Overall I enjoyed reading this, the first I've read of Anna Bennet's work.
Here we have a determined heroine, who is very protective of her family. She decides to tackle the blackmailer on her own to not only protect her adopted sister, but also her father with his weak heart. A few times changes in her father's behavior are mentioned - he's hardly at home with his family - but there is no further development or explanation along those lines. The step-mother seems at times loving, yet on occasion a bit beastly. I did wonder if she is the cause of the father's avoidance. Maybe that will be explained in Lily's story.
Gray has some emotional baggage from his dead parents. He'll do anything for his grandmother, who eyes gleam when she hears 3 young misses will come to visit..

I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoy historical romance and enjoyed Bennett's Wallflower series. Anna Bennett's new series, Debutante Diaries, starts with Fiona determined to protect her younger sister, Lily, from a scandal not of her making. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and how they came about discovering in each other a completeness. I look forward to reading Lily's story. I give this a 3.5 of 5 stars.

I love the stories with cantankerous, grumpy earls (or other peers) where the earl realizes that he cannot keep up his moodiness but succumbs to love even if he is being pulled by a headstrong, family loving, compassionate woman. This story is just a fun read. There are laughing moments, poignant moments and a mystery. I must say I did not totally figure out the villain until close to the end. Both Gray and Fiona are likeable characters that had me cheering for them – was a little worried at the end. A great story.

First Earl I See Tonight has a brave, strong, independent heroine, Fiona, proposing marriage to a recently jilted earl. I love that one of the reasons she proposes marriage to him in particular is that she knows he will not hurt her. Fiona chose David Gray, Earl of Ravenport, because she needs her dowry money fast. Fiona saw something in him that his former fiance did not – his kind heart.

Gray believes he cannot love, is incapable of it. Whereas, Fiona grew up in a loving home, Gray grew up with parents who did not even like each other. He had his grandmother and best friend, Kirby, to help make his life not quite so miserable. Now he was to return his grandmother’s kindness by bringing her former home back to at least part of its former beauty before she loses her eyesight.

Gray believe he can run Fiona off by taking her to his country home, the Fortress. It is pretty much falling apart. The Fortress was too much for his former fiance. She broke their engagement partly because of it and partly because he is short of funds. But, Gray’s heart begins the melting process at the house party as he spends time with Fiona.

Back to the reason Fiona needs to marry quickly is to protect her sister’s parentage from being exposed by a blackmailer. Fiona and Lily have always know they were not true sisters; that Lily is adopted, but neither of them knew Lily’s real mother. The blackmailer does and he wants a lot of money to keep it quiet.

I loved the intrigue in the charming romance. I love that Gray learned to love and trust what he saw in Fiona. He believed in her. That love sent them on the way to their HEA. I am looking forward to Lily's romance!

This was a new author to me, and I was very impressed! I very much enjoyed the story of Fiona and Gray and look forward to reading the rest of this series.

Fiona is being blackmailed regarding a family secret and decides she will use her dowry money to pay off the blackmailer, but she needs to find a husband first. She decides she will marry Gray as she knows he is a kind man who is in desperate need of funds.

Having recently been jilted, Gray is not in the marrying mood so decides he will try to put Fiona off by having a house party at his dilapidated manor house. Of course, this does not go to plan.

I found the characters great in this book and the story is interesting. I found the twist somewhat far fetched but it didn't put me off. It was a nice, light hearted read.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book 1 in a new series called the Debutante Diaries. This was a fun read. I enjoyed it a lot and couldn’t but it down. The story was well done and the romance was enjoyable. I am looking for more in the series.

I've enjoyed other books by Ms. Bennett, but this one was just ok. It started out great although a bit far-fetched. Ms. Fiona Hartley is being blackmailed and she needs to marry in order to access her dowry money. She proposes marriage to David Gray, Earl of Ravenport, who is in desperate need of funds to restore his family seat. This certainly was a different way to start a regency romance, but I wonder why the blackmailer did not blackmail her father who is a wealthy tradesman?

