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.

The Earl Next Door by Amelia Grey (Book #1 of First Come Love) 4 stars

I really enjoyed this book and am excited that this is the first book in a trilogy. The main characters are Adeline, the Dowager Countess of Wake and Lyon, Lord Lyonwood the heir to the Marquis of Marksworth. The book starts out with a bang with Lyon barging into Adeline's house and asking to see the person in charge. His aunt thinks that the house is being used as a brothel because a neighbor was seeing a lot of furniture being moved in. Lyon insults Adeline and he has to eat crow when he is informed that the building attached will be used for a girls boarding school for the children of those lost in a shipwreck. Adeline's husband was also lost in that wreck, So she and two other widows band together and start the school.

For some strange reason, I kept getting a Mr. Darcy vibe as I was reading this book. The hero is handsome, prone to jumping to conclusions and a bit of a grump. The heroine is beautiful but has a traumatic past. She is aware that as a widow, society let's her have more freedoms that most women do not have. She can take a lover, if she is discreet. She and Lyon are attracted to each other. He wants to marry her, but she wants to have a lover. You have to read the book to see who wins.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC.

To me there is always a sense of excitement when starting a new series. The first book always sets the tone for the rest of the installments. Having read Amelia Grey before, I was expecting a good solid book. What I was not expecting was a book I enjoyed so much that I couldn't put it down and finished in one day! It was THAT entertaining.

Adeline, the Dowager Countess of Wake, together with two of her friends who were also widowed, was opening up a boarding school for unfortunate girls. She was new to the neighborhood, having just bought the property for the school. Lord Lyon Marksworth, the Earl of Lyonwood, lived next door. I just loved the way they met. Lyon's aunt believed a secret brothel was being set up, seeing how many beds were delivered to the building behind Adeline's house. Lyon walked into her house to confront her, not waiting for an invitation to enter. He did think he walked into a brothel, after all. It didn't help that Adeline was wearing a crimson corset over her dress and a big gold bow around her waist when he saw her! I was totally enchanted with this story's beginning.

The relationship between Adeline and Lyon was at turns contentious, funny, sweet and steamy. Adeline's first marriage was horrid, which colored her impressions of other men and marriage. Lyon was determined to marry out of love, totally unlike his father who was getting married for the fourth time, never mind currently having three mistresses. Adeline first found Lyon to be a cranky beast, and he wasn't sure what to make of her and the students living next door. I loved watching their relationship develop. Besides snickering, I also found myself tearing up over their interactions. I simply cannot wait to get my hands on Book 2!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

2.5 stars.

I appreciate the opportunity SMP and NetGalley gave me to review this book, however, it just didn’t live up to my expectations.

Adeline is an anomaly in historical London society, while a widow, she has no desire to ever marry again. She wants to be in control of her own life and after a disastrous marriage, has earned the right to do so. She’s bold, outspoken and has no problem taken the gentlemen of the Ton to task when they’re behaving like selfish prigs. Banding together with two other widows, she opens a boarding school on her property for the daughters and sisters of sailors who died during a horrible accident at sea. I loved her!

Lord Lyon’s first encounter with Lady Wake is ridiculous and I can’t believe that he’d accuse anyone of what he did without his own proof. He continued to make error after error, but eventually redeemed himself.

So why the low rating? There was way to much internal dialogue and descriptions of every, single, thing. There was minimal interactions between the two characters, so I didn’t believe the fact that they fell in love. I wanted to experience more from the characters vs. being told about it. Hopefully the future books in this series takes this into consideration.

I wasn't wowed entirely by this story. I did find the pace quite slow. I love Heroines that are not wallflowers and I really wanted to read about Adeline and Lyon. But this one was not for me.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley and all the opinions expressed here are all mine.

I was provided with an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was okay for me. I wasn't wowed, but I wasn't bored out of mind either. The romance progressed too quickly for me, and I didn't find the hero's immediate fascination with the heroine believable. Three stars.

I voluntarily read and review an advance copy of this book. All thought and opinions are my own.

The Earl Next Door by Amelia Grey will be available for purchase 5-28-19. This debut novel in the First Comes Love series kept my attention and has the next two stories on my To Be Read list. I enjoyed reading about characters who, while young in age, were not silly nor innocent. A confirmed bachelor, looking for love, and a young widow, definitely not interested in matrimony, become neighbors and get to know each other by virtue of geography. While there's an instant attraction there is also common sense. Look before you leap. I liked that about the plot. Of course that went out the window when the heat was turned up.

