This is second book in the Misfits of Mayfair series. It can be read as a stand alone, although the characters cross over.

Ophelia Hardwick has spent more than a decade living as her deceased twin brother, Adam, avoiding her uncle, and waiting to claim an inheritance. She's hiding in plain sight as land steward and friend to Calvin, Earl of Carlyle. The very first scene of these two made me laugh out loud. I was surprised and delighted that Cal did not discovery Adam was really Phee right away. It laid the ground work for their friendship, which was really beautiful to read. There is lots of bantering between these two characters and the side character of Kingston, the valet, really made me chuckle.

This is a character driven novel with a lot of plot twists. We are talking a bucket full of drama that you need to be able to suspend reality to believe, but makes for a fun read.

I was glad when the secret didn’t drag on through the book. Once Calvin realized his right hand man was actually a woman, he started having feelings for her right away, there were no lingering feelings beforehand on his end. I loved their sweet relationship and how easily Cal was willing to give up his bachelorhood for her, whatever that would end up meaning.

There was family drama on both sides (Her uncle, his father) and the book took some twists and turns I wasn’t expecting that felt a little too convenient, but it did make me intrigued for book three!

Overall a unique premise that was super easy reading and fairly enjoyable!

This book is the second for Bethany Bennett and excellent.

I read her first book and have to say, I did not see this twist coming. Luckily it happens pretty quickly in the book.

****spoilers below****

Calvin, Earl of Carlysle and friend to Ethan from book one finds out his land steward Adam Hardwick is actually Ophelia (Phee) Hardwick. In book one we are introduced to Calvin and "Puppy". For the past 11 years, Phee has been living as her dead twin brother Adam and hiding from her evil uncle Milton until she can gain her inheritance.

Calvin and Adam are best friends and do everything together. Calvin also takes a lot of responsibility for everyone in his life - family, friends, etc. When he discovers Phee's true identity, their relationship starts to evolve, and they can't fight their attraction. He also vows to protect her from her murderous uncle but also has his own family drama unfolding.

Everyone in this book is having sex and I am here for it. At first, I was like huh, ok, that's different. But then, realistically, you know this is probably how things really happened.

Crossdressing and disguises - female to male - are tricky stories, but Bennett does this story justice. I couldn't put it down, I loved both Phee and Calvin, and together they made sense. I was so confused about Adam in book one because the descriptions of him were so weirdly worded. Reading this book it all made sense.

I also loved that the women in this book rescued themselves. Like seriously, well done, Bethany! I also did not see that coming. Again, that's also real life. In the end, despite his love for Phee, Calvin is sort of useless and the women solve their own problems. So really he just shows up for HEA.

I loved it. I am really excited about Emma's book. I hated her in the beginning but she definitely came into her own in the end.

I truly enjoyed this book...so much so that I spent the day reading it all! Cal is the son of a wastrel Earl. Adam is his young assistant, who has also become a good friend. Cal's father puts the Earldom and Cal's future in jeopardy by losing a bet! Meanwhile, Adam gets beaten one night walking into is boarding house, and Cal discovers another truth...Adam is really Ophelia!

The story line is great. It's well written, our secondary characters are fabulous from Emma to Kingston, I loved them all. There are twists and turns, and good intentions that cause so much pain. I really think you'll enjoy this story as much as I did. Oh, and did I say that Ophelia is about the smartest woman on the planet!!!

This book was a little different from what was written on the back. It was a great book!! The description doesn't lead the reader to the depth of the story and how well written it was. The author really expressed their characters well. It was not a book about charity work, but the reader is aware of the rich and the poor sections of London and what people expected in those areas.
This was not a book about two people who attended parties and dances all the time and in between went for clothing fittings or shopped at their pleasure. This was a story about how hard it actually was to be in the aristocracy and how hard some of them worked and what happened to those who thought the world revolved about them.
The heroine of the story had a sad upbringing: orphaned at a young age, losing a sibling a few years later, having to support herself and stay in hiding before she could even understand what was happening. She had a Vicar who was able to help her. The hero is an aristocrat who has a younger sister to bring out for her season. He also has a father who spends money. The hero has already inherited his estates that are attached to his title, so he is aware of the costs and has a young assistant who is able to get him the information he needs.
This story hits so many good points and is a story that grabs the reader. I enjoyed this book from the first to the last page. While it is part of a series, the author doesn't depend on previous stories to maintain this one. There are no grammar or spelling errors and the plots all support the main story. Ot was a lively, continuous read. I recommend this book with 5 stars!

