I'm a fan of Lauren Smith's works--she writes consistently great romance novellas--so I was excited to see what she would do with a historical romance.

The cover made me think this was a regency era novel but it's actually set in 1911, which is fabulous. It had a great Downton Abbey feel to it because this is precarious time in history. You've got a change in the hierarchy of England and women are searching for the right to vote and be independent. I loved the setting and how it contributed to the antagonism between Leo and Ivy. Instead of your heroine rebelling for the sake of rebelling, she's rebelling to contribute to the greater good of society.

I also loved the fun premise of the romance. It's not in the synopsis but how Ivy and Leo are brought together; it added a lighter flare to the story. And these two had a great chemistry together (as Lauren's characters tend to do) though I wish we could have seen it come out a little bit more. It felt a touch rushed near the end.

But the great thing about Lauren Smith's novellas is that I always feel like I'm getting a full story, even if it is half the page length. This was a great way to spend my day off and I'm sure historical fans who love Downton Abbey will love this new series.

Sometimes if you haven't read one of your favorite authors in awhile you forget how much you loved their writing. This new Series takes place eleven years into the Twentieth Century. A Large number of the English Aristocracy were on the verge of losing their fortunes and the land that has been in their families for hundreds of years. Leo, Earl of Hampton will do whatever is necessary to make sure the legacy that his father almost destroyed will last through his lifetime and that of his children. He has to find a way to invest in other ways besides land management and tenant farmers. But to do that he has to marry an heiress above reproach who will never cause a scandal. He just doesn't count on his widowed mother's house party plans that will reunite Leo with the only girl he ever loved.

Ivy Leighton is the daughter of a rich newspaper man. A modern woman who wants the vote and will never marry and become someone's property. She watched her mother, a servant who never had control over her life. Even if she fell in love she doesn't know if she can give up her freedom. The only man that she ever loved was a childhood friend who she hasn't seen since she was seven. She remembered he was a cheerful young man who was always nice to her. When they meet again as adults, he doesn't know who she is, and she is sad to see him so proper and joyless.

This is a wonderfully written story that you will truly enjoy. Lauren is a talented author who has the art of word craft down to a science. I sincerely love her writing and know that if you read this book you will too. I highly recommend this beautiful love story.

Leopold Graham, Earl of Hampton is desperately trying to save his family’s estate after his father’s death left them riddled with debt and scandal. The former rake has changed from the man he used to be in order to avoid more gossip and the next step in his plan is to marry a proper lady, preferably with a nice dowry to help them out of their dire economic situation.
Ivy Leighton is not what most people would consider a proper lady. Being the daughter of a Romani gypsy who owns a newspaper and member of the suffragette movement are more than enough reasons to be anything but a respectable wife for a peer, but when she agrees to attend a house party at Hampton House both her and Leo might have a change of heart.
This was a nice short story, set in the early 20th century when cars and horses could be found side by side on the roads and land farming was no longer the primary source of income for the members of the English peerage. It’s a fun, fast read with believable characters and a nice background to them.
I did expect it to be a different time period, but I thought the author handled it well and it was not difficult to relate to it. In all this is was a light read that I think fans of the genre would enjoy.


*An ARC was given through NetGalley for an honest review*

kicking off a new series by lauren smith, an earl by any other name, is set in the early twentieth century before the outbreak of world war i. it's a time in england where the age of high society is at a crossroads, the huge estates are no longer self-sustaining burdened as they are by death taxes, large staffs and maintenance costs.

leopold graham, lord hampton is in dire straits, his father's scandalous death has made associating with his family a questionable endeavor and he's got no way other than marriage to drum up enough money to cover the cost of running the estate in the future. he's dead set on marrying the very proper, very respectable, very boring mildred pepperwirth.

leopold's mother, mina, the dowager countess of hampton understands why her son is dead set on respectability and prudence. but she also knows that a marriage without passion would destroy his chance of happiness, happiness she knows would be within reach if he would open his heart to one miss ivy leighton.

