An enjoyable historical romance whit a great heroine and not so great hero for me unfortunately. 
While I liked them as a couple and their banter and steamy scenes and the mystery, the hero stepped on my toes too many times to like him and hence my lower star rating. 
But it’s a great story overall that many lovers of the genre will definitely enjoy

I want to start off by saying that the title is not fitting, the earl was not quite formidable so I give it 3 stars. But then again I guess titles are picked to grab the reader. I have thus far read all of the previous books in this series and I’m sad to say I did not fall for Simon as I did the others.  Simon Nugent, the Earl of Fielding is so pompous, self righteous and on top of that he’s a bore. I found myself rolling my eyes and wanting to do him harm a few times. Ida Strong on the other hand you will absolutely love. Her strength of character, her resolve, her humanity and everything she is, screams to you for her to get the win and so she saves the entire book in my opinion. She pursues the clearing of her father’s name relentlessly and the fact that Simon did not try to air him more nags at the reader at first but as the book proceeds one gets that it was a bit more complicated then that. That is all I will say to not give the plot away. Overall it was a good read, I just feel failed a bit by Simon that’s all. 

I received a complimentary download of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed here are completely my own and sincerely given.

I love mystery, suspense, action stories, as opposed to boy meets beautiful girl, have sex, story ends happily. This was an enjoyable read, girl in trouble, seeks help from handsome Earl to put an accusation of treason to rest. I loved the couple, the settings, these are more to my liking. Good read!
I highly recommend! Thank you Netgalley!
carolintallahassee. com

This was my first full length novel by Sophie Barnes, although, I’ve read several of her novellas and have loved them. Usually with historical romances you don’t necessarily need to read them in order. Even though I have the first five books sitting on my bookshelf, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to begin with book 6. I was wrong. I honestly felt like I was coming into the middle of the story when this began and, throughout, I felt like I was missing something. So I don’t recommend starting in the middle. Other than that, this was an ok book. I didn’t really feel any chemistry between the two main characters and I thought the mystery was lackluster. It doesn’t effect my desire to read the other books in the series however. 

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book in the Diamonds in the Rough series that I have read. The book can be read as a stand alone but I found that it would have helped with secondary characters if I had read some of the previous books. I really wanted to know more about Gunthrie and Huntleys pasts and why they were willing to help Ida. 
My biggest problem with this book was that there was to much talk about finding the man who framed Ida's father as traitor. I just wasn't that interested in it and I wanted more romance.

I absolutely loved the main female character Ida Strong. Oh Em Gee she was spectacular! She had charm, manners, useful skills, such as know how to use a gun, cooking, knitting and she had a wonderful sense of humanity. She valued character over what society thought. She had determination and grit. She never gave up and she never gave in. She made informed decisions and was able to think quickly on her feet. She did not let her personal feelings get in the way of making her decisions. (Well at least a majority of the time. LOL) When she did stray it landed her in a whole heaping pile of steam seething dung worth of trouble. She had people who believed in her, protected her and loved her. She had the most profound impact on Lord Simon Nugent, Earl of Fielding. Simon for all intense and purposes lived by societies rules and kept himself on a respectable path. He would never dream of sullying his title or reputation. He was pretty much a stick in the mud. Led a very unspectacular life. Pretty boring according to his friends. They challenged him to breaks some of his rules. This led to his meeting Ida and his life was never the same. In her thoughtful way she showed Simon by how she thought and lived her life how different his could be. This resulted in a difficult transformation in Simon. But as time when on the transition took place almost at the point when all could be lost. This is an exciting story of Ida trying to prove her father's innocence four years after he was sentenced to death by hanging for treason. She knew he was innocent and was determined to ferret out the guilty party. Simon had caused Ida's life to be in danger. He felt obligated to help her. But more importantly her father Matthew Strong was a good friend of Simon. Matthew had saved Simon's life during the war and he felt guilty he had not done more during his trial to help his friend. He had a chance to redeem himself with Ida now and would move heaven and earth to help her find the guilty party and he actually had to humble himself in order to get the help he needed. This book is a page turner. I had a hard time putting it down. The action is nonstop and on top of all of this was the blooming romance between Simon and Ida. The relationship was hard on both of them. Ida did not want to be a mistress and Simon felt he could not offer marriage. What a conundrum that luckily would be solved before the bad guys killed Ida or got rid of her some other way. This story had gripping and consuming twists and turns that kept the reader totally off guard as to who the guilty part was. An excellent read. I highly recommend it.

Love love ida. She stands up for herself, has an opinion and is overall amazing. This was a wonderful book and the romance was enjoyable. Simons transformation was great.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Simon Nugent, the Earl of Fielding is arrogant and possessive and haunted by his past choices. When he identifies a young lady Ida Strong while she's hiding in a brothel, she's know even more at risk. Ida wants justice on behalf of her father and she’ll take any risk to achieve her goal. She has a hard time trusting the handsome Earl of Fielding but she can’t fight the attraction between them. He agrees to work with Ida so they try and discover the truth about the plot to free Napoleon. She's struggled to trust people since her father's execution, but who can she trust to help her solve the plot? A captivating story with romance, mystery and intrigue. I have voluntarily read and reviewed these excellent story.

This is book 6 in the series; I’ve read a couple of the others and could follow along reasonably well what was happening here. You may have to take some things at face value if you don’t want to go back and re-read the previous books. 

Ida Strong’s father died a traitor. She’s hiding in her aunt’s brothel until she inherits the money set aside for her, on her twenty-first birthday, at which point she will… do something that’s never actually explained. She doesn’t seem to have a plan. Any plan she did have would have been derailed the moment she was recognised by Simon, the Earl of Fielding, and her identity promptly spread over all of London.

I can’t begin to express my utter distaste for Simon, but perhaps you’ll begin to share it when I tell you that when Ida protested him ordering her to hide away in his spare townhouse, he threatened to have her locked up in Bedlam.

Yes. The infamous insane asylum.

Instead of maybe suggesting he could post guards on the doors or servants inside the house to watch over her and protect her from those who want her silenced, he threatened to send her to Bedlam. This is straight-up a villain move. It’s horrifying.

I came VERY close to a DNF right there, but I prefer not to critique a book without complete knowledge of it, so I read on, thinking that it had better be a particularly epic grovel.

Reader. There was *NO* grovel. NONE.

Ida tells Simon after the Bedlam threat that he’s the most awful man she’s ever met (you got that right, sister) and then… just… forgets about it. He does a bunch of other rotten things, including literally saying to her face that he can’t marry her because of her reputation when it is ENTIRELY his fault that her reputation was ruined IN THE FIRST PLACE. Something he never even acknowledged.

Ida was brave and gutsy and apparently, utterly unable to remember Simon’s awfulness for more than five minutes at a time. I’ve never met a woman this bad at holding a grudge. There were moments when I was cheering for her, like when she stood her ground and refused to be Simon’s mistress because she firmly believed she and her future children deserved better. And then the story would switch to Simon’s POV again and I wanted to throw the book out of the window because he was such a spineless, craven worm. He let her languish in prison because he was too cowardly to put enough pressure on his uncle to make the man cave in and retract a false accusation, and because of it, she nearly ended up transported. As a romance hero, he failed in just about every possible way, and consequently, I’m afraid this is getting a one star from me.

I was so excited to be given this next book in the Diamonds In The Rough series!! I couldn’t wait to read Ida & Simon’s story! It did not disappoint either! Simon is our sexy Earl, who has told he is proper, boring, & a rule follower...he is now set out to prove his friends wrong! When he busts into a brothel he demands Ida assist him! Omg! Guys she doesn’t work there & has been in hiding from someone who is a threat! These two really have a great meet-cute. Simon & Ida actually have a connection...in more than one way! Simon had served with Ida’s father in the war & wants to help Ida prove her father wasn’t guilty! Simon is determined to make things right for Ida! These two seriously go through so much on their journey & both weren’t looking for love. But of course HEA! I really enjoyed every action packed slow burn to love pages! All in all a great addition to this wonderful series!!

