DELIGHTFUL!!! I’ve read several series tackling fairy tale variations and I don’t think I’ve ever read a Snow White one. Snow White is not one of my favorite princesses so it’s not a story that I would seek out, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself with this book. Fairy tale books are usually a bit more bonkers than normal historicals and that’s okay. Helena and Declan were wonderful couple. I became obsessed with Helena when she went to the stables in the nightgown that she wears when she wants to “appear ghostly or unhinged.” You gotta a love a heroine with a touch of drama.

I have to admit that I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that it took me waaayyyy too long to figure out that this was a Snow White retelling. Like literally chapter 12, 42% through the book, when the Potential Duchesses started being referred to by the names of the Seven Dwarfs. And then things like the Hero being known as the Huntsman and the apples began clicking. It’s not like any of the allusions to Snow White were overly subtle. I’m just dumb. It also took me way too long to figure out the book’s title is a play on “a doctor a day.”

I actually had to check Goodreads to see if had read Charis Michaels before and I had read one of her books. I am defiantly going to have to track down more because this one was such wonderful fluff and exactly what I needed.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Delightfully cute, fluffy romance with a nod to Snow White. This isn't a retelling but has Snow White references. Declan Shaw, "the Huntsman" is a mercenary. He is hired to keep Lady Helena from bolting away from the wedding she has been avoiding for five years. Helena's family arranges a marriage to the financial benefits of both families but it means losing her beloved apple forest and marrying a Duke who has no interest in her. She has a short time period to find potential duchesses that might attract the Dukes attentions and get him to break the engagement. Shaw is given to Lady Helena as a new groomsman while her family stays with the Duke and his uncle Titus. She enlists his help in her plans.

This is a fantasy story set in a regency type time period. I was first drawn in by the beautiful and quickly found the story entertaining and fun. The romance to me was the weaker part of the book. The instant attraction felt rushed as Lady Helena is confident but not worldly. She has been engaged and not out in society. I like her plotting and her ability to get Shaw to help in her plans. She speaks freely and openly with him even when she shouldn't trust him. I found it best to put serious questions out of my mind and just enjoy the fun. It is mild on the steaminess scale.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers and the author for a ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

💫 Q: what’s your fave fairy tale?

I’ll be honest: I didn’t put together all of the references to Snow White in Charis Michaels’s A Duchess a Day until after the book was over 😆. But I’m blaming that all on me/maybe a little 2020, & whether some of the references sailed over my head or not I enjoyed the heck out of this book by a new-to-me-author.

Declan Shaw, aka the Hunstman, is a mercenary who’s been falsely imprisoned. A dastardly man, the uncle of a duke, says he’ll pay Declan & have him released from Newgate...if he agrees to serve as a bodyguard of sorts ensuring that the duke’s intended, the very reluctant Lady Helena Lark, not escape before the nuptials. As she’s tried before.

While in his guise as a groom, Declan is introduced to Helena, who’s beautiful, determined, smart, & devoted to her orchard & people back home. (She literally has traveled to London with some of her 🍎.)

Readers, though he doesn’t come out & say it, Declan is pretty much immediately gone for her *double fist pumps.

But of course there are lots of obstacles standing in the way of true love 💕, including the fact that the duke needs a duchess & Helena refuses to volunteer or accept the position.

For me, the premise almost seems to share some of the things I love from what I consider my “classic” romance novel loves. Like maybe a Garwood? (Please don’t come for me if you don’t agree 🤣).

✅ A brawny hero torn by obligation & desire.

✅ A beautiful heroine who’s also eccentric in some ways, resourceful, & caring

✅ Some humor

But with a fresh, entertaining spin on it.

There are some narrative intrusions that feel a little strange to me, a joke that feels somewhat insensitive, & one of the characters seems to change his/her mind about something in a way that feels kinda sudden, but I’ll be honest: I don’t know how critically I read this one; I just enjoyed it 🤷🏻‍♀️ . Low angst, 🔥, sweetness, working-class hero: yes, yes, yes, & YES.

4 ⭐️. A Duchess a Day releases on 11/10. Thanks to Avon & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

*Received an e-arc from Netgalley but that in no way influences my review.

This was so good! My first book by Charis Michaels; but I already want to read more.

