This one had its moments of great fun and passion. I did find the pacing a bit slow and I don’t like that it took her getting pregnant to realize  that Lyon wasn’t her dead husband and that he could make her happy. She kept saying she loved him, but it wasn’t enough until she was pregnant. Other than that, it was an enjoyable story and I am glad he stuck to his demands that they marry rather than continue an affair. The concept was good, I liked the aunt and the kids, they added to the enjoyment of the story. I wish that the story moved along at a faster pace, and there really wasn’t a villain and no dire conflicts in this one, which might have added in how slow I thought it was.

This story kept me reading. Adeline was a delight with her determination to run her life her way, to stay independent. I also loved how she went against expectations. Lyon was so patient with her though he did have his designs on her. The attraction between them was strong and good for both. I enjoyed the other widows as well and look forward to their stories. I recommend this story.

I received a copy of this through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

What a fun, delightful story.

Adeline, the Dowager Countess of Wake, is widow at only 22 years old and is finally free from her husband's demanding rule. He treated her poorly because after 2 years of marriage she still hadn't provided him with an heir.....even his mistress has been able to do that! While Adeline was retrieving her husband's personal items that were found from the sunken ship, Salty Dove that he was on, she met two other young widows, Julia and Brina. Together they decided they were going to open a school for females whose families didn't have the money to teach them things like reading and writing and they would start by inviting girls who lost a family member on the Salty Dove.

While getting ready to open the new school, a man shows up at Adeline's house, forcing his way into her house and happens upon her in an uncompromising position. Lord Lyonwood, the Marquis of Marksworth immediately thinks that Adeline is a lady of the night based on how she is dressed. Quickly, he realizes his mistake but is instantly smitten with Adeline. This starts their fun journey of getting to know each other. Lyon would love nothing more than to court Adeline because she is the first woman to have captured his attention but Adeline is not interested in getting married again. She'd be glad to be his lover though!!!! Lyon has never had females turn him down before and is now more determined than ever to make Adeline his.

These two characters went on such a fun journey together to get to their happy ending. I loved both Adeline and Lyon! I really enjoyed all the supporting characters too! This was a wonderful start to this new series and I look forward to reading more stores in it.

The beauty of Amelia Grey is that she writes women of strength. Adeline is one heroine who refuses to be just a pretty face. Held back for far too long, widowhood has given her the courage to face life as a single woman with gusto. The irony is that as she's finding herself, love may have come knocking once again. The Earl Next Door proves that sassy can be sexy. If you trust your heart, happiness will find you, when you least expect.

The Duke of Griffin is determined that his reputation not tarnish his younger twin sisters’ reputations during their debut. He decides to hire a governess to make sure nothing goes wrong. He doesn’t plan on his attraction to his chosen governess to get in the way.

This wasn’t a bad story. It was a pretty standard plot and relationship builder. Nothing really bad or notable stuck out to me. The book was pretty sweet and didn’t really include any hawt parts, but that’s pretty standard for this author, whose previous books I’ve read.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book