Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥 (it’s barely countable as a flame)
Humor: Yes, a bit
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine

...but because his heart had only ever leapt from his chest for one lady, his knees had only ever weakened over one kiss...

Should I read in order?
This is the first in Bradley’s Games Earls Play series

Basic plot:
A scandalous kiss in a library leads Emmeline and Melrose into a scandal that puts them under the tons microscope

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency time period (1812)
- London setting
- Shorter page count (goodreads has it at 186 pages)
- Focus on the main couple and society scandals/rumors
- Lower steam – kisses and one short/vague on page scene
- Earl hero/scientist heroine (she loves botany)
- Secret identity
- Compromised heroine

Ages
- Heroine “couldn’t be more than 22”, and hero is 29

My thoughts:
I love the idea of this series! And adore that they focused on the couple, the romance, and the world of Regency England. I adore Bradley’s debut work and missed those aspects in her Swooning Virgins Society series.

This story is sweet. But it did feel a little slow to me. I think I wanted the hero and heroine together more on page. When they were together I really liked it, but there was a lot of the heroine being off on her own or with her family and I just kept waiting. The thing that usually guts me about Bradley’s writing is the emotional pull and the pure angst eating up the characters. I didn’t really feel that here. So I did enjoy it, it was pleasant, but probably not something I would reread and not a top read from her for me.

Something I love about Bradley’s work though is how immersed I feel in the time period. Some historical romances just don’t give me the full transportation, but I do find that with her. The society rules and culture of the London season feature heavy in this one and I really liked that aspect to it.

I loved that the heroine was a botanist. And since I’ve been logging the scents of the characters I notice, I also appreciate all the perfume and smell talk. Especially when it was mentioned that the Viscounts in society seemed to be overrun with sandalwood haha (Sandalwood is definitely a top scent for heroes!)

*Sigh!!! I do not know where and how to begin my review on this book. This is my first Anna Bradley book - an ARC through NetGalley - and honestly it was plain disappointing. I would confess though that I am still reading it (at 88%) and although it has not yet annoyed me to the point where I feel like slamming the book close, it is not exactly an unputdownable page turner either. So I would tread along until I finish it, that much is given.

As a regency era romance, it had no charm. The author introduces us to a bevy of characters (sisters) right in the beginning of the story through dialogues and/or reactions to an ongoing conversation which is quite confusing to follow. The character of the society matron Lady Fosberry was lacklustre. The hero was bland and the heroine was rather annoyingly stupid specially given the fact that she was botanist and had a knack for deduction. The other prospective hero Lord Cross had little to no dialogues that would at least give the readers an idea about the basic characteristics of him so that we can look forward to his story (ie if the author is planning on penning a story for him).

Overall not very compelling and lacks the charm as a romance. There is no intrigue, no tension, bit of misplaced angst, a whole lot of stupidity, very predictable and a mediocre story.

I found this book to be a bit far fetched and bland. The story was cute but not much happens. I was hoping it would get exciting at some point but it didn't.

Sisters with secrets, and sisters who hide within those with more outgoing personalities, hoping not to be noticed. But, unfortunately for our shy sister she gets found and found out too.
A lively read, with lively heroines, and their escapades. We can expect these sisters to provide us with future entertainment.

This is the first book in a new series. I now have another series to look forward to! Emmeline is one of 5 sisters in a family rife with scandal that has kept them away from society. A wager amongst the sisters has them traveling to London for the season where she is mistakenly compromised by Earl Jonathan. This was a great read and will definitely be recommended by me.
Thank you Anna Bradley, Oliver Heber Books and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

I really enjoyed Emmeline and Jonathan's story. It was fun watching these two opposites find their HEA together. This was a great start to Bradley's new series!

I am a fan of Anna Bradley and this new series didn't disappoint. really enjoyed this book. This was my first read in original language, I usually read translated versions. I really liked smooth writting, it was page-turning and interesting story. I found it was perfect lenght, although it's shorter than usual.

I loved Emmaline's character and her quite nature, and she loved her sisters, so she was protecting them from another scandal. I just wish she would be more independent with her thoughts sometimes. Overall, I enjoyed Emmeline and Johnathan's story.

This is a heartwarming and sweet romance. I really liked all of the characters and the story line. I am looking forward to more in this series.

<p>I really enjoyed this book. I'm a big fan of Anna Bradley. Her writings are among my favourite historical romances. </p>
<p>I enjoyed the idea of women betting rather than the typical men in Regency. The case of mistaken identity was well down and I was moved by Emmeline's willingness to give up her true love to protect her family from another scandal. </p>
<p>I look forward to reading the next in the series.</p>
<p><em>I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. </em></p>

I kept waiting for a wow factor, a crescendo in the plot, and it never came. Now the book was good, it was sweet and light but I felt like it lacked a little something more.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I honestly not sure how I feel about this. At times I enjoyed the story others I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters. It was overall a pretty good read.

A sweet story about Emmeline and Jonathan and a mistaken identity that leads to scandal. Their romance is sweet and enjoyable. This is book one in the “Games Earls Play” series. I am looking forward to read the rest of the books in this series.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

When the Earl of Melrose accidently kisses Emmeline Templeton, in a case of mistaken identity sparks fly, but so do rumors. When the Earl falls in love with her its an romance for the ages and with lots of roses!

Then the gossip starts on who the Earl actually kissed and which sister was it? Who knows? Then the ton decides the lady in lavender isn't Emmeline but Juliet her sister. What a mess!

