Review: To Catch an Earl (Bow Street Bachelors #2) by Kate Bateman
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Series: Bow Street Bachelors #2
Author: Kate Bateman
Published June 30th 2020 by St. Martin's Press
Goodreads Synopsis
A case of secret identities finds reunited lovers on opposite sides of the law in this fun, flirty Regency romance.
There's only one case Bow Street agent Alex Harland, Earl of Melton, hasn't cracked: the identity of the mysterious woman who stole a kiss from him before he left for war. He's neither forgotten--nor forgiven--her for leaving him wanting. When he starts investigating the Nightjar, an elusive London jewel thief, he keeps running into the alluring Emmy Danvers, who stirs feelings he hasn't felt in years.
Even though Emmy's loved Alex for years, she can't risk revealing her heart, or her identity as the Nightjar. With Alex on her case, Emmy knows that her secrets are in danger of being discovered. Their cat and mouse game heats up with every interaction, but when Emmy's reputation--and life--is at risk, will Alex realize that some rules are made to be broken for love?
Goodreads
Review
In To Catch an Earl, we follow Alex Harland, the new Earl of Melton, as he works for Bow Street to discover the identity of the master thief and criminal, the Nightjar. For years, no one has been able to identify the thief, who has worked across the continent - though not during the war - and seems to be recovering jewels from the lost French Crown Jewels, and has never once been close to capture - until now. Alex visits the crime scene of the latest theft, and recalls a scent of a mystery woman he danced with before heading to war, and his subsequent injuries. If he finds the woman, will he find the thief? Emmy Danvers is the granddaughter of Camille, a displaced French comtesse, and since her father's death, has assumed his mantle of the Nightjar, and the mission to recover all of the lost jewels to return to the restored monarchy. She remembers when she met Alex before he left, and knowing he's the one hunting her makes the job even more exciting. However, there's another displaced French noble who is out for revenge on the D'Anvers family, and unless Emmy, with some help from Alex, gives him the whole of the jewel cache, her brother Luc will be killed. Will Alex be able to reconcile himself with the women he loves being the person he hunts, or will Emmy be doomed to her fate as a thief?
Recently, I read another book similar to this, The Heart of a Hellion, and though there were similarities, they were different stories that I loved all the same. Emmy was such a fabulous character, who knew she was doing wrong by stealing, but her view of it was that she was just re-stealing something that didn't belong to her 'victims', and doing her patriotic duty to her homeland. Still, she didn't want to be at odds with Alex, who has always been someone she's cared about, and when they finally grow close, it's difficult for her to fully let herself be happy, when she knows she's at risk time and time again, of being imprisoned, and either hung, or transported, for her crimes. Alex never expected to discover who it was who kissed him at the ball before he and his friends, Seb and Ben, headed to the continent. When he realises she's one and the same as the jewel thief, he's conflicted, but the chemistry and attraction is there, and I loved the scene's between them when they both knew the other knew, but didn't want to fully open themselves to the pain of falling for someone they couldn't have.
One thing that I wasn't expecting about this book was how humorous it was! The interludes between the whole cast, but especially Camille, was everything you could want. The Danvers family were one who had dealt with their lot as exiled nobles, but were loving, and it was refreshing to see. Plot wise, there were a ton of twists and turns, and I really didn't know how the fact Emmy was a criminal who could be convicted for her crimes would be dealt with, especially when she and Alex proclaimed their love for each other. The conclusion was just what I wanted, and I'm even more excited to finally read Seb's story in The Princess and the Rogue.
Dates Read:
Rating
4 Stars
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