I have followed Jane Ashford’s works for years, and it’s always a pleasure to begin a new series with new adventures and characters to fall in love with. Brave New Earl starts of on a rather somber note as Benjamin is introduced as a grieving widower who cannot get past his late wife’s death. Their young son reminds him of his loss, so most of the time he cannot even be in the same room. Ben has cut himself off from most of the world, deep in his own personal grief and cannot seem to realize that while he does love his son, he is also leaving him to run wild without his father’s presence in his young life.

When Jean, a cousin of Ben’s late wife, learns of his son’s supposed neglect she immediately sets out to remove the young boy from Ben’s household. Jean knows first hand how a neglectful parent can affect a life, and she is determined that Geoffrey does not face the fate that she once did. She didn’t expect the attraction she had toward Ben, falling in love was not in her plan. Now comes the challenge to bring one Earl out of his grief and into the world of the living and the loving once again.

There is some world building, and I’m guessing some setting up of the rest of the series as well. Time will tell on that. I’m sensing a theme to this series, but again I’ll wait to see if my thoughts pan out. I enjoyed Brave New Earl and will definitely be following this new series. Jean and Ben work well as a couple, eventually. The scene robber here is one little 5 year old boy. Jean’s life as a child is heartbreaking, and it’s easy to understand why she is so determined to rescue Ben’s son from such a fate. While I liked Ben, it was Jean who captured most of my attention in their romance. There is a definite spark between them, and while the passion is present it is mostly a fade to black description. I had fun with this one and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Brave New Earl to any Regency Romance or Historical Romance reader. I’ll be watching for the next story in this series.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Vikki’s Musings

This is another interesting novel by Jane Ashford. Since I had read other books by this author, when I received an invitation from the publisher, via Net-Galley, I eagerly accepted. My opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

Brave New Earl has engaging characters, especially the young boy, Geoffrey. He grabbed my heart from his first scene and held it to the end. That little boy desperately needed a champion, and he got it in Jean Sanders.

As with all Jane Ashford's books, the writing flows smoothly capturing me early on. As some reviewers have mentioned, there are inaccuracies, but after all, it is fiction so they did not take away from my overall enjoyment.

Jean’s character is a true nurturer, and her determination to help Geoffrey endeared her to me. Her backstory is heartbreaking, and it easily lends itself to her passion to ensure the earl’s son has the emotional care and love he needs.

Benjamin is definitely a tormented hero, but one who is so enmeshed in his grief, he has left the care of his son to others without any thought to the child. That is not a trait I find appealing, so it took me quite some time to warm to his character. In the end, Ms. Ashford did redeem him for the most part.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the aspect of the story that involves Geoffrey, I did not feel a strong chemistry between the hero and heroine, making it difficult to crave a happy ending for them. As another reviewer mentioned, their romance feels rushed at the end.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy this novel. While it isn’t her best work, it still was engaging and I’m glad I had the chance to read it. Happy reading!

Benjamin and Jeans story was refreshing. This is truly a book about two people finding their way to put the past behind them. A little slow at first but a good read.

This book was a delightful escape and I can't wait to read the rest of the series Jane Ashford has planned. The growth of the relationship between Benjamin and Jean dealt well with the scars that grief and unhealthy relationships can leave on a person, and how they impact a person's ability to form new relationships. While Geoffrey and his well being was the reason that Benjamin and Jean came into one another's lives, in many ways he steals the book and I truly hope that we get a book about grown-up Geoffrey. If you're looking for a lighted-hearted but still remarkably insightful romance novel I highly recommend Jane Ashford's "Brave New Earl".

This was messy.

I rather think that is all that is needed to describe this, but let me try to be more descriptive. One of the central themes of this novel is grief. The hero is suffering from crippling grief since the death of his wife in childbirth t years ago. It is so severe that he has very little contact with anyone outside his home, has no idea who is in charge of his 5-year old son or that he ran away and was almost lost. Enter meddlesome uncle. The start of the story features a dinner hosted by said uncle in a sort of grief counseling setting. The other gentlemen present are introduced, never to be heard from again in this novel. It was series setup at its most obvious.

Then the novel takes us to hero, Benjamin’s, estate where an insistent female claiming relation to the dead wife, is just arriving proposing to take charge of the neglected son. The meddlesome uncle follows closely behind and the heroine stays on quickly turning the hero’s life upside down. The transitions were abrupt and there were multiple hints of direction or scenes that felt significant that led nowhere. The story was told from multiple characters’ POV, and sometimes they did not add to the story at all.

