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Forever Your Earl
(The Wicked Quills of London #1)
by
Eva Leigh's irresistible new series introduces the Wicked Quills of London: a group of bold, brilliant female writers whose spirited allure is beyond seductive...
Eleanor Hawke loves a good scandal. And readers of her successful gossip rag live for the exploits of her favorite subject: Daniel Balfour, the notorious Earl of Ashford. So when the earl himself marches into her ...more
Eleanor Hawke loves a good scandal. And readers of her successful gossip rag live for the exploits of her favorite subject: Daniel Balfour, the notorious Earl of Ashford. So when the earl himself marches into her ...more
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Kindle Edition, 387 pages
Published
September 29th 2015
by Avon
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Start your review of Forever Your Earl (The Wicked Quills of London, #1)

First, disclaimer: Eva Leigh is a friend of mine, and we write for the same publisher. So I'm biased.
That said, I don't think anyone who knows me at all could doubt that I genuinely adored this book. To begin with, the "Wicked Quills of London" concept is pretty much everything I'm wired to love--an entire series built around intelligent heroines who write, often inappropriately? YES, PLEASE. A scandal-sheet publisher and an infamous rake as heroine and hero? GIVE ME MORE. <3
The witty banter be ...more
That said, I don't think anyone who knows me at all could doubt that I genuinely adored this book. To begin with, the "Wicked Quills of London" concept is pretty much everything I'm wired to love--an entire series built around intelligent heroines who write, often inappropriately? YES, PLEASE. A scandal-sheet publisher and an infamous rake as heroine and hero? GIVE ME MORE. <3
The witty banter be ...more

The sweetest gifts are the most ephemeral. An orange at Christmas. The first hawthorn flower of spring. A beloved’s kiss. They all pass in hardly the time it takes to draw breath. Thus we must grab hold of these prizes and cling to them tightly, before they slip from our grasp and into the realm of memory.
Forever Your Earl is the first book in Eva Leigh’s Wicked Quills of London series and I loved it! I was blown away by to think this could possibly be Ms. Leigh’s debut, until I learned that Eva ...more
Forever Your Earl is the first book in Eva Leigh’s Wicked Quills of London series and I loved it! I was blown away by to think this could possibly be Ms. Leigh’s debut, until I learned that Eva ...more

I've given this an A at AAR. I had a couple of small nigggles, but not enough to knock the grade down.
When it was announced at last year’s RWA that Zoe Archer was going to be turning her hand to writing Regency romances under the pseudonym of Eva Leigh, I was undoubtedly one of many immediately asking “when? WHEN?!” (and "who do I have to kill to get a copy?") I have enjoyed other books of hers, most notably her Victorian-set Nemesis Unlimited series, which featured tightly-plotted, action- ...more
When it was announced at last year’s RWA that Zoe Archer was going to be turning her hand to writing Regency romances under the pseudonym of Eva Leigh, I was undoubtedly one of many immediately asking “when? WHEN?!” (and "who do I have to kill to get a copy?") I have enjoyed other books of hers, most notably her Victorian-set Nemesis Unlimited series, which featured tightly-plotted, action- ...more

I feel like a curmudgeon but this had such a modern bent to it. The hero and heroine's views and conversations could have been ripped out of today's feminist issues and dialogues. From the heroine dressing as a man and seeing and feeling what power they are handed for simply being male, a man coming on to her and her friend and then basically saying they aren't worthy of him anyway when they deny him, to the hero leaving a note on man he had knocked out and the heroine had beat up a bit that rea
...more

I like Eva Leigh. I follow her on Twitter. She’s funny and feminist. There’s some of that personality in this book.
But, mostly, Avon have done it again (It Takes a Scandal): I was both bored and irritated simultaneously.
This is, like all Avon books, a series of barely connected romcom scenes between a rakish ‘aristo’, as Leigh insists on calling our hero, and the spirited woman who will capture his heart.
He’s handsome and rich and entirely devoid of personality. She’s interesting and feisty, ...more
But, mostly, Avon have done it again (It Takes a Scandal): I was both bored and irritated simultaneously.
This is, like all Avon books, a series of barely connected romcom scenes between a rakish ‘aristo’, as Leigh insists on calling our hero, and the spirited woman who will capture his heart.
He’s handsome and rich and entirely devoid of personality. She’s interesting and feisty, ...more

