London Gossip has it the Earl of Melrose is on the market for a wife. They are already pairing him with a young lady he has no desire to marry.
An encounter in Lady Fosberry's library with a young lady on the night of her ball, sends Melrose on a quest. To find the mysterious woman who peaks his interest. The pursuit is difficult since he never saw her face and does not know her name. Only a violet ribbon with the scent of roses is a clue to the identity of the lady. Lord Melrose is charming and determined Gossip is not going to force his hand.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Anna Bradley is a fabulous storyteller, so much so that I didn't miss not having any steam or sex at all in this book. Usually, I like something a little on the spicy side but this was all sweet romance. But it was the great storyline that held my attention which is why I gave 4 stars. This promises to be a great series if this book is any indication.
I really liked the characters, especially Jonathan, he's just the caring and considerate male we need for a partner. And Emmeline is smart and witty as a heroine.
The one critique I noted was that several times, things were said over and over again. There were pages and paragraphs of the same thing, even said the same way. For example when Emmeline is thinking about Juliet being the perfect one for Jonathan, not only does this come up many times but also does her description of Juliet, and then about how each sister is, how matchmaking is like grafting roses, etc,. Once or twice mentioning these things is sufficient, any more and it becomes page filler.
Overall, if you want a sweet romance with a good solid story, this is it. If you want any sort of steam this is not it but you may be pleasantly swept away in the story and not even notice. I do recommend this book.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

This was an enjoyable novella. The chemistry between Melrose and Emmeline was apparent and Bradley did a good job showcasing it. The story fell flat for me based on the premise--Melrose and Juliet must marry because the sister's match-making forecasts say so. It's a fine premise to start the story, but the continuation of it without any other justification weakened the story. I really like the tease between Juliet and Cross; hopefully, we get to see their story as well.

Not Just Any Earl by Anna Bradley
Games Earls Play #1

Mistaken identity, a sizzling kiss, and then the search to find out who Lord Melrose actually had his interlude in the library with titillates the ton for days in this introduction to a new series. There is no glass slipper but instead an elusive scent and also the search for the rose necessary to finish making a perfect perfume.

What I liked:
* The introduction to the Templeton sisters and wondering how all five will find their happily ever after
* Mrs Fosberry: kind of like a fairy godmother and a friend of the sisters’ father – gives Juliet and Emmeline a chance in London
* Emmeline: loves roses, enjoys science, is seeking an elusive rose to recreate a perfume her father once made, has most of her beliefs about couples perfect for one another blown to smithereens
* Lord Melrose: brother, earl, ready to settle down, knows immediately the Lady in Lavender is meant for him…but who is she?
* Lord Cross: probably the man for Juliet and perhaps their story will come next
* Juliet: Emmeline’s sister, the beauty, outgoing, a perfect match for Lord Cross
* The set down Melrose renders grasping Christine and her mother
* Thinking about what is happening with Helena who left at the beginning of the book to become a governess to the Marquess of Hawke
* Wondering what is up with the oldest and youngest sisters…there is much more to learn about both of them.
* Knowing there are more books to look forward to

What I didn’t like:
* What and whom I was meant not to like…the gossiping ton and nasty vipers making up stories
* That scandal ruins not only the scandalous but their families as well
* Not a dislike but a wish – that there will be more about Emmeline and Melrose in the future books as I felt there was more to their story than written in this book

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

BRADLEY HAS GIVEN ME BOTH HIGHS AND LOWS - THIS IS SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE

Anna Bradley has written one of the best historical romances I have read in a while (For the Sake of a Scottish Rake) and I have been chasing that kind of high from her since then. Sadly, I have been denied it thus far. Still, this is not a bad book by any means, it's perfectly adequate. It's a fun take on the Cinderella trope and I am certainly going to continue this series. But there wasn't much to excite me. And there was even something that annoyed me a lot, which was the 'science language' spoken by the sisters. It was so heavy handed that it toed the line of ridiculous. But I am hopeful that Bradley has another smash in her, so I'll keep going.

Meh. I didn’t connect with the couple. I liked the family, all the parts were the sisters are together, and I liked that the heroine was a botanist. The hero does nothing.

