DNF at 30%. I jumped at this ARC because the blurb said the author has been "consistently compared to Eloisa James and Tessa Dare"; well, I read and read but I couldn't find anything like those authors' witty whimsy. Instead, I found two main characters who were likable on their own but not together. If anything, Gray and Fiona were stellar examples of people who needed to grow up and use their words. Or worse, characters whose motivations who make no sense.

In sum, Fiona, the daughter of a wealthy tradesman, receives an anonymous letter threatening blackmail over her adopted sister Lily's scandalous origins. Instead of (a) attempting to unmask the blackmailer or (b) paying off the blackmailer with Daddy's money, Fiona surmises that the ONLY way to save Lily is if she, Fiona, use her substantial dowry to marry a titled gentleman within a fortnight. I just typed that sentence and Fiona's logic still makes no sense to me.

Nevertheless, she chooses Gray because everyone knows he was jilted by his fiancee and needs money. And whaddya know, the jilted guy does not appreciate her offer of marriage, thank you very much. But our feisty Fiona refuses to accept his refusal and basically badgers him non-stop until Gray invites Fiona's family to his decrepit, shabby country estate in an effort to scare off the girl who would not accept no for an answer. I just typed that sentence and Gray's logic still makes no sense to me.

Fiona comes off as flighty and immature. She keeps the blackmail threats secret although her family could simply pay off the blackmailer. Then in an effort to force Gray's hand (so to speak), Fiona sends herself flowers and poetry and claims they are from Gray. Poor Gray must have felt like the object of an obsessive high school aged stalker. Especially when Fiona actually became angry with Gray for not going along with her harebrained scheme:
“I know you haven’t agreed to marry me—yet. But in the event that I’m able to persuade you, it’s important that our affections seem . . . genuine. Our engagement . . . normal.”

“There’s nothing normal about marrying someone you’ve known for less than a fortnight, Miss Hartley, and all the flowers and poetry in the world can’t make it so.”
And Fiona literally can't take no for an answer:
“I don’t want to falsely raise your hopes with flattery,” he said regretfully. “The chances of me marrying you are almost nil.”

“So, there is a chance,” she said, triumphant.

“A minuscule chance.” God he felt like an ass. But the sooner she accepted the truth, the better off she'd be.
By the time Fiona's family descends upon Gray's home, I'm embarrassed for the harasser and the harassee. I liked Gray and I liked Fiona (kind of) but I just didn't enjoy their painfully awkward "courtship". It may be that my expectations were too high (if you say this author writes like Tessa Dare, then it better be worthy of her name).

Note: I voluntarily reviewed this eARC generously provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Good Historical romance with mystery,conflict and romance.
Gray is a brody Earl and Fiona is a girl in trouble trying to protect her family.
Drama,suspense,mystery and sweet romance that grows.
All great characters that make the story..
Enjoyed reading.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Four incredible stars for this fantastic debut to the new series by Anna Bennett! Fiona desperately needs money because she’s being blackmailed so she turns to Gray, Earl of Ravenport, and asks him to marry her. By marrying, she gets access to her money and he will have funds to restore his home which is crumbling.

Gray is very broody and thinks Fiona is insane, but slowly she worms her way in and helps him learn to love. Fiona and Gray are great characters and their romance is sweet with some funny moments. I love Gray’s grandmother and his affection towards her. The mystery of who the blackmailer is was also well done. The romance and mystery blend seamlessly into one great tale.

I look forward to further stories in this series.

I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I loved this book! Historical romance is my favorite, especially when there is another element. This one has mystery and blackmail! The resulting conflict is intriguing and the entire book was a great read.

This is a wonderful book that I found myself totally charmed by. Fiona is the young lady of means, but no title, and therefore one of the "lessers", who finds herself being blackmailed. The only way she can access her substantial dowry is to marry.

Since Fiona doesn't have a suitor, she makes an unconventional proposal to an unconventional Earl. When Gray receives her proposal, he considers it ridiculous and rejects it outright. However, they begin an odd relationship that has both of them far outside their comfort zones.

If you enjoy historical romance with a bit of humor, you will love this book. It is absolutely delightful and had me flipping pages just as quickly as possible to see what happened next - yet I was sorry when it ended. I was so engaged by the characters that I didn't want their story to end.

This is a must read for fans of the genre. While the author is new to me, I have added her to my must read authors' list.

Enjoyed this! The characters were strong and likeable. I liked the setting. The journal entries at the beginning of each chapter did not interest me—I skipped those.

