The Earl Next Door by Ashtyn Newbold is SO good. Like the “could not put it down,” “stayed up WAY past my bedtime,” “everyone who loves Historical Romances should read this book now” kind of good. I admit that I wasn’t expecting much from this book. Don’t get me wrong, Ashtyn Newbold can not write a bad story. But I assumed from the cutesy cover that this book was going to be just that — cutesy. I assumed I would get a sweet Romance, a few good chuckles, and a happily ever after. I got that and so much more. I was not expecting, or ready for, the heart-wrenching depth of emotion I got from this story. Oh my word, did my heart hurt for Charlie and Henrietta! This story begins as all enemies-to-lovers novels do with the hero and heroine instantly at odds. But it does not follow this trope’s typical pattern. Instead, this story goes on a path that had me scratching my head clear beyond the 80% mark, wondering how Newbold was going to get her characters together. This, in turn, made the pages fly by. I loved Charlie’s and Henrietta’s characters so much that I just had to get to their HEA. And the sadness I felt for both of them — a couple of times I wanted to chuck my book into the corner, I was so frustrated by the situations Charlie and Henrietta found themselves trapped within. But this book isn’t all sadness and frustration. It’s also super sweet and hilarious. There are some moments that had me laughing out loud. And the chemistry between Charlie and Henrietta is intense, and the kisses are super swoony. All in all, The Earl Next Door is an utterly fantastic novel, and I loved every minute.

If you are a fan of excellently written, highly engaging, emotionally appealing Historical Romances then The Earl Next Door is the book for you. You do not want to miss out on this delightfully endearing story.

I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on March 27, 2023, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.