This is a lovely Regency romance focused no on the life of a young widow, finally free from an ugly first marriage. Adeline is a strong, fiery woman with a very kind but wounded heart. Her neighbor, the Earl, is a man of principle and order. They bring delightful chaos into each other’s lives, with one or two endearing schoolgirls and a nosy neighbor to help that chaos along!

Found the book to be a cute refreshing read. Refreshing because Adeline the main character was a strong willed widow not afraid to take charge. She did have some weakness and self doubt caused from a bad marriage to her first husband. Story allows her to work through those feelings and find true love with Lyon the Earl next door.

The beauty of Amelia Grey is that she writes women of strength. Adeline is one heroine who refuses to be just a pretty face. Held back for far too long, widowhood has given her the courage to face life as a single woman with gusto. The irony is that as she's finding herself, love may have come knocking once again. The Earl Next Door proves that sassy can be sexy. If you trust your heart, happiness will find you, when you least expect.

Even though she's only 22, Adeline is the dowager Countess of Wake, her terrible husband having died 2 years before. Determined to help the children of sailors who died in the same shipwreck that killed her husband, Adeline and 3 friends are planning to open a school for girls in a quiet London neighborhood. Her next door neighbor is Lord Lyonwood. Their opening meeting is awkward bc she assumes a madame opening a house of ill repute, and I was hoping this opening, which has a lot of super-charged potential to it would lead to an exciting book, but the pacing just slows down to a crawl. Both Adeline & Lyon are individually developed a characters, but by 1/3 of the way through the book, they had only spoken a handful of times.

Might appeal to fans of the slow burn.

The Earl Next Door is another delightful read by Amelia Grey. The characters are unique and complex; with fascinating stories that grip you and make you cheer for them, groan at their miss steps and interact in unpredictable ways. This storyline had lots of twists to keep me guessing. The genuine caring and willingness to do and give to others that is portrayed in the story warmed my heart. Another fascinating and enjoyable tale by Amelia Grey. Can’t wait to read more.

I received The Earl Next Door by Amelia Grey from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I read Amelia Grey often and enjoy her books. This is the first book in her new series First Comes Love and introduces all three ladies of the series.
Adeline has been widowed for the last 2 years. She does not miss her cruel husband but feels guilty for not really mourning him. With her two friends, she sets up a school for girls to help them learn a skill to earn a wage. Lord Lyonwood, Lyon to his friends, is the neighbor of Adeline and the school. At first, he is annoyed there is a school next door to him. However, as he gets to know Adeline, he begins to think in forever. But Adeline doesn't want to marry again. Can Lyon change her mind.
The description fascinated me. And, the fact that it's the man and not the women who is fighting for the HEA also intrigued me. But, there was too much internal communication and not enough banter. The story-line just dragged for me with the exception of a couple of comic reliefs. However, it does a wonderful job at setting up the other two ladies who have stories to come and I am excited for both but one in particular. But, I will let you decide which one you are looking forward to. #TheEarlNextDoor #NetGalley

*** 3.5 Stars ***

This is the first book in the new First Comes Love series and it does a nice job of introducing the ladies and setting up the premise of the series. We learn just enough about each of the ladies who will be featured in the later books to be intrigued by them and to want to read their books. The writing was good, the storyline had great potential, but was just a tad on the blah side. Also, I don’t think we ever learned the hero’s name – he was only referred to or called by his title.

There were several comical moments that I enjoyed – although they weren’t comical to the characters. They reminded me of some of the really old-time romantic comedy movies. The opening scene is indicative of those. Our heroine has received a box from a modiste by mistake – but she is intrigued – it contains a sexy, very immodest set of red stays and a long golden sash. She can’t help herself – she slips them on over her dress. Just as she gets them on and is twirling around, a very angry Earl comes storming in accusing her of opening a brothel. Well – she’s certainly dressed for the part! That encounter sets the pace for many of their other encounters.

Adeline is now twenty-two and has been widowed for two years. She’s not unhappy that her cruel husband is gone and she doesn’t even feel guilty for not really mourning him. He fooled her cruelly – he convinced her that he loved her and then when they married, he abused her. Her only purpose to him was to provide him with an heir – he had mistresses for other things. Now, after that two-year marriage, she is free of him and she has absolutely no intention of ever finding herself in that situation again – there will never be a second marriage for her.

Her husband and all aboard the Salty Dove were lost when the ship sank in a sudden storm off the coast of Portugal. She soon met two other young widows whose husbands were also lost when the ship sank and they decided to open a boarding school for some of the daughters of the crew members who were lost with the ship. They knew there was little future for those girls without a father or brother to help with their support. Since the widows were now very wealthy, they were able to give something back to the unfortunate families who had nothing left.

