I received First Earl i See Tonight written by Anna Bennet from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This is the first book in her Debutante Diaries series and I have never read any books from Anna Bennet but have greatly enjoyed this first book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Fiona Hartley, klutz extraordinaire, needs access to her dowry money to pay off a blackmailer in order to save her family. She sets her sights on David Gray, Earl of Ravenport who was recently jilted and is in need of funds to repair his home. With only two weeks to work with, she writes a marriage proposal to Gray and then,
The last thing Gray needs is a head strong lady willing to propose to a man. In an attempt to scare her away, he invites her and her family to his crumbling estate for a week. But what begins as an attempt to scare her, ends up with him being dazzled by her warmth, and artistic abilities. But he has secrets as well. Will their secrets keep them apart?
Wonderful romantic and slow burn love story that dealt with wonderful characters. Gray, a grouch, slowly comes around and Fiona, a shy caring person, begins to put up walls. The secondary characters were wonderful as well. Bennet wove a wonderful story that was multi-dimensional and quite enjoyable. The ending was kinda sad (no give aways) but I really hope that Bennet writes a story to resolve this. #FirstEarlISeeTonight #NetGalley

David Gray, Earl of Ravenport wants to restore “The Fortress” his childhood home for his beloved grandmother before she loses her sight. She is his only living family member and he is willing to do anything to make her happy.
Miss Fiona Hartley is the daughter of a wealthy mill owner and is devoted to her father and sister, not so much her stepmother. When a blackmailer makes contact with her threatening her sister’s reputation, she is prepared to go to any length to save her.
Fiona decides on Ravenport as the perfect man to marry and writes him a business-like letter to seek his aid. Ravenport has no intention of marrying Fiona but he didn’t count on her determination.
This was an enjoyable read and I was surprised at the identity of the blackmailer, it wasn’t what I expected. The characters are well written and I only had some minor issues with the plot, why go to Fiona for money when she had no access to funds? Overall I would recommend this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For more reviews please visit my blog:
http://www.wonderfullyweird88.com/

Recently jilted by his fiancée, David Gray, Earl of Ravenport is not in the market for a wife. Even if Gray didn’t have his hands full renovating his crumbling country house, it would take more than a bold marriage proposal from a headstrong young beauty to thaw his frozen heart. Gray is confident that spending a week at his ramshackle estate will change her mind about marriage. A talented artist, Miss Fiona Hartley desperately needs her dowry money to pay off a blackmailer set on ruining her sister, Lily. The handsome earl seems a sensible choice for a husband if only she can convince him that romance will play no part.
I was immediately drawn into the book especially with Fiona’s letters & her clumsiness.
I did wonder why a blackmailer was targeting an unmarried woman for payment when she had no ready money, why not her father who had access to funds? The characters are well fleshed & the pace is good & flows well. I really liked Gray & Fiona & how they came to like each other & then realise they’d fallen in love. There were some inconsistencies & inaccuracies but I forgave the inaccuracies about suicides as I presumed the blackmailer was trying to frighten Fiona into submitting to their demands. This is the first book in a new series & I hope Lily & Sophie have their stories. I would have liked an epilogue just to finish the story.

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is David Gray, Earl of Ravenport and Miss Fiona Hartley’s love story; first in the Debutante Diaries Series, a standalone. happily ever after, historical romance with plenty of sizzle.
A well written tale, full of humor, a title hungry step-mother, secrets, blackmail, intrigue and romance. The characters are believable and well rounded, the romance nicely developed.
For the plot twist and some of the plot premise (sorry, you have to read to understand, no spoilers from me!), I would give this book 3 stars; but, overall, the humor, flow, romance and main characters bump the rating to 4 stars. I look forward to reading the next in this series.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

This was my first historical romance. The blurb had me interested, but sadly it wasn't what I had hoped for. I didn't feel that spark between them. Wish there was a lot more chemistry between them, and yes I get that there wouldn't be a lot in the beginning given their situation, but it seemed to take forever for them to get there. It wasn't until the very end of the book that I felt something or was excited to read. And their was so much begging from Fiona, just a little too desperate for my liking. A lot of the scene changes made it hard to read. I wish there had been some kind of break to let me know of them. I really wish we had the end of the book sooner, it almost seemed too little too late.

If you like this series, you should read this book. I love how passionate and loving the characters are. Its a must read!