Title: The Formidable Earl
Author: Sophie Barnes
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Overview: Simon is our hero and he is rather stuffy when we first meet him.  Quite the prig actually.  He is above reproach and never does anything outside the rules of Society, and therefore is exceedingly boring.  He is an Earl and (as we commonly see) is stuck in the view of having to marry someone of similar rank.

Ida is a young woman living in a brothel that her only living relation owns, her aunt Phillipa.  She isn't a whore, but lives here in hiding as her life is in danger should anyone know where she is.  She isn't a weak heroine, but neither is she the strong leading lady that we see in many romances today.  She dreams of marrying for love, a relationship like her parents had.

Our leads meet when Simon goes to Phillipa's brothel after his friends inform him he is quite boring, predictable and ALWAYS follows the rules of Society.  When he enters the brothel, he sees Ida on a second floor landing in the shadows and assumes she works there.  Ida, shocked but not wanting her aunt's business's reputation to suffer, comes down and speaks with Simon.  Without getting into all the details, Simon figures out who she is and after he is thrown out of the brothel, he goes to the papers as she is somewhat infamous.

Pros:
- It's an interesting storyline.  Ida's father is wrongfully accused and convicted (and sadly executed) for treason, which he did not commit.  After Simon outs Ida's whereabouts, she sets off on a mission to find who framed her father.  It is a storyline that had a lot of potential.
- Ida is someone I think many readers could relate to; she isn't perfect or the strongest of women, but she is relatable.

Cons:
- Where was the steam?!  I have read several books by Ms. Barnes and I do not recall them skimping over intimacy like this book did.  Did I miss this somewhere?
- It bothered me how Simon offered Ida the role of his mistress more than once, even after she'd made it abundantly clear she was not interested.  Authors do this sometimes and it bothers me because I would be done with a man who did that, full stop (regardless of how much I cared for him; to me this is a clear indication the feelings are not mutual).  I understand the times were different and she needed to find a way to look after herself, but she did have money coming to her once she reached her majority, so its not like she'd be destitute.
- The mystery had a lot of promise, but the ending feels clunky.  It gets overly complicated and then is rushed to finish it up in an acceptable numbers of pages.  As a reader, this drives me nuts.  If a story is good, I will read as many pages as the author wishes to write.  When a good story is rushed, that can ruin a story in my opinion.
- There is a LOT going on in this book, too much in my opinion.  There were some things I think should have been edited out as they were glossed over, so why mention them in the first place (e.g. what happened with his brother/nephew)?

This was a decent read, but the lack of steam between the characters made their relationship feel flat to me.  The chemistry was there at times, but felt off in places (and not the usual turbulence a new relationship may experience).  I give the book a rating of 3.5 stars as the storyline was interesting, but I felt there should have been more development of their relationship, steam, and more editing/work done to the mystery being solved as it felt rushed.  Also, the epilogue is about Ms. Barnes next book, not about how Ida and Simon are doing in their happily ever after.  I'm a stickler about this, but I LOVE epilogues and was VERY disappointed to not get that last glimpse into their lives.

I received an advance readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Stubbornness meets head on!

So an upright, uptight Earl, Simon Nugent, Earl of Fielding, meets his nemesis in the form of Ida Strong. The daughter of a condemned traitor, Ida has one aim, to find justice for her dead father. Simon had a hand in that, and his regrets about that incident haunts him. I couldn't help but lock into that Sinatra line 'Regrets I've had a few!' 
Out of the blue, discovering Ida hiding in a brothel shocks him. Now comes a time to help Ida, but unknown threats around Ida's commitment to learning the truth hamper any growing feelings Simon might have for her.

An ARC from the author via NetGalley 
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book.  I have enjoyed this series nad this book was not different, however this book can definitely be read as a stand alone.
Ida's father was hanged for treason bit he was innocent and ida is determined to prove it.  
Simon's life was save by ida's father in the war and he knows he owes helping ida.
Simon and ida's relationship was great.  Simon was instantly attracted to ida but he was also respectful of her.  Ida was a strong woman who knew what she wanted and needed to do.  I love that she demanded more than being some man's mistress.
Can't wait for the next book in the series.

