Kate Bateman has quickly risen to the top of my favorite historical authors' list.

The writing is great as is her storytelling. I've read two of the Bow Street Bachelor's books thus far and find them very entertaining. Reading about strong women during the time period of the Bow Street Bachelors is so much fun.

The story takes place in London, 1816. Twenty-four-year-old Georgiana (Georgie) Caversteed has a plan. A grand plan to keep her fortune in her control, continue running the ship empire her father left her, and avoid marrying her gold digging cousin, Josiah, at all cost.

One might agree that marrying a stranger headed for the gallows the following day was a clever plan. Telling those who needed to know she secretly married a midshipman on one of her frigates, a mere sailor, was also a clever plan. Surely the prisoner's demise would leave her perfectly and secretly safe in widowhood.

Not so fast. When things do not go as planned that's when all the fun and intrigue of Georgie and Benedict Wylde's escapades begin.

I received with thanks an ARC copy of This Earl of Mine from St Martin’s Press and Netgalley.

This is my review of This Earl of Mine by Kate Bateman. This was published on 29th October 2019
I will start by saying I love historical romances and this one definitely fits what I am looking for. This is my first book by this author and will not be the last. I enjoyed the authors writing style. I will be definitely will be continuing on with the series.

Would recommend if you love a Historical Romance

4.5 Stars!

This Earl of Mine features an amazing romance between an unlikely pairing that I enjoyed immensely.

Shipping heiress Georgiana Caversteed is used to men being interested in her money, but her cousin is the worst of them. To avoid being forced into marriage, Georgie comes up with a plan to marry a condemned criminal scheduled for execution so she can become a widow and have more control over her life. But when the man she marries turns out to be working undercover for Bow Street, Georgie gets more than she bargained for when the man shows up very much alive. Soon Georgie finds herself being courted by her charming husband who hopes to convince Georgie to turn their union into a real marriage.

Georgie was a wonderful character and I loved her from the start. She’s incredibly intelligent and knows what she wants out of life. Her knowledge about the shipping industry was impressive and I enjoyed the scenes where she got to talk about it as it’s clear she loves what she does. Benedict was quite charming and I liked that he wasn’t the usual type of hero, someone rich and titled. As a second son, Benedict has had to make his own way in life and now most of the money he makes goes to his brother to help dig the estate out of the hole their father created. The ever present need for money is what leads Benedict to begin working undercover for Bow Street and I found his work to be quite interesting.

Georgie and Benedict’s romance gets off to a bit of a slower start as despite marrying at their first meeting, neither of them expected to remain married to the other. Initially their interactions are spent trying to find a way out of their situation only for Benedict to become smitten with Georgie and him deciding to try and persuade her to stay married. The pair’s chemistry is fantastic and the banter between them was amazing. I loved the buildup in their relationship and when it finally progresses, it’s very well done. In addition to navigating their relationship, Benedict’s work for Bow Street has him searching for a submarine, something right up Georgie’s alley leading to some great scenes of the pair working together.

Overall This Earl of Mine was a fantastic read and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, To Catch an Earl, soon.

loved the chemistry between Georgie and Benedict. Benedict was just too much and all Georgie wanted was to be left alone. Now the fun begins for these too. A quick easy and fun read.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

An enjoyable regency romp set during the early days of the Bow Street Runners. Benedict, a second son, has returned from the war against Napoleon and opened a gambling hell with his two closest friends. Cultivating his reputation as a rogue gives him the perfect entree to be an undercover spy for the Runners, looking to uncover a plot to aid Napoleon escape from St. Helena. Georgie, soon to come in to her inheritance, manufacturers a marriage of convenience to a soon-to-be-transported criminal in Newgate prison as a way to avoid her cousin’s unwanted advances. Turns out Benedict is the criminal (undercover), and the marriage is real. This was a fun, fast-moving book, with multiple storylines to keep things interesting and exciting. I liked both of these characters; they were well-developed, and felt real. The romance was well paced to it’s HEA, with enough back and forth to keep it interesting, but not get tedious. The multiple storylines were nicely developed, and wove in and out of each other smoothly. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my freely given, honest review.