I received an ARC of this book to read through Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. First Earl I See Tonight is the first book in Anna Bennett’s sparkling new series The Debutante Diaries. Miss Fiona Hartley is in trouble ... she’s received a letter from a mysterious blackmailer who is privy to a family secret and is threatening to expose it in a gossip rag blackening her sisters reputation and ruining her chances of making a good marriage. After giving the matter great thought the only way she can see to come up with the required sum is to marry and get the money from her dowry. Unfortunately time is running out and she’s not doing that well on the marriage mart herself. The solution she comes up with is to send a letter proposing marriage to David Gray, Earl of Ravenport because he’s recently been dumped by his fiancée, has a country estate in great need of repairs with no funds to do it and he was kind to her once. When Gray receives her letter he’s not quite sure she’s not a lunatic but agrees to meet with her in order to give her a firm refusal, and then she kisses him... a brush of lips really not quite a kiss but yet it may change everything. Medium steam. Publishing Date October 30, 2018 #FirstEarlISeeTonight #NetGalley #AnnaBennett #stmartinspress

***ARC was provided to me for a fair and honest review***

Overall rating: 5/5 It was a good read and stayed up late into the night to finish it since I couldn’t put it down.

Heroine (Miss Fiona Hartley): 5/5 Fiona is determined to protect a family member’s secret - even if she has to propose marriage to do so. She’s fiercely loyal, a brilliant artist, and not so graceful.

Hero (David Gray, Earl of Ravenport ): 4/5 Gray tries to deny his own happiness for the sake of others, he believes that his heart is frozen over. But let me tell you that nothing he does reflects what he believes is his character. Behind the mask of contempt is a thoughtful, caring man willing to indulge a girl he scarcely knows proposing marriage.

Plot: 4.5/5 Fiona is being blackmailed by someone who knows a secret about her sister Lily. A secret that the family believed to be well in past. To get the money she needs to pay off the blackmailer she needs access to her dowry, and the only way to get access is to marry and marry fast. She proposes in a letter to Gray, the Earl of Ravenport who had been recently jilted by a fiance and is also in need of cash for his dismal estate. Gray tries to dissuade Fiona from marriage by indulging her idea of a house party since his estate is in ruins after years of neglect. What starts as a business venture for Fiona and a bid to get her out of his life for Gray quickly turns hot and heavy. Fiona must make a choice as to whether or not she can trust Gray with her secret reason for marriage. Gray must make a choice as to whether or not he can trust Fiona with the cold pieces of his heart.

Personal Review: I really did enjoy this book and can’t wait to read the sequels. The steamy scenes were steamy, the emotional scenes with Gray by the rope swing were heart wrenching, and the relationship was cute.

I hope in the sequels Fiona and Lily’s stepmother’s character is fleshed out a bit more. In this story she’s somewhere between a loving mother and a cartoonishly petty stepmother being forced to indulge the existing children. It was odd, to say the least. But she was the only character whose actions are not supported by their character.

I wish there was slightly more foreshadowing as to the identity of the blackmailer, but the dynamic still brought in the needed tension. I’m not saying to let the audience know outright, just when it’s revealed I wish I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment where the pieces fell into place a bit more clearly. Yes the motive makes sense, but it was only brought up once toward the beginning of the story in passing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read even though a few things puzzled me. It was fast-paced and kept me reading well past my bedtime. I enjoyed the characters and wanted to see them have their HEA and to see the villain punished.

David Gray, Earl of Ravenport inherited his earldom when he was much too young, twelve to be exact. He had a traumatic childhood and his father’s, and then his mother’s passing were tragic as well. Now, he’s an adult with a bankrupt earldom. He’s taciturn, dark, cold and more guarded than most. Given the way he was raised and the horror he witnessed, he knows that he will never give his heart to anyone. He’d even tried that once only to have the woman break the betrothal. His one goal at the moment is to refurbish the Fortress – the name Gray had given his manor house. He needed to do that for his grandmother who was the one bright light in his otherwise dark world and now, she’s losing her eyesight. Gray wants to restore that cherished childhood home before she loses her sight and can’t see it at all.

Miss Fiona Hartley is the very lovely, caring daughter of an insanely rich mill owner. She loves her sister and her father beyond measure – and well – maybe her step-mother a bit as well. Fiona is a bit gangly and accident prone which seems to keep her suitors away. As a gifted artist, she usually sees through to the real person underneath the one that is shown to the world. Now, there is trouble, big trouble, in her world. Someone is blackmailing her and if she doesn’t pay, they’ll reveal a family secret that would ruin Fiona’s family and her sister in particular. She has no access to those kinds of funds, so how can she pay him? Well, she decides her only choice is to very quickly find someone to marry her. She only needs to find an impoverished peer who will marry her for her very sizable fortune.