I liked Gray a lot. His desire to restore The Fortress for his grandmother was a sweet gesture. Gray's back story is dark and only the slightly clumsy Fiona seems to soothe some of that darkness for him. I loved that Fiona is not just a wealthy heiress, but a talented artist in her own right. Some of the dialogue between these two is quite entertaining, but can you fall in love with someone in two short weeks?

I did figure out who the villain was although some of his actions were over the top and didn't make sense at the end. In any case, there are some enjoyable parts to this book although there were some things that didn't click with me.

Fiona Hartley doesn't fit in with the ton. Her family comes from trade and that isn't acceptable. She loves her Family and when a blackmailer threatens to release a horrible secret she needs to find a protector. She turns to Gray the Earl of Ravenport. She propose to him because she knows he needs money like she needs to protect her family. Gray is horrified and intrigued. What follows is a "will they or won't they" back and forth at a house party at Gray's dilapidated estate. Lots of fun ensues on the way to happily ever after.
I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review.

I requested this title through Netgalley because the title made me smile.
There are things I didn't like in there but overall, I really enjoyed this novel.

What I didn't like was the villain and the plot revolving around him, blackmail and all that. This person was a caricature, plain and simple. The pretext for both heroes to meet was very, very light : who would blackmail a girl who depends on her parents and has no money instead of blackmailing said parents, who can afford to pay ? And when she's about to be able to pay, the blackmailer forbids her to do so ? Because of a loyalty he feels toward someone he thinks so very little about ? Nah, not believable.

Once that is said, the good part : that was the main couple itself. They had chemistry, they were believable together, they didn't fall in love instantly, they had personality, they were so very likeable. They often made me smile and I rooted for them in spite of what I said above - which means a lot, because I hate unbelievable plots !

I had a real fun time with them and am looking forward to reading the next book which will be released next year.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book but found many holes in the plot that kept gnawing away at me.
I liked the main characters. The relationship that was forged seemed to be genuine by the end. However, Fiona did not fit into the historical time period. She seemed like a modern day girl. She knew what she wanted, she said what she wanted and she did what she wanted. This goes against the stereotypes of the day. The other major problem I had was with the villain. The whole set up came out of nowhere, and did not flow with the rest of the story.

That is definitely one of the better historical romances I read in a long time. I went into this book blind and didn't expect much, because of how many times I was disappointed before. But this time I was pleasantly surprised.
I didn't expect to find such a fast paced story with witty, charming and strong characters. It is a rarity for me to like so many characters in one book, but I did and it made the book even more enjoyable.
There were so many times I laughed out loud and for once I didn't have to roll my eyes in annoyance of the decisions, that the characters made.
Can't wait to read more books by Anna Bennett.

“Sometimes love is measured in altogether different ways—like shared secrets, understanding smiles and reassuring touches…”

The Earl of Ravenport, known by his friends and family as Gray, is a powerful Earl and future Count, but in name only. Unfortunately, his coffers are all but empty, and his family estate is crumbling down around him. His goal is to bring The Fortress back to its original grand splendor for his grandmother’s sake, and his reputation be damned.

Fiona Hartley’s family is rich as Midas, but since they have earned their money rather than been born with a title, they are not easily accepted among The Ton. Fiona loves her family more than anything, and when she receives a blackmail note demanding money or a dark family secret will be revealed to all, Fiona will stop at nothing to pay off the blackmailer. Desperate for funds, Fiona pens a letter to the Earl of Ravenport propositioning him to a marriage of convenience. This will allow Fiona to gain access to her dowry to pay off the blackmailer, and give Gray the much needed funds to repair his estate.

Gray can’t believe the boldness behind Fiona’s proposal. Vowing to never love or be loved, he invites The Hartley’s and his closest friends to a house party at his estate in hopes of scaring her away. As the days go by, he’s slowly realizing that there is so much more to Fiona, and she may just well be the one to melt his frozen heart.