This is the first book in Bateman's <i>Bow Street Bachelors</i> series and requires some suspension of disbelief. The heroine learned about her family's shipping business from her father and is now in charge of it. She is in a quandary: Her cousin wants to trap her in marriage to wrest control of the business, but in order to escape him if she marries someone else, she will still lose her business. So she embarks on a plot to marry a convicted felon who is in line to get his neck stretched real soon. As his widow, she will be independent. (Why she assumes that her unscrupulous cousin won't force her again to marry is left unexplored.) Unfortunately for our heroine, her felon dies before she can marry him. So she sets her sights on a sailor due for transportation to ends of the earth. This is an even better solution, because now her cousin cannot force her to marry him, and with this husband out of the way, the business is safe in her hands. (Like I said, the plot is a tad implausible.)

The implausibility is further stretched by the hero's back story. He is a of the aristocratic class who is an agent of the government who is working on exposing a group of smugglers who want to liberate Napoleon from St. Helena. Unfortunately for him, he is arrested and imprisoned with the smugglers and is set for transportation. He cannot claim his upper class rank because that would blow his cover. So he is in prison, waiting to discover more of the plot. He thinks the woman approaching him with money to marry him is cuckoo but he is game. This is a marriage-of-convenience plot.

There were a couple of reasons this book refused to take off for me. I like when characters are shown -- not just told -- to be competent at their work and then also shown to be engaged in that work. We are told that the heroine is good at running the shipping business, but other than a cursory telling of the things she does, we are not shown details. The hero's motivation for getting married is questionable. The other thing I found unpalatable is not really fair because it exists in a lot of the historical romance oeuvre: He is a rake who is not a rake. I really like rakes to be, well, rakish on the page, not in the past&#8212;I like to see redemption. Despite the good banter and flashes of humor and a reasonable MOC plot, the book ultimately didn't work for me.

You are a daughter that inherited her late father's shipping business and to keep your male cousin who is after your money, and the only way to get that is to marry you, you might do something outlandish in to be independent. Georgiana Caversteed decided she is going to wed a man/criminal that is headed for the gallows so she can be married and widow in sort order and then free to live her life as we please.

She marries Benedict William Henry Wylde, but little does she realize that he is the second son of the late Earl of Morcott and well-known rake, is in Newgate prison undercover, working for Bow Street. She knows the name when she hears it and sees him saunter into a ball a few weeks later and realizes her husband is very much alive, and her plan for freedom is muddled. Benedict knew right away who she was when she said her name, and he didn't have a choice not to marry her when he was undercover in prison. But know that he has a wife, he would like to keep her because she is a breath of fresh air to his life.

Trope: Marriage of Convenience, Mystery subplot

I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an honest review.

I love mistaken or secret identity stories and this one by Kate Bateman was great! The heroine marries a man facing death to escape her own predicament only to discover he didn't die and isn't who she thinks! Very emotional and sexy, this was my introduction to Kate's works -- I'll be back!

Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Plot/Storyline: 📖 📖 📖 📖 📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Romance: 💞 💞 💞 💞
Emotional Depth: 💔 💔 💔 💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️
Sensuality: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
Sex Scene Length: 🍆 🍆 🍆🍆

FINALLY! A book with a “mystery” and a villain that worked for me! At first, I wasn’t sure about reading this book. I thought I might hate it because books with spies and villains are not my thing. So I was worried I might hate it, but I am so glad I tried it because I was wrong. Wrong. Wrong!

I adored the premise of this book. The heroine, Georgie, forces the hero, Benedict, to marry her, thinking he is an inmate that will never get out of prison. But he’s really a spy undercover and when he’s released she suddenly has a husband.

I could come up with myriad ways to describe what I loved about this book, but I think the thing that struck me the most is togetherness. To me, this whole book feels like it was about them being together. They marry immediately and quickly learn that they are stuck in this marriage and instead of working against each other, they become a team. There is no animosity between them. No fighting. No disagreements. Just two people who are together in this crazy situation and they make the best of it.