I’m finally Out of my historical romance slump. Because this book was so cute and the only thing I did not enjoy was the heroine being so idiotic and saying that Jonathan should marry Juliet instead even though he loves her. The romance was very well written and I enjoyed even though it was kind of instalovey. I loved the part roses played and the sentimental value of roses.

He's the ton's darling.

She is not. In fact, Emmaline is one of four sisters whose mother caused their disgrace and banishment from society.
At her first ball,. Emmaline has an encounter with Jonathan, the darling of the ton. For some reason, he's drunk and attempts a tryst in the dark with another woman, but ends up kissing Emmaline.

Affable characters, who, while on the surface, are opposites, are similar in the sense that they both live in their heads.
Recommend.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was sweet, fun and clever. It held my interest and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Anne Bradley is always a delight to read! I really enjoyed this book and I am glad that it's the beginning of a new series. It stars Jonathan and Emmeline, a case of mistaken identity, lovely sisters bonding, wagers, great characters - all the tropes that I enjoy :)

After Emmeline's sister Juliet accepts an outrageous wager that takes her to London for a season, scandal arises when the Earl of Melrose mistakenly kisses Emmeline. So starts a search and a journey to an enjoyable HEA commences.

This was a a fun read and I am thoroughly looking forward to the next in the series.

Thank you to the Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC

This is the first book in a new series called,"Games Earls Play" . We are introduced to the 5 Templeton sisters. They are Euphemia, Emmeline, Helena, Juliet and Mathilda.
This is Emmeline's story and the introduction to Juliet's story.
The girls mother left them with their father leaving a scandal behind as she took off for America with another man. As a result the girls are all ruined. A family friend takes them under her wing and brings Juliet and Emmeline to London to be apart of the season. Emmeline goes for other reasons. She wants no part of the season but goes to track down a rose that her father used to make up a new perfume.
When Lady Fosberry has a ball to introduce Juliet, Emmeline is found in the garden and the library.
Here we meet our very intoxicated hero, Lord Melrose. He comes upon Emmeline in the library, in the dark.v Thinking she is someone else, he makes advances on her. Kissing her and more. Emmeline panicks and flees. She is seen leaving the Library but no one knows who she is. Lord Melrose doesn't remember anything the next day. But the ton is filled with gossip of who this mystery woman is that Lord Melrose was having an assignation with in the Library. She becomes known as the lady in purple.
And the adventure begins.
This book had me hooked from the beginning. I loved Emmeline s character. Sweet, loving to her sisters, intelligent and passionate about many things.
Lord Melrose at first annoyed me. But in the end I thought when he stood up for Emmeline and Juliet was the best part of the story.
Anna Bradley does such a good job with story telling. Her stories are always different and interesting.
5stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Lovely story of quiet Emmeline Templeton and Johnathan Parrish, the Earl of Melrose, the Nonesuch of the ton (female version of the Incomparable). Loved these two, and felt their burgeoning relationship was natural and very romantic. Hope to see the side characters in subsequent books, as enjoyed them as well. Kept my interest throughout.

Emmeline Templeton is a shy bluestocking, fairly content to live her life in the country, far from the gossip and the wicked taunts of the Ton after a scandal that destroyed her family name. She’s a scientist and she thinks everything can be subject to scientific laws, even matchmaking and love. She’ll learn quickly how very wrong she is!
Lured to London by a “scientific” wager together with her sister Juliette, she finds herself alone in the library with a gentleman in his cups… And she’s shocked to enjoy his kisses a little too much!
Jonathan, the Earl of Melrose, is the darling of the Ton, but he’s also an honorable man with a flawless reputation. How he found himself in his cups and kissing an unknown woman in the library it’s a thing that defies explanation… But now he’s determined to find that woman and do the honorable thing. But could she be shy Emmeline, with her love for roses and a sharp mind that she struggles to hide from the world?
Well, what I can say about this wonderful book? Just that I loved it to distraction! Anna Bradley is such a gifted author that I find myself appreciating her books more and more every time I read a new one. Emmeline is such an endearing character, but also infuriating at times… I was amused by her ideas on love and marriage, but I also wanted to shake her sometimes. I’m sure many a reader share my feelings! Jonathan is so sweet, so kind, so understanding that I fell in love with him from the very first. A beautiful man with a heart of gold: who wouldn’t want to meet a man like this?
There’s just one thing I want to add… I needed more heat!!!! A couple of steamy scenes more, maybe… Please, Anna! By the way, I look forward to Juliet and Cross’s book! And the other Templeton sisters seem quite intriguing as well…
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This brand new release from this author is full of tension, and mistaken identity. When Emmeline Templeton goes looking for a book and is kissed in the dark from a handsome Earl, she has no idea of the intrigue she will cause in The Ton. Not being there to catch a husband, but to satisfy a bet that a friend had made, she is not your typical catch for any member of the aristocracy, let alone an earl.

