When a book doesn’t click with me, I’m always saddened. I’ve started and stopped reading this story over several weeks in hopes that I would eventually grow to like the characters. But alas, that was not so. If you’ve gone through the trouble of reading the synopsis of the book and have made it to the reviews, I’ll spare you with yet another blurb. What I will say is that the story is well written, but just wasn’t my cup of tea. So, if you were intrigued by the cover and storyline, then I’d recommend giving My Kind of Earl a read…while not my fav, it could be yours!

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

This book took me by surprise. It was cleverly written. The twists and turns of the plot as it unfolded captured my interest.

The hero grew up an orphan and made his own way into an established life. The heroine is smart, inquisitive, innocent and just amusing. The story has action, mystery and humor and romance. I really enjoyed reading it. The bulk of the action happened towards the end. I loved the connection between the hero and heroine. The development of their attraction love for each other Is something to read and enjoy. I also liked the other characters in the book. I appreciate that they were not there to provide a side story but to support the main characters. I just wish there was an epilogue.

Jane Pickerington, a full-fledge bookstocking, enters a brothel intending to do research about how to avoid scoundrels. Instead she is helped by a dark and sexy stranger who helps her escape a brawl. Never could she imagine her life was forever changed the night she met Raven. Raven is a self-made man who grew up an orphan and learned many life lessons the hard way. Now he keeps everything close to the vest, letting only a few into his life. The night he saves Jane will send his well-ordered life into chaos and it will upend everything he has accomplished.

I almost stopped reading this book in the first couple of chapters because the author chose such long winded and unusual words to convey simple things. Once I realized she was setting up the character of Jane, I continued the story. I did like Jane and her quirkiness, but I liked Raven much more. His exasperation with Jane was priceless. I loved how their relationship grew over the story and there was a few twists in the book that was surprising. I was beginning to decide on 4 stars until the book just ended. No epilogue, nothing. It was abrupt and left me wanting more especially about Warrister's nephew. How was he going to undo the damage he inflicted on Raven? Once a rumor starts in the ton, it is near impossible to contain it. Needless to say, the ending was disappointing.

Melt-your-Kindle hot and a great romantic story. Loved this one!

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

My Kind of Earl by Vivienne Lorret

What happens when you put a scoundrel with an unschooled out of the box Almost shelved Lady? COMBUSTION!
Jane is ignored by her parents and runs the family home and is mother to her siblings. She is brilliant and, delightful, but definitely not your normal debutante! Jane loves science and theory and books.
Raven is a foundling who was abandoned at the orphanage and became a ladies man rake, but deep down a man of good heart. He is loyal, and loves books, but will not admit that he is trying to better himself.
When the two met, Jane knew that there was something different and when she found an identifying mark, she remembered seeing it somewhere!
The adventures are about to begin and Ravens life is no longer going to be the placid life it has been! Welcome to Janes chaotic world!, The ride of a devilish whirlwind is about to descend for both individuals!
This book is a lighthearted romp with sexy twists and turns and wonderful fun characters!

Thank you to the author and publishers for all the hard work that they do for us the readers.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Jane is a bluestocking who is writing a book with her friends about scoundrels. She breaks into a brothel to do research and inadvertently starts a fight between two men. Raven noticed Jane breaking into the brothel via the window, so once he’s inside, he seeks her out. When he realizes she is hidden, he is intrigued, but he doesn’t give her away. Not until a drunkard mistakes Jane for a brothel employee!

This book is one of my favorite historical romances of 2020! Jane is a brilliant woman, raising her siblings, while her parents do nothing but worry about their reputation in society. Jane is no-nonsense, mystery solving, independent, and is one of the most memorable characters I have read this year. Raven...oh Raven, hold my heart while I swoon! I love nothing better than an alpha hero who can give the independent heroine the space she needs to do what she wants! From the instant Raven sees Jane, he wants her, but he knows better than to have any kind of hope that he might get what he wants. He is a ruthless flirt and is an expert at building walls and defending himself against anyone who might hurt him. This book is exceptionally well-written and I cannot recommend that you pre-order it enough!

Vivienne Lorret's books are always a joy to read and My Kind of Earl was no exception. I loved Jane and her curiosity about the world and her love for her siblings. I loved Raven and his journey as well, especially his focus on Jane and helping her see that she deserved happiness in life too. This was a 4-star read for me up until the ending, namely that there wasn't one! I'm hoping a resolution gets added to the print version but the end of the ARC is abrupt and not what I'd hope for for two characters I really came to care about.

Jane is a bluestocking who finds herself in a hairy situation while researching a book she’s writing. Raven attempts to help her out of her predicament only to discover that Jane is entirely capable of taking care of herself. In the process, Jane recognizes Raven’s birthmark which may give Raven answers about his past that he’s not sure he wants.

