I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, that cover is absolutely GORGEOUS. Had to say it.

This was a very pleasant and enthralling book, definitely reminding me of the gothic novels the main character pens secretly from her castle in Scotland.

<i> “She was used to being alone. But tired, so very tired of being lonely.”</i>

SO, this one was about a Scottish spy (Thomas), who abruptly discovered he became an earl, and returned to his castle to find the woman he wanted to marry seven years ago living there. When he discovers she received death threats for her writings, he decides to investigate the matter. It was somewhat refreshing to read, with a headstrong and (for a change) an actually very smart heroine in Jane. Most times, smarter than Thomas. Their building love and feelings where very sweet to explore, set against the memory of their kiss long ago, and its levels worked well for me.

The writing was very poetic at times, carefully building feelings from the characters; and the chase for the villain managed to connect nicely to the story, being entertaining instead of feeling like something that stalled the rest of the story as it tends to happen so often. I will definitely check further works from the author in the future.

Many thanks for those who granted me a copy of this book.
I hope other enjoy it too.

Series: Love and Let Spy #1
Publication Date: 8/18/20
Number of Pages: 384
*** 3.5 Stars Rounded Up ***

This second-chance romance was a fun read. It has a little bit of everything – snippets from a gothic novel, a mystery, a villain, a crumbling castle, and two really cute spaniels. I really liked both lead characters – and – of course, I loved the epilogue.

At seventeen Miss Jane Quayle met a handsome young military officer, Thomas Sutherland. They spent the following weeks keeping as much company as was possible at the time. They spoke of marriage and Thomas made plans to speak to Jane’s father. But – when he arrived at the house, her father denied he even had a daughter.

**** I have to say that the author didn’t make me feel there was a ‘great love for all time’ here. They both walked away too easily and neither ever tried to contact the other again. Yes, they both remembered a sweet shared kiss – but – that seems to be it. It just didn’t seem to me that either was totally invested in the relationship at that time. ****

Seven years later – Jane had become a very wealthy and very famous Gothic Novel author who wrote under the male pseudonym, Robin Ratliff, and Thomas had spent that time as a spy stationed in the West Indies. Jane, as Robin Ratliff, has been renting Dunnock Castle from its absentee landlord, the Earl of Magnus. Both have been satisfied with the arrangement as he prefers the warmer climes, and she is paying a handsome sum for the privacy afforded by a Highland castle.

When Thomas is summoned to London by his spymaster, General Zebadiah Scott, he has no idea what is about to transpire. The General informs Thomas that the Earl of Magnus has died – and Thomas is now the new earl. Thomas has no desire to have a title and informs the general of that, but the general isn’t taking no for an answer. So, it is off to Scotland to officially claim his title and then on to Dunnock Castle.

After days of exhausting travel, Thomas arrives at Dunnock Castle and awaits a meeting with Robin Ratliff – only to be taken to Jane Quayle – who is now Mrs. Higginbotham. Thomas insists on seeing Robin and not his secretary but is told that Robin is off doing research for his next novel.

Both Thomas and Jane are keeping secrets – big secrets, and neither trusts the other with those secrets. However, they are both smart and soon each of them begins to put the puzzle pieces together. Can they get past those secrets and find their own HEA? You’ll just have to read the book to see.

I enjoyed the read and thought the storyline was interesting, but, for some reason, I never became truly invested in the romance. Rather than feeling I was reading a great love story that had stood the test of time, I felt I was reading two people who just decided they were in love and wanted to get on with it. Maybe that isn’t a good explanation, but, bottom line, I just didn’t feel it. Then, there is the matter of the villain (well two if you count her father). I felt there could have been more suspense and danger associated with that part of the story – I thought it was too quickly and easily solved.

Bottom line is – I enjoyed the read and would share it with a friend. I think General Scott was my favorite character in the whole book. I loved him and I think he’ll be the lynchpin of the series as he manages to pair off his spies with just the perfect lady for them. I’m looking forward to the next story already.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Will she let her need to prove herself self reliable stand between her future ...

I discovered Mrs Craig with her previous series, and while it was mostly set in Ireland, here she made us travel north to Scotland.
It seems nonetheless she has a fondness for female writers as her heroines.
I loved Thomas, and while he is far from perfect, once he sets his sight on a task he is devoted to it. Why as he was unable to fulfill his promise made to Jane so many years ago, he has never forgotten her, she still lingers in the edges of his thoughts.
Sure, he uses deceit to justify his stay but there they are on equal ground.
Jane successfully recreated herself but in the process, she buried a part of her younger self. Now wealthy but having to hide who she is to the world as it would be frowned upon for her to be a gothic female writer. Yet when Thomas renters her life, she is torn between her old feelings as he never really left her mind and her need of self-preservation.
Up to them to see if they can trust one another and leave past hurt behind to rewrite a better future.
At a time I was upset at Jane but she needed to realize in her term what was more important than her lonely achievement.
4.5 stars

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Kensington, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

"Now, however, in what might have been a scene from one of her own books, the box in which she'd buried her past had started to rattle ominously. What lay inside was still alive and demanding to be let out."