Forever Your Earl is the first book in The Wicked Quills of London by Eva Leigh and it follows a brilliant woman, Eleanor Hawke, a writer who lives for a good scandal to entertain the readers of her newspaper with. When one of her favorite subjects shows up in her office, the last thing Eleanor expects was to end up experiencing his illicit pursuit by the earls side.
Ashford has his own reasons for allowing Eleanor to tag along on his exploits. As long as the woman keeps her focus on his rakish b
...more
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh
Book One of The Wicked Quills of London series
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: September 29, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***
Summary (from Goodreads):
Eva Leigh makes her Avon debut with the first book in her smart and sexy Wicked Quills of London series!
Eleanor Hawke loves a good scandal. And readers of her successful gossip rag live f ...more
Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh
Book One of The Wicked Quills of London series
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: September 29, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***
Summary (from Goodreads):
Eva Leigh makes her Avon debut with the first book in her smart and sexy Wicked Quills of London series!
Eleanor Hawke loves a good scandal. And readers of her successful gossip rag live f ...more

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Summary
Eleanor Hawke has worked hard to build up her business, she runs a scandal rag and she is quite popular. But her latest victim of a scandal, Daniel Balfour, The Earl of Ashford is quite displeased. He marches into her office and makes demands but offers her a chance to get some juicy tidbits and see what his life is really like. So Eleanor takes him up on his offer. They go from gambling hells to races and a masque ...more

Summary
Eleanor Hawke has worked hard to build up her business, she runs a scandal rag and she is quite popular. But her latest victim of a scandal, Daniel Balfour, The Earl of Ashford is quite displeased. He marches into her office and makes demands but offers her a chance to get some juicy tidbits and see what his life is really like. So Eleanor takes him up on his offer. They go from gambling hells to races and a masque ...more

Color me naive when it comes to historical accuracy why don't you?
But I loved this tale! Zoe Archer writes the most kick a$$ heroines and I love her for it.
Eleanor is our heroine and she rocks it. She's smart, industrious, driven and hot. There, I said it. I have a fem-mance going on here. This is woman who stands on her own, believes in herself and doesn't hesitate to point out the inequalities between the sexes. She nails it.
But I loved this tale! Zoe Archer writes the most kick a$$ heroines and I love her for it.
Eleanor is our heroine and she rocks it. She's smart, industrious, driven and hot. There, I said it. I have a fem-mance going on here. This is woman who stands on her own, believes in herself and doesn't hesitate to point out the inequalities between the sexes. She nails it.
"he’d been given an entirely new insight into what it meant to be a...more

2.5 I so so so so so want to like this book, given its author is one of the few romance writers who (under her original name, Zoe Archer) openly identifies as a feminist. And because her heroine, Eleanor Hawke, is an independent woman who owns her own newspaper. But no matter how much I wanted to, I just could not warm to it. Because:
• The premise behind the novel—Daniel Balfour, Earl of Ashford, decides to offer himself as a subject to a scandal sheet writer, believing that by appearing in a sc ...more
• The premise behind the novel—Daniel Balfour, Earl of Ashford, decides to offer himself as a subject to a scandal sheet writer, believing that by appearing in a sc ...more

If I'd wanted to read a contemporary romance chock-full of contemporary issues (real and imaginary), I would have read a contemporary romance chock-full of contemporary issues (repetition deliberate).
It's like the author had this check list of the things people are bothered about today (or in the 1900s, I'll give you that) and proceeded to cross out one item at a time.
I can usually suspend my disbelief in romances, but not this much. The story supposedly takes place in the early 1800s! At one ...more
It's like the author had this check list of the things people are bothered about today (or in the 1900s, I'll give you that) and proceeded to cross out one item at a time.
I can usually suspend my disbelief in romances, but not this much. The story supposedly takes place in the early 1800s! At one ...more

In Forever Your Earl, newspaper proprietress Eleanor Hawke finds herself drawn into the world of renowned rake, Daniel Balfour, the Earl of Ashford. Her prosperous gossip paper, The Hawk’s Eye, loves to tell the tales of the life and scandals of the upper crust, and Daniel commonly makes appearances in the paper. Daniel, though, is not too pleased with this, and marches into her offices to speak with a Mr Hawke, and is astonished to discover Eleanor is the owner. He needs to keep the paper off h
...more

Aug 21, 2015
nick (the infinite limits of love)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arc
Historical romance is one of my favorite genre of adult romance to read, but I have to admit that I'm very picky when it comes to them. Only certain authors work for me and I'm always a little wary to start series by new authors. Forever Your Earl intrigued me because the protagonist, Eleanor, is a writer. Considering the day and age that the book was set in, that was very much unconventional, and for me, refreshing. I ended up really enjoying this title and by the end, I was ready to read more ...more

Aug 31, 2015
Jenny Q
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
review-copy,
romantic-historical-reviews
I'm not likely to pick up a new Regency these days unless there's something very different about it, and when I read the description of Forever Your Earl, it immediately went on my list. Of course I was drawn to a historical heroine who publishes her own newspaper!
Business is booming for Eleanor Hawke, thanks in no small part to the Earl of Ashford, whose society antics printed in her pages have readers clamoring for more. Some may dismiss The Hawk's Eye as rubbish, but Eleanor believes in givin ...more
Business is booming for Eleanor Hawke, thanks in no small part to the Earl of Ashford, whose society antics printed in her pages have readers clamoring for more. Some may dismiss The Hawk's Eye as rubbish, but Eleanor believes in givin ...more