The story has lots of interplay with the characters, and both characters are likeable. I have to admit to having a soft spot for the earl over the female character, as I felt his motivations were very clear, and well written.

The beginning was a little confusing as there was introduced several of the Templeton sisters in the first chapter, and was a little hard to follow, but once it got down to the meat of the story in London, it was a great story. I am assuming that each of the sisters will have their stories, though one of them has begun to have her romance within this book. I look forward to seeing the other romances, as this author never ceases to deliver a good story with wonderful characters. Recommend to readers who love a good romance in this time period.

Not Just Any Earl is the perfect start for a series. It introduces a great cast of characters you want to see again in later novels and establishes the tone and pacing that makes you want to read other books by the author.

I was pretty much sucked in right from page one and I had trouble putting it down. I loved Emmeline and her sisters (and really really hope this series will feature more of them). One of my only disappointments with the book was that there wasn't more about their scientific approach to matchmaking once Emmeline and Juliet were in London - definitely would have been interesting to see them using their theory to predict matches.

Johnathan is a good partner for Emmeline and I appreciated that he figured out the mystery regarding her pretty quickly because it showed he was actually paying attention to her. I also liked that there wasn't a big romantic gesture at the end, just him going after her and making her listen to him.

I'm very much looking forward to book 2 in the series!

Not Just Any Earl by Anna Bradley is the first book in a new series called Games Earls Play. The series is going to focus on the five Templeton sisters, who are shunned by the “ton” due to their mother’s shameless behavior. The sisters are scared about the future and hopeful that they can keep their home.

An opportunity comes about that will allow Emmaline a chance in London for a season. Really the opportunity is a wager, something that will further shun them if it were to be discovered. Emmaline decided to avoid the ball and was looking for a book when a man came into the library and began kissing her like she has never been kissed - and then he left.

Jonathan Parrish, the Earl of Melrose did not realize he was kissing the wrong person - it was a simple mistake thinking she was someone else. Now everything is all mucked up. Emmaline and Jonathan might just be the surprise. Not Just Any Earl by Anna Bradley was a fun read.

I’m so happy I got this ARC!! There’s nothing I love more than a cute historical romance. I really hope there’s going to be more in this series because I need to know everyone’s story .
•cute romance
•fast paced
•feel good read

I received an advanced reader's copy of Not Just Any Earl by Anna Bradley.

A lovely story with endearing characters. It starts off with a bit of with some heat, but then the romance is built over the course of the story. There are some wonderful, emotional scenes—special shared moments—between Emmeline and Johnathon where they're shown falling in love. This is an engaging, heartwarming story with a wonderful cast of characters that is sure to delight readers.

The last thing botanist Emmeline wants is a season in London. But it's the only way she can get access to her sponsor's rare roses.

The last thing Lord Melrose intends is to accost an innocent in a library. But he's in his cups, and her gown resembles that of a widow he's pursuing.

Rumors swirl as to the identity of the woman seen escaping him. Can Emmeline keep her secret, or will her reputation be ruined?

This Cinderella variation offers delightful characters and an emotional story. I particularly enjoyed the references to roses and descriptions of perfumes in this low-angst novella.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Very sweet, easy read love story.
Emmeline and her sisters have had a hard few years. Their mother has run off with another man after their father's death. Emmeline likes to hide out at her family farm, but her sister convinces her to go to London with family friends for a season. There, in a dark library, she shares a kiss with Jonathan, The Earl of Melrose, and scandal ensures.
Loved the characters, the ease of the story flowing from one scene to the next. Completely enjoyable.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.