This is pretty standard fare. The heroine and hero are both honorable people for whom you wish happiness. I knew who the villain was for some time before it was revealed. All told, the story isn’t amazing, but it's a decent read all the same.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Now, see, the thing is, I have only myself to blame. When an author is promoted as being "consistently compared to Eloisa James and Tessa Dare", alarm bells should go off in my head (they did, in fact, but stupid me felt in the mood for something light and fluffy and ignored them…) and tell me to stay away. The thing is, neither of those two authors' works have appealed to me lately for some reason. Which is a shame, because I used to LOVE their books. The point I am trying to make with this rambling is, if you love Tessa Dare and Eloisa James, you will adore this book! It just isn't my thing. I wish I could love them as much as everyone else and just suspend my belief and go with all the crazy antics, but I can't. I bet this will be one of those books everyone around me will love, so please keep in mind that I am usually the odd one out with my opinion.

Things I liked:
- I did like both main characters on their own. They were good people in desperate situations (however contrived I personally might think those to be) who tried to keep their respective families together and would sacrifice anything for their safety and happiness. I applaud that. They had great bickering, and I really believed their relationship developing gradually into affection and more. I loved spending time with them as a couple!
- The friendship between the titular debutantes. I'm all in favor of girls being friends without bringing each other and other women in their circles down.

Unfortunately, those were outweighed by the things that did not work for me:

-The premise:
I have some issues with the thing that brings the main characters together: See, the heroine is being blackmailed by someone threatening to announce her family's darkest secret to the world. And while I WISH I could be the kind of reader who applauds her gumption and courage, my logical brain kept nagging at the little things: If her father is one of the richest merchants in town who wants his daughters to make good marriages, why not blackmail him? Why would anyone blackmail a woman who can't even access her substantial dowry unless she marries (and even then, it would take her a while to access her funds)? And yes, it is stated that the father is not healthy and she fears the shock would kill him, but really… This plot could have easily worked in a contemporary setting for me, but it just felt too modern for me (a problem I have a lot these days),

-The drama:
Oh the drama. Because the initial blackmail was not enough, things just piled on, one thing after another, and I, unfortunately, just loathe it when that happens. I didn't mind the hero's deep dark secret that left him scarred and incapable of loving (much…), but I do mind that it seemed to me to simply be there for the blackmailer to hold something else over the heroine, and that made little sense to me personally. Then there was the obligatory visit from the hero's ex-fiancé who showed up towards the end to stir up trouble, a heroine who sacrifices her virtue because she feels that she will never see the hero again anyway, so why not, and then the reveal of the villain who went from nice person to blackmailer to knife-brandishing fiend… I just don't enjoy plots where one thing after another overshadows the romance. Seriously, I prefer those books everyone else calls boring, uneventful, and too smooth a ride to happily ever after!

So please, if you like authors like James and Dare, do give this one a try and ignore my grumbling! It really is a good book, just not one I can enjoy. Seriously, go look at all the glowing five-star reviews. I'm in the minority, as usual!

Fiona and Gray’s story is one of an improvised gentleman, a wealthy lady, an unexpected blackmailer and love unexpectedly. This is a very good book to read. I love how Fiona steps up to protect her family by proposing marriage to Gray. Even though his first thought is to tell her no, as a gentleman he decides to give her a chance to persuade him. Gray and Fiona try to figure out who the blackmailer is, and while they are spending time together, they fall in love. You need to read this one!

The First Earl I See Tonight ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️by Anna Bennett

This is the first book of a new series by Ms Bennett and it was delightful. David Gray, Earl of Ravenport, is not looking for a wife since he has been recently jilted by his fiancée. She found herself more lucrative match.

Enter Miss Fiona Hartley, a woman seeking a match. Ms Hartley has been receiving blackmail notes regarding her sister. Fiona sees her only way to aid her sister would be if she married and make a deal with her new husband to keep her dowry thus enabling her to pay the insipid blackmailer.

Fiona determines the man she should pick is the Earl of Ravenport and thus sends him a letter of a marriage proposal.

Ms Bennett weaves such a fun and at the same time poignant tale of these two people. The story explores the emotions of two people both wanting and needing attention and love. Hearts that seem closed to anyone begin to open and fill with love. This was a truly enjoyable story.

I absolutely thought this book was amazing. I hope lily and Sophie get a book of there own. I loved Gray, he did not have a great childhood but he was still trying to find something he was looking for and I don’t think he knew it. I love how plot and the characters. The book flowed very great. I wish there would have been a wedding.