Their marriage and the investigation are the two things that drive Georgie and Benedict together. Georgie’s main reason for marrying an inmate is that she is so rich that no once can see her as worth anything more than a bank roll. Her mission is to become an unavailable women while still solidifying her place in society without ruination. Benedict is a penniless second son who is helping his brother pay off the debts of their father. His mission is to complete his investigation for some reward money.

While both of their issues in life are rooted in finances, their greater battle is that neither of them are truly seen for who they are. Benedict is viewed as a rogue without scruples and a fortune hunter in his own right, when in reality he is honorable and loyal and doesn’t care one bit how much money someone has. And Georgie is overlooked entirely because people can’t see past her gorgeous sister and Georgie’s endless piles of money. So when Georgie and Benedict are thrown together, they don’t expect to find someone who can truly see who they are. And as they begin to learn about each other, they find partnership and trust in a way that neither of them ever expected.

This togetherness is what made the “mystery”/spy/villain aspect work for me. Because it was just a backdrop to their relationship. There were interesting tidbits here and there to further the plot along, but the focus was always Georgie and Benedict.

In all honesty, Benedict is a terrible spy. He divulged his secrets too easily. Takes few precautions in his investigations. Makes decisions that involve Georgie to an irresponsible degree. Some people may be bothered by this, but frankly, I just don’t give a damn about those things. Because, as I said, these two were together through all of it! They shared the page and that is really what I want from a romance.

I’m not sure I can properly call this a “mystery”, which is why I have been putting it in quotes. There were no people dying all over the place and their lives didn’t feel like they were constantly in danger. It was more an investigation style with a dangerous pinnacle. And I vastly preferred that it was not a whodunnit.

There was the unfortunate villainous kidnapping of the heroine as a side story and that was resolved in a hilariously simplistic fashion. It’s probably the only thing I didn’t like about the book. It didn’t feel purposeful and the aftermath was not realistic to me. Georgie is just all “Oh, was kidnapped. No biggie.” With a flip of the hand, and everyone seems to go along with that. This is my biggest complaint about these story lines. No one is ever adequately traumatized by them. And in this particular book, it wasn’t integral to the plot in a way that there was no alternative.

However, it also happens to be a blip on the radar. One thing Kate Bateman did right here (at least in my opinion) was that this happed early enough in the book that we were able to move on and go back to the romance and end on a downpour of feels and love. And instead of the end devolving into one having to rescue the other, they worked together. Which is really all I want in a romance.

The romance really took off in the second half of the book. It’s rare for me that the beginning sustains me until that happens, but here I was interested in the story line. The writing was so good. I loved the characters and their interactions with each other. And then once the romance truly gets underway, I just loved it more and more.

I could really feel them falling in love. There was sweetness and joy that came about as Georgie and Benedict grew to understand each other. They had an easy going camaraderie that was fun to read, gave me some laughs, and made me melt for their companionship. I especially loved when they shared secret moments where they were amused by something that others didn’t seem to notice. They just got along and then fell in love when they weren’t expecting it.

Their relationship also had a good dose of steam. Their kisses were hot and the sex even hotter. I do wish there was a drop more of it, but truly only a smidge and that’s because I am greedy for it. (As Becky likes to say.) I think my favorite thing about the sex is that we get a super hot love scene after they realize they love each other. I feel like that is so, so rare. Usually by that point you get a fade to black or half a scene. But I thought this one better than the first and had so much feeling.

I could still feel them falling in love at the end. And that usually dissipates for me. But here it was just growing and continued to develop to the very last page. In fact, I thought maybe this would be a 4 star book for me, but the end knocked it out of the park for me because it left me with all those bursting heart feels that I love from a romance. This was my first book by Kate Bateman and I cannot wait to read the next one.

Girl, large dowry, people wanting only her for that sets out to free herself from the confines of society's expectations by resorting to drastic measures. How does she fare? Great read about love and trust.

I really enjoy the Bow Street stories, and Kate Bateman's This Earl of Mine was a fun read.

Benedict is in prison, working undercover. Georgie pays to marry a dying prisoner to save her fortune. And when things don't work out and put these two together? Chaos ensues.

I really enjoyed the banter between the two. The chemistry was fun, making each moment eventful.

I will say that when I read historical/regency stories, I always have a problem with the way societies portray women. But, that's one of the plot points, is it not?

