I have to say that while I enjoyed watching Fiona's and Gray's relationship develop I didn't really get into this book at all. I don't even know why I couldn't get into this book. Usually, I enjoy a good Regency romance but I don't why I couldn't get into this one. I did enjoy the writing style of the author. I'm going to pick it back up in the future when I think I'll enjoy it more. I will be continuing with this series when the other books are released.

David Gray, the Earl of Davenport, was recently rejected by his fiancee because of the disrepair of his estate and lack of finances. He isn't in search of a wife any longer but receives a proposal by letter from Fiona Hartley. She is an artist and the daughter of a successful businessman, but she's not looking to the Earl as a husband because of his title. He was kind to her when she had fallen at her debut ball, and she is currently being blackmailed. Her father is always busy with business, and her stepmother won't give her the large sum she would need so she would have to marry to get a portion of her money.

First Earl I See Tonight is a fun Regency romance. Of course, Gray wants nothing to do with anyone and presents a rather somber outlook to everyone but his beloved grandmother and closest friends. Fiona is loyal to a fault, trying to protect her family from the blackmailer. She tries to handle it on her own but does open up to Gray eventually about some of the details. He, in turn, is able to talk about feelings he had long since buried after the death of his father. There are the inevitable complications that separate the two, even after they declare their love for each other. Gray winds up solving Fiona's blackmailing problem, even though she tries to protect him as well.

Fiona and her sister and friend vowed to write diaries based on their forays into the ton and their romances, so there should be other books for their romances. I would love to see more of them and how their stories will unfold.

I love the dynamic between Fiona and Gray, and that she basically picks him to propose a marriage of convenience to because he was nice to her. Their dynamic is great, and they have a slow falling in love with each other as Fiona tries to convince Gray to consent to a marriage of convenience, which is just too perfect. Gray is convinced he can't love but really he is afraid because he loves too deeply and has been wounded, and so the only people he lets himself love are his grandmother and his childhood BFF Kirby. Fiona's relationship with her adopted sister and her best friend is also great, and I love stories about strong friendships! Fiona is desperate to access her dowry money to help her sister, and Gray needs funds to restore his crumbling manor to its original glory for his grandmother before her sight fails, so that tells you what kind of people our main characters of this story are. Their chemistry with each other is so lovely as they slowly learn more about each other, especially the scenes where they really connect through Fiona's art. *swoony sigh*

That being said, there were several elements of this book that require a strong suspension of disbelief because the story elements are clearly written in for Dramatic Plot Reasons. Like, why blackmail Fiona and not her father (who has all the money) or her sister (who the blackmail is actually about)? Or the re-emergence of the ex-fiancée at precisely the least opportune time. Then the reveal of the villain and the extra demands made of Fiona was really intriguing, but was so also quite abrupt and came off sort of awkwardly written and didn't really have the full impact it could have, I think.

I'd classify First Earl I See Tonight as relatively low angst and fluffy historical romance, reminiscent of Tessa Dare and Sarah MacLean. This is the first book in the Debutante Diaries series, and I'm very much looking forward to reading Lily and Sophie's stories!

Such a great book that got me hooked fast and I didn't want to stop reading.
I just loved the story so much.

Highly recommended

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. From the beginning, I was captivated.
The heroine, Fiona, is the daughter of a Cit. She has a large dowry. But she only wants to marry for love. She is being blackmailed and the only way she can come up with the money is to marry and use part of her dowry.
Gray, an Earl, is penniless and has just been jilted. He needs to marry well in order to be able to rebuild his estate.
Fiona singles Gray out and offers him a marriage in name only.
As they get to know each other you see the relationship between them grow. Their chemistry between them is really hot.
There are some twists and turns with regard to the blackmail.
Well done!

This being the first book in a new series it's a great debut. I love how neither one is looking for love. But as the plot gets going there is a mystery to solve. Working this out together brings them to a point where they both start to have feelings for each other. Its a nicely paced and easying flowing book. It's so much fun when the unexpected happens.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story of Fiona & Gray. Fiona is being blackmailed about information on her sister & needs money fast. She decides that marrying quickly will get her the money from her dower & solve her problems. She writes to the Earl (Gray) because she knows he also needs money, has just been jolted by his fiancée, & is kind (based on him helping her at a ball when she tripped into the orchestra whole dancing). He doesn’t want any part of her plan but becomes intrigued once he meets her. The ensuing story that unravels is mysterious & sexy. I highly recommend reading this book.

