Lucy Bertram is happy writing scientific articles and reading Gothic romance novels. Her eccentric father, Sir Oswald, insists that she allows a wealthy, older industrialist to court her with marriage as the eventual goal to save the family from penury, Lucy has no interest in this, so she goes in search of her brother who is estranged from her father in hopes Monty will take her side. Unfortunately, Monty is somewhere in the dangerous area of St Giles forcing Lucy to go into the rookeries to find him.

The Earl of Kyle, William Lockhart, is a secret agent for the Crown and he is looking for a killer who is bent on destroying the Linnean Society. Lucy's father, Sir Oswald, is a prime suspect due to him being a botanical poisons expert, so Will takes an undercover job as a groom in their household to investigate. The only thing out of his control is the building passion between Will and Lucy.

The narrator, Sasha Higgins, does an excellent job of using different tones of voices for the characters, so it's easy to know which one is speaking. This book is the second in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone.

It's a delightful read and very difficult to put down which is part of the joy in audiobooks - you can take it everywhere with you! Looking forward to reading more in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this wonderful romance!

I just reviewed Curled Up With an Earl by Amy Rose Bennett. #CurledUpWithanEarl #NetGalley

A great follow up to "Up All Night with a Good Duke" in Amy Rose Bennett's "Byronic Book Club" series, "Curled Up with an Earl" is fantastically written, with a gripping storyline, very steamy scenes, and all of this is topped off with excellent narration!

The second instalment of the Byronic Book Club Series and it was a great continuation of the story. I loved getting to see Artemis and see where she is after her story, as well as getting to know the next heroine better in relation to Miss Lucy.

As soon as Lucy and William meet sparks were flying! I loved how fast Lucy feel for William not just because he was hot (doesn't hurt) but because he is a man of action who would and did anything he could to protect Lucy.

I appreciated that is was not a story point that William had to lie about who he was because he was doing it for the greater good. Lucy is sure an honest and caring person that she wastes no time in figuring out her intentions with William. Even when she has no willingness to be married, the love that she feels for William, make her realize what marriage can be with a person who truly loves and respects you.

The audiobook narrator, Sasha Higgins, did a great job capturing the scothish lit that William has without it being too jaring or seeming out of place in the narrative. There were many characters with different accents and each one of them seemed to be created with care you could easily tell who was speaking.

Looking forward to reading the next instalment of the series and see the completion of the friend groups happily ever afters.

🌶️ Spice Meter 🌶️ : 3 out of 5 Peppers

Final Thoughts: Only reason this is not a 5 star is because the pacing was off, there was a lot of spice in the beginning for it almost all to be gone in the last 3rd of thee book because it felt like she was rushing to wrap up the mystery. Other than that I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good historical romance with a sprinkling of mystery.

Disclaimer: Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Introduction
I was able to receive the ARC for this one from Sourcebooks Casablanca, and I got this in Audiobook. I will be honest in that I switched this one back in forth between the audiobook and ebook. And both formats worked so well. I do recommend, if you are doing this in audio, the accent is thick, so you might need to slow down the speed of the narration. Curled Up With An Earl surprised me in how much I loved it. I haven't been able to five star many historical romances of late, but this one BLEW me away. Its a story that will literally charm your socks off in every way. From the plot, to the meet cute, to the character development, to the essence of the romance, you will become so endeared to this one.

Summary
Curled Up With An Earl begins with the heroine and hero meeting in which our hero saves the heroine from a truly embarassing situation. But she later finds out that he has been hired to work for her father. There is an instant chemistry between this English lass and the Scottish spy who is working undercover, to hunt down a murderer and Lucy Betram's father is his top suspect. But as he works his way through his suspicions, there is a fiery passion that builds between himself and Lucy. He also comes to the terms of having to be fully honest with Lucy and proving to her that he is worth trusting in. But as they work together in helping each other in their goals, they find a love worth fighting for...

My Outlook
Curled Up With An Earl was such a magnificent story and I fell so hard for it! There was something so touching about this author's writing. She is a very new to me author, I have been seeing so many in the community rave about her books and I am not sure why it took me so long to read her, but this one worked so well for me. From the very charming meet cute between Lucy and William, I was completely head over in heels in love with this couple. Their chemistry is so palpable and inherently written into the story in such a flawless manner. There is also plenty of steam in this story, but not overkill. I really felt like Amy Rose Bennett really balances it out so well. The characters that we become introduced to were so fascinating. We first have our delectable hero, William Lockart, who is the Earl of Kyle. He was born and raised as a Scot, determined to fight against his family when a tragedy affected him. Now he works as a spy for the crown, and is really good at his job. But he also has such a sincerity about his character, and a strong determination to do what is right. Then we have our heroine, Lucy Bertram. Who is kind, passionate and intelligent. She works for her father as his assistant, and knows the ins and outs of poisons and plants. But she also has such a shy tender hearted nature. She is honest about her intentions with William, and even though she has no willingness to be married, the love that she feels for William, begins to make her realize what marriage can be with him and seeing this alteration in her character was so beautiful in what marriage can be for William and Lucy.

