Reviews

West End Earl by Bethany Bennett

laura_cs's review against another edition

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5.0

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Calvin, Earl of Carlyle, is tired of cleaning up his father's messes. Be it debts, seeing his sister successfully come out in society, and dealing with the man's many infidelities, Calvin is at least grateful to have the best land steward at his side: Adam Hardwick, whom he affectionately calls 'Puppy'. Only Adam will be able to help him navigate the newest mess, which--if things go his father's way--will see Calvin married much sooner than he'd like. As the settlement for yet another debt.

Except... Adam's hiding a secret. A rather large one. Namely, Adam is not Adam, and he is actually a she: Ophelia "Fee" Hardwick, to be precise. After an accident claimed her twin brother's life, Ophelia took his identity in order to get out from their cruel uncle's thumb and gain her rightful inheritance. She has only a few months left until her birthday, and then she can finally put Adam to rest and live as a woman. Even though that will mean leaving Calvin behind...

When a series of incidents spell trouble for Fee, her secret is discovered and Calvin is... well. He wasn't expecting this. Or for him to suddenly feel things for his steward that he hadn't before. Can Fee and Calvin find their happily ever after?

An amazing follow up to "Any Rogue Will Do" sees the return of many great characters and addicting drama and romance. Assassins, secret identities, clandestine relationships, and scandals galore await, all mixed in with a sweet, tender romance, some rather steamy encounters, and good-natured banter.

shoversten's review against another edition

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5.0

This was a delightful book with a heroine that has been posing as a man for half her life. The hero figures this out soon enough and the book picks up pace. I always love books like this cause they really push some boundaries of acceptable relationships in this time period. And the characters get to question their sexuality a bit. “I don’t have attraction to men but man is my male secretary sexy and I kinda wanna kiss him”

mhmissey's review against another edition

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5.0

Very good I loved her

sarah_moynihan's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

Review to follow.

andrea_author's review against another edition

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5.0

Cal has been cleaning up after his father's indiscretions all his adult life. But when his father betroths Cal to a baron's daughter in return for a horse, it's a step too far.

To escape the threat of a horrific marriage, Phee has been hiding her identity for years. After Cal finds out the truth about her, they soon begin a torrid affair. Will the lies and the dangers of her past come between them?

This book is such a delight. The banter between Cal and Phee is witty and full of tension. The plot is well-paced and intriguing, so the story never lags. The side characters add interest and fun. It's a perfect Regency romance.

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

whatshawnareads's review against another edition

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Bethany Bennett's Any Rogue Will Do was an unexpected favorite of mine, but sadly this one just didn't live up to my expectations. I ended up caring more about the side characters than the MCs.

Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for my copy to review.

illstoptheworldandreadwithyou's review against another edition

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4.0

4.25 Stars

I would definitely read this one again. I like both main characters, and both have good backstories that explain the driving motivations behind their actions and decisions.

It felt different (in a good way) to me.

I haven't read the first one in this series yet but will be adding it to my TBR.

Quick Look: dual POV, workplace (with a twist), historical romance, different classes, friends to lovers, open door, very steamy

winterreader40's review against another edition

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5.0

Ophelia has been spent over a decade living as her twin brother Adam to hide from her evil uncle who tried to marry her off at 13 to a 70 year old. The last 2 years she's been working, befriending and secretly/quietly lusting over Cal, the Earl of Carlyle.
Cal believes his friend who he calls Puppy is a man until one night after "he's" been badly beaten and he discovers otherwise. He went from entirely in the dark to slowly realizing he's in lust with his really good friend and isn't bothered by the fact that he thought he was a guy for their entire relationship, what he sees now is all that matters to him.
I've never seen a disguise story that maintained the disguise for so long or so well before, the author did a fantastic job explaining how Ophelia took over Adam's identity and maintained it for so long, and the way events unfolded after the reveal to a few key characters was amazing, I was so thrilled with the way the author really followed through with this story.

I received this as an ARC through NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing

marianamtzv's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5

hollys_book_nook's review against another edition

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4.0

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️.5/5 stars

What a sweet read! Cal is hands down the best book boyfriend I’ve read about yet. I think what I loved most about their relationship was how much they valued each other’s friendship. It only made them stronger as a couple! For me, this book was a little slow and I found myself getting distracted. But overall, I still enjoyed it! Phee was most definitely my favorite character. Kind, brave, and strong. Everything a leading lady should be! Thank you so much Grand Central and Forever Publishing for the gifted copy.