I enjoyed In Bed with the Earl - strong characters, believable scenarios, and subtle wry humor. Verity is hard-working, dedicated to family, and determined to make her way in a man's world and profession. Malcolm has made his fortune and found a family to replace the one stolen from him, but still clings to the dank sewers where he grew up. I would have liked a little more info on the mystery of the missing earl, but the romance here was delightful as was the character development. Well-written with strong dialogue, this series opener definitely inspired me to buy book two. 4 stars. ( )

If this is the first book in the series, I can't wait for the rest. This is a Christi Caldwell story that you won't want to miss.. This book goes beyond romance - it deals with 2 children ripped from the comfort of everything they knew and forced to grow up before their time.
Malcom North (aka Percival Northrup, the Earl of Maxwell) is stolen from his home after his parents die. His uncle wants the title and so abandons the young boy to the streets of London. He becomes a tosher, scrounging the sewers of London for treasures and he has become successful at it. Now he is told that he is the Earl of Maxwell and is having a hard time dealing with it since he has no memories of his childhood.
Verity is the illegitimate daughter of an Earl who lived comfortably until her mother dies in childbirth. Now as a child, she must provide for her baby sister and their nursemaid. Their father brings them to London and puts them in a small apartment but he provides little support beyond finding Verity a job at a newspaper. Working her way up from sweeping to reporting she provides for her family after the Earl dies leaving them penniless.
When the story of the Lost Earl breaks, Verity is determined to get the story. Unfortunately, recent changes in the newspaper's owners leaves her in a workplace where women aren't wanted and they want her gone.
In search of the story, Verity scours the sewers and is found by North. Thus begins a strange partnership between the two. The more they get to know each other, the more they are drawn to each other and heal from their childhood pains.
This is a beautiful story with a Happily Ever After tinged with a bit of sadness. It shows that you don't have to be famous to be kind and their actions are in contrast to the ton's treatment of the poor and invisible. .
I received an advanced copy of this book. ( )

Satisfying protagonists held my attentions!

Ok, not a dry eye in the house as the curtain closed on this first Lost Lords tale!
I do like the lost heir trope, and this has been one of the best I've read in a while. Original and refreshing. So all kudos to Ms Caldwell for her super addition to this genre.
I definitely am not going to be lurking in sewers anytime soon. These scenes are too realistic for me to be anything but thankful that I wasn't there. Talk about a heart in mouth scene.
The clash between the determined reporter Verity Lovelace (loved illegitimate daughter of the deceased Earl of Wakefield) and Malcom North, lost heir to the Earl of Maxwell of course Hummed with energy. The back story is that North had been stolen from his family when young, managed to stay alive on the deplorable streets of the London slums, and became o successful scavenger in the sewers of London. He was king of his patch and no-one with any sense challenged him, except our intrepid Verity. You could just see the electricity sparking between the two.
I was awed by Verity's dedication, and understood her desperation to provide for her young sister and faithful family retainer. That desperation grows out of being sidelined by the current owner of the newspaper that she worked diligently for for many years. The fact that a spurious male reporter kept somehow stealing her stories was both mysterious and dismaying.
North's refusal to take up his inheritance, to leave the Seven Dials and enter society adds frisson to the situation. The flawed hero has a nightmare past and deeply hidden insecurities to overcome. Look there's just so much more happening here!
I was riveted by the all that occurred!

A Montlake Romance ARC via NetGalley ( )

In Bed With The Earl by Christi Caldwell
Lost Earls of London #1

Percival Northrop, only son of an earl, was kidnapped when his parents died. His life became difficult and dirty and nothing like what it was supposed to be. He did find his way and survived and had no real desire to return to the Earldom that was to be his. When Verity Lovelace ended up in the sewers looking for him his life changed...as did hers. She had worked for nearly twenty years at The Londoner gossip rag and had to keep herr job to support her sister and their nursemaid. The way to maintain her income was to find The Lost Earl and tell his story no matter what it might cost both of them. The two did not start off on the right foot but over time that definitely changed.

What I liked:
* Percival/North/Malcolm: an honorable man that took care of those he valued, a survivor, a man among men.
* Verity: a woman dedicated to her job and to her family. She did what she must to keep a roof over their head and food in their bellies.
* The slow burn love story in which the two got to known one another and in so doing fell in love.
* Fowler and Bram: lovable old gents that were there for Northrop
* Gavin & Billy: hope they appear in future books
* Livvie: sister to Verity and much more than first met the eye
* That lost family was found and might eventually become close
* The eventual happy ending for the couple

What I did not like:
* What happened to both North and Verity when they were young
* The baddies
* At times Verity seemed more modern than the time the story took place in

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

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars ( )

This first entry in the Lost Lords of London series introduces us to the first of the kidnapped children Connor Steele (The Vixen) has been commissioned to find. These are children of the ton who were kidnapped by the malicious, infamous Diggory. I thought maybe we’d get a visit from Stephen who was one of those children and who was also a supporting character throughout the Wicked Wallflower series – he was heavily featured in The Bluestocking. Unfortunately, Stephen didn’t make an appearance.

Verity Lovelace, who is now thirty, has provided the support for herself, her sister and their former nursemaid since she was twelve years old. She is the natural daughter of an Earl and a barmaid. The earl was a profligate but did manage to provide a small cottage for them while he was alive, but he made no arrangements for them when he died. The only thing he did for them was to arrange for Verity, at age twelve, to have a job at a newspaper, The Londoner. Verity has worked there for almost twenty years and finally worked her way into being a reporter.

Before he was kidnapped as a child, Marcus North was known as Percival Northrop, heir to the Earl of Maxwell. Marcus doesn’t remember anything about that time – and doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want the title or the encumbrances that come along with it. Connor Steele has found him and has seen to making the claim legitimate, etc. – but, Marcus doesn’t want anyone to know he’s the earl nor does he want them to know where he lives or anything else about him. He’s adamant about keeping his secrets – almost paranoid about it.

When Marcus encounters Verity in the sewers, he saves her, gets her out of the sewers, then lets her go – only for her to get attacked again – and another rescue. He does something he has never, ever, done before, he takes her to where he lives. She NEVER tells him she is a reporter and that she is looking for the Earl of Maxwell. She noses around and makes the discovery of who he really is. He tells her he doesn’t want his story told – but… Does Verity care about what Marcus or anyone else wants? No, she does not.

It took me a while to get into this novel because I just couldn’t make myself like Verity. I finally got to where I tolerated her, but I never really came to like her. She seemed very embittered, totally uncaring about what her stories did to others – particularly Marcus. It did finally register with her and I warmed up to her a bit. I liked Marcus from the beginning and his anger with Verity was definitely valid. I did find it surprising that he was attracted to her when she had deliberately, uncaringly, caused him so much harm.

I enjoyed the story and thought it was nicely unique. However, it was ambiguous in a number of things – like the time period. There were a few hints and I finally came to believe that the setting must have been somewhere between 1820 and 1837 – but I shouldn’t have to try to figure out any of that kind of stuff, it should be plainly obvious. Also, be aware that the female lead is a rabid feminist who seems to hate men and has some very contemporary thinking. You’ll also find some more contemporary wording, etc.

Still, I enjoyed the read and look forward to the next story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )