Adeline, Dowager Countess of Wake, is about to rejoin society after the mourning period for her husband is over. Joining together with two women who also lost their husbands when their ship sank she has decided to open a school for the daughters of the ship workers and offer them a better opportunity than any of them could have expected. After all her husband put her through on his mission for an heir, she has no interest in remarrying or men in general, but she cannot help but find herself matching wits with her new neighbour.

Lord Lyonwood’s father is determined he marry and provide him with a grandchild. It doesn't matter that he, himself, is marrying for the third time, he wants to see his only child settled. Lyon has no interest in marrying until he finds a woman he loves and after watching his father and much of society be unfaithful Lyon plans on being true to his wife when he finds her. He did not expect his life to be upended when a group of young girls move in next door. He is especially unbalanced when he meets the owner of the school, and he finds it hard to resist falling for her even if she is adamant she wants nothing to do with him.

This book was an okay read, while the characters and story were entertaining it lacked anything special. The market is saturated with similar romances that I would recommend the reader to look at. I received an arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a great start to a new series! After a loveless marriage, Adeline becomes a widow and is ready to conquer life. She wants to go and do as she pleases and forget marriage. Her neighbor Lord Lyon comes in to her life. Can he change her mind? This was an enjoyable, light read and kept me entertained. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Adeline became a widow at a young age after only two years of a marriage that was not a happy one. As the Dowager Countess Wake, she had freedoms never dreamed of before and now with two other friends who lost the spouses on the same ship sinking, they have opened a school for the children of sailors from the disaster. Her next door neighbor, Lord Lyon, Earl of Marksworth charges over to meet Adeline under mistaken circumstances so their relationship starts off with high drama. Lord Lyon’s father, the Marquis of Marksworth, like a lot of his peers, sees women to be enjoyed for a man’s pleasure regardless of the bonds of matrimony. Lyon wants to marry planning to be devoted to only one woman.

Adeline and her friends have all stated they will not marry again for varying reasons. When she and Lyon come together after several tumultuous encounters, Adeline makes it clear to the Earl that she is only interested in an affair. Having already won already won her heart, Lyon makes it his goal to convince Adeline that marriage is the only way for them to be together.

Women of that period has a lot of restrictions so making it understandable why the widows would not relish marrying again. Adeline’s biggest issue has to do with ill treatment in her first marriage. The high society she moves in would look askance if they knew Adeline’s wishes regarding an illicit relationship with Lyon.

This first book in Amelia Grey’s First Comes Love series is a slow burn Regency romance. Quite a bit of the story sets ups the background for Adeline’s past and the girls’ school which is at back of the London property where Adeline lives. She and Lyon’s have multiple encounters though the romance happens fairly late in the story. All three women are found to be highly desirable by the men of the Ton who expect these women to be ripe for the picking. That they have other ideas than jumping back into matrimony surprises would be suitors of high society. It is interesting to see how Adeline and her friends deal with men who usually have the upper hand in this world of rank and privilege. Ms. Grey’s fans and those readers who enjoy Regency romances will be pleased this new series.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a decent historical romance. Adeline is a recent widow who is determined to live her life freely and open a boarding house for underprivileged girls. Lord lyon mistakenly things it's a whorehouse and embarrasses himself by confronting her.
I enjoyed their banter but felt that Lyons passive personality made Adeline appear curt and rude. They have a whirlwind romance with Lyon mostly chasing her. The novel is predictable but suitable for those who love a simple romance.

When Adeline and Lyon meet for the first time sparks fly. Sparks of annoyance, anger, and sexual attraction. The two have to deal with the situation as they are now next door neighbors. Lyon is an appealing character as he has a good relationship with his father Markswood, a serial bridegroom. Markswood married for love; when Lyon's mother died he married for companionship and further wealth. He has outlived subsequent wives and is looking to marry yet again. Lyon also has a loving relationship with his mother's sister, Aunt Cordelia, who doesn't care for Markswood and doesn't pretend otherwise. Lyon intends to marry for love and won't settle for less. Adeline is a widow and has no plans to remarry. She suffered in a miserable marriage with a husband who was interested only in getting her pregnant with a son. She never conceived while her husband's mistress did. I enjoyed following the trajectory of Adeline and Lyon's interactions and the "help" given them by Markswood and Cordelia.

If you asked me for an honest review, I would say this....
Did I like this book? Yes.
Would I read it again? I won't.
Would I recommend the author? Yes
Would I read more of the books written by this author? Absolutely.
What was the best feature of this book? The romantic scenes, plot and romance in general.
What was one thing you did not like? The fact that the book has ended, because I have enjoyed it.
What is your rating after reading "The Earl Next Door"? - 4.5 out of 5 no doubt.

Wow, I love this book. Wonderful chemistry between Adeline, Dowager Countess Wake a young
widow. And Lord Lyonwood, a true gentleman at heart who believes one should love ones wife only marry for love,
Their is a Hugh misunderstanding when these two first meet, he believer's she is opening a "House of Pleasure" instead of a young girl's school for families who have lost love ones at sea.
He thinks she is a lady of the night, she slaps him across face hard. He is shocked that he has called a Lady no a widow and a countess a "madam"!
From this bad start these two have a number of meetings, over the girls in the school, gaming at his
place ect. Then they have his father, her friends that are partners with her in the school and the girls
from the school. Thru all of this is the under lying chemistry and desire between them.
I don't want to say too much or it will take away from the twist and turns that you should read.
Please give it a try, know you will love it....
I received and ARC from Book Spout for a review

This book was refreshing,in that the earl was waiting for love and not marry for duty. No matter what his father wanted.
The dowager countess is a strong and passionate person but also vulnerable.
You get the two together and it’s fireworks.
I enjoyed and recommend reading this book.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. The Earl Next Door is the first book in the new First Comes Love series and it was a great way to start off a new series. I loved getting to enter this new world and meet these new characters. I just fell in love with this story and these characters and I am so excited to see what this author writes next.