Wow! This book is so good! It is romantic, full of both heart-pounding and swoon-worthy moments, and much more! Whenever I picked up "West End Earl", I was whisked back in time to the Regency Era, and found myself hooked from the first page to the last.

This is the second book in Bethany Bennett's "Misfits of Mayfair" series, but the first I have read! I think it can definitely work as a stand-alone too, but, I now look forward to going back and reading the first in the series! Her writing style is spectacular. Ms. Bennett has such an incredible way of bringing a story to life. I could envision each and every moment, and felt like I was right there along with the characters. Her characters all feel like such incredibly real people. Each has a distinct personality, and their wants, fears, and desires are crystal clear.

Opehlia Hardwick is such a strong, brave, intelligent and driven woman, who, to escape her horrific uncle, disguises herself as a boy in order to survive until she reaches a certain age, and can live independently. Disguised as a boy, she currently works for Calvin, who is kind, hardworking, smart, and is helping his younger sister during her season. Calvin soon finds out that the boy who is working with him is actually a woman, and things between these two begin to shift. With danger, friendship, romance, and twists all along the way, will these two have a friends-to-lovers romance? You will have to read to find out!

(Possible Spoilers!)
Watching the relationship develop between Ophelia and Calvin is beautiful, as they truly bring out the best in one another. They have such a strong friendship to begin with, and it only deepens as they get to know one another better. Their chemistry is spot-on, and watching them fall more and more in love to their happily-ever-after is wonderful.

If you enjoy historical romance, I highly recommend this book! It had me turning the pages to see what would happen, and I so look forward to reading what Ms. Bennett writes next! I hope we see many of these characters again in future books in this series as well!

Thank you so much to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, it is amazing! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I loved the first book in this series, and this follow-up was just as good! Here, Ophelia (Phee) has been living as a man, assuming her dead brothers' identity to escape her guardian/uncle until she can get her brothers' inheritance and live an independent life without her greedy uncle trying to marry her off for money. She has been employed by Cal, Earl of Carlyle, for the last 2 years as a steward, and all-purpose man of business. They have formed a true friendship, and Phee has been harboring a more-than-friends attraction to Cal. Cal discovers her secret fairly early in the story, after Phee is attacked by a group of ruffians. Once he notices her, Cal can't stay away, and they immediately begin a clandestine friends-to-lovers relationship. I really like that the secret if Phee's identity wasn't overly drawn out. It made their HEA much more believable when they had time to develop a relationship first. I thought it was interesting how Phee had been suppressing her feminity for so long, out of necessity rather than a matter of identity. It added an interesting element when she gets to finally explore that side of herself. I also love Cal's complete adoration of her. An all-in hero is my catnip.

As with her first book, Bennett gives us a fantastic cast of secondary characters. Here, I particularly like the way Emma's story line evolves (and am very much looking forward to her book next year). And I love meddling matchmaker servants or friends, which we get here as well.

This book kept me thoroughly entertained for an evening. West End Earl finds Ophelia, masquerading as man and employed by Cal, the Earl of Carlyle. Ophelia loves Cal and Cal sees her as “Puppy” his friend and confidant. An attempt on Ophelia’s life leads to Cal finding out her secret and then there is no denying their mutual attraction.

I was a bit surprised at at the pacing of this book. I’ve read books with similar plot lines that drags out the reveal to closer to the climax of the novel draw out the tension, but this book placed the reveal less than 25% of the way through the book. I was skeptical of this approach, but found that it actually worked for this particular story mostly because there was a lot more going on in the plot than just the deception.

I really enjoyed the cast of side characters, especially Cal’s valet Kingston who was entirely unfazed by Ophelia and Adam being one and the same. Bethany’s writing style is wonderful. The pace is fast and there are some lines and exchanges that are just funny without being over the top. I enjoyed Any Rogue Will Do, the previous book in this series, and am greatly looking forward to Emma’s story coming out next year.

Thank you to Forever publishing for offering me an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a charming read, with a fun heroine in disguise trope. It lost a little steam at the midpoint, but fans of Tessa Dare and Julie Anne Long will like it.

West End Earl by Bethany Bennett is an excellent historical fiction romance novel that is the second book in the equally impressive series: Misfits of Mayfair.

