An Inconvenient Earl

A Royal Match #4

by Julia London

“Deliciously clever.” —Booklist on The Duke Not Taken

Bold. Beautiful. Beguiling.

It’s been over a year since Emma Clark’s no-good husband left on an expedition. The Countess of Dearborn has played the abandoned wife, but people are beginning to presume the earl is dead, which doesn't suit Emma at all. Emma likes being head of household in Albert’s absence and does her best to keep his family believing he is alive and well. She’s thirty years old and finally having some fun. If the earl is in fact dead, his family is waiting in the wings to swoop in and throw Emma out, leaving her destitute.

Then along comes Luka Olivien, the Weslorian Earl of Marlaine. He’s traveled all the way from Egypt, duty bound to return to the countess her deceased husband’s precious pocket watch—only to discover she doesn’t know he’s dead… Or does she? It’s hard to tell. Luka catches glimpses of the desperate vulnerability beneath the party girl exterior and can’t help being drawn into the beguiling countess’s ruse.

A Royal Match

Book 1: Last Duke Standing
Book 2: The Duke Not Taken
Book 3: The Viscount Who Vexed Me
Book 4: An Inconvenient Earl

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Regency, Victorian

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2023

About the author

Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of more than two dozen romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular historical romance series, the Cabot Sisters, including The Trouble with Honor, The Devil Takes a Bride, and The Scoundrel and the Debutante. She is also the author of several contemporary romances, including Homecoming Ranch, Return to Homecoming Ranch, and The Perfect Homecoming.

Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a six-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction. To keep up with all the Julia London news, please visit http://www.julialondon.com. Follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/julialondon

Reviews

[Petra]

DNF-ing 40% in
I don’t like that heroine is avoiding telling the truth about her husband and not allowing the hero to speak the truth.
It’s going on for too long.
She is starting to seem a bit pathological in her lies.

["Avonna · Rating 3 out of 5]

AN INCONVENIENT EARL (A Royal Match Book #4) by Julia London is a disappointing addition to the Royal Match historical romance series that I have loved to date.

This story was well written and contained Ms. London’s usual witty banter and unique characters, but it could not keep my interest. I became frustrated with Emma throughout most of the story even though Ms. London tried to portray her as a sympathetic character. She was vapid and even as she occasionally regretted her course of action, she continues. I liked Luka and wish he had not been so easily led by Emma with the excuse of studying her and that excuse went on much too long. Maybe if this was a novella with much of the middle deleted, I might have liked it more.

I am hoping if this series continues that I like the next couple as much as I did in the first three books in the series.

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sparkling ride!

What an untidy, meandering, convoluted, and strangely joyous tale!
Emma Clark’s abusive husband Albert, the Earl of Dearborn had decamped to Africa, leaving Emma to wander Butterhill Hall and manage the estate alone.
Months later a man turns up to give Emma the news Albert has died in Cairo from yellow fever. Said gentleman then promptly has some sort of attack and dies on Emma’s receiving room floor.
Emma’s stunned. What to do? She knows her sister-in-law Adele, will toss Emma out of Butterhill Hall when she learns of Albert’s death, so Emma says nothing. Almost a year is gone when Luke Olivien, the Weslorian Comte ve Marlaine, son of the Duke of Astasia, turns up to deliver Albert’s pocket watch to Emma. Luka is an anthropologist. He’s been travelling with Bedouin tribes studying their migratory habits and trade routes.
Emma does all she can to avoid having Luka tell her that Albert is dead. She ignores him, flees from him, changes the topic. Finally, like Scheherazade, she spins tales to prevent him from telling her.
Luka is fascinated by this charming, free spirit. He enters into this strange game of catch can.
Emma is drawn by Luke’s care, his gorgeousness and kind heart
The story floats on through the dawdling, halcyon days of summer, enlivened by Emma’s madcap actions, as she frantically tries to bring to fruition all the changes she’s made to the estate. She wants to leave it flourishing for her young brother-in-law and heir, Andrew.
Emma knows that Adele will want to destroy her changes, sending the estate back to it’s poorer state. To Adele her brother Albert could do no wrong—but he did.
Emma also knows she will be banished from Butterhill Hall, thrown out!
In one crazy moment, Emma decides to throw a house party and ball in honour of Luka. Her last hoorah before the truth is revealed. (I must admit to feeling a pang of dismay for her long suffering and stoic butler, Feeney.)
Will Emma ever acknowledge her husband is dead? And what of Luka who learns that his father has been arrested for treason in Wesloria and that he’s also a suspect.
The foolish bravery of Emma is both troubling and magnificent. The acceptance by Luka of who Emma is, is wonderfully romantic!

