I devoured this book as I did the first two in this fabulous series! I found Brina and Zane particularly endearing in this heartfelt novel filled with passion, romance, adventure, and humor. I’m sad to see this series end, as I’ve loved these warm-hearted generous women and the men who win their hearts!

A beautiful young widow ..., a devilishly handsome rake ..... Amelia Grey has woven another tale about love and fate....

How To Train Your Earl is the 3rd --and last-- book in Amelia Grey's First Comes Love series. This series is about 3 the widows of the Salty Dove ship sinking 4 years ago. Brina Feld is a young widow who believes it is her duty to live without love and passion from the guilt after the death of her young husband. She vows never to marry again, but at the urging of her aunt she attends a ball in Paris. At the ball, she accidentally meets Zane, the Earl of Blacknight, when he is tied to a chair. She knows his reputation and attempts to avoid him when she returns home to London.

Unfortunately, Zane is immediately intrigued with this unknown female who helped him escape.. Back in London, he finds out that Brina is a widow and is not interested in love nor marriage. He agrees to a bet with her to stop acting like a "rake" if she will teach him to be a "real" Earl. If he wins, Brina will marry him at the end of the Season. If not, he will walk away and lose the bet. Zane is determined to win this bet as he knows that Brina feels as much for him as he does for her! Will Zane meet the challenge? Will Brina cahnge her mind about love and marriage?

. A strict set of rules and an earl with no regard for society's constraints. What can possibly go wrong?

Brina Feld is a widow with one of the most pristine reputations around. Her husband died a hero while saving a lot of lives. Zane, the new Earl of Blacknight, is the complete opposite. He is the very definition of an irresponsible rake. Zane is determined to win Brina's hand and she is just as determined that he fails. Brina makes a deal with Zane, if he manages to comply with all her rules, she will agree to marry him at the end of the season.

Brina held up an almost saintly image to the public, but secretly she didn't feel that way about herself. She was very torn between her growing attraction to Zane and the need to protect herself from him. I didn't like Brina a lot. There were just too many things about her that weren't very consistent. After she made her rules, it looked like she just accepted Zane's word that he is following the rules, but she didn't really trust him to be able to comply with them. Well, it's more a case of hoping that he won't be able to comply. And after everything they had been through, she wasn't willing to hear his side of the story.

Zane was exactly as advertised. He didn't play by the rules of society and he didn't care. But he also turned out to be trustworthy and honourable. He showed Brina how to have fun again. Zane was very patient with his completely obnoxious family, but he pandered to them too much.

Brina and Zane made a good couple and they were good for each other. The best part of the book is when they meet right at the beginning. The culminating crisis handily played to all Brina's fears and did nothing to bring out the best in her.

Overall it was a fine read. This is the third book in the First Comes Love series and it's not necessary to read them in order.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Zane is a wonderfully redeemable hero!

After an unexpected tragedy means that Zane is the new earl, he's badgered by his family to settle down and get married so he can produce the heir that the estate requires. Then he sees Brina, and remembers her from their very brief but intriguing meeting in Paris three months earlier. I about swooned when he approached her and convinced her to consider marriage to him.

Brina is one of the widows of the Salty Dove shipwreck, and she has no intention of ever marrying again. Zane's determination to wed her doesn't change anything, but the only way to send him on his way is to appear to acquiesce. She agrees that she'll accept his proposal, but only if he can meet her impossible demands. Zane doesn't see them as impossible, though -- remember I said he was determined? Thus begins the dance wherein Brina is helping him to become the gentleman that his title requires while Zane is helping her to begin to live again.

I really loved that the author didn't have to break down her love for her deceased husband before she could fall for Zane. He is such a good guy, though he's kept it hidden by necessity, and I adored the way he helped her come into her own and move past her grief.

The concluding scene was absolutely perfect - fulfilling all bets while erasing them at the same time was pure genius. These two have a beautiful synchronicity and intense chemistry that made it easy to love them. It's an enchanting love story, one that I highly recommend for all readers of historical romance. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Maybe it is just me or maybe it is the time I am reading this story but while I did love Zane I did not like Brina. She was not terrible. She was too sanctimonious. There have been great women in books I have read but this was not one of them. The beginning was great and the epilogue was amazing but the middle was up and down. While I like several scenes, the overall story did not have that wow factor. I have read several of Amelia’s books but after this series, I am not sure I want to continue.

I really liked this series. How To Train Your Earl is the last book in the First Comes Love series. I’m not sure if there will be any spin-offs from this but we were introduced to 3 friends and Brina is the last of the 3 to get her happily-ever-after. I assumed, as Brina is a proper, do-gooder widow, that she would be paired with someone close to her level. Never did I think her match would be found in a gambling, drinking, cursing womanizer! 😂. Lord Blacknight is the perfect choice for Brina to reform from his rakish ways. I enjoyed their game of cat and mouse and the ending is not quite what you’d be expecting. 4 stars!