Widow Adeline, Dowager Countess of Wake and her friends opening a boarding school of any kind was a bold move. Society frowned on so many things it's a wonder they weren't tarred and feathered. Doing so in St. James, next door to an Earl no less, was a terrific way to throw the characters together. Acceptance, by members of the ton, of a small solution to the plight of the less fortunate...well it's a miracle. The Earl of Marksworth goes through a fundamental change to his lifestyle. On one hand it's what he wants and on the other it's definitely not.

I do recommend giving this story a read, it's refreshing. The next two books in the series will be Gone With The Rogue and How to Train Your Earl. I love the titles! Happy summer reading.

#Amelia Grey #NetGalley #StMartin'sPress #romance #FirstComesLove #TheEarlNextDoor

***I received this book via NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

I was interested in the concept of this story. I particularly like this group of three widows who are different and have a strong friendship. However, I wasn't particularly invested in the romance .

Initially, I was enjoying the story. Adeline and Lyon had great chemistry. And they were interesting on their own. Adeline has a great friendship with two other widows-they lost their husbands in the same tragic accident. The three all were a little different and that made for some compelling sequel bait.

Then, Adeline and Lyon had sex. For the first few paragraphs of that interaction-I thought it was some sort of dream sequence. It felt so unnatural. And that's actually how I felt about all of the sex-related interactions between them. It just made me care about the romance less and less every time they interacted.

Ultimately, I was disappointed by this-more of a 2.5 stars-but I round up. That being said, I would be willing to read stories about the other widows. But I would probably get them from the library in case they have the same pacing issue.

The Earl Next Door by Amelia Grey is my first book from this author. I loved this story! Sweet, passionate, with a couple of places that had me tearing up. It was a very quick read, perfect for an afternoon when you’re looking for something light. I will definitely check out other titles from this author!

I enjoyed this, it was a bit different from most of the historical romances I have read in a couple of respects (that being who was the hunted and who was the hunter seemed to swap back and forth a bit).

Lyon and Adeline made a great couple although it got off to a very rough start since he thought she was running a bordello next door to him. After that rather bad start it takes awhile for them to get on speaking terms but it was a great story although the lack of any real drama made it pretty much a romance without much of anything else to speak of sadly.

I have to say though that I did like it and read it through so I give it 4 Stars

Amelia Grey’s new series, “First Comes Love,” is off to a promising start. “The Earl Next Door,” introduces Adeline and her two friends Brina and Julia, who have started a boarding school for girls, and landed next door to a confirmed bachelor. At first, Lyon is taken aback by the noise and disturbances of the house full of girls, but he is quickly convinced that if Adeline comes with the package, he can certainly put up with the girls. Adeline is less interested in a relationship than Lyon. Her first marriage was not a good one, and she is not at all interested in marrying for a second time. But a physical relationship is acceptable, and Adeline and Lyon heat up the sheets. How the two come to resolve their commitment expectations is the heart of the entertaining novel.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tedious read. The pacing of the action was too slow, and the great majority of the book was internal dialogue that seemed to go over the same events and topics over and over. I frankly lost interest in the story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Earl Next Door by Amelia Grey is a great addition to the author's repetoire. This story has lots of entertaining and amusing dialogue. The characters are very likeable with the Adeline, Doweger Countess of Wake being a strong, independent lady and Lyon, the Earl of Lyonwood being a noble super honorable gentleman. The storyline is fun and easy to read. I look forward to the next story in this author's First Comes Love series.

I like these Authors books, usually. This one was a tad disappointing; for me. I love the Earl, Lyon; I liked the widowed Countess, Adeline. Her two friends, also widows were nice, yet, something is missing? The Earl was extremely patient with her, the school and the girls were too cute; I think that is what is missing! Did she never make certain the headmistress was not using the cane? There is some disconnect between her, and the school. It was a basic, nothing exciting Historical Romance.
I recommend! Thank you Netgalley!
carolintallahassee.com

Wonderful, delightful read. First, in a new series. Great premise. Three widows starting a school for children whose dad's or brothers were killed in boat accident. Hero and heroine had great chemistry. Cute young characters.I am quite a fan of Fanny.

