“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 Book #1) by Christi Caldwell is the first book in a new historical romance series that had me engrossed from page one!
While sick in bed and his parents dead, Percival Northrop is kidnapped and his life becomes a day to day struggle to survive in the St. Giles area of Victorian London. He blocks his memory of his younger life and learns the life of a tosher. He is now known as Malcolm North and is ruthless as he fights to survive and thrive in the sewers of London.
Malcolm does not quite fit with his fellow toshers. He can read, calculate and speaks as if he is upper class. He is located by a private detective and told that he is the actual true heir to an Earldom. Malcom wants nothing to do with that life.
Verity Lovelace has worked for The Londoner since she was twelve years old. She worked her way from inkwell girl to reporter, but because she is a woman she is only given the opportunity to write the gossip column. She is the bastard daughter of an Earl and has been the sole support for her sister and nursemaid for years since her mother died. After having one of her stories stolen, her job is on the line and she must find the missing Earl and interview him or be out of a work.
Verity is rescued in the sewers by Malcolm. The two butt heads as Verity refuses to be give up her chase of the story. Malcolm has never let anyone get close, but there is something about this female that he cannot forget. Verity is determined to get her story, but is she ready to pay the price?
I loved Malcom and Verity so much! I could not put this book down. Malcolm’s fight for survival and life as a tosher was interesting and a life that was new to me. Even as he refused his memories and emotions, he took care of others. Verity was a survivor as much as Malcolm and that is what made them so perfect for each other. The author’s writing is emotionally charged banter that made me laugh out loud as well as tear up. The sexual tension between these two was well written and there is only one sex scene towards the very end of the story. It is explicit, but not gratuitous. All the secondary characters were fully fleshed and wonderful additions to the story.
I highly recommend this historical romance and I am waiting anxiously for the next book in this series!
Christi Caldwell never lets me down! Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this. No regrets! Caldwell writes wonderful heroines that you’ll root for from page one.
This first entry in the Lost Lords of London series introduces us to the first of the kidnapped children Connor Steele (The Vixen) has been commissioned to find. These are children of the ton who were kidnapped by the malicious, infamous Diggory. I thought maybe we’d get a visit from Stephen who was one of those children and who was also a supporting character throughout the Wicked Wallflower series – he was heavily featured in The Bluestocking. Unfortunately, Stephen didn’t make an appearance.
Verity Lovelace, who is now thirty, has provided the support for herself, her sister and their former nursemaid since she was twelve years old. She is the natural daughter of an Earl and a barmaid. The earl was a profligate but did manage to provide a small cottage for them while he was alive, but he made no arrangements for them when he died. The only thing he did for them was to arrange for Verity, at age twelve, to have a job at a newspaper, The Londoner. Verity has worked there for almost twenty years and finally worked her way into being a reporter.
Before he was kidnapped as a child, Marcus North was known as Percival Northrop, heir to the Earl of Maxwell. Marcus doesn’t remember anything about that time – and doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want the title or the encumbrances that come along with it. Connor Steele has found him and has seen to making the claim legitimate, etc. – but, Marcus doesn’t want anyone to know he’s the earl nor does he want them to know where he lives or anything else about him. He’s adamant about keeping his secrets – almost paranoid about it.
When Marcus encounters Verity in the sewers, he saves her, gets her out of the sewers, then lets her go – only for her to get attacked again – and another rescue. He does something he has never, ever, done before, he takes her to where he lives. She NEVER tells him she is a reporter and that she is looking for the Earl of Maxwell. She noses around and makes the discovery of who he really is. He tells her he doesn’t want his story told – but… Does Verity care about what Marcus or anyone else wants? No, she does not.
It took me a while to get into this novel because I just couldn’t make myself like Verity. I finally got to where I tolerated her, but I never really came to like her. She seemed very embittered, totally uncaring about what her stories did to others – particularly Marcus. It did finally register with her and I warmed up to her a bit. I liked Marcus from the beginning and his anger with Verity was definitely valid. I did find it surprising that he was attracted to her when she had deliberately, uncaringly, caused him so much harm.
I enjoyed the story and thought it was nicely unique. However, it was ambiguous in a number of things – like the time period. There were a few hints and I finally came to believe that the setting must have been somewhere between 1820 and 1837 – but I shouldn’t have to try to figure out any of that kind of stuff, it should be plainly obvious. Also, be aware that the female lead is a rabid feminist who seems to hate men and has some very contemporary thinking. You’ll also find some more contemporary wording, etc.