The first book in a new series, this is a classic marriage of convenience to true love story. One of my favorite tropes, it was quick witted and funny, with lots of romance and wonderful characters. a definite must-read!

First Earl I See Tonight was the first book by Anna Bennett that I’ve read and I’m pleased to say it was a good one.

It was a nice little regency romance novel with a good character balance between all of the characters. Although the Earl in question – Ravenport- is a bit of a fool for a good block of the book and he slowly but steadily improves his opinion as the book progresses.

Fiona Hartley – our debutante of the hour – is an eclectic type of character with a forward thinking, progressive attitude towards marriage.

Their relationship begins in a very unromantic way and it continues on in much the same way until finally Ravenport clicks that maybe, just maybe, this debutante will be a good match.

The intrigue in the book was a nifty little one that is the premise of the story. Without the intrigue I think First Earl I See Tonight would just be a fluff piece, instead there’s an actual storyline to the book which I love.

The writing style is good but I did find some small sections that were slightly americanised and that is something I don’t like much in a Regency Romance book that is set in London.

Other than this small niggle the book was good, the character growth and dialogue was on point and I can’t really think of anything hugely irritating. I recommend First Earl I See Tonight if you’re a fan of Regency Romance with intrigue.

I would like start off by giving a huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press for sending a review copy and letting me be apart of the book blog tour for this book. I thought this story was really good, I’m looking forward to the next book in this series to come out. I wouldn’t mind revisiting this world again.

I thought the story was very well written and I was able to follow along easily. I thought the pacing of this story was just right. I didn’t think it was to fast or slow. I liked the overall plot to this story, at first i was not thrilled by the blackmail plot. I thought it would turn me off to the main character. But I turned out to be wrong. I really like the twist at the end in regards to who the blackmailer was. I thought it was a daring choice on the authors part.

I thought all the characters were well written. I love the pairing of Gray and Fiona. I like how Gray by the end of the story was able to put aside his insecurities and was able to give Fiona his heart. I liked that Gray realized that not everyone was materialistic and that you can find beauty in unexpected places. Though I was kind of annoyed at Fiona’s handling of the blackmailer, I soon realized that her actions was based on protecting her loved ones. Plus, I love how her protective instincts by the end of the story went to Gray.

Overall, great story, I highly recommend picking this one up.

Miss Fiona Hartley has a dilemma. She has raise a lot of money quickly. The only thing she can think of is to marry and use part of her dowry. Now she just has to get her chosen man to agree.
David Gray, the Earl of Ravenport has just been dumped because the woman he thought lived him couldn't face the reality of his circumstances.
Our hero at first comes across as a cold man, but he is not.
Our heroine is a brave and determined young lady who will do anything to protect her family.
A very entertaining and amusing story with fabulous characters. The villain of the tale is very unexpected.
I loved every page.

i enjoyed the wayward wallflowers, and first earl i see tonight kicks off the new debutante diaries series from anna bennett. bennett's writing is always enjoyable and i really liked both fiona and gray as characters. i'm just not sure they're well-served in this story. other reviewers have called out the inconsistencies in the plot and secondary characters, but these things don't mean that this book isn't enjoyable.

it is. like i said, fiona and gray are characters you can't help but root for. and so, even if they deserve something better in terms of plot, the one they have still gets them to happily ever after, and isn't that the point?

**first earl i see tonight will publish on october 30, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/s. martin's press in exchange for my honest review.

Jen: This is my first book by Anna Bennett and though I had a few small issues, I found it an easy, pleasant read that I enjoyed overall.

The heroine, Fiona, is being blackmailed. Apparently, someone knows the truth of her sister’s parentage and will expose the secret unless Fiona pays him off. Before I get too far, I’ll say that my problems began here. I felt like it strained credibility that a wealthy family would raise a baby left on their doorstep and it took way too long to establish the particulars of the family dynamic. A) That they raised this orphan as their own. (I thought maybe she was the father’s bastard at first.) And B) the Mama in the story is actually Fiona’s step-mother and not even the woman who took the sister in.