A Harlequin Trade ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

[PlotTrysts · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun historical romance that felt at times like a bonkers throwback to classic HR. Emma is a countess whose husband up and left her to "adventure" in Egypt. As the book opens, a man of affairs tells Emma her husband is dead ... and then keels over. The means Emma is the only person who knows she's a widow. She finds a newfound freedom in managing the estate the way she's always wanted to, and in throwing the most lavish parties Society has ever seen. But then, Luka Olivien, nobility from a small Central European principality (again with the HR throwback feel) shows up. He ALSO knows that the earl is dead, but he is intrigued by Emma and how tenaciously she's holding onto her secret. For the most part, the book treats Emma's situation as a farce. Towards the end, London attempts to pull on our heartstrings, but I'd have preferred a sillier ending rather than the serious turn. That said, it's very fun, and honestly, "fun" is one of the highest compliments I can pay to a historical romance.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Clark, The Countess of Dearborn has been happily living and running the family estate in the absence of her husband Albert. He was a terrible husband and when Emma was unable to bear him a child, he left to go on an expedition in Egypt. He has been gone for over a year and people are beginning to suspect that he is dead. If he is dead, Adele, her sister-in-law, is ready to kick her out of the family home, Butterhill Hall, and move herself and her younger brother, the new Earl, in. When Luka Olivien, the Weslorian Earl of Marlaine, arrives a year later from Egypt to return her husband's pocket watch, he begins to suspect that she knows her husband is dead, but is pretending otherwise. He is attracted to this smart and vulnerable woman and begins to play along. Can she continue with her charade and remain at Butterhill Hall, or will she tell the truth so she and Luka can have a real and open relationship? Meanwhile Luka has his own problems back in Westloria involving his father and his openly hostile and disgruntled feelings about the Queen. He is being called home by the Queen, his childhood friend, to come home and help quash any possibility of a rebellion.

I enjoyed this historical romance with both lovely and villainous characters. Emma is a well developed character, who is smart and take-charge. She is caring and does what she can for her young brother-in-law who is under the thumb of his older sister. She has actually earned money and the estate is profitable, much more than other estates at the time. She is loving her independence and the opportunity to show that women do have brains. As the story proceeds we see Emma's frivolous side as she plans a summer party in honor of Luka, the Earl of Marlaine. We see her working with others and how they want to please her. Luka is also caring, helpful and fun and I enjoyed seeing them develop a deeper relationship. Several of the secondary characters had me smiling, especially Feeney, her butler, or should I say Albert's butler. He goes about his duties she assigns him begrudgingly, but actually enjoys her and seeing all that she accomplished. Her sister is her best friend and confidante, but she is upset with her keeping secrets as well. Overall, this is a fun romp, not high on substance, but enjoyable and I couldn't help rooting for Emma and Luka.

[Paige]

DNF at 26%

The lies! All the lies! Hard to feel any connection between them at all when she hasn’t told him a single truth.

6.29.25

[Michelle the Romance Witch]