While I did not have trouble reading this, the plot was full of contrivances and felt, at times, nonsensical. This was a first for me by this author and I am unlikely to seek out more books by her.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Benjamin Romilly, Earl of Furness, wife died in childbirth five years ago leaving him a grieving widower with a young son. Miss Jean Saunders a cousin to Benjamin’s wife hears rumors of the young boy being neglected and decides to rescue him from his father. Benjamin simply wants everyone to leave him alone, let him grieve, he and his son are doing just fine or so he thinks until her interruption into the Earl's household simultaneously infuriates and invigorates him. Jane and Benjamin grow closer and she realizes being an independent woman is a lonely life, Benjamin see he’s been grieving to long, and his soon is seeking the love of a father who has no time for him in his busy life. Benjamin can hardly even look at his son because he looked so much like his mother. This is an enchanting story of two wounded souls and a young boy looking for a father’s love and attention as they all yearn for more, but not knowing how to reach out and live their lives. Will love heal all wounds and bring them all the HEA they so desperately want and deserve? They and the author does an excellent job of our main characters who very, very broken people. I have voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

In my mind Brave new Earl is a story about learning to let go, to let go of past pain, heart break, and torment. It is the story of Benjamin Romilly, the Earl of Furness, Jean Saunders, cousin to his late wife, and I will argue also Geoffrey the Earls son. Because although it is a love story between Benjamin and Jean, it also strongly involves Geoffrey, you see with out him...this story may never have happened.
I would strongly recommend this book, though I thought it started out somewhat slow, it picked up and grasped my attention very quickly. Would love to see if Geoffrey gets his own book someday!? With his personality he would make for a great leading role!

Brave New Earl by Jane Ashford is the first book in a new series (The Way to A Lord’ Heart). The series seemingly is going to focus on men (lords) who are struggling with death of loved ones. This book introduces the characters and then goes on to focus on one of the characters.

Benjamin Romilly, Earl of Furness is a widower. It has been five years since his wife died in childbirth leaving him with a son that he cannot even look at. While his son is not abused, neither is he cared for with attention. Jean Sanders finds this unacceptable and practically storms the residence. She is threatening to take the boy away and instead is convinced to stay. Suddenly a man who has been hiding away for years has house guests, including his uncle (who probably set this up) and is being pulled out of his melancholy to join the world only to find Jean is someone who is very interesting.

Ben and Jean sizzle. The situation are humorous at times and sad at times as they work toward a HEA. I enjoyed Brave New Earl by Jane Ashford and look forward to the next books in the series. Brave New Earl by Jane Ashford is a fun read.

Benjamin Romilly, the fifth Earl of Furness, has been grieving for his wife for 5 years and during that time has more or less been neglecting his son--the child who took his wife away from him. When his deceased wife's cousin appears on his doorstep claiming to take away the child, Benjamin is appalled at Miss Jean Saunders's audacity. Geoffrey was his son and no one was going to take him away. Soon after Ms. Saunders' arrival, his uncle also descends on his peace and quiet. Thus begins the transformation of life at Furness Hall.

I have enjoyed other books by Ms. Ashford, but this one was not one of my favorites. There are some serious issues that the book addresses which did give it some weight. However, I didn't find Geoffrey all that precocious--he was more of a wild little thing who knew no boundaries. I did enjoy the pace of the romance between Benjamin and Jean because it wasn't the insta-love ploy some authors use. It would have been totally unbelievability for Benjamin to snap out of the grief that had defined his life for so long.

Brave New Earl is the first in a new series by Jane Ashford which seems set to follow a group of gentlemen who have all experienced great loss, as they find their happily ever after. Benjamin, Earl of Furness, is still grieving his wife even five years after her death, so much so that he can hardly bear to look at his son Geoffrey since he sees too much of Alice in the boy. Consequently, Geoffrey is allowed to run somewhat wild and barely knows his father.

Miss Jean Somerset hears of her cousin Alice’s child being neglected and turns up on Benjamin’s doorstep in a righteous fury, determined to right things. Her passion largely comes from having been a neglected child herself, indeed an abused one. Her mother was clearly a manic depressive and the descriptions of the abuse Jean was subjected to are fairly graphic, including how Jean developed severe claustrophobia. Determined to protect Geoffrey from similar abuse, Jean is overprotective, amusingly so considering Geoffrey’s intelligence and determination. He’s a hilarious Plot Moppet of the best kind, one with his own arc within the story.

