“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)Introducing the Bow Street Bachelors—men … Bow Street Bachelors—men who work undercover for London’s first official police force—and the women they serve to protect. . .and wed?
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?
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I got to read this book very early, and have been looking forward to its release ever since! Georgiana is an heiress in need of a husband, but only very temporarily. She plucks a likely candidate out of Newgate Prison and marries him, confident he’ll be hanged soon. Unfortunately for her, he’s a spy, and not only does he NOT hang, he turns up in society…very interested in getting to know his wife. Adventurous, romantic, tender and funny, with some derring-do from both of them! A great spy romance.
This is the first book by Ms Bateman that I have read. It grabbed me from the first page. What an unusual way to start the story. The story was filled with two love stories and all the adventure, mystery, suspense, excitement, romance and humor that you would want. The characters where all wonderfully written and flowed together nicely. It was an easy read and I found it hard to put down. I am hoping there will be more books to follow telling the story of the secondary characters. There was a couple of sex scenes which this reviewer skipped and it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. I will be looking forward to reading more by this author. I received this book as an ARC and freely give my review.
This was an absolute pleasure to read from start to finish. When heiress Georgie Caversteed takes measures to prevent her low life cousin from forcing her into marriage, it had to be desperation to marry a convict fixing to hang. A convict who isn’t a convict, a marriage that is really real and a plot to free Napoleon from St. Helena, create non-stop adventure and unending amusement.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
Some books are like an appetizer, some like the main course, some like dessert. This book is a whole buffet. This Earl Of Mine by Kate Bateman is a whole smorgasbord of delightful reading. Ms. Bateman has once more delivered a well-written book and furnished it with a cast of characters that are spectacular. Georgiana is rich, smart and trying to stay out of the clutches of her cousin. Benedict is a second son, war hero and working undercover for Bow Street when Georgiana convinces him to marry her while he’s in prison. Benedict and Georgiana’s story is packed with drama, humor, action, spice and suspense. I loved every page. The worst part of the book….yes, it ends. But hey, you can always read it again, right? I can’t wait to read my next book from Kate Bateman. This Earl Of Mine is book 1 of the Bow Street Bachelors but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger. Now where is the 6th star so I can finish this review?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Miss Georgiana “Georgie” Caversteed needs a husband – NOW – her cousin Josiah has been getting more aggressive in his attempts to force her into marriage and she is worried if she doesn’t marry a man of her own choosing, Josiah will compromise her and she will be forced to marry him. Georgie is a considerable heiress, her father left her his shipping business and with the help of her man of business, Georgie has continued to build on her father’s success. She has had several offers for marriage – but all of them were in love with her money and not her, so she had decided to take matters into her own hands and will marry a condemned man and live happily ever after as a widow. But her plan hit a snag when the man she planned to marry died and the only other option is a man that is being transported. Not ideal, but it is better than marrying Josiah!
Benedict “Ben” Wylde, brother to the Earl of Morcott is in Newgate undercover – he is working for Bow Street trying to uncover a plot to try and rescue Napoleon from exile again – When the guard demands that he marry Georgiana, his first reaction is to refuse, but refusal is not an option. He thinks that they will marry and then they can easily dissolve it later. So he signs her contract stating that he will never lay claim to her fortune and they marry. When the ceremony is over he teases a kiss out of her before she leaves.
Days later, Georgie is shocked to see her “husband” in Lady Langton’s ballroom. They dance and she demands answers, he tells her to meet him at his club and they will be able to talk in private. She hears rumors and thinks that Ben tricked her, but logic takes over and she knows there is no way he planned to marry her. Ben is broke, his father bankrupt the earldom and he and his brother John are working hard to restore it. Ben was in the army and when he sold his commission, he used the money to invest in a gaming hell with his friends Lord Alexander Harland, the Duke of Southwick’s younger son and Sebastian Wolff, the Duke of Winwick’s illegitimate son. Alex and Seb don’t need the money, but they like the adventure, which is why they also do jobs for Bow Street. The Tricorn Club is beginning to take off, but as of now it isn’t making Ben rich.
When they meet, they realize that there is no easy way to end their marriage and decide to make the best of it. Since she has told people she married a sailor, “he” will have to die and Ben will court her and they will marry again. They will stay together long enough for gossip to die down and then go their own ways. It is the perfect plan! But as they say, the best laid plans…
I loved this story, it was fresh, fun and entertaining. I really loved Georgie and Ben, they have such great chemistry between them and neither is quick to believe the worst of the other. The secondary characters including his friends Alex and Seb are great additions to the story without stealing the limelight and her sister Juliet and her love Simeon are wonderful and provide comic relief. If I had any complaint it would be that Josiah got off too easy, but even that didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment. So if you are looking for a light-hearted, fun story with steamy love scenes, a decent mystery and great characters, look no further, this is that book.