The book is a sweet romance, there really isn't much of a wow story though, If thats what your looking for it's amazing, I just wanted a bit more. But otherwise it's great book. Regardless I can't wait to read Juliets story in the next book.

I have enjoyed Anna Bradley’s books. Cinderella stories aren’t my favorite, so I look forward to more coming out in this series.

I really enjoyed this story, good start to series. I love a good geeky heroine and a hero who can’t help but love her. My review is late so I’ll just say read it.


Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy.

I usually adore Anna Bradley, but Not Just Any Earl felt a little blah to me. It was still an enjoyable read, but it didn't have the same zest and energy that I usually get from her books.

The plot is a take on a Cinderella-type story. There isn't a glass slipper here but a fragrance that the male MC can't forget. I think the female MC was much more interesting than the male MC, but I think if the story was longer than the characters would be more fleshed out overall. I wanted more personality from the male MC. There were elements of the story that I enjoyed, but I think the characters and relationship needed more time to develop.

Not Just Any Earl is a start to a new series, and I have to say that I'm intrigued. I want to read about all of the side characters in this series, so I'm excited to see where Anna Bradley will take me. Juliet and Lord Cross are a given, but I'm also hoping for some more queer characters (she actually does them so well, but doesn't write them often), so fingers crossed.

This new series starter sets up the action for us nicely. I loved the premise, the 5 Templeton sisters, tucked away in the country since their mother caused a huge scandal by running away to the continent with her lover 3 years ago, are struggling to make ends meet and may all be reduced to working for a living if something doesn't happen to turn around their fortunes. Quiet Emmaline quite likes being tucked way in the country where she can grow roses and develop perfumes, including trying to recreate her late fathers perfume, for which there is no recipe. She hopes to save the family fortunes with it.

When family friend Lady Fosbery makes a wager which means that Emmaline and Juliet must go to London for the season, the idea is that Juliet will be matched with the Earl of Melrose. The Earl is the catch of the season, and although he is not particularly drawn to anyone, he has decided he will marry and do his duty to the Earldom this season. For want of another option he decides that Lady Christine Dingley will do, however, at Lady Fosbery's ball, he is so drunk that he ends up being distracted by a saucy widow on his way to ask her for a dance, and he stumbles across a fragrant armful in the library, who he assumes is his widow, and they share a passionate embrace.
The mysterious lady in question is Emmaline, who didn't attend the ball, but had gone to the library to to find a book.

The Earl has been seen with the mystery lady, and now the whole of the ton is on the hunt to discover her identity - can Jonathan track her down before the Ton make mincemeat of her, and will Emmaline be brave enough to seek her own happiness, rather than trying to push Juliet and Jonathan together.

So this was a quite short and sweet romance, with two lovely lead characters who deserved their HEA. Emmaline could have been a bit more dynamic and less self effacing, but overall a lovely read, I do hope the next books are longer though.

I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this book and all opinions are my own

It was a cute book; however I like steam and sexy times and we didn't have that here, and oh I missed it. Anywho, let's get to the review. So, we have Emmaline who is back in London after her and her sister make a wager. They did not live in London anymore since the Scandal, and it was a Scandal, now they are much poorer. We have Jonathan, the Earl of Melrose who has decided to marry this season, now he is supposedly hot stuff, since he is good looking and titles and it.

At an affair, Jonathan is about to go dance with the girl that his momma wants him to, when he sees a widow that he used to have sexy times with and decides to follow her, and Jonathan is very drunk, he thinks he has found her in the library and kisses her, only it is not her it is Emmaline who kisses him back. Since its dark he does not know who it is, cannot forget that kiss and intent on finding her, however he doesn't know what she looks like. Unnecessary drama enfolds, they get to know each other, fall in love..yada yada.

I am a big fan of Romance books and I found this one to be a very enjoyable read. I will be looking for more books from this author.

I have truly enjoyed Anna Bradley's books in the past. I liked the premise of the love story but I felt it was rushed. I would have had a longer time to truly show how they fell in love. The meeting of Johnathan and Emmeline was unusual. The major issue that I had with the book was Emmeline. She seemed too meek and weak throughout the book. My biggest pet peeve is that she was going to keep a secret of the encounter even when confronted by Johnathan. When given the opportunity to say something when the secret was discovered, she chose to say nothing. I liked aspects of her but not enough. I enjoyed the interactions of the secondary characters. I hope the other books in the series are better.

Not Just Any Earl was a nice, easy novella to waste away an evening curled up reading.

Emmeline Templeton is one of several sisters who were disgraced by their mother in the eyes of the ton. They've lived quiet and somewhat impoverished lives ever since. A close family friend offers to take two of the girls to London for the season, that all hinged on a bet that people are not as methodical and predictable as bluestocking Emmeline believes they are.

One brief encounter in a dark library, mistaken / hidden identity, and a sweet smell of rose perfume leads Jonathan Parrish, Earl of Melrose, on a quest to sniff out the lady who made his skin tingle after their rendezvous.

This was a sweet and clean novella, nothing more that a few kisses and caresses. I really liked Jonathan. He went on his quest for his Cinderella and figured out the woman of his dreams pretty quickly. I'm glad he didn't spend the entire book in the dark. Emmeline denied that she was the lady because of the possible scandal, even when the scandal hit too close to home. I didn't like that she was ready to concede so quickly.

I like the scenes with Jonathan and Emmeline. Though there just wasn't enough to really get the sense of a great, beautiful romance between them.

I'm really interested in the next book which appears to center on Juliet and Lord Cross. They're sparring definitely was one of the highlights of this book.

3.5 stars. Good book. Wouldn't read again but I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.