well written and really fun read! I look forward to reading many more books from her. Full of laughs and even a secret identity but nothing and stand in the way of true love!

This was a very fun read for me. The story and characters were well-developed and well-written. I really enjoyed the premise of the story where 3 noblemen went incognito to become servants at a house party, one to find someone who would love him for who he was and the other two on a whim/bet.

The story had good substance, drama, emotion and humor. The four male noblemen who were friends were highly entertaining and really made the story so good. Valerie Bowman did an awesome job in writing this book, and I look forward to reading more from her. Highly recommended.

I believe The Footman and I is my first Valeria Bowman read. It’s a typical historical romance with a bit of a sweet girl who doesn’t want to marry the man chosen for her. Our hero is a new Earl and wants to marry for love and respect, not one of the ladies after his money.

The book flows well, characters are developed sufficiently and the romance was sweet. The side characters were probably more exciting but they have books too!

Overall I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical romance. You won’t be blown away but it’s a solid read.

A wonderfully written, sumptuous and thoroughly enjoyable historical romance story. This is my first book by this particular author but it certainly won't be my last.

The characters draw you into their sphere. Their drama and love and lust. They have an abundance of depth and charm but are also real and flawed. Those make for the best kinds of characters to read about.

Determined to meet a woman who loves him for more than just his title, the Earl of Kendall disguises himself as a footman at his friend's country manor during a house party. Meanwhile, Frances Wharton, a young lady more interested in political reform to help the poor than in matrimony, is forced to attend the same house party. Ostensibly, Kendall is just observing ladies from a menial's point of view so that he can then choose one to court as an earl. But when sparks heat up between them in the library (as one would expect), the well-bred young lady is only too eager to throw aside all constraints of 19th century morality and enter into a sexual liaison with very little effort at seduction on the footman's part. When Kendall's identity (as well as his dubious political inclinations) come to light, Frances must decide if she can ever forgive him for his deception. Kendall must decide whether to do an about-face with the bill he has sponsored in Parliament in order to improve the opinion of the one young lady he can't live without.

This Regency is a fast read and will appeal to those who enjoy romances that are heavy on sexual encounters and light on historical propriety.

Valerie Bowman write such fun, sweet, & entertaining stories! I always enjoy her books! I really adored Lucas and Frances. Lucas is now an Earl & wants to find a wife but one who wants him and the title. So he and 2 other of his friends decide to attend a ball in disguised as servants...omg I love this! Frances, a bluestocking, doesn’t like balls & isn’t wanting marriage but her mother has insisted upon a certain titles & wealthy gentleman. Frances wants to do things and help the poor with their rights. At the ball she tries to avoid the man who wants to marry her....so she meets a footman; Lucas. These two have an instant connection not only sexual but intellect as well. I really enjoyed watching these two learn about one another and how Frances has a mind of her own. I also like that Lucas wasn’t intimidated by Frances. Lucas was such a sweet and caring hero, even though he lied about who he was! So happy these two got their much deserved HEA! I look forward to reading the next one in this series!

I can only imagine what selecting a wife in the 1800s was like for someone with a title. What better way to know if the women is genuine then to be able to see how she acts when she believes no one is watching. Or how she treats someone of a lower class. This book was cute and had a fun story, it did not hold my attention like I would have liked, it seemed a little routine and was very upset as it kept all of the passion to the end of the book and then didn’t even have an epilogue to help with the happily ever after.
The two other gentlemen who will appear in the second and third books in this series are well introduced. But I do worry that the other two books will have the same flow and set up. So, I am not sure I want to read the other two as they take place at the same party so much of the story is already there and it will just be in two other views. All in all, I did enjoy this book but wouldn’t give it more than 3 stars.

This was cute and fun! Lucas and Frances are sweet together, and the plot is a delightful romp. I loved the side characters especially. Sometimes, setting up the plots of side characters that are clearly meant to star in future books can be distracting, but here it was well-executed and even served to support this plot line.

It does concern me that Lucas was so willing to back his brother's bill without doing proper research into it himself—nor did he wrestle with criticism of his brother once he realized—but at least he was willing to learn and grow.

I received a digital advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book. The main characters were interesting and at times funny. There was a good storyline which was different, in that some friends pretended to be footmen instead of wealthy aristocracy. I was pleased at the ending and recommend that you read this book.

I really liked this book. A bit of tension from the secret identity and knowing what they were doing was socially unacceptable. There were a few amusing parts, and some growth from both characters. Overall, an enjoyable book. *I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Valerie Bowman does it again. THE FOOTMAN AND I is simply captivating. I loved the storyline and the characters. Cannot wait for the next installment in this series.

Frances Wharton agrees to attend a summer house party to make her mother happy, but has no desire to marry. She has found most members of the aristocracy during her season shallow and boring. However, her father is addicted to gambling and life is uncertain for her, her mother, and her little sister. Lucas Drake, 5th Earl of Kendall was jilted earlier and during a drunken night out, he and his 2 friends agree to impersonate servants at their friend Viscount Claytons house party. They make a bet to see who won't be recognized, but Lucas really wants to see how the women there treat the house staff. He had been fooled before and wants a wife he can feel affection for, if not love. The characters are believable and likable and some unlikeable, and I look forward to next book in this trilogy.

