This Earl of Mine by Kate Bateman
Subgenre: historical romance
Release date: 29 Oct 2019
Publisher: St Martin’s Paperbacks
Format: ebook and print
Length: 331 pages
RRP: $8.68 (ebook); $13.99 (print)
Georgiana Caversteed is desperate for a husband. So desperate she finds the man she needs in Newgate prison. She needs to marry to stop her cousin’s attempts to compromise her, for her fortune. The man she is supposed to marry is to be hanged the next day, but he died during the night. There is another who fits her conditions and he is to be transported the next day. This man signs the contract not to challenge her for her fortune, and they are married. She walks out of Newgate.
Benedict Wylde is the second son of an earl. His father has almost ruined the estate and Benedict sends any money he earns to his brother, the earl. However, it seems that all is not as it appears. Benedict is actually working undercover for Bow Street.
When Benedict appears at a ton event, Georgiana is shocked and wants to meet with him to discuss where to from here. Her cousin is still hounding her so Georgie must deal with him and her growing feelings for Benedict.
For this couple, events do get in the way. There is a plot to rescue Napoleon, a kidnapping and an attempted elopement, plus their secret marriage, which is more than enough to distract this couple.
There are many great aspects to this story. Georgie is a strong and decisive heroine. Benedict never underestimates her abilities. He takes her strengths in his stride. He never argues that she ‘is a female’ and isn’t capable. In fact, he is the one who feels inferior as he doesn’t have the wealth, the title and other attributes that would make him acceptable as a husband.
This couple communicate, clearly. They discuss the reasons and seem to be on the same page. There are not many moments of miscommunication.
I really enjoyed the story. While it had many elements of other Regency historicals, there seemed to be a freshness about the characters that I really liked. I wanted to be taken for ride with these characters. So I absorbed it quickly. And yes, there is an earl in the story.
Reviewed by Heather
A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

A nice romance.

Georgiana is a woman with a brain and a fortune. Her father left his shipping business to her and she has turned it into an empire. But even a woman with a brain can't escape the laws of her time which say that her fortune would become the property of her husband. Georgie had her lawyers draft an agreement allowing her to keep her business and her fortune but shockingly none of those suitors desperate for her love seem to be willing to sign it.   When Georgie narrowly misses an attempt at a scandal which would have forced her to marry the golddigger to avoid being ostracized and her mother and younger sister with her, Georgie decides to take her future into her own hands. She has decided that she would marry a criminal doomed to the gallows. He would make her a quick widow and she would offer his family compensation for the marriage. Georgie would simply tell everyone that her husband was a sailor on one her ships who was currently out of the country, and Georgiana would be able to go about her life without the rogues trying to steal her fortune.

It was a good plan until the man she was supposed to marry died before he could be executed and with no other  prisoners waiting to be executed, she marries a man doomed to be shipped off to the wilds of Australia. Since many men never even survive the trip over, she might still become a widow but at the very least, she would never see her husband again. That would have been a great alternate plan but as fate would have it, her prisoner was actually undercover in the prison trying to get information from one of the inmates.

Ben Wylde as the second son of an Earl who misspent the family's money and he is trying to help his brother, the new Earl, payoff their father's debt with an actual job. He has taken up with Bow Street as an investigator. He was given no choice in marrying Georgie, not without blowing his cover. He sent the money to his brother to help with the debts but didn't really think too much about what to do about the marriage until he see his wife across the ballroom.

Since neither Ben nor Georgie can think of a valid reason to annul the marriage, they decide that they need to court through the season so they can fall in love and marry (since no one knows about her prison marriage but the man who tried to trap her into marriage). They figure once they fulfill their marriage obligation to each other then they will go their separate ways.

Of course the more they get to know each other, the more they find they like each other, including their decision to have sex since heck, they are actually married and why not have one fling with your spouse before going your separate ways, especially since Georgie was planning to take a lover now that she was a married woman with an absentee husband. Why not make that lover your actual husband?

Georgie and Ben are cute together.  He is very playful with her which is nice for Georgie since she is always so serious.   They made a very complimentary couple and we see them get to know each other and fall in love.   Georgie does help in his investigation since ships and sailing come into play and Ben knows nothing about that but of course, Georgie does. While there was nothing overly exciting about their story, it was enough to keep me reading and mostly it was a nice romance.

My favorite regency romance in a long time! Everything about this was great. Strong heroine, Hot as hell love interest. Honest interactions and no unnecessary drama!

Kate Bateman's This Earl of Mine is the first book in the Bow Street Bachelors series. From well developed characters to a fresh and dynamic plot, this story takes you on a journey. I adored Georgie and Ben, their banter was absolutely hilarious and the chemistry the two had seemed to spark off the page. In the end, if you enjoy fun and entertaining reads then I recommend checking this book out today.

eARC was kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This book is from the Bow Street Bachelors series. Georgie, Georgiana Caversteed is a shipping heiress who is sick of only being wanted for her money. Is it too much to be wanted for herself and her love? Her cousin wants to force her into a marriage. Such a cruel man. She needs to be married, maybe to a man at Newgate prison? She could marry one who is to be put to death and then become a widow. That may be the answer to all her problems. Now she needs to find one. Benedict Wylde is the second son of the late Earl of Morcott. He is a well known rake who is working undercover at the prison for Bow Street. Georgie marries him and thinks herself a widow , then she runs into Wylde at a ton event.  She is no widow. Now what?  He is very handsome and not dead. When he starts courting her, maybe there will be a til death do them part, marriage. I loved the story and the characters. Marrying someone who is in prison and counting on them never getting out is a new storyline for me and I loved it, I received this book from Net Galley and the Publisher for a honest review.

