It's a nice book but the storyline isnt overly creative. I've read too many books with the same plot.

Ophelia has a dilemma, she must choose a husband or one will be chosen for him. After long consideration she has it narrowed to three, but such one is the one. Sidney Mason, who has been a good friend for a long time offers to help her decide. However, he has an ulterior motive. He wants her for himself, if he could only convince her and her deadline to choose is fast approaching. What will be do? Maybe sabotage will work? Can he show Ophelia her suitors "bad" sides? I have read several of Rachael Miles books and enjoyed them. This one is not my favorite, but not a bad read.

Ophelia was to pick someone to marry and had three suitors to choose from but it had been months now since she narrowed it down to three men, Each man offered her her a different sort of life. Ophelia said she had considered every option and marriage was the best option for her.Ophelia couldn’t decide between them. Then her cousin Judith warned her that her father the Duke was going to make her and her sisters into his home and decide who they would marry. Ophelia had until Friday to decide if she wanted to make her own choice. Ophelia’s long time friend and next store neighbor Sidney offered to help Ophelia choose, he would find out more about the men for her. But actually Sidney loved Ophelia and wanted her to marry him.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Sidney and Ophelia as their relationship grows. This was a novella so a short read but it didn’t lack anything as far as i am concerned. This kept my attention form the beginning to the end. I would have liked a little more action. I really liked Sidney as he helps Ophelia and the men that are courting her. I liked the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend.

I really enjoyed this quick read and fell in love with Sidney a bit myself!!

This is a great little addition to the Muses' Salon series!

A short but lovely novella. That kept my attention, it was very sweet and I enjoyed the friends to lovers element very much.

This was an OK story for me. Ophelia must choose a husband before the choice is taken away from her. Sidney Mason, her next door neighbor and friend, has loved Ophelia since he first laid eyes on her, but she has clearly kept him in the friend category. The story moves forward as Sidney tries to convince Ophelia that his love is pure.

While the writing was well done and I did love Sidney's character, I didn't feel any sense of urgency or loss as Ophelia continues to waffle between her suitors. I thought her character naive and a little shallow that she couldn't figure out what Sidney's motives were for visiting the family so much. Perhaps if the book was a full-length novel, Ophelia's character could have been more fully explored.

3.5 Stars
'Charming Ophelia' by Rachael Miles is book 3.5 in the "The Muses' Salon" series. This is the story of Ophelia Elliot and Sidney Mason and is about 115 pages long.
This was a nice Friends to lovers/romance story. Sidney has always had feelings it seems more on the Romantic side for Ophelia then on the friendship side. Ophelia has settled on three gentleman of who might would make a good husband. Sidney has been playing the friendship card but now he is serious about showing her another side of him. Sidney goes through with showing flaws with the gentlemen that she has chosen.

1805


Ophelia Gardiner is avoiding marriage because she cannot seem to choose which suitor suits her. Her large family is urging her to make a choice and are offering their opinions.

One suitor is Sidney Mason, a neighbor. The man has grace, style, and is cheerful. But Ophelia insists that they could only ever be friends. While Sidney is a good choice, Ophelia feels he is so enmeshed in his Parliament duties that theirs would not be a good marriage. However, Sidney is quite skilled in his diplomacy which helps to improve cooperation between the political factions.

Today is Ophelia’s birthday and all of her family and friends have given her gifts. Tonight, Sidney is taking all of them to a play. There, he begins to point out the things that might make his competition for Ophelia’s hand look bad. He does try to list the good things and bad things of each man for her to consider.

Sidney seems to be the perfect choice but Ophelia wonders if their marriage would be boring. Whom will she choose?

This is simply an OK story and I felt it lacked real substance to make it appeal to readers. Unfortunately, it did not appeal to me. I did like Sidney and found him to be a terrific choice and couldn’t figure out why Ophelia seemed so blasé about making a choice.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. In order for it to be her choice of husbands, Ophelia needs to marry before the Duke takes control. Simon, who is in love with Ophelia tries to convince her he is the best choice over her three candidates. Things work out for them in the end. It is a nicely written book and is appropriate for any age group.

This is a delightful novella. The book description gives a true synopsis of the story and the book is entertaining in the ways that Sydney tries to convince Ophelia that there is no other suitor for her hand than he. The “ways” are a bit outlandish but they seem to work. This is a quick and easy, sweet bon-bon of a book. Sydney is the perfect Hero but I do wonder why Ophelia hasn’t seen his worth before now. I highly recommend this book to all romance readers.

