This was my first book by Kate Bateman and will not be my last. This Earl of Mine was sexy, sweet, and fun all rolled into one. Great characters and plot development. And that cover... so sexy! I received an ARC for my fair and honest review.

Georgie is an heiress who decides to marry for convenience after she was nearly compromised by a suitor intent on marrying her for her money. She devises a plan to marry a convict bound for the gallows. The convict turns out to be none other than our fearless hero Ben Wylde who is in Newgate disguised as a prisoner for reasons. Yes, the set up is bonkers and disbelief must be completely suspended. Especially in light of the fact that Georgie makes Ben sign a document stating he will never touch her money. I'm willing to bet that such a document in Regency England where women didn't even have rights to their own children would be completely unenforceable.

Anyway, soon enough Georgie realizes that the hairy prisoner she married, that she can't stop fantasizing about even though she spend all of an hour in his company while he was hairy, dressed in rags and probably stunk to high heaven, is none other than the scapegrace rogue Ben. Ben is not only a gambling den owner but also a Bow-street runner. Yes, he's some kind of investigator for the ton, and he is a terrible one at that. He tells Georgie everything all the sensitive details about his investigation after a few conversations. Let's not forget he doesn't know her from Adam and has only exchanged a few words with her. Did I also mention Georgie runs her own shipping business? I'm all for female empowerment and the fantasy inherent in reading romance but let's try to have some semblance of actual history in a historical. CEO heroines in Regency England are becoming as plentiful as rich gorgeous Dukes. I'm sure there were exceptions to the rule in reality but this is the second book I've read in a week where the heroine was running a huge business empire. I may have been able to suspend disbelief throughout if the main characters had been in any way interesting but they were both so bland. The hero was a by the numbers rogue. Supposedly a bad boy through and through but this is all told and no shown. Just like we never see Georgie using her business acumen. In the end, the one thing I couldn't get over was how mind-numbingly boring this book was and sadly I can't find one thing to recommend it. 1 star.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I finally got around to finishing this book. I don't get alot of time to physically read books so it always takes me a little bit longer. So just because it took me awhile doesn't mean that it wasn't a good book. Because it was.. It wasn't the best book I've ever read but it was enjoyable.

The Premise of this book is pretty simple. Georgie needs to get married so she isn't forced to marry her nasty cousin who only wants her money. So her brilliant idea was to marry someone who was going to die so that she could become a widow and be in control of her life. Pretty good idea right?.. right?? Too bad the guy she married in newgate was actually an undercover spy.

Good story right? It was funny at times and sweet too. One of the things I actually liked the most about this book is the mother.. which almost never happens in historical romances. If you read it, you'll understand why I like her.

Anyways I liked it. I've never read anything by this author but I am going to be on the lookout for more.

Georgiana Caversteed is a very wealthy heiress to her father’s shipping empire ….. bringing her to the attention of fortune hunters , especially her cousin who is determined to compromise her and force her into marriage .
Fiercely independent and determined not to be married for her money she comes up with a plan to secretly marry a man on death row allowing her to pass as a widow ……………… but all does not go as planned for another man is substituted at the last moment .
Benedict Wylde is a Bow Street runner, undercover trying to obtain information from a man on death row . who upon his release contacts Georgina to inform her that the marriage is still valid . They decide to form a plan that will allow both the independence they crave but will also save face in the eyes of the Ton .
Their story makes for an enjoyable read …. I was drawn to the characters and their lives . I look forward to reading more books in this genre by the Author .

I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ms. Bateman's 'Earl Of Mine' is an engrossing tale of Georgie, a rich young woman, running a shipyard and trying to avoid getting married for her money. After being chased relentlessly by a cousin only interested in her fortune, she hatches a scheme in which she pays a convict on death row a sum to marry her. He gets money for his family, she gets the freedom of already being married, not disclosing her husband's death, therefore, no fortune hunters.
However her planned spouse passes the night before the wedding and a substitute is offered...well...coerced into marriage. She believes he's being transported, but he's working for Bow Street and his imprisonment's a cover.
He appears at a ball sometime later, and she finds out who he really is.
The story has intrigue, his assignment for the Runners...she is able to help, her rescue from evil cousin, Josiah, humor, sweet and steamy love scenes. They pair get in and out of scrapes and try to avoid the scrutiny of the ton.
I really enjoyed this tale. Georgie and Benedict are interesting and amusing characters. The scenes are easy to imagine with plenty of intrigue, humor and romance.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC gratis and offer my opinion as my own.

