I have read the previous books in this series, liked the first but the next two were just so so. Unfortunately, this book follows the last 2. I found myself skipping pages to get to the end. 2 stars.

London'g Most Elusive Earl was a DNF for me--the characters made no sense, and it was hard to feel sympathy for the elusive earl, who acted put out and petulant with his father for the several chapters that I did read. The writing didn't seem to flow, and it was a struggle for me to make my way through the novel. When the heroine first sees the earl, he's in a torrid embrace with another woman, trying to finagle an invitation to said woman's home not for an affair but to steal a painting back...because of his father's will? What? And then the heroine feels instalust for what should seem to her like an immoral allycat? What? I'm so confused. My recommendation: Make yourself elusive, and spend your quarantine reading something else. (I know, I know, this is someone's novel baby, and I'm sorry, but I can't recommend.)

Netgalley generously provided an ARC; all opinions are by own.

Nice story with likable characters. However, I have to admit I was unable to connect with either the H or the h. I think part of the issue was that there wasn't anything that seemed to draw them together, to link them, except a strong physical attraction. Okay, this is a romance and it isn't that unusual, except it ran completely contrary to both characters nature and what they both kept saying throughout the book. That might work if there was a spark in their personalities, some chemistry, that drew them to each other and not just sex. Some tension or resistance to the attraction but there wasn't really any. Also, there are just too many words!! We spend far too much time reading about what the characters are thinking -- often contradictory and definitely repetitive. While there is nothing gothic about this book, the prose belonged to the genre of gothic romances or at least tortured souls who have been through some trauma. Yes, I know the Earl had a horrible, abusive father but the only thing that made the Earl was resentful, which he droned on about internally over and over again with no further depth or development. Not that being mistreated isn't cause for resentment but beyond telling us it made him into a rake hell, there's nothing else going on there. And while introspection is important to share, it just dragged on and on for both characters. We get it! He doesn't want to produce an heir; we get it, she wants a love match. Okay already! I know critiquing a book is easy; writing one a monumental achievement after a lot of work. There is a good story here, it just need further development up front and more, much more, editing after it was written.

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

“I’d prefer if you’d call me Jonathan. No one does, so thereby you must.”

This was a very pleasant reading 😊, one that my tired quarantined brain was glad to receive.
The writing is deeply poetic at times (beautiful really), and the internal issues, the pain the main characters faced were very well drawn. Both felt… real.

Jonathan Cromford, Earl of Lindsay, is on a mad treasure hunt to obtain his inheritance after his father’s passing. Reputed as a rake through town, much of it was a mask he hides behind. When debutante Lady Caroline starts to challenge that, he finds himself drawn to her, without knowing how to react, except for following her.

Lady Caroline was interesting to explore – she might not be able to have children, and the discussion, the honesty and intricate way to describe her was new (at least to me) in historical novels. She was witty, very amusing and smart, longing for adventure: I felt that this longing was not so perfectly fulfilled, as I was expecting more of her involvement with the treasure chasing, it could have been fun to explore; but her relationship with Lindsay, the feelings involved, their story was so well drawn and sweet that it became more powerful than that, that it overshadowed it.

The ending (the conclusion of Lindsay’s secondary quest) felt a little rushed; but, then again, I never felt that was enough to rescind my good opinion. I loved reading it.

A new Earl must fulfill two requirements for the remainder of his inheritance settlement. A new debutante looking for a husband and love. A chance encounter at a ball in a study. Another ball, and another study. More encounters give the scandalous Earl something he's never had before. Hilarious masquerade ball! Very clever! Steamy hot encounters. A few unresolved issues. Resolved in the next book??? I hope so!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Loved this elusive Earl.
Jonathan has huge challenges to keep his inheritance. His evil father wrote a will that requires him to meet demands or lose everything. Caroline is a breath of fresh air. In London to find a husband, but she will only say yes to love. Their story is wonderful. I really wanted things to work out for these two, and now I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!