Brina and Zane do not get off to the most auspicious start–she finds him tied to chair and immediately suspects he’s a burglar. This was such a fun way to start the novel and made it really stand out for a lot of historical romances I’ve read recently, I absolutely adored it and only wish the rest of the novel had kept it up.

There is a bit of insta-love here, Zane falls hard and fast for Brina and there is a lot of him trying to convince her to give up her vow to remain single. I’m not a big fan of insta-love, I definitely prefer a slow burn and the gradual deepening of a relationship. Zane was pretty much hung on Brina from their first meeting. I will say though that I did think the romance they shared was a very sweet one, and I did like to see Zane’s efforts to try to sway Brina towards marriage.

Zane made for a wonderful hero and I did really like to see how he treated both Brina and his family. As the new Earl he has a lot of responsibility thrust on him, with a lot of family members needing support or asking for hand outs. How he dealt with them was perfect.

One of the things I thought this book did very well was finding the balance between the more humorous times, and the sad times when Brina was remembering her husband. Her grief and the new romance played out perfectly and I really loved how Zane’s determination eventually broke down her defences–and likewise, how Brina really challenges Zane to shape up.

I do regret not reading the previous books in the series. There are a lot of cameos from the previous heroes and heroines, and lots of inside jokes between Brina and her friends that I missed out on. I do believe you can read this as a standalone title with no problems however, it just makes you want to read the others as well!

All in all this was a sweet, easy read about a developing relationship. This was the final book in the series and I think it did a wonderful job of closing everything off in a very charming manner. If you like to read about widows and reformed rakes then I think this one would be a perfect fit!

I’m not going on lie it took me awhile to get into this one. A beautiful young widow, a devilishly handsome rake what could happen. I was pleasantly surprised that while the basics aren’t terribly unique it was enjoyable to read. I loved Zane and how he handled society, and Brina was likable and sassy at times. Thank you for the opportunity Net Galley

What a Enjoyable story! Third in the First Comes Love series brings the characters who found a place in your heart are back. How to Train Your Earl will hold you spellbound from the moment you begin the journey until the very end as a game of cat and mouse is played with the stakes are a happy ever after for Brina and Zane. A bet made, in the betting book at White's, has unforseen consequences as Zane bets to win Brina's hand in marriage by the end of the season. Amelia Grey has written a story that has passion, that is filled with tension-building twist, with great cast of characters that come off the pages and pull you into this emotional ride that keeps you involved until the very end, that is smoothly written, with a superb plott, and great and witty dialogu that bring this read together perfectly!

What a lovely read. It was sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. The storyline was different and I enjoyed the fact that though Brina was a widow they didn’t end up in bed straight away. There was a mild sex scene. It was good to see their relationship develop despite the difficulties they were both dealing with concerning marriage. It was an easy read that kept me entertained till the end. The characters were well written and the story flowed nicely. I received this book as an ARC and freely give my review.

In a nutshell, Brina Feld is a widower and has no interest in love. But Zane, the Earl of Blacknight, arrives back in town and the sparks flouish. Well, we're told they do, but I didn't feel the warm fuzzies or why they would even like each other. Because instead of being shown, I was being told they were meant for each other. Also, it was a lot of Zane trying to be at peace as the new Earl, when it was supposed to be his brother. Sad, because I usually like Amelia Grey and look forward to her books. Unfortunately, this one seemed more forced, on the nose writing, and minimal chemistry. It was ok, but I expect more from her. And of course I'll continue to read as she publishes more stories. But I hope the next one elicits more emotion and connection.

Bryna Feld, one of the widows of the Salty Dove ship sinking 4 years ago, has gone from grieving to doing everything she can to help everyone she can. She accidentally meets Zane Blacknight, An Earl, in France. She knows his reputation and attempts to avoid him when she returns home to London. Unfortunately, The Earl was immediately taken with this unknown female who helped him escape in Paris. He soon finds out who this woman is, and agrees to a bet with Bryna to stop doing everything he does all the time if she will teach him to be a "real" Earl. If he wins, Bryna will marry him at the end of the Season. If not, he will walk away and lose the bet. Zane is determined to win this bet as he knows that Bryna feels as much for him as he does for her!
This was the perfect ending to this series!

I enjoyed this book and I like that it was a part of an ongoing series, but I did not make that connection at first and while enjoyable, I did not feel like it lived up to the experience I had with the first book in the series. There were some nice twists that made it unique from other romances I have read and the author did a wonderful job of carrying through and developing the elements pertaining to the school these society ladies sponsor.