I loved this book! I really enjoyed Jane’s mind and the sweet traits that endeared her to Raven. Raven is growly (I love me a growly hero), clever, and industrious. I appreciate that he has a tragic past that sometimes motivates him but doesn’t define him. The romance between the two of them is just lovely, and the way they saw and cared for each other in small, thoughtful ways made me so happy.

CW: there is a brief reference to Raven being groomed by an older woman to be her lover. It’s not condoned, not is it a feature, but is brought up as his mode of getting out of a work house.

I just have to start by saying how much I loved Jane. I haven't read the first book in the series, so this was my first introduction to her and I immediately wanted to be friends with her. The thought that kept coming to mind was the episode of Parks & Rec when Ben and Ann both call Leslie a bulldozer because that is the best way to describe Jane. She does what she wants and what she thinks is right and just kind of expects everyone to agree with and understand her. She's never malicious in anything she does, she just doesn't really think things through before she does them (i.e., sneaking into a brothel). Her intelligence and ingenuity also make her a somewhat rare historical romance heroine. It's really no surprise that Raven would fall under her spell and be charmed by her. Raven is also a well constructed character - you understand his yearning for family but why he is equally afraid to create those types of bonds with others. Only because I was so mad at him for what he said to Jane I wish Ellie had ripped into him a little more when she goes to confront him, but his immediate recognition that he had royally messed everything up made up for it. Raven's interactions with his grandfather were also really great scenes - having his uncle be the same person he had taken an immediate disliking to at the club led to an interesting dynamic between the two.

Lovey cover. I had never read this author before. It seems like she was trying to write a story arc she, about a blue stocking, which she knows nothing about and is beyond her reach. The writing is uninteresting due to repetitive sentences, shallow characters, and a boring storyline that really needs work.

London - 19th Century

Raven thought he was seeing things as he approached Moll Dawson's brothel. In the alley beside the building, he watches as a man is assisting a woman through a window into Moll's house. He recognizes the man, but the woman, who kept calling the man cousin, is unknown to him. Curious, Raven goes inside the exclusive brothel, a place a commoner like him would normally not be allowed, but Moll has brought Raven in because he is able to steer wealthy customers to her from the gambling parlor where he works. Skirting the Viking bouncer Moll has guarding the entrance, Raven proceeds to search for the mystery intruder.

Jane Pickerington is in the brothel on a research project. She wants to discover the answers to many mysteries in life, and a bawdy house is one of the biggest curiosities to Jane. This is not to say that she isn't prepared for every contingency. However, once she is ensconced in a curtained alcove to observe the goings on, she realizes that one man who has wandered into the room and established himself near her hiding place seems to know that she is there. He's rather mysterious looking, handsome, but in a feral way. Shortly afterwards, everything gets out of control, and, although Jane has her pocket full of protective devices and inventions, it's all she can do to escape through the window, leaving behind utter mayhem, not to mention the mysterious man covered in pink powder that she enveloped him in.

It doesn't take Raven long to track down the debutante and her cousin, Duncan, who works with Raven at the gambling parlor. He forces Duncan to take them back to Raven's flat where he wants answers to what went on at Moll's. Raven has worked hard to put his past behind him. Abandoned on the doorstep of an orphanage as an infant, he has known no family or had a normal childhood. Now, gainfully employed, he has purchased a house and is slowly restoring it. As Jane prepares her ointments to try and remove the pink color from Raven, she recognizes the birthmark on his arm. Is Raven really just another abandoned orphan, or is there more to his life that he isn't aware of?

Always thought of as plain, Jane is affected by how Raven treats her. No man has ever been interested in her, thinking her a bluestocking, more interested in books and studies than love. So, the mystery about Raven's birthmark intrigues her and she sets out to discover what she suspects about his past. Raven is not sure he wants Jane to pursue this issue, and he tries hard to avoid being drawn into her upper class lifestyle, where he knows he doesn't belong.

Humor, sadness, and mystery abound in MY KIND OF EARL. It's difficult to keep Jane from her search, especially as she has grown more than fond of Raven. He, on the other hand, makes no bones about being attracted to her, but he also knows his place in the world, and it cannot be with Jane.

Jane the “the professor” is a lady who wants to know how the world runs. She is a caring, intelligent spinster who with the help of her friends wants to write a book warning young women about scoundrels.

When Raven sees Jane slipping inside a brothel, he follows to find out what she up to. Of course, Jane is discovered, and a Raven does his best to protect her and gets turned “pink” for his trouble. I will say I had a good laugh over this.

I really liked how Raven and Jane romanced developed over time as she tries to teach him ton rules. This was a heartwarming story. Raven whispering naughty things in Jane's ears to make her blush was endearing.

I did feel the ending was rushed but it won’t stop me reading the next books in this series.

I loved this book. This was my first Vivienne Lorret novel and I am so happy that I was not disappointed, I will definitely be picking up more from her since so many characters in this book were in the others.