Ophelia Elliot is trying to decide who to marry and enlists the help of Sidney Mason, the one person who she does love, to help her make this decision. Sidney is also in love with Ophelia and has been waiting patiently for her to realise that she loves him in return. The dialogue was lovely but at times, I hoped for more romance. Ms Miles has done a wonderful job of bringing the two characters to life in this novella; however, I thought Sidney and Ophelia’s story was worth greater development.
Both characters were delightful; Sidney was warm and patient with Ophelia, who was so oblivious to Sidney’s obvious flirting.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As always, i am giving an honest review in return for an ARC. Definitely a worthy read. A story that will bring into focus those things which we often do not see. Love is not made up of black and white but rather all the grey bits that are less evident.

A enjoyable read. A slow sweet romance. Not a lot of meat so to say, but a romance that would be touching in heart and soul. The pace while slow is steady. I would for my own preference like to have a little more action, however, I enjoyed the story. I loved the characters and the depth of heart the story showed. A family that is understanding and compassionate as well as wise and funny. A heroine that is a little clueless about feelings but wise in life. A hero that is shy but steadfast. A captivating enjoyable sweet romance! A good read! I was given this book in return for a honest review. Anna

This was a wonderful addition to The Muse's Salon series! One of the things that I enjoy most about this series, is that you do not have to have read any of the other books in order to enjoy the next.

For a novella, these characters were well developed, and the story-line moved just fast enough to keep and hold the reader's interest. I enjoyed watching the romance between Sidney and Ophelia bloom, and I was definitely excited to find out that these two characters will appear in a later (hopefully full length) novel. I can't wait to read more about their love story and their adventures together!

I believe this story will still appeal to a lot of romance fans and I will definitely continue on with The Muse's Salon series!

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

3.5 stars
Ophelia Elliot has delayed marriage long enough. Now, for the sake of her future, she must choose between three impatient suitors otherwise her husband may be chosen for her. She’s determined to use only the most rational of methods to make her decision & when her dear friend, Sidney Mason, offers to help, his dashing looks and irresistible laughter have delighted her for years but Sidney is not a suitable prospect, as a member of Parliament, he’s already married to the state.
Sidney finds Ophelia infuriatingly stubborn but he’s loved her for years. Convincing her that she must marry for love & his love will be a formidable challenge.
A short quick clean read that I read in a sitting. The pace of the story is good & kept my interest. The characters are well drawn & have quite some depth for a novella. This is part of a series & whilst could well be read in isolation, as with all series I have to read from the start. Sidney’s ‘challenges’ are inventive & different. I look forward to more in the series

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I have loved this writer and this series since the beginning – and I liked this novella as well. This was a very slow, very sweet, very deliberate story. It just didn’t feel like it was enough. I wanted more. Hopefully we’ll see more of these two in later stories.

Sidney Mason is a hard working, much appreciated member of parliament and he’s in love with Ophelia Elliott. He’s been in love with her for a very long time and has been very patient while waiting for her to discover she loves him too. Ophelia thinks Sidney just feels sorry for her and is determined to marry someone else – until he shows her the true character of the others – and what she’d be missing with him.

I think you’ll enjoy the story, just know that it will leave you wanting more!

"I requested and received this book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

This book was a little confusing, I'd read the others in the series, but for some reason had difficulty placing this couple in the scheme of things, perhaps it's a prequel novella? Liked the H and h very much, but found her refusal to consider him a suitor for her affection a great frustration. I already want to go back through the other books to place the characters.

I enjoyed this read for what it was, but it wasn’t quite enough. It started slowly and ended abruptly. I'll explain.

Usually when a book has a bit of a slow start it means the author is meticulously setting the scene. Almost always, the story picks up but the details remain, making for a longer story, but one that is solid and fulfilling. This read is different in that at the 90% mark the story was finally moving in the direction I wanted and then it was over. The characters got a HEA, but I didn't get a satisfying courtship, a few scenes of them discovering how they fit perfect intimately, or witnessing the Duke's reaction that he's been thwarted. I was lured in and then cheated of all the yumminess that makes a great romance.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a novella type read, two characters who you know are perfect together and like your romances sans sex, this will likely fit the bill.

I received an ARC of this book, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Boring. The heroine falls into the too stupid to live category and hero is just so perfectly perfect that the story has no teeth to keep it interesting.

What a wonderful story. This is one you should not miss. The author has taken her characters and made them glow. The storyline shows their frustration and anger but also their kindness, consideration and love. I could not put the book down until I finished it.. I am so glad I got the chance to read it. I was given this book for an honest review.