3.5 stars, rounded up

Five years after the death of her beloved husband Stewart, Brina Feld is more certain than ever that she will never remarry, but she concedes that it might be time to start living again, which is how she came to meet Zane Browning, the Earl of Blacknight. While attending a masked ball in Paris and attempting to escape the attentions of a drunk rake, Brina ducks into a room to hide and finds Zane tied to a chair. He tells her to untie him and after a bit of amusing banter, she releases him so he can go rescue his cousin, but before he goes, Zane gives Brina a kiss she will not soon forget!

Months later, Zane is back in London and taking up the reins of the earldom he never expected to inherit, when he sees his mystery woman. He quickly learns who she is and decides then and there that she is his future countess. He proceeds to place a bet that she will accept his proposal of marriage by midnight at the last ball of the season.

Brina is secretly thrilled to be reunited with Zane, but horrified that he has placed a bet – she has no desire to remarry and decides to beat him at his own game, by publicly agreeing to marry him IF he can stop drinking, gambling, swearing, and womanizing, if he can’t (and she is sure he won’t), she will accept his apology on the night of the final ball. Let the games begin!

Of the three books in the series, I liked this one the best. I have read all three books about the widows of the Salty Dove and have not been overly excited by any of them – the idea was good, but I just never really got sucked into any of the stories. The writing is fine, I do question some of the author’s “rules of proper etiquette” as some of them completely contradict anything I have ever read in other books – including Jane Austen. However, Zane was a wonderful hero and I thoroughly enjoyed his interactions with Brina and his family – he was just about perfect and a delight to read. The story has a lot going on, it touches on a lot of emotions like grief, mourning, anger, and guilt, it has cameos from the previous heroes and heroines, it has love scenes that are mostly kissing and barely warm, and a sweet ending that was perfectly done. This was the final book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problems.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *

** 3.5 Stars **

Zane Howard Veldon Dormer Browning, eighth Earl of Blacknight, didn’t want to be an earl – never expected to be an earl – and chafes at all of the new expectations suddenly thrust upon him. He is the black sheep of his family because he has no use for most of the social protocols, he loves to gamble (he always wins), and he loves ladies. His family sees him as a useless, uncaring fribble – but he really isn’t. Zane cares about his family – but in small doses – and once you meet them, you’ll see why. Zane’s family is pressuring him to curb his lifestyle, take up his seat in parliament, and find a wife. My personal opinion is that Zane is remarkably tolerant of a very selfish, self-centered, and demanding family. I’d have cut off all of their allowances and told them they had to earn them back by giving to the family as well as taking from it. His two uncles, Syl and Hector should just fall in a hole somewhere. Anyway, Zane is hyper-focused on any goal or objective he sets for himself. He moves forward with remarkable calm and good humor, but nothing deters him from his goal. Once his focus has turned on Mrs. Brina Feld, she has no chance of winning against him – even with the draconian restrictions she’s put on him.

Mrs. Brina Feld has been an absolutely perfect widow for the last five years. She is a perfect lady, a perfect friend, a perfect daughter – you name it and she is perfect. Well, everyone, except herself, thinks she is perfect. She’s knows she’s not a good person and she knows how much she suffered – and still suffers – at the loss of her husband, Stewart. She fully expects to – is determined to – remain a widow for the rest of her life. She’ll devote herself to good works in order to make up for her sins. No man has ever stirred her interest even slightly in her widowhood and she doesn’t expect any to ever do so. Until … That blasted earl is now in pursuit of her and won’t just quietly take no for an answer. When he placed a scandalous wager in the betting book at White’s, that is just the final and last straw for her. She lays down a stringent set of demands for him to meet if he wants to marry her – that will shut him up. But – he agrees to each and every one of them. Of course, there is no way he can live up to that agreement.

I absolutely adored Zane. He lived his life on his own terms and was so much more honest about himself than anyone else in the ton. He knew how to have fun, and he taught Brina that it was okay to enjoy life. He was so focused on her and wanted to do his best for her and his family. He is just a good guy. I liked Brina, but I didn’t GET Brina. When her big secret was revealed, I thought – what? Five years wasted because of that. I was expecting some huge, dark thing – and it just wasn’t.

This is the final book in a series that has been remarkably consistent – at least to me. I have given the same 3.5-star rating to all three of the books even though I rounded this one up to 4. I don’t believe I have ever had that happen with a series. I enjoyed the story, the writing, and the characters.

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

This is the third book in the First Comes Love series from Amelia Grey. I enjoyed the second book a lot and this was just as wonderful. In this story we get Mrs. Brina Feld, a young widow who lost her husband at sea. Brina figures she will never marry again and at the urging of her aunt she attends a ball in Paris. She doesn't think anyone would recognize her so she attends and gives up her widow's garments for that night.

It couldn't hurt and this is during a time period where women mourned for a good year or longer. She doesn't plan on having to flee from a drunk lord who is bent on having her. In her hiding from the drunken lord she meets Zane, the Earl of Blacknight.