Anyway, Fiona loves her sister so much that she is determined to pay the blackmailer, but the only way she can do it is by getting married and using part of her marriage portion. So she proposes to David Gray, the Earl of Ravenport. Gray is an impoverished nobleman who showed her kindness once. But he is skeptical about marriage since his betrothed dumped him. The woman took one look at his ramshackle estate and threw him over. He is determined to bring the property back to greatness, though, for the sake of his grandmother.

Gray invites Fiona, her family, and some friends to the property for an impromptu house party. He figures Fiona will get one look at the place and bolt. But she is made of sterner stuff. The more time they spend together, the closer they grow. Still, Gray fights his growing feelings because he is determined he will never fall in love.

This brings me to issue number two. Gray’s reticence stems from a childhood trauma. Yet he was all ready to marry this other chick he thought he might love like five minutes ago. Which is it? Did your issues with your parents destroy you or are you butt-hurt because your last fiancé dumped you? Inconsistent.

Gray and Fiona do end up falling for each other, but the villain intercedes. And that brings me to my last complaint: the villain and his resolution. I thought his identity was inconstant with the way he was portrayed up to the reveal. And the resolution was very weak. Gray threatens him and he goes away? This guy has information that could destroy everyone, but a threat does him in? Convenient and unbelievable.

All these complains may make it sound like I didn’t like the book, but that’s not really the case. I liked Fiona and I enjoyed watching her break down Gray’s walls. I liked how real she felt and her lack of artifice. The romance developed well and this was a couple easy to root for. You just can’t let yourself think too hard about the details.

Sara: Yes! I agree with you 100%.

This was my first book by Anna Bennett too and I also found that while I was fond of the characters and found the romance between Fiona and Gray sweet and endearing, the details and plotting were less than satisfactory.

Much like yourself, I found that the author asked readers to suspend a ridiculous amount of disbelief in regards to Lilly’s upbringing within the Hartley household, the end to the villain’s plan and Grey’s commitment to never love again. In all of these areas, areas that are key to the overall character development and plotting of First Earl I See Tonight , there is either a lack of information, information that doesn’t make sense/ isn’t consistent or resolutions that are too convenient.

I also found that the author wasn’t consistent with the peripheral characters. For the first portion of the book Mrs. Hartley, Fiona’s stepmother, is obsessed with having her step daughters marry well, but is nevertheless a pleasant woman. She is a woman who believes in appearance above all else, but to me, seemed more a product of her culture and time than mean spirited. However after the midway point of the book, Mrs. Hartley is suddenly a lot meaner. She’s mean about Fiona’s mother’s jewelry, she purposely reminds Lilly that her and Fiona do not share a mother and, at the book’s end, lashes out at Fiona regarding her character and her drawing. A similar thing occurs with Fiona’s father. The reader is led to believe that the reason Fiona doesn’t talk to her father about the blackmail scheme is because she worries about his heart. Yet, when Grey first meets with Mr. Hartley, he’s described as appearing, “strong enough to hold his own in any pub brawl.” The character’s just don’t seem to match up.

I also didn’t understand that reintroduction of Gray’s ex fiancee, Lady Helena. Near the end of the book, Lady Helena shows up, assumes that Gray wants to reconcile and makes a large and humiliating spectacle of herself and Gray. Thing is, there didn’t seem to be any reason for this extra drama. It wasn’t necessary and didn’t really add anything to the story and it didn’t really make any sense in relation to the plot either. It was just another inconsistent choice in a series of inconsistent choices made by the author.

I didn’t hate First Earl I See Tonight. Like I mentioned, the two main characters, Fiona and Gray, were great and the overall idea of the story was interesting. Unfortunately, the inconsistent characters and problematic plot choices kind of ruined this book for me.

Sara's Rating: C-
Jen's Rating: C

First Earl I See Tonight is the first book in Anna Bennett’s Debutante Diaries series of Regency-era historical romance novels. This might be a new series, but I thoroughly enjoyed her Wayward Wallflowers series, so I was looking forward to the experience.

Fiona’s father is not an aristocrat, but her sizeable dowry has the ability to open doors that might otherwise be closed to her. Fiona has always intended to marry for love, but when she receives a note from a blackmailer threatening to expose family secrets, she knows that she needs to act fast. If she marries quickly, she can use her dowry money to pay off the blackmailer and protect her sister’s reputation.