DRC provided by edelwiess and Avon.
The premise of the story was a little confusing from the beginning. The hero's motive never made sense to me on why he wanted the heroine to follow along. He could've done his investigation clandestine. Clearly a spy he was not. The heroine for this era was pretty independent. Educated, working woman, editor in charge, sexually active, pretty liberal for those days.
The story was well written but some oomph was missing which would've made me love it. ...more
The premise of the story was a little confusing from the beginning. The hero's motive never made sense to me on why he wanted the heroine to follow along. He could've done his investigation clandestine. Clearly a spy he was not. The heroine for this era was pretty independent. Educated, working woman, editor in charge, sexually active, pretty liberal for those days.
The story was well written but some oomph was missing which would've made me love it. ...more

Sep 18, 2020
Lynn Spencer
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-romance
This had a few slow spots, but was primarily a delightful read for me. I love banter and smart conversation, and this novel delivered on that.
I adored the heroine. Eleanor Hawke is intelligent and has carved out a niche for herself with her gossip pages. She is aware of her vulnerability due to her gender and class, but she has found a way for herself in the world. When Daniel Balfour, the Earl of Ashford invites her to witness and write about his exploits, she seizes the opportunity. She's smar ...more
I adored the heroine. Eleanor Hawke is intelligent and has carved out a niche for herself with her gossip pages. She is aware of her vulnerability due to her gender and class, but she has found a way for herself in the world. When Daniel Balfour, the Earl of Ashford invites her to witness and write about his exploits, she seizes the opportunity. She's smar ...more

4 Stars
I received an eARC of this book from Avon Publishing via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Forever Your Earl is the first book in the Wicked Quills of London series, written by Eva Leigh who I first discovered as Zoe Archer. The series focuses on female writers who live and work in Regency England. Eleanor Hawke, owner and editor of the popular scandal sheet, The Hawk's Eye, is the first heroine and her life gets complicated when she begins to tangle with the rakish earl who is h ...more
I received an eARC of this book from Avon Publishing via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Forever Your Earl is the first book in the Wicked Quills of London series, written by Eva Leigh who I first discovered as Zoe Archer. The series focuses on female writers who live and work in Regency England. Eleanor Hawke, owner and editor of the popular scandal sheet, The Hawk's Eye, is the first heroine and her life gets complicated when she begins to tangle with the rakish earl who is h ...more

Dec 14, 2017
Sarah
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction-romance,
library-books
19/12 - This was a very modern historical romance. The heroine, Eleanor, was living what amounts to a female bachelor's life - living alone in a boarding house, working as a newspaper editor, writer, and owner with multiple staff working under her (who apparently were not bothered by her gender), claiming to have no reputation thus could do pretty much whatever she wanted because it wouldn't change her social standing, and occasionally (view spoiler)
...more

Oct 18, 2016
Yuki
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Yuki by:
First Reads
"He needs experience, don't you think, love?" Marwood drawled. "Take him upstairs and break him a little. My treat," he added, winking at Eleanor....more
"Uh..." True panic gripped her. What was she supposed to do? There would be some very awkward explaining - and some bribes to pay - if Jenny discovered that Eleanor's manly goods were as false as Jenny's hair color.
Ashford reached out and plucked Jenny's hand from Eleanor's face. "Very generous of you, Marwood. But my aunt would never forgive me if I r

I liked this one and I especially loved Eleanor. She was so confident and capable and took great pride in the life she built for herself through sheer hard work and perseverance. Daniel I found to be a little on the bland side but I loved how he came to respect what an incredible and accomplished person Eleanor actually was. Their banter, adventures in London and the witty prose were the highlights of the book. I also found the details about Eleanor’s newspaper business particularly interesting.
...more

If only....If only this heroine wasn't written with such a over-the-top feminist, contemporary twist. She was a business owner of a scandal sheet. Which would have been ok, if the author had not also made her a heroine that has had several lovers. For me, in a historical romance, I can only imagine courtesans or mistresses of a lord to be the heroines that are not virgins and can brag of having had several lovers in and out of her life. It just had way too much of a modern day feel to it all aro
...more

Dec 08, 2019
Irene
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
regency-romances-and-bodice-rippers
Modern characters in a historical romance done right. Every once in a while, a vanilla Regency is sweet and funny enough to be memorable. I do have issues with it but even when it got predictable, I didn't mind because Leigh wrote some very strong scenes right out the gate.
Read this for the Lord Rakehell plotline. It is the best part of the story - so much fun! Eleanor, editor in chief of The Hawk’s Eye, a gossip rag, agrees to accompany Daniel on his nightly exploits so that she can get them ri ...more
Read this for the Lord Rakehell plotline. It is the best part of the story - so much fun! Eleanor, editor in chief of The Hawk’s Eye, a gossip rag, agrees to accompany Daniel on his nightly exploits so that she can get them ri ...more