Gothic writer Jane's past catches up with her in this romance novel through death threats, unwelcome family reunion, and a handsome Scotsman. Said Scottish gentleman, Thomas, is a spy who has recently and unexpectedly inherited a title, a castle, and a literary tenant. Secrets old and new stand in the way of this second chance romance (not to mention some serious emotional baggage).

My favorite part of the book was Jane's unfailingly adorable spaniels, Athena and Aphrodite, who have "never shown much aptitude for feigning calm." I recommend this to readers who like a mostly sweet and a little steamy historical romance with independent women and adorable canine companions.

4 Stars, HJ Recommended Read!

Who’s That Earl by Susanna Craig is the first book in the new series Love and Let Spy. I’ve not read a lot of books by this author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It started interesting and my attention was caught by the possibility of a gothic novelist and a British spy having a second chance at love. I did feel as if the book dragged in the middle, but the suspense kept me reading until the end.

Jane Quayle and Thomas Sutherland had met several years before in London, but their romance ended abruptly when Thomas left for war. He never got the chance to see her before he left, but he had thought about her over the years and wondered what had happened to her. He never expected to leave the army and return to the Highlands or inherit the title of Earl of Magnus, but General Scott insisted he had a duty to his new title. Thomas returns to Dunnock Castle in Scotland hoping to hire an efficient estate manager so he could return to the army. He knew the estate had been leased to a novelist, but he never expected to find Jane living in the castle.

After being thrown out by her father at the age of eighteen, Jane Quayle had learned she only had herself to rely on. With her creative mind, she starts to write gothic novels under the pen name of Robin Ratliff. She leases an isolated crumbling castle in Scotland and establishes herself as a widow who assists Mr. Ratliff with his books. She was receiving threatening letters but thought she was safe as the widowed Mrs. Higginbotham. Hiding her identity and feelings from Thomas became difficult, but she was too scared to depend upon someone else.

The book was full of suspense, twists, and just as you think the person who is sending the threatening letters has been revealed, the story takes an unexpected turn with a surprise ending. Neither Jane nor Thomas had ever expected to see each other again so maybe fate had a hand in their meeting again or could General Scott have had a hand in it? The ending leads the reader to believe that General Scott likes to “help” his soldiers find their happy ever after.

A guy and a gal shared a kiss. The guy went to the gal's house the next day to offer for her hand but her father denied having a daughter. Heartbroken, the guy went back to the army.
Seven years later, the guy, Thomas, has been called home. He is the last in line for an earldom. But there is a famous writer ensconced in his house. And the man's secretary (or, as she calls herself, amanuensis) is no one else but the gal, Jane. And her life is being threatened by anonymous letters.
I really liked that a lot of the potential misunderstandings were dealt with up front. Both the heroine and the hero were up front about their secrets (adulting!) The letter writer seemed more like a plot device than anything else but a nice opening to a series.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 18th
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

On paper, this book truly has everything I could ever want in a historical romance: highland Scotland setting, female Gothic author, forced proximity, plus-sized main female character (though you wouldn't know from the cover!), a little mystery, pining.

And I did really enjoy it. Characters who have a Big Lie to hide are certainly a staple of the genre, and there's something very funny and charming when two people have them! The prose is also lovely in this, evocative and rich descriptions. Overall, I really enjoyed it but didn't fully fall into it. I also have a bit of hesitation around one of the characters who is "simple minded" and how the narrative treats him.

My plan is to revisit this book again, I suspect it's something I'll like more the second time around.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.***

I received a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun and interesting and the pace of the book was well done.
Jane has been living on her own while hiding her identity as the author of the wildly popular Gothic novel series. Meanwhile, Thomas has just become the Earl and therefore the new owner of the castle Jane has been leasing. Thomas has not seen Jane since he left to be a soldier spy and never expected to come into a title.
While both did keep their secrets this book unlike a lot of others didn't let that drag on for to long hindering the likeability of the characters. In fact I really loved both Jane and Thomas. Even though the two hadn't know each other long at all there was a connection that even 7 years couldn't erase. I liked them together. I loved that Thomas love Jane and that he was proud of her success. I also really enjoyed our herione being plump rather than the usual woman you get in books.
I can't wait for the next book in the series.

3.5 stars.

