A tale of avoidance. Emma Clark, Lady Dearborn is relieved that her abusive husband has left to go on an expedition to Egypt. As months pass Emma can breathe again and slowly lets her true self experience life. When a stranger comes with news of her husband demise, dying of yellow fever and was buried immediately to avoid spreading of the disease. She is in shocked and then Mr. Duffy dies in front of her. With all the confusion of Mr. Duffy’s death, she hadn’t told a soul of her husband death. Now fearing what will become of her. Will the future Earl on behest of his sister have her removed from her beloved Butterfield Hall? She decides to withhold the information of her husband’s death.
Now months have past and Lady Dearborn is known as the premier party thrower. Her sister-in-law is beyond vexed with Emma’s antics and demands news of her brother’s return.
Luka Olivier, the Weslorian Earl of Marlaine, who also happens to be in Egypt but returning home via England to meet with a professor in regards to a book he is writing. Was asked to return a pocket watch to the widow, Lady Dearborn, but once there he is confused. Why is she acting as if her husband isn’t dead? Doesn’t she know? She must, Mr. Duffy was to have told her. As an anthropologist he is curious as to why. And the woman does everything possible to avoid the topic.
The avoidance by Emma seemed to drag on a little too long. Was glad when towards the end familiar characters returned, including matchmaker Lila. Even though she wasn’t matchmaking she was involved and helped the MC find their almost impossible HEA. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #AnInconvenientEarl #JuliaLondon

did not really enjoy this book. It kept trying to go to good places: a woman trying to gain her independence from a bad husband, the desperate times for women in the era, and a happy ending. But often it was too hard to follow the characters and the many sideplots. As romance novels go, this wasn’t my favorite.

Title: An Inconvenient Earl
Author: Julia London
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3 out of 5

It’s been over a year since Emma Clark’s no-good husband left on an expedition. The Countess of Dearborn has played the abandoned wife, but people are beginning to presume the earl is dead, which doesn't suit Emma at all. Emma likes being head of household in Albert’s absence and does her best to keep his family believing he is alive and well. She’s thirty years old and finally having some fun. If the earl is in fact dead, his family is waiting in the wings to swoop in and throw Emma out, leaving her destitute.

Then along comes Luka Olivien, the Weslorian Earl of Marlaine. He’s traveled all the way from Egypt, duty bound to return to the countess her deceased husband’s precious pocket watch—only to discover she doesn’t know he’s dead… Or does she? It’s hard to tell. Luka catches glimpses of the desperate vulnerability beneath the party girl exterior and can’t help being drawn into the beguiling countess’s ruse.

I’ve really enjoyed the other books in the A Royal Match series, but this one, not so much. I liked Luka a lot, but Emma just came across as selfish, crazy, and delusional. Plus, she’s a liar—and thinks that’s okay—so she’s not my kind of people. The question asked in the blurb—does Emma know Albert is dead—has an obvious answer for the entire novel, so using that as a hook really lets the reader down, too. I liked seeing glimpses of the characters from the other books in this series, but that was really the highlight of the book, not these characters and their story.

Julia London is an award-winning and bestselling author. An Inconvenient Earl is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Canary Street Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 12/26).

Normally I love every Julia Lindon book I read but I am sorry to say this one was a big disappointment. I thought the main character was a spoiled, inconsiderate,selfish, woman. The main mail character was just kind of blah to me. Hard pass on this one.

What an absolutely wild ride! I'll be honest, I wasn't very fond of Emma as a person but I literally could not stop reading. I just HAD to know what was going to happen next! It was like watching an out of control train causing chaos in its wake and a huge crash coming but you can't look away!! The lengths she has to go to, to keep this enormous secret.... Like I said, a WILD ride!! Luka was an absolutely lovely gent, although it was hard to understand how he could be attracted to Emma. I'm so glad I read this book, the whole series has been a joy!

Sadly, this story wasn’t one of my favorites. I didn’t like the way Emma went about things after she learned of her husband, Lord Dearborn aka the inconvenient earl, aside from where she actually tried to better the estate for her brother-in-law, I felt like she was being very deceitful, and no doubt fulfilling her own desires like with throwing that house party.
Granted, her husband was awful, and the sister-in-law a carbon copy of him, so she did feel like she would have been cast out without anything. I’m not sure why she felt that way, being that she would have been the dowager at that point and entitled to some sort of a settlement.
Luka, I guess he went along with everything because of the connection he felt with Emma. Though they definitely let it go on for their own benefit. Who his father is was a surprise, and it was awful that he got caught up in that. One point, the way they went at each other, there is very little way she wouldn’t have become pregnant.
The usual characters were in this, Lady Aleksander, though not as a matchmaker in the way she usually is. Beck and his tribe, and the lovely Donovan.
The HEA is more than a year into the future, and a bit of a complete circle from the beginning.
Even though this wasn’t my favorite of the author’s stories, I do look forward to reading the next.