This is the first book in a new series and it is a lighter style than this author’s K.C. Bateman offerings, but it is a delightful read and I am happy to recommend it.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*
I’ve always loved the marriage for convenience trope and with This Earl of Mine the fact that the chosen groom happened to be a prisoner about to be hanged was an extra incentive to read this. From the first chapter, readers know that the heroine Georgiana is a young lady to be reckoned with. She’s one who refuses to stand around and do nothing to change her situation. Trapped by what society expects of her in terms of marriage, she also refuses to just give her fortune to a future husband. So deciding to marry a condemned man will fix her problems for her, getting rid of fortune hunters including her wastrel of a cousin! But things went wrong from the start, well right in many ways, the prisoner from Newgate also happens to be a peer of the realm plus not really a criminal but war veteran Benedict Wylde. And this was just the beginning of an adventure for Georgina and Ben. Fantastic, well written, with a great plot, and characters that just jumps off the pages with their depth, personality and sexual chemistry, This Earl of Mine is one romantic adventure that is guaranteed to keep you turning the pages!
Wow! What can I say but yummy yummy yummy yum yum! Thank you, Kate Bateman!
What a wonderful debut of the Bow Street Bachelors Regency series with a fast-paced read that is so well-written, I felt like I had traveled back to 1816 London and was totally immersed in all that was happening from the beginning and I really didn’t want the book to end. I loved the engaging characters especially smart and wealthy shipping heiress Georgiana Caversteed and her instant attraction and undeniable chemistry with Benedict Wylde, well-known rake who she meets and he agrees to a fake marriage while he is working undercover in Newgate Prison. “This Earl of Mine” is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a well-crafted Regency romantic adventure. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
Kate’s writing is one of a kind! Love this one!
I absolutely can not say enough about this book. Bateman has a unique way of writing historical romance that immerses you in the time period in a natural way that never feels forced or self indulgent. The story flies by filled with witty banter, intelligent and savvy characters, and interesting history. The chemistry between Georgina and Benedict in this one is off the charts. I recommend.
Well, this new series certainly got off to an exciting start. The premise is unique, the romance is lovely and the mystery is a good one. I don’t feel the mystery overshadows the romance at all – I actually think it enhances it. The story is well-written, well-plotted and well-delivered. I loved both of the main characters – both were strong, intelligent and competent. What I liked most about the characters though, is that they were very honest with each other – no big secrets to come out and bite them. She even told her mother and sister what would have been a big secret in any other book. So – thank you to the author for providing us with two main characters who were honest and forthright with each other and others.
Georgiana Caversteed is a very, very, very rich young lady who is very intelligent and is definitely in charge of her own life. She makes her own decisions and then acts upon them. When her sludge-pot of a cousin, Josiah, makes a nuisance of himself and makes it plain that he will compromise her in order to marry her and gain control of her fortune, she makes her own plan to thwart him. Her plan? She’ll go to Newgate prison and marry a man who is to be executed the next day. That way, she can marry and then become a widow in short order. That will work for her because widows have more leeway in society and her cousin shouldn’t be able to compromise her and force a marriage.
Benedict William Henry Wilde is the poor brother of the poor Earl of Morcott. Their profligate father ran the earldom into the ground and it has been all Benedict’s brother, John, can do to keep afloat. There are massive debts and Benedict helps to pay what he can – which leaves him with little money for himself. He used the money he got from selling his Army commission to open the Tricorn Club, a gambling hell, along with his two friends Sebastian Wolff and Alexander Harland. They all vowed to make their fortunes together.
Benedict, Alex, and Seb supplement their income by working for Bow Street on special cases where access to the ton is needed. Benedict is currently working on a case involving the possible rescue of Napoleon from St. Helena and he’s undercover in Newgate prison. He’s certainly surprised when the jailer comes to his cell and drags him out to marry a woman he’s never seen – but he has heard of her. It isn’t like he can refuse – at least not if he wants to live to get out of the prison, so he goes through with it.
Georgiana expects her new husband to be on his way to Australia the next morning as he was being transported. Only – she soon finds out that it didn’t happen. When she sees him in a ballroom her mouth drops open. Obviously he isn’t gone and now they have some serious matters to discuss.
I liked watching the two of them work through their issues by discussing them openly and honestly and then coming to a solution for themselves. They quickly came to respect and admire each other and, of course, love soon followed.
It was a lovely read even though it was a totally improbable tale. Women weren’t allowed to actually own property at that time, so there would have had to be a male trustee, guardian – something.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Georgiana Caversteed is tired of fortune hunters asking for her hand in marriage. She is especially done with her cousin Josiah, who has gambled and drunk his way into debt, trying to compromise her to force her into marriage. Georgiana devises a plan to marry a criminal condemned to hang so she will then be a widow and be free. That plan went south. She ends up marrying Benedict Wylde, brother to the Earl of Morcott, both of whom must work out ways to pay off their father’s debt. After three years fighting Bonaparte Ben returns to London and joins the Bow Street runners to help out and he is in Newgate Prison trying to get information on a treasonous plot. They marry in Newgate. So now Georgie is still married and so not a widow. The new plan is to fake an engagement and marriage and then part ways. That wouldn’t be much of a romance story if that’s all that happened. Autor Kate Bateman has produced a fine plot with lots of adventure and some sexy times. I enjoyed the storyline in this book and the delightful characters Georgie and Ben as they discoveredtheir true love.