A fun and romantic read! I cannot picture a nobleman dressing up and playing the role of a servant! I can see why the heroine was struck interested right away. A delightful romp, they set off on a plan to save themselves from marriage yet as always, it brings twists to it.

On a different day, I would have loved this. But sadly, it just fell short for my taste. I tried to connect to the characters, but no matter how much I tried, I still feel detached. I didn't feel any chemistry, and I think the conflict of deception didn't go well for me.

I really enjoy Valerie Bowman, and I liked The Footman and I, but the central plotline was so stressful and unbelievable for me that I rushed through it and didn't enjoy it as much as I was expecting.

You know when you are reading a story and you know there is deception afoot, and it's only a matter of time before the other shoe drops? I felt like I was waiting for the whole relationship to crash and burn for the entirety of the story. I mean, a relationship where one person is pretending to be someone completely different until almost the very end cannot end well.

I actually adored the characters at first, but then the male MC got a bit spineless and changeable for me, and the female MC seemed overly fixated on one law (the content of which was never fully explained). I know the conflict of the story is all based on that law, but I thought more details were warranted for me to understand it better.

I thought the chemistry was there and the pacing was right, but I struggled the most with how much the plotline centered around deception. It went on for far too long, IMO.

I will certainly go on and read more in this series because I was intrigued by the side characters, but I don't think The Footman and I was 100% my style read.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

I really enjoyed The Footman and I, and look forward to the rest of the series. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, but the characters are really lovable and I really appreciated all the relationships between the characters, and I loved the noblemen being servants. I read The Footman and I in just a couple sittings—this is a quick, sweet read.

Lucas is ready to find a wife. But he doesn't want someone who cares about his title and money, but someone who cares about him. He can his friends make a bet that they'll pose as servants and see if Lucas can meet the "one." In walks Miss Frances Wharton, a smart young woman whose mom is selling her to Sir Reginald (yuck).

There's also a bit of a mystery involving England's politics! It's a wonderful romp and I just love all three (Bell and Worth) of our gentlemen. I love the way Ms. Bowman have Frances and her footman fall for each other...and the aftermath ... great story. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a review copy of this book*

The Footman and I was my first book by Valarie Bowman. I was very excited as I have been wanting to read a novel by her and had not gotten around to it yet. This was fairly enjoyable and I am glad that I did try it.

The premise is that a very rich and notorious gentleman go in disguise to try and make a woman love them for them and not for their titles. Which is a really fun premise! The only issue for me is that it was a little lackluster in the execution. If you looked at it as a fantasy, which I often try to do with romance anyway, it could be good. However, it was ridiculous that one, no one would recognize them, and two, that they could just go missing from life and society for long enough to train to do this and then to execute it.

So I can buy into a crazy premise, but this one was just a bit too much for me.

However it was still charming and I had a great time, so I will give the next ones a go.

3.5/5 stars from me.

I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an advance reader copy of this story.

The Footman And I, by Valerie Bowman, is available at booksellers on 6-30-2020. This is the first in the trilogy The Footmen's Club. An interesting twist is the beginning of the story will be the same for each story. It tells how three friends meet up, drink up, and plan a wager that's hysterical. Three titled men have to learn to be servants. The first is the Earl of Kendall. He's decided he want's a wife and a love match. This guy must be the worst footman ever. He can't keep in character & Frances never seems to realize that's he's way to informal around her. She takes it all in stride. I enjoyed this book so much that I've bought book 2. Can't wait for the Duke to get his comeuppance.

#Netgalley #ValerieBowman #TheFootmanandI #TheFootmen'sClub #romance #historicalromance #June Third Enterprises

The Footman and I (Footmen’s Club). By Valerie Bowman. 2020. June Third Enterprises (ARC eBook).

Lucas Drake, a former navy hero and the new Earl of Kendall, is ready to find a wife. But having already experienced a broken engagement, he is not raring to go back to the balls at Almack’s and the other trappings of the Ton. As he commiserates with his friends over a few (too many) drinks, the group devises a plan and make a bet. Lucas, Bell and Worth shall pose as servants at Clayton’s upcoming party at his country house. If the identities of Lucas, Bell or Worth are revealed, they lose the bet. Lucas, believing that he’ll be able to observe the true nature of the debutantes who attend if he is disguised as a footman, agrees. He expects to stay at a distance from the guests, but soon finds himself enamored with an intelligent, kind and genuine Frances Wharton.

Frances may be attending Clayton’s house party to appease her mother, but she really wants to avoid Sir Reginald, her mother’s choice for her. And she’s ever so grateful for the footman who aids her, Lucas. As she and Lucas spend more time together and pull stunts to escape Sir Reginald’s attentions, she realizes that perhaps she has found love where she least expected it.

The Footman and I swept me right off my feet. Lucas and Frances were so easy to fall in love with and root for. There is really enjoyable humor and charm woven into the romance. And the plot blends in well with the place and settings; as in England’s Employment Law, which is important to both Lucas and Frances, albeit initially for different reasons. And this first installment set up the future romances for the group of friends nicely as each man had their own reason to disguise themselves at the house party. Looking forward to the next book!