Fiona has considered and eliminated a number of men of the ton and has finally settled on the Earl of Ravenport. He was sweet and considerate to her when she had a mishap at a ball – and when he gripped her hand to help her up, she felt a jolt of electricity. So, she writes him a very businesslike letter outlining terms and conditions and proposes marriage. You can surely imagine his reaction when he received that letter. He tells her no, but she is persistent and he has to find some way to dissuade her. So, what does he come up with? He decides to invite her, her family and a friend to visit his home for a house party. He is sure that will do the trick because the last fiancé he took to his home jilted him promptly.

I loved watching them come to care for each other and realize that each wanted only the other. I would have loved to see an epilogue in this book. Something set a couple of years into the future -- with the Fortress all restored, maybe a baby and a wonderful relationship with Fiona's father restored.

You noticed that I said there were some things that puzzled me – weren’t right – or just bothered me. Obviously they didn’t bother me a lot because I gave the book a 4-star rating, but still, they are puzzling. What are they – well here are some of them. (1) Why would a blackmailer choose to black Fiona? She’s rich but has absolutely no access to actual funds. Why wouldn’t the blackmailer blackmail either the father who does have access to money or the sister who would be directly affected by the revelation - even though she doesn't have access to funds either? (2) Why would there be a gratuitous appearance by the former fiancé? It added nothing to the story and just annoyed me. Why she would do that wasn’t explained or even hinted at. Just made no sense. (3) When a peer commits suicide their title and property are NOT forfeit to the crown unless there are no heirs. Treason was about the only reason the title and lands would be forfeit. (4) During the Regency period, when people committed suicide, they weren’t required to be buried at a crossroads with a wooden stake through their heart. They probably couldn’t be buried in consecrated ground, but that would be the only thing. (5) ** Possible Spoiler here. When Gray has foiled the blackmailer and prints the sketch, Fiona is ready to jump into his arms and marry him right then – but – SHE doesn’t know he’s foiled the blackmailer and the blackmailer specifically said he’d ruin Gray if she didn’t stay away from him. (6) The way the blackmailer was dealt with. He was pummeled and told to leave town and never come back or there would be a duel. Say what? How does that foil him? All he has to do is mail the letters to the newspaper, just as he threatened – and he can do that from anywhere.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.

I found this story to be delightful. I really enjoyed Miss Fiona Harley and her tactics to make David Gray, Earl of Ravenport, her fiancé. I thought the story was heartwarming and suspenseful and enjoyed it as the mystery unraveled.

Anna Bennet has done it again. From page one I was hooked and continued that page until the end. The novel flowed so well I was a bit surprised and disappointed when it was over, but not for any lacking. This book was what a romance should be and I couldn't be happier that I was able to read it before I had to wait for it to come in stores. Blessed are those who receive ARCs like these. I can't wait for the next from Ms. Bennet.

Thanks NetGalley for the review copy.

I've been reading more and more romance this year and I feel the more cliché the title the better.
I had no expectations for this. I wanted to read a romance and found this. Picked it up and read it when I needed to shut of my brain for a while. Because there is no need to read between the lines in this.
Fiona proposes to Gray, Earl of Ravenport, since she's in a pickle and want them, who do not know each other, to see the marriage as a business arrangement. Ravenport says no, especially since Fiona will not tell him why there is such a hurry to get married.

Throughout the book we find out why time is of the essence, the back story to both Fiona and Gray and how they start to fall for each other. (That's not a spoiler, mind you this is romance.)

It's quite funny at times since Fiona is the opposite of graceful and is trying so hard to sneer Gray even though she has no experience with men, or sexual relations. Because there is sex in this too, again it's romance, no one should be surprised. And it's very easy to read which was perfect for my brain while I was reading it.

After reading quite a few romances this year I recommend this. If you want a cute, quite funny Regency romance. It will do the trick as a pallet cleanser between books perfectly.
The only thing that I, which really is more of a personal preference than the books fault, is that it wasn't as steamy as I am apparently now used to and kind of shamelessly want from romance. I mean there is still sex scenes, and they are quite good, but they didn't made me blush while reading, which has happened with other romance books recently. So again, more of a personal preference than the books fault. It is likely that I will read upcoming books in this series.

This looks to be another winning series by Anna Bennett, if the story of the Earl of Ravenport and Miss Fiona Hartley is any indication.

Hardworking yet destitute, thanks to a tragic upbringing, David Gray has reached an all new low when his fiancé jilts him after viewing his crumbling estate.

Fiona may have wealth but it is because of her father being involved in trade. No marriage prospects are forthcoming from titled men. When a blackmail scheme forces Fiona to come up with a large amount of money to save her family, the Earl of Ravensport might be just the one she could propose to in order to get her dowry money.