Lyon is the only son of the Marquess of Marksworth (Ignore that the blurb says Earl of Marksworth, in the book he’s a Marquess). Marksworth has been after Lyon to marry and sire a child for eight years, but Lyon insists that he won’t marry until he falls in love. So far, he hasn’t found anyone who interests him – until he meets the spitfire who has moved in next door and started a boarding school for girls. He likes a quiet, orderly world and here are those children squealing and laughing practically in his backyard.

Sparks flew between Lyon and Adeline the first time they met and only intensified with each subsequent encounter. It didn’t take long for Lyon to realize he was totally smitten and Adeline knew she wanted Lyon, but she didn’t want marriage. Lyon won’t accept anything less than marriage and Adeline proposes they only become lovers. Now, he has to convince her. Can he?

I do have to say; I didn’t care for the resolution. I can’t tell you why, because that would be spoiling the story. I understand the plight – but – it just wasn’t particularly romantic or what I’d prefer to see. You may not agree when you read it, but I would have preferred a different resolution.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fun, passionate romance to heat up your summer! This book was charming, delightful and sizzling! Regency Romances have really evolved over the years, and I enjoy them more and more! Adeline is a spirited young widow, who lives next door the Lord Lyonwood. The first time they meet, he thinks that she is about to open up a house of ill repute in their London neighborhood, and it doesn't help that she greets him wearing a red corset. He is chagrined to find out that she is actually opening up a boarding school for young girls! After that, their relationship has no where to go but up! I really enjoyed the banter between Adeline and Lyon, the scenes sizzling with tension and passion! Adeline is such a great character, whose past makes it painful to consider a future with Lyon; it is her feistiness, her compassion, and her independent spirit that will endear her to readers.

This is my fair and honest review in exchange for this ARC. This wasn't necessarily the fast, intrigue that many romances are but it was totally engaging and well written with great characters. I would like to see more from the many characters with their stories. Well done!

Finally….a female lead who steps against the grain!

Adeline is a breath of fresh air in a genre where women are generally seen as demure, secondary characters…right where the men want them. Strong, plucky, independent, driven and outspoken she is just the type of woman I love to read about. She is the kind who decides where her “place” should be, rather than allowing herself to put where society deems appropriate. And, let me tell you, she OWNS it! I absolutely loved reading about her and would love to read about more women like her, set in this time. It’s just so refreshing.

I actually really enjoyed Lyon as well, though he came across as a bit of an ass at the beginning. He grew on me and the connection he and Adeline have, even from the first explosive meeting, just makes sense. I think his character came around rather quickly, much quicker than I thought he would, and he seemed to change in a way that was expected and needed but also a little surprising. In an age where a woman is expected to conform to the views of society, it was perfect to see Lyon make adjustments for Adeline rather than the other way around. One small step for feminism!

One part that also set this book apart is Adeline’s school. That changed a lot in this story…not only in the way Adeline was viewed by Lyon and society itself, but it also became the catalyst for advancement in Adeline and Lyon’s relationship. I absolutely loved the girls and I wish there would have been more about them. Maybe in future books?

One small issue I had with this was the ending. Though I feel like this book ended as it should have, and I don’t have any real complaints, there is a part of me that wishes there would have been more to it. Without giving anything away, I think I would have loved to have seen the same events but a different scenario maybe? I do understand why what happened, happened….I was just a tiny bit disappointed I guess. It is what it is….not the end of the world for me.

The Earl Next Door is a captivating and refreshing story that brings historical romances to a new light. Amelia Grey has written a captivating and engaging story that you won’t want to put down but will want to read again and again.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my own, honest opinion.

I loved this synopsis and was quite eager to jump into this story. Sadly, I struggled right from the start.

Adeline and Lyon are okay. They’re both decent and loyal people...they’re just boring as hell. It seemed like they just butted heads every time they met and nothing was every accomplished. I couldn’t see the jump from irritation to lust to love. The other widows do have promise, but I’m not sure their stories will be for me

Plot wise, it was fairly lackluster. The writing was filled with pages and pages of inner monologue and it got old. I wanted banter and dialogue and flirting and I got none of it. The best part was the first meeting of Adeline and Lyon. I did truly love that scene and was disappointed to see it fell so flat for me.

Overall, this different {to me} premise and the promise of hate to love drew me in, yet it lacked a spark I was expecting.

**Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Paperbacks for providing the arc free of charge**

Lyon mistakes Adeline for a lady of the night and their relationship gets off to a bad start. He wants to lead an orderly and neat life and she is throwing it into chaos with her very presence. Their battle of wills is magnificent to watch. They both have fiery tempers and are matched in ranked and social scale. The cast of characters are wonderful and all add flair to the story. Lyon has to help Adeline overcome her past hurts and accept the love he is offering her to have a happy future.

Adeline and Lyon share a passionate connection from the very start of this story and I enjoyed their interesting journey to a HEA. Lyon’s aunt and father and Fanny are intriguing secondary characters who help carry the story along and who doesn’t like a nosy neighbor? I really couldn’t put it down!