OMG, this book is everything! Absolute romantic perfection!
One of the best opening lines ever! How can you not read a book that starts like this?
“There were worse places to find a husband than Newgate Prison. Of course there were.”
Written in third person alternating POV, this is a wonderfully deep and expansive romance with characters who are both irresistible to each other and to the reader. Benedict and Georgie take us along for an exciting adventure, filled with amazing historical detail and edge-of-your-seat action, and includes both their strong focal romance as well as a sweetly-developed secondary love story, both of which get the full HEA treatment by the end of the book.
Georgie is a smart, successful woman who rises to the challenges life has given her and isn’t afraid to think outside the box for solutions. Ben is the exact opposite of the man she thought she was marrying, yet she couldn’t resist the allure of partnering with him to investigate the situation that landed him in Newgate to begin with.
The writing style takes us right into the hearts and minds of the main characters, beautifully detailing their conflicts and triumphs, with an intelligent wit and next-level wordplay. There are many absolutely delicious layers of promise in the way the author describes Georgie’s feelings, and how she reacts to Ben. Though their marriage is known only to themselves, I swooned every time Ben demonstrated his gently-possessive hold on her by privately referring to her as Mrs. Wylde, as if it were their own inside joke.
I couldn’t love this book more if I had written it myself. It’s a literary work of art, a joy to read from the first line to the last. This book deserves a place on every historical romance must-read list. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Georgiana, trying to escape her conniving cousin, marries an inmate of Newgate who she believes will be transported within a few days and is surprised to see him weeks later at a ball. Benedict explains that he was working undercover when she forced his hand into marriage. The story tells of how their sham of a marriage starts to become something they both want to make last. Romance is not the only thing going on in this book, it involves a kidnapping, a plot to help Napoleon escape and a secondary romance. The book is well written and entertaining. It is a good read and I would recommend it.
4.5
WILL A FALSE MARRIAGE LEAD TO TRUE AND LASTING LOVE?
How liberating, to be able to share a joke with someone of equal wit and flexible morals.
When your cousin is intent on marrying you and stealing all of your money, what choice do you have but to find a husband on death row? That seemed the logical solution to shipping heiress Georgiana Caversteed. Once her “husband” was put to his death, she would be a widow. She planned to tell everyone her husband was a sailor and was at sea, thereby letting her be free to live as she chose and keeping her cousin far away from her and her vast wealth.
Only, plans don’t always go as intended, and her husband, Benedict Wylde turned out to be the second son of the late Earl of Morcott and was only in prison because he was runner/investigator for Bow Street (the senior magistrate court in the capital). He’d been hired to find out who was trying to free Bonaparte.
A secret marriage of convenience turns into a necessity. For her, it keeps her cousin away from her wealth and avoids a scandal amongst the ton for both her and her sister. For him, she’s the perfect cover and he genuinely enjoys spending time with her …
I’d know you anywhere, Georgie girl.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I cannot wait to read more. Her storytelling is captivating. I loved these characters and couldn’t wait for their happy ending.
‘This Earl of Mine’ was a slow-burn romance filled with sexy times and entertaining banter.
A shipping heiress marries a condemned man in hopes to gain her independence as a widow to protect her fortune and family. When things don’t go as planned and she sees her husband across a ballroom, she’ll need to find out why he’s still around and how to resolve their predicament.
Georgie and Benedict are forces of nature, hard-working, loyal and strong willed. While he’s a penniless second son of an Earl who’s had a life of adventure, she craves to have some in her life. Once they get to know each other, they’ll learn not all is as it seems, rumors are not always true and find a mutual respect for each other.
I enjoyed the characters and the plot as well as the elements of intrigue and espionage of the story. It was a fun, entertaining and very easy read, but it was my first read by the author and I found her writing style a little lacking for the genre.
Really liked the story of Georgia, an extremely rich lady who marries a man in Newgate prison who is about to be sent to Australia. Benedict Wylde, is undercover in Newgate and was chosen to marry Georgie. He had to sign a paper that he was not able to come back for more than was given him initially. When she sees him in a ballroom months later she was surprised. Even though they decided he would court her for several months then they “marry” so they can be seen together, but will separate. He tells her the job he was doing that landed him in Newgate she wanted to help because she wanted an adventure. They had several mishaps but managed to get out with help of each other and his friends.
Kate Bateman is another on my always buy list!
Kate Bateman This Earl of Mine
Good romance novel. However it seemed to have information not needed toward the end.