This is an enchanting twist on Snow White; Helena an earl's oldest daughter who loves her forest and apple trees in trapped in an engagement with a duke that cares nothing for her. After avoiding marriage for 5 years; the time has finally come for her to marry him or get out of the horrid situation for good. Declan Shaw is a mercenary, soldier for hire, recently freed from prison after being falsely accused. These two have an instant connection when Declan is hired to "mind" Helena to ensure she gets to the altar. Love ensues.

Sweet book with a strong heroine and dreamy, respectful hero.

Lady Helena Lark, an heiress with a plan, has spent years trying to escape her betrothal and pending wedding to the drunk and dull Duke of Lusk, Bradley Gridleston. She’s evaded, refused, and even ran away—more than a handful of times. When her family’s patience runs out, they pack her off to London to walk down the aisle but Helena has another idea—find a more suitable bride to take her place, even if she must look for a replacement duchess every day (which later to be revealed as a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs reference) that prompts an unlikely alliance with Declan Shaw, better known as “The Huntsman,” who is a mercenary who can pick and choose his clientele. After his last job, escorting a young noblewoman, Knightly Snow, to France, landed him in jail under false accusations, he wants nothing to do with aristocrats or women but the law isn’t done with him, and if he agrees to babysit a duke’s errant fiancé, the payout could make his legal troubles go away.

When their polar opposite worlds collide, Declan realizes that containing his new client is only slightly harder than keeping his hands off her while Helena senses an ally in her handsome new bodyguard and solicits his help. Together they must escape the forces that oppose them and fight for the fairy-tale love they desire, leaving readers with a strong lasting impression.

Embarking on this read, I am shook. This was waaaaaay better than I had originally expected and to think I wasn’t going to request this ARC on Netgalley but thank goodness I ignored my stupid thoughts and took the plunge.

Helena was hands down one of the best heroines I have read in a historical romance in a very long long time! She oozes confidence, was playful and forward with Declan, and remained true to herself throughout the novel. Declan and Helena had a great balance in their romance. There wasn’t any winey, woe me moments and they took a realistic approach to their bubbling relationship (pros/cons) and made it work. They complimented each other so well despite their backgrounds and I instantly fell in love with these characters and that also included the sides Knightly (she’s a riot!) and Lusk (more so after Knightly resurfaces).

I sincerely hope the next installment to the series, ‘When You Wish Upon a Duke’, features Knightly and Lusk. He did a complete 180 when she came out of hiding. He was no longer, dull, boring, drunk and a pushover when it came to his uncle. I really need more of this couple now and I would be utterly devastated if we don’t get to see more of them in the future. My fingers are crossed!

noooooooo that was or is my reaction to this book. I fell in love with the cover, I mean who wouldn't. But that was my downfall i read the blurb and also liked but I love fairtytales , I mean we grew up with them and who doesn't turn into a kid when they go to Disney, I sure do and I love watching the movies, but I dont like them being portrayed in books, it doesn't work for me, everyone has there own taste and that for me is a no, so when I started reading which I am sad to say I was bored immediately then I couldn't connect with the main characters and the storyline, so I am giving this a pass, and was sad that I had these other books to read and I put this first, shoot.

Declan Shaw is a mercenary known as "the Huntsman" who finds himself in jail under false accusations. Meamwhile, Lady Helena Lark has been trying to avoid getting married to the Duke of Lusk for the last five years.

Declan is approached with an offer to get released from jail, and a tempting payoff, if he can only make sure Helena doesn't run away from her wedding with the Duke. Helena schemes to get out of her upcoming marriage with the Duke once and for all and enlists Declan's help. Once they begin working closely feelings develop between Declan and Helena as they try to get out of the tangled mess they're in and claim their own happily ever after together.

I loved the premise of this book and the cover is absolutely beautiful. The first chapter really drew me in and had me hooked to find out how this little plot would resolve. I loved the unique way the author used some of the elements of Snow White, it gave this story a very regency like fairy tale feel that was a lot of fun.

But I felt like the romance between the two characters was too rushed, it didn't feel real to me, they went from attraction to love in the blink of an eye, and I had a hard time being invested in their love story. I was a little frustrated with Helena's selfishness and found her a difficult character to like. There was very little depth to any of the characters actually and I wasn't as emotionally invested in their lives as I had hoped to be. The ending was wrapped up too neatly and too quickly and wasn't as satisfyingly as I had hoped.

But overall this was a fun read with a unique twist on Snow White. I'm interested to read more of this series from this author.