Still, I enjoyed the read and look forward to the next story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
If this is the first book in the series, I can’t wait for the rest. This is a Christi Caldwell story that you won’t want to miss.. This book goes beyond romance – it deals with 2 children ripped from the comfort of everything they knew and forced to grow up before their time.
Malcom North (aka Percival Northrup, the Earl of Maxwell) is stolen from his home after his parents die. His uncle wants the title and so abandons the young boy to the streets of London. He becomes a tosher, scrounging the sewers of London for treasures and he has become successful at it. Now he is told that he is the Earl of Maxwell and is having a hard time dealing with it since he has no memories of his childhood.
Verity is the illegitimate daughter of an Earl who lived comfortably until her mother dies in childbirth. Now as a child, she must provide for her baby sister and their nursemaid. Their father brings them to London and puts them in a small apartment but he provides little support beyond finding Verity a job at a newspaper. Working her way up from sweeping to reporting she provides for her family after the Earl dies leaving them penniless.
When the story of the Lost Earl breaks, Verity is determined to get the story. Unfortunately, recent changes in the newspaper’s owners leaves her in a workplace where women aren’t wanted and they want her gone.
In search of the story, Verity scours the sewers and is found by North. Thus begins a strange partnership between the two. The more they get to know each other, the more they are drawn to each other and heal from their childhood pains.
This is a beautiful story with a Happily Ever After tinged with a bit of sadness. It shows that you don’t have to be famous to be kind and their actions are in contrast to the ton’s treatment of the poor and invisible. .
I received an advanced copy of this book.
In Bed With the Earl is my first Christy Caldwell and won’t be my last. Her tale of a lord stolen as a child, losing the memory of who he had been and becoming the Lord of London’s underground has a good combination of engaging characters, intrigue, witty banter, and action.
Heroine Verity is a woman who is competing in a man’s world of newspaper writing. Scooped by another writer, or outright stolen from, Verity has to go down into the sewers of London to find the lost Earl of Maxwell. There she is rescued by Malcom North, the king of the scavengers. Verity is tenacious, brave, and determined. Her foe, Malcom, doesn’t care about the world of the Ton. He is perfectly happy to stay where he is and not claim the title that everyone keeps thrusting at him. A man’s man, Malcom is the perfect foil to the headstrong Verity.
The story moves along at a brisk pace with dashes of heat peppered throughout to keep things lively. The interplay between the leads swings from seduction to danger to hilarity as each position themselves to get what they want. A good start to a new historical series.
Another breathtaking read by Christi Caldwell as we follow the story of Malcolm and Verity. The characters are flawlessly developed in every way. Both Malcolm and Verity are fighters. They have determinedly built the best life they could out of the circumstances they were dealt. Malcolm is forever changed when Verity enters his life. He is loyal to the people in his life but hides behind a gruff exterior. Verity is able to bring out the best in him by being tenacious in her efforts. Forgiving those who have done him wrong and owning the family he has created all works to make him a better man. As he and Verity spend time together they find the love they have both been looking for while making the lives of many others better.
Oh my gosh. I don’t think that I could love a book more than this one. In Bed with the Earl, by Christi Caldwell. I am so thunderstruck by having read this wonderfully, well written historical romantic love story. The author has out done herself.
It was my pleasure to have read this book. Everything about this love story, from the creating of the characters, the developing of a plot, the drama and the romance was flawless. These must have factors for a story has raised this book to a high level for a true readers praises. I was entranced from the beginning. The entertainment and the dueling romance between Verity and Malcolm was an absolute joy, and a pleasure to read.
I had so much fun reading the love story that I didn’t want it to end. These two where like oil and water. I laughed and giggled every time these two came together in the book. The power struggles and dominance between these two was a battle of wills. I had to keep reading to see who would be the victor.
Truthfully, I think Livivie is the one. First I want to thank the writer for writing a leading lady character with in the age range of her thirty. Now on to the story of the main couple. Verity is a woman who will not be cowed by the working force of men. She finds herself fighting the cruelty of men with the power of her pen.
