[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Lady Emily fears her father’s debts will keep her single – or tie her to a terrible husband – no matter how pristine she has been able to keep her reputation. So when Lord Belfry suggests they marry, it seems like a great solution for Emily. He will take care of her father’s problems and rescue her from a dismal future. In turn, the theatre owner hopes Emily’s class and reputation will help him establish a more suitable clientele for his business.
Once Emily has a taste of freedom from her disapproving parents and from her hyper-vigilance over her own behavior, she’s not sure she wants to stay quiet any more. But Julian can’t see what Emily could bring to his business – or his life – other than their initial agreement.
Review
This is book 3 in the Regency Vows series after To Have and to Hoax and To Love and to Loathe. I LOVED this book. It was truly a perfect fit for me. It’s romantic and funny. There’s just enough conflict to move the story and characters along but not so much as to be painful or stressful to read.
I loved Emily and Julian – separately and together. The premise completely worked for me – a touch of fake relationship, but different enough to feel fresh. And the transformation of Emily over time felt believable as well as fun to watch.
Fans of this series should not miss this. But newcomers can start here, too. I still have not read book one (the premise doesn’t click for me). But while there are references to the earlier books, they are general enough that the reader knows there is history there, but not in such a way to leave the reader feeling like they are missing something important.
This is the sort of book I would read again – comfort reading at its best! Sweet, endearing, funny, sarcastic, and romantic. Check it out!
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!