Enjoyable Regency romance that was true to the time. Women were chosen as prospective brides due to their wealth in land or monetary value. Rare love matches occurred but the majority of the Ton married to produce an heir as occurred with Adeline. As a widow she has earned her freedom and cherished it. Lyon is an earl and in no hurry to marry as he chooses to marry for love. He's impressed by Adeline's fortitude. I enjoyed the story and the characters. I received a complementary copy of this book via Net Galley and chose to write a review. I look forward to reading future books by Ms. Grey.

This was a most entertaining read. The encounters between Adeline, Countess of Wake and Lyon Marksworth were very amusing. Even though they were attracted to each other Adeline’s experiences with her first marriage hindered her from entering into anything more meaningful. The addition of a school for needy girls provided an interesting extra. I enjoyed the meetings with her two friends, Julia and Brina. I’m sure their stories are to come and I look forward to reading them. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don’t read Regency Romance as often as I once did, but I do have a go-to list of about a dozen authors who I will always pick up their books when given the chance – Amelia Grey is in the top tier of that list. And although I don’t normally mention it — that cover is so eye-catching, so kudos to the cover design team.

Although there is a bit of worldbuilding in THE EARL NEXT DOOR I didn’t find it overwhelming. We’ll get some of Adeline’s background, meet the other ladies who join her in opening the school for the daughters of the crew of a lost at sea ship and get a feel for how the series will continue. I liked and admired Adeline almost immediately. She’d been handed a rough life by her now deceased husband and she will never consider marriage again. She has her freedom to do as she pleases now and she is quite content with that. But that may change as Lyon comes barging into her life with his assumptions and complaints.

Lyon is set on a certain type of marriage for himself, he’s seen what can happen when a gentleman takes to excess and that is not the life for him. Yet his plans for a biddable future wife go up in sizzling smoke when he encounters Adeline the first time. He shouldn’t find this independent woman so compelling yet there are those sparks between them. He’s looking for a happy marriage, she’s looking for nothing more than an affair. Now Lyon has to convince his lady that they can have both for a lifetime.

I had a blast with THE EARL NEXT DOOR and now I’m officially hooked on this series. If you love a lively Regency Romance with likable characters, smoking hot sizzle and intriguing secondary characters then you’ll want to add this story to your need to read list.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

A new series from Amelia Grey and this book is a great start. I really enjoyed this one. Perfect beach read!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
The Earl Next Door is the first in a brand-new series by Amelia Grey, which does an excellent job of introducing the characters while setting up future books.

Romance, especially historical romance is filled with novels featuring pretty young things, right on the cusp of womanhood, no longer a child yet not a full grown woman either, where they are easily manipulated by family, friends, and the hero – their only life purpose to get married, taught to lie, scheme, manipulate, and plot to get a husband. Those portrayed as the median age of the reader, are often times shown in a negative light. On a shelf by age 24, with the males always in their prime, no matter their ages. Generally, with a large age-gap, because the males had to sow their wild oats and grow up first.

Adeline is a different type of woman. Not shown as the on-the-shelf, out-of-date wallflower. While still young, she's a widow, and with that affords her respectability in her maturity. She knows how life works, because she's lived it, not because she's daydreamed and plotted about it with her mother and friends.

Adeline resonated with me as a heroine, because she wasn't impressionable, easily warped by the hero into who he wanted a wife to be. She was set in her ways, feisty and lively, but not in an over-the-top obnoxious fashion that is often used in this genre. While flawed, she accepts what she wants, and refuses to accept anything but what she sees for her future.

After losing her husband at sea, while there was no love lost between the two, Adeline uses her influence to open a school for girls who lost their guardians in a similar fashion, with her widow friends. Adeline and her new neighbor, Lyon, have a misunderstanding of a meet-cute, where he thinks she's doing something vastly different (don't want to spoil this, as it was cute yet infuriating yet hilarious).

