Book Review – First Earl I See Tonight by Anna Bennett

First Earl I See Tonight was one of my October reads. Yes, I know I haven’t blogged at all in October, but let’s make up for it now. First Earl I See Tonight is the first of the series, Debutante Diaries, by this author. Three women and therefore, one concludes there will two more following this one.

This book, First Earl I See Tonight, is Fiona’s story. An heiress facing her first season, she is being blackmailed. To pay off her blackmailer, she decides to get married ASAP. And who better than an Earl in desperate need of funds. David Gray, Earl of Ravenport, is making repairs to his home and is in need of money. Fiona shoots off a letter proposing to him and he, in turn, decides to invite her and her family to a house party. A house in shambles, hero and heroine, and villain in residence, a secret that could destroy reputations, oh… so much happening!

Well, while it does sound like a great plot, First Earl I See Tonight falls short on the promise it offers. The first book of a historical romance series always does two things – either it sets a great stage or it falls short. In the former case, the following books always have great expectations of the readers to live up to. In the latter case, readers may sometimes be amazed by how the series took off after the first book. I sincerely hope First Earl I See Tonight belongs to the second category.

There is plenty to love about First Earl I See TonightRomance, of course. And the women. Each one vastly different from the other, with talents and personalities of their own. And series with an awesome girl gang, even in historical romances are always great! Then there is Ravenport, our hero. He is not the usual rake who has (has been) disowned (by) his family. He loves his grandmother and wants to repair her family home to its former glory. Rather nice of him, I would say.

First Earl I See Tonight does fall short in certain areas. I felt that the mystery of finding out the villain was much too simple and short. It could have been a tad bit more interesting. Nonetheless, First Earl I See Tonight has a lot to recommend itself.

I shall look forward to reading more of the Debutante Diaries.