Gray is skeptical of the plan but there is something about Fiona that doesn’t allow him to turn her down flat. Maybe a trip to his ‘fortress of doom’ will send her running.

Fiona was a delight and had a heart of gold. She was a perfect match for the reserved Earl. My only complaint was the lack of an epilogue. There was an abrupt ending to the book but nothing that took away my enjoyment of the story.

Fiona is desperate to marry because, she needs money to pay a blackmailer in order to keep her sisters' true birth mother a secret. She decides she needs to propose to the most eligible man of the present season because, hopefully it will insure her a positive response. Earl Grey knew Fiona as a child and has never forgotten her. However, he is bowled over by the stunning beauty who appears at his grandmother's dinner. That is, until he realizes it's Fiona, the sister of his former best friend. When Fiona proposes marriage to Grey, he agrees to think about it because, he can surely use the money to help rebuild the family home but, there is something that pulls him to Fiona and, having already been burned by the only woman he loved, he is not about to allow himself to feel anything for Fiona but lust!
The relationship between these two is heartwarming, to say the least and, I loved everything else the two were trying to deal with, while dealing with the unexpected emotions that neither of them wanted.
The best laid plans and, all that!

This could have turned into a very dark story given the blackmail plot and the hero's traumatic backstory, but despite these weighty topics, the author managed to produce a remarkably sweet, funny, and enjoyable novel. The only thing that bothered me was the incredible coincidence of the blackmailer's identity. What are the odds that Fiona, the h, would randomly choose to propose marriage to someone so closely connected to her blackmailer? I found that part hard to believe, though at least the author's explanation for how the blackmailer discovered Lily's secret was credible.

In any event, the book was well-written, and I found both the H and h to be very likeable characters. I look forward to reading future books in this series.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the story of Fiona, a quirky, talented, clumsy and determined young lady and Gray, a brooding ,stubborn and loyal Earl who come together under unusual circumstances and still manage to find each other. The storyline flowed and the only "sour" note was the villain in the story, as I just couldn't believe he would act that way. I liked the auxiliary characters, and look forward to their stories. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review this ARC.

Fiona is a wealthy young lady who needs to marry quickly. She is facing blackmail. Some unknown person is threatening to expose a story about her sister, Lily.

In order to get the needed money, Fiona proposes marriage to Gray. He is an earl who is in need of money. He is not in the market for marriage. His former fiancee dumped him when she found that he was in dire need of money.

Fiona is a talented artist, a loyal sister and friend and a brave young woman. She is willing to go against all rules of society to protect her sister and her family from scandal. She is intelligent with a good sense of humor and she is lovely.

Gray is a strong young man whose only family is his grandmother. He is extremely loving and loyal to her. He wants to restore their estate in order to create the same beauty that was there when she was young. He is intelligent, charming and has a good sense of humor. He is so determined to do good that he even does some of the estate's repairs with his own physical labor. He holds himself separate from the world except for his grandmother and his best friend.

He believes that if Fiona sees the true situation at his estate, she will be discouraged and abandon the idea of their marriage. He does not know the true reason she must quickly marry in order to get her dowry.

Both of these people are likable and well developed lead characters.

I loved the humor in the story. I really enjoyed getting to know Lily and their friend Sophie. Both of them will make good characters in their own stories.

The plot was a disappointment. There were too many disasters. I felt there were too many bad, bad events and situations. I got bogged down by too much angst and anxiety.

I enjoy mystery within a romance. I enjoy adventure and heroic actions. But, I want all that to fit into a plot which does not have bad things happening so frequently to nearly everyone.

This is a well written book. She has created a set of characters who drew me into the story. At the same time, I felt that those characters should not each find a life filled with sorrow.

I do like Ms Bennett's writing. I look forward to the next book in this series.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

This book was fantastic! I always love it when the female protagonist is gutsy from the get-go, and Fiona was definitely that. I admire her for pursuing what needed to be done to save her sister. My one pet peeve with this was one I have with many books. To make the plot work, the characters had to have a lack of communication. I personally prefer when characters actually talk things out and it's just circumstances preventing them from being together. Since this is only the first book in the series, I'm excited to see which side characters get to take the stage next!

Absolutely loved this book!
Romance, intrigue, a dashing lord and a woman who knows her mind - what more can one ask for in a romance!

Perfect for the weekend,

I am not going to go into my entire spiel about how much I love historical romances. Because you all have heard it before and I don’t want to bore you. I will say that I was becoming bored with historical romances. As well written as some might be, they all seemed to follow 1 of 2 formats. You have the plucky heroine who gets in over her head and the alpha male hero rescues her. Or, the hero is tortured over something that happened in his past and the heroine heals him. While First Earl I See Tonight does have a tortured hero, that is the only part of the plot that was predictable.