Unfortunately, this story just did not gel for me. These two characters were both entirely too thick headed, and honestly I didn't see anything between them that made me actually believe that they had feelings for one another. Instead they challenge each other at every turn (and not in a good way), they barge into each other's homes without knocking, and yet somehow they just decide to sleep together?

There was little drama here that wasn't the childish back and forth between the two main characters, certainly nothing that could hold my attention for very long. I feel like this book would have been a lot better if the characters actually spoke to each other instead of jumping to conclusions and/or arguing over the slightest things. There was also a lot more of the characters internal dialogue which to me hindered more than helped. Sometimes some of the things they were "musing" about would have better served the purpose if they had actually spoken about them.

However, even though this story wasn't for me, I can still see it being enjoyed by others who like historical romances.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

This is my first book by Amelia Grey and won’t be my last. I love how patient Lyon is with Adeline. He pushes he but he also knows when to back off and allow her to make her own decisions. I also like that he has faults (who doesn’t?) he likes order and when it’s disrupted he does something about it, even if he’s wrong. Adeline is a strong heroine. Even after her first marriage she stands up for herself and doesn’t always bow to society. Their relationship is heated but respectful. The end felt a little rushed and I felt there was a bit of the story missing which is why I only gave 4 stars

This nicely sets up a new series as three young widows who lost their husbands in the same shipwreck decide to start a boarding school for girls who lost brothers and/or fathers in that shipwreck. I enjoyed that the hero was the one pursuing a relationship more than the heroine, but I never really connected with anyone and everything felt a bit flat with a rushed resolution.

My heart is still glowing after reading The Earl Next Door. I absolutely fell in love with Lyon and Adeline. What a charming pair those two make. The secondary characters were just as delightful and humorous. This book is amazing from start to finish.

The book moved along quickly but I did not feel any genuine connection between the two main characters. After reading the description, I was interested, as it sounded like it would be a humorous romance between the lead characters. I enjoy a book that begins with a mistaken identity. Some of the best old school romances began that way... Anyway, back to the future. Although the characters were likable, I did not necessarily like them together. I did not feel the chemistry between them. Some of the scenes were just not believable, especially the conduct of a Countess in that time period.

I would try another book from the author. I may or may not read the other books in the series. I believe it is a trio series.

I love to read books that include the enemies to lovers trope and The Earl Next Door certainly qualifies for that as we watch Lyon and Adeline grumble and snark at each other over the proverbial fence. Unfortunately, this book ended up being distinctly average for this reader. The writing style felt a bit stilted and as a result I had a difficult time sinking into this book.

As I reflect on the book though, everything seems to be overshadowed by my lack of ability to understand the heroine, Adeline. Her lack of stability, flitting from one extreme emotion to another was whiplash inducing. During the interactions with the hero, Adeline, in her deliberately obtuse way, chooses to ignore the fact that she may not be completely in the right. Her inability to accept some responsibility was grating.

On the flip side, I really liked Lyon. While not a typical male, the author did a lovely job of infusing passion in his actions towards Adeline later in the book. He was the picture of patience when pursuing his lady love even when I probably would have abandoned the chase.

The idea of setting up a boarding school for girls to learn technical skills was heartwarming and I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes with the children. I wish we had a chance to read more about the girls, though I understand why Grey wouldn’t include that.

Just a side note, if you prefer knowing the exact passage of time you probably won’t enjoy this book. I had no real way of knowing how much time had passed between misunderstandings between the hero and heroine.

Overall, The Earl Next Door ended up being a distinctly average, run-of-the-mill regency romance for this reader. I would be willing to give the author’s writing another chance in the future but I will be placing Adeline far away from me where we will both be comfortable.

**Review will be live on Dream Come Review starting May 24, 2019

In a world where historical romances are sometimes redundant, Amelia Grey brings a breath of fresh air to the genre with The Earl Next Door, book one in her First Comes Love Series. The premise of the book focuses on three widows who have decided to start a boarding school to help daughters of men who were killed in the same shipwreck that killed their husbands. In doing so, they hope to fill a need by giving these girls the tools of a trade and thus the ability to care for themselves, and possibly their families, as they get older.

The three widows are all adamant for varying reasons about not wanting to marry again. This book focuses primarily on Adeline who has no interest in marrying again and being under the control of a man. Her deceased husband had been very controlling about what she did at all times and often belittled her for not producing an heir. When she meets Lord Lyon, her opinion is challenged as she is unexplainably drawn to him. Even though she doesn't think she wants to marry again, does she really want for their relationship to be a "dirty secret" that struggle to keep hidden? Or does she want to take the chance that she can truly be happy this time around with Lyon?

This book also introduces us to Adeline's friends, the other widows, Brina and Julia. I assume that the subsequent books in this series will be devoted to each of their stories. I look forward to reading these and continuing to follow this group of friends as they open their hearts to new beginnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.