I have to preface this review by saying that I have been a devoted fan of all of Julia London’s historical romance novels since the very first one that I picked up years ago and I despite not being a fan of her contemporary novels I have never let them color my devotion to her historical work. That said I really just could not get into this story until about the last five chapters and I was very sad about that. Emma Clark’s ass of a husband has finally done her the favor of dropping dead while on expedition in Egypt and she is able to live her life freely and enjoy herself for once. But when the handsome Luke Olivien, Earl of Marlaine in Wesloria, arrives intent on sharing the news of her husband’s death and passing on an heirloom before returning onto his travels, Emma is just as determined to put him off. Soon the two of them are involved in a long (and drawn out) game of cat-and-mouse that soon turns to something much more as they spend time together. As the couple begin to develop feeling for one another, their game begins to have much further-reaching consequences as Emma and Luka both realize they can’t live in their bubble forever and time must go forward, and they might not be able to do so together. While the premise of this story is one that could have made for an interesting novella, the length of the story just made the story entirely too drawn out and boring in the middle for my tastes. I liked Luka very much, despite him being a bit too led by his intrigue with Emma at times, but otherwise he was a strong, sweet, and interesting character. Emma was another story; I understand she had it hard with her husband in the beginning and needed to live it up a little bit, but honestly she began to be a little bit too frivolous and vapid for me during the middle of the story. I wanted to push her to just grow the hell up and realize there were more important things in the world she should be focusing on, so I was glad that she finally did that in the last 5 or 6 chapters when she was forced out of her little world of insignificant to face the challenges so many others have to face. I think I could have really enjoyed this story had it been about 10-15 chapters shorter with those removed from the middle, but other than that, Luka was a great character, it was nice to see so many of the previous couples that are from the interwoven series that le to this one, and when Emma finally came to her senses she was a pretty decent character too. I am not sure if this series is to continue but hopefully if it does, the next couple will either have a shorter story, or one with a deeper more developed plot line. I hope others find more entertainment with the story, but it definitely wasn’t for me. Still well written and enjoyable, but not up to my usual expectations of a London historical romance.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Inconvenient Earl was the fourth book in Julia London’s A Royal Match standalone interconnected series. In this newest installment Emma Clark, better known as Lady Dearborn, finds herself in quite the predicament — her not-so-kind husband has left England to ‘adventure’ off to Egypt and left her home to manage the estate and his siblings (including his unpleasant sister) in his absence.

When Emma finds herself to be the sole recipient of the news if her abusive husband’s death abroad, she finds herself free for the first time in her life — and reluctant to give up the chance to enjoy some time before coming clean to the rest of the family about her new status…unfortunately this only lasts until she finds a Weslorian Lord and acquaintance of her last husband, arrived from Egypt and ready to expose her ruse.

I’ve really enjoyed the Julia London historical romance books I’ve read (the earlier books of this series as well as her Desperate Debutantes one). I knew I had to read this newest installment, and have to admit I was curious about Emma after the brief mention of her in the prior book. However, I wasn’t sure what to think of the premise for this one.

It isn’t my go to set up or storyline, but Julia London writes in such a way that she sucks me in and even when her characters are doing outrageous things I still somehow like them and end up rooting for them. As was the case with Emma, I wasn’t sure with the hole she dug herself how a HEA could possibly be obtained, but I was eager to find out.

An interesting cast of characters once again, and like I said I couldn’t help but like our leads despite the shenanigans Emma got up to. The story definitely kept me flipping the pages eagerly and had a bit of the historical romcom, comedy of errors feel with some of the hijinks Emma got up to in her ruse.

The story was able to level itself out in a semi-believable manner in which the truth was managed and a HEA could ultimately be had. As always I look forward to more HR reads from Ms. London.

Thank you to NetGalley and HTP Book / Canary Street Press for the opportunity to read an early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely expressed.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Normally, I love every Julia Lindon book I read, but I am sorry to say this one was a big disappointment. I thought the main character was a spoiled, inconsiderate,selfish woman. The main male character was just kind of blah to me. Hard pass on this one.

[Revelyn Venegas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heroine is very unlikable

To say the least. I can’t say I enjoyed this one much, and unfortunately wasn’t able to finish it because there doesn’t seem to be any mystery to keep me reading.

[Jessica Grogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this since I loved the previous book but Emma is a selfish twit of a heroine.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Julia London's historical romance as they're always a lot of fun to read and the story are well plotted.
I love the humour and the spunky heroines.
This one was entertaining, I rooted for Emma and hope for a HEA. The plot kept me reading and I enjoyed the setting and the characters
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Inconvenient Earl is part of Julia London's Royal Match Series which is a fabulous rom-com series with just a touch of fantasy as it involves a fictitious land of Kings and Queens along with all their trials and tribulations. Each book can be read as a stand alone but you really wouldn’t want to miss a single one. This book is set in England where Emma, Countess of Dearborn, finds herself in a precarious position. Her rather abusive husband has died while off on an exhibition in Egypt but the only messenger dies after telling Emma, before anyone else can hear. She knows her husband’s family will turn her out when they are told. The opportunity to too great for Emma to pass up. She tells no one and all is well until months later when Luka Olivien, Earl in the country of Wesloria, is sent from Egypt with a watch from Emma’s husband. All he wants to do is deliver the watch and tell Emma her husband has died but that would put an end to Emma’s new found freedom. A plan is hatched to keep the ruse going. Emma starts to tell tales of everything she knew in order to prevent hearing the news. She became like Scheherazade, the Persian Queen from the Arabian nights, who saved her life by engaging her Sultan’s interest in a series of interconnected tales. Luka doesn’t quite know what to make of Emma but she certainly has caught his interest. The attraction is magnetic on both sides from the very beginning. We get to hear a true storyteller through all of Emma’s tales at the same time a slow burn love takes over. It does seem an impossible situation. You will just have to read to see if or how the two lovers can make things work. This book will hold your interest until the very end. Look out for surprises.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions given are my own.

Our female lead is Emma Clark, the Countess of Dearborn, whose husband left on an Egyptian expedition over a year ago. Emma has been kicking up her heels in his absence, buying whatever she wants and hosting lavish entertainments. The Earl's spinster sister, who resides in the dower house with their younger brother, has been questioning Emma on when the Earl will return, as well as all of the expenses Emma seems to be incurring in his absence. When a stranger arrives and informs Emma of her husband's death in Egypt and then promptly falls over dead, she decides to keep her husband's death a secret so that she can continue to live as she has since he left.

Our male lead is Luka Olivien, Earl of Marlaine from Wesloria, who has been conducting anthropological studies in Egypt. He has made plans to travel to England to attend to some business, when he is approached by an acquaintance/friend who also knew the Earl of Dearborn and wishes Luka to return an expensive pocket watch belonging to the earl to the earl's widow, Emma.

The main storyline starts when Luka travels to England and attempts to return the watch to Emma. What ensues is a long, drawn-out game of cat-and-mouse, with him trying to "inform" Emma she's a widow, and her trying to avoid that at all costs.

I wanted to like this story, I really did, but it just left me feeling "Meh.". Emma came across as shallow, manipulative, and a flibbertigibbet, while Luka came across as "not the sharpest tool in the shed" and a pushover. The pace of the story was so slow that it just didn't hold my attention at all, and I didn't really care what happened to either character.

I've read Julia's books for years, and this was definitely not up to her usual standards in my opinion. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't a "Wow, I can't put this down!" either, thus my rating it three stars.

[Darlene Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I tried but I couldn't bring myself to like this story. Emma is a flake who's decided to have fun until she can't anymore. She hasn't given one thought to what's going to happen to her & how she can set herself up to survive. She talks all the time, all the time, it's exhausting. The one thing going for her is a head for business, she turned the estate around working with the estate agent making changes and such that improved revenues. That's about all she did.
Luka is a strange hero lead by his lust and not his head. He knows better but follows Emma down a rabbit hole anyway. He's too wishy-washy for my taste. A handsome academic, book smart but not world wise. I finished the story but it was tedious.
#AnInconvientEarl #JuliaLondon #Netgalley #CanaryStreetPress #ARoyalMatch #historicalromance #romance

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: An Inconvenient Earl
Author: Julia London
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3 out of 5

I’ve really enjoyed the other books in the A Royal Match series, but this one, not so much. I liked Luka a lot, but Emma just came across as selfish, crazy, and delusional. Plus, she’s a liar—and thinks that’s okay—so she’s not my kind of people. The question asked in the blurb—does Emma know Albert is dead—has an obvious answer for the entire novel, so using that as a hook really lets the reader down, too. I liked seeing glimpses of the characters from the other books in this series, but that was really the highlight of the book, not these characters and their story.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Canary Street Press in exchange for an honest review.)

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't ever come to like the heroine in this book. Felt sorry for the hero though he was stuck with her. Hopefully this is the last of this series as this one was quite a stretch of being "royal."