First Earl I See Tonight is about Fiona Hartley. Fiona had received a note from a blackmailer demanding money by a certain date. If he/she didn’t receive that money, an article would be published in a prominent newspaper about her younger sister, Lily. The blackmailer claimed to have evidence that Lily was the illegitimate daughter of a well-known madame. If that came out, Lily would be shunned by the ton and her chances for a good marriage would be over. Desperate to avoid that, Fiona writes a note to the Earl of Ravenport, asking him to marry her and outlining why they would have a good union. Gray, having been dumped by his fiancée, is amused and shocked by the note. Determined to scare her off, he invites her to his crumbling country manor house, The Fortress. Instead of scaring her off, it charms Fiona. Gray realizes that there is so much more to Fiona than what he thought. But he cannot love. A traumatic event when he was a child had forced him to seal that part of him off. Can he open up and let Fiona into his heart? And will Fiona find out who the blackmailer is? Can she trust Gray enough to let him know what-is going on? Will she have to let true love go to protect her sister’s reputation? Read the book.

I loved the cover of First Earl I See Tonight. It encompassed everything that was going on in the book, except the blackmail. The model looked exactly as I thought Fiona would look. I loved that The Fortress was in the background. And the diary was there, along with Fiona’s deceased mother’s necklace. Loved it!!!!

I loved Fiona. For a girl of her time, she was very forward. I mean, she wrote to Gray, asking him to marry her. That is unheard of for her era. Girls did not do that. And it was so freaking refreshing and new!! I had menioned above that I was getting bored with reading historical romances. This book pulled me back from the edge of not reading them. I loved her argument for making her case and her reaction to Gray asking if she was with child. I laughed out loud at that. Fiona was not graceful either. I mean, she met Gray by falling into the orchestra playing at a party. She was also loyal to her family. She would do anything to keep Lily’s parentage out of the papers and save her from becoming shunned. Her only fault was that she should have told Gray sooner than she did about the blackmailer.

I liked Gray. I will admit, I did laugh when I read his response to Fiona’s request. I would have noped the heck out of there. Burned the note and not looked back. But, he was intrigued by it. Which is why he visited her at her home and questioned her the way he did. Which was hilarious because of Fiona’s responses. I liked his plan to scare her into not wanting to marry him by inviting her to The Fortress. That blew up in his face, big time. It was her way of seeing the beauty in everything that sent him down that slippery slope to love. Because he kept his emotions shuttered, I wasn’t sure about his feelings for Fiona until they had sex. What cemented it for me was when he read that sweet but awful poem at the ball. While it was bad, it was so sweet. I cried when he told Fiona about his family and why he felt he couldn’t love. I wasn’t expecting what he told her. I was sobbing because, man, he was only 11. Which is my son’s age. He was a baby. Being exposed to that broke my heart for him.

I have had issues in romances where there is zero romance. That there is no build-up to the sexual relationship. Whelp had no issues with that here!! Gray and Fiona had a friendship that evolved into a relationship before they fell in love. Loved it. It made the sex scenes so much more juicer to read knowing that.

Let’s talk about sexual tension. OMG, it was insane. All Gray had to do was look at Fiona and bam, it was there. I did like that the author did attempt to hold them off from having sex. She had them do everything but sex. But, it was meant to be and it was fantastic. They were like bunnies. In a cottage, In a lake, In a closet (I sound like Dr. Seuss…lol). I did wonder how people didn’t know what was going on.

I was surprised at who the blackmailer was. It was a twist that I didn’t see coming. But, what I also didn’t see coming was that person threatening Gray. Which set off a series of events that made me both mad and sad. What also made me mad were the reasons why this person decided to blackmail Fiona. Man, talk about petty. I did like that Gray ended up getting the last word in, though. “My hero” did go through my head.

The end of the book was fantastic. All the storylines were ended in a way that satisfied me as a reader. I cannot wait to read book 2.

What I liked about First Earl I See Tonight:

Fiona
Gray
The storyline
What I disliked about First Earl I See Tonight:

Fiona not telling Gray about the blackmailer
Why the blackmailer chose Fiona
What happened to Gray when he was a child
I gave First Earl I See Tonight a 4-star rating. This was a well written, humorous book was an engaging storyline. I connected with the characters. I did not like who the blackmailer ended up being and that person’s reason for choosing Fiona.

I would give First Earl I See Tonight an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is mild violence. There is no language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread First Earl I See Tonight. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review First Earl I See Tonight.

All opinions stated in this review of First Earl I See Tonight are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**