Misunderstanding out of the way, Lyon is patient and kind, a man who also knows who and what he wants out of life, but is mature enough to coax it, not demand it. A bit of banter and tension, most of the time, the newly forming couple comes off as comfortable...

Adeline and Lyon did seem a bit boring, and I say that in a positive way, even if it doesn't sound like it. It was a more mature take on the mating dance and romance, where they were honest and didn't get in their own way. Readers who are looking for juvenile behaviors, while this brings excitement and keeps things angsty, the mature romance in The Earl Next Door is befitting of a widow and a grown man.

The main reason I didn't hand out a 5-star rating is the flow, the execution, and the meandering nature of too much inner monologue. Adeline and Lyon liked to explain their actions, reactions, and motivations, sometimes at ad nauseam. This affected the overall flow, making the novel feel longer than it was, slowing the pacing to a crawl, while pulling me from the storyline.

I look forward to future installments, intrigued by the stories for Adeline's widow friends. The premise of a series surrounding widows will have me coming back for more and more, looking for a more mature take on romance, especially in the Historical Romance genre. Highly recommend to fans of the author and the genre, and I can't wait to get my hands on more.

3.5 stars

THE EARL NEXT DOOR is definitely not your typical cookie cutter historical romance. I actually enjoyed the sub-plot more than the primary storyline as it shows that Adeline, Dowager Countess of Wake, along with her two friends have chose to outwardly express their individual sorrows constructively. They've created a school for girls. Fanny and Mathilda are adorable, albeit mischievous, and I really hope they are included in the rest of the series.
Adeline and Lord Lyon are very down-to-earth, delightful characters. She is a bit of a spitfire, and he NOT your typical rogue.
Overall it was an enjoyable read but I did feel the plot was a bit rushed. That being said, I do look forward to the rest of the series.

3.5 stars

Adeline, widowed Countess Wake, has not truly mourned her husband since his death two years ago. During their short marriage, he kept her away from society at his country home, and had no use for her other than providing him with an heir. As the months passed without a pregnancy, he became more insulting, even telling Adeline that one of his mistresses gave birth to his child. The earl’s death was actually a relief to Adeline, and she’s now ready to re-enter society, along with her two widowed friends. These three women lost their husbands in the same shipping tragedy, and have decided to open a boarding school for the daughters of the working class men also killed, hoping to give them the necessary skills which will lead them to a better life. The school is to be located in a small building behind Adeline’s new town home, and it’s almost ready for the girls to move in.

Lyon, the Earl of Lyonwood, was informed that his new neighbor must be opening a brothel, as there has been a steady supply of beds being delivered, along with numerous women coming and going at all hours of the day. It’s his duty to march over there and put a stop to it! He bursts in to Adeline’s home, uninvited, and confronts her with his accusations. Though Lyon certainly doesn’t act like a gentleman, Adeline acts even less the lady, and slaps him. Right off the bat, I have to say that this bothered me a lot. I never felt that a lady has the right to slap or strike anyone unless she’s physically defending herself. After sorting out the true situation, Lyon leaves, but their tenuous truce doesn’t last very long.

A sore head after a night of overindulgence causes Lyon to chastise the newly arrived girls for making too much noise while playing in the yard. Then Adeline bursts into his home, berating him and his guests because their carriages blocked her way. At this point, I was definitely not liking these two characters, finding them quick to judge the other, and overly hotheaded. Eventually, though, cooler heads prevail and apologies are offered. Adeline and Lyon realize that beneath their animosity is a strong attraction, and all those sparks flying are expressions of their passion.

Because she has embraced her widowhood and feels freer than she ever has, Adeline welcomes Lyon’s kisses and is more than willing to become his lover. Adeline feels joy and fulfillment she never found in her marriage, and Lyon feels satisfaction unlike any he’s ever known. It doesn’t take him long to realize that he wants Adeline for his wife forever, but Adeline is enjoying the heady rush of freedom, and is not ready to put herself back in a man’s power. Besides, it’s likely that she’s barren, and an earl will need an heir, something she may not be able to provide.