The Earl of Lindsey, a renowned rake, falls hard for Lady Nicholson, a woman looking to marry well. I immediately liked the lead characters and felt their chemistry, their romance was both sweet and steamy. The side characters were well fleshed out and felt necessary to the story. There is a side plot dealing with art forgery that I was really into but I feel like it was tied up too quickly and without much explanation. I really liked that this was a well-rounded story, more than 'just a romance,' with both Jonathan and Caroline having their own issues explored.
E-book provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

Chapter 1 "meet cute" is adorable. Lady Caroline is new to London and search of a husband. At one of the many events, she takes refuge in a study where she is interrupted by the Earl of Lindsey and a woman. Lindsey and Caroline are drawn to each other right away, but it's more of dislike at first. They have a lot of obstacles to overcome, especially themselves. He has certain requirements to meet in order to claim his inheritance, including an art heist. She doesn't know if she can count on him, or if he's using her as a distraction.

Their burgeoning relationship is lovely and believable. Each is drawn to the other almost against their will at some points,and when they finally realize that what they have is real it's lovely.

As I said there are a whole lot of outside influences trying to keep them apart, well-meaning warnings and gossip, the whole art heist/painting search and their internal struggles.

I found some of the story was a little repetitive, with the author constantly reminding us of Lindsey's financial situation and inheritance requirements. I feel like a different Editor would have helped with this.

Aside from some clunky storytelling, I enjoyed this book. It's #4 in a series I didn't read, but did not find it hard to read as a standalone. Also, there are some loose ends which are not perfectly tied up, so book 5 is on its way I imagine.

Finally, it was refreshing to read about a couple with problems that were not instantly cured by their love. A good read which I would recommend. Thanks to Netgally for this ARC.


#LondonsMostElusiveEarl #NetGalley

I knew I was going to like this book by the end of the first chapter. An unrepentant rogue and a woman who finds him the least desirable bachelor in London. I knew these two would fall and fall hard. There’s nothing better than that transformation of “how could they possibly” to “they were meant for each other” and all the electrifying tension in between. That’s what I love about Anabelle Bryant’s books. She makes me believe.
Lord Jonathan Cromford, Earl of Lindsey and Lady Caroline Nicholson found their way into my heart early in this story. I ached for them both. Jonathan’s cruel father had left a will with many specific, life-altering, rule dictating contingencies. One specifically that Jonathan had no desire to fulfill. Marry and produce an heir. After so many years of avoiding emotional attachments, Jonathan didn’t even think he was capable of loyalty, honor, and love. The things a wife would require. I felt for Caroline as well. She had her heart set on making a match but she was overwhelmed with the advice and machinations of her family. She longed for security, loyalty, and love. Someone to accept her as she was.
When these two met, I knew I would savor every minute of their journey to love. Caroline knew Jonathan was exactly the type of man who invited gossip and scandal. Exactly the type of man she should avoid. She intended to find a husband. She didn’t need a distraction. “Certainly not one with overwhelming virility and a piercing gaze that sent her pulse into a skitter.” Jonathan was determined to solve the first of his father’s demands and get on with his life. There was no room in his life for distraction. “No room in his life for a debutante. Never mind a young miss pursuing some idealist version of wedded bliss. And yet, whenever he so much as looked at Caroline, his carefully constructed plans for the future may as well have never existed.”
I loved watching these two anticipate each encounter with each other, baffled by why they felt the way they did. Their connection was intense and undeniable. It just took them a while to figure it out. Which made it even sweeter to watch their feelings awaken and their romance slowly build.
I’m hoping there is more planned for this series. I’m dying to know more about Powell and what exactly he’s up to. I’m hoping the fact that that particular tidbit isn’t answered is because there’s more to come.
If you’re looking for a charming, romantic story with excellent pacing, romance, and a little mystery, you’ll be delighted with this newest addition to the Midnight Secrets series.

As always I enjoyed the book This one was a nice surprise. I thought it was beautifully written. The attention to detail, was great. The twists and turns this story took were unexpected and kept me on the edge of my seat. I never expected the outcome!

I liked the story, but I thought that there were so many unanswered questions and subplots that the reader is left hanging at the end. The writing is excellent and the portrayal of the main characters and their feelings were illuminating, but some of the secondary characters are not as well defined.