I enjoyed the first three quarters of the book. It's a bit more improbable than usual - the two characters kissed once, seven years ago, and pined for each other since; he's recently, unexpectedly, become a Scottish Earl; she's living in his castle - but she's a writer of gothic novels, so we'll give it a pass.

I rather enjoyed the part where they were both holding back secrets about their identities and then both figure it out. And there's the added mystery/danger of who is sending threatening letters to the castle (though the reveal is not a particular surprise). There's a confrontation with the letter writer that seemed to me ought to be the climax of the book, but then it goes on and there's a second, different confrontation that didn't work as well for me. It seemed to come out of nowhere.

I loved the cover when I first saw it, but that's shifted a bit since the woman on the cover isn't representative of any of the main characters.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read and worth the time, though I found the last 20% less compelling than the rest.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gosh, what a lovely read! Susanna Craig really writes excellent characters in this one. Our romantic leads are Thomas and Jane. These two first met and fell in love seven years ago, but circumstances stopped them from sharing more than a few kisses. Since then, Jane has set out on her own. Her father disowned her when he found out she was writing steamy gothic novels. Jane has become a famous writer during the past seven years, albeit under the pseudonym Robin Ratliff. In order to live independently, she claims to be a widow working as Ratliff's transcriber while Ratliff travels for research.

Thomas, on the other hand, has been serving in the army. A letter changes all that when he finds out a distant relation has passed away, leaving him with a title. When he goes to his ancestral home to get things in order, he is surprised to find that the current tenant is Jane, the woman he hasn't been able to stop thinking about for seven years. While the two get to know one another again and Thomas comes to terms with his new title, they also must deal with a series of death threat letters sent to Robin Ratliff in regards to his salacious novels.

The plot of this one was predictable, but the romance was steamy and refreshing. I was rooting for these two to get together so hard, and was not let down when it came to the love scenes. The entire cast of characters were lovely. Thomas spent his childhood summers in the Highlands were this story takes place, and the townspeople were his friends growing up. There are some sweet side romances hinted at, which I don't think will be fodder for the rest of this series, but I would still love to read about.

I also love that Susanna Craig includes a more diverse cast of characters than we have seen in Regency romances in the past. Jane isn't the cookie cutter English rose heroine. She thinks of herself as plain. Thomas sees her as anything but, though as a reader you can assume she is average-looking. It's something she's heard her whole life, even from those who love her. She's also plus-sized, and I adore the loving, sensual, celebratory way her body is described by the author. In addition, the side cast includes Black characters - Thomas's friend Theo (who is a total dreamboat) and his mother. Up until recently, I haven't seen diverse representation in Regency romance, but that's just not accurate for Britain (and in this case, Scotland) during the 1800's.

Overall, this was a 5 star read for me. My thanks to NetGalley, Susanna Craig, and Lyrical Press for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thomas and Jane meet again after falling in love in their youth and separating. Thomas has newly inherited an earldom while Jane is a famous ghostwriter. Honestly I didn’t really feel a strong chemistry between the two characters.

Probably the only historical romance I've ever read that zoomed past sex-positive and crash-landed into horny on main.

When Thomas Sutherland receives a surprise inheritance, he fully intends to place a steward in charge of the area and continue his work as a spy for the British. However, when he arrives in Scotland to take up the title of Earl, he finds the castle occupied by none other than Jane Quayle, a woman he had courted years ago. Jane has been staying at Dunnock castle writing Gothic novels that she publishes under the name Robin Ratliff. But when someone begins threatening Ratliff, Thomas and Jane are drawn together both by this mystery, and a rekindling romance.

I found this book quite difficult to get into, but around the halfway point, I became unable to put it down. I really loved that this was a second-chance/the-one-that-got-away romance. They fall for each other quickly, but it's not unbelievable insta-love because they already had an established romance in the past.
I also enjoyed the mystery factor of them trying to figure out who is sending these threats and why they are doing it. The twist that came with it had a good shock factor.
Overall, while it was slow to start, I thought this was a fun book, and I'm always a sucker for a male love interest who is a spy. I also loved that Jane has her own career and worth outside of a relationship.

"Will scandalous secrets stand in the way of a second chance at love?

Miss Jane Quayle excels at invention. How else could the sheltered daughter of an English gentleman create lurid gothic novels so infamous someone wants their author silenced forever? Fortunately, Jane has taken steps to protect herself, first by assuming a pen name, and second, by taking up residence at remote Dunnock Castle, surrounded by rugged scenery that might have been ripped from the pages of one of her books. Her true identity remains a secret, until one dark and stormy night...

After years of spying for the British army, Thomas Sutherland doubts the Highlands will ever feel like home again. Nevertheless, thanks to a quirk of Scottish inheritance law, he's now the Earl of Magnus, complete with a crumbling castle currently inhabited by a notorious novelist. When the writer turns out to be the woman Thomas once wooed, suspicions rise even as mutual sparks reignite. As danger closes in, can Jane and Thomas overcome their pasts to forge a future together?"

