great change in their lives, shaping them into the strong people they are. While chasing a story to save her family from being thrown onto the streets she stumbles into Malcolm who is hiding the from the past that is determined to find him. They are both wary of each other and not willing to let their guard down, after being forced to spend time together love blossoms but outside forces try to drive our hero & heroine apart. Ultimately love finds a way. This is another fantastic series from the Queen of Regency, it is dark, gritty but also humorous. The characters are flawed but real and you can’t help but fall in love with them. Christi always delivers, I cannot recommend this book enough.
In Bed with the Earl by Christi Caldwell is the First book in the Lost Lords of London Series. This is the story of Malcom North and Verity Lovelace. This is somewhat of a Spin off of the Wicked Wallflowers Series especially ‘The Vixen’ book where we learn that Connor Steele is looking for those past children that Diggory kidnapped. With that said, you don’t need to have read that book or series (although it is a really good one!!) to enjoy this book. I just wanted to mention it in case you have so that you can also enjoy this book. Of course Malcom is one of the children who is now grown up. Malcom is thriving in the darkness of the streets but he once was Percival Northrup, heir to the Earl of Maxwell. Malcom had made it clear that he didn’t want to reclaim that life and was settled into the life he has. Verity has been supporting and taking care of her sister and her nursemaid since she was just a child. Although her father was a Earl her mother was a barmaid and was not fully claimed. So when the Earl died he left her with a job at The Londoner. Now about twenty years later she has worked her way up to report who goes to find stories along with filling a gossip column. Verity goes anywhere to get her stories which has lead her to be saved by Malcom a few times. Malcom ends up taking her home where she finds evidence of who he really is. So now he needs her to pretend to be with him to keep women at bay.
Totally a fan of this author. I always know that I will enjoy her writing and she has the ability to take you into the book/story.
Verity an illegitimate daughter of an earl has taken care of her little sister for almost 20 years and when she loses her job she desperately goes into the sewers of London to find the lost Earl. But he finds her instead and saves her. He wants to be left alone, she wants his story so she can get her job back. But things backfire for Verity and she not only angers Malcom the earl but also piques his interest. As she entwined herself into his life it seems he dislikes her but there is a fine line between love and hate and the tightrope they walk is dangerous but oh so tantalizing. Voluntary review of complimentary copy.
In Bed With The Earl by Christi Caldwell
Lost Earls of London #1
Percival Northrop, only son of an earl, was kidnapped when his parents died. His life became difficult and dirty and nothing like what it was supposed to be. He did find his way and survived and had no real desire to return to the Earldom that was to be his. When Verity Lovelace ended up in the sewers looking for him his life changed…as did hers. She had worked for nearly twenty years at The Londoner gossip rag and had to keep herr job to support her sister and their nursemaid. The way to maintain her income was to find The Lost Earl and tell his story no matter what it might cost both of them. The two did not start off on the right foot but over time that definitely changed.
What I liked:
* Percival/North/Malcolm: an honorable man that took care of those he valued, a survivor, a man among men.
* Verity: a woman dedicated to her job and to her family. She did what she must to keep a roof over their head and food in their bellies.
* The slow burn love story in which the two got to known one another and in so doing fell in love.
* Fowler and Bram: lovable old gents that were there for Northrop
* Gavin & Billy: hope they appear in future books
* Livvie: sister to Verity and much more than first met the eye
* That lost family was found and might eventually become close
* The eventual happy ending for the couple
What I did not like:
* What happened to both North and Verity when they were young
* The baddies
* At times Verity seemed more modern than the time the story took place in
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the ARC – This is my honest review.
3-4 Stars
4.5 Stars
Percival Northrop, heir to the Earl of Maxwell went missing twenty years ago now there is a media frenzy, or a much of a frenzy as there could be in the early nineteenth century, to try to find the Lost Earl To solve a mystery that’s become the talk of the ton, no clues run too deep for wilful reporter Verity Lovelace. Not even in the sewers of London & that’s precisely where she finds happily self-sufficient scavenger or tosher Malcom North.
Percy now known as Malcom prefers the grimy spoils of the culverts to the gilded riches of society as he has few memories of his life with his parents. Once it becomes known that he’s the lost earl he’s pursued by fortune-hunting matchmakers. So he agrees to Verity writing his story if she pretends to be his wife.
