This is giving me Beauty and the Beast feels. I love the characters of this book. Matilda and Titus are such complete opposites that when they came together, sparks flew! I got so giddy reading that I flew through this book and read it in less than a day. I absolutely adore regency romances and the familiar feeling that this community brings makes you just want to snuggle up with a hot chocolate and that warm fuzzy feeling in your chest. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS SERIES. PERIOD.

This series has been so much fun. It's been interesting to see how Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke have interpreted the premise of the matchmaking festival. I wasn't sure about this one, I'm not always a fan of the ward-guardian set up, but I will say it really worked here. I loved Matilda from the beginning and felt so bad every time one of those awful other young women were cruel to her. She just so badly wanted to make friends and they couldn't have been worse to her (except for Tabitha, who I really hope we get to see in a future novel, I can't accept that she will have to marry her awful fiancé). And it really didn't take long for Titus to win me over, even with his grumpy demeanor. And how sweet was it for him to throw her a surprise party? He's a total marshmallow. The best part of this series is that I get to be excited for 2 new books - one from each author!

Titus Noble is a very private person, which is why he hates having to visit Merrywell to fetch his new ward.

Matilda Dodd has lost her parents a year ago. Having only three weeks until her 21st birthday she doesn't like the idea of being ward to an Earl until she reaches her majority, but is determined to make the best out of the situation.

Both like and dislike each other from the moment they meet; Titus the grump, Matilda the sunshine. She tries to coax a smile out of him. He just wants her out of his life as fast as possible, which means he should do his level best to marry her off as soon as possible.

I loved this fun and witty guardian and ward trope romance. Grumpy meets irresistible, great chemistry between Titus and Matilda. Another great story in the Lords in Love series.

2 stars

This book was your very typical romance with familiar characters and tropes. Not every romance needs to do something inventive or different to be a great book, of course, but having read as many as I have, reading the same stories with characters that are all the same gets to be unimpressive at some point. There were definitely things that I appreciated in this book, namely being able to hear the internal dialogue for the male lead. That made his austere character more relatable and likable. There were several areas which I thought could have been improved, but one of the main ones was in character development. I thought that Matilda's character was entirely too simplistic and she didn't actually accomplish anything. She didn't make another actual friend in the ton, didn't stand up to her bully, or really do much of anything at all except randomly run the male lead's house for 5 days at the end. This just made her seem more child-like and incompetent to me. While I understood why the female lead fell in love with the male lead - his qualities were made quite apparent and he seemed to be a really generous and compassionate person, Matilda was just there and somehow he fell in love with her for who knows what reasons. There was a general paucity of strong characters and character development - for example, the godmother could have been a great secondary character and a wonderful foil for both the male lead and the female lead, but instead she was a flat character that disappeared. The bully was mean for no real reason and had no dimensionality. At the end of the day, this created a generally mundane and somewhat forgettable story (which is why I can't remember the names of these characters even though I read this book yesterday).
The other big point of improvement I noticed is that there was no real momentum to the book that drove the story forward. Literally the only thing that did was time - specifically the 3 week deadline for the female lead's majority - but she had no real plans, thoughts, or passions to commit to after these 3 weeks. There were chapters that literally were sped along by the equivalent of a Spongebob-eque "1 week later" etc. because there was literally nothing else to move the story forward. All in all, the story was quite commonplace and the characters incredibly flat and generally forgettable. I did enjoy the writing style and there was a lot of promise in the author's work based on how the author portrayed the male lead, but that work did not seem to be put in for the rest of the cast or plot.

A beautiful, sweet and touching story of loss, and rebirth.A love story with two opposite characters from their first meeting who turn out to be much more alike than they thought.Spicy chemistry, an always engaging plot and a perfect ending are further elements that tend to make this book a must-read.

Scarred and reclusive Titus Noble, the Earl of Gilbourne is not amused to have his godmother foist a ward upon him. Admittedly there is only one month to her majority when she will no longer be his problem but he doesn’t want his peaceful, emotionless, rigid, predictable life upended. Nor to be seduced into tender feelings for a beautiful orphan who is terrified of spiders.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Aawww, love the sweet story of Titus, the Earl of Gilbourne, the reclusive damaged man. And his unexpected ward Matilda Dodd, who is counting down the days till her majority, The 4th in the series, but can be a standalone being that the town’s matchmaking festival is the only connection between the books. Fast page turner read that has hints of Beauty and the Beast. The characters are wonderful and the story touches on guilt and fears that the MC have to overcome to find their HEA.
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #DefyingtheEarl #LordsinLove

I loved this latest installment of Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke's joint "Lords in Love" series. This book, the story of Titus. Earl of Gilbourne, and his ward, Matilda Dodd, is definitely a standalone and indeed only partially takes place in the town of Marrywell, which is the setting for all the books in the series so far.