Adeline and Lyon’s story is a great start to the First Come Love series. I enjoy a strong heroine and hero. I can’t wait to read the next in the series and to find out what happens to Nora!
I received an ARC for an honest review.

Another very pleasing story by Amelia Grey. A romance between a feisty heroine and a dashing hero. Twists and turns and a relaxing read with a satisfactory ending.

The meetcute was the best part, and then the story just became boring. I found it very easy to put down and forget about to the point that I didn’t care if I finished it or not.

A great first book in Amelia Grey’s First Come Loves series. The Countess of Wake is a made a widow after her husband dies in a shipwreck. She and three other widows whose husbands were on the same boat start a boarding school. The comings and goings at the school catch the attention of Lady Wake’s neighbor, the Earl of Lyonwood.

The author did a great job developing all the characters including the other two widows who I’m assuming will get their own book. And the young pupils totally stole the shore. It was interesting to see both of the main characters struggle with the expectations of society.

I have read a lot of historical romances and found this to be a fresh of breath air. A lot of romance novels tend to follow the same template and the only thing that separates them is the conflict between the characters that keeps them apart. What I found so refreshing about this book was that Adeline is emotionally scarred from her first marriage but never sinks into the "I will never love again" mindframe and that Lyon isn't some rogue that needs to see that real love exists. It is believeable that Adeline would be opposed to getting married again so it didn't come across as an excuse to keep the characters apart. I also appreciated that it was the man in the story who had to convince the woman she could trust him rather than the other way around which seems to be another common plotpoint in romances - it's always nice to see the man have to put a little effort into the relationship and be the one who is forgiving of the other's flaws. My only complaint is about the circumstances which make Adeline finally agree to marry Lyon - I just wish she had come around because she realized she trusted him rather than for an outside reason.

Adeline and Lyon are well developed and interesting characters. I also really liked Brina and Julia based on the brief introductions we have gotten so far and I can't wait to read their stories as the series continues. I hope we get at least some glimpses of Adeline in the future books - especially a followup on what happens with Nora. The writing style makes this an easy read and the pacing helps keep things interesting. I hadn't intended to read it so quickly, but once I started I found I couldn't put it down!

I rarely DNF books but I hit my point at 19%. This book started out with a great hook, where the countess and earl meet under confusing circumstances with a misunderstanding on his part about the girls' school that the countess wants to put together, because she has a good heart.

I stopped at the part where she is talking to her friends, because it was incredibly boring. I slogged through the passage where the earl speaks to his aunt about how the neighborhood is not going down. I learned more than I wanted to know about the characters - and I simply wasn't hooked at all past the very good meet cute.

Very enjoyable start to Ms. Grey's First Comes Love series. Three young noble widows, connected by the loss of their husbands in the same shipwreck, decide to start a trade boarding school for the sisters and daughters of working class men lost in the disaster. One of them, the Dowager Countess Wake, chooses to live in the mansion in front of the school. Rumors of large quantities of beds, coupled with strange women coming and going at odd hours, send the Earl of Lyonwood charging next door to investigate and misunderstandings ensue. The hero and heroine have both felt trapped by the expectations of the Ton. Lady Wake, wounded by her husband's infidelity and scorn over her infertility, is unwilling to risk another marriage and needs to discover her true self within the confines of her widowed status. Lyonwood, under pressure to marry and provide an heir, wants to wait for love and resents constant comparisons with his charming and youthful father.

Ms. Grey does a very good job of introducing each of the widows while retaining focus on Lady Wake, and she makes the love and rivalry between Lyonwood and his father believable. I look forward to seeing how the remaining widows deal with their own relationships. One of the schoolgirls , Fanny Warren, has the potential to steal the show from her patronesses and I have fingers crossed that she and friend Mathilda get a short story or novella of their own as adults looking for HEAs.

really enjoyed this book. It was a quiet thoughtful read,BUT the last few chapters made the book! It tugged at your heart the pain and internal struggle they both felt, cant wait until the next book

I'm looking forward to the next book in this series! The premise is really interesting and I do love a bad first impression "re-do"! Adeline is a widow who decides to give back to those that need help - in the form of a girls school for the children of the men who were killed in the shipwreck that killed her husband... but she has to deal with her neighbor, Lord Lyon. After a bad first impression, sparks fly!

I received this book as an ARC thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely historical romance with good characters and interesting storyline. Interactions between characters was good.

The Earl Next Door by Amelia Grey is a spectacular historical romance. Ms. Grey has given readers a book that will have them hooked on this story in the first two pages and keep them glued to their e-readers until the end. Adeline has been a widow for two years. Her husband was abusive so he wasn't a great loss for her, but she saw the families of the sailors that were on the ship with him that also perished and felt that she wanted to do something for those families. Her and two of her friends that lost husbands on the ship decided to open a school for girls to learn sewing so they could support themselves when they were older. Lyon, the Earl of Lyonwood, got his face soundly slapped when he accused Adeline of opening a bordello in the house next door to him. Lyon and Adeline's story is loaded with drama, humor, sizzle and a stellar cast of characters. I loved this book from cover to cover and can't wait to read my next book by Amelia Grey. The Earl Next Door is book 1 of the First Comes Love 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.