Megan Frampton

I am a complete sucker for puns, especially groan inducing puns. Make those puns tie in to literature and I'm forever yours. So a book called Vanity Fare with a cover photo of charming old books topped with a dish of luscious looking chocolate chip cookies was always going to make me swoon with delight. That the insides are as sweet and punny as the cover of Megan Caldwell's new novel promises is just icing on the cake.

Molly Hagan is having to figure out how to hold onto her life. Her whiny, show more cheating ex-husband left her for a younger, blonder woman and now he's lost his job and can't pay child support. She adores her six year old son Aidan and wants to keep everything stable for him but how do you explain to a young child that he can't have the newest Power Ranger because they have to pay the rent and eat? Molly can't even afford to continue to go to therapy except that her doctor figures they'll work out the money eventually. So it's a godsend for this stay-at-home mom with a degree in English when old friend John offers her a freelance job writing copy for a new and different account he's just landed: an in the works bakery located close to the New York Public Library wants to integrate the themes of baked goods and books.

While her personal life is in such turmoil, Molly jumps into the writing job, determined to do it well. And it turns out that working on the bakery might just help her get some things straight in her own head. Of course, it also means the added complication of very hot, very sexy, rising food star and chef Simon who is used to getting everything he wants. And it seems Molly might just be tops on his list. Then there's his aloof, intimidating, and restrained business partner Nick who seems sceptical that Molly is the right person to work on this campaign. Meanwhile Molly's mother, with whom she has a difficult relationship, has moved in with Molly and Aidan because she's lost all her money and could be losing her house.

As Molly works on the bakery, coming up with the fantastic idea to name the baked goods for famous works of literature through hilariously groan-worthy puns, she also works hard on herself. With the support of her wonderful and supportive friends and her understanding therapist, she learns to value herself and even, on occasion, put herself first. She opens herself up to new experiences and new relationships and learns to recognize what's good for the moment and what's even better for the long haul. She gains confidence in herself and can truly look to the future happier, more settled, and strong.

Caldwell has written a delightful and witty novel here. Her characters are appealing and realistic. Molly's frazzled existence in the beginning, her caffeine obsession and love of sweets, her deep desire to sink into depression over her situation coupled with the tiniest hold on determination to keep it together, and her unique quirks all serve to make her a very realistic and sympathetic character. The several plot lines come together neatly and the pace of the novel is quick and consistent. The many references to great literature and the wordplay here are fun and the dialogue is snappy. Starting each chapter with a sample of the sort of thing that Molly creates for the bakery is charming and the handful of recipes included in the end look tasty. Over all, this is a delectable, sweet, and pleasing read. show less

*** 2.5 Stars *** *** Review updated to add: The writing is excellent, it is the main character and events with which I take issue. ***

Several years ago, Lady Della Howlett, the older daughter of a duke, ran away with her dance instructor (with no thought about how that would affect her sisters). She wasn’t happy at home with a cold domineering father and an unfeeling mother and when Mr. Baxter showed an interest in her, she fell for him. It didn’t take her long to realize he wasn’t show more the one she wanted to spend her life with, but she was already expecting a child by then. Still, she wouldn’t marry him. Her parents disowned her and refused to have anything to do with either her or her child. After the birth of their daughter, Nora, Mr. Baxter took off with Della’s jewels, leaving Della and Nora to fend for themselves. Luckily for Della and Nora, they were befriended and rescued by Sarah Wattings.

Captain Griffith Davies (a Viscount) lived with constant criticism from his father. He was never good enough, never smart enough – just never – enough. With no thought for how it would affect his much-loved cousin, at the age of sixteen (or maybe it was seventeen) Griffith ran away to sea. Now, he is a much-respected captain of his own vessel, serving queen and country. He’s docked in London waiting for his ship to be reloaded before heading back out to sea. He and his first mate are at a pub getting drunk when – he’s accosted by a hat pin wielding female – and then he’s arrested by the Royal Navy.

This author’s books are always humorous and I was really looking forward to reading this one. Sadly, for me, a small bit of humor and a generally likable hero were all it had going for it. Had it not been for those two things, I would have put the book down before the halfway point and would not have finished it.

When I first began to read, I thought the biggest problem I would have with the book was that there was absolutely no way Griffith could be a Viscount. That just couldn’t have been the case. After a few chapters, that didn’t even signify. What did signify was the heroine. She grated on every nerve in my body. I have not ever read a more selfish, self-centered, controlling, demanding, unrelatable and unlikeable heroine. She was a bitchy shrew of the highest order and I totally failed to see why Griffith would desire to spend one minute with her much less fall in love with her.

I love strong, independent, resilient female leads but Della just came off as shrewish. It was her way or the highway and she was very, very, very quick to take offense. If you did not do her bidding and do it her way, she wanted nothing to do with you. You must constantly apologize to her, tell her you'd do whatever she wished, in whatever manner she wished it. Nobody could help her –not for any reason – nor could they do anything for her – which was highly hypocritical because her ‘mission’ was to find Sarah’s husband and reunite them.