I liked Adeline and Lyon so much more once they got past their hostilities and childish behavior. It’s obvious that Adeline has a good heart by her actions in setting up the charitable school, and Lyon made amends for his churlish behavior. But now they’re at an impasse – Lyon doesn’t want to have to sneak around to meet Adeline. He wants her to be his wife, and he doesn’t care whether there are children. Adeline’s not willing to take a chance that Lyon will change his mind, and someday resent not having a son to carry on the title. To see his feelings change to scorn, like those of her deceased husband, would be too much to bear. It begins to look like love may not be enough for this couple, but fate is kind to them, although I honestly would have preferred a different resolution.

THE EARL NEXT DOOR is the first book of a new series, and will strongly appeal to those who love an enemies-to-lovers story, and enjoy a battle of wills between the hero and heroine. I have to add that Lyon’s father, the marquess, was a genuine rascal, but I adored him. There are some humorous moments to enjoy, especially with Lyon’s aunt and the nosy neighbor across the street. I’m also looking forward to the upcoming stories of Adeline’s two widowed friends in the FIRST COMES LOVE series.

Three widows who lost their husbands when their ship went down in a storm decide to start a boarding school for the daughters and sisters of the ship’s crew lost in the same tragedy. The girls will learn to read and write and gain the skills to find employment as seamstresses. When Lord Lyon, The Earl Next Door, returns to town he is led to believe the house next door (the school) is being set up as an exclusive ___brothel. Furious, he marches into the house to demand said brothel be closed, and encounters Adeline, Dowager Countess of Wake, who is not a madam, but the founder of the school. Sparks fly and fly…

The Duke Next Door is book one in the First Comes Love Series. It is an entertaining story filled with humor. The characters are great. The hero and heroine spar beautifully from the beginning, both confident and snarky. Adeline is bold, strong, feisty, caring. Lyon starts angry and works his way to confused and provides laugh-out-loud moments along the way. He is in fact absolutely loveable - honorable, patient, and protective. There are no big villains, just a nosy neighbor with a spyglass. The story is straightforward and moves along quickly, an enjoyable read. I recommend this one and look forward to the rest of the series.

The Earl Next Door
by Amelia Grey

Lady Adeline Wake is finally free of her tyrant of a husband, and she’s definitely not in a rush to find husband number two. After getting together with other fortunate women that were widows and not in any rush to marry, they open a boarding house for young women. The only catch is THE neighbour, he mistakenly thinks she’s opening a house of ill repute after he barges into her home, and catches her in a sexy red corset! Well sparks fly and things get heated! Adeline is feisty and no push over. Their romance starts of rocky but really they are meant for each other, it just took them a while to realize it.

I really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next instalment in the series!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest unbiased opinion.

Great start to a new series by Amelia Grey. Starts with 3 widows starting a school for girls that lost their father when a ship sinks. Love the boldness Adeline, The Earl next door is awesome. Very enjoyable read.

Thank you for St Martin and NetGalley for the copy to read and review.

Adeline, the dowager Countess of Wake is mistaken for a fallen angel, a lady of the night in her own home by the assumptive (and idiotic) Earl of Lyonwood, Lyon Markswood.
He treats her with absolutely no respect and assumes her home and school are a brothel.
Their meeting is not auspicious.

But, as they are neighbors, and he's an earl, and she's a countess, their paths cross frequently. And soon, she's tumbling into bed with the rake.
Adeline believes she's barren and determined not to be under a man's thumb and refuses to get married again.
Lyon does offer her marriage but when circumstances change for Adeline, will she surrender her independence?

A delightful romance filled with humor and two people who hold an attraction but are at cross purposes. Lady Adeline had become a widow at twenty two and after two years all she could think was the relief not to be married any long to her cruel husband. Meeting ladies who had also lost their husbands in the same way she had, a sinking ship, they decide to open a school for the children of the sailors from the incident.
Lord Lyon, her next door neighbor, mistakes what he sees with ladies coming and going and bringing in bedding for the school. Oh yes, he thought it was to be a brothel! So needless to say their first meeting was high drama! But the attraction was there and in the end he wanted to marry her.
Of course she wants none of that but as they spend time together, it is great to see how their desire ignites!
A wonderful start to a new series, this set the background and introduced secondary characters that will be seen in the coming books! Really enjoyed and looked forward to more!