I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes we want to like a specific book or author, the synopsis sounds great, the book has beautiful cover art, the genre is a favorite preference, but sadly the stars do not align and a reader has to declare a DNF (did not finish). This is what happened to me with "A Duchess A Day." I love the play on the prosaic phrase " an apple a day" with the title. I believe the story was a fairy tale retelling of Snow White there were subtle hints in the story, but I had to give up on this book. Which is sad because I love fairy tales and fairy tale retellings.

This book starts out by introducing Lady Helena Lark, who has been somewhat successful at avoiding her betrothed marriage to a dullard, the Duke of Lusk. The day has finally come when avoidance or theatrics will not keep this marriage at bay that the couple does not seem to want. But it would financially benefit both families, so it must happen. The Duke's uncle runs the Duke and can be likened to the Evil Queen in the fairy tale of Snow white. I"m not sure what that makes the Duke, though, Dopey in the Disney version? Declan Shaw, a mercenary is hired to keep Lade Helena at the property to be delivered like a trussed up turkey in wedding finery on said day. She uses her wit and sarcasm to enlist Declan and potential others to help find a more suitable bride for the Duke so she may go back to her apple orchards and crofters. You know eventually that Lady Helena will fall in love with Declan, how they get to that point, is the rest of the story. It sounds like an interesting premise, however the start of the story was slow, it was hard to have drive to read this book, the only conclusion I can make in my near perpetual state of sleep like the poisoned Snow White, is that the author and I don't jive. It happens as a reader, even when we don't want it to happen. It a perfect scenario, all books read would be five stars. This book may be fine for some readers, I certainly don't ding it like some books, but this is my second abandoned book by the author. I will move on, and give my rating on what I read as a two star read. Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for giving this recently returned book reviewer the opportunity to read this book. If you are a fan of the author, I hope you enjoy this story.

A fun and unique twist on a beloved fairytale. Passionate and witty, with feisty, strong-willed main characters that were fairly sizzling with chemistry on the page. With so many hidden gems harkening back to the classic Snow White tale, and protagonists I couldn’t help but cheer for, I was hooked from beginning to end!

A Duchess a Day is the first book by Charis Michaels that I've read, and I really enjoyed it! Lady Helena has spent the past five years avoiding her wedding to the Duke of Lusk, but her evasion tactics have finally failed. Declan Shaw, the Huntsman, is a mercenary accused of murdering his last client. The Duke of Lusk's steward gets Declan out of jail in order to guard Helena and make sure the wedding goes through. Helena, however, has other plans. She will track down eligible potential duchesses and throw them at the Duke until he finds one worth breaking their engagement for. In order to find these women, Helena needs Declan's help.

The book was a fun historical romance with a lot of "Snow White" elements thrown in, which added a lot of flavor. I really enjoyed Michaels' character building and plotting, and a lot of the side characters were very interesting (I'm really hoping Helena's sister gets her own book!). I will be going back and reading more of Charis Michaels' work for sure!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this book. A Duchess a Day is available November 10.

NOTE: This review will be posted to social media/blog closer to publishing date, and on retail sites upon publication.

Charis takes the Snow White fable and turns it upside down and inside out.

In the very best of ways, the Snow White tale get an overhaul. Helena Lark is being forced to marry a horrid duke. Her master plan is to foist him off on another willing girl. Its her only hope. Hence, the duchess a day or is that her seven dwarfs?

Declan Shaw is taken out of prison to be her guard/groom. He's the huntsman, a mercenary caught between a rock and a hard place, well, prison, anyway.

Declan and Helena like each other, they have great chemistry and their dialog sparkles.
Helena is refreshing and Declan in his huntsman costume at a masquerade ball is a total Arrow fantasy.
I had such fun reading this book because Helena and Declan have so much fun with each other. Of course there's the ever looming threat of prison for Declan and Helena's upcoming nuptials to the Duke of Lusk to muddy the waters.
Highly recommend.

I recieved an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Helena Lark has been engaged to the detestable Duke of Lusk for 5 years, She has tried everything to avoid marrying Lusk, and has even gotten to the point of running away. The Duke's uncle hires mercenary Declan Shaw straight from Newgate to make sure that Helena doesn't go anywhere again. Helena pulls Declan into her scheme of finding a new bride for Lusk, and hoping that he throws her over for a new love.