She chooses David Gray, the Earl of Ravenport because his financial situation is an open secret. He was also recently jilted, so Fiona hopes that these factors will work in her favor and compel Ravenport to go along with her wild scheme.

After being jilted, Ravenport isn’t any rush to get married, but he also wants to repair his crumbling family home and a marriage settlement would help achieve that goal. He invites Fiona and her family to a house party, hoping that the state of his home will scare her away, but as they get to know each other, they realize that there just might be a genuine spark of attraction. But the threat of blackmail looms large- does it have the power to destroy this fledgling relationship?

I liked this book quite a bit. Fiona is a delightful protagonist. Her priority is her family, and she’s willing to sacrifice her own happiness in order to protect her family from scandal. She’s pleasantly surprised to find herself actually attracted to Ravenport. Likewise, Ravenport loves his home even though it’s fallen into disrepair, and he appreciates that Fiona can see the intrinsic beauty in his beloved home.

I can’t say too much about the blackmail plot without giving anything away, but needless to say, the reveal was quite surprising, and I was hoping that the clues were going to lead in a different direction. Good grief, I was not expecting that and I was not prepared for that at all!

I would recommend First Earl I See Tonight. This is a lovely beginning to a new series. The overall tone of the book is light, but the mystery surrounding the blackmail injects a bit of a more serious element. Fiona and Ravenport are both good people, and it’s so heartwarming to see them figure out that they have more in common than they realize. I’m already looking forward to reading the next book in the series!






I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

An Earl who had a bad experience with his ex-fiancee and a miss who desperately needs money to save her sister's reputation.
A marriage of convenience that could save them both from an eminent disaster, but one of them wants more than a fake marriage.
A romance 'comedy of errors' with great characters but some flaws in the plot.
3 stars

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I had read a couple other books by this author recently and enjoyed them, and I’m very glad that I ended up reading this one because I really enjoyed it. Fiona’s character was determined and independent, while Gray’s character (even though he started out kind of cold) was warm and romantic. All the characters were wonderful, caring people – you could feel the love jumping off the pages of the book. The characters also were very well developed through the novel. I really liked how much Gray trusted and believed in Fiona. Even when faced with a situation that would confuse many hero characters, Gray stayed true to his feelings and loyal to Fiona. This story had just enough intrigue and danger to add interest, but the love story was really the feature and I thought it was very well done! I really liked Lily’s character also (Fiona’s sister) and I am looking forward to reading her novel also. I would recommend giving this one a read!

The First Earl I See Tonight by Anna Bennett is a Regency Historical Romance. Book 1 in the "Debutante Diaries", and it promises to be an exciting new series. Featuring, David Gray, Earl of Ravenport and Miss Fiona Hartley. Fiona is a talented artist being blackmailed, she must save her sister and family secret from scandal.  Gray has had a difficult childhood,  was just jilted by his fiance and his estate is need of finances to restore it to its formal glory.  Gray wants do this for his beloved grandmother, whose losing her eyesight. 

A bit slow at first but picks up, about the third chapter.  To me it was a bit confusing at times, some things just didn't come together for me, especially for the Regency era, but with that said it was an enjoyable and satisfying read. A few surprises along the way. The characters are charming. The plot was interesting but some things just did not fit well, to me. I enjoy a good romance, with  some mystery, suspense, and a HEA, which THE FIRST EARL I SEE TONIGHT does have. When, it all came together it was a bit of a let down, to me, it felt a bit rushed at the end  just before the finale.  Please, don't get me wrong,  this is an interesting, and  enjoyable read. I enjoyed watching Gray and Fiona's attraction grow into love and their HEA.

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

Rating: 4
Heat rating:Mild
Reviewer: AprilR

Miss Fiona Hartley finds herself taking a huge risk and asking David Gray, the Earl of Ravenport, to be her husband via a letter. What Gray does not realise is that Fiona has done this to stop a blackmailer from destroying her younger sister’s life. Gray refuses despite needing funds to return his country home back to its former glory and before his grandmother loses her eyesight. However, he is reluctant to take the risk having just been jilted by his fiancée.
This was an enjoyable romance with two great characters; Gray at first seems hesitant but soon finds himself captivated by Fiona as there is so much to love about her. In many ways, Fiona is the key to this story – you can’t help but fall in love with her genuine nature. The storyline was entertaining and the pace just right to keep me entertained! This is a great read!
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review:


When I saw Anna Benett started a new series, I knew I needed to get my hands on it asap.
I love her writing style, her prose is beautiful and insightful. She is witty and doesn't write run off the mill romances.
So my expectations were high, I mean VERY high.
And honestly I wasn't disappointed, I think, I might have set the bar a bit too high.

Well, actually. My expectations were spot on for like 80% of the book. I got exactly what I wanted. But then it became a bit too gooey for me. To the point that I found it a bit soppy and everything felt a bit over the top and cliche. I was kinda a bit taken aback by Gray's sudden overly softie behaviour. Half of the declarations, felt like just that, declarations. Declarations that were planned out. And somehow, I felt Benett took two unique characters and a fun storyline, built them up to at the end quickly make them the usual usual... and throw in your HEA.
So that's what I didn't like about the book.
BUT I liked everything else.
I do think that most readers will not experience the same issues, I am a bit of a harsher critic, I know that. And as I said, I had very high expectations.
Also, I have no issues with the HEA. I am very happy with how it worked out in the end.

The character building was as always spot on. Interesting unique characters, people I could relate to and that felt real.
Well, most of them, except for the villain maybe, he was a bit too over the top. However, this was part of my last issues with the last part of the book.

The storyline is funny, unique and the perfect cute & fluffy. Just what I like in a HR.
Now the mystery wasn't a mystery, I knew quite early on who was the villain. And the way it was solved, was not exactly impressive, no amazing twists or anything. Again, my end part problems

The writing style is just as expected, beautiful and insightful (most of the time anyway). There are many sweet and funny moments. I shall keep my expectations as high as ever for Bennetts future books.

A wonderful book for lovers of the genre and I am looking forward to the next instalment!

Miss Fiona Hartley is desperate. She has two weeks to come up with an enormous sum of money for a blackmailer or see her beloved sister ruined forever. Frightened to burden her sick father, there seems only one option open to her - marry in haste and to an obliging husband who will let her use a portion of her enormous dowry for her own purposes.

The only man she knows who ticks all the boxes is Gray, Earl of Ravenport, well known to be strapped for cash with an enormous, crumbling estate to renovate. So she writes him a letter of proposal.

On receipt of said letter, Gray’s reaction is outright rejection, but the more he thinks about it and the better he comes to know Fiona, the more he starts to think it’s not as insane an idea as it originally seemed. He has secrets in his own past, though, which could yet come into play to keep him and Fiona apart.

While the writing and the characterisation in this book are excellent, there are just a few too many incredulity-straining plot points and outright historical inaccuracies here for me to really recommend this one. Why, for example, did the blackmailer target Fiona, a debutante with no real access to ready cash, instead of her extremely wealthy father, or her sister Lily, the one who had most to lose here? And then there was another bonkers development with the blackmailer when he ordered Fiona not to marry Gray right as she was about to do so and get his money!

The inaccuracy that bothered me the most, though, was the insistence that if Gray’s father’s suicide became public knowledge, he’d lose his title and estate, which was just not so. They would only have reverted to the Crown if the former earl had died without an heir or was attainted for treason. Frankly, Fiona believing this just made her look stupid and uneducated, when the author had spent a good deal of time convincing us she was neither of those things.

I really liked Fiona’s passion for her art and the way she showed insight through it, and Gray’s love for his grandmother and his ancestral home, The Fortress, was a really nice part of his character. Fiona’s relationship with her sister Lily and their best friend Serena was enjoyable too; I’m tired of the trope of all other women but the heroine being Evil.

Gray did fall into that unfortunate hole I see way too often in historical romance, of declaring to the heroine right off that he Can Never Love Her because Love Hurts Too Much. I swear my eyes always roll back in my head when I see that, if any man ever said that to a woman in real life I think she’d probably do the exact same thing, too. It’s totally nonsensical and it’s inevitably proven wrong when the hero realises he’s fallen totally for her anyway.

As I say, I struggled with this one because there was some beautiful writing, the love scenes were tastefully done, and I enjoyed the characters, but the plot was a bit of a hot mess. In the end, I’m going to go with three and a half stars.