Matilda is still somewhat reeling from the loss of her parents as her aunt turns her over to Titus to be his ward, saying that Matilda is too strong-willed for her and that Titus will be able to open more doors and perhaps find Matilda a more advantageous marriage. Matilda has no intention of marrying - she has only 3 weeks until she will come into her inheritance and be able to move back to the village in which she grew up.

Titus suffered a tragic loss and has therefore shut himself away from the world. He certainly doesn't want a ward, especially one whom he kissed behind some potted plants before learning who she was. He is determined that he will get Matilda married off.

Of course, this does not happen. What does happen is the lovely evolution of a relationship in which Matilda shows Titus that, unlike Humpty Dumpty, broken people generally can be put back together again, albeit with some cracks left behind. Matilda is a great FMC - she is unapologetically herself and her inner monologue is downright funny at times. I did not like Titus as much as Matilda, but Ridley does a good job of showing just how traumatized he still is by his childhood tragedy.

4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

Beauty & The Beast + guardian/ward + he falls first = need I say more??

Three weeks before her 21st birthday – her independence day as she calls it – Matilda Dodd, an orphaned country miss, is pushed into the hands of her new guardian at the Marrywell Matchmaking Festival no less.
First of all, she doesn’t’ want a guardian. She want to live and experience, make friends, see the world. Second of all, she probably shouldn’t have kissed the handsome stranger behind the ferns at the ball. Most of all because he’s her new guardian… oops

Titus Noble, Earl of Gilbourne, only tolerates three things: order, efficiency and his own company. Severely scarred since his youth, he’s considered a beast with a heart of stone, a scorching stare and deadly effective in the House of Lords. Duty, honour and respect compel him to very reluctantly take on his godmother’s unruly ward.
But that kiss… that all-consuming kiss! His first and probably the worst decision of his life! It’s only three weeks and then she’s gone. He’ll do whatever is necessary to marry her off before that. Or will he?

📚 Absolutely LOVED this book!! Fabulous, fantastic, exquisite! It was so captivating I was at chapter 20 without noticing time had passed! Excellent writing. The sly wit, the banter, the tension. Beautiful character development. Interesting side characters.
📚 steamy, open door, scarred hero, rebellious heroine

Thank you to Erica Ridley, NetGalley and WebMotion for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Such a lovely tender love story!

Titus didn’t know what had hit him the moment he set eyes on Matilda. Not knowing she was his new ward he ended up kissing her before they were officially introduced to each other.

Titus was a loner and never went out into society much, he would never marry and many wouldn’t look at him due to his scars.

Matilda had gone through some grief in her life but she wanted to experience life at its best and one of the challenges she had was to make Titus smile.

Another passionate read with a wonderful storyline which had me in stitches at times! Titus was the perfect brooding Earl and Matilda brought out his true caring self.

Just Perfect! A storyline that shouldn’t be missed!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Defying the Earl (Lords in Love #4) by Erica Ridley
This is a fantastic series and I have loved each one. Titus Noble, the Earl of Gilbourne and Miss Matilda Dodd both have baggage and scars visible and invisible. His Godmother, who is also her aunt, insists he become her guardian until she turns 21 in a few weeks. There is angst, self-discovery, some laughs, and tears, attraction, and steam to get us to a very HEA. I am looking forward to MATCHING THE MARQUESS.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Entertaining Romantic Steamy Witty Informative Easy-to-read Great world building Wonderful characters Tear-jerker Page-turner Happily Ever After.

Erica Ridley really knows how to draw you into the story and keep you on the edge of your seat! Steamy romance scenes, life and death adventure! Completely blown away! Great job! Can’t wait for more books!

Matilda just wants to enjoy some dancing and make new friends before she turns 21 and gains her inheritance. Her guardian Titus just wants to be rid of her as soon as possible. They don't see eye to eye through most of their time together but they learn to enjoy the time they have together.