Adeline,Dowager Countess of Wake is an amazing person. She is principled and will fight for what she believes is right. She doesn't feel like she needs people waiting on her hand and foot. Her two friends, who are also widows, feel the same way. Lord Lynwood, who is her next door neighbor, is being manipulated not only by his aunt but his father. He is a principled person and doesn't tell lies. He has an infinity for children and looks to the day that he actually finds the right person to settle down with. Adeline and Lynn keep clashing but underneath it all, both are fighting their feelings. The fates have their own idea how this will all turn out. .

I was a bit disappointed with this book. I couldn't connect with it after the first chapter, which I quite liked. I thought it lagged a bit in the first part and none of the characters were the least bit interesting or charming. The parts about the boarding school and its students were boring and just went nowhere. Aside from the first chapter, the protagonists' romance wasn't really interesting, I did not feel the attraction between them.
I was expecting a lot more, though towards the end it does get a bit better, enough to at least finish reading the novel. It's not a bad book, but I didn't feel as if there was anything special about it either.

4.5 stars - What an enchanting regency romance!! It’s a guy/girl next door story that finds the handsome earl next door enamored by his new neighbor. His neighbor happens to be a beautiful, fiery widow previously thought to be a sickly miss. She’s decidedly not. With each meeting, they both fall a little bit more for one another and the HEA is just what this reader ordered. I loved it!

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

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Earl Next Door by Amelia Grey is the first book in her new series First Comes Love. Adeline, Lady Wake, Dowager Countess of Wake is in the process of starting up a school for young girls, specifically daughters and sisters of people who were killed in the same shipwreck that her husband died in. She has joined forces with two other widows who also lost their husbands when the Salty Dove sank. Her first meeting with her new neighbour Lyon Marksworth, Earl of Lyonwood does not go well when he charges into her house to accuse her of setting up a brothel because an elderly neighbour had seen a large number of beds being delivered. Despite this rocky start there is serious chemistry between these two although Adeline has sworn never to remarry and it’s going to take more than a few steamy encounters to change her mind. One of the things I like most about the hero is that he accepted Adeline’s decision and while he was greatly disappointed he did not try to force her hand. I look forward to reading the next books in this series as I found this one delightful. Medium Steam. Publishing date May 28, 2019 #NetGalley #TheEarlNextDoor #AmeliaGrey #StMartinsPress #StMartinsPaperback #FirstComesLoveSeries

3.5 stars

I am going to do this review in a different style today. I am going to list the pros and cons (with explanations). I have done reviews like this in the past. I have found that I can get my thoughts across better this way. It is up in the air if this review style will become a permanent thing.

Pro’s of The Earl Next Door


1. It is set in Regency England. I am a massive fan of historical romances set in that period. I love being able to imagine going to balls, eating by candlelight, and being courted.

2. Adeline’s independence. What I liked is that the author chose to have her independence be true to the era. While she could do what she wanted, she still had to observe the tons’ social dictations.

3. Lyon. While he was a typical Regency romance hero, he did stand out to me. He had a strong moral code (which was explained in the book). As weird as this sounds, he also didn’t have a mistress. Usually, in these books, the male main character is ending a relationship with a mistress, or he is considering one. Not Lyon. It was refreshing to read.

4. Adeline and Lyon’s initial relationship. I loved it!!! From the minute he asked her if she was running a brothel, I knew this relationship was going to be a good one. She put Lyon in his place several times. My favorite one? Well, when she walked into his house, soaking wet, and proceeded to tell him and every other man there off. I slow clapped at the end of that scene.