The Formidable Earl harkens back to the first book in this series, A Most Unlikely Duke. In that first story, Raphe Matthews, the very unlikely duke, steals the Earl of Fielding’s fiancee. Not that it was actual theft, not that Gabriela didn’t go extremely willingly, and not that Simon was even remotely heartbroken.

The only parts of Simon that took any kind of hit were his pride and his reputation. Possibly along with the stick up his ass – although that may have become more firmly embedded as the years went by. After all, Simon only proposed to Gabriela because she’d make a perfect countess – not because he cared about her or even really knew her.

It was, after all, what the Earl of Fielding was expected to do. So he did. But fortunately for everyone both in that story and this one, SHE didn’t.

Considering that Simon has a terrible habit of doing what is expected instead of what he wants, well past the point of his own detriment, he’s actually better off without Gabriela, who wasn’t nearly as perfect for the role he imagined for her as he thought she was.

But she’s perfect as the Duchess of Huntley, and Raphe and Gabriela are perfect for each other.

Leaving Simon, in his mid-30s, alone and in need of a wife, or so he – and polite society – believe.

What Simon is really in need of is a LIFE. It’s only when he steps just a bit outside his comfort zone to get one that he finds everything he really needs. All he has to do is consign his starched and pristine reputation to the scrapheap where it belongs.

By marrying a woman who everyone insists is a traitor, a prostitute, and very nearly a murderess into the bargain.



Escape Rating B: There’s a theme to this series, and it’s pretty obvious from the series title. One protagonist or the other is just not “suitable” for marriage into the ton, whether it’s because they were raised outside it, because they were forced out of it, or because they were never part of it in the first place. The usual progress of each story is for the person who does belong to realize that what polite society thinks and believes is a whole lot of horseshit.

The books in the series are only kind of loosely linked, so it really isn’t necessary to read the previous books, or to read all of them, before diving into The Formidable Earl. (I just discovered I missed one along the way and now I WANT to go back to it, but I don’t HAVE to go back.)

The reason for, in this case, the heroine’s unsuitability was fascinating, but the hero’s reaction to it was at times just a bit squicky. Let me explain.

Ida Strong’s dilemma is a reminder that this series takes place at a time when the Napoleonic Wars were not far in the past at all, and that there were still a lot of hard feelings, wounded veterans and general all-around recriminations going on at the time. (The Napoleonic Wars, in a fictional sense, are a gift that just keeps on giving. So many dramatic possibilities both during the war and in the following years.)

Four years before this story begins, Ida Strong’s father, a celebrated British Army General, was convicted of treason in Napoleon’s escape from Elba. Matthew Strong was executed for a heinous crime that he did not commit, and his daughter vowed to find the men responsible and clear her father’s name.

In those intervening years, Ida lived in a brothel owned and operated by her mother’s sister. And that’s where Simon Nugent, the Earl of Fielding, discovers her the one time he decides to break away from his extremely priggish persona.

Simon’s exposure of Ida puts her life in danger from the men who connived at framing her father. The story here is Simon attempting to protect her while falling in love with this woman who is oh-so-wrong according to everyone who is anyone, but oh-so-right for Simon.

But, the exposure of Simon’s thoughts and feelings about the possibility that Ida is a prostitute is extremely uncomfortable to read. It’s not that it isn’t true to what we think of the Regency, it’s that, quite honestly, it just feels awful. It makes all kinds of sense for the era, but it still makes the reader, or at least this reader, squirm when reading it.

Which gives me mixed feelings that Ida has to reject the idea so forcefully in order to be considered “worthy” of becoming his heroine equally squirmy. Again, not that this isn’t true to what we believe of the era. But it still made me uncomfortable.

All of that being said, I really, really liked Ida. She’s a terrific heroine, forthright and proactive with plenty of agency. She was more middle-class to begin with, but society has completely rejected her so she’s pretty much said “to hell with it and the horse it rode in on.”