First Earl I See Tonight is the first book I’ve read by Anna Bennett, and I absolutely loved it! Once I started, the pages flew by and I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend to lovers of historical romance, and look forward to reading more from this author!

Fairly typical historical romance with feisty heroine and dark brooding hero. Love as always conquers all. Liked the characters.

2.5 Stars

When trying a new-to-me author, I try to keep an open mind, but I had some difficulty in doing that with this one. The problem is that this ARC came to me after a series of disappointing ARCs for new-to-me, established authors, so I was leery. I had my defenses in place for another disappointing sampling of a new-to-me author. Then it started chipping away at those defenses. While it took a little for me to get into the writing — it felt somewhat clunky and wordy at first, it did start to flow well after the first chapter or two. It wasn’t going to take a place amongst my favorites, but it was very readable. The MCs were likable and their romance was enjoyable (there was a particularly yummy scene in a rowboat). I was rooting for them and found several parts sweet and compelling. Fiona was a resourceful and endearing heroine, and Gray was a grumpy yet attractive hero. They were both honorable, which I appreciated.

So, what went wrong? The choice in villain. I am so mad about this still! And not only was the choice upsetting to me, but the villain was much worse was than expected. Instead of lessening the blow, the author chose to amping up the volume. The joke was on me. I let my guard down while this plot twist snuck past and set a bomb. There was very little build up for it, and it essentially ruined the read for me. Sweet gestures by the hero at the end the book were nice, but at that point it all just felt contrived and convoluted.

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

This story was delightful. I haven't read one with a premise quite like this so it was refreshing. The heroine was extremely naive, but that was more charming and funny than irritating. Gray was fabulous once he started coming out of his shell and he actually wound up being a really great, romantic hero. Fiona could've handled some of this situation differently but everything worked out well in the end so I can't complain. There was a bit of intrigue here and a good old fashioned house party to bring it out. I enjoyed this one and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A love that just might be written in the stars.....I enjoyed this first book in a new series. Romance with a little mystery, enjoyable characters, and a little fun. This was a fun read. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Miss Fiona Hartley is being blackmailed. If she doesn't find a way to pay off her blackmailer, he will ruin her sister. Fiona is not about to let that happen. If she were married, Fiona would have access to her own funds. That is how Fiona finds herself proposing marriage to David Gray, the Earl of Ravenport.

Gray is shocked when Fiona asks him to marry her. He barely survived being cast off by his former betrothed, Gray is nowhere near ready to consider marrying anyone. To throw Fiona off his scent, Gray invites her to a house party at his crumbling estate. If that doesn't shake Fiona, he doesn't know what will. Gray has no idea what he is in for. Find out what happens in FIRST EARL I SEE TONIGHT.

Author Anna Bennett starts her DEBUTANTE DIARIES series off with a bang with FIRST EARL I SEE TONIGHT. It is a fast-paced, captivating read. Gray is scarred by the woman he was in love with. Luckily, he is able to see her for the person she really is when times get tough. That doesn't mean he's ready to move on. Fiona has a challenge on her hands when it comes to convincing Gray to marry her. What she imagines as a business deal soon takes a very unexpected turn for them both. I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment in Ms. Bennett's DEBUTANTE DIARIES series.

A few early opinions on this story left me nervous to read it, but I found it utterly charming. The premise is soooo far from believable, but if you just go with it, it’s thoroughly enjoyable.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed Fiona and Gray and the secondary characters. The book had a nice flow and the romance was believable. This is my first book by Anna Bennett but I'm sure it won't be my last. I received a free copy for my honest review.

Ms. Bennett has become one of my must read authors! Fiona and Grey are an unlikely pair. She is rich but her family is without a title. He has a title but is without funds. Who would guess when she proposes marriage between the two of them he would say no? This book is so good, it is hard to put down and you feel connected to Gray and Finona as well.