This Earl of Mine (Bow Street Bachelors #1) by Kate Bateman Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Series: The Bow Street Bachelors #1
Also in this series: To Catch an Earl (Bow Street Bachelors, #2), The Princess and the Rogue (Bow Street Bachelors, #3)
Published by St. Martin's Press on October 29, 2019
Pages: 320
Genres: Romance, Historical
Review Copy Provided By: St. Martin's Press
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Introducing the Bow Street Bachelors—men who work undercover for London’s first official police force—and the women they serve to protect. . .and wed?
WILL A FALSE MARRIAGE
Shipping heiress Georgiana Caversteed is done with men who covet her purse more than her person. Even worse than the ton’s lecherous fortune hunters, however, is the cruel cousin determined to force Georgie into marriage. If only she could find a way to be . . . widowed? Georgie hatches a madcap scheme to wed a condemned criminal before he’s set to be executed. All she has to do is find an eligible bachelor in prison to marry her, and she’ll be free. What could possibly go wrong?
LEAD TO TRUE AND LASTING LOVE?
Benedict William Henry Wylde, scapegrace second son of the late Earl of Morcott and well-known rake, is in Newgate prison undercover, working for Bow Street. Georgie doesn’t realize who he is when she marries him—and she most certainly never expects to bump into her very-much-alive, and very handsome, husband of convenience at a society gathering weeks later. Soon Wylde finds himself courting his own wife, hoping to win her heart since he already has her hand. But how can this seductive rogue convince brazen, beautiful Georgie that he wants to be together…until actual death do they part?
I was provided a review copy; this did not influence my opinion of the book.
WILL A FALSE MARRIAGE LEAD TO TRUE AND LASTING LOVE?
❝How liberating, to be able to share a joke with someone of equal wit and flexible morals.❞
When your cousin is intent on marrying you and stealing all of your money, what choice do you have but to find a husband on death row? That seemed the logical solution to shipping heiress Georgiana Caversteed. Once her “husband” was put to his death, she would be a widow. She planned to tell everyone her husband was a sailor and was at sea, thereby letting her be free to live as she chose and keeping her cousin far away from her and her vast wealth.
Only, plans don’t always go as intended, and her husband, Benedict Wylde turned out to be the second son of the late Earl of Morcott and was only in prison because he was runner/investigator for Bow Street (the senior magistrate court in the capital). He’d been hired to find out who was trying to free Bonaparte.
A secret marriage of convenience turns into a necessity. For her, it keeps her cousin away from her wealth and avoids a scandal amongst the ton for both her and her sister. For him, she’s the perfect cover and he genuinely enjoys spending time with her …
❝I’d know you anywhere, Georgie girl.❞
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I cannot wait to read more. Her storytelling is captivating. I loved these characters and couldn’t wait for their happy ending.
‘This Earl of Mine’ was a slow-burn romance filled with sexy times and entertaining banter.
Paperback Giveaway
This Earl of Mine Blog Tour Q&A
Q: What inspired you to write This Earl of Mine?
A: Most of my books are inspired by real historical events, but for the adventure subplot in This Earl of Mine I was looking up something completely different, fell down a research rabbit hole, and stumbled upon an outlandish plot to rescue Napoleon from exile on Saint Helena using a submarine! I’d had no idea submersibles were even in use in the Regency, but a little digging soon revealed a tale far stranger than fiction—with plenty of smugglers, spies, and underhand skullduggery thrown in. Of course, then my writer brain couldn’t help but wonder WHAT IF . . .?
What if someone loyal to Napoleon stole the plans for the submarine from the Admiralty? And what if London’s fledgling police force, The Bow Street Runners, were tasked with finding the vessel and foiling the scheme?
The main plot, of course, is the romantic one between shipping heiress Georgie Caversteed and Bow Street Runner Benedict Wylde. They try to piece together the clues, while trying to ignore the inconvenient attraction that sparks between them. (Spoiler alert: they succeed at the former, and fail miserably at the latter!)
Q: Is there one thing you would like readers to take away from this story?
A: You mean apart from a new appreciation of early19th century submarine development?! Why, yes! I firmly believe in happy-ever-afters for everyone, and while none of my characters may be perfect, they’re certainly perfect for each other. A successful romance should be a true partnership between equals, with love, respect, humor, and kindness. I hope that’s what readers see develop between Georgie and Benedict.