She traced the sewers of London for that one story. She comes across the path of a Tosher who shows her the hidden world of the sewers. Little does Verity know that this man, Malcolm becomes the person she battles with, in intelligence, a silver tongue and similar past history. Malcolm can not believe the minx that has meticulously moved herself and her family into his life without permission figuratively and literally. Almost, Consistently on a daily basis, Verity has Malcolm ready to run for the hills.
The two find themselves in battles of will that had me laughing and enjoying their journey towards each other. The smartest one of the group has to be Livvie, Verity’s younger sister. Let’s not forget Bram, Giles and Fowler. They round out this group of so called misfits that had me up late at night, reading just one more chapter from this magnificent book. I give this book two snaps and a, Bram!
Fowler! Stop trying to intimidate the ton with a beat down. Until next time my fellow readers… read on!
Kidnapped as a child after the death of his parents, Earl and Countess of Maxwell, Percival Northrop survived in the gutters of East London and became Malcom North. Gone was the love of his devoted parents, his innocence and comforts all disappeared in the cruelty and poverty of those times. 20 years later, he is discovered by a runner as the lost heir. But Malcom wants nothing to do with society and still lives in the slums of London – he clings to his privacy. The family who stole his birthright, his very life, is now dead, but their son, Baron Bolingbroke, is the object of Malcom’s revenge. All the world wants to know about the missing years, including Miss Verity Lovelace, a reporter. Verity, along wit her younger sister, are the illegitimate daughters of the Earl of Wakefield, now deceased. Her mother died in childbirth when Verity was 12 and before his death, her father secured her a job at a London newspaper, where she has worked for 18 years, supporting herself, her sister and their old nurse. Verity must find the elusive earl or lose her job. Descending into the sewers, she accidentally and unknowingly runs into Malcom. He rescues her and while looking for paper, she discovers his identity. Furious at her, Malcom returns her home without the story. Desperate Verity does write about Malcom’s whereabouts, only to be fired anyway. And Malcom is besieged with marriage minded ladies from society eager to be his countess. When Verity attempts to plead her cause once more, Malcom sees a way to help both of them – a pretend marriage for a year and he will give Verity the 20 lost years of his life, since he has little to no memory – except for flashes – of his life before being kidnapped. Verity sees a lonely man, determined to keep his distance from all, but with an honorable code of living. Malcom is fascinated by the courage and honesty of a woman who cared for her family for years. Malcom’s plan for revenge take a turn when he comes face to face with those he plans to destroy. Verity little by little breaks through protective walls Malcom built in order to survive the brutal life on streets of London. There is so much more to this story – an unsuspected Judas and an unlikely hero appear in Verity’s life. There is the budding romance, the abject poverty of those who society bears no responsibility for, the selfishness and greed that put others in harms way and the deep love of family and being true to what is right and just. A truly marvelous book of emotions and how we are and should be our brothers keeper – the thread weaving through this wonderful story is life’s greatest and lasting gift – love!
In Bed with the Earl was an amazing read featuring a delightful romance between an intrepid reporter and the lost heir of an earldom.
Reporter Verity Lovelace has one last chance to save her job which means she needs to find the lost heir to the Earl of Maxwell and get an interview. When a lead sends her to the sewers of London, Verity encounters Malcom North, a tosher who she discovers is the man she’s been searching for. After Verity’s article of him rescuing her sends unwanted matchmaking parents to Malcom’s door, the man makes a deal with Verity. Pretend to be his wife and he’ll give her the real story she’s after, an exclusive look at his life. But as Malcom spends more time with Verity, the attraction between them grows and threatens to consume them both.
Verity is the bastard daughter of an earl who has had little help in life. After losing both of her parents by the age of twelve, Verity has spent the last eighteen years taking care of her sister. During that time she has worked at The Londoner doing various jobs before moving up to reporter. As a woman in a male dominated field, Verity faces a lot of discrimination at her job and the gossip column is all she is allowed to write.
Malcom was kidnapped as a child and taken to St. Giles where he was forced to learn to survive. As a result of his trauma, Malcom has suppressed all memories of his early life. Not long after being taken, Malcom met a man who showed him how to be a tosher and he worked hard to carve out a decent life for himself. Malcom has severe trust issues and has a hard time being close to anyone.