That Simon is both slavishly devoted to worrying about what people will think and falling desperately in love with Ida puts him on the horns of a delicious dilemma. That Ida has decided what she wants and what she doesn’t, and has no plans to settle, in contrast with Simon’s need to keep her with his initial unwillingness to buck society provides the romantic tension.

That someone really is out to get her, and that they nearly succeed, provides plenty of dramatic tension to keep the reader turning pages until the very last.

I’m certainly looking forward to the continuation of this series with Her Scottish Scoundrel in May of 2021. Not nearly soon enough!

This is another enjoyable read from Sophie Barnes.
This is the first I've read in the series so I didn't know the backstory of any of the side characters who obviously have had their own stories, but this didn't really affect the overall story. 
The Formidable Earl is about Simon Nugent who after being accused of being boring by his friends decides to visit a brothel. This causes the chance meeting of an old friends daughter, Ida Strong who has been hiding out in the brothel whilst everyone thought she was dead after her father was wrongfully hanged for treason four years ago and she vowed to avenge him. Ida ends up moving into one of Simon's properties as she has nowhere else to go and as they try to uncover the  real traitor a friendship/romance quickly develops.
This book definitely veers into the characters acting stupid at times but who knows what Earl's would have behaved and thought 200 years ago. Overall it is an enjoyable romance and I really liked how the story wrapped up. 
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Sophie Barnes for my complimentary eARC copy.

This book is definitely a historical romantic suspense - with this book.  There is a mystery of who killed Ida's father, one that Simon is determined to solve.  I liked the characters.  The book was engaging and fast paced.

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

The Formidable Earl, by Sophie Barnes. Well, I certainly enjoyed reading this love story. I felt the the writer really wanted to focus the point of the story, which is the romance and love that was growing between Ida and Simone. I found myself caught up in not only the romance, but the mystery plot as well. I loved how the writer chose Ida to be a strong character. This made her a great fit for Simone. Ida’s character is able to match wit and go toe to toe with Simone and anyone else who tried challenge her. Simone’s character was written well too. He was written as a strong, intelligent man with exuberant power. If readers love a good mystery romance book to read, then this is the book for you.

This is Simon and Ida’s story. He accidentally outed her hiding. She wants to find the person who should have been hung instead of her father. Simon demands that he help her in her quest. There are many twists and turns in their investigation. This was a very exciting story.

Entertaining historical read.  Ida wants justice for her father who was wrongly hung for treason and now she hides in a brothel worried the true traitor will be after her next.  Simon is a straightlaced member of the ton and decides to go to a brothel to give him a bit more excitement in his life.  When he sees Ida, he is shocked and is willing to help her.  What will happen when sparks fly?  Fast-paced read with loads of drama, twists and turns and steam.   I liked it.

Simon Nugent, Earl of Fielding, set out to end the stuffy and boring existence his life had become.  Being jilted can do that.  He takes himself to Amourette’s (an exclusive brothel), and gets a huge surprise.  Instead of a night’s pleasurable interlude, he meets Ida Strong, the daughter of a friend from his time in the war.  From the moment she publicly vowed she would find the men who framed her father for treason, she has been in danger and hiding in the brothel owned by her Aunt Phillipa.  She runs, and he chases and catches her.  Now they are off to find the truth about what happened to her father.  Their search and time together might reveal some other truths as well.

This is an exciting story with secrets, action, danger, treason, mystery, and romance.  The mystery is a page-turner in itself.  The attraction between Simon and Ida is undeniable and the chemistry is sizzling. The romance is a little complicated by Simon’s rather arrogant views of Society’s expectations.  He feels like he has failed the people he cared about in the past.  After some soul-searching, with and without the help of others, Simon begins to see life in a different light.  Ida is smart and stubborn.  She is independent and determined to clear her father’s name.  Carlton Guthrie, Blayne MacNeil, and the Duke of Huntley help with the mystery.  I enjoyed and recommend this Diamond in the Rough.  Now on to Blayne.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.  My review is voluntary.