Member Reviews

I love Christi Caldwell's books. She is one of my favorite authors. This story, even though the beginning of a new series, follows up on the book, "Courting Poppy Tidemore".
I struggled with getting into this book at first. I almost gave up on it. But I hate starting a book and not finishing it. I'm so very glad I did not give up.
The story picked up. You saw the relationship between the hero and the heroine start to develop and the chemistry start to build. I was now engrossed and couldn't put it down.
I'm giving this story 4 stars for the slow start.
I want to thank netgalley for the chance to review this book.

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This is Verity Lovelace and Malcom North, the lost Earl of Maxwell’s story, first in the Lost Lords of London series; a standalone, happily ever after, no cheating, historical romance with sizzle.
Because of Christi Caldwell’s artistry with words, the characters are well rounded, compelling, strong and believable. I love the way the characters and storyline are developed, tortured, then resolved. After I finished the book, I wanted to reread it again. Bravo! Encore!
I received an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

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I wasn't the biggest fan of this story. I wasn't able to get into the book and honestly, I didn't finish the book. I didn't care about any of the characters and would have rather the story be about a scoundrel and a lady of status. I guess, I kind of wish the roles were reversed.

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Man, this just wasn't for me. The plot felt messy. Also, the characters did not have believable chemistry, in my opinion.

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In Bed With the Earl ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


To solve a mystery that’s become the talk of the ton, no clues run too deep for willful reporter Verity Lovelace. Not even in the sewers of London. That’s precisely where she finds happily self-sufficient scavenger Malcom North, lost heir to the Earl of Maxwell. Now that Verity’s made him front-page news, what will he make of her?

Kidnapped as a child, with no memories of his well-heeled past, Malcom prefers the grimy spoils of the culverts to the gilded riches of society. Damn the feisty beauty who exposed the contented tosher to a parade of fortune-hunting matchmakers. How to keep them at bay? Verity must pretend to be his wife. She owes him.

The intimacy of this necessary arrangement—Verity and Malcom thrust together in close quarters—soon sparks an irresistible heat. But when the charade ends, the danger begins. Will love be enough to protect them from a treacherous plot devised to ruin them?

Wow, wow, wow! I really enjoyed this book. Both the main characters were strong but broken when the meet and manage to “rescue” each other through the storyline.

In Bed With the Earl is the 1st book in the Lost Lords of London Series, as such it reads well as a stand alone. I hope future books in the series are just as good.

I received this ARC for free in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you NetGalley, Christi Caldwel and Montlake Romance

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Verity was a mixed character for me i both loved her wit and determination against sexism but i also disliked how reckless she is with others lives and her own. At some point being brave cant justify stupid actions.

Overall, after i got use to the old english i enjoyed this book i wish you could give half stars because it would rate it a 3.5

Highly recommend to those looking for a historical romance with imperfect humans :)

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This is my first novel from this author and I enjoyed seeing how she portrayed people struggling to deal with difficult circumstances. I really lovely story written with a good deal of depth and sensitivity.

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Well this was a beautifully written Historical Romance. You have to read it very slowly though, as each sentence is packed with information. Set sometime in the late Regency, early Victorian era - no exact date is given. A couple of other characters from Ms Caldwell's previous books make an appearance.

Our Hero, Malcom, lost heir to an Earldom, works as a tosher in the sewers of London, after being kidnapped as a child and dumped on the streets of London. Verity, our heroine, is the bastard daughter of an Earl (who has since passed) and she and her sister live with their former nursemaid .They survive week to week, relying on the small amount of money she earns as a Journalist for a London gossip newspaper. She has to try and discover the secret of where the Earl of Maxwell (Malcolm) has been these last 20 years and write a piece for the paper on him, or she will lose her job. There is a lot of mention in this book about the rights of women, which seems to be the flavour of the month at the moment for Historicals.

There are uncomfortable scenes in the sewers (yuk) and the majority of the book is set in seven dials and the poor, smelly areas of London. Featuring heavily in the story are the men Malcolm met in the slums and they now form part of his household. The romance between our couple is very slow burn for almost 90% of the book and I felt their interaction and romance was nicely done. The steamy scenes were tasteful and quite believable and you felt the H/h's attraction. There's drama and witty dialogue and lots of anguish and sole searching. Also there are some light-hearted scenes between Verity, Bram and Fowler.