Verity and Malcom’s relationship gets off to an interesting start after they meet in the sewers and Malcom rescues her soon after from a nefarious man. Malcom is immediately drawn to Verity despite his initial distrust of her. The attraction between the pair is instant although they do both fight it at first. After Malcolm makes Verity a deal for her story and they begin to spend more time together, their connection quickly deepens. I really enjoyed how well the two were able to communicate with each other and I liked the time they were able to spend together while trying to fool society into thinking they were married. The chemistry between the pair is fantastic and the steamy scenes are very well done.
Overall In Bed with the Earl was a very enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, In the Dark with the Duke.
I had so much fun with this book!
First of all, I really enjoy well-written fake relationship stories. Add in a touch of enemies to lovers and you might as well just take all my money, because I need that book. Make sure the two man characters are both strong characters in their own right, used to calling the shots and running the show? I. Am. So. There. Add in a touch of humor? My grabby hands will suddenly have grabby hands.
This book had all of that, and more. Verity and Malcom’s banter was pure gold–especially in the early days when they were at each other’s throats, just about every time the two of them were on the page together I legit laughed out loud. Multiple times. And then once they started to get *really* close? Happy sigh…
The secondary characters–Verity’s sister, all three of Malcom’s “associates”–were just as wonderful. I had to smile every time Verity had a sit down with the two older toshers who lived with Malcom–goodness, they were all just do adorable together. And when Verity’s sister gets herself involved in their relationship? Pure. Gold. Fingers crossed that she’ll be in her own book when she’s a little bit older…
In Bed with the Earl (though goodness, there isn’t any “in bed”-ing with this earl for ages, it is worth the wait, at least, but I digress…) is the first in Ms Caldwell’s new series, Lost Lords of London. I couldn’t out this one down–I am so here for this series! Bring on book two 🙂
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
4.5 stars. Christi Caldwell writes such deeply emotional stories, and this one is no exception. Percival Northrup, heir to the Earl of Maxwell, is kidnapped as a child. Renamed Malcom North, he grows up in the sewers of London as a “tosher,” someone who scavenges the sewers for lost treasure. When he is discovered to be the new earl as an adult, everyone in Polite Society wants to know his story. Verity Lovelace, the natural born daughter of an aristocrat, is barely able to provide for her sister, her nurse, and herself from her job as a newspaper reporter. To keep her position, she bargains to get the big story of the time – the lost heir.
Caldwell’s stories always portray people struggling to deal with difficult circumstances. Their loving relationship is the catalyst for a major improvement in their lives. Malcolm is clinging to the things he knows because he has no real hope for the future. He ends up caught between two worlds. The same is true for Verity. But together they conquer all. There were quite a few tears shed before the end. A lovely story written with great depth and sensitivity.
ARC provided through Netgalley.
A good reporter with a great story.
Verity Lovelace is a reporter. She’s in the fight of her life to keep her job to support her sister and old nurse. Her break will come when she has Malcolm’s story. Kidnapped as a child, Malcolm doesn’t want to remember his past. He’s a man with demons and resists any form of affection. From the sewer to an Earl, only one woman can win his heart. An exceptionally strong lady who doesn’t take no for an answer even with an unexpected betrayal.
Praise for a great series.
In Bed with the Earl by Christi Caldwell
Lost Lords of London Series Book One
Malcolm North’s is in The Dials, actually more in the sewers there. What his life was before then is nothing but a lost memory. And he was just fine until he got a visit from Connor Steele. A detective who used to be one of them, but was now more of a nob. Steele was looking into aristocrat children who’d been stolen…who had titles waiting for them to claim. No thanks.
Verity Lovelace was the caretaker for her younger sister. Their old nursemaid depended on her too. Thankfully, she had a job secured for her at The Londoner newspaper. She’d been there for twelve years and was finally a reporter…now she had to get a big story to hold her job. She’d do anything to make sure she could provide for her sister.
Life wasn’t easy for orphans, and that was what both Malcolm and Verity were. Of course, men had more choices in life. A great story as their lives collide, each fighting to keep what they have. Each was just wanting to continue to survive.
**Sexual content and language
https://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/2014/08/christi-caldwell-book-list.html
As I have said many times before, I love audiobooks. One of my favorite genres is historical romance.
Christi Caldwell has become one of my favorite historical romance authors. I love that she keeps challenging the genre. Her characters aren’t the normal society sweethearts. They’re not the perfect and pristine.
