This was book that I did not want to put down once I started reading. Blade and Hazel are such a good couple. The story was so engrossing, I can't wait for more.

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

After being given a chance at a school, and thriving, Miss Hazel Lively has always dreamed of having her own school, and helping girls, both rich and poor, achieve their own goals. Opening the Bellehaven Academy was a dream, but there's few girls enrolled, and money is tight. What she needs is for a prestigious member of society to choose her school, rather than another finishing school, and when the Earl of Bladeton appears, with his wayward niece in tow, this may be her chance. Blade is coming to the end of his tether with Kitty, who's already been kicked out of two other schools, and ruining his courtship with a potential fiancee. He's hoping a distant school, in the small town of Bellehaven, will put her on the right track, but Hazel can see that all Kitty wants is love and attention following her parents deaths, so she agrees to take Kitty, but only if Blade returns every fortnight to spend time with his last surviving family member. As Kitty matures, and Blade and Hazel are thrown together, it's seems as if their own feelings are at risk, but can they weather the storm together?

I really enjoyed this book. As soon as I started it, it was clear that both of the main characters were nuanced, and had histories which made them vulnerable, and I was hooked. The characters, both good and bad, were so well written, as was the plot, that it was like seeing a film play out in front of you. The romance between Hazel and Blade was sweet, and passionate, but what I loved the most was the family aspect to the story. Blade had been burnt by love before, and hadn't spoken to his family when he learnt his brother and sister-in-law had died, and he had the guardianship of a niece he was completely unaware of. He thought he would be able to keep Kitty away from him, and marry the widow who would be perfect - not someone he could fall in love with, but someone suited to be a countess, and mother of his heir. However, meeting Hazel, and the, initially forced, time with Kitty, showed him what it was like to care for someone, and to be a part of a family, and I was so pleased with how well they all became a family unit. I hated the fiancee, and was so glad with how that plot line was dealt with - I think she might reappear in subsequent books, but for the time being, she got what she deserved. A fantastic start to a new series!

This is the first book by this author that I have read .... it won't be the last. You are drawn into the story in the first few pages - feeling for Hazel (such a name for a heroine) and you keep on rooting for her through the story. It is fascinating to watch both characters (Blade and Hazel both) grow through the story, deal with society expectations and pitfalls, as well as their own personal baggage. The secondary characters are just as engaging - and mischievous and I found myself hoping some would get their own book - eventually. A true sense of family, romance, principals, and love at all levels of relationships. It truly holds your interest and will be a quite satisfactory read that will have you thinking about the characters after you are done. As for the name Hazel.... you really come to like it and the character and realize it is quite perfect for her - her hopes, aspiration, and what she has gone through. Enjoy this read!

3.5/5⭐️

This title though…love it.

Hazel, the headmistress of her own academy for girls, grew up as an orphan in another academy. She has had to develop a tough shell to protect herself from any future hardships/heartbreak. The Earl of Bladenton is also protecting himself from the feelings involved in serious relationships due to a past betrayal. He meets Hazel when he enrolls his niece at her academy. They are drawn to each other, but a promise to another may keep them apart. They slowly begin to break down emotional barriers, and in doing so discover that they both want more out of life.

This book’s plot had a lot of eerily similarities to Jane Austen’s Sanditon (or at least the TV miniseries as I’ve not read the book yet)…a seaside resort, a bit of a social class disparity between the leads, even a cricket match on the beach. There was also a reminder of Cinderella’s fairy godmother and her transformation for the ball.

While the book was fine, I didn’t get all of the feels that I normally get from an historical romance, and I think it was because I didn’t connect as well with the characters…I felt they needed a little more depth.

My thanks to #NetGalley , #StMartins , and the author for providing me the early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Anna Bennett's books are always just what I need. This story of Hazel, headmistress of a new school in a cozy beach town, and Blade, who recently became guardian to his teenage niece and desperately needs help. Her hard exterior and his determination to stick to his plans are the right amount of conflict and tension to work. Kitty and the other students are such great compliments to this story in the way that small town romances feel right. Her stubbornness to mask hurt and eventual relationships with the other girls adds so much to this story.
Girls Before Earls is light and easy and reads like a breeze.

What a delightful, empowering story about what it truly means to love someone and that blood doesn’t always have to be involved to be a family!

We follow headmistress Hazel Lively as she has recently opened her own boarding school, a dream of hers. She needs new students but doesn’t need trouble so when an Earl needs a place for his troublesome niece he has just met and is now the guardian of, they strike a deal. He must visit every two weeks to continue forming a proper relationship with his niece. But, the headmistress and the Earl seem to have a connection they can’t hold back.