Why do so many authors seem to equate being strong and resilient women with shrews? I know a lot of very strong, very resilient and very independent women and most of them are very lovable as well as strong. Why can’t a strong heroine want an equal partnership rather than demanding that it all be her way or the highway?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I had issues with Griffith as well. Not many though. I really liked him and wanted him to find his HEA with almost anyone except Della. My issue with Griffith was merely that he had no spine when it came to Della – he was obsessed with her.

The book moved along at a low altitude with Griffith and the humor keeping me going. Then, at around the 70% mark, it started losing even that altitude and by the 80-85% mark, it had taken a nose-dive and had crash landed. Griffith just needed to grow a set when it came to Della. I think the entire book had been hinting at a dom/sub thing (no, I don’t know exactly how that works) and then that scene toward the end just put the nail in the books coffin for me.

Just as an additional side note, this book had a very modern ‘feel’ to it. It was more like a contemporary read that is dressed up in period clothes.

So, the bottom line is – I would not re-read this book nor would I purchase it for a friend. I hope my view is in the minority and that the author has success with this, but I just cannot recommend it. This is all my own personal opinion -- you might love it. If you choose to read it, I hope that you really do like it.

Given Goodreads rating system, 2-stars means 'it was OK' and 3-stars means 'I Liked it'-- therefore, I believe 2-stars is the correct rating.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

I have just loved this whole series, each book has been fun and light-hearted and put me in a good mood. This novella was the perfect length to read over my lunch break and make me a little happier for the rest of the work day. Plus, this is the most "Christmasy" holiday book I have read yet so it really got me ready for the for the festivities to come.

Similar to the other females in the Dukes Behaving Badly series, Sophronia is a down-on-her-luck lady. Although she loved her wordsmith show more father dearly, he has passed away without providing for her future. This leads to Sophy being thrust on a widower cousin, who is excited to have her care for his 6 children and 27 chickens! Sophy was a delight - I loved her alliteration and linguistic musings. It was nice to see her reaching out for her own happiness as well, even when she thought it would only be temporary.

James suffers from wanderlust and is always off on exotic trips to procure artifacts and treasures... but he also has a marriage-minded mama who despairs for him to settle down. James loves and dotes on his mother, but he has no desire to tie himself to one woman or place. This leads James to a somewhat reckless fake marriage proposal to a complete stranger, our vocabularily-gifted Sophronia. In exchange for posing as his betrothed, James will rescue Sophy from a life of poultry and provide enough funds for her to purchase a country cottage.

Fate seemed to be playing a part the day James encountered Sophy at the coaching inn, because what follows is a sweet and fun love story with lots of holiday cheer. The story had great secondary characters, particularly Mrs. Archer, James' mother. I had a great picture of this somewhat cooky older woman bragging over her son and his love of "arty facts" and the like. This book can be read as a standalone if you want to get in the holiday mood, as there is no character crossover from the earlier books in the series.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Avon through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars / 2 flames. show less

My fair duchess was a delight to read. I loved the letter in the beginning of each chapter and I can say that I loved the book, even if the duchess made a mess somewhere down the road. The little dose of angst was perfect. The ride was very enjoyable and I was happy to see something new in a historical novel. Almost all the romance books I read (historical and contemporary) have the hero in a position of power, but in My fair duchess the roles are reversed. Genevieve is the one who inherits show more the title and Archie is her butler and tutor. He is helping her become a good duchess and fill in her position as well as any man did at the time and even better (she helps her people after all, unlike some other dukes). Poor Genevieve had no one to prepare her for what was going to come. Neither Genevieve or Archie expected to fall for the other, but the connection is there from the first time they see each other. It's not insta love and the characters have time to develop their feelings into something more than attraction. I wasn't expecting it, but I finished the novel with a smile on my face. I have found another author to follow and anxiously wait for their next release. I have loved all the books I have read by her so far and I hope that streak will continue.

I was a very happy passenger on Genevieve's journey. I got to see her and Archie fall for each other through the lessons he have her and the letters they wrote even if they didn't send them. Genevieve came close to ruining thing, by proposing something unexpected to me. I was waiting for her to say the right words (as did Archie), but in her effort to make things work she made them worse. I was very happy when I saw her trying to fix things up instead of waiting for Archie to do it. This is the kind of heroine I want. She was strong and fierce and caring. Archie was a good hero who knew what Genevieve needed and his actions showed that he didn't mind that Genevieve had more power than him as some insecure man would have felt.

There is only one tiny thing that disappointed me and that's the lack of reunion between Archie and his family. I wanted to see something grand and a couple of tears falling. After I finished the book I went for the 4 stars, but I just couldn't write that down, so I went for the 4.5 and it still didn't work. The final 5 star rating I am giving to My fair duchess feels well deserved and I really hope the readers will love this book as much as I did. The book has also earned a nomination for my top 10 books of 2017 (in 2016 I didn't manage to find 10 books, but this year seems to have better books). I can't wait for the next book to be released. show less