Really liked the story and the characters. William is trying to get on with his life after resigning from working for the Crown. He has a young brother to raise and an estate to run. What he doesn't expect is Bella. She is a neighbor at his country estate, and she literally drops in on him. Bella has been in mourning and trying to come to terms with her father's death. He mother had died the year before. She is now living with her two grandmothers and her uncle. Bella's uncle is a gambler and drinker. He has gotten in deep with a local lord who wants Bella and all that come with her. William is not about to let that happen. His growing feelings for Bella have him sure that he wants to have a permanent relationship with her and will do anything to protect her. Will he succeed?

William Dudley never expected to inherit the title of Viscount—or the neglected estate in Kent that came with it. Now responsible for his spirited young brother, Michael William is juggling guardianship, estate matters, and his ongoing secret work for the Crown. Lady Bella Conolly’s search for her mischievous dog, Lacey, leads her to the newly inhabited neighbouring estate. Then a misstep has her literally falling into her neighbour’s arms. Yet Bella’s troubles are far from over. Her uncle is determined to marry her off to a ruthless baron with sinister motives and a chilling hold over her family.
The sixth book in the series & it’s easily read on its own, a well written fast paced book with plenty of intrigue, suspense, humour & of course romance. I loved both William & Bella who fell for each other from their first meeting (literally!) but it was two all seeing Grandmothers, a delightful dog, a wonderful horse & an absolute scene stealer of an eight year old boy who stole the book. My interest was caught from the first page & held throughout. I also loved how one character redeemed himself & how the villain paid for their crimes.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

This story has a ton of likeable characters like a couple of doting grandmothers, an adorable young brother, misguided uncle and good friends. But the animals will steal your heart just as much. Really enjoyable read… romantic, with a mystery or two, ghostly visitations, kidnapping and a very deserving end to a villain.

I received an ARC of this book and leaving my review voluntarily.

This is an interesting, entertaining story with romance, a villain, an adorable little boy, two fun grandmothers, a troubled uncle, a treasure hunt, and two cute animals.
William and Bella had great chemistry together as they discovered their love for each other.
This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

A pleasant story 3.5*
There were some great characters and one nasty villain, but the whole story just floated along without ever really getting under the skin of them for me. Maybe it needed to be a longer novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a standalone story that is part of a bigger series of standalone historical regency romances that focuses on similar themes of love, friendship, and mystery.

Initially, I noticed that the story itself fell a little flat for me. The characters also felt a little too one-dimensional for my tastes and I was wanting a little more charm and depth from their personalities. As I read further, I struggled suspending my belief for certain events and character actions. In my opinion, I felt the majority of the plot events and mystery were a bit too predictable for me so the “big reveals” didn’t quite hit where they should have and I felt myself growing bored more often than I would have liked.

Now as for the positives, I would say were the relationships between the love interests and their family members. These interactions were the most rewarding for me and the most believable. Without giving much away, the standout for me was one particular guardian’s relationship and witnessing his overall growth with his niece (again, in my opinion).

Despite all my nitpicks, I did feel that the writing was easy to digest and follow along with. Additionally, since it’s not wholly focused on romance (there are a few mysteries to follow along with!), it gives you more plot to look forward to.

All in all, I think it makes a good candidate for a palate cleanser if you just want an easy-going and quick but predictable romance.

2.75/5

If you haven't read the previous books in this series or haven't read all of them do not worry, I have only read a few of the books in the series and that did not impact my ability to follow along with the events and characters here. This book has a nice mix of romance and mystery - at times it felt like too many mysteries but they did end up all being related. The only disappointing part of the mysteries were that they were not so much solved by the characters as revealed to them. They did not track the smugglers, they just came upon them; they did not find the killer, he gave himself away when things started to go against his plans. As for the romance part of the story, William and Bella may not have gotten a meet-cute but their introduction was certainly memorable. There was never really any question they would end up together, the enjoyment of their story came in watching them work together and form a bond that would make their relationship that much stronger. I really enjoyed the plotline involving Bella's Uncle Stephen - he was turned into a fully dimensional character worthy of redemption. The part with him and Michael searching for the treasure was especially sweet.

This author’s simplistic style of writing makes this story a very easy read. She doesn’t drag the story down with a lot of unnecessary descriptions and crass language. William is a former Crown spy. Bella is reeling from the loss of her parents and her Uncle’s change in behavior. Uncle Stephen’s trajectory was a fine part of the story that shows anything is possible. The Villain is rather obvious from the start, but that does not take anything away from the story. Winterborne is a wonder, as is Michael- the animal whisperer. I adored the grandmothers and it was good to revisit Harriett and Lucas. Bella and Williams’s meet cute is one anyone would fall for (Te-heheh) and their love story was precious, though I thought the first kiss kind of came out of nowhere. A good story, with just enough angst to keep it interesting and love to fill your heart. Laney and Garrett were hilarious and their last scene was so sweet!

I received this story for free and these are my own views.

In this book there is a lovely heroin, named Bella, with two dear grandmothers, an uncle with gambling debts, a smart dog and a troubled horse. The hero’s name is William and he has a very young brother and a secret job (working for the Crown). The villain in this book is nicknamed the pied piper and he preys on kidnapping children.
William is hunting the pied piper but he also recently inherited the viscount title and thus the estate and guardianship of his younger brother. In the meantime Bella struggles with a leering baron who wants to marry her for her dowry and inheritance, besides finding out her father was murdered. The uncle has gambling debts, a very guilty conscience and a former flame. And let’s not forget about the two “fortune tellers”, the “ghost” of Bella’s deceased father and the promise of a treasure. A duke and duchess from a previous book are also thrown into the mix.
Although there was A LOT going on, I found it overall pretty predictable. Several things happened that I saw coming from the proverbial "mile away." I would have liked more depth to the characters. But it was a nice, easy read.
Kudos to the writer for keeping it a clean story!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

William has rescued multiple children from trafficking and now is retiring from working for the Crown.
He collects Michael his eight year old brother and retreats to Dover to work in peace on his estates.
William rescues Bella from a fall and they are drawn to each other.
A sweet romance complicated by family drama, gambling, and treasure hunting.
Lots of plot twists that keep you involved.
Enjoyed the grandmothers part in the story as well as the animals becoming part of the plot.

Though resigned from being an agent for the crown, William finds himself saving Bella. Together they try to uncover who the mastermind is behind the child abductions in their area. Can they find their happily ever after as well? I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

I simply can't find a Regency-era romance I don't like! For a romantic novel, Tempting a Lonely Lord is also full of action and suspense. A little something for everyone, right?