This historical was perfect in every way. The character development and plot was adicting. I highly recommend you get it and read it.

Loved this book! This was a new to me author and I will definitely be reading her again. I thought it was a fun story. I loved Georgie and Ben. The writing was excellent and there was good character development. The ending was a little rushed but I still thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The story is well thought out and nicely written making this an exciting page turner and one which I am more than happy to recommend."

Georgiana Caversteed is a very wealthy heiress to her father’s shipping empire. In just a few weeks’ time she is set to inherit all of it. Being this wealthy has made her the object of affection by many gentlemen in the ton looking for a way to marry into money. No one is more determined than her cousin, he will stop at nothing to marry her. Georgiana doesn’t want a loveless marriage and instead wants to be an independent woman in charge of both her life and the shipping company. She has to do something fast to keep her cousin from compromising and forcing her to marry him. She comes up with a plan to marry a criminal on death row, that way she will be a widow and free to live her life on her terms.

Georgiana ends up marrying Benedict Wylde. Although he wasn’t on death row he is being shipped to the America’s in a just a few days. Benedict isn’t who they think he is. He is a Bow Street runner, a detective if you will, and is only in prison to get information from a man on death row.

When Benedict gets out of prison he seeks out Georgianna. As the marriage is valid they form a plan that will allow them to save face with the ton and still get the independent life they both want. The best made plans just don’t always turn out how you think they will.

This is a great new series from Kate Bateman. I was draw in by the story and the characters right away and couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend if you enjoy Regency Romance books.

I really enjoyed this story!

It was very well written and it really had a bit of everything to keep me gripped - there was action, adventure and romance and there was something happening on practically every page to keep me fully engaged and engrossed in the plot.

I thought that the characters were well developed and I enjoyed the setting and location for the book too. The author's writing style really suited this one. It was a really good all round book

It is 5 stars from me for this one, I thought it was an excellent story - very highly recommended!!

I loved this. Loved the characters. Great storyline. New author to me but really enjoyed the book. Hard to put down.

Georgie has to take the desperate step of looking for a husband in prison who would not have a say in her fortune or her future. She marries Benedict Wylde and believes they will not meet again. You will follow Benedict as he has to weigh up the life of running a club with 2 friends which he uses to support the family estate. Or take a chance on life with Georgie and all the exciting new adventures to come. This is a fast pace story with plenty of characters you may see in future stories.
I was given an Arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A story with an intriguing premise and filled with quite a few twists.. I enjoyed the banter between Georgie and Benedict, Juliet’s clumsiness and amusing romance as well as the cunning contemptible cousin all add a dash of levity. The subplot with the submarine adds an interesting historical aspect to the story. Great characters and well developed plot.

Omg!! This book was so good. Loved how Georgie took control of her own future and did what needed to be done. Strong and fierce throughout the whole book. Ben was also a great character. Their interactions were awesome. Can't wait for the next book!!

Great love story about Georgia and Ben a prisoner whom she married thinking he would never be seen of again.
Love the banter the connection they had with each other from the beginning.
A really good romance with some drama and suspense.
A great fun read.
Voluntarily reviewed.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed Georgiana’s unusual job. Her passion for ships and modern views for bettering the lives of her employees stood out, but I also liked her natural curiosity and zest to experience life. She was easy to like and not shy in expressing herself.

Benedict was a charming devil and I thought his pragmatic nature was refreshing for the time setting. His loyalty and support to his family and close friends was admirable. When that same loyalty extended to Georgiana, he may have made my heart skip a beat or two.

While I felt Benedict’s job as a runner kept the mystery in the forefront, pushing the developing romance into the background, I think it worked out for the best. The details that gradually emerged allowed me to get to know both characters and what made them tick, so by the time the romance aspects really kicked in, I was fully invested in the end result.