Jean was a great character, and I particularly liked her unruly hair - I have impossible hair of my own! Her childhood was brutal, but she had fought her way past it and made a life of her own despite that.

Honestly, I had less liking for Benjamin. He seemed ambivalent at best towards Geoffrey, which was utterly unfair. His trying to get rid of his son in order to be alone with Jean put a bad taste in my mouth, and he generally seemed more inclined towards letting Jean have her way as regards his son’s upbringing, than doing the right thing himself.

If you like your historicals without the sex-filled romps which seem to be de rigeur lately, this is a good one for you. There are a couple of fade-to-black scenes and some kissing, but that’s all.

The story didn’t quite seem to fit within the Regency period (one of my pet hate words in historicals, ‘gotten’, made several appearances) but it was still a charming and amusing read. I’m going to have to knock off a star for those ‘gottens’ though. Four stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.

The Way to a Lord's Heart: Brave New Earl (Book 1) by Jane Ashford is a delightful and charming Regency romance.  Follow, Benjamin Romilly, Earl of Furness, a widower with a five year old son and Miss Jean Saunders, a cousin to Benjamin's late wife on their journey of redemption, finding love and a HEA.

What strong, wonderful and charming characters! Well crafted, well written with plenty of wit, charm and romance. Readers will be glued to the pages of this charming,  witty, delightful and energetic Regency Romance. Unpredictable and unique with interesting obstacles, challenges and a strong romantic love story.

Ms. Ashford expertly bended the conventions of Regency historical with a refreshingly different, and sweetly romantic love story. Fans of cute kids, kitty antics and witty charm with a message of redemption will definitely enjoy BRAVE NEW EARL. BRAVO, Ms. Ashford!!! #NewGalley,#BraveNewEarl,#Sourcebooks

"I voluntarily received a complimentary copy, however,  these are my honest opinions. I was in no way required nor compensated to write a review."

Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Mild 
Reviewer: AprilR

Jane Ashford did a brilliant job with this book. Benjamin Romilly, the fifth Earl of Furness lost his wife five years ago and is still grieving. His uncle wants to help get him back on his feet. Jean Saunders had a horrible childhood she is still trying to overcome. She comes to see Geoffrey Benjamin's son, she plans to take the boy back to his grandparents because they have heard he is being neglected.

It has some very touching moments but also a touch of sex. Benjamin starts out reclusive until Jean shows up The characters are wonderful and lifelike. I love when Jean got her first kiss from Ben, She wants another but it might lead up to giving up all that is important to her, independence, managing her own money, and doing what she wants. You can see the changes beginning after he kissed her. The household also starts to relax. I loved Geoffrey, he is so precocious, intelligent and loving toward the end.
Thank you so much for letting me read this ARC, I enjoyed it tremendously.
I received this ARC and voluntarily reviewed it.

When Jean a cousin of his late wife comes to take his son. Benjamin realizes he has neglected him. But he is still grieving and his son reminds him too much of his wife. Jean is just what he really needed. The way grief is handled in such a sensitive way makes this touch your heart. I teared up a few times. I loved the supporting characters they brought insight and humor to the story. Watching Jean bring Benjamin back to life is really beautiful. Now Geoffrey who was the cutest little boy ever has two loving parents.

A story of second chances and finding happiness when least expected. Benjamin had lost his wife during childbirth and could not seem to come out of his grief. He had a hard time interacting with his five year old son Geoffrey because he reminded him of his mother too much. Jean, a distant cousin to Benjamin's late wife, barges into his household determine to to take Geoffrey with her. What occurs is a lot of humorous moments and Jean and Benjamin are such great characters. I enjoyed the dialogue and the interactions between the three and could not wait to see how it all turned out. Prepare to be entertained!

~~Reviewed by AnnMarie~~

Brave New Earl is the first book in The Way to a Lord’s Heart series by Jane Ashford.

I have read other reviews where inconsistencies with the time era have been pointed out and I am fortunate in as much as either I don’t notice them myself, or I do notice them but don’t let them bother me. I guess it depends on how much I am enjoying the story and how glaringly the inconsistencies stand out. I am happy to say that despite any in this book I still thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Benjamin Romilly, Earl of Furness is a widower. He is grieving so much that he has slipped into a slump where he sees nobody, goes nowhere and pays very little attention to his 5-year-old son.