Now I will stress that I read an uncorrected proof, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. There were a few grammar errors, a few words missing and some sentences that didn't make complete sense. That said, I assume all will be corrected by the publication date. NB - the word 'brainstorming' is 20th century. I was confused when the H/h were down in the dark sewers near the beginning of the story, because there was no mention of lanterns. Verity could see Malcolm clearly, including his eye and hair colour. Some paragraphs and sentences could have been expanded upon and added to, as I felt many scenes flitted a bit quickly and had too much information. I know I missed stuff, because of my fast reading and I had to remind myself to slow down, so I could have missed the mention of Lanterns.

I would highly recommend this book to HR lovers. Publication date is March 17, 2020 by Montlake Romance. I will probably borrow it via Kindle Unlimited after publication and re-read it. Once again, thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC.

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Verity and Malcolm while not overly likable, were strong characters. Verity, a female reporter, in a time where females are considered "lesser", jumps at the chance to investigate Malcolm, the lost Earl of Maxwell. Having been sold as a child after his parents deaths, Malcolm has grown up in the streets as a sewer rat. Verity is charged with his location. We follow them as they enter a marriage of convenience all while Malcolm tries to assimilate into his new title and role as Earl.
While not all that I hoped it would be, all in all, I enjoyed this book and would recommend.
Thank you Christi Caldwell, Montlake Romance and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it marks a great first book to a series about lost lords. Also, that cover is sooo beautiful. However wonderful I thought the characters are, however, there were some qualms about the writing that hindered my enjoyment of the story.

LIKES:
- I really loved the premise of this story! Malcom's background was absolutely riveting - he was sold as a child after his parents died of disease, and lived lifes on the streets. He eventually grew up to be a tosher - someone who digs up treasures in the sewers of London. This book honestly introduced me to a whole new profession in the regency era that I found SO. INTERSTING. Verity also had an intriguing background, as she grew up working as a reporter. While she had always done gossip articles, the sexism she experiences in her job has galvanized her to pick up an investigative article. The subject at hand? Malcom, the long lost Earl of Maxwell.
- I LOVED their interactions as well! Malcolm was instantly attracted to Verity's no-nonsense ways and stubbornness, while Verity was super interested in her subject at hand, as well as his mysterious background. Their chemistry was so palpable, and I loveddd how their characters grew while navigating London. Sigh. Sooo wonderful, and definitely romantic.

DISLIKES:
- A lot of suspension of belief was needed to enjoy this book. The first was Verity traveling down to the sewers to find Malcolm (like what??). She made some reckless decisions that were needed for the plot, but also got me side-eyeing. I feel like those plot points could have progressed easily without her making those decisions.
- Another suspension of belief part was the marriage of convenience that the characters go into. Like... a fake marriage in the regency era without actually getting married? The characters relied on gossip to spread the news, but wouldn't this have been easy to confirm somehow? I'm not an expert in marriage during this time, but given the proprieties (or, lack of in this book), it seemed really anachronistic. (While the whole premise was unrealistic, I still really enjoyed it. But at some point it strayed away from the feel of a historical romance, only using the background without the actual characterizations of the period.)
- Repetition in dialogue and actions.

Overall though, I tremendously enjoyed Malcolm and Verity as characters. When they finally got together and realized their love for each other (as the story uses hate-to-love), it was sooo satisfying to see, heehee. Would recommend for regular Historical Romance readers. Just... expect to be patient with the characters and suspend a lot of belief.

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake Romance for the review copy!

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I received an ARC of "In Bed with the Earl" by Christi Caldwell from Netgalley. I was hooked from the very beginning. A young kidnapped Earl left at an orphanage, grows up as a tosher, a sewer hunter in St. Giles. Verity, an aspiring reporter, has her work plagiarized and is looked down upon as a female journalist. Today's gender equality problems are visualized for us and we see that it existed even back then. The back and forth banter between Victor and Verity is fabulous. I laughed, I giggled,I definitely shed a few tears over this beautiful and sensual story. What a fantastic job by Christi Caldwell taking her readers on this spectacular journey of finding and loving family.

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Overall rating 3.5 stars

I was really excited for the start of this series. I have loved the Wicked Wallflower and couldn't want to find out more about these Lost Lords of London, however, this book was a bit of a disappointment. I was never able to fully connect to Verity and Malcolm. chemistry seemed to be lacking and I just wasn't invested into these two. I found myself more interested in the secondary characters and wanting their stories told.

I will say the last 25% of the was everything I love about this author writing and did make my read totally worth it.

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The concept of a lost aristocrat learning his true roots is a great trope. So is a story with a spunky independent working class heroine. The difficulty with this book is that the hero and heroine of this story just don't connect together well. The are physical with each other. Dislike is apparent. And he's not such a great human being. Of course, this is due to his circumstance. I read through three chapters and had to stop.

Disappointed.