Overall, such a fun read, and I can't wait for the next!

*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

In these days of coronavirus isolation (I’m blessed to be healthy for the time being and hope you, Miss Bates’s readers, are well), a diverting, witty book is the best of companions, offering respite, amusement, and the hope that we will, once more, “embrace one another joyously” (as we chant in my church on Pascha). Such is Kate Bateman’s first in her new series, “Bow Street Bachelors,” This Earl of Mine. It’s light, fresh, engaging, and written with ease and a lovely flow. It is premised on my favourite histrom trope, marriage-of-convenience, which, in truth, if it’s well done, should turn into a marriage-of-inconvenience when those pesky feels come into play for hero and heroine. This Earl of Mine captivated me from the opening scene: wealthy cit-heiress, Georgianna “Georgie” Caversteed, has arranged to marry a Newgate condemned convict to put an end, once and for all, to her cousin Josiah’s, among others, constant, persistent, and unwelcome forays into acquiring her fortune for himself, or as Georgie thinks, “Better a temporary marriage to a murderous, unwashed criminal than a lifetime of misery with Josiah.” A convenient marriage and subsequent widowhood, while Georgie hightails it to her Lincolnshire estate, will ensure her independence of person and fortune. Instead, she marries undercover Bow Street runner and impoverished second son, Bendict “Ben” William Henry Wylde, Etonian and formerly of the “Rifles” during the Napoleonic Wars. It is a most engaging opening scene when Georgie notes, despite the grime and overlong hair, how handsome, strong, and confident her husband is, he of the teasing, twinkling eyes and “broad shoulders, wide chest, and long legs.”

Despite the insta-lust hints in the opening, Bateman manages what few romance authors can pull off in the “meet-cute”: how hero and heroine hit it off, how they’re obviously made for each other, their compatibility, and the affection and mutual respect they will find in their marriage. Neither cares for the appearances of the ton, both like and respect the lowliest in society, both have a penchant for adventure and are high-spirited. Their “compatibility” doesn’t deter Bateman from delightfully witty banter either.

Mere weeks after their hasty marriage, at a ton soirée, Georgie realizes one of the guests, the “scapegrace second son of the late Earl of Morcott, reluctant war hero, and former scourge of the ton” is her convict-husband. From here, let the adventures begin! I adored Ben and Georgie both, couldn’t pick a favourite between the two. Ben is determined to uncover a plot to bring Boney back from St. Helena; Georgie is determined, given its a nautical conspiracy and she the owner of a fleet of ships with nautical expertise, to help him do it. It’s not only that the romantic suspense plot is masterfully navigated, it’s the banter, saucy looks, and affectionate friendship blossoming between Georgie and Ben that gives Bateman’s romance its charm.

There aren’t many sombre notes in This Earl of Mine: Ben’s dark war memories, Georgie’s fear that no one can love her “for herself alone” and not her vast fortune. Some self-doubt and feelings of unworthiness on both their parts. But Bateman has managed one thing more masterfully: to write a romance without a dark moment, to focus solely on growing friendship, shared adventuresome spirit, ethical cores, lusty, healthy attraction, and the realization of an abiding love. There’s no Big Mis, no betrayal scene, no reversal of fortune, no grovel. And yet, it works beautifully, the romantic suspense plot and some further nasty shenanigans on Cousin Josiah’s part, provide sufficient conflict and tension.

Witty banter continues to be the locus of communication between our protagonists and is soon followed by affection, shared values, and a determination to catch their man. Secondary characters, such as Simeon Pettigrew, the execrable-verse-composing-and-spouting suitor to Georgie’s smitten sister, Juliet, offer more comic opportunity for Bateman to show off. Simeon’s scenes are hilarious! But ultimately, it’s Ben and Georgie we love because, as Georgie says, “How liberating, to be able to share a joke with someone of equal wit and flexible morals”. LOL! There is nothing here to impede a marriage of true minds, friendship, and affectionate, playful loving bed-sport. Ben and Georgie make it easy to imagine them growing old in adventure, love, happy family life, and, on occasion, undercover forays to save the nation.