Lord Jonathan Lindsey was left specific instructions from his deceased father before he could obtain his inheritance.

Caroline is looking for a husband who would love her and settles her interests on the rake, Lindsey.

This is a well-written emotional romance which kept me turning the pages. It has a bit of mystery. I loved/enjoyed the banter/attraction between Caroline and Lindsey. A keeper.

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this book. The hero, Jonathan, Earl of Lindsey is seemingly damaged beyond repair; a product of an unhappy childhood, and a terrible father whose cruelty extended beyond the grave, in the nearly impossible tasks Jonathan must complete, in order to claim his inheritance..

Lady Caroline Nicholson is ready to marry, but is irresistibly drawn to the one man who has no interest in forming an attachment. After all, his future is uncertain, and he knows nothing about love. Caroline chips away at the wall around his heart and Jonathan never saw it coming! London’s Most Elusive Earl was a truly romantic story,, with twists and turns, but a happily ever after, that was definitely worth waiting for. Jonathan and Caroline were soulmates, each incomplete without the other. The love scenes were to die for ... lovely, sensual and poetic.
A very well written book, that was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Caroline is looking for a husband to love. Jonathan, a rake, is looking to fulfill the requirements to obtain his inheritance. When they are together Caroline asks him, “ What are we?” He replies that they are “inevitable”. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Books for my honest review.

While I was really excited about this books based on the description, the story itself fell a bit flat. I wish there had been better character development, as well as a better foundation for the relationship between the two characters. There was a lot going on throughout this story, and I’m not sure that everything was totally wrapped up by the end, which was frustrating. The dialogue was good though, and I think if you picked this up for a beach read, you wouldn’t be disappointed!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I opted for this title because I can't resist a story where there is at least one partner who is reluctant to be in a relationship, and yet meets someone who makes them change their mind. Unfortunately this story didn't really fulfil that arc as much as I hoped. The two mains, Jonathan and Caroline, were both quite dull. There was nothing about either of them that made me root for their happy ending. I struggled to keep interest, and ultimately skipped several chapters to final few.

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

The blurb is what grabbed me for this book, marriage of convenience is one of my favorite Historical Romance Tropes.

At the beginning of this book it quickly changes from an enemies to lovers trope to one of lust at first sight and reluctant lovers (due to certain circumstances - not because of want).

There are a lot of mysteries to be solved in this book, though the story tended to jump around to connect certain aspects. It seemed almost disjointed at times, and there are some loose ends that either we will never know, or will possibly be tied up in the next book in the series.

The author has some wonderful dialog, especially for Jonathan.

"I will always remember you. You are my first -"
"I am your last." He pulled her forward, his words vehement as his mouth claimed hers. "I am you only."

This was a typical 'party girl' meets rake love story. The things that set it off were an older debutante at age 22 and her family moved to Italy for about 10 years. The heroine is also a titled lady. The hero, is a rake. His fathers dies and he has set herculean tasks for him to overcome in order to get his full inheritance. One of the tasks is to look for missing famous paintings that his father lost or were stolen from him. So part of this story deal with the underworld of black market art dealings. It was.a very interesting turn that I quite enjoyed. There was a little danger and the hero definitely had to become a hero. Even though I will give this story 5 stars, I really wonder how the characters were able to fall in love. They had very little in common. The only thing really was that the heroine was rebellious under her society face. But that would not make a beneficial, enduring and sincere loving relationship. I wish the author would have developed the relationship between them more because it makes the story more of a fairy tale then a believable story. The spelling and grammar were acceptable and there were no dangling plot lines. 5 stars and I recommend reading this book.

I had high hopes for this one based on the blurb. Marriage of convenience and enemies to lovers is right up my alley. Sadly, I couldn't even finish this book due to the writing style. It felt very belabored, and I had to spend too much brain effort to untangle what the author was trying to say with each sentence that I lost the story line and had to go re-read. After several chapters, I still couldn't get into the flow of the book and gave up. I'm all for a well-written, or clever turn of phrase, but this was not engaging. There was a lot of telling rather than showing and it read closer to my work-related academic journal articles, which is not what I want in my reading entertainment.