ivy is a proper bluestocking. her unconventional upbringing has shaped her into a supporter of women's rights, especially women's suffrage. she has a special link to hampton's estate but out of deference to the dowager countess is keeping her identity a secret. she loved leo when she was a child, will she love him now that she is an adult?

from the moment they meet there is a flicker of connection. leo doesn't remember who ivy is immediately, but her presence reminds him of something he hadn't realized he lost. the more time he spends with her the more aware he is that he can't possibly go forward with his plan to marry mildred. maybe respectability isn't the only way forward. maybe he's been looking at everything all wrong. maybe ivy is the one person to set him straight.

if you enjoyed downton abbey, this novella will take you back to that era. for all leo's insistence on traditional ideas, he is actually more open-minded than he says he is. because even though being with ivy does change things for leo, the kind of about face he does has more to do with the fact that he was playing at being a stuffy traditionalist than actually being one. being with ivy taps into leo's true self, a self that he had hidden and tried to forget in order to ensure his estate's livelihood after his father's death. but there is more than one way forward, and when he finds ivy, he realizes this as truth.

This book is sweet, but very short (novella length). I enjoyed reading about Ivy Leighton and her desire to better women's position in society. She was strong and independent until she meets Leo Graham once again. She has loved him her entire life, but hadn't seen him for 16 years since she was a child. Would he even remember her?

I enjoyed the story, but I thought Ivy was too quick to fall for Leo's seduction. She's says throughout the story that she's an independent woman who wants to change the strict lives women must live, and yet, the moment Leo kisses her, everything she dreams of doing flies out of her mind. Perhaps, if the story was longer and the relationship between Ivy and Leo were allowed to blossom more fully, I would have rated it higher. Ms. Smith is a talented author who weaves a good story. It just needs to be longer for it to be believable for me.

I was excited to read a new-to-me author. And the blurb sounded pretty good. Leopold Graham, Lord Hampton, is saddled with a debt-ridden estate on the death of his father. The rather scandalous death of his father. He needs to marry well in order to save the family coffers. He has a woman in mind but his mother and Ivy Leighton think that she is the better choice. Of course, she's brash and loud, not what Leopold wants. Or so he thinks.
This could have been a nice book if it were only longer. At under 100 pages, we don't really get to know that much about Leopold or Ivy. I wish we had gotten to see more of Leopold's journey from rake to stolid family man. Or learned more about why Ivy was still so obsessed with Leopold years after they were children.

Two and a half stars.
This book comes out August 1

I really enjoyed this quick, easy romance. I would consider this more of a novella than a full novel. The characters are pretty developed for such a short read and Leo and Ivy have good chemistry. It had just the right amount of steam and entertaining secondary characters. Looking forward to Owen and Milly!

To try and save his family's reputation, Leopold Graham, Lord Hampton tries to find a proper and boring English wife. His plans falls apart when he happens upon a suffragette named Ivy, who seems so similar and inspires passion that he cannot stop.

I really enjoy this romance troupe, childhood friends that eventually end up together - despite the older friend not recognizing the younger one once she is all grown up.

He's a rogue of the first order. Never met a woman he couldn't tempt or a party he wouldn't enjoy. She's a firecracker. Independent and meant to be the center of attention. Even if that notice, lands her in some sticky situations and having to face down some judgmental people. Ivy and Graham are two halves of a whole, but too bullheaded to admit it. Lauren Smith has never been afraid of explosive tales and carnal delights. An Earl By Any Other Name stays true to that formula but throws in some laughs and romance to even out the passion. The heat is fierce, the humor is smart and the drama's enough to capture the heart.

I really enjoyed this book! It's well crafted and takes you on a journey to a time where you will never be able to visit. Lauren Smith has certainly made me want to read more historical's based on this one, that's for sure! I can't wait until the next one comes out!

Now, while I totally loved this book, I want readers to be aware that it is a short one (novella length). I was expecting a full length novel and when I realized it wasn't I felt a little disappointed. That has nothing to do with the story though, I just WANTED to read more (because I loved it).

