If I could only use one word to describe everything about this book, that word would have to be delightful. The setting, the characters, the plot… everything was simply delightful. It was a lot of fun to read. Although at times I was frustrated with the main characters and their lack of communication, I felt that it was realistic and accurate in many ways and showed the complex facets of human relationships. This is the kind of book that seamlessly transports me to Regency England and makes me want to live there indefinitely, going on horseback rides and attending balls and house parties! I would highly recommend this book to any reader who loves regency romances.

I loved this book! Karen Thornell is an author that I will be eagerly waiting for new releases from.


I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To Marry an Earl is a sweet regency romance with a perfect combination of romance, mystery and a satisfying ending. This one makes for a fantastic rainy day read.

This story has such a fun premise. I thought the main characters were well developed, perfectly flawed and likable, but the secondary characters lacked development. While the dual POV allowed the reader to see into the mind of the main characters, it was also the device used for the reader to learn about the secondary characters and it just left me looking for more. I hope the author will continue this as a series as I really would like to see more of Lucas, Henry and Julia and their happily ever after.

Fans of Julia Quinn will enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

To Marry an Earl is a historical romance novel written by Karen Thornell.

Summary: Katherine Cartwright has never had what you would call a happy upbringing. Between a gambling-addict father prone to violent rages, and a mother without a backbone, love has been in short supply in her life.

The only happy moments of her life were spent with her friend James many long summers ago. But even he abandoned her one day without a word.

Her only hope is that once she is old enough, she can convince her father to allow her to take her dowry and live on her own.

When she finds that her father has decided to marry her off to the highest bidder, she is devastated. Who is the mysterious earl that has paid her father’s price?

When James Fenwick unexpectedly becomes the new Earl of Bowcott, he is shocked to learn that his one-time friend Katherine has been basically put up for sale. Determined to save her from her father and the unscrupulous men who have bid for her, he makes such a generous offer that her father can’t refuse.

But how can he explain to Katherine why he disappeared so long ago? And will he find the courage to tell her-he has been in love with her all along?

My Thoughts: I loved this book. It is the perfect historical romance. The characters are well-developed, the plot was unique and fun, there is a good mystery, and the love story is really well done.

This is a great book, and I definitely recommend it and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I would like to thank Covenant Communications for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

I was so looking forward to reading Karen Thornell’s first book and it delivered!!!
If you love regency romances, add this to your list.

I loved how tender and sweet James was. He was constant and I really admire that about him. Katherine didn’t trust easily, but underneath she is kind and such a fun main character.

I always have issues when miscommunication and lies that could so easily be solved take an entire book to solve. This book handled it perfectly. It was the perfect amount.

I enjoyed this book very much. It kinda had some Blackmoore and Edenbrooke vibes (which is always good in my opinion lol) and the ever faithful happily ever after. A nice, quick read that satisfies. Looking forward to more from this author! I do hope Lucas, Julia (I absolutely am rooting for them to get together!) and Henry get stories of their own!

To Marry an Earl was a sweet, clean regency romance. It was a fun read full of obstacles to overcome. There was an arranged marriage, misunderstandings, annoying relatives, and threatening letters.

The main characters in this book are Kate, a young women with trust issues as a result of a trying childhood, and James, a kind loving gentleman who made a lot of mistakes, but did his best to protect Kate from a bad situation.

I loved reading this book. I enjoyed the characters. Their love story was perfect. You could feel the love and connection between them. . I look forward to reading more from this author.

"To Marry an Earl" was a sweet read about an arranged marriage between two old friends. There are troublesome relatives, misunderstandings, and mysterious letters. Unfortunately, I felt like the author needed to tighten up a lot of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. However, I felt like I was rereading the same ideas over and over before it was resolved. Some of the problems felt like they dragged on and on. These problems could have been easily resolved with honest conversation, and problems arising from lack of talking are my least favorite plot devices. While this book had interesting ideas, it would worked have worked much better a novella in my opinion so that the problems didn't feel like they were being dragged through the mud.

Overall, I think this book and author has potential though. I happily read and skimmed through long sections and enjoyed it even with its faults.

This book has potential. Unfortunately too much is crammed into its pages for anything to be fully developed.

Half the book is spent with James lying to Kate. When she discovers his deception, she's mad for a few pages but then gets over it. Then threatening notes begin appearing, and despite his lack of trustworthiness, she of course runs straight to James.

The second half is spent with the notes continually appearing, the culprit completely obvious to the reader but apparently a complex mystery to the characters, James continuing to withhold things from Kate (but this time it's to protect her), her falling in love with him despite stern speeches to herself seconds before seeing him, and James thinking he should help his drunken friend but doing nothing about it. Said friend is of course completely sober when his help is needed.

