Every fortune-hunting female in London is after the newly titled Earl of Kendall, but he’s intent on finding a wife whose heart is true. So while drunkenly jesting with his friends in a pub one night, he has an idea—what if the ladies of the ton didn’t know he was a wealthy earl? All he has to do is pose as a servant at his friend’s summer country house party and make sure the guest list is full of beautiful, eligible debutantes. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything, obviously.

Then we meet Frances Wharton who is far more interested in fighting for the rights of the poor than in marriage, but her mother insists she attend a summer house party and guarantee a betrothal with the pompous Sir Reginald Francis. In order to dissuade the would-be suitor, she vows to behave like a shrew (which clearly doesn’t happen. At All.) The only person she can be herself with is the kind, handsome footman she runs into at every turn. Their connection is undeniable, and the divide between them is no match for the passion they feel. But what will happen when Frances learns that the footman she adores is actually the earl she despises?

Cue the drama!

‘The Footman and I’ is a promising introduction to a historical romance series yet the first installment of the ‘The Footmen’s Club’ was not something to write home about. Nothing stood out and it was a very dull, bland read. The concept was there but the author failed to make this novel a standout. I wish the characters had more depth and more drama enfolded in the storyline, possibly a rivalry between Frances and Albina. I could say more about this but meh. I hope the next edition has that something something to win me over.

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I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an advance reader copy of this story.

The Footman And I, by Valerie Bowman, is available at booksellers on 6-30-2020. This is the first in the trilogy The Footmen's Club. An interesting twist is the beginning of the story will be the same for each story. It tells how three friends meet up, drink up, and plan a wager that's hysterical. Three titled men have to learn to be servants. The first is the Earl of Kendall. He's decided he want's a wife and a love match. This guy must be the worst footman ever. He can't keep in character & Frances never seems to realize that's he's way to informal around her. She takes it all in stride. I enjoyed this book so much that I've bought book 2. Can't wait for the Duke to get his comeuppance.

#Netgalley #ValerieBowman #TheFootmanandI #TheFootmen'sClub #romance #historicalromance #June Third Enterprises ( )

Thanks, Netgalley and June Third Enterprises, for providing me an e-arc for my honest review. #TheFootmanandI #NetGalley.
I love a well-hidden identity trope, especially when it means Privileged class members have to masquerade as members of the lower class.
The Footman and I was a quick, uncomplicated read for me, which I was in the mood for when I read the book. Overall I enjoyed Lucas and Frances's journey towards romance. I was surprised at how much time they spent together, given that technically Lucas was a servant, and Frances was not. Lucas was my favorite of the two from the beginning simply for wanting to go "undercover" to find a wife who wanted him as a person and not for his title and money. I love a historical hero that can admit he wants something real in his marriage. When it came to change, Lucas didn't always assume that he was right or that he always knew what was best. I enjoyed the fact that the hero and heroine met every day so that we get to observe a budding relationship, but something felt off about the pacing and the setting.
The time spent at the beginning with the witty male banter set up expectations for a certain level of well-rounded, rich characterizations that was not satisfied even though the writing IS good.
The secondary characters add a great deal to this story. ( )

No one notices the hired help!

A reasonably light hearted Regency romance with the plot revolving around three nobleman who end up at a 'ton' house party posing as footmen, or a groom.
(As an aside these house parties are obviously places fraught with Intrigue and danger--for everyone!)
It started off with Lucas Drake, the new fifth Earl of Kendall, who resigned his naval career post his brother's death. He knows he has to marry but he doesn't want to marry an empty headed, flittering social butterfly, he's looking for someone with a 'true' heart. Avoiding the debutante corps and their mothers is important. He convinces one friend to hold a house party where he will be installed as a footman. Two of his friends decide to join him, placing a bet as to whose disguise would be first uncovered.
The Earl has another major goal he's been pursuing, to drum up support amongst his fellow Lords for the Employment Bill his brother had been putting before Parliament.
Enter the politically passionate overlooked Miss Frances Wharton who does notice servants, but herself is totally overlooked by the ton except for Sir Reginald Francis the older, self-absorbed suitor her mother is pushing her upon. Lucas and Frances, after some interesting scenes, discuss the Bill. Lucas finds that Frances is opposed to it. That's tough because he's not opposed to her. Of course the obvious conundrum and upset becomes how to reveal himself to her.
A lightweight read for this first in this series.

A Xpresso ARC via NetGalley ( )

Okay, so a new Earl wants to get married but doesn't want to go through the work of actually meeting women in the marriage mart. He pretends to be a footman so he can observe prospective brides, knowing they won't pay attention to a servant. The one woman who does is the one who catches his interest though she is more interested in politics and helping the poor than the average Ton lady.
I had a lot of trouble suspending disbelief with this one which wasn't helped by the lack of real chemistry between the two leads. There was definitely heat, but for all their 'high' beliefs on morality and finding the right person to marry, they didn't seem to base their relationship on much besides sex. The other two books in the series seemed even more fantastical, so not for me. ( )