I absolutely did not like Simon until the very end when he started to get his head out of his ass. He was such a coward and a jerk.
Ida was a very strong and independent woman was way more mature than Simon at times.
The only thing that kept me reading was Ida and the mystery of finding out who framed her father.

This is my first book by the author and I was charmed by the heroine. Ida was smart, charming and a go-getter and I really enjoyed getting to know her. My heart ached when I read her back story and I wanted all the good things for her. That is why I will admit I was disappointed by the male lead’s character. Simon appeared like the typical HR lead, and like most he made a couple of very questionable calls early on. However, unlike most I don’t feel he redeemed himself too much to deserve Ida eventually.

I look forward to reading earlier books in the series as I liked a lot of the secondary characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

3.5 stars rounded up!

Simon Nugent, the Earl of Fielding, lives to preserve his pristine reputation. He was never able to earn his parents’ approval, despite his best efforts, and lives with the guilt of his past mistakes. When he discovers the daughter of the man who saved his life during the war alive, he sees his chance to make amends. Too bad he’s also fiercely attracted to the woman.

Ever since her father was wrongfully executed for treason Ida Strong has been determined to prove his innocence and see justice served. She’s done hiding away, especially now that a certain bothersome earl has blown her cover and she can’t afford distractions, no matter how handsome. The earl claims to want to help but Ida understandably doesn’t trust easily, and she certainly has no intention of risking her heart, although that seems inevitable.

I really liked this premise of the wronged heroine seeking justice and the hero operating as more or less her sidekick. However, many of the decisions they made in an effort to investigate didn’t make much sense given the clear attempts being made on her life. I also was not a big fan of this hero. He spent much of the book enumerating the myriad reasons why Ida could never be his wife and being puzzled as to why she wasn’t leaping at the chance to be his mistress. His epiphany came a bit too late and this watered down some of the romance for me. The mystery element was enjoyable, and I loved Ida as a heroine. She was strong, knew her own mind, and stood up for herself without coming off as shrewish, which is so rare in recent reads. Despite the danger she faced, she never seemed helpless. The ending was very dramatic, maybe a little too much so, but it did have me feverishly turning pages. I do wish we’d gotten a bit more information regarding the villain’s comeuppance and more of a chance for Ida’s vindication to be shown on the page after it was so hard-won. Overall, this was a solid story and I look forward to Blayne’s HEA next.

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

This is certainly a book of opposites attract. Simon is a most upstanding Earl, his friends accuse him of being stuffy and boring. Ida has been living on the edge, in hiding in her aunt's brothel since her father was hanged for treason. Simon is shocked to find her, as he thought she was dead. Despite her father's supposed crimes he feels he owes the man a debt for saving his life during the war. Despite his misgivings, he agrees to help her trackdown the true traitor. Simon knows that with all the scandal surrounding Ida, he can never marry her, but that doesn't stop him from wanting her in his life permanently. Though Ida can't deny her growing feelings, she can't accept the idea that she can be Simon's mistress but never his wife. As danger surrounds them, both realize what is truly important and what they are willing to give up to be together

Ida Strong is an orphan in hiding due to her father being executed for treason. Shes been hiding for four years after publicly claiming she is determined to find the traitor who set up her father. Along comes Simon Nugent, Earl of Fielding, who identifies Ida when she's hiding out in a brothel. He knew her father and never believed the rumor of his treason, but he feels guilty for not speaking up. So, he offers to help Ida and work with her to discover the truth in the plot to free Napoleon. As they are working on the truth, people discover her identity at a ball after Simon thinks it is a good idea to take her even after Ida protests it. When people assume the worst of her because she's living in Simon's house, he won't marry her if it means harming his own reputation which is what turned me off about the book. If he'd spoken up for Matthew, then Ida wouldn't have this awful reputation in the first place. There's a side story about Simon's brother which frankly took away from this story.

An honest review was provided in exchange for receiving a free ARC from Netgalley.

2 of 5 stars

Simon Nugent, the Earl of Fielding, decides to throw off his prim and proper reputation and visits a brothel where he finds Ida Strong, the daughter of a traitor, hiding. Now that she's been discovered, Ida has to run, but as soon as she leaves there's an attack on her life. Simon follows her and stops the attack. He feels responsible for outing her and agrees to hide her while trying to uncover who set her father up to be accused as a spy. Ida doesn't trust Simon, but has little choice but to accept his help. The closer these two get to the truth, the more her life is in danger. Can they uncover the real criminal before Ida is killed?

I thought the premise of this book was good, but I felt like I'd been dropped into the middle of it. I've only read one other book in the series about Carlton Guthrie but it was more than a year ago and I don't remember if Ida was mentioned there or not. In any case, I thought Ida's character was strong especially with everything she'd been through. I wasn't a fan of Simon though. What really puzzled me was how did all of London hear about Ida the next day after Simon discovers her in the brothel. Who told the papers? Even though Simon was helping to uncover the real criminal, I didn't warm up to him. One minute he vowed to protect Ida and then the next he's sleeping with her. As they get closer to the truth, he decides to bring her to a ball. What? He's supposed to hiding her and then Ida accuses two men at the ball. This whole scene was just too silly for words. So much for sleuth. Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorites.

This book was not what I expected. The book started out a little slow, but once all of the background information was over, the book became incredible. I was cheering for Simon and Ida the whole time and it was charming to see happened to the two of them to find true love.

Sophie Barnes continues her Diamonds in the Rough series with the story of Simon, Earl of Fielding, and Ida, resident of a brothel and daughter of a convicted traitor, a man who was also Simon's friend. If you haven't read any other books in the series, the good news is that you can start here and not feel like you have missed much. Although Simon has had roles in many of the books that came before and Ida was introduced in the previous book, those events have little to do with the plot of this story and all relevant connections are well explained so you won't be lost.


Simon and Ida are an odd couple. He is the epitome of uptight while she is as inappropriate a companion as one could imagine. Her only saving grace is that she only lived in the brothel, the niece of the proprietress; she didn't work there. Despite their differences, when Simon realizes who she is, the daughter of his former military commander, that she is determined to prove her father innocent of treason, and her life is in danger, he is committed to helping her. Along the way, he realizes that there are some things in life more important than social status and reputation. As the mystery unfolds and their feelings for each other grow, the inevitable social gap looms leaving Simon with a crisis of conscience.


All in all, it was a good story. The mystery of the real traitor wasn't predictable. The ending was exciting and romantic. The characters were interesting. I only gave the book four stars instead of five because there was just something, in my opinion, a little bit off about the pairing of Simon and Ida. They were great when they were together, but, when they were apart, something didn't quite work. It felt a little forced.

Simon meets his friends daughter, believed to be dead, hiding in a brothel of all places. Ida, after faking her death, has been hiding at her aunts brothel while trying to get justice for her father who was mistakenly hanged as a traitor. Simon unknowingly outs Ida. Believing Ida's father innocent as well, Simon does what he can to help her clear his name. This was another wonderful book from Sophie Barnes. She never disappoints. I definitely recommend this book to my fellow Regency fans. Keep up the good work!
Thank you Sophie Barnes and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

I enjoyed this romance story with Miss Ida Strong and Simon Nugent, the Earl of Fielding.

Miss Ida Strong wants justice on the behalf of her father because he was wrongly accused of doing something. She has been hiding out because the person that had her father accused is trying to kill her. So after being recognized by the Earl she flee her hiding place but before she gets there something all most happens to her.


Simon Nugent, Earl of Fielding is very predictable. His friends tell him that he is boring and that he should try something new like go to a upper class brothel. So he decided to take that challenge but he did not expect to find a former friends daughter there.

So after meets each other they both decided to look for the man that accused her father. There is a lot of different twist and turn to this story. There is also a mystery too. This book is 6th book in this series. It can be read on it only or in the group.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinion.

received an ARC of "The Formidable Earl" by Sophie Barnes from Netgalley. Simon Garrison Nugent, Earl of Fielding, meets Ida Strong in a brothel.. Together,  they team up to find the true culprit and traitor who framed Ida's father and had him hung.  The investigation brings the two closer and eventually in an inevitable position of danger. This is also a good whodunit book.

The Formidable Earl mixed mystery and romance and did it well, as well as bringing back Simon Nugent, an earl with an arrogant edge who is hard to like — at first. He's too full of his position, unable to have fun and kind of a stick in the mud. Ida Strong, whose father died a traitor, is a strong heroine who took a bad hand and kept her head held high, even if she is living in a brothel..
From the first, they are an unlikely couple — but, oh, do the sparks fly. Ida is determined to clear her father's name, and Simon — almost against his own wishes — helps her, freeing his best self as he does so. Ida makes him a better, more likable man. It's a short story but one with lovely character growth. That's not easy to do as a writer, and it makes us care about these people and their lives. When the mystery is solved and love wins, the victory is all the sweeter. (I received an ARC from NetGalley; opinions mine!)

2.5 stars

After getting my Romance Lit 101 on the Regency romance subgenre through The Bromance Book Club, I decided to venture into my first full-length novel; and that turned out to be The Formidable Earl by Sophie Barnes. So bear in mind this review is written from the perspective of a brand new romance reader.

The Formidable Earl turned out to be perfectly average; 'inoffensive' would be the choice word to describe it. I wasn't particularly engaged throughout, but also wasn't offended by the characters or plot development; everything just washed over me like water, cured the boredom but left no trace behind. The two protagonists, Simon Nugent and Ida Strong, are likable characters, but the journey they go through feels very by-the-numbers and lacks any sort of passion or suspense, which is a pretty big flaw considering the primary story objective is a revenge plot. Sophie Barnes has mapped out a very intentional pacing for The Formidable Earl, one that switches back and forth between romance and revenge at a regulated interval, which I argue actually depletes any sense on momentum—this might be the most lifeless story delivery I've ever read this year.

I also didn't realize at the start this is part of a series (#6 of Diamonds in the Rough), which was then made explicitly clear as the last chapter was setting up the couple-to-be for the next book. I would say if you are already reading the series, the familiarity with recurring characters will probably get you more out of The Formidable Earl, otherwise it is a pretty formulaic, vanilla story that will adequately fill up time if you have absolutely nothing to read.





***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***

A well-written and complex story this book will capture your interest right up until the last page. It's filled with suspense and intrigue, a nice blend of humor and lovely romance. The characters are very well-developed and interesting. It's a winner for sure!

Another wonderful read! This is part of the Diamonds in the Rough series, I have read out of order and it doesn’t matter. There are characters that are in the previous books, but this is Simon and Ida story.
Simon is basically a “Stick in the Mud” Earl. His life is very predictable. His friends are telling him his life is boring and he will follow the path his upbringing has laid out for him. Simon can’t believe that they think that and decides to do something unpredictable. He takes his friend challenge and to go St. Giles, a unsavory part of London, to a upper class brothel. Entering there is no more to greet him, totally unacceptable! Looking around he sees someone hiding on the stairs looking down at him. Calling Ida out, she comes down to welcome him. Of course Simon will assume the worse of Ida, she is in in house of ill repute.
Ida has her only secrets and is in hiding for her life. Simon suddenly recognizes her as the daughter of a old friend from his military days. Matthews was hung as a traitor! Calling Ida out, started a series of bad events to repeat itself for Ida. Feeling guilty Simon feels obligated to help her since he is the cause of her difficulties. Great mystery, many twists and turns. A story of who done it.
I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story.

This was a different historical fiction book because there was a murder to solve. I enjoyed reading it because the characters were interesting and the story kept me wanting to know if they found the murderer. I was pleased that it had a happy ending and will try and find more books like this to read.

This was a fun period romance. It had all the elements you want: a spunky heroine, an arrogant Earl who learns the errors of his ways, and a bit of adventure that requires him to come sweeping in on his "white horse" to save the day.

This is a wonderful tale of a woman who has seen her father hung for a crime he didn't commit and a young Earl who was raised to be proper. I never write spoilers so I will just tell you that this book is very well written. Simon is so boring, so stuck in his proper, rigid life, until the night his friends coax him to go to a brothel. Ida is hiding in a brothel from the man who set her father up to hang. The development of both these characters is great. You can actually feel them growing in mind and heart. At the end of this story, I wanted to know more about their lives, and stay with them because they had become friends.

The secondary characters are from other books in the series, but you can definitely read this as a standalone. I received a complimentary copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. This review is honest. Enjoy this story, and stay away from Newgate1

This book was a fin mystery/adventure/romance. While I typically read more clean romances, I did enjoy this book. Ida Strong is hiding from someone who is out to kill her after she attempted to safe her father from a traitors death. Through a twist of fate, she comes in contact with Simon Nugent, the Earl of Fielding. Simon is an arrogant man who is haunted by his misdeeds in his past. When he comes in contact with Ida, the daughter of a man who once saved his life, he see a way for redemption. Little does he know, that their lives will become mush more complicated than simply trying to help her clear her father's name and, in doing so, save her life.

I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Brief Synopsis: After her father is falsely accused of treason and killed, Ida spends 4 years hiding in a brothel, presumed dead. After a run in with Simon, the earl of Fielding, a former friend of her father's, Ida's cover is blown and someone wants her dead. Simon decides to protect her and to help her uncover the truth, but nothing is as simple as it seems.

I thought the plot idea of this was great, however, some of the decisions made were pretty confusing. Like how did London hear rumors about about Ida after Simon visited the brother? He set her up in his extra house to protect her then took her to a ball? Having not read the other books in the series, I also don't think it could really stand on its own, as some parts were pretty confusing. Both the plot and their relationship seemed to move develop surprisingly quickly. I was always a bit surprised when all of the sudden they had feelings for each other, then all of the sudden they were having sex and had only just kissed previously. I love Sophie Barnes and it was great to see characters having to go through big dangerous situations, but I won't be picking this one up again.