What a fun, delightful story.

Adeline, the Dowager Countess of Wake, is widow at only 22 years old and is finally free from her husband's demanding rule. He treated her poorly because after 2 years of marriage she still hadn't provided him with an heir.....even his mistress has been able to do that! While Adeline was retrieving her husband's personal items that were found from the sunken ship, Salty Dove that he was on, she met two other young widows, Julia and Brina. Together they decided they were going to open a school for females whose families didn't have the money to teach them things like reading and writing and they would start by inviting girls who lost a family member on the Salty Dove.

While getting ready to open the new school, a man shows up at Adeline's house, forcing his way into her house and happens upon her in an uncompromising position. Lord Lyonwood, the Marquis of Marksworth immediately thinks that Adeline is a lady of the night based on how she is dressed. Quickly, he realizes his mistake but is instantly smitten with Adeline. This starts their fun journey of getting to know each other. Lyon would love nothing more than to court Adeline because she is the first woman to have captured his attention but Adeline is not interested in getting married again. She'd be glad to be his lover though!!!! Lyon has never had females turn him down before and is now more determined than ever to make Adeline his.

These two characters went on such a fun journey together to get to their happy ending. I loved both Adeline and Lyon! I really enjoyed all the supporting characters too! This was a wonderful start to this new series and I look forward to reading more stores in it.

"The Earl Next Door" was a nice story about two very different people who discover that opposites can attract and love can overcome fear. Adeline was so hurt by her first marriage that she vows never to marry again, and focuses her energy on a boarding school for girls. Lyon is a man who likes things just so, and is determined to wed for love after seeing his father do the opposite. I would have liked a little more depth to the main characters, and maybe a little more conflict that they needed to work together to solve to bring more emotion to the story, but both were decent characters. The secondary characters, who will presumably get their own stories in the future, were pretty two-dimensional and cardboard here with nothing to really make you look forward to their books. Overall though, "The Earl Next Door" was a sweet, short, and simple book, fine for reading on a rainy day, and a nice bit of gentle escapism: just what I was in the mood for when I read it.

This is the first book in a new series called, First Comes Love. It's about 3 widows who join together to form a charity school for young girls whose fathers or brothers have died at sea.
This story is about Adeline, a dowager Countess and Lyon, her neighbor and an Earl.
Adeline was married to a man who treated her badly. He banished her to the country, while he carried on in town with his mistress. Then he blamed her for not getting pregnant with his heir. Then He subjected her to so many demeaning treatments and examinations. When he passed away she vowed she would never marry again.
Then comes along Lyon. Their first meeting was hysterical. Their attraction was instant. After several meetings where Lyon makes a fool of himself and Adeline takes him to task for it their passion explodes.
The issue now is can Lyon get Adeline to change her mind about marriage.
I liked the book but didn't love it. I would have liked to see a little more development of the secondary characters. The other two widows were hardly in the story. They could have been there for Adeline and showed their support for her in what she was going thru. I also thought the sex a little too sudden. It had a modern, contemporary feeling to it.
I have been a fan of Amelia Grey for a long time. Although this wasn't one of my favorites, I still liked it and would recommend it. I look forward to the next book in the series.
I received this ebook in exchange for a review.

3.5 Stars
When Adeline, Dowager Countess of Wake, learns of her husband drowned when the Salty Dove sank off the coast of Portugal, she realizes she’s free. At last, she can do, go, and be as she pleases. Lyon Marksworth, Earl of Lyonwood wants to run his estates and watch them flourish and find a wife who brings love to his life. When he meets spirited and self-reliant Adeline in a case of near-scandalous mistaken identity, Lyon feels he’s met his match. But Adeline isn’t interested in a marriage proposal. She will only accept becoming his lover and Lyon finds it hard to refuse.
I loved the first meeting between Lyon & Adeline, it had me laughing out loud & I was all set for a really good read. I did enjoy the book & loved that Lyon fell hook, line & sinker for Adeline. However I liked Adeline but I never felt that she truly loved Lyon, she seemed to want her cake & eat it without confiding in him. The pace was good although the ending was a little rushed. An enjoyable read that just slightly missed being an enthralling read
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read