An Unwilling Earl

A new author for me! Nicely done story with romance and crime. I thought Charlotte too reluctant to confide in Jacob regarding her need to escape London and then not wanting to try to contact her mother's family. However, at 20 and not out in society at all, it is understandable for her to be cautious in giving her trust. I very much liked Jacob's character and Armbruster as supporting character. A bit gothic. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Jacob Baker is a widower & a solicitor whose life takes an unexpected turn when a distant relative dies & he inherits the title of the Earl of Ashland. Charlotte, an orphan, suspects her cousin of terrorizing London. When her maid Penny disappears, she fears for her own life and runs away & finds herself living in one of London’s rookeries. One day a handsome, well dressed man rescues her from being trampled by a horse & both of their lives are changed. The first book in a new series & I found it to be well written with a story that flowed well. There was a very good mix of murder, mystery & of course romance. The characters are well portrayed & have plenty of depth. I liked both Jacob & Charlotte & although they were attracted to each other there growing relationship was well written, believable & had me enthralled. The villains were also very well portrayed & were truly evil. I look forward to reading more in the series My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Good characters with a very interesting story line, but it did seem a bit more rushed than her typical novels.