[Barb Lie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Inconvenient Earl by Julia London is the 4th book in her A Royal Match series. We meet our heroine, Emma Clark (Lady Dearborn), who has not seen her husband for over a year, with him on an expedition in Egypt. Emma is content since he was nasty and abusive, and she is not missing him at all; as she manages the estate. Her sister-in-law, Adele who is also nasty, lives with her young son in the Guest House.

One day, someone arrives from Egypt, to tell Emma that her husband is dead due to yellow fever.; but before he could explain, the man drops dead on the floor. Emma is beside herself, knowing Adele will throw her out of her home, as her young son is the heir apparent. Emma decides to pretend that the dead man was only here to give updates on her husband and plans to keep the secret of his death to herself. Emma continually pretends to Adele that Albert is enjoying his adventures, always getting out of any possible situations. She is also very good at keeping the estate in good condition, but she also loves throwing parties.

Luka Olivien, the Earl of Wesloria, arrives from Egypt to present Emma a watch from her husband, ready to reveal his death. Emma quickly changes the subject, which she is very good at, and tells Luka to stay at the estate, until she can throw a party for Albert’s friend. Luka is shocked, and he tries to tell Emma many times about her deceased husband, but she manages to avoid it. In a short time, both Emma and Luka find themselves attracted to each other; with Luka slowly falling hard for her, and keeping the secret for a while, as he gets to know her better.

It was a slow burn romance between Emma and Luka, as they did make a great couple, with Luka coming for her closer to the end. I wasn’t crazy about Emma early on, but mid-way I began to like her, especially her relationship with Luka. She is a bit flighty with having so many parties, and telling so many different stories, to hide the truth about her deceased husband; but she still managed to keep the estate profitable. Emma will get help from the series regular matchmaker, to reveal the truths, and find a place to move on; until Luka arrives. An Inconvenient Earl was intriguing, witty, entertaining romantic story, with a very good epilogue at the end.

Barb
The Reading Cafe

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we find the last in the Royal Match Series, and boy will I miss this group of characters - probably enough to reread! Julia London has ended this group on the top of her game, as this was my favorite of the series.

The madcap, fast paced, laugh out loud experience of this book was so well done for me, I feel I could read it again and find things I missed the first time around.

Emma's husband Albert, Earl of Dearborn has died. But far from being bad news, Emma finds freedom from her abusive not-so-dearly departed husband. Through a surprising coincidence, the man of affairs who has come to tell her that Albert is dead, drops dead himself. All before he can share his message with the rest of the household.

Knowing that she will be thrown out by her sister-in-law who adored Albert, she had to think fast and kept that small inconsequential fact a secret. Almost a year passes for this household were Emma comes into her own, bringing the estate back to fruition in order to pass along a true legacy to the next in line, her brother-in-law, Andrew.

Things take a hard turn however when Luka Olivien(Westlorian Comte ve Marlaine, son of the Duke of Astasia) shows up, returning a watch to the family of Albert, a man he knows to have died.

Placing Emma, a free spirit, in a percarious position of having to not only keep her plans in place but avoid talking about Albert and hearing the news officially from Luka, but also finishing her plans for the estate and throwing one last ball and house party. Luka was amazing, a gorgeous, kind man who manages to see the kind of woman Emma is without holding it against her that she was avoiding the death of her husband, and I think, frankly wanting to let this farce play out!

There are some deeper levels here with his own storyline unfolding, but I really really loved the lengths Emma went to to avoid learning the information she already knew and completing her plans as best she could. It got a little heavy handed in her avoidance, but really it fit well within the story.

Julia London did another fabulous job. All of her books are great reads, but this one really stuck out for me as Iaughed out loud and couldn't wait to turn the page in some places. Very well done!

All opinions are my own and freely given.