If you, like me, are social-distancing and self-isolating as much as possible and want to be diverted and moved, laugh and hold your breath with the sheer adventure of the thing, then read Bateman’s This Earl of Mine. There’s a delightful HEA where Ben and Georgie receive their title. With Miss Austen, we find in This Earl of Mine “no charm equal to tenderness of heart,” Emma. (Also, I’m greatly looking forward to reading the Bow Street Runners next adventure and love-finding in Ben’s companion, business partner, and fellow-war-vet, Alexander Harland, he of the exquisite cravat knots.)

Kate Bateman’s This Earl of Mine is published by St. Martin’s Paperbacks. It was released in October 2019 and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-galley from St. Martin’s Paperbacks, via Netgalley.

Georgiana “Georgie” Caversteed needs a husband and the best way to get one is from Newgate prison. The only guy available is Benedict “Ben” Wylde, second son of the late Earl of Morcott who is there not as a convict but at orders that someone is going to rescue Emperor Napoleon from the island of St. Helena. Ben knows who Georgie is and that she is an heiress. Georgie’s reason to marry was to secure her inheritance. As Georgie thinks her inheritance is safe and her supposed prisoner husband is away things can go back to what they were before. Ben isn’t ready to give up on Georgie and be a true husband even though that isn’t what she wants. As Ben and Georgie get to know each other the pretend marriage becomes much more. Can Ben and Georgie have everything that includes a true marriage with love too?
This is an amazingly fantastic Regency historical romance! The story is unique, the writing is fluid and the plot twists keep you engaged making it difficult to put the book down! This might be a first book for Ms. Bateman but it’s fresh, different and exciting! The characters major and minor are very well-developed and three dimensional. Georgie the feisty independent heroine is pretty strong-minded. Some of the things she does are appalling and the consequences are a funny surprise which keep you laughing at her antics. She seems fun that even doing something staid will be an adventure. Ben is just a wonderful hero too; that it’s easy to fall for him, perfect fodder for a book boyfriend. The best part is he’d make things interesting by role-playing. Who wouldn’t love that? This is a book that is most definitely well worth the read!

I absolutely enjoyed this romance- it was adorable and the ridiculousness of the plot didn't even phase me. I will definitely check out more books by Bateman in the future- they are just funny and sweet enough, and definitely romantic.

What an incredible story! Kate Bateman has been added to my list of must read authors after finishing This Earl of Mine in record. From the very first chapter I was enthralled with Wylde and Georgie's story of intrigue, romance, and danger. Character development is just as important to me as an engaging storyline and this book had it all. I found myself wanting to plot with Wylde and the Bow Street Bachelors (and I must say I'm VERY excited to read about each and everyone of them) and defy tradition and social norms with Georgie. I can't wait to recommend this book to anyone who will listen! It is a must read for Historical Romance lovers, as well as book lovers of all kinds! Do yourself a favor and pick up This Earl of Mine from your nearest bookstore or online retailer. You will NOT be disappointed!

Exciting, romance, marriage of convinence.
In an effort to get away from a cousin who wants to marry her for her money.
heads for the goal to find a criminal to marry. She wants to be a widow and have control over her money.
Then in walks Ben Wilde, her husband she thought was dead.
Great read.

When Georgie finds herself tired of being pursued only for her money and by her awful cousin, she takes an unconventional approach and marries herself a man that's soon to be hung in prison. Little does she know that Benedict is about to be free because he works for Bow Street. She has no idea who he is and when she sees him in the ballroom, sparks fly. Now she's married to someone that doesn't care about her money and can offer her adventure. Can she trust her feelings towards him? Will she fall in love with her husband? And are his feeling true? This took me about half-way through the book to really start enjoying this. The beginning had a lot more inner thoughts rather than actual conversations with the characters, so it took some time to get to know them and care about them. Once we reached half-way, the characters started to shine and adventure ensued.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very enjoyable romance. The two main characters really had me rooting for them. I am excited to read the next books in this series.