This couple were so in tune with each other. I loved the way in which that they build each other up in all the best of ways. I loved how William just accepted Lucy immediately, and encouraged her abilities. It was so well balanced in how this was implemented. And on Lucy's end, the way in which she accepts William, and his covert lifestyle and his secrets, was so endearing. She wasn't a heroine that spurned him for his secrets, but understood his position and accepted it and didn't become a harpy on him for it. She just readily trusts him knowing his affection for her is genuine.

The plot of the story was so well done in this one here. There is something about how it was built that she was so well crafted and developed so well. I truly enjoyed every aspect of this story and was such a perfectly swoony read that had me in my feels!

Overall View
Curled Up With An Earl is a superb romance that will capture you attention from the very beginning. Its a story that will stun you in silence, gravitate you instantly, and have you falling madly in love!

The storyline to this book was fun. There were many parts, however, that should have been serious that came across funny due to the cheesyness of the language and the overdone voice of the nerrator (audio version). If you're looking for a somewhat cheezy, dirty romance with some mystery here's your book.

This series is absolutely so cute. Don't be fooled by the cover...this series has so much angst and incredible spicy scenes.

Curled up with an Earl is the second in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. This one follows Lucy whose father is attempting to marry her off to a man who seems to have a hold over her father.

William Lockhart has been sent to investigate a murder. But when the two of them meet, theres an instant connection.

I devoured this book!

This was my first historical romance and may I just say, I'm very glad it was! This is a delightful and engaging romance between Lucy ( a favorite heroine name for me!) and Will. There are some elements of suspense as well as slow burn/mutual pining. The development of the relationship between Lucy and Will felt so believable, and I also appreciated how intensely intelligent our heroine was!! I definitely have a feeling not every historical romance is like this in the way of the heroine being older and independent and the hero being so supportive of her wants and aspirations.

I'd highly recommend and I'm so appreciative I received this arc from #netgalley!

This was so good! I loved that there were multiple mysteries and like the first book this kept me intrigued throughout the story.

I enjoyed the narrator when she spoke with a British accent. My only issue was the narrator’s Scottish accent. It was truly horrific.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I did find the voice actress's voice was too high for the main character and the Scottish accent left much to be desired. However, it was good read for a steamy erotic romance with a sprinkle of murder mystery.

What a great addition to this series. I love the characters; they are so not the norm for a romance book. Lucy and Lockhart are like a wonderfully mismatched pair of bookends. They can each stand on their own, but together they hold everything together. I really enjoyed the premise for this book, the crime solving was such a fun bonus. I cannot wait for the next one.

An enjoyable and quick listen to anyone who enjoys romance, historical or not. The narration is soothing and well spoken. The story is romance so it is something that I will and can listen to/read as much as possible.

Once again, Sasha Higgins blows through another performance like a wrecking ball. Curled Up With an Earl was a delightful story, but listening to Sasha butcher William's Scottish burr for almost 11 hours was an exercise in restraint. Lucy is voiced with the high-pitched, nasal tones of a petulant child, while William's accent was a disaster-baby of weirdly elongated vowels and clunky gestures at "Scots". I was already annoyed with SH after The Duke's Secret Cinderella, and now she's officially on my no-fly list.

My review for the ebook:

Easily my favorite installment in the Byronic Book Club series so far, Curled Up With an Earl serves big "adults acting like adults" energy, with a heaping side order of smoldering chemistry and hot sex scenes. Lucy and William are a wonderfully balanced couple who commit to being honest about their feelings almost from the get-go. While each is forced to keep a few secrets, neither allows those external factors to interfere with the intense feelings developing between them -- a refreshing, delightful departure from all-too-common miscommunication or secret-keeping tropes.

The mystery at the heart of the external conflict was nicely compelling, though the twist/reveal in Act III seemed like a bit of a strange flex. Without giving away any spoilers, the twist/reveal gave all our good characters a chance to show us how wonderful they are despite the prevailing cultural mores of the time period, and gave our bad characters a chance to be truly despised by contemporary readers. I don't mind, per se, but the story as a whole might have seemed more cohesive if Monty weren't absent for so much of it. Tracking him down is an essential plot point, but we learn too late that his actions are germane to the core conflict. Did it all come together in the end? Absolutely. But did a few components of Act III feel like they flew in from left field? Yeah, they sure did.

Sadly, because of the terrible performance quality on the audiobook, I have to drop my rating here considerably. Read the eBook instead!

I loved the first book in this series and I was so excited to read book two in the series. I didn't love this one as much as I was hoping to. I did enjoy the heroine and her scientific pursuits. I've always been a big fan of heroines in STEM. The thing that didn't work much for me in this story was the connection between the hero and the heroine. It felt very bland and didn't flow as I wanted. The plot itself also felt very slow and I wasn't as invested in it as I needed to be to love this romance.