Jean Saunders is a cousin of Ben’s late wife, Alice. When she hears at a party that her nephew is being sorely neglected she is determined to take the boy away from him and have him live with Alice’s grandparents. When she arrives at the estate and makes her demands Ben is horrified. He may not spend much time with his boy, but he is certainly not treated badly and nobody is ever going to take him away. Ben’s argument against his son not being looked after doesn’t start off well when the boy himself races into the room covered in what looks like blood, wearing just a homemade loincloth and wielding a real tomahawk!

Jean refuses to leave without the boy, and the longer she spends at the estate the more she helps Ben reach out to his son. She can see that he loves him and is happy to help as much as possible and to make sure Geoffery is a happy little boy. The more time she spends with the family also sees her starting to appreciate Ben, his good looks, his manners, and how he listens to her. He also happens to be very good looking and it isn’t long until Jean finds herself very infatuated with him. Fortunately Ben feels the same towards Jean, but he hasn’t even thought of moving on from Alice. Jean also has some serious baggage of her own due to her very neglected upbringing by her mother who resented Jean from her birth. There is a huge physical attraction between our hero and heroine, can they make do with that, or will they both want more? Can more be a possibility when they have so many obstacles to overcome?

The characters in this story, from the main ones to the lesser ones were all fabulous. Especially Geoffery, he was a right little tearaway but one with a heart of gold. I loved seeing how he grew throughout the story. I loved too the romance developing between Jean and Ben. Their intimate scenes were perfect. Not too much description, but still scorching with their passion. And the ending, well I can’t tell you what happens obviously, but rest assured that it was absolutely perfect and left me with a smile on my face.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

Benjamin Romilly, the fifth Earl of Furness, lost his wife, Alice, 5 years ago as she gave birth to their son, Geoffrey. Since then, he has been lost in his own world. He loves his son but doesn’t pay much attention to him. He has also cut many of the staff at his home, Furness Hall, in Somerset.

Benjamin had just been at Whites in London at the request of his uncle, Arthur Shelton, the earl of Macklin. There, he had been introduced to 3 other young titled men who had also faced the loss of family members. Shelton’s reason for the meeting was to let them know that they are not alone in their grief and that others share their pain.

Shortly after his return to Furness Hall, a young woman arrives who introduces herself as Jean Saunders, a cousin to his late wife, Alice. She announces to Benjamin that she is taking Geoffrey to live with his grandparents because the child is not receiving the love he should. Benjamin is furious at her audacity and demands that she leave. But then his uncle arrives saying that he has never met Geoffrey and wants to get to know him. Thus, Benjamin has no choice but to allow them both to stay.

When Geoffrey makes his appearance, he is a wild and energetic boy always getting into all kinds of mischief. Now, Benjamin realizes that he has not really been paying attention to how his son is acting and agrees with Jean and his uncle to involve the boy in some activities with them.

I cannot say that I enjoyed this book. How can a pushy woman make him do an immediate turnaround from grieving his wife to lusting after Jean? I didn’t find Geoffrey to be a precocious little boy, but more of a brat. The thing I did like was that the sex scenes were not detailed. That was a refreshing change.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was an excellent read that handled grieving in a sensitive way. There was such an interesting group of characters. Jean Saunders, has had a hard life but is a strong character and will fight for what she thinks is right. Benjamin, Earl of Furness was the one who was grieving for his wife. Jean was just the person he needed to help him move on with his life. As for Geoffrey, he was just a delight. The scene where he was behind the chair had me holding back the tears. Then there was Tom and Lord Macklin, Tom so wise for his years and Lord Macklin, the kindly interfering uncle! I look forward to reading more of them. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Widower Benjamin Romilly, Earl of Furness, is broken hearted. He still has not recovered from losing the woman he was very much in love with. Not only must he deal with that, but their son, Geoffrey, is a constant reminder of her. Up until now, Ben has avoided his son, but when a stranger shows up and tries to take Geoffrey away, Ben's eyes are opened.