I love how they meet but don't want to spoil it for y'all. The passion they experience from a kiss they share is off the charts. Zane's family wants him to marry and figures the lovely Brina will fit the bill. Although the method he uses leaves a little to be desired. Brina though is no wilting flower and she devises a plan of her own.

This is simply one of the best books if the series in my opinion. It has plenty of passion and romance but there is something about Brina and Zane that make you love them at their core. For all his rakishness Zane has a truly good heart and Brina may have resigned herself to never marring again but deep down she craves it.

How to Train Your Earl is the third book in the First Comes Love series by Amelia Grey.  I enjoyed the first two books in the series and loved this one as well. Grey's writing style is very elegant and discreet. I was drawn in from the beginning and could not put this one down. How to Train Your Earl is a lovely romance to read while sipping a nice cup of tea.

How to Train Your Earl by Amelia Grey is the third and final book in the First Comes Love series. Brina Feld is the last of the unmarried widows from the sinking of the Salty Dove.
Her young husband died while saving others as the ship broke apart. Brina was devastated and certain her life with love and marriage had died. Each of her widowed friends had remarried, but Brina let no one near her.

Zane, the Earl of Blacknight became an Earl overnight. Death had left him the earl, something he was sure would never happen. Now with a whole family line gone, he was Earl and his remaining family were insistent that he needed to marry right away to a debutante of the ton. However, Zane caught a glimpse of her, Brina Feld, and could not ignore how he felt. A simple bet at White’s and a visit to peak her interest started them both of a wild ride to the book’s conclusion.

I enjoyed all three of the novels in the series First Comes Love. This third novel was particularly satisfying due to the unusual method of ‘courting’ Zane did. I round the characters particularly well suited. How to Train Your Earl by Amelia Grey.

The storyline is very good, but unfortunately the pace lets it down. It starts with a very interesting scene, but then it seems to drag on a little too much. Even then it held my interest.

Zane is living the life of a rake, enjoying himself to the full. All of a sudden he finds himself with the title of an Earl due to unfortunate circumstances. Wait! He is not cut out to be an Earl and likes his life just as it is. He doesn't have a choice, but to take on his new role. His two interfering uncles are there to give a helping hand. He also has to learn the proper etiquette of an Earl, as dictated by society.

Brina is a young widow still in mourning five years later. She has an organised life and happy to lend a helping hand to those in need. On the one night that she decides to shed her widow's outfit, she finds herself running from an undesired attention. In the process she comes across this handsome man, half dressed and tied to a chair by a woman's scarf. After some thoughts, she unties him and is rewarded with a passionate kiss. A kiss that makes her realise that she has forgotten what it's like to be desired.

They meet again when they return to London and Zane sets his sight on her. She isn't interested in men, but Zane goes ahead and places a bet that he'll win her hand at the end of the season. He always plays to win! She is mortified, and what does she do? She counteracts his bet with some conditions of her own. They appear to be unattainable. Let the game begin. Who will be the winner?

There are some sweet moments and the interactions between Zane and Brina are entertaining. In the meantime their young cousins get into trouble. The kind that could upset everything that's been achieved. Although the pace is slow, it picks up towards the end and brings about the most charming conclusion.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC. The views expressed are my personal opinion.

I loved reading Brina and Zane’s amazing story in How to Train Your Earl by Amelia Grey, book three in her First Comes Love series. This amazing story brings together two people who were totally unprepared to find love, let alone a future together while helping each other as they maneuver through a life neither ever expected to live. After losing her husband in the sinking of the Salty Dove, widow Brin Feld devoted her life to helping others. She is content with the life she has created and has no need for a man in her life. Not even the intriguing, handsome, Englishman she encounters tied up during a masquerade ball in France. Zane Blacknight has always been the black sheep of the family, not caring to lead a respectable life; fistfights, card games, and drinking were the daily norm for him. He was never supposed to inherit of earldom and now he was determined to change his ways. Zane, now the Earl of Blacknight knew the perfect, proper lady who could help him. Acting normal for him, he made a bet he would win her hand before the Season is over. Brin is concerned her peace and calm life will disappear now that Lord Blacknight has decided to court her. Zane has awakened her desires and she knows that if she agrees to help him learn how to become an Earl, Brin is in danger of losing her heart to him. To counter this occurrence, Brin has resolved to out-scheme him, betting him that she will agree to wed him at the last ball of the season if Zane gives up drink, card playing, swearing, and fighting until then. Zane is determined to win this bet and show her that his love for her is true; despite obstacles put in his path, to keep him from winning the beautiful Brin.

Ms. Grey wrote a charming, clever, entertaining and amusing story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with humorous escapades, amusing banter, sizzling chemistry and endearing characters giving Brin and Zane a chance to obtain all each desires. I highly recommend The Earl Next Door to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.