Anyone else rewriting a certain Eurythmics song in their head to fit with the plot of this book? It can't be only me!

I enjoyed this second chance romance. It doesn't bill itself as a mystery, or a spy thriller or as a gothic romance -just a romance and it is good at just that-nothing earthshattering and perhaps a bit predictable at times but fun and enjoyable

Thomas Sutherland met Jane Quayle 7 years ago and they had a connection. So much so, that he went to visit her parents to get permission to ask her to marry him and was told she was gone. But because he received orders to ship outright away he couldn't follow up, He was then sent to Domenica and thought of her over the years as the one who got away.

After years on Domenica, spying for the English army, Thomas finds out that he is now the Earl of Magnus and returns to the town where he spent time as a boy visiting his grandmother. He is told the estate is leased to the author Robin Ratliff and runs into Jane who is now Mrs. Higgenbottom, Ratliff's "secretary".. He does not tell her he is the new Earl.

It's not a spoiler to say that Jane is really Robin Ratliff (the blurb alludes that Jane is the author of lurid gothic novels) and the story goes from trying to determine who is sending Robin Ratliff threatening letters to the H and h finding out each others secrets. Thomas and Jane have great chemistry. The housekeeper and villagers, including Thomas's boyhood friends, and Jane's dogs add a bit of whimsy and color.

Just when you think Thomas and Jane are headed to their HEA, Jane's past experiences lead her to a decision to leave and when there is another threat to Jane, heartbroken Thomas rides to her rescue. and finally their HEA.

I requested an ARC of this book from Net Galley and the publisher and my opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, I did not finish Who’s That Earl. Both the story and writing style were not to my taste.

I thank NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a cute story - a much more traditional historical romance than the cover suggests, I think. It’s still fairly steamy, so not traditional in the “clean” sense, but the cover suggests something funky and different. It’s all second-chance romance (a favorite trope of mine), but not so much mystery, though the heroine writes gothic novels. It’s a nice introduction to a new-to-me writer, and I look forward to the next in the series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I will not be finishing Who's That Earl or posting a review for it. I found it a little too predictable to be enjoyable (for my tastes, as I'm sure other people will love this book). I struggled to invest myself in the plot and the characters because of this, and I am not comfortable publishing a review for a book I did not finish. Thank you for granting me access to an ARC and for your understanding.

At seventeen Jane had a harsh dose of reality from her parents, being cast out to the streets was a scary and frightening thing for anyone in that era. Her determination to succeed no matter what challenges she faces pulled her through. Now she is a famous author although she had to pose as a male to achieve this end. She believed she had it all but a blast from her past showed her what was missing, now she wonders if it is too good to be true. Her near-death at the hands of a fanatic vicar caused her nightmares, now her father wants a piece of the action to be her next tormentor. I like Jane, she survived the streets against all odds and refused to bow down to those who wished her demise. Thomas brought with him, excitement and doubt, ooh, and let me not forget a lotta sexy spicy loving. A sexy spicy, saucy, (sss), and fun must-read.

Who’s That Earl brings together two lost souls, Jane and Thomas. Jane hides behind the pseudonym of Robin Ratliff to write her well-liked novels. Thomas hides behind his military career/uniform to avoid facing his future. Having met seven years prior, Jane and Thomas get a second chance to make their HEA. Neither forgot the other. Jane uses aspects of their short-lived romance in her gothic novels. Thomas holds her deep in his heart, wondering where Jane is and whether she is married and has a family during their time apart. Not only did Jane’s father throw her out of her childhood home all those years ago, he ruined the chance for Jane and Thomas to be together. I love that Jane and Thomas are able to come together again, in spite having gone their separate ways. Fate has given them a second chance.

As a new earl who owns the castle in which Jane is hiding, Thomas plans to just ‘visit’ his new home. Jane has built a fulfilling life there and in the surrounding community. She is well-loved and protected by her servants and the friends she has made since being treated so badly by her father and her novels are a huge success. As a military spy, Thomas knows something is not right with the novelist for whom Jane works and goes about using his skills to find out what is really going on.

I loved this romance. It is different, has loveable main characters, sweet secondary characters, laughable and endearing dogs and a lovely village in which to fall back in love again. Even the villain in the story is unusual and kind of unexpected!

(I am adding this after publishing on Twitter and will not include it in my Amazon review when the book releases. Although I love the cover, it does not do Jane justice. One of the threads through the book is of her being a kind of voluptuous person with a bit more weight than the 'typical' heroine. The woman on the cover appears painfully thin. Jane deserves to be represented more as she is and not that extremely thin young lady on the cover)>