Q: Where do you go or what resources do you use to make sure your novels are historically correct?
A: I have quite a bit of overall historical knowledge from my life as an antiques appraiser and auctioneer; I’ve handled plenty of Regency-era artifacts, like scent bottles, reticules, clothes, letters, furniture etc. And I’ve visited (and lived in) plenty of historic houses when I lived in England. So I have a pretty good idea what that world is like when I’m describing it. I do lots of random research online too, though. I suspect I’m on a secret CIA watchlist because of my weird internet browsing history, which currently includes such gems as: ‘does Prussic acid smell like almonds?’ ‘18th century jewel heists,’ and ‘chloroform, first use.’
Q: Did you learn anything surprising while researching for this novel?
A: Apart from the crazy submarine plot, I found out what the chapel of Newgate prison looked like in 1816, discovered more about the founding of London’s first true police force, the Bow Street Runners, and found a new book boyfriend in the wonderfully roguish Benedict Wylde!
Q: Describe the hero and heroine of This Earl of Mine in three words each.
A: Georgie is resourceful, determined, and curious. Benedict is amusing, loyal and scoundrelly!
Q: What was the hardest scene to write in This Earl of Mine? Your favorite?
A: My favorite scene was the sexy banter between Benedict and Georgie as they listen to the terrible poetry written by Juliet’s fiancé. Almost every sentence is a double entendre, and Benedict is shameless in trying to say something utterly inappropriate to make Georgie laugh, and I just giggle every time I think of it. I hope readers can feel the ridiculously flirtatious, slow-burn teasing in that scene. Yum!
The hardest was the sexy scene inside the tiny submarine. It’s a confined space, and I had to think about the technicalities of which body part was where, and whether they had enough space to do the scandalous things I wanted them to do. (Of course they did!)
Q: Why do you write historical romance?
A: Because it can be total escapism. A reader can travel back in time to a different world and encounter situations that just don’t happen today. As a writer I like the challenge presented by the historical parameters; lots of great conflicts arise because of social, cultural, or economic factors. Plus, there are so many real historical adventures out there just waiting to be discovered. . .
Q: Is there another particular author that inspires you or that you enjoy reading?
A: SO MANY AUTHORS! Laura Kinsale, Connie Brockway (As you Desire is a favorite), Loretta Chase, Judith McNaught, Anne Stuart, Joanna Bourne, Tessa Dare, Eloisa James, Suzan Elizabeth Philips, Julie Garwood, Galen Foley, Kerrigan Byrne, Julia Quinn, Beverly Jenkins, Alyssa Cole, Joanna Shupe, Johanna Lindsey, J.R Ward, Janet Evanovich, Georgette Heyer, Mary Renault, Jane Austen, E.M Forster, Leo Tolstoy, P.G. Wodehouse, Antoine de Saint Exupery, Jean M. Auel, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, . . . Ok. I’ll stop now. But there are plenty more.
Q: What’s next for the Bow Street Bachelors?
A: Two more books! Those bad boys Alex Harland and Sebastien Wolff each get their own adventure and I can’t wait for everyone to read them! Alex meets his match in half-French jewel thief Emmy Danvers –AKA The Nightjar– in To Catch an Earl, (Bow Street Bachelors #2). And Seb gets a sexy cat-and-mouse game of his own when he’s forced to protect the infuriating Anya Denisova – a feisty Russian Princess who’s faked her own death in The Princess and The Rogue, (Bow Street Bachelors #3).
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
A: Only that if you haven’t already preordered This Earl Of Mine, the paperback is currently at a special preorder price of $6.79, so snap it up in time for the release day, October 29th! Happy reading everyone!
About Kate Bateman
Kate Bateman, (also writing as K. C. Bateman), is the #1 bestselling author of historical romances, including her RITA® nominated Renaissance romp, The Devil To Pay, and the novels in the Secrets & Spies series To Steal a Heart, A Raven’s Heart, and A Counterfeit Heart. When not writing novels that feature feisty, intelligent heroines and sexy, snarky heroes you want to both strangle and kiss, Kate works as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several popular TV shows in the UK. She splits her time between Illinois and her native England. Follow her on Twitter to learn more.
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