While this is the first book of hers that I've read, I've met her at a few conferences and Kate Bateman is charming and delightful in person as you'd expect based on her charming and delightful characters in this book. When this book popped up on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it and received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Then my life fell apart and I wasn't able to read it for three months. That's entirely my fault, not because I wasn't enjoying the book. When I came back to it, I actually read it in a day because I couldn't put it down.

Because, honestly, I really liked it. The premise is fun and different, that first chapter has an exceptionally strong hook, and I really liked the back and forth between Benedict and Georgie. The story is fun and new with spies, maritime history, and enough pieces of actual history woven throughout to make it obvious Kate Bateman knows her stuff.

That being said, this book was BEGGING for a better editor. Especially for the last quarter of the book. SPOILERS AHEAD: Please, choose one option between the warehouse shootout scene or the kidnapping. One works, but both make it a bit extreme. It could've ended with a kiss and an epilogue at that point. Or even after the warehouse shootout - give us a kiss, then an epilogue. The scene where she tells her mother about Ben and her mother dithers about what she'll wear to both weddings was ENTIRELY pointless and should've been cut. I loved the fact that Ben was the second son, so making him the Earl at the end felt like it had been tacked on because they'd selected the title and needed to "make it work." The issue of courtly love vs Ben's romantic style didn't work for me, either, and felt out of place. I would've cut all of that to make it more in line with his character - it felt like the author was trying to tell us what she'd already shown us repeatedly, so I felt a bit bashed over the head with the actual lines. There were excessive amounts of introspection, especially in the middle of conversations, so I kept having to scroll back up to see who was talking and what question had been asked. It broke up the flow and kept pulling me from the story. Another thing that didn't work for me was in 2020 we kept having Ben save or rescue Georgie, so I actually would have LOVED to have her sail the boat all the way to the Naval Yard at the end by herself or with Jem, but not with Ben. Let the woman rescue or have a victory for herself that doesn't involve the hero, please! Especially if you're making her a smart, articulate woman who runs her own business! And, one last nit-picky thing...after their submarine shenanigans, the fact that he didn't lick her off his fingers was a wasted opportunity. He should've licked his fingers.

All that aside, I actually enjoyed the story and eagerly await reading Alex and Seb's stories.

I really enjoyed this book. I really love Historical Romance and Historical Fiction books and I was glad I found a new favorite book and author.

A new author for me, and I was not disappointed. Great historical romance for readers who don't like a lot of romance turmoil. This is a beautiful story (with an intriguing beginnings, I mean really...marrying a convict?!!!) of letting fate carry a couple from first sight to a long-lasting love. Intrigue and suspense with the kind of love scenes that will melt the pages. Can't wait to check out more from her!

This is the first regency I've read from this author and I have to say I'm impressed! Well done, Ms. Bateman! The characters were well written, the plot was breathtaking, and overall fantastic read.

Georgiana Caversteed is desperate to keep her fortune and herself out of her cousin's hands. She comes up with the perfect solution: a marriage without a husband. Georgie marries a condemned criminal in Newgate prison. After the first heated kiss from her groom, she never expects to see him again until she spots him in a crowded ballroom. Benedict Wylde was undercover in Newgate working for Bow Street and never expected to be forced into a marriage. He is a second son who is helping his brother with the disastrous financial state of the estate. He starts courting Georgie in public only to find that sparks start to fly. Can they make their unusual start of a marriage work?

This is the first book in the Bow Street Bachelors series. I liked the characters. Georgie was a strong heroine that was attempting to protect her family business from her nasty cousin. Benedict is a war hero that is attempting to help his brother. I liked the attraction between them.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. Georgie has inherited a fortune from her father but in order to protect it and herself from her cousin she decides to marry a convict to gain control of her life as a widow. However, the convict turns out to be turns out to be an undercover bow street worker. The relationship between Georgie and Benedict feels so organic even with the unbelievable start. Georgie is a strong competent woman who feels like a real person as she runs her father's business. Benedict's desire to woo Georgie and his respect for her all while knowing that he can't have her due to his families debt was sweet. This was my first book by this author but definitely won't be my last.

This was a bit of a wonky premise, but I very much enjoyed this book—the lack of miscommunication was a relief, and I liked the balance between action and romance,

I received this book for free so I could give an honest review. I didn’t love this book, and I didn’t hate this book. It was a perfect palette cleanser for all the murder I’ve been reading! I loved that Georgie, the main character, was a strong female fighting against the norm during that day and age. I didn’t feel super connected to Ben though, which made it hard for me to root for them a lot. The battle between love and money was really interesting, even adding in an angry cousin!