This Earl of Mine by Kate Bateman
Subgenre: historical romance
Release date: 29 Oct 2019
Publisher: St Martin’s Paperbacks
Format: ebook and print
Length: 331 pages
RRP: $8.68 (ebook); $13.99 (print)
Georgiana Caversteed is desperate for a husband. So desperate she finds the man she needs in Newgate prison. She needs to marry to stop her cousin’s attempts to compromise her, for her fortune. The man she is supposed to marry is to be hanged the next day, but he died during the night. There is another who fits her conditions and he is to be transported the next day. This man signs the contract not to challenge her for her fortune, and they are married. She walks out of Newgate.
Benedict Wylde is the second son of an earl. His father has almost ruined the estate and Benedict sends any money he earns to his brother, the earl. However, it seems that all is not as it appears. Benedict is actually working undercover for Bow Street.
When Benedict appears at a ton event, Georgiana is shocked and wants to meet with him to discuss where to from here. Her cousin is still hounding her so Georgie must deal with him and her growing feelings for Benedict.
For this couple, events do get in the way. There is a plot to rescue Napoleon, a kidnapping and an attempted elopement, plus their secret marriage, which is more than enough to distract this couple.
There are many great aspects to this story. Georgie is a strong and decisive heroine. Benedict never underestimates her abilities. He takes her strengths in his stride. He never argues that she ‘is a female’ and isn’t capable. In fact, he is the one who feels inferior as he doesn’t have the wealth, the title and other attributes that would make him acceptable as a husband.
This couple communicate, clearly. They discuss the reasons and seem to be on the same page. There are not many moments of miscommunication.
I really enjoyed the story. While it had many elements of other Regency historicals, there seemed to be a freshness about the characters that I really liked. I wanted to be taken for ride with these characters. So I absorbed it quickly. And yes, there is an earl in the story.
Reviewed by Heather
A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

A nice romance.

Georgiana is a woman with a brain and a fortune. Her father left his shipping business to her and she has turned it into an empire. But even a woman with a brain can't escape the laws of her time which say that her fortune would become the property of her husband. Georgie had her lawyers draft an agreement allowing her to keep her business and her fortune but shockingly none of those suitors desperate for her love seem to be willing to sign it.   When Georgie narrowly misses an attempt at a scandal which would have forced her to marry the golddigger to avoid being ostracized and her mother and younger sister with her, Georgie decides to take her future into her own hands. She has decided that she would marry a criminal doomed to the gallows. He would make her a quick widow and she would offer his family compensation for the marriage. Georgie would simply tell everyone that her husband was a sailor on one her ships who was currently out of the country, and Georgiana would be able to go about her life without the rogues trying to steal her fortune.

It was a good plan until the man she was supposed to marry died before he could be executed and with no other  prisoners waiting to be executed, she marries a man doomed to be shipped off to the wilds of Australia. Since many men never even survive the trip over, she might still become a widow but at the very least, she would never see her husband again. That would have been a great alternate plan but as fate would have it, her prisoner was actually undercover in the prison trying to get information from one of the inmates.

Ben Wylde as the second son of an Earl who misspent the family's money and he is trying to help his brother, the new Earl, payoff their father's debt with an actual job. He has taken up with Bow Street as an investigator. He was given no choice in marrying Georgie, not without blowing his cover. He sent the money to his brother to help with the debts but didn't really think too much about what to do about the marriage until he see his wife across the ballroom.

Since neither Ben nor Georgie can think of a valid reason to annul the marriage, they decide that they need to court through the season so they can fall in love and marry (since no one knows about her prison marriage but the man who tried to trap her into marriage). They figure once they fulfill their marriage obligation to each other then they will go their separate ways.

Of course the more they get to know each other, the more they find they like each other, including their decision to have sex since heck, they are actually married and why not have one fling with your spouse before going your separate ways, especially since Georgie was planning to take a lover now that she was a married woman with an absentee husband. Why not make that lover your actual husband?

Georgie and Ben are cute together.  He is very playful with her which is nice for Georgie since she is always so serious.   They made a very complimentary couple and we see them get to know each other and fall in love.   Georgie does help in his investigation since ships and sailing come into play and Ben knows nothing about that but of course, Georgie does. While there was nothing overly exciting about their story, it was enough to keep me reading and mostly it was a nice romance.