[Kerry Croucier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julia London always writes fun historical romances with characters you fall in love with and root for to have their HEA. AN INCONVENIENT EARL is no exception. Part of her A Royal Match series, AN INCONVENIENT EARL focuses on Emma Clark and Luka Olivien with a cast of fun and interesting secondary characters with visits by characters from past novels.
Emma Clark thought her marriage was a love match only to realize that her husband was cruel and abusive. When he abruptly decided to go abroad, she was finally able to breathe and be herself, making improvements on the estate. When a stranger comes to deliver bad news and promptly dies, she makes the rash decision to keep the news to herself, at least until she figures out what to do next. She’d almost forgotten about it until another stranger appears who wants to confirm that she knows of her husband’s demise. Luka couldn’t figure out what Emma knew. First she’s avoiding him, next she’s telling him stories. Somewhere along the way these two start to fall for each other. What will happen when the truth comes out? Then there is Luka’s own problems at home. Could there be a future for these two?
Emma was such a fun character. She’s gotten herself into a mess but the more you learn, the more you start to see why she ended up where she did. As Luka gets to know her, he finds himself drawn into her life and helping her, as he falls for her. I love how she wins over everyone (but her sister-in-law). It was also nice to see characters from previous novels, especially Beck and Donovan. Though it’s part of a series, it can be read as a standalone novel.
London has written another novel full of humorous characters and their interactions. It will keep you entertained from beginning to end. AN INCONVENIENT EARL is an entertaining way to spend an afternoon.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#ANINCONVENIENTEARL #AROYALMATCH #JULIALONDON #HARLEQUINTRADEPUBLISHIN #CANARYSTREETPRESS #HISTORICALROMANCE

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Julia London brings her Royal Match series to a close with the final enchanting instalment, An Inconvenient Earl.

Emma Clark, the Countess of Dearborn, is relishing her freedom. Her no-good husband had left on an expedition a year ago – and she hasn’t heard a peep out of him since. Emma might not really be missing Albert, but she hopes that the earl isn’t dead because if he is then his family will lose no time in swooping in and throwing her out onto the streets without a single penny to her name. Emma needs her husband’s family to believe that he is alive and well, but could the arrival of an acquaintance of her husband from Egypt spell the beginning of the end for the independence which she cherishes so much?

Luka Olivien, the Weslorian Earl of Marlaine, has come to England all the way from Egypt with a mission: to give the Countess of Dearborn her deceased husband’s pocket watch. Luka is shocked with Emma’s reaction to the news of Albert’s passing. She knew that her spouse had dead – didn’t she? The countess soon proves to be an enigma for Luka – one he finds himself increasingly drawn to the more time he spends in her company.

Drawn together unexpectedly by fate, could Emma and Luka find the happiness they had long given up on? Or will acting on their feelings end up costing them far too dear a price?

Julia London’s An Inconvenient Earl is a joy from start to finish. Witty, sexy, emotional and dramatic, An Inconvenient Earl is a terrific historical romance with a heroine readers cannot help but root for and a charismatic hero that will have them swooning. Sprinkled with plenty of charm and humor, this entertaining and enjoyable historical tale will steal every reader’s heart and have them eagerly clamoring for the next title by much-loved bestseller Julia London.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Inconvenient Earl by Julia London, book four in her Royal Match series, is a wonderful, enjoyable, charming, humorous, comedy of errors, tale of avoidance. Emma Clark, Lady Dearborn, finds herself in quite the predicament when her not-so-nice husband abandons her to go on an expedition to Egypt; leaving her home to manage the estate and his siblings, his unpleasant sister and sweet young brother, in his absence. Emma is quite good at keeping her husband Albert’s estate in excellent working order while he is gone. She is the only person to know of the death of her abusive husband while he was abroad; finding herself free for the first time in her life and is reluctant to give up the chance to enjoy some time before coming clean to the rest of the family about her new status. She is enjoying the time without her overbearing and inadequate husband telling her what to do. When a Westlorian Earl named Luka Olivien arrives on her doorstep, to return her husband’s pocket watch to her, all of the freedom she has gained is threatened. It was obvious that these two belonged together but with the small lie Emma created about her husband growing larger by the minute, it was unsure if they would be able to get a happy ending.