When Miss Jean Saunders, a cousin of Ben's deceased wife, hears how Ben is neglecting his son, she sets about to change things. She grew up in a topsy-turvy household and she is determined that Geoffrey not suffer like her. Jean will stop at nothing to make sure he is being cared for, even if it means taking Geoffrey on as her own. She has no idea the fight she is in for, or just how much her presence in Ben and Geoffrey's lives will change things.

I was not a huge fan of BRAVE NEW EARL. Jean has led a troubled life, and she cannot stand by and see a family member mistreated. I know she kind of sticks her nose in where it doesn't belong, but I applaud her for watching out for her cousin's son, Geoffrey. Ben, on the other hand, I just could not relate to. I understand his grief and sorrow, but his neglect of his son is horrible. I was so glad when Jean showed up and made him see what he was missing out on. He really treats Jean despicably, in my opinion. However, as the story progresses, he comes to realize he has two very important people in his lives, Geoffrey and Jean. I am so Jean is the one to begin the healing process and help mend Ben's family.

BRAVE NEW EARL was both a heart breaking and heart warming beauty of a book. It begins with an unusual meeting in a men’s club where what appears to be a disparate group of gentlemen comes to realize they do have something in common: they are all suffering deeply due to the death of a loved one. So begins understanding the sadness that permeates the life of Benjamin Romilly, Earl of Furness.

Benjamin lost his wife following childbirth five years ago, and lost in continued grief, has a son he barely knows. In turn, his son, Geoffrey, knows him not at all and even refers to him as “the lord,” just as the servants do. But all of that begins to change when Miss Jean Saunders, a distant relative of his late wife, comes to make things right.

You can’t help but laugh at all that occurs when mixing Benjamin, Jean, Geoffrey, and the assorted other characters that all interact as a quiet house of sorrow begins to slowly awaken. Add to that a mystery that comes to light regarding his wife’s death. Together, Benjamin and Jean gradually turn an adversarial relationship into something much more dear.

BRAVE NEW EARL is a wonderfully insightful and touching novel that that can still make you laugh. It is absolutely a keeper!

3.4/5 stars

Plot: 3/5 - Brave New Earl centers on our protagonist, Miss Jean Saunders- an independent, stubborn young woman with a traumatic backstory. It's plot begins when she storms into the home of Lord Benjamin Furness, who is the widower of Jean's late cousin (second cousin?) Alice, intent on spiriting away his five-year-old son on the grounds that he's being mistreated. Of course all kinds of nonsense ensues from here, some of it light-hearted, some of it terribly deary. My favorite part of this story was BY FAR the romantic plot, mainly because it didn't take until the very end for the characters to recognize their feelings for each other. I dropped this score a bit because I thought there was enough internal conflict that the neighbor plotline was really unnecessary and because the ending seemed melodramatic for no reason.

Characters: 3/5 - I liked these characters but didn't love them. Jean was fiery and I loved her personality but, even though I KNOW it was there to establish her passion for child welfare, I didn't love her backstory. I won't go into it in detail, but definitely a trigger warning for child neglect, verbal abuse, and claustrophobia with this one. I wasn't too keen on Benjamin in the beginning, but I warmed up to him as he warmed up to Jean. I thought it was really sweet to see what a softy he really is :) His son, Geoffrey, was another main player. I thought overall he was written quite well but would perhaps be more believable as a seven-year-old. Still, it's hard not to be charmed by that mischievous imp. I also really enjoyed Tom as a side character, so I'm hoping he follows along with Benjamin's uncle in future books in the series. All other minor characters were pretty forgettable and again, in the case of the neighbors, at times unnecessary.

Pacing: 4/5 - I think the ending got a bit rushed with extra conflicts thrown in, but I was really pleased by the development of the romance and the pace it took. I think the same can be said for Geoffrey's relationship with his father.

Writing: 3/5 - Standard, passable writing. There were a few funny quips I highlighted, but nothing profound. I will mention here that if you're trying to dip your toes into the romance genre but feel squeamish or awkward about it veering into erotica territory, this book would be a good choice for you. The love scenes are very PG-13 fade-to-black and not at all explicit. (So alternately, if that's what you're looking for, this might not be your go-to lol).

Enjoyment: 4/5 - This was definitely a cute read! I'm not sure how memorable it will be in a few years, but I loved the main couple and, given this is a ROMANCE NOVEL, that's kind of what it's all about. I love very domestic couples so it was really cute to see them come together and work on Benjamin's household and his relationship with Geoffrey.