Titus Noble, the Earl of Gilbourne, despises the ton and only leaves his townhouse for his duties in Parliament. He follows the rules to the letter, and his schedule remains exactly the same every day, just the way he likes it. When his aunt dumps a young woman, Matilda Dodd, off and announces that Titus is now her guardian, at least for the next 3 weeks until she reaches her majority and becomes an heiress. Matilda is fascinated with the stoic earl, and not even his facial scars dampen the respect and admiration she feels for him. At every turn, Titus pushes her away, but Matilda only grows fonder of him. How can he marry off his ward when his heart cries out to keep her for himself?

This was a delightful story of two damaged people who lost loved ones in the most horrific ways. I loved Matilda. She is a breath of fresh air as well as kind to everyone, even to this Season's diamond, who goes out of her way to insult Matilda for her humble background. Titus breaks his rigid schedule to help launch Matilda into Society, and she appreciates it so much, especially because she knows Titus is uncomfortable out in public. Titus's story is tragic, and he's been blaming himself for his family's carriage accident. That Matilda can pierce his armor and get him to smile was such a success. It takes most of the book before Titus realizes he's the one who has been holding himself so rigid and aloof from everyone. Even though he glares at everyone throughout the book, when it comes to Matilda, he does everything in his power to make her smile. That was such a wonderful quality. I loved that these two finally got their HEA! I'm looking forward to reading more stories in this series. They are delightful reads!

Who wants to be lumbered with a ward? Not Titus. He likes his orderly world and dislikes crowds, including social events.

Titus is informed by his godmother that he is now responsible for a ward. To him, it's an intrusion of his privacy. Never mind it's only for a few months until her maturity when Matilda reaches her majority. Titus will be glad to get rid of her. She is a distraction that he doesn't want in his life. Good riddance.

Matilda has led a sheltered life herself and has big plans when she reaches her majority and with it her inheritance. When Titus spots her at the Merrywell ball, he is fascinated by her without knowing who she is. He is horrified when he discovers that she is the same woman who is his ward. He reluctantly takes her under his wings, but the attraction is still there. She is as enamoured with him and he appears to be out of her reach. She seems to understand his loss as she has been through a similar one. Anyway, against his will he is drawn to her. She doesn't give up easily either. Over time they spend more time together and he doesn't seem to mind. If anything, she fascinates him and he enjoys their time together, but he knows that it will come to end. Then it happens. She falls for him and he acts as though she is a burden. In the end they become intimate and he falls even harder. Will she hold his heart? Something that he doesn't know he needs until they have to say goodbye. Then he goes after her to declare his undying love to her delight. She accepts his proposal and they live happily ever after.

A delightful read with some humour thrown in. The Earl and the country bumpkin find their happy ending.

This is the 4th book of Lord in Love series, it can be read as stand alone. My first in this series and this book is good. Titus Noble, the fifth Earl of Gilbourne rare to get out and socialize from his estate. His godmother Lady Stapleton, ask him a favor to taking care a young lady for three weeks. What bad gonna happend? It is an easy task. Expect Matilda stole his attention from the beginning, before he know she is the ward he must take care. Titus claim not want to do anything to Matilda really opposite with his action. He keep rules and he easily break it, he really spoile her, stand for her and always do thing to make her smile. Matilda curious about him and eager to crack his armour.

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#DefyingtheEarl #LordsInLove #4ebMotion #AuthorCollective20 #EricaRidley #NetGalley #ARC

Loved it! A tad less than Taming the Rake but that was a high bar.

Grumpy sunshine, guardian-ward, Beauty and the Beast retelling.
Early on Ridley indicates that it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling which made me even more excited to read it.
Titus is soo upright and uptight and Madeline just wants to experience life and make friends, both relatable to me.
Even with the inclusion of some mean girls trying to tear Madeline down, the book is sweet but not sickeningly. Titus' change from starchy earl to infatuated guardian was gradual but satisfying, a feat for a book around 200 pages.

I enjoyed the 'conflict' and resolution, and the grovel!

A quick enchanting regency romance, which begins in the village of Merrywell. Titus is entrusted with looking after his ward Matilda until she comes of age in less than a month, and she can’t wait to get her inheritance and move on, until they get to know each other and help to heal each other from their relative emotional pasts. Well written and developed.

Perfectly charming and heartwarming characters. Witty and romantic! Interesting plot that kept me thoroughly engaged throughout. Enjoyed every minute of it!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.