I adored the two of them! Grumpy Blade at first that slowly starts to open up and we get to see an absolute scoundrel of a man. He was such a fun love interest. He truly cared for them by the end and what a sight to behold! Always love a man who refuses love until the right woman sweeps him away.

And Hazel! What an absolute icon of a woman. She’s determined to help young girls as she was once a lone orphan herself. Her dedication to the girls and to people in general was so admirable. I also loved that she always stuck to what she knew was best for herself, regardless of other people’s opinions!

I just adored this story truly and I can’t wait for everyone else to be able to get their hands on this! If you like seaside adventures, boat races, a picnic by moonlight and a ball to remember, check this out December 28th!

4/5⭐️

I was able to read "Girls Before Earls" by Anna Bennett through NetGalley. And I loved it! The main character, Hazel, is first introduced as a young girl. And then in the first chapter nineteen years later. She made it easy to root for her and you want everything to work out for her. I read this book in 2 days and it was the perfect historical romance to make you forget all about the stress of the upcoming holidays.

A delightful tale of a schoolmarm with a newly opened academy and an Earl with a miscreant ward he hopes to foist off on her. Instead they all find a way to open their hearts and minds and take a leap toward the future; a future unimaginable at the outset. There is a fly in the pudding in the form of an intended misalliance to provide a problem to be overcome, but overcome it is.

Hazel was orphaned at a young age and taken in by the headmistress of a girls school, an experience that set her on the path to becoming a headmistress herself. Her fledgling school, Bellehaven Academy, needs new students desperately, so she strikes a deal with the Earl of Bladenton, who is willing to pay extra tuition if she is willing to take his niece, Kitty, who has been expelled from at least two finishing schools so far. She'll give Kitty a place in the school if Bladenton agrees to come and visit her every two weeks to help her deal with the grief of losing her own parents, the Earl's brother and sister-in-law. The Earl and Miss Lively share an attraction that they decide to act upon in secret, but unfortunately he believes he can never love again and has agreed to a loveless marriage to a society widow, and Hazel just wants to be loved and to have a family so they seem to be at odds. Hazel's students are delightfully odd and engaging characters and the relationship that unfolds between Hazel and the Earl is very charming.

I absolutely loved this book. The main characters sparkled and and the vivid writing placed me in the picturesque seaside village. If you love a headstrong headmistress encountering a debonaire earl with a little bit of The Parent Trap thrown in, this book is for you. Anna Bennett continues to be one of my favorite regency romance writers!

This is my first experience reading something by this author, and since I am always looking for new Regency authors, I was excited to pick this book up. I can tell you I was not disappointed! This was such a sweet, delightful, and fun read and I had such a lovely time reading this. Although a light-hearted read, it was quite touching as well. Hazel is a strong-willed, smart woman whose mission in life is to help young, unfortunate girls. She believes all girls deserve the same opportunity, regardless of status, and opens up a school that accepts girls of all social stations. The Earl of Bladenton, Blade, enrolls his hoyden of a niece in the school and Blade an Hazel are instantly smitten with each other. Neither are looking for love and are both wary of it, but they can't deny the attraction they feel for each other. This was an absolutely charming read with well-developed and endearing characters that pulled me in from the start and kept my interest till the end. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more by this author.

I received a complimentary advanced reader's copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

4.5 Stars

This book was delightful. Anna Bennett has a way of writing an angsty, compelling love story with a whole set of interesting characters. This was one of the rare books I have read where I did not need to read pages of steamy scenes (not that I am complaining). The interactions between the leads just spending time and getting to know one another was filled with crackling chemistry. Apart from leaving me quite breathless, the plot was compelling and kept me hooked on till the end. Hazel's refreshing personality, her efforts for her school, Gabriel's heartbreak, his relationship with his niece, and interactions with the other characters all create a warm love story that I would read again.
There were certain things I would have liked to know more about, like Hazel's tough childhood, but that would just be me being greedy to read more. This is a definite must-read for all historical romance lovers.

What a delightful start to a new series! The story of a lonely school mistress who wins the heart of an afraid to love Earl is historical romance cat nip, and this one is especially good. It centers around Hazel Lively, who wants more than anything to make her fledgling school a home for all girls, and Lord Bladenton - a man whose heart was shattered and still hasn't recovered. Together they find a way past unruly pupils and scheming (but secretly just disillusioned) widows to find their happily ever after. It was a very quick read, so it's perfect if you need something to read while enjoying the change of season with a nice warm mug, or heading to the beach.

