Girls Before Earls

A delightful Regency romance full of sparring, flirtation, and irresistible passion!
Girls Before Earls is the charming first novel in the Rogues to Lovers series from award-winning author Anna Bennett.
Miss Hazel Lively survived her difficult childhood by relying on her tough exterior and love of books. Now, she's realized her life-long dream of opening a school for girls, Bellehaven Academy. All Hazel must do is maintain a flawless reputation to attract wealthy families to entrust their daughters to her school and help pay for less fortunate students. It's a foolproof plan...until the handsome Earl of Bladenton strides into her office.
Gabriel Beckett, Earl of Bladenton, has had a monstrous headache since his teenaged niece became his ward. She's already been expelled from two London schools, but Blade is determined to enroll her at Bellehaven Academy. If only he can convince the buttoned-up—and unexpectedly intriguing—headmistress to take a risk.
Blade makes an offer that's impossible for Hazel to refuse, but she has one condition: the earl must visit his niece every other week. Soon, Blade discovers there's more to Hazel than meticulous lessons. Their sparring leads to flirtation...and something altogether deeper. But the passion that flares between them poses a threat to Hazel's school and Blade's battered heart. Can true love truly last forever?
"Irresistibly angsty...will keep historical romance fans hooked." —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"An utter delight until the very last page." —BookPage
"A fantastic storyteller." —Fresh Fiction