Con’s of The Earl Next Door

1. Adeline’s backstory. While it wasn’t the most tragic one I have read, it struck a nerve with me. When everything was revealed, she put through a lot by her late husband. I could understand why she felt the way she felt later on in the book.

2. Lyon’s father. He grated on my nerves. Every single scene he was in, I wanted to erase him, he annoyed me that bad. For someone who has been married three times and was engaged to be married again, he didn’t have the right to push marriage on anyone.

3. Adeline and Lyon after they had sex. I did like that Adeline didn’t want to get married. I liked that she tried to keep it simple. I also liked that Lyon was the one pushing marriage. But, after the first few interchanges, I started to get annoyed.

4. The end of the book. I was underwhelmed by it. It was predictable. Everything that took place after Nora arrived at Adeline’s house I predicted. Even the epilogue I didn’t like.

Conclusion of The Earl Next Door

I started off liking The Earl Next Door. It was in my favorite romance era, Regency England. I enjoyed that the author chose to make Adeline as independent as she could for that era. I loved Lyon and thought his character was a refreshing change. Adeline and Lyon’s relationship, for the first half of the book, was excellent.

The book started going downhill for me after Lyon and Adeline had sex. Their relationship became a power struggle. He wanted to marry her, and she didn’t want too. I did wish that Adeline’s entire backstory was revealed earlier in the book. I could not stand Lyon’s father. The end of the book was disappointing to me. It became too predictable. Even the epilogue, which I enjoy, was “meh.” But, saying that, I do want to read book 2!!

The Earl Next Door is the first book in Amelia Grey’s brand new First Comes Love series of Regency-era historical romance novels. I’ve read a couple of Grey’s other books, and this one looked promising.

Unfortunately, the book falls flat. As the title suggests, Adeline moves in next door to Lyon, and the first thing the hero does is to accuse her of setting up a brothel.

She’s actually establishing a school for impoverished girls whose fathers died in the same shipwreck that claimed her first husband.

I’m struggling a little with the math here, but Adeline is 22 years old and she lost her husband two years ago. I’m not sure how old she was when she got married, but I guess that means that she struggled with infertility as an 18 year old. She mentions several times that her husband made her drink awful tasting tonics to increase her fertility, but to no avail. Now, we know that her husband wasn’t sterile because he had a baby with his mistress- more on that in a minute. Anyway, Adeline manages to get pregnant the first time she has sex with Lyon. It’s just a little disheartening to see infertility dealt with this way.

As a reader, I lost all respect for Adeline when she learns that her husband’s mistress has dropped off their daughter with a note (Paddington style) that says, “I can’t afford to take care of my child anymore because I’m no longer receiving the allowance I used to get, and I have nowhere else to turn but your school.”

This is so sad, right? A poor downtrodden woman is clinging to the hope that her child might be able to learn a trade of some sort and grow up with more options than her mother.

But Adeline flies into a rage and insists that the mistress is only doing this to THROW HER FERTILITY into Adeline’s face- a cruel gesture to remind Adeline that she (the mistress) was able to have a baby with Adeline’s husband.

That was it for me, and there was no redemption after that.

I would not recommend The Earl Next Door. In addition to the plot issues, I also found the prose overly florid, and it was hard to slog through the descriptions of every little thing.

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

Adeline Wake Dowager Countess of Wake was married for two miserable years. She has been a widow for another two years.
Lyon Marksworth, the Earl of Lyonwood is Adeline’s neighbor.
Adeline’s husband was killed when
The Salty Dove capsized. Adeline is starting a girls school that will be in a building behind her house. Now her problem is her nosy neighbor across the street and the Earl next door. Does she succeed?
This is a book that I think anyone who likes to read this genre will enjoy reading.

This was an enjoyable start of a new series.

This is Adeline and Lyon's story, and is humorous, sweet, and with likeable characters. Something else I love about this story, is how strong female characters are portrayed. Their witty banter is always entertaining and so much fun to read.

Overall, The Earl Next Door is entertaining, intriguing and captivating. Although, I didn't love it, the storyline kept me turning the pages until the very end.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion!