This story was well written with interesting characters and plot, including some nice twists, so that I would be willing to recommend it although it didn't work for me as well as i'd hoped it would. why? well, it wasn't necessarily the book's fault. 2 reasons: first, I've been in a bit of book slump and many of the new books I've started this past month have been put aside after a chapter or two as they just didn't grab my interest at all, so while this was slow reading for me, it certainly did much better than most books I've read recently in catching and holding my interest. the other reason was while the blurb indicated mysterious ladies and enemy to lover tropes, the tension i anticipated did hold up long enough -- the hero was just too smart and figured things out a little too easily/quickly (particularly the mystery lady part) in the cat/mouse games for my expectations. so it's really more a "it's me not the book" issue :) I am curious as to what cupid will surprise Wolf with in the next book.

This is the second book in the Bow Street Bachelors series although it can be read as a standalone; like the first installment the situations could seem a bit crazy and unrealistic but I think that "unreal" aspect has added a fun and different touch to these stories
I liked the banter between the main characters and the fact that the heroine was a thief and the hero was trying to catch her, a cat and mouse plot. I would have liked to see their feeling for each other more developed cause it could mostly pass as lust and if the ending would have been longer I'd have preferred, cause it felt a bit rushed.
But overall I had a nice time reading this story and I look forward for the next book.

Who’s trying to catch who? I definitely needed to catch an extra few Zzzz’s after stay up late to see how this game of cat and mouse came out!

Female cat burglar, Emmy was completing her father legacy when she steals from the wrong man… or should I say Royal? She’s taken a diamond from Prince George’s collection and now he’s brought in the big guns, Bow Streets finest… and most irresistible!

Alex Harland is Bow Streets secret weapon, not only is he an Earl and rake, he lives for the law. There is a right and there is a wrong… until he come across the woman who stole his heart years ago. The daughter of thief and a man of the law could never work, but their opposites only make the attraction stronger.

I enjoyed this second book in this series even more than the first. This book amped up the heat and suspense. I loved how it was hard to tell who was playing who. I was left on the edge of my seat waiting to see who would win out in the end. Emmy was such a strong independent character and her love of family made her very endearing. Alex was adorable as he followed the clues and laid out a few of his own!

I highly recommend this book. I’d also like to note that this book can easily be read as a stand alone.

To Catch an Earl by Kate Bateman is scheduled to release June 30th, 2020.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Blog link: https://pinkcowlandreads.blogspot.com/2020/06/to-catch-earl.html

#tocatchanearl #katebateman #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

I enjoyed the first book in Bow Street Bachelors series, and I loved the second book, To Catch an Earl, even more. This is a second chance romance between a Bow Street agent, Alex Harland, and a jewel thief, Emmy Danvers. I loved Alex and Emmy's interactions and chemistry, and their banter was entertaining. I found the storyline of stealing/retrieving French Royal jewels very intriguing. I couldn't put this book down and finished it in one day. I am very much looking forward to the next installment, The Princess and the Rogue, especially since the main heroine of that book is a Russian princess!

Emmy has fantasized about Alex for a long time and takes the plunge at a masked ball to allow him to kiss her. Sadly Alex is about to go to war but he never forgets the glorious, mysterious young woman who so sweetly captured his attention. Fast forward a few years and Alex assists the Bow Street Runners and is asked to investigate the resurgence of a notorious jewel thief. Emmy knows all too well who the Nightjar is and finds herself meeting up with Alex again . Emmy plays a dangerous game but cannot divulge her secrets because the staunchly law abiding Alex just might spell her doom !
This was a fun read that could be classed as enemies to lovers but honestly this couple never really hated each other. They share a palpable chemistry, an attraction that they both find impossible to resist. I particularly enjoyed the passages told from Alex's point of view as he is beyond obsessed with Emmy but woefully ignorant of how exactly to proceed with their relationship. If you enjoy historical romance then I think this author is certainly one to check out.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Alex Harland, Earl of Melton and a Bow Street Runner, is on the trail of the infamous jewel thief Nightjar. As he gets closer to catching the elusive thief, he becomes convinced that she's the one who kissed her at a masquerade ball 4 years ago. Something about that kiss has never faded, but can he reconcile his emotions with his duty to uphold the law?

This book started out great, but then it faded a bit for me. I put it aside for a week or so and then picked it up again. While I enjoyed the cat and mouse game Alex and Emmie played, I didn't really buy into the reason for the heists--to return the crown jewels to France seems vague. If that was the case, why not have returned what they already had years before. The villain in the story was kind of a mystery. Why did he want the jewels? He doesn't across with any clear motivations for forces Emmie's hand. I usually love Ms. Bateman's books, but this one fell a little flat for me.

Alex Harland, Earl of Melton is a second born son and a known rake. After Alex's time in the service he is now working undercover with the Bow Street Bachelors, part of London’s first official police force. Alex loves the thrill and excitement that comes from doing an investigation and his newest case is no exception....capturing Nightjar, a notorious thief who is reclaiming France’s crown jewels one bauble at a time.

When Alex's investigation brings him up close and personal with Emmeline d'Anvers, all bets are off. Emmy is the only woman that Alex has thought of in the last four years, ever since their lovely dance and sweet kiss. Emmy may be unforgettable, but she is also an irritating spitfire in the form of a beautiful female that always seems to be two steps ahead of him. Alex is convinced that Emmy is Nightjar, now he just has to prove it.

What may have started out as a game of cat and mouse quickly turns into something much more exciting. Just when it looks like one of these two is going to win, it ends up they both end up losing.....their hearts that is!

I just adored this story and could not put it down. I LOVED Emmy! Such a fun, sassy female who had no problem putting Alex in his place! I loved her quick wit and the things she would say. I enjoyed how she challenged Alex every step of the way and she would own her actions. I also really enjoyed Alex. He is a great, noble, honest man who always wanted to do the right thing. It was fun watching him fall so hard for a thief! Overall this book was wonderful and I can't wait for Sebastien's story!

This was a new to me author and I really enjoyed this book! It was a fun and steamy read! There was great witty banter and lots of lusting! Emmy is a jewel thief like her father once was but she’s also a loving person. Alex is an agent looking for the thief and an Earl. These two also have a past but didn’t know it at the time. I think these two need a bit more of the love story opposed to the “case”. I did like the story line though! It was quite intriguing to see how these two were finally going to end up together seeing their professions. I’m happy they made it to their HEA! (Was there any doubt though!) I defiantly recommend giving this romance a read! I hope to find the time to read the others in this series!

Alex Harland met a mystery woman just before he went off to fight against Napoleon in France. He never forgot the enticing beauty who wore a mask leaving him before revealing her identity. Now some years later, as the Earl of Melton, Alex, owns a gambling club with friends from the peerage as well as lending a hand as a sort of detective helping authorities to bring in miscreants. His biggest challenge to date is finding the jewel thief know as the Nightjar. When Alex meets Emily Danvers, who unknowingly to him, is the daughter of the infamous thief, he realizes the mystery woman has been revealed. All Alex knew of Emily before was a unique perfume that he recognizes again as it has haunted his dreams along with some very intense feelings.

Emily Danvers grew up learning the art and craft of thievery from her father who felt it his patriotic duty to retrieve the crown jewels of France. Living in London with her grandmother and brother, a blackmailer has forced them to resume her father’s career. She recognizes Alex as the man on whom she pulled a Cinderella move at the ball. Emily is desperate not to get caught while fulfilling her forced mission, either by her feelings for Alex, or the government agents who could send her to prison or worse. Both Alex and Emily resist their mutual attraction for varying reasons; however, dangers throw them together seeking a solution to apprehend the blackmailer and keep Emily out of jail. During the Regency times, this would have been a very grim fate for a woman especially.

Fans of Regency fiction will enjoy this story filled with all the rules and challenges being a member of the Ton represents. It has a bit of different spin since Emily is a wily thief who outwits the men chasing her including Alex. He certainly wants to catch Emily in more than one way. This book is the second in the Bow Street Bachelor series; however, it can be read as a standalone.

In Contemporary Romance you find the seductive shower scene. In this Historical Romance you have an equally sensual bathing tub scene. Pass the ice water, please.

Another exciting adventure in Kate Bateman's Bow Street Bachelor series. This is book #2, To Catch an Earl. Emmy Danvers is the daughter of a deceased thief called Nightjar. The Nightjar's calling card is a black feather left at the scene of the crime. Four years after her father's death a despicable Frenchman by the name of Georges Danton blackmails Emmy into taking up the mantle of Nightjar for a series of thefts. She will have to turn over the jewels she steals to him or else. She has no choice. Alex Harland, Earl of Melton is tasked by Sir Nathanial Conant, Chief Magistrate of Bow Street to investigate and comprehend Nightjar. To Harland's utter dismay he figures out the mysterious woman he fell for at a masquerade party prior to his stint in the military during the Napoleonic Wars is none other than Emmy Danvers, current Nightjar. Their adventures are fun to read about. I love some mystery and suspense in my Historical Romance reads. This is an exciting, fun book.

