The Earl Falls in Love

Wild Wicked Gentlemen #1

by Alexia Praks, Bella Chan

When beautiful, spirited Ian Harrison, the illegitimate and firstborn son of the late earl of Cheswick, hears that the Cheswick title and estate, their home, is to be inherited by a very distant non-blood-related relative by the name of Lord Edward James Tyndall, he is devastated and vows to do whatever it takes to at least provide their destitute family a roof over their heads and nothing more. Ian is content to tend to the land to support his family. But little does Ian know that a chance encounter with a man beaten near to death and saving his life will change everything, for the handsome man is none other than the new earl of Cheswick himself, Lord Edward Tyndall, the man Ian couldn’t help but admire and take an instant liking to, the type that confuses the living daylights out of the innocent boy.

Striking, wealthy, and the catch of the seasons, Lord Edward James Tyndall, Earl of Eastwood, has enough on his plate dealing with family and business affairs, and indeed, mamas of the polite society chasing after him for the prospect of marriage to their eligible daughters. When news that he has inherited another earldom title, and along with it a poorly managed estate that will require injections of money to revive and three little brats as wards, he sees it as more issues he doesn’t need in his life. But being the responsible adult that he is and in need of a break from the tiresome social scenes, he rides off to Cheswick, only to encounter a group of bandits who rob him and give him a blow to his head. Near death, an angel with a mop of messy hair and bright-blue eyes saves his life, and innocently steals his heart, because the new earl of Cheswick has fallen in love. Despite the sweet angel being a boy and his new ward, Edward is determined to follow his heart’s desire and make Ian his.


Genres: M M Romance, Historical Romance

390 pages, Paperback

Published January 5, 2024

About the author

Alexia is a self-proclaimed hermit, puppers-loving girl who likes to write anything romance—be it contemporary, historical, fantasy, paranormal, or a combination of any of these. Currently residing in Aotearoa (land of the long white cloud), she spends seventy percent of her time watching anime and reading comics and the other thirty percent daydreaming about food and procrastinating. Whatever’s left she actually uses to write books that may or may not bring her a few precious gold coins to support her lifestyle.

Reviews

[Juli]

DNF at 2%. Writing style put me off. Not rating.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jak mój mózg błaga o coś ,nad czym nie muszę myśleć , to sięgam po Bella Chen. Typowy historyczny romans... czekam na tom 2.

[frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tastefully written story. It had adventure, intrigue and a romantic love story. I wished I was given an answer to a few of incidents that happen, but, other that that this was a delightful page turner.

[Elana Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This was a great book, with humor and romance and action. As the illegitimate son, Ian is unable to inherit their house in the country and it instead goes to a very distant non-blood relative, Edward - who is also appointed the guardian of Ian and his two younger siblings. Their story starts when Edward makes the journey to the estate but is mugged and almost killed by a targeted attack. Ian finds him, saves his life, and helps nurse him back to health. Eventually Ian and his family move in with Edward and his family in the city and their relationship continues to grow. There were times when Ian's naivete was a little annoying but it wasn't overdone like some stories - which then makes those stories feel unrealistic. I can't wait for the second installation as this one left off, not on a cliff hanger, but more open ended. Spice level: 1.5

[Susan Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Earl Falls in Love by Bella Chan is a fun romp of a book set in a fictional world literally next to England. It’s main difference from Britain is that same-sex relationships are legal and have been for centuries. The time period is what we would call Victorian, with all its elaborate clothes and social life for the wealthy. The main characters are naive virginal Ian from the country and worldly Edward from the capital city. Of course they wind up together, since this is a romance. I especially enjoyed the adventure that interrupted their courtship. This is a novel with lots of characters to keep track of. There are at least three who look likely to have their story told in the future. My only complaint is the occasional anachronism.

[Ida Umphers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am old enough to have been a huge fan of Barbra Cartland in my day and while this book is written for a much more open generation and is m/m, it has many of the aspects that made me fall in love with the Cartland books and romance in general. We have Edward, the eligible Lord being driven to distraction by mothers and their daughters trying to get him to marry, he inherits a crumbling estate that provides the perfect escape from attempted matchmaking and on the way there is waylaid and seriously injured. Rescued by a beautiful, innocent young man who just happens to be attached to said estate, we're off on a romantic whirlwind. Absolutely cannot wait for the second book in this series!

[Marielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je ne pouvais pas lâcher ce livre !! It was exactly the kind of story I was looking for and so much more !! The characters were extremly well written and the romance was so cute. J’ai tellement rigolé entre l’innocence d’Ian et les réactions d’Edward ! Les personnages secondaires étaient tous très intéressants et j’ai extrêmement hâte de découvrir la suite ! Même si je sens venir le drama parce qu’Edward va devoir concevoir une descendance avec quelqu'un et ce quelqu'un ne pourra pas être Ian -sob- J’espère vraiment que tout ira bien pour eux !

[Patdbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a sucker for a period MM romance and this book by Bella Chan did not let me down. Ian is the illegitimated first born of a Earl who when he dies the estate goes to a distant relative. Edward comes to visit. not what Ian and his family are expecting. first of all he is attacked and beaten up by bandits, only to be rescued by Ian. the meetings, relationship and love affair starts. a long story and well worth every page of it. read it and enjoy

[Leni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Keep in mind that my low score has everything to do with my inability to suspend belief. The writer Bella Chan makes it very clear that this a fictional society in a fictional country. However, I know too much about English/European history (including the cultural norms) to not wince each time something sounds really wrong in that context so I did not get even half way in. Do not go on my assessment.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eduard and Ian were sweet together in their adventure mixed with danger.
Eduard family receive Ian and his family with joy and warmth, the kids are extremely cute and funny.
I liked the humour, the teasing, the couples that courts happiness, seeing old characters and the way they are integrated in the story.
It was an interesting read and I'm looking forward to see what happens next.

[Kia_Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just what I was looking for. A sweet short tale that makes you scream from an overdose of cuteness. Would love to get a book 2. The character where all well written and made you earn for separate books for all the side couples.

[LChristineW · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts I was uncomfortable like how many times someone ruffles someone’s hair. I felt the disparity in Ian and Edward’s rank and station and the age gap made me uncomfortable as well. I think this is where I stop reading this series. The writing was too immature.

[An · Rating 2 out of 5]

Indeed I love handsome man and pretty boy love story. But this story not that exciting

[Gerbera_Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

It took me 20 days to finish and I am glad it's finally over. Never again. This author is not for me.

[Cheryl_cajun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC read, I voluntarily give this book an honest review.  Oh this is going to be delightfully awaking as Edward meets Ian. the Tyndall sisters are going to flip when they meet Ian, That boy is just blooming a BL dream.  It has a mystery that leads to the Edwaed getting attacked on his way and wondering just who was behind it? It has that cute cuddly feeling, that just leads to hilarious moments.. when both families are involved and one Earl with the stress of dealing not just the bratiness antics of his sibling but possible corrupting  Harrison ward's.  
Ian is just confused about the reactions he receives, even when he was bullied he never connected why or reasoning. When Mr. Strange shows up unconscious, Ian takes him in with fingers crossed that the handsome man wake. 

[Misc · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing is just.. not good at all even for a story set in modern times, but for a historical book it’s even more out of place and glaringly bad due to how contemporary the language and dialogue is. Hard no from me.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fascinating story. The setting was a European country near England, Northland, in the northeast of the North Atlantic Ocean.

It was historical since it wasn't contemporary or futuristic; people rode horses and in carriages and trains. But some of the ideas were definitely advanced for their time; such as same sex marriage being accepted. Fashion was another area in which forward thinking was in evidence.

The romance was sweet, with some humor involved and lots of spice.

The mystery left us with a cliff hanger. No one will be safe until the 'ring leader' is apprehended.

There were interesting dynamics between several of the secondary characters so I'm hoping those will reach satisfactory conclusions in future books.

Prepare to be entertained!

[P Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stayed up to the wee hours to finish this book because it was simply that freaking good.

Ian and Edward stole my heart. Their stolen moments together were sweet, sensual and intimate. I enjoyed watching Ian slowly figure out how he felt. Edward teaching him how to take care of certain things - well suffice to say, it was sweet and hot.

The Tyndall family were amazing but what really melted my heart were the two cutie pies: Rosie and Reuben.

Absolutely loved this book. Looking forward to the next one. Certain things Edward needs to do such as, have a heir might cause problems along the way for these two, but I’ll be rooting for them every step of the way.