In her latest book, In Bed with the Earl, news reporter Verity Lovelace has to prove that women are capable of uncovering the story as well as a man, often better. For Verity the story will make the difference between keeping her job or being out on the street with nothing.
The story she has to uncover is that of The Lost Earl. The earl, Malcolm North, the heir of the Earl of Maxwell was taken from his home as a child. He doesn’t remember his past and he has no desire to be found. He definitely does not want to share his story.
Desperate, Verity follows a clue into the sewers searching for the earl. After losing her shoes and nearly being eaten by rats, she is attacked by a man all of whom a handsome stranger saves her from. When she realizes her handsome rescuer is the lost earl, she tries to get her story from him, but he refuses. With no other choice she writes the only story she has, the story of her rescuer.
While people speculate why the earl would want to continue to live and work in the sewers of London the fine families of London are willing to wed him to their daughters for a piece of his fortune. Angry with Verity for setting this chaos in motion, the two make a bargain. They may get more than they bargained for as they uncover the past, the truth about family and honor, and learn what it is to love.
If you like your romance with a bit of history and a little twist, then you need to check out this fantastic novel by Christi Caldwell.
I have to say, this is one of my favorite books of 2020 and there have been some truly amazing books so far!
This is a solid 4.5 star romance. It is slightly steamy. I took off a half a star for what I believed was the author being too wordy. While I liked the description of characters and scenes for me it could’ve been slightly shorter with the same quality. I will certainly read another book by her.
“But then, perhaps that was what it was ultimately all about: men of every station truly feared women and what they might do to their ordered world.”
In Bed with the Earl is book one in the Lost Lords of London series by Christi Caldwell. This is another great meshing of her worlds, just with characters we’ve never met before. Verity Lovelace is the illegitimate daughter of the late Earl of Wakefield. She was forced into work at a London newspaper, caring for her baby sister Livvie at the age of twelve, thankfully she grew to love her work. Unfortunately, men at the newspaper are working in earnest to remove her as a journalist. The only way she can save herself is breaking the story on the recently found Earl of Maxwell, aka Malcolm North. Malcolm was stolen from his sick bed and forced into the London slums as a child. He’s a self-made man as a tosher “sewer pirate” and has no need for anyone and doesn’t want anything he hasn’t earned. Verity immediately throws him off balance the minute he finds her laughing in his sewers. I would say this is a true enemies to lovers story and the heat between Malcolm and Verity burns off the pages. Malcolm is a man people never say “No” to and Verity is a woman who has heard “No” her whole life. Eventually Verity and Malcolm help each other find their in their new circumstances within the ton and realize how much they need each other. I really love these grittier novels about unconventional heroes and heroines. I feel like this book ties up some storylines and opens up others. The ending was perfect!
P.S. Christi manages to echo back to her previous books about Verity’s half-sisters with small moments, like the loss of her ribbons. I had hoped we would see more of her relationship with them, but I’m sure we’ll have another chance in Benedict and Livvie’s stories.
Bookstagram: @hopeless.book.romantic
Who better to be a heroine of this crazy story than a gossip columnist reporter? I really enjoyed all of these characters, and this wild ride of a plot! I look forward to the rest of the series!
I really liked this book. The author has written a story that caught you in from the beginning and that particularly kept me reading every chance I had free.
Verity and Malcolm are strong, determined people who have survived and struggled to move forward despite the problems and injustices they face. After being robbed of his family and everything that was rightfully his, Malcolm grows up in the sewers and forms a kingdom where his word is obeyed at all time or suffer consequences, but when someone discovers that he is an earl and the rightful heir to the title his life changes radically, not only because he doesn’t want that noble life, but also because in his quest to keep her job as a reporter, Verity will go down into the sewers in search of the count and his story, and that’s when Malcolm and Verity’s paths will cross changing their life’s forever.
With a very well elaborated and sustained story the author takes us through the life of these characters, their sorrows and misfortunes where we will witness the injustices and betrayals, but also the friendship and love that they will live through the book.
I have enjoyed reading and I am looking forward to reading the next part of this series. I hope we have Livvie’s book because I think she is a beautiful character who deserves her own story.
4.5 stars
#NetGalley #InBedWithTheEarl
Another hit by Christi Caldwell. Loved Verity and Malcolm.
I love her books and this one didn’t disappoint.