Ms. London wrote a compelling story, except it started off a bit slow for me; with Emma coming across as being slow, ordinary, and unremarkable. As the story progressed: more and more was revealed about her; especially how intelligent she was. Luka was an amazing character: intelligent, caring, and charming. This story is shines a critical light on societal prejudices of the time. I highly recommend An Inconvenient Earl to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Norah Gibbons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of an Inconvenient Earl by Julia London through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book is the fourth book in her delightful A Royal Match series and while there are characters from other the other books in this one it could be read as a standalone. Emma Clark, Countess of Dearborn was thankful when her extremely nasty husband left to go exploring in Egypt. Later when a messenger arrived to let her know that he had died of a fever in Egypt she felt relieved, but then the messenger dropped dead and she was the only one who knew that she was now a widow. For the first time in her life she was free, if she let his family know that her husband was dead she would be both penniless and homeless. Emma decided to continue on as if she was still waiting for her husband to come home and perhaps throw a few parties and make some improvements to the estate. Luka Olivien, the Weslorian Earl of Marlaine was charged with returning some of the late Lord Dearborns effects to his family and is quite shocked to discover that they don't appear to know that he is dead. He is bewitched and bewildered by the lovely countess who may be keeping secrets and she finds herself deeply attracted to this handsome stranger who is about to bring her world crashing down. I enjoyed reading this book immensely and highly recommend it. The other books in this series are also very enjoyable. Steam level: Medium Publishing Date: December 26, 2023. #NetGalley #HarlequinTradePublishing #CanaryStreetPress #AnInconvenientEarl #ARoyalMatchSeries #bookstagramer #bookstagram #historicalromance #historicalromanceseries

[Gwen Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

After enjoying the first three books in Julia London’s A Royal Match series, I must admit this fourth title was a disappointment. My main complaint is that it hit one of my biggest pet peeves — when much of the book tells the story through what a character is thinking rather than active scenes that move the action along.

This storytelling technique is necessary in “An Inconvenient Earl” because a huge secret lies between our heroine and hero and keeps them from communicating directly. The books where this very much bothers me usually involve a writer with less experience and a plot that would be quickly cleared up if the two would talk with each other and admit what they feel rather than stewing about it.

London seems aware of the difficulty of her plot and its resolution. She includes nuggets that I appreciated. For one, our heroine Emma does show self-awareness about the huge mess she has created, which I appreciate. Also, we also hear what Luka is thinking. (Often authors stick with one character having the internal dialogue.)

The action picked up when our intrepid matchmaker — a character who appears in all four books — arrived on the scene. I appreciated that London crafted a happily ever after that did include consequences for Emma’s actions.

“An Inconvenient Earl” won’t make it to my “repeated read” pile, but it was a satisfactory conclusion to the Royal Match series.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I requested an ARC of this book, and all opinions are my own.

This book left me conflicted - initially, the FMC came across as a selfish nitwit and the MMC seemed wishy-washy and just a touch naive. Both changed throughout the course of the book, but I can't decide if the changes were enough to make up for a lackluster start.

Emma Clark is the Countess of Dearborn, and her husband has been gone over a year on expedition. Their marriage was one of convenience so Emma was happy to be left alone at first. When news of his death in Egypt reaches her and the messenger himself dies before her, she decides to hold off letting the world know she is now a widow.

That lasts many months, until Luka Olivien, the Weslorian Earl of Marlaine, comes to give Emma her dead husband's watch. She does everything she can to stop him from saying the dreaded words that will bring her freedom to an end.

They end up falling in love, and at a certain point you do sort-of root for them but it's really hard to get that invested. There's a side-plot involving Luka's father and a rebellion in Wesloria that I feel was either added for no reason, or was just tied up in a neat bow because of deadline issues - the whole thing felt forced to me.

I am sad that this book did not live up to expectations as the first three were fun and very enjoyable. I am sure there's an audience for this book - it's just not me.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, this story wasn’t one of my favorites. I didn’t like the way Emma went about things after she learned of her husband, Lord Dearborn aka the inconvenient earl, aside from where she actually tried to better the estate for her brother-in-law, I felt like she was being very deceitful, and no doubt fulfilling her own desires like with throwing that house party.
Granted, her husband was awful, and the sister-in-law a carbon copy of him, so she did feel like she would have been cast out without anything. I’m not sure why she felt that way, being that she would have been the dowager at that point and entitled to some sort of a settlement.
Luka, I guess he went along with everything because of the connection he felt with Emma. Though they definitely let it go on for their own benefit. Who his father is was a surprise, and it was awful that he got caught up in that. One point, the way they went at each other, there is very little way she wouldn’t have become pregnant.
The usual characters were in this, Lady Aleksander, though not as a matchmaker in the way she usually is. Beck and his tribe, and the lovely Donovan.
The HEA is more than a year into the future, and a bit of a complete circle from the beginning.
Even though this wasn’t my favorite of the author’s stories, I do look forward to reading the next.