I do love a good blue stocking and spinster romance. The characters have depth and substance in a world that does not always recognize it. I enjoyed the 2nd book of the series and cannot wait for it to continue.

Spoiler
The only thing I did not care for was Lucy’s alternate language to cursing. It was overly done and annoying. It may have helped to have the explanation of why earlier in the book.


Narration 5/5
Story 4/5

I devoured this audiobook as soon as I finished the first one in the series, and can't get enough of the characters!

I love when the FMC is underestimated, and Lucy is definitely not someone that should be looked over. She's smart, genuinely kind, and trying to escape an arraigned marriage...all while trying to find her missing brother.

Will is the perfect gentleman, undercover to catch a criminal, but drawn to Lucy throughout the investigation.

My mind was in constant motion, trying to figure out who was behind everything, and watching Lucy blossom right before my eyes.

A captivating story from start to finish, I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Curled Up with an Earl was a pleasant listen. It took me several chapters to realize that I had read the first in the series: Up All Night with a Good Duke, but both volumes can be enjoyed independently. There's a mystery here (who is trying to silence, even by murder, if necessary, progressive thinkers like Charles Darwin), a female character (Lucy Bertram) proving herself intellectually competent in a time and social structure determined to undermine female empowerment, and of course, a love story, but none of these elements completely fired my interest. I listened to the audiobook, and in all honesty, I don't love the narration. It comes across as childish and a bit whiny, and I believe that might have lessened my involvement with the story. But anyone looking for a bit of history, romance, and suspense will be happy.

Well this book melted my heart and filled me with the softest fluff! You really cannot go wrong when sparks fly right from the meet cute and the electricity between MCs zaps you into attention. The secret identity had me squealing and I adored how the reveal was handled! Give me angst with low drama any day and I’ll be happy.

Lucy was so fun with her poisonous botanical “hobby”—ahem secret career. Will was a swoon-worthy covert agent of the crown with an additional hidden identity (gasp!). They fit so perfectly together my heart squeezed with each little moment between them. Their chemistry translated into some fantastic steam and their connection had depth so I really felt they were MFEO. I wasn’t really paying attention to mystery plot by the end since it was too obvious but I was satisfied with the ending.

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥

Audio: 👍🏼 (liked)
Narrated by Sasha Higgins

Thank you to the publisher for the advance reader copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Wallflower, Miss Lucy Bertram spends her days, studying and writing botany, and her nights dreaming of the new groom and Gothic heroes… She is perfectly at peace until her father starts hinting towards a match between her and an odious colleague of his!

Thankfully, the new groom isn’t a groom at all! He is actually the Earl of Kyle, and was stationed at her home to spy on her father who is a suspect in an attempt against Charles Darwin! With his cover blown, he’s willing to jump into a fake engagement with Lucy to save her from this dismal match her father is set on, with the benefit of adding her scientific skills to his investigation!

This book was all over the map, full of bonkers drama and I loved it! From the fake engagement, to the undercover earl, to Gothic villains and family drama, this book is full of twists and turns so much fun! This gave the book an old-school romance vibe that played out well with this gothic plot.

The narration of this audiobook by Sacha Higgins was very breathy, but she did provide a good variety of voice differentiation for the characters. I personally found her voice style required a little time to get used to. Overall, the audiobook had even pacing and provided adequate pauses in between the switches of character narration.

Curled Up with an Earl is the second book in the Byronic Book Club series and I think this is my favourite so far! If you haven’t read the first book, don’t let that stop you from jumping into this one. This one can easily be read as a standalone and it’s too fun to miss!!

Big thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for my review copy.

#CurledUpwithanEarl #AmyRoseBennett

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for my copy of Curled Up with an Earl
On a mission to discover who is behind the poisoning and threatening of members of the Linnean Society. Covert agent of the crown William Lockhart aka the Earl of Kyle is going undercover as the groom of the top suspect Sir Oswald. It is just too bad he finds himself extremely distracted by Sir Oswald's spinster daughter Miss Lucille Bertram. Who is on her own case to find her brother who disappeared after a row with their father.
I loved the first book so of course I had to pick this one up as well. I simply loved it. I loved the relationship between Lucy and Will. Also the family dynamics between the Bertram family. I could not stop listening to it. Plus I loved the steamy scenes of course. Can't wait for the final of The Byronic Book Club.

Botanist Lucy is happy writing scientific articles under the name of her father, a specialist in poisons. Nobleman Will disguises himself as a groom to investigate a series of murders her father might be implicated in. Can the passion between Lucy and Will overcome the secrets that threaten to tear them apart?

This is a flawless Regency romance. It's got intrigue, great characters, a little spice, and a lot of heart. I also enjoyed the audio narration. Highly recommend!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.