Highly recommended read for historical romance lovers. I look forward to the next one!

This first book in Lauren Smith’s Sins and Scandals series may be short but it’s got more sass, steam, and sweetness than many full length novels. Some novellas seem too long, as if they should have been a short story. Some end too soon, like they should have been a full length novel. But An Earl By Any Other Name is perfect. A fully developed story that keeps you riveted from beginning to end.

Leopold Graham, Lord Hampton and his mother had been a year out of mourning but no one had forgotten his father’s sins. He “couldn’t escape the rumors, the whispering, the damned utter black scandal that his late father had brought down on his head”. Dying in his mistress’s bed and leaving Leo with a mountain of debt, Leo had to find a way to save his family estate. Before his father’s death, Leo had treaded the line between propriety and scandal, but now his father’s scandals were forcing him to lead a life of boredom. He had to bury the scandal, live a life above reproach, and marry a good English rose. He’d always hoped to marry for love. Someone to match his passions. But now he’d have to marry for financial reasons instead. He wouldn’t repeat his father’s mistake by obsessing over some exotic beauty.
Ivy Leighton had grown up on Hampton estates until she was 8. Her mother had been Lady Hampton’s lady’s maid. She and Leo, though 8 years apart, had been the best of friends. She’d been his constant shadow growing up. He’d called her Button. She’d loved Leo with all her heart before tragedy had forced them apart. “He’d been comfort and heat and light where she’d only endured darkness in her mother’s last hours.” After her mother’s death, she’d been taken away by her father who’d not known she existed. Her mother’s death had affected Ivy greatly. Her mother had never had the chance to live the life she wanted. That’s why Ivy devoted her time to the suffrage movement, making a difference for women in the world. She had plans for her life that didn’t include love for a man who didn’t believe in her dreams. No modern woman could have a husband.
Sixteen years later when Ivy arrives to Hampton House at the invitation of Lady Hampton for a house party, Leo doesn’t know who she is and Ivy is in no hurry to tell him. Ivy had never forgotten Leo but the man “she faced now was businesslike and polite with only a hint of that charming, troublemaking boy she remembered so well”. Still, he was the one man in all of England who could tempt her to fall in love. She must remind herself that love would ruin her dreams of a future as a woman with rights. Leo was captivated by the exotic beauty in his home. His body wanted her but the rational part of his mind reminded him about his plan. Still, the attraction was difficult to control the more time he spent with Ivy. She didn’t appear to be a wild radical like he imagined suffragettes to be. He’d never met a woman who knew about business and economics like she did. She took him to task for his beliefs on women voting. And she utterly enchanted him. Leo knew it was foolish to kiss a woman he had no plan to marry, but he couldn’t resist. And Ivy couldn’t resist either. It was the kind of kiss that could make a woman lose her head and her heart. And that was something both wanted to avoid. But with every touch, their best laid plans were fast unraveling.

A great introduction to what looks to be an enchanting series. Ivy and Leo were charming. Neither wanted to let another have power over their heart because they thought it would mean abandoning their plans for their futures. Leo thought he needed a prim and proper wife to succeed. Ivy thought love would crush her dreams of making a difference. But they learned that they could have love and freedom. Their HEA was a relationship that was a true partnership.
I loved Leo’s mother too. She was conniving but in a good way. She wanted to revive the man Leo had been so he could live life to the fullest and experience love. She was ready to live her own life too now that her husband was gone, and that included her political interests. I have to tell you as I read this, I thought of Mary Poppins when Mrs. Banks was parading through the house in her Women’s Rights sash with the servants singing along with her. I could just imagine Hampton House being like this with Ivy and Lady Hampton leading the charge. I’d love to see more of this family in a future book. And speaking of future books, I’m hoping Mildred gets her story told. I think there’s much more to her than meets the eye. Whatever is next, I simply can’t wait. I think I’ll have a serious series addiction to this new Sins and Scandals series. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this fabulous book.