Girls Before Earls is a charming historical romance by Anna Bennet. Headmistress Miss Hazel Lively dreams of getting her boarding house established to create a loving environment for the young girls under her care. Earl of Bladenton needs his niece to attend Bellehaven Academy. She's already been kicked out of two other boarding schools and he'll do whatever it takes even if that means visiting every other week throughout the summer. He plans to wed for convenience because he doesn't believe himself capable of love, but he's quickly enchanted by the headmistress. In the end will she be able to convince him that love is worth the risk of heartache.

This historical romance did a lot of the genres' tropes well. We have the buttoned-up headmistress who is actually passionate and free. The dashing Earl whose heart has been hardened to love and believes he can never love again. The board school young girls are darling and form a found family together. The scandal, the mischief, the stolen kisses and everything one wants from a historical romance. The open door intimacy scenes are steamy and the sexual tension between our two main character is very present. However, I can't recall anything that makes this stand out from other historical romances I've read.

A "spinster" orphan wants to start a school for girls where other girls who find themselves similarly situated, orphaned, curious, and broke, will have a school where they can find a sense of family as well as have a love of learning nurtured. Hazel must acquire enough paying customers for her fledgling academy to support her charity cases and finds herself accepting the delinquent niece of a rogueish earl. I love the title. A cute, albeit predictable, story!

This was a sweet romance between a bookish headmistress with some rather radical ideas and a rakish earl who has been hurt so badly in his past that he feels he's too damaged to love and has just had a headstrong and trouble-making niece dropped into his care.

I loved the found-family aspect of it, with Hazel, who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by the headmistress of a finishing school, determined to provide both a place and a *home* for the girls in her care - both the wealthy ones and those who are poor foundlings like her. Her relationship with the girls deepens wonderfully over the course of the novel, and the scenes with the girls were some of my favorites. Kitty blossoms at the school and that was a joy to see, as well as Hazel's gradual loosening up and coming out of her shell.

Which is not to say that I disliked Hazel and Blade's relationship. I liked it very much - especially how he respected her and showed her many small kindnesses over the course of the story. I liked that their friendship and regard for one another wasn't overshadowed by their physical attraction and chemistry.

I loved the setting of the novel as well, with the ocean and the sea air and the small quirky beach community offering a place for them all to heal. It wouldn't have been the same story in London.

I will definitely be seeking out further books by Anna Bennett.

*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an e-arc for review.

I really loved Hazel. Her back storyline was very well written. I also really like d hating the other woman. She is great to hate.
My only problem is that the hero is too wishy washy. I wanted him to be written stronger.

WHAT A GIRL WANTS
To survive her difficult childhood, Miss Hazel Lively relied on two things: a tough exterior and a love of books. Now, she’s realized her life-long dream of opening a school for girls. She’s hoping the wealthy families who summer at the shore will entrust their daughters to Bellehaven Academy—and help pay for less fortunate students. All Hazel must do is maintain a flawless reputation. It’s a foolproof plan…until a handsome earl strides into her office.

WHAT AN EARL NEEDS
Gabriel Beckett, Earl of Bladenton, has had a monstrous headache since the day his teenaged niece became his ward. She’s already been expelled from two London schools, but Blade is determined to enroll her at Bellehaven Academy, where she’ll be out of his hair. If only he can convince the buttoned-up—and unexpectedly intriguing—headmistress to take a risk.
Hazel and Blade make a delicious couple. If Hazel doesn't make a go of her school she is in deep trouble.
Penelope blackmails Blade into marriage or so it seems.
Anna Bennett has written a remarkable story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I do not give spoilers so please look elsewhere. You have the right to not have the wonderful story ruined with spoilers. Really good historical romance that does not go so deep in to the historical part but focusing on the love story aspect.

When his brother and sister-in-law died in a tragic carriage accident Gabriel Beckett, Earl of Bladenton, found himself the guardian of their 15 year old daughter. He wants nothing to do with her and shuffles her from one boarding school to another. After Kitty gets kicked out of her 3rd boarding school, a small school run by Miss Hazel Lively is his last resort, but he never expects to be attracted to the prim and proper headmistress. Hazel has suffered tragedy in her early life and wants her school to be a welcoming place for girls. When she meets Bladenton, it surprises her that she's attracted to the sullen earl. Against her better judgment, she lets him enroll his niece with the stipulation he must visit Kitty every other week. Can Hazel remain professional or will her growing passion for the earl put everything she's worked for in jeopardy?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ms. Bennett writes full-bodied characters and both Hazel and Blade were likeable. Each of them try to work through tragedies in their lives and find that they can confide in each other without judgment. I loved their slow burn romance that started with a dare for a kiss. The secondary characters were also well written. There was really no major conflicts besides threats from Lady Penelope to expose their affair, but that threat soon fizzles. I look forward to more books in this series.