I can't wait to see what adventure Ms. Bateman comes up with to entertain her readers for Sebastian Wolff, Ear pf Mowbray's story.

I loved this book. It starts with a masquerade ball at which Emmy approaches Alex and they exchange a kiss before he leaves for the army. Four years later and neither of them have forgotten said kiss, but now she is a jewel thief called the Nightjar and he works for the Bow Street runners and owns a gaming house. Alex and his friends are tasked with find Nightjar as the Prince Regent's diamond has been stolen. Alex begins to investigate and while leaving the scene of the crime he encounters the fragrance of his mysterious kisser. So now the game begins, where Emmy enjoys taunting Alex and Alex doesn't want to believe that his lady love could also be the thief that he is after. If Emmy does turn out to be the infamous thief, what will Alex do...turn her in or find a way to save her. The other characters that help make this book fun are Emmy's grandmere and brother and their friend, Sally. Then there are Alex's two friends and the Prince Regent. This story was very entertaining.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own and are being freely given.

I believe this is the first Kate Bateman novel I’ve read. I didn’t read the first book in this series, and it’s not necessary, but I enjoyed it enough to want to read more of her novels.

Series – Book 2 of Bow Street Bachelors Series
Heat Level – 7/10
Tropes – Second Chance, Enemies to Lovers, Wounded Hero, Virgin Heroine, Strong Heroine
Premise – To Catch a Thief

The prologue – Emmy Danvers (daughter of The Nightjar, an infamous jewel thief) while wearing a mask, dances with Alex Harland before he goes off to the Peninsular War. She’s had a crush on him, and he is immediately smitten with her after their kiss. Too bad he doesn’t know who she is. He’ll be haunted by her distinct perfume.

The meat of the story is a few years later, Alex is back in England, gifted with an Earldom, and now an integral part of the Bow Street Runners. They’re after a The Nightjar, who has resurfaced after years. Prinny has had his diamond pilfered and is most put out. Alex always gets his man, and the Nightjar will be no different. He is bound by duty.

Emmy has been blackmailed into taking over the Nightjar persona from her deceased father. She’s really adept at it, at least the one time she stole something. Proud. Her father stole back the French Crown Jewels to return to France, after all. It was a “noble” cause that is now being tainted by Danton, who is blackmailing her family for all those crown jewels plus 3 more (ruby, diamond, saffire for the French flag) but it seems he wants them for himself. He’s dangerous and he’s the villain here.

Will he catch her? Won’t he? If he does, then what? I enjoyed it. There’s great passion between hero & heroine even when they’re arguing. The secondary characters are interesting. I like that Emmy is always one step ahead of Alex and frustrates him to no end. I liked the camaraderie between Alex, Seb, and Benedict (the Bow Street Bachelors). Alex has been haunted by the woman from his past with that perfume and once he gets another scent of her, he knows who she is and what she’s doing. Loved and hated that part. Loved how it drove him mad but…

Huh, Moment – I know Emmy isn’t the Nightjar from way back and she’s only been filling in for her father since the blackmail – but why on earth would a thief wear a distinctive perfume only she owns? That’s counterproductive. “Feeling naked without it” isn’t an excuse. Also, I had to look up what a Nightjar was in the beginning because it made no sense to me. It’s a bird, and that’s revealed later in the book.

NB: I was given an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love this storyline. The jewel thief is a woman and the law falls in love with her. I loved the interaction between Harland and Emmy. It was a refreshing read. I would like to know more about Camille and her past.

❝He wanted to both conquer her and protect her. To capture her and keep her safe. ❞

Determined to save her family, Emmy Danvers is forced to continue her father's passion. As the Night Jar, she catches the attention of Bow Street agent Alex Harland, Earl of Melton. Alex finds himself in a dreadful situation … prosecute the Night Jar and lose his second chance with her or circumvent the law, and make her his.

❝He wanted her, with that clever mind and tart mouth,❞

Emmy was spunky and fiercely loyal to her family. She was a force to be reckoned with. I loved her strong will and sassiness. She was the perfect match for the cocksure Alex, who admired her wit and bravery. I loved the push and pull between Alex's desire to do what was right and what he wanted. Emmy was the one who'd gotten away all those years before, and now that he had her, he couldn't imagine a life without her in it.

The second book in the Bow Street Bachelors series, To Catch an Earl hit all the right notes!

Recovering the Crown Jewels of France.
Loved this story from start to finish. The interaction between the characters was great and the story had a good flow. Finished it in one day. So nice to read a historical romance with a good storyline. It would be great to read a follow up story where Emmy and Alex were solving a case/foiling a plot, as a married couple for Bow Street or the Crown.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When two sides of the law taunt one another, is there a common future awaiting them ...

After two novellas, this is my first full length read by Mrs Kate Bateman.
This is a fun and entertaining read, with many sensual scenes and a scorching hot couple.
Still I found the voices in it a bit too modern for the time period.
The book is set in two parts, the first the hunt, as both provoke one another. And while I understand Alex as it is his job to catch thieves, I found Emmy quite foolish and delusional when he showed every signs he knew who she was, and she continued to taunt him.
And I very dislike women who can’t keep their knees straight at the sight of a gorgeous man, in my mind she very likely deserved to be caught.
I liked better the second part, the rescue, when they worked together.

Emmy took over her father’s mantle once more because she is blackmailed when she wants only one thing, a normal life, if possible with the man she dreams about from afar.
And now he is back in the country and her direct opponent, she is unable to stay away, drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
And the more she gets closer, the more she risks her wings to get burned, and by doing this she endangers her family.
And burned she will be as she is enticed by his mere presence, and can’t say no to him.
Alex is the personification of honor, why he is duty bond to catch and stop the French Crown Jewels thief. I like him most, he has every right to be angered when he discovers who was the woman who stole a kiss some years ago, in some way it shattered his long time fantasy. But it does not diminish his attraction, and the more he plays cat and mouse with Emmy, the more he settles his feelings. Thus, when time comes to make a choice, he chooses his heart over everything else.

My practical mind had just a very down-to-earth problem, how could they travel ninety miles in a few hours with a carriage, nineteen would have been possible but to even think twice this distance...

An amusing and pleasant tale of hide and seek, with very ahead of their time characters, 4 stars.

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher St Martin’s Paperbacks, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

From the moment I started reading, I couldn't put book away. Storyline is amazing, loved everything about it.
Emmy is absolutely wonderful. Loved her. Alex is awesome too.
It's not that often, that you get engaged in book as in this one.
I'm so happy that I gave it a chance.

To Catch an Earl (A Bow Street Bachelors Novel book 2) by Kate Bateman
Creative plot of thieves recovering France’s stolen crown jewels by locating them and stealing them back, and a forbidden love, doubly cursed from the wrong side of the tracks and the wrong side of the law. The storyline is well written, fast paced, with fun and witty characters who have a steamy romantic chemistry that left me with a sunburn! One of my favorite parts of the book is the character’s witty banter and sarcastic teasing. I also enjoyed looking up the names of the individual jewels listed in the story, and to my delight, they were the real “French Crown Jewels” that were in fact stolen. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will definitely read more of her work. Happy Reading♥️
Content: Adult. There are a few random swear words. Steamy 4 out of 5 flame open door romance with explicit details.🔥🔥🔥🔥

Rake Alex Harland . Earl of Melton is thoroughly enjoying his new role as an 'agent of enquiry' , working for Bow Street Runners and as co-owner of the Tricorn Club .
Tasked with apprehending the notorious thief Nightjar his path crosses that of the elusive Emmy Danvers , she reminds him of the puzzle of a mysterious woman who once stole a kiss from him .
Emmy is determined to keep the Earl at a distance …………. he can never know that along with being the notorious thief Nightjar , she is also the woman who stole that kiss .
The attraction between them becomes inevitable but once Alex learns her secrets will duty overcome love ?.
This is an entertaining book with very sympathetic characters that I have thoroughly enjoyed

I was given an arc of this book by NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review .

3.5 stars. I was really looking forward to reading To Catch an Earl after enjoying the first book in this series, but ultimately I didn't really connect with the characters or their relationship. Emmy Danvers is forced to assume her late father's secret role as the Nightjar -- a thief whose goal was to repatriate the French crown jewels -- after an unknown enemy threatens to reveal her father's identity unless she completes his mission. Alex Harland, who we met briefly in the first book, is the Bow Street runner in charge of investigating the mysterious jewel thefts throughout London. Alex figures out Emmy's secret early on, but is unable to catch her in the act -- and isn't sure if he wants to.

I mostly felt bad for Emmy throughout the book. Everyone, including her family, was using her for their own interests and willing to sacrifice her safety and happiness to do so. Alex's feelings toward Emmy remained hostile for too long, and never really progressed past lust. Given Emmy's long unrequited interest in Alex, his lack of real interest in her as a person -- as opposed to an object he wants to conquer -- for most of the story made their eventual relationship feel less believable.

Despite my reservations regarding the characters and their romance, I do like Kate Bateman's writing style and still look forward to reading more books in this series.

Thank you to St. Martin’s and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!