An inconvenient early- a white lie turns into so much more then Emma could ever have imagined. While she try’s to figure out how to get out of the mess she has created, she finds a wonderful man.

After enjoying the first three books in Julia London’s A Royal Match series, I must admit this fourth title was a disappointment. My main complaint is that it hit one of my biggest pet peeves — when much of the book tells the story through what a character is thinking rather than active scenes that move the action along.

This storytelling technique is necessary in “An Inconvenient Earl” because a huge secret lies between our heroine and hero and keeps them from communicating directly. The books where this very much bothers me usually involve a writer with less experience and a plot that would be quickly cleared up if the two would talk with each other and admit what they feel rather than stewing about it.

London seems aware of the difficulty of her plot and its resolution. She includes nuggets that I appreciated. For one, our heroine Emma does show self-awareness about the huge mess she has created, which I appreciate. Also, we also hear what Luka is thinking. (Often authors stick with one character having the internal dialogue.)

The action picked up when our intrepid matchmaker — a character who appears in all four books — arrived on the scene. I appreciated that London’s crafted a happily ever after that did include consequences for Emma’s actions.

“An Inconvenient Earl” won’t make it to my “repeated read” pile, but it was a satisfactory conclusion to the Royal Match series.

I didn’t enjoy this as much as I’ve enjoyed other Julia London books. I’m not a big fan of novels built around a big lie that you know will one day be revealed. I like the heroine as a character, but I didn’t enjoy all the deception going on.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

An Inconvenient Earl (A Royal Match #4) by Julia London
This is Emma Clark and Luka Olivien's story. She is a widow but no one knows her husband is dead. Then Luka comes to return her her late husbands pocket watch the "fun" begins. There is angst, lies and deceit, some wit and tears and heat all to get to their HEA.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Witty Happily Ever After Romantic Great world building Unpredictable Entertaining Wonderful characters Informative.

I have to say that I didn't much care for Emma at first. She just seemed like such a flake. The story line was somewhat original however and I definitely wanted to find out how things would be sorted out in the end. I found myself very much rooting for Emma and Luka in the end.

Lying and secret-keeping in books and movies just stress me out, so this book was just not my cup of tea. I enjoyed the author's writing style and fresh takes on a crowded genre, but it was hard to like the main character and the ending felt a little rushed. I'd read more from this author, though.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

In An Inconvenient Earl by Julia London, readers are transported into the intricate world of Emma Clark, the Countess of Dearborn, who grapples with the challenges of her husband's prolonged absence. Left alone to manage the estate and care for his siblings,

Emma seizes an unexpected taste of freedom when news of her husband's death arrives. However, her newfound independence is jeopardized by the arrival of Luka Olivien, the Weslorian Earl of Marlaine, seeking to return her deceased husband's pocket watch. London weaves a unique historical romance, incorporating elements of humor, a delightful cast of characters, and a captivating narrative that transcends initial reservations.

While the premise may initially seem unconventional, London's storytelling prowess shines through, resulting in a satisfying and engrossing tale that explores themes of independence, love, and the complexities of unveiling the truth. An Inconvenient Earl stands as a testament to Julia London's ability to infuse historical romance with depth and charm, leaving readers eagerly immersed in the world of Emma Clark and her unexpected journey to love.

While I have enjoyed all of the Royal Match books in the series, this one was very different than the rest. At first I was not sure if I liked it. Emma was a combination of flighty yet smart. It took me a while but as I got into the story, I started to admire more her cleverness and had sympathy for her situation at the same time. Poor Luka's exasperation as he tried to figure out Emma's game was very entertaining.

An Inconvenient Earl is book part of Julia London”s Royal Match Series which is a fabulous rom-com series with just a touch of fantasy as it involves a fictitious land of Kings and Queens along with all their trials and tribulations. Each book can be read as a stand alone but you really wouldn’t want to miss a single one. This book is set in England where Emma, Countess of Dearborn, finds herself in a precarious position. Her rather abusive husband has died while off on an exhibition in Egypt but the only messenger dies after telling Emma, before anyone else can hear. She knows her husband’s family will turn her out when they are told. The opportunity to too great for Emma to pass up. She tells no one and all is well until months later when Luka Olivien, Earl in the country of Wesloria, is sent from Egypt with a watch from Emma’s husband. All he wants to do is deliver the watch and tell Emma her husband has died but that would put an end to Emma’s new found freedom. A plan is hatched to keep the ruse going. Emma starts to tell tales of everything she knew in order to prevent hearing the news. She became like Scheherazade, the Persian Queen from the Arabian nights, who saved her life by engaging her Sultan’s interest in a series of interconnected tales. Luka doesn’t quite know what to make of Emma but she certainly has caught his interest. The attraction is magnetic on both sides from the very beginning. We get to hear a true storyteller through all of Emma’s tales at the same time a slow burn love takes over. It does seem an impossible situation. You will just have to read to see if or how the two lovers can make things work. This book will hold your interest until the very end. Look out for surprises.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

In this fourth book of the Royal Match series we meet Emma Clark.