I wanted to like this book. As I said, it has potential. But the characters felt flat, and the plot contained too many subplots and irrelevant minor characters to be able to fully enjoy the story. Too much was told, instead of shown.

I love Karen.
She was one of my first friends when I joined the Bookstagram community and ever since reading her novella last Christmas I’ve been dying to get my hands on her full length novel.

I was not disappointed. At all.

This combination of marriage of convenience and friends to lovers was un-put-downable (that can be a word right?).

I loved Kate’s hesitance and James’ patience. Both of their characters were *chefs kiss*

Not to mention the actual kissing scenes... talk about to die for!

In addition to all of that, To Marry an Earl also had that dash of suspense and sprinkle of mystery that I so enjoy in regency novels.

This book was a 10/10 for me! Now if I can just get my hands on Pursuing Miss Hall...

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the first book by this author that I have read. The story was sweet, and old friend to the rescue if a well abused young woman. I rooted for the characters and kept wanting them to come clean with each other. I found the villain long before they did, but that was okay. It made me smile as I read, so that counts for something.

I really enjoyed this book. Katherine is a kind and beautiful young woman with trust issues due mainly to her upbringing. When her father tries selling her in marriage to the highest bidder an old friend steps in to save her, unbeknownst to her. James has recently inherited an Earldom. When he hears of a dear friends plight while with friends at Whites. He makes a hasty decision to come to her rescue. James wants to court Katherine properly without her knowledge that he is the Earl that has come to her rescue. He unwittingly feeds into her trust issues by not telling her that he is the Earl. What follows is sweet, romantic, tenuous and a bit of danger from someone who is secretly threatening the marriage. I would definitely recommend this book.

4.5 stars
I have been eagerly waiting to read Karen Thornell’s newest book! I found her through the bookstagram community and I was so excited to read To Marry an Earl! It took me a little while to get into the book, but once I started truly reading I was hooked. The storyline was really engaging and the characters were lovely.
I felt bad for Kate, Katherine Cartwright, her father seemed like an impossible man who made life horrible for her. She was desperate to find a life that she could call her own, however her plans were once again disregarded when her father married her off to the highest bidder, an earl. Things start to look up when she is reunited with her old friend James Fenwick. But as she spends time with him, she finds herself falling for this man. However when the truth around her engagement comes to light will their relationship last? Will Kate be able to trust James after all he had put her through?
Kate was an interesting character, she was trying to protect herself from more hurt. However, she also found herself falling for James and that made her conflicted because she wasn’t sure how she felt about him. He had hurt her before, so she was wary. I liked reading about her growth as she learned to trust herself and gain confidence. I learned to like her more and more as I read more about her. I also liked how she was a strong character, as she learned to overcome the obstacles that were thrown into her life.
I liked James from the beginning but I also wanted to bash him over the head. He made so many silly mistakes with Kate, but he was trying his best. I liked how James tried his best to care for Kate and put her first. He truly did love her in his own way, but he was struggling to figure out how to show her because of how tentative she was. He was trying to learn how to love Kate and figure out what it meant to be an earl. He was kind and willing to help those around him.
The side characters were also fun, I really liked James’s friends Lucas and Henry. I hope that they get their own books! Julia was also sweet. These characters really helped make the book. I loved reading about their interactions. The servants were sweet, especially James’ cook. James and Kate had to learn how to make a relationship work with each other. They also had to learn to work through the truth.
To Marry an Earl was a lovely book! I would definitely recommend it, especially to those who like regency romances! I can’t wait to see what else Thornell writes. To Marry an Earl is a clean Regency romance.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

I posted my review on Goodreads, and Bookbub on 06/29/21. I posted my review on Barnes and Nobles on 07/05/2021. I will post on Amazon and my blog closer to release date

This book is a sweet, regency romance. Kate and James are both likeable characters. Kate has issues trusting others due to her father’s actions. James has loved Kate for years, and he must convince her that he does truly want to marry her. They have a sweet relationship.
I did feel that the story was stagnant at some points, but I did still enjoy watching James and Kate’s romance bloom. This is a good book for someone looking for a light romance.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

I'm not sure if this is the author's first novel or not but it is my first by her. My feelings are a little conflicted because I wanted to really like this novel and I think the author deserves credit for putting her work out there for others to judge but it was a little slow for me.

I liked both Kate and James and the thought the story itself was endearing and sweet. I was guessing until the end when it was revealed who the bad guy was and what the motive could possibly be so I liked that too.

The story lagged in the middle quie a bit. James' deception was revealed about 1/3 of the way through and once that happened the story lost my interest a little until the final conflict with the villain of the story.

I think for people who enjoy squeaky clean Regency romance this book will be well recieved. I generally need more chemistry or lots of banter between the H&h especially in Regency era books.