I loved the first book, Any Rogue Will Do, so I knew I had to read this followup where Cal gets his time to shine. I loved Cal and this book just makes him even more endearing!

I loved the concept of Ophelia being disguised and right under his nose the whole time. I enjoyed the friends to lovers progression once the secret is out in the open. Both are prefect characters for one another. Both have their own complex and wonderful personalities that mesh well and create awesome chemistry.

The plot is intricate, yet easy to follow. Both have their own complicated pasts, current conundrums, and there are obstacles thrown their way to overcome. I love the pacing, and of course the ending!

I am so excited to see that there will be a third book coming out focussing on Cal’s younger sister, Emma in All Rogues Lead to London. It will be a great addition, I am sure.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

Delightful! You know when the book makes you laugh in the opening scene, that this is going to be a fun read. What I really enjoyed was the characterization: Ophelia/Adam and Calvin are fully fleshed out and their friendship is well drawn. It's nice to have main characters who learn to like each other and become friends before they love each other. After reading other romances, I especially appreciated how the characters act reasonably at all times even during times of extreme distress. Recommended!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

During her childhood, Ophelia Hardwick lost her parents, became a ward to an evil uncle, lost her twin brother, Adam, and had to masquerade as said twin in order to save herself. She's been 'Adam' Hardwick for the last 11 years, and only has one more year to get through before she comes into her majority, and can finally claim her rightful inheritance. Luckily, she found herself work as the land steward for Calvin, the Earl of Carlyle, and she's formed a friendship with the Earl, and his friend, Ethan, Lord Amesbury. But, no one knows the truth about her identity, and she needs to keep it that way, lest her uncle get a hold of her. But, when she's attacked, and it seems her uncle is behind it, Cal discovers the truth, and realises that his 'Puppy', the man he relies on to make it through his sister's debut, is a woman, and one who get's his blood pumping, he may have to change his priorities. Will the two be able to be happy, or will their differing positions in society, and the ever present threat hanging over them be too much to overcome?

This book just blew me away. After reading Any Rogue Will Do, I fell in love with Bethany's writing and her characters, and couldn't wait to get my hands on Cal's book. So, when I was sent the NetGalley widget for West End Earl I couldn't wait to start it, and devoured it all within hours. All I knew going it - I didn't read the synopsis - was that this would be Cal's story, and I was overjoyed to realise that the Puppy who we all came to know and love in book 1, was in fact a woman in disguise, and to see Cal and Ophelia (as we now know her as) fall for each other.

Obviously, it wasn't without it's issues. First of all, there's the whole fact that for the start of the book, Cal and others didn't know Ophelia was a woman, and even when Cal realised it, and they started their relationship, many people still thought of her as Adam. I loved seeing the valet, Kingston, not be phased by it all, and adapt his work around it all - and even keeping the real secret once he knew it. Then there's the fact that Phee is hiding for an important reason, and she needs to make it to 25, or marry, before she can claim her inheritance, and it seems her wicked uncle has put an insurance plan on her - as Adam - and hired thugs to kill her in order to retain all the money. And, finally, Calvin's own father is a bit of a scapegrace, though a Marquess, and has decided to bet his son off to the highest bidder, to marry a friend's daughter, in order to pay off all his debts. Cal really doesn't want to marry anyone other than Phee - though he hasn't told her that yet - and decides to host a house party with the hope of finding a groom for his younger sister, Emma, and his 'fiancee', all the while being able to have a normal relationship with Phee in the process. I loved the house party part of the book, and seeing how Phee and Cal went from friends, to lovers, and being so intimate with each other, and revealing they hopes and wishes.

Like with most romances, there's the inevitable section where our heroes are separated, and I felt like the way it was done in this book was absolutely perfect, and helped everyone who needed it. Emma and Phee's budding friendship was a joy to see, and I seriously hope there's more of that in book 3, All Rogues Lead to London, when Emma finally gets her happy ending. West End Earl was a fantastic book, and I'm so pleased I had the chance to read it!

I adored West End Earl. I loved Any Rogue Will Do and have been counting down the minutes until I got my hands on Cal's book. Cal and Phee's story is so unexpected. I appreciated the living as a boy story line so much. It provided just a little bit of intrigue but also set Cal and Phee up as friends before their love story started. Their pre-discover she's really a girl connection set up a solid foundation for tension and heat but also for me to deeply root for their HEA. If you are a fan of historical romance, you need this book. It's fast paced and steamy and will keep you up way too late turning pages like crazy.