Emma is very good at what she does, which includes talking a great deal. She’s able to talk her way around and out of any unpleasant situation. Not only is she good at keeping her husband Albert’s estate in excellent working order for years while he’s been gone but she’s even better at keeping the news of his death while in Egypt the biggest secret of her life.

She is enjoying the time without her overbearing and inadequate husband, living the life she’s only imagined as the mistress of the estate, and when circumstances threaten to derail her freedom she must talk her way out of the lies she has told. Sometimes I thought that no one could ever get her to stop talking but then Luka arrived and…well, you’ll want to read the book to see how he affected her life!

An Inconvenient Earl was the fourth book in Julia London’s A Royal Match standalone interconnected series. In this newest installment Emma Clark, better known as Lady Dearborn, finds herself in quite the predicament — her not-so-kind husband has left England to ‘adventure’ off to Egypt and left her home to manage the estate and his siblings (including his unpleasant sister) in his absence.

When Emma finds herself to be the sole recipient of the news if her abusive husband’s death abroad, she finds herself free for the first time in her life — and reluctant to give up the chance to enjoy some time before coming clean to the rest of the family about her new status…unfortunately this only lasts until she finds a Weslorian Lord and acquaintance of her last husband, arrived from Egypt and ready to expose her ruse.

I’ve really enjoyed the Julia London historical romance books I’ve read (the earlier books of this series as well as her Desperate Debutantes one). I knew I had to read this newest installment, and have to admit I was curious about Emma after the brief mention of her in the prior book. However, I wasn’t sure what to think of the premise for this one.

It isn’t my go to set up or storyline, but Julia London writes in such a way that she sucks me in and even when her characters are doing outrageous things I still somehow like them and end up rooting for them. As was the case with Emma, I wasn’t sure with the hole she dug herself how a HEA could possibly be obtained, but I was eager to find out.

An interesting cast of characters once again, and like I said I couldn’t help but like our leads despite the shenanigans Emma got up to. The story definitely kept me flipping the pages eagerly and had a bit of the historical romcom, comedy of errors feel with some of the hijinks Emma got up to in her ruse.

The story was able to level itself out in a semi-believable manner in which the truth was managed and a HEA could ultimately be had. As always I look forward to more HR reads from Ms. London.

Thank you to NetGalley and HTP Book / Canary Street Press for the opportunity to read an early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely expressed.

Emma finds out her husband is dead but decides not to tell anyone or else she will be cast out with nothing. Luca arrives to give Emma a watch from her deceased husband and finds himself in a weird situation where she acts like her husband is still alive and won’t let him say the words her husband is dead. I liked the dialogue between the two main characters, especially Emma as she keeps trying to derail any info about her husband- it’s very clever. A good read!

An Inconvinent Earl begins with the predicament of the death of Lady Dearborn’s (Emma Clark) husband in Egypt, a dead man in her parlor and a harpy of a sister-in-law. For reasons that Emma deems most worthy, she puts off alerting the word that her husband has died. It isn’t until a Westlorian Earl named Luka appears that the fragile facade begins to truly crumple, leaving the reader to wonder how Emma will escape this escapade unharmed.

Julia London always writes a compelling story. This one started off a bit slow for me, with the heroine coming across as being totally vapid. It wasn’t until the very end that I truly became engrossed. I rounded up from 3.5 to 4 stars because I typically love Julia London books.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this arc. All opinions are my own.

"An Inconvenient Earl" is the fourth book in Julia London's "A Royal Match" series. London is an author I can count on for fun, quick reads with lots of chemistry and sparks. Unfortunately, this particular book was a miss for me. In "An Inconvenient Earl", Emma (The Countess of Dearborn) has been living in a miserable marriage. Her only saving grace is the fact that her husband enjoys traveling and adventures. While off on one of his adventures, Emma receives word that he has passed away. While she's relieved, she's worried that she'll lose her home, land, and status if anyone finds out. Emma hatches a plan to keep this secret to herself, at least for a little bit. However, when a man who knows her husband has passed shows up to deliver some of her deceased husband's belongings, how will she get him to keep her secret?

Like I said before, I've enjoyed London's books in the past, but this one just didn't do it for me. The secret was kept for way too long and Emma was too difficult for me to root for personally. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.