First Early I See Tonight is the perfect start to this historical romance series! I don't read the genre often, but when I find one that I love I devour it from beginning to end. This is exactly what happened in this case. This is a fantastic historical that is rich in emotion and suspense! I loved the twist to the story and although I was expecting it, it felt unexpected. This to me is great romance in the making!

A humorous regency romance with the twist in the beginning. Our well dowered heroine finds herself being blackmailed in regards to her adopted sister's birth with only two weeks to pay off the blackmailer. So, taking matters into her own hands, she writes a letter proposing marriage to an Earl who has been recently cast aside by his intended owing to his financial status. Although the Earl says no she is unwilling to accept that answer and so the game begins. A delightful book that will appeal to your sensibilities.

I have rated this book 4 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased opinion.

First Earl I See Tonight by Anna Bennet

Fiona Hartley is in desperate need of a husband so she can access her dowry. David Gray, Earl of Ravenport, is in desperate need of said dowry but doesn’t want another fiancé after being jolted by the first.

I felt like this story never really got going until maybe the last 20%. And even then I question if it really held my attention that well.

Almost everything in the blurb happens before the 50% mark. That means there wasn’t much motivation for me to continue reading, beyond seeing who the villain was. More on that in a moment. That made it really easy to leave the book for a while before coming back to it.

I found the characters to be quite perplexing. They seemed to switch personalities several times throughout the book. I don’t feel like I know either of them any better than before I started reading.

The conflict should’ve been more interesting than it was. It was painfully obvious pretty early on who the villain was and part of what kept me reading was wanting to see if I was right about it.

I’m not completely ruling out giving Anna Bennet another try, but this title just wasn’t for me.

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
A good read that will keep you turning the pages , interesting characters and great story line .
Loved Fiona , a real slightly dippy deb, with a passion for drawing and a certain Earl .
Wished Gray hadn’t been quite so surly and moody , I felt it detracted from the overall feel of the book .
But generally I enjoyed it and would read more from this author ,
4 stars
I received an advance copy of this book and chose to submit a review

What a lovely book. I really enjoyed the love story between Fiona and Gray. This was my first book by Anna Bennett, but I will be sure to look up her other books. I've just recently started reading historical romances and this book was perfect. I loved the writing style and the interactions between Gray and Fiona. I admire Fiona for being a strong woman and fighting for her family. Gray was also a great hero with rough edges but a tender heart underneath. I enjoyed the suspense in the book and trying to figure out who the blackmailer was. If you're looking for a good historical romance with some suspense then this is the story for you. **ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own**

Fiona is an heiress in need of accessing her dowery funds to pay a blackmailer who is threatening to tell a family secret that will destroy her adopted sister. So she proposes to an earl in need of funds.

Gray has no intention of marrying the girl who proposed to him, but once he meets her he can’t seem to say no. Their 2 week courtship is a fantastic romantic adventure. Fiona is a no-nonsense woman and Gray lacks aristocratic snobbery. Great couple.

Recommended for those who like a sexy, fun read with a tiny touch of a mystery.

This story was enjoyable and engaging. I was reluctant to put it down as I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. The hero and heroine, Fiona and Gray, are likable and are meant to be together. I loved the role reversal where it was Fiona who proposes and has money. I also liked that Fiona played an active role with regards to dealing with the blackmailer.

There are some interesting dynamics at play in Fiona’s family which made me curious about Lily, her sister.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series and hope it will feature Lily as the heroine.

This was a fun story! Miss Fiona Hartley, a wealthy heiress, writes a note to Lord Ravenport proposing a marriage for their mutual benefit. Of course he is baffled by it. He's met her only once when he picked her up from where she'd fallen into the group of musicians playing at a ball. She needs something from him and she is offering him her sizeable dowry to fix his wreck of an estate. So what's the catch? Ravenport is feeling a bit tender as his fiancée broke off their engagement when she saw the state of his manor house. He has no intention of marrying out of the blue but he agrees to hear Fiona out. Fiona is desperate to marry within two weeks. She needs money to pay a blackmailer and protect her family. She doesn't share that with Ravenport or anyone. The story is a fun tango involving courtship and persuasion, family obligations, and the blackmail mystery.

First Earl I See Tonight is a fabulous historical romance by Anna Bennett. Ms. Bennett has given us a book that is well-written. The cast of characters are phenomenal and my favorite part of the book. Fiona doesn't want to marry anyone that only wants her dowry and cares nothing for her. When she receives a blackmail letter, she is forced into action. David is an Earl without a fortune to rebuild the family estate. David and Fiona's story is loaded with drama, humor, action, spice and suspense. This book hooked me on the first page and held me captive until the end. First Earl I See Tonight is book 1 of the Debutante Diaries Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.