This Earl of Mine is the first book of the Bow Runner series from new author for me, Kate Bateman. Georgiana and Benedict start off under false pretenses and a marriage of convenience from prison; what follows is a very modern romance, with open-minded viewpoints for the time. Not that that’s a bad thing, because I enjoyed the the story, but I concede I had to stretch credibility a few times :) Overall, I thought the story was pretty good and plan to read the next book in the series.

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

I'm not sure where to start with this book. It covers a lot of ground and requires a lot of suspended disbelief, but it was also pretty enjoyable once you did that. Warnings for spoilers in the rest of this review - I couldn't adequately describe the book without them.

When I say covers a lot of ground I mean it includes all of the following situations: bribing a prisoner into marriage, oops he's secretly the son of an Earl, guess we're foiling a Bonapartist plot now, stealing a submarine, kidnapped by my evil drug addict cousin, my new brother-in-law has a surprise gold mine, and finally happily ever after with more marriages and also some new Earldoms.

So, really, a lot of suspension of disbelief involved. Some people may feel similarly about the heroine. Georgiana asks her suitors to sign prenups! She wants to take a lover and live independently, and takes steps to do so. It's a bit Not Like Other Girls and some may find her anachronistic, but I found myself enjoying her character a lot, she was definitely the main draw of the book for me.

It does include a lot of genre-typical stuff that I'm not fond of, including a heroine who's never known pleasure until the hero ~shows her how~ and several rape threats (from villains at least), but I liked it, more than I expected to.

What a great read! I loved Georgie and Benedict! The secondary characters were great too. They are such a lovely couple. I can wait to read Alex’s and Seb’s story.

I had never heard of Kate Bateman before getting this book. I had zero expectations but the book summery sounded nice, different and like something I would really enjoy.
And I sure did !!
The story was well written. I really enjoyed Georgie and Benedict. Yes they liked each other on the spot (which usually doens't really work well for me) but their romance was never a given and it wasn't boring at all.
I hope more books get written (Alex ??). I'm definitely keeping an eye on this author.

I found this first book in Bateman's new series to be fairly bland and unmemorable. It starts with an unlikely scenario in which heiress Georgie pays off prison guards at Newgate to find her a husband in name only in order to prevent an annoying male family member from coercing her into marriage. Believing that she has found a prisoner who is set to be transported, she coerces the hero of the story into marrying her. The hero, however, isn't really a prisoner at all but instead is a Bow Street runner posing as a prisoner. Benedict doesn't want to be married off but can't risk his cover, and so in the first pages of the book, he and Georgie, two complete strangers, enter into a marriage-in- name-only. As a longtime romance reader, I'm accustomed to farfetched plots that exist merely to bring two people together. This plot though is among the sillier ones. Alas, as the book progresses, it doesn't get much better.

Once Benedict is back in society, he seeks Georgie out to harass her about forcing him into marriage. As the two debate their options, it turns out that they will need to live with their marriage. However, for confusing reasons that I never quite understood, Georgie wants Benedict to pretend to court her so that society takes her seriously. Both swear up and down that they are not interested in being an actual married couple at all. I gave up trying to figure out why. Then they decide they really are attracted to each other and so they might as well seal the deal and enjoy a secret sex life-- as long as they don't confuse sex with deeper emotions. Yawn.

In the midst of this confusing romance is a mystery that might be even more confusing. Benedict is on surveillance duty over a gang who might be involved in trying to free Napoleon. Georgie is bored and would love an adventure and because she is a shipping heiress she knows much about ships, and so she talks Benedict into allowing her to help him with his case. The actual mystery really only exists as a means to bring the two further together, and it serves the purpose of introducing Benedict's two best buddies, who are surely destined for their own books -- two identical men with no distinguishing traits that I could determine, I might add. To say that I'm bored at the thought of reading their stories is an understatement.

I liked the main characters well enough, and I thought they had a rapport and were kind to each other. On the other hand, I've read most of Bateman's books and have enjoyed them, but this one was dull.