I loved the main characters of the story. The chemistry between the two was unmatched. I loved how much they tried to stay apart from each other but couldn't help going back. Their personalities fit so well with each other. The insecurities, flaws, and desires both of them had were so real And I absolutely loved watching them fall in love. Lorret wrote their love perfectly. The development of their relationship was very natural and believable.

The plot going on was extremely fun to follow along and kept me super fascinated. The best romance novels are the ones that have a plot other than the romance going on in the book. The suspense/mystery plot was done perfectly and didn't feel like it was a second priority for the author. I loved watching both of them pick up clues and try to solve the mystery of Raven's background. I say that knowing that I don't normally read or like romantic suspense/mystery.

My only quip was how info-dumpy the scenes with the other characters from the books were; I say that not even knowing the other characters since I haven't read those books yet. Additionally, the ending felt very fast, quite abrupt, and a little underwhelming.

This book was just my cup of tea. I can't wait to read the rest of Lorret's backlist.

- 4 stars -

I did not expect a romance that started in a brothel to have as much sweetness as I found in this novel. The heroine, Jane, is working on a book to help women avoid scoundrels, and her curiosity and scientific mind is wonderful. She is an interesting character with tons of charm, and I loved watching the hero, Raven, fall in love with her. Jane cares about her family and is largely raising her many siblings, so there are great moments of silliness and adventure with the children without losing the steamy elements when Jane and Raven are alone.

In a note before the novel, Lorret mentions wanting to do a Tarzan story set in London, and I think this book succeeds at that marvelously without taking away from the originality of the characters or plot.

I really enjoyed this novel. I think you can read it without reading the first in the series, although that one is a fun road-trip adventure. I could not stop reading once I started, and now I have a long wait for the next book, which I will definitely read as well. I recommend this story if you want to spend more time in the conservatory than a ballroom. It was a fun read.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review

I recieved an ARC via Netgalley through the publisher, and all opinions are my own.

Jane Pickerington and her friends are writing a book about scoundrels, and this causes her to sneak into a brothel. Here she meets Raven, a man who dresses like an aristocrat, but isn't one. Jane finds Raven's past a mystery that she needs to solve . A lost heir, tons of sexual tension, and a love that is all consuming follows

First thing first, this cover is GORGEOUS. I love it, and it really makes you want to pick up this book. I had never read any Vivienne Lorret books before, so I had no idea what to expect. It really blew my socks off. I feel that lately im reading a lot about peculiar blue stocking heroines, but Jane Pickerington is the best one I've read to date. She was witty, loyal, and inquisitive. The banter between her and Raven was engaging and funny. Once they fell in love I was hooked. I felt it through the words on the page how committed and in love they were. I only wish there was an epilogue! I'm going to pick up her entire backlist because I enjoyed this book so much.

I am not going to sit here and right a book report, I am not happy with this book. I started to like it I liked the heroine she wasn't weak and she was smart, I liked the hero he wasn't a lazy good for nothing scoundral I liked the story, until I didn't See I feel like I gave my time and energy, to be swimming at the end, I got no ending and I wish the author would have given a couple more pages, another chapter or two to give me a happily ever after book. See I read romance books to get an HEA and when I dont feel I got that, it kills the book for me.

This was an enjoyable read from a new to me author. I requested to review this because the blurb was so unusual. An author heroine that starts a fight in a brothel and ends up finding a secret aristocrat in the process. Sign me up!
I loved the whole process of getting Raven ton ready, I'm a big sucker for the Eliza Doolittle type stories and even more so when it's with a male needing the make over. I'm only marking down a little bit because there was some info dumping from the previous book in the series that I thought could have been handled better.
Overall a great read!

Vivienne Lorret writes a well rounded romance. Jane is your anything but typical blue stocking and Raven comes from the wrong end of London. But when a birth mark leads them on a quest to find out Raven's true identity, sparks fly. I couldn't put this book down. Romance readers will love this book.

I just don't think Lorret is the author for me. I have bought all of her books and struggled to finish every one. I especially disliked the class snobbery of this one. The first chapter is supposed to be a great "hook" and it made me want to write an essay on privilege instead. An essay about how whining that you lack privilege when your life is FILLED with privilege gets on my nerves. I am sure many people will enjoy this book. I was not one of them.

This book? Yes! Amazing! Where to even begin? The heroine,Jane. I’ve seldom come across a historical romance book with a leading lady that ACTUALLY has a unique personality. Jane thinks in science and ‘logic’, which therefore gets her tangled up with our supporting male, (Jane was definitely the star of the show) Raven. I enjoyed Raven and his intrigue with Jane, it felt real to watch him slowly fall in love because of his fascination with her, also her meddling. I thought it was a well paced book with plenty of *gush* scenes. The ending did seem a bit abrupt, so I felt the story could have used a few more chapters to make it seem less rushed. I think it was absolutely amazing and I was entertained from start to finish.