"She'd never spoken words like that to anyone. Always, always, she'd carefully sheltered her heart, knowing full well that this was a world of jagged edges that tore into unguarded flesh. So she'd contented herself with ambition for the newspaper, and occasional physical gratification, and told herself it was enough."
I loved Eleanor a lot. She was ridiculously, ridiculously witty, super take charge and bossy, but also very much allowed herself to be vulnerable. I think the natural instinct for a ...more
I loved Eleanor a lot. She was ridiculously, ridiculously witty, super take charge and bossy, but also very much allowed herself to be vulnerable. I think the natural instinct for a ...more

In the spirit of fairness, I think this one was just not for me. My most objective issue with it is that the writing style is really clunky. Bits of fact and historical flavour tended to fall flat--not helped by the almost preachy moments of contemporary views.
At first blush, the premise is Okay to Pretty Good. Eleanor Hawke is the proprietor of and also writes for the periodical The Hawk's Eye. She doesn't announce her gender, but also makes little effort to hide it. While she's at work, an ear ...more
At first blush, the premise is Okay to Pretty Good. Eleanor Hawke is the proprietor of and also writes for the periodical The Hawk's Eye. She doesn't announce her gender, but also makes little effort to hide it. While she's at work, an ear ...more

What to say about this book? It made for a pleasant read on this otherwise boring and lazy day, but it had its issues, not least that the dialogue and attitudes seemed very anachronistic, to the point where I found myself taken out of the story quite a few times. I also felt like the resolution of the two big plot points was somewhat rushed and too simplistic. I still enjoyed it fairly well in spite of all that, but I'm not in a big hurry to add the upcoming second book in the series to my to-re
...more

This book didn't do much for me. It was well written, but I never really felt an emotional connection to the characters or felt part of the world. The mystery and why the hero needed the heroine's help was pretty confusing at first. Still, the characters in the second book sound interesting, so I will definitely give that one a try.
I'm no historian, but I had time believing that the heroine would be that "modern" (as the heroine put it) during the Regency era. I could buy it more during the Vic ...more
I'm no historian, but I had time believing that the heroine would be that "modern" (as the heroine put it) during the Regency era. I could buy it more during the Vic ...more

2.5/5
Progressive, anachronistically so, in fact. Though that didn't bother me. The premise didn't make much sense to me, but I continued on despite that. I liked the heroine, but the hero was bland, especially compared to her. Their romance? Kind of as bland as the hero. They had some great banter, but I can't say I was invested. ...more
Progressive, anachronistically so, in fact. Though that didn't bother me. The premise didn't make much sense to me, but I continued on despite that. I liked the heroine, but the hero was bland, especially compared to her. Their romance? Kind of as bland as the hero. They had some great banter, but I can't say I was invested. ...more

Great debut with plenty of limericks!

Finally! 3.5
Those book was an easy, entertaining read. I liked both characters. It was funny and steamy and exactly what I needed during this crazy time.
Those book was an easy, entertaining read. I liked both characters. It was funny and steamy and exactly what I needed during this crazy time.

4.5/5 Stars | Hot Steam
Utterly captivating and absolutely unforgettable, Eva Leigh’s glittering and gorgeous Avon Historical debut is, without a doubt, one of this year’s very best! Brilliantly written with uncommon intelligence, command, polish, delicious detail and soul-stirring depth, I simply couldn’t put it down! Every single moment I spent immersed in Eleanor and Daniels’ riveting story felt like a precious gift. Their incredibly charming, dynamic and multi-layered personalities came alive ...more
Utterly captivating and absolutely unforgettable, Eva Leigh’s glittering and gorgeous Avon Historical debut is, without a doubt, one of this year’s very best! Brilliantly written with uncommon intelligence, command, polish, delicious detail and soul-stirring depth, I simply couldn’t put it down! Every single moment I spent immersed in Eleanor and Daniels’ riveting story felt like a precious gift. Their incredibly charming, dynamic and multi-layered personalities came alive ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Sinopsis en Español // Synopsis in Spanish | 1 | 2 | Apr 24, 2015 12:44PM |
Eva Leigh is a USA Today bestselling author who writes novels chock-full of determined women and men who are here for it. She enjoys baking, spending too much time on the Internet, and listening to music from the ’80s. Eva and her husband live in Central California.
Eva also writes in multiple romance genres as RITA-award nominated Zoë Archer. As Alexis Stanton, she wrote the novel on which the top ...more
Eva also writes in multiple romance genres as RITA-award nominated Zoë Archer. As Alexis Stanton, she wrote the novel on which the top ...more
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