Another well written page turning read that drew me in from the start & kept me enthralled until the end. As always the characters are very well fleshed & love them or hate them they are all well portrayed. I also love that characters from other books make appearances, which for me, adds to the enjoyment. The story flows effortlessly & it is well researched. I loved Malcom who had totally reinvented himself, his life as a child sent chills down my spine. I liked Verity but whilst I admired her for striving to keep her sister safe & a roof over their heads I didn’t love her. She was too forward thinking & modern for the times for my liking. I did love the chemistry between the pair & also loved how their relationship developed. A captivating start to a new series & I look forward to the next book.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
In Bed with the Earl, book 1 of Lost Lords of London series by Christi Caldwell, is not what I thought it was when I first read the blurb . I thought it would be about the investigative process of identifying who the real lost earl was and how our heroine as a reporter went through the sewers and the worst parts of London to find him. But no, the earl had already been identified by a detective from the beginning (without mentioning how ). It’s still a puzzle to me since he was kidnapped as an 8-yo child and lost his memories of who used to be, living on the streets and scavenging wastes underground. Yet, 20 years later, he still kept his perfect noble speech, and maintained his home with an upperclass taste .
Malcom North and Verity Lovelace didn’t encounter each other until ~20% in. I didn’t feel the connection and chemistry between them all the way until the last quarter of the book. For the rest of it, it bore lots of repetitions in the text, Verity was often quite annoying to me, and Malcom was just an average character that I perhaps will forget tomorrow . Out of desperation to support her sheltered and naïve 17-yo sister and an old nursemaid, Verity betrayed, deceived, and stole from him even though he had saved her a couple of times. Yet, he still cared about her and proposed a fake marriage with win-win benefits for both of them .
The 1/2 I decided to give the book was solely from its last quarter. It was a rush effort to make them understand each other, where I could start feeling some romance between them, some relatable emotions and sympathies for them. All and all, this is quite a disappointing book to me, given such an interesting premise .
A 3.5 read for me!
*Special thanks to the publisher for sending me the ARC via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Percy had become an orphan when his parents have died. He had been taken to an orphanage and then sold. He was only six.
Malcolm North was a tosher in the sewers. He searched the sewers for things that had been lost and sold them.
Verity Lovelace, she had lost everything and now someone had stolen her words. She had people who depended on her, her sister and Bertha, their nursemaid. She remembers her father, as she stood in front of the Londoner where Michael Fairpoint had stolen her article. She was so angry. Her father had told her he wanted to do more but couldn’t. After all, she may be his daughter but she was born out of wedlock. He had a fancy wife and family but loved her mom.
I enjoyed this story, but it started out a little slow but very soon picks up. The storyline is different which keeps your interest. Poor Verity, she gets it from both sides. Michael because of how his life has gone is arrogant. Verity, on the other hand, is sweet unless she gets angry. Livvie her sister and Bertha were always at the forefront of her mind. The characters are very believable. There are some interesting twists to this tale that will surprise you. It moves well, easy to read and is entertaining.
I highly recommend this book and hope you like it as much as I do.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.
Reporter Verity Lovelace will do whatever it takes to keep her position with The Londoner, even venture into London’s sewers. She’s determined to unravel the mystery every aristocrat is interested in: the whereabouts of the lost heir to the Earl of Maxwell. She’s shocked to find the man, Malcom North, in those very sewers, having made a comfortable life for himself as a scavenger and with no intention of openly assuming his title. But when Verity betrays him and publishes his story in a futile, last ditch effort to save her job, she’s unprepared for the consequences.
After being kidnapped after his parents’ deaths when he was just a boy, Malcom is haunted by memories of a different life, snippets he casually ignores as he focuses on maintaining his rule over the sewers. He’s livid at being exposed as the Earl of Maxwell and bombarded with fortune hunting fathers seeking marriage for their daughters and old enemies seeking to exploit any weakness they perceive in him. He knows Verity is responsible for revealing his secrets and as if that betrayal weren’t enough, he soon learns that she’s squatting in his Grosvenor Square townhouse, allowing everyone to make the assumption that she’s his wife. Though he’s livid, Malcom can see the advantage in no longer being pursued as a marriagable bachelor, so he demands that Verity keep up the ruse of being his wife. The forced proximity soon has sparks of more than just anger flying between them, even as it becomes clear that someone is out to ruin any chance they have of building a happy future together.