This is a new to me author so I looked forward to adding a new go-to if I enjoyed the book. I loved the set up that James steps in to save Katherine from a horrible marriage but in so doing, sets up some difficulties. James is a good guy but he could use some communication lessons. Poor Katherine is neglected/abused and it really is a miracle that she ends up as good of a person as she is.

There is some intrigue involved but I didn't think it was hard to figure out who the bad guy was. I think the romance dragged a little in the middle while the two of them were spinning their wheels instead of moving forward through good communication.

Overall it was an enjoyable read. Not too much angst. It was sweet, clean reading.

Sex: no
Language: no
Violence: yes
*I received a complimentary ARC through NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

What Charmed:

♡ Kate’s troubling home background; as someone who grew up in a similar situation I was happy to see some representation.

♡Premiss- the concept of an estranged friend pretty much biding for your hand out of nowhere is a first for me.

What Marred:
✗I found the character relationship forced & underwhelming, despite the promising set up of them being childhood friends they were not interesting, lacked chemistry, and were utterly pulseless.
description
Romance full of platitudes/ hackneyed tropes, felt more like book was going though a check list, sticking to a schedule, rather than an organic, tangible progression.

✗No line in prose or dialogue stood out.

✗Kate is passive protagonist, she doesn't actually do anything.
description
I did not witness her go though any growth/ hero's journey. She wasn't challenged, and on that note neither was James. Beyond her origin story of an abusive father, she is not interesting to follow and her personality is a blank space.
description

✗James. He I found bland, not clever by a half, and prone to let problems either fester or pull harebrained schemes that exacerbate the lot.
description

✗The antagonist was of the ridiculous 1 dimensional sort, that tell you their whole backstory and reveal their plans like a bond villain. Can't we get some interesting realistic antagonists, with depths, and a smart compelling schemes? The little threatening notes thrown in to end betrothal felt like that lazy gimmick oft featured in tween media like 'A' from PLL or Gossip Girl.

➳ This is the regency and thus certain customs are adhered to. One such is not being on first name basis with anyone outside immediate family, close friends, and perhaps a betrothed in small company. But two gentlemen Kate literally just met ask her to call them by first name? And she accepts both and allows one the same liberty? That I found beyond the pale!
description

The Brass Tacks:
I was excited by the premiss and yes, if I am honest, the pretty cover art, but I feel the story itself lacked force to propel it and I was fairly underwhelmed throughout.
description
A story should have more to it: emotion, a message, characters who jump off the page- at least one of those. This was, I am sorry to say, a staid read. A lot of aspects showed promise, but were not exploited to their best advantage.

There should have been more conflict, passion, personality, tension, but it wasn't well developed. A lot of small problems appear, but they are never dire, no true consequences are presented to challenge the characters as they solve themselves. The courtship is a snooze fest and so are the ill developed cardboard cutouts we get as leads & supporting characters.

꙳ Spice Scale rating: Chaste Bell Pepper 🌶 /5 ꙳
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book drew me with its lovely cover and intriguing premise. It sounded like something I’d enjoy, and the story started out strong and pulled me in. About one third of the way in it began to drag a bit. I felt like it could use some tighter editing, as it was a bit repetitive in several spots. I thought James was a wonderful hero, so kind, caring, and a little out of his element. I was cheering for him and Kate through all their misunderstandings and the twists and turns of the story. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I had trouble relating to Kate from the first. Her situation did not seem remotely uncommon for the time: at best, a completely disinterested father, at worst, an abusive one plus a weak, submissive mother who essentially offer her to the highest bidder. That was essentially the lifestyle of the British elite, was it not? Make a match for your family that benefits them in terms of money, power, influence, land, titles, etc. I feel like a daughter's approval was rare, a love match even rarer. So I really didn't understand Kate's self-pity.

And then her childhood friend/love snags her. Who cares if they ended on bad terms? Who cares if he abandoned her? Who cares if she didn't fully trust him? She was going to be married, fast, one way or the other and she just caught the break of her life. Someone her own age, that she was attracted to, that she had a pleasant history with would fill that role. And they would have every opportunity to build something stronger and deeper than they had before. She had every reason to be filled with relief, joy and hope. To be grateful and eager. At least that's what I would have said to her had I been her friend.

Despite that, I am looking forward to checking out future books by this fairly new author.

A rather sweet hero and an unsuspecting heroine. This book is not the usual steamy romances from this genre, but a very sweet one!
James was an absolute change from all the dashing dukes that one finds when reading period romances. A very sensitive and well written tale.

4.5*  I enjoyed this story - the characters had depth of feeling and convincing background stories.  The author did a nice job with a touch of suspense to drive the plot, and the journey of the hero and heroine back to being friends again was sweet and rewarding.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are completely my own.