This bowman Street series is a new bookmark by Kate Bateman. This story follow the marriage of convenience between Georgiana and Benedict. Georgie married Benedict a convicted felon so she can access her fortune and keep it away from her evil cousin. However, unbeknownst to Georgie Benedict is an uncover bowman street agent. How this marriage is convenience is very inconvenient. These two are hot as well. It is a must read. .

Georgiana Caversteed decides that the only way she can escape the advances of her odious cousin is get married before he can trap her. If she can strike a bargain with a condemned prisoner, then as a widow she will have more freedom, however the only available prisoner is Ben Wilde who is due to be transported the next day. Thinking that is better than nothing she presses him into a marriage for £500 knowing she will never see him again. She finds that she can’t quite shake him off her mind and is shaken to the core when it turns out that the ‘felon’ is in fact Benedict Wylde, a penniless and notorious member of the aristocracy. Georgiana finds herself drawn to Ben and the adventures that follow him. Highly enjoyable story. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A very nice book by Kate Bateman. I’ve never read a book by this author before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story and the characters.

If you love strong alpha women, you will love this book! She had a task that had to be fulfilled and didn’t like the odds she was facing so she changed the look of it and oh what she got out of it! You will love this first book in the series! Thank you!

Georgiana needs a husband immediately, preferably one who will die or leave the country right after the ceremony. A Newgate prisoner seems like the perfect choice. Unfortunately, the man she marries is not in fact a criminal, but an undercover Bow Street Runner who is very much alive and in London after the wedding. Benedict had no interest in marrying, but now that he’s secretly acquired a wife, an intriguingly bright and beautiful one, he kind of wants to keep her.

This entertaining caper sets up a new series featuring aristocratic Bow Street Runners, and I look forward to the next installment. Bateman does a nice job of balancing madcap adventure with heartfelt romance, and her heroine—rather than the usual cliche of needing to be rescued—is capable and resourceful and saves the day.

🍷🍷.7 #Review of This Earl of Mine by Kate Bateman
Kimberly's Thoughts:
There were worse places to find a husband than Newgate Prison.

Georgiana is desperate to keep herself, her fortune, and her father's shipping company out of her cousin Josiah's hands. Deciding that marrying a condemned convict, quickly making her a widow and gaining more power over her finances, is the best way to do this, she ends up meeting Benedict Wylde in Newgate.
A Bow Street Runner undercover as a smuggler, Benedict allows himself to be taken prisoner so that he can try and get some information out of his cellmate. With an Earl older brother trying to save the family holdings because of a father who gambled away the family fortune, he's in constant need of money. An heiress demanding he marry her but also making him sign a contract saying he can't touch her money, in the bowels of Newgate, seems almost Faustian.

First in the Bow Street Bachelors series, This Earl of Mine did a great job of hitting all the, somewhat becoming overused Regency London sights, Vauxhall and balls, and giving some new blood details like a submarine. The heroine Georgiana inherited control of her father's shipping company but reader's don't really get to see her in the roll, she spouts off nautical knowledge but for the most part, it was left to the side. Our hero Benedict is a second son who joined the Rifles and fought Napoleon, again a detail added to his character that could have used some coloring in. The first half of these two meeting and testing each other was an enjoyable warming story to fall into but the middle dragged with lack of sparks and the ending brought the focus on a Napoleon plot that never felt entwined with the characters, giving the story a lack of emotion.

“What if we don’t keep our marriage quiet?”

I thought the details of our leads was interesting, Georgiana running the shipping company and trying to fend off her cousin and Benedict having fought for the Rifles, owning a gaming hell with his friends, and now a Bow Street Runner. While the details were there, the coloring in was absent. I thought the author did a great job giving us the setting but the characters fell flat for me. If you read a good amount of Regency historical romance, you won't find much new here (except for the submarine!) and the lack of emotion breathed into the story was disappointing. There were also some plot points that didn't quite tie together; there being no prisoners condemned to die on the night Georgiana shows up, why the prisoner guard would go to Georgiana's cousin Josiah, and even some of the marriage plot of reasons given to keep it a secret and then not keep it a secret.

“I see you,” he said softly.

I usually bemoan series baiting characters but I actually thought Benedict's two friends, who are also partners in their gaming hell, could have shown up more, would have liked to have scenes showcasing their friendship and even Georgiana and her family, her sister and mother ended up feeling like caricatures. There is still no denying that the author has a very readable flow to her writing and there were moments between Georgiana and Benedict that flashed but for the most part, this felt like a shell of a story. I'll be looking for plot points that meld together better and more emotion and feeling in the next installment.

This Earl of Mine combines regency romance with a little deep undercover work, which is an unusual and welcome combo. The story starts off well enough, mysterious woman, even more, mysterious man. Alas, when they get together under the premise of thwarting Napoleon things go from a lark to downright ridiculous and this plotline fails to go anywhere. The plot holes are numerous, but pale in comparison to the number of coincidences. This Earl may have saved face with the romance, but the chemistry between Georgie and Ben is tepid at best. Disappointing.