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I just loved this wonderfully written book and couldn’t put it down! Although I’ve been reading regency romances for over 20 years, I have to say this one stuck out as being original - both in terms of the characters and the plot. It’s definitely the first time I’ve ever heard of a tosher, let alone read a book where the hero works in a sewer! The female lead is also non traditional, being a reporter in a time when this must have been unusual. I really enjoyed the way the author unveiled their pasts, and motivations, showing how it made them the flawed but inherently loveable characters we meet at the start of the story. There is so much emotional depth to this book that I defy anyone not to be moved by it. Yet this is also layered with sparkling repartee, sizzling chemistry and the gentle humour of the secondary characters. I’m very much looking forward to the next book in this series.

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Thank you for the free review copy, NetGalley!
This was my first Christi Caldwell book. I loved the recipe (journalist! Love a gossip columnist/aspiring writer heroine, class and privilege, dark backstory, fun premise). But I wasn't a fan of the final result. The plotting was off (not a dark moment to be seen? Very little actual chemistry and tension. Convenient characterization/confusing motives). Transitions were awkward, and I didn't fall in love with the couple. Their declaration of love seemed out of the blue, not demonstrated by chapters of build-up.

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Verity Lovelace works for a newspaper. Her latest stories revolve around the mysterious lost Earl of Maxwell. He's rumored to be in the sewers somewhere. Verity's livelihood depends on her getting the scoop on him.

Malcom North cannot believe it when he learns he is the missing Earl of Maxwell. Going from a tosher to an earl is a huge change for him, one he wants no part of. When Verity releases information about him, Malcom finds himself bombarded by marriageable young misses. Verity offers the perfect solution... she will pretend to be his wife. But what happens when they discover they both want more?

Author Christi Caldwell's LOST LORDS OF LONDON is off to a great start with IN BED WITH THE EARL. Malcom's story is absolutely terrible. He's survived so much and despite his gruff exterior, he is a good man. Verity and him instantly clash, but the attraction is undeniable. I truly enjoyed IN BED WITH THE EARL from start to finish. I cannot wait to read the next installment in the series.

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This is Christi Caldwell at her best. When Christi writes, the reader is transported into the story due to her ability to bring her characters and settings to life. We walk in the shoes of the characters and feel what those characters feel. She allows us a glimpse of life long gone by and allows us to live the passion, pain, love, and anger of those who lived then.

Before reading In Bed with the Earl I was doubting whether or not I would accept our male lead, Malcom North as he takes his rightful place in society as the Earl of Maxwell. Those of use who have read previous books know that this was once Tristan Poplar (male lead from Courting Poppy Tidemore). I loved Tristan, so for me to accept Malcom he needed to be a truly amazing character and thank you Christi for making him amazing, dashing, and absolutely sexy.

Verity Lovelace is strong, smart, and a brilliant female lead. She is exactly what Malcom needs and challenges him to be his best, while forcing herself to also be her best. Together they welcome us into a life where strangers become each others one true love and where opposites really do make the best partners. This story has depth and honesty that is rare to find in most books and it forces the reader to enter into lives that haven't always been great, but will turn out to be wonderful.

This book was GLORIOUS and left the reader feeling absolutely AWESTRUCK. I cannot recommend In Bed with the Earl enough.

I received an ARC of this book from Montlake Romance via NetGalley and am willingly giving my honest opinion.

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I've read and/or listened to several of Christi Caldwell's historical romances, and I always enjoy them. She writes well-developed characters and tells a fun, exciting, engaging story about how they fall in love and the difficulties that they face along the way. I feel like my heart is always in good hands when I pick up a Christi Caldwell novel.

In Bed with the Earl definitely continues that streak and left me very satisfied. Malcolm was kidnapped as a child and raised in the slums of London, but in reality he's the heir to an earl. Verify is the daughter of an aristocrat, but born on the wrong side of the cloth, so she struggles to make ends meet for her family. As a newspaper reporter, she takes on the story of the lost earl and his reemergence into society.

This is a story of two people both caught between two worlds due to circumstances beyond their control. They both need help navigating their circumstances, and luckily they find each other to lean on. This was a well-written journey of two people falling in love and finding themselves at the same time.

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I loved the unusual premise of this book. A woman reporter and a gutter snipe (who is actually nobility) fall in love? Yes please. And a fake marriage too? Pure magic. Such a great story!

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I found this book to be a little boring. The beginning was hard to get into and the ending felt rushed. However I did really enjoy seeing an independent and powerful female character. Also, the romance was really cute. I will always enjoy romances where the characters have things/events from their pasts they need to overcome.

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