Bianca Blythe

It had a promising prologue, and then it just turned into a flat, disjointed ripoff of L.M. Montgomery's The Blue Castle, but without the chemistry or emotional development.
Regarding the nonsensical ending: Callum seriously doesn't try a second or even just a longer conversation to convince his wife he really wants to be married to her and lets WEEKS go by before surprising her with a grand second wedding? This, paired with a time jump, seemed to serve zero purpose except to distance itself show more from its source material. And what makes him think Charlotte is a "grand gesture" sort of person? show less

I adored this! Laughed out loud several times, and teared up too. Wonderful, unique protagonists and a fun plot driving along the romance. Managed to convince me of their chemistry even just in the course of three days! I am a bit intrigued by Madeline’s redemption - she really was such a bitch to Fiona that I have a hard time seeing her as a heroine, but I see that she has a book in the series, and with Percival’s brother, too. I might end up reading that despite it not being a favored show more trope tale. show less

I loved this! Nailed some tropes. Insecure wallflower heroine who is a bit plump to boot (not a BBW exactly, but there are a number of references to her generous figure). Dashing hero who made me laugh a number of times. Angst and self-sacrifice and the heroine disbelieving the hero could care about her, just like I like. Solid read.

Reread June 2022: I forgot how much the hero makes me chuckle. He’s not stupid, but he is kind of goofy. A fun read.

An enjoyable farce in three parts...or maybe more!

First have yourself mistaken for a highway woman holding up a coach.
Secondly decide to kidnap the handsome occupant to serve as your pretend husband to be.
Thirdly 'let the games begin', or rather runaway from you with excruciating speed.

I loved the premise of the story. Indeed the opening misunderstanding of the Duke's coachman believing that they'd been held up by highway persons was excellent. The situation that developed and the lengths show more Fiona Amberly (our intrepid Blue Stocking amateur archaeologist) kept being forced to go to, as one improbable situation piled up on to of another, was farcically humorous. But then something happened and the story fell into blandness. The hero, one Percival Carmichael, new Duke of Alfriston, become a tad dull. Ok, so his leg was plaguing him, but Golly Gosh Batman, couldn't he have been a tad more decisive.
I found his brother Arthur annoyingly overbearing and somewhat of a buffoon in terms of Percival's dilemma.
Fiona and Percival's story was plagued by the attitudes and plans of others, by bad timing and by Percival's annoying habit of giving in to others, accepting their pronouncements.
I am still wondering how these two ever achieved a HEA.
Despite my misgivings, I do want to read the next in the series.

A NetGalley ARC show less