Review: To Catch an Earl (Bow Street Bachelors #2) by Kate Bateman

Print Length: 336 pages

Publisher: St.Martin's Press (June 30, 2020)

From Goodreads.com:  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?

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

This story had a lot of potential, and I'm sure that it is going to be a big hit with a lot of people. However, for me, something just consistently felt off about this one. For one, I wasn't completely buying the romance between Emmy and Alex. I don't feel as though I was shown that they had feelings for each other, although the banter between the two as adversaries was enjoyable. So the fact that he could speak so crudely to her, and she would jump into bed with him knowing what she did was a little off-putting. All things considered, I was more interested in Emmy as the Nightjar than I was with whether or not she would find love. 

I also felt that the "villain's" motives were also unclear. These were stolen crown jewels, what exactly did he think he could do with them? Added to that the stupidity of one of his "threats"? I don't think he came across as fleshed out as the author intended. In fact, I found him to be more scapegoat than a villain. 

As I said above, I'm most likely going to be in the minority with my feelings on this one. I would definitely read more from this author. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                 To Catch an Earl is available from Amazon.com