[Raquel]

Y’all know that I adore historical fiction romances and that Julia London is one of my favorite authors for that genre. So it should come to no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed An Inconvenient Earl.

London, continuing her Royal Match series, sets out to present this story in a slightly different format than I had been expecting. The lovers did not truly need help getting together. More, they needed help staying together. And in an effort to not spoil anything, that’s all I’m going to say on the subject.

Emma was a really strong and pretty admirable character. She went through really rough times and rather than be bitter towards anything and anyone that was connected to the perpetrator of these times, she tried to set everyone up for success. Emma looked, at times, foolhardy, on the bright side of life. Luka, on the other hand, didn’t necessarily do that.

Luka was an absolute puppy. Definitely, he fell first and they both fell hard. The secret romance was scorching and the way they couldn’t hide it well. It all just melted my heart. There wasn’t much character growth in this story except for how Emma confronted both herself and everyone else with the truth. She managed to come into herself more.

Luka was the catalyst for it and it all created chaos in the best way that Julia London does chaos.

It was the a perfect christmas/ new years read.

[M. K. French · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Clark's husband left on an expedition over a year ago, and people are starting to assume that the Earl of Dearborn is dead. This doesn't suit her at all, as his family will swoop in and kick her out if he's declared dead. The Earl of Marlaine has traveled to England from Egypt to give the countess her dead husband's watch, and feels there's more to her than her party girl exterior. He is then drawn into her ruse.

While we have references to Wesloria and characters from prior books Julia London has written, it's not necessary to have read them first. This is Emma's and Luka's story, focusing on their emotions and the effort of hiding the truth. Emma is flighty and ditzy, though some of that is forced to distract Luka from telling her that her husband is dead. She isn't heartless, but with the freedom of living without a cruel and controlling man, she fell into the deceit and didn't want it to end. Luka was fascinated by and attracted to Emma, so he went along with it and fell in love. They love each other, which is easily obvious to everyone else. The big conflict between them is the truth and the discord in Wesloria that Luka tried to ignore so he could stay with Emma. The two eventually get their happily ever after, but it's a comedy of errors along the way.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read many Julia London books over the years but this is the first one that I've read in a long time. The story was interesting but completely unbelievable. When Emma learned that her abusive husband had died overseas, she was relieved. She decided not to share this information with anyone because she feared that her cruel sister-in-law would find a way to have her removed from her home thereby rendering her destitute. So, when a handsome man named Luka suddenly showed up with her late husband's pocket watch, Emma completely went off the deep end. I would have sympathized with her a lot more if she had accepted the fact that her deception needed to come to an end. Instead, she began a bizarre game of cat and mouse, never allowing Luka to actually voice the truth. Being an anthropologist, Luka was absolutely fascinated by Emma's machinations. The fact that he found her attractive was an added bonus.
This story was well-written and fun to read. However, I would have liked this book much more if Emma hadn't constantly pushed past the limits of believability.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

[Mhughessc · Rating 3 out of 5]

"An Inconvenient Earl" is the fourth book in Julia London's "A Royal Match" series. London is an author I can count on for fun, quick reads with lots of chemistry and sparks. Unfortunately, this particular book was a miss for me. In "An Inconvenient Earl", Emma (The Countess of Dearborn) has been living in a miserable marriage. Her only saving grace is the fact that her husband enjoys traveling and adventures. While off on one of his adventures, Emma receives word that he has passed away. While she's relieved, she's worried that she'll lose her home, land, and status if anyone finds out. Emma hatches a plan to keep this secret to herself, at least for a little bit. However, when a man who knows her husband has passed shows up to deliver some of her deceased husband's belongings, how will she get him to keep her secret?

Like I said before, I've enjoyed London's books in the past, but this one just didn't do it for me. The secret was kept for way too long and Emma was too difficult for me to root for personally. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.