It took me quite awhile to get into this book, mostly because I did not like Verity at all; she didn’t grow on me until the very end of the book and even then I only just did tolerate her. While she may have had altruistic motives in wanting to care for her [ridiculously sheltered] younger sister, I still cannot condone Verity’s total self-absorption. She gave no care or even a fleeting thought for Marcus’ suffering or how her actions might hurt him or anyone else. She also struck me as shockingly naive and very bitter and hateful towards all men and especially unfairly so towards Marcus after he saved her from a dangerous situation and showed extreme patience with her. I’m just so over reading these supposedly strong, independent, heavily feminist heroines who believe they’re owed something by the hero because he has means, even when they don’t know or care to learn his story or what he may be doing with those means, or consider that he may already be helping others with them. The entitlement has got to stop. Eventually Verity did realize the depths of what she’d done, but it was very nearly too late for me.
Nonetheless, I did enjoy the story and found it to be well-written and with a very different premise and I liked how all the elements tied together in the end. I look forward very much to reading the next book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A strong heroine who has had to fight since a very young age to provide a living and a roof over their heads for a baby sister, nurse maid and herself. She’s always found herself at the mercy of the males in her life, especially trying to make it as a news reporter in a critical and restrictive society. And then there’s the hero, a resourceful and determined heir to an Earl, kidnapped while a child and left to make his way in the underworld of London. Remembering nothing of his past, he is satisfied and proud of the life he’s built, until this spitfire of a woman turns his world upside down searching for the news story of the time.
Only a few pages in, and the reader is swept away into a world filled with realistic scenes, amazing characters, and storylines packed with action, suspense, secrets, romance, and so much more.
True to this writer’s style and talent, the emotions of the characters are real and believable, easily pulling the reader into their struggles and triumphs. Malcom and Verity’s is a story you won’t want to miss.
I received an arc for my honest opinion, as well as pre-ordering for my kindle collection. I highly recommend this unique and beautiful treasure.
u202aAs a young boy Malcolm was kidnapped, taken from a life of privilege and wealth and ended up on the London streets. When he is found some twenty years later he has no intention of leaving his East End home and the only life he knows, however his anonymity is blown out of the water by Verity Lovelace’s newspaper article. I loved this story, both the feisty and courageous Verity and how Malcolm has survived the hand that he was dealt. The only detractor for me was that I didn’t understand why he had been sought in the first place after so many years – it seemed odd and there was no explanation.u202c
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is a MUST READ for all historical romance readers. The main characters have fought for survival for years and although, their horrible beginnings in the poor parts of London were different, they both believed in themselves to get them through each day, week & year. Christi Caldwell has the ability to write things so vividly that I could smell the stench of the sewers, I could hear the rats squeaking as they were making their way down the tunnels towards me & yes, I began to feel a little claustrophobic.
Malcom North (Percy Northam, Earl of Maxwell) lost his parents to illness, was sent to an orphanage, even though he was very ill and then was kidnapped from orphanage by greedy relatives that claimed the Earl of Maxwell title. He was dropped off in the sewers of London, very sick but did recover but doesn’t remember his past so he takes the name of Malcom North. He survives by stealing and scavenging but then he finds a group of fellow street people and becomes a very successful tosher in the sewers. People fear him, he has people working for him but he shows no feelings, worries or regards for others. Now, a London Investigator has come to him with papers showing he is the “lost” Earl of Maxwell – he doesn’t need or want to bring himself out of the sewers as he is perfectly content where he is in life.
Verity Lovelace is the bastard daughter of an Earl and although he had a family of his own at home, he did take care of her mother and her much younger sister until her mother died. When Verity was twelve, her father arranged for employment for her at one of London’s newspapers and shortly after that he also died. Now, it was up to her to raise her baby sister, their nursemaid and herself. They had a small apartment and after years she finally got her chance to do what she had been working for and that was being a reporter. She made enough to squeak by each month and then was assigned to get the story on the “lost” Earl of Maxwell.
Verity goes in search of Malcom in the sewers and finds herself in need of rescuing – yes, it is Malcom who rescues her. They have both come from being pampered when they were young and had the rug pulled out from under them, although, their circumstances were very different but their goals were always the same – SURVIVAL! The bantering, sometimes hilarious situations, their attractions, the softening of feelings, the memories of their pasts led to a wonderful ending. A fabulous couple, a wonderful story, great secondary characters, nice revisits with a couple of characters from previous books, all lead to a happy ending!
I was gifted the Advanced Reader Copy of this book & all opinions are my own & have been voluntarily given.