I enjoyed this book. I wouldn't say that I loved it, but it was cute. I liked the idea of all the girls having similar qualities to the 7 dwarfs since this is a retelling of Snow White. I thought Helena was a strong character, but at times I wish I felt more of her despair about her situation. She was always overly optimistic. If I was being forced to marry someone I loathed, and my plans weren't working out I would have felt like the world was closing in on me. I wanted to feel some of that from her. I liked Declan too. I thought it was interesting he was a groom, and that anyone believed it since he was so big and muscular. I felt that the reasons they would have trouble being together were legitimate and that kept the plot going. The only other thing that bugged me was how easily everything was wrapped out. It felt a little rushed. Overall, it was a sweet story and I'm looking forward to reading the next book!

I really wanted to love this book. I tried really hard to get into it, but it fell a little flat for me. I liked the idea of the characters and plot better than the actual execution. I found Declan's character fairly engaging to read about. I really wanted to connect with Helena, but she felt a little all over the place to me. The writing was clunky in places, but overall fine. I just never clicked with this one, unfortunately.

Lady Helena Lark tried for years to avoid marrying the dull Duke of Lark who her parents want her to marry to use his connections to make a path through the land she was left by her grandmother. Land that houses tenants she cares about and her beloved orchard that also provides an income. When her family forces her to London, she gets assigned a bodyguard, Declan Shaw. For his part, Declan is being coerced by the duke's uncle to get Helena down the aisle or he will end up back in prison. Helena devises a plan to find women who want to become a duchess at any cost and enlists Duncan's aide to put the plan in action. Declan soon finds Helena irresistible in spite of him trying to stay on task, so he can help his aging father and younger sisters.

GAH! I loved this book so much!! I love Helena's mind and how funny she was. I loved the slow burn of Declan trying to resist her. All of it it was so fun and made such an interesting read, because it had twists and turns you didn't see coming. I can't wait to read the next one in the series!!

Cute romance about a highly determined lady who refuses to become a duchess, and the mercenary who can’t keep his hands off her. There’s some 7 dwarfs inspiration, a nasty uncle, oblivious parents, one loyal sister and host of other colorful minor characters. I enjoyed One Duchess a Day.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Helena Lark has been trying and failing to prevent her marriage to the Duke of Lusk for five long years. Her heart's desire is to preserve the apple orchard on the corner of her family's estate that her grandmother entrusted to her before her death. Helena's last resort is to get the duke to overthrow his controlling uncle and jilt her for a woman of his choosing. She plans to dangle as many women as possible in front of Lusk in the hope that one enchants him.

What Helena did not count on, is the controlling Uncle to hire a mercenary out of prison to pose as her "groom". Helena has to convince Declan, her groom, to take her side and help her in her desperate plan. Somehow along the way they fall in love and have to figure out a sure way to save Helena from a marriage to Lusk.

This story is a reinvented Snow White retelling. It was entertaining, but I found myself not connecting with the characters. There was just too much going on with all the potential heiresses and Helena and Declan running around. It just felt so contrived and illogical.

I recieved a copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my honest review.

A fluffy rendering of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Helena has been trying to escape her engagement to the Duke of Lusk for five years. Her final plan is to find him a woman he will instantly fall in love with at a party and break the engagement no matter how much he needs her land for his business. The Duke’s uncle has Declan released from prison to pose as a groom to ensure she doesn’t run off before the wedding. The potential brides are the dwarfs, Sleepy, Grumpy etc. Each is met very briefly. There is no depth to any of the characters or logic to the situation. I had a hard time staying interested.

A lady known as the "runaway bride" and a mercenary blackmailed out of Newgate to be her "private groom," conspire to find a replacement bride for the Duke she doesn't want to marry. Her plan to interview seven prospective brides tends to have some hilarious consequences. Not to mention, no lady should be so attracted to her groom and no groom should be attracted to this particular lady. A laugh out loud adventure of how to get out of marrying a Duke.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Well I wouldn't want to marry the Duke either. What a pig! Loved the story. Loved that our couple fell in love and were willing to suffer any consequences to be together. We met such interesting people along the way! Truly hated the Uncle, such a manipulative prig...and glad that in the end, the Duke was a little bit more bearable. Good adventure, lovely romance.

A Duchess a Day is a fun, smart, and romantic love story. The novel focuses on Declan Shaw and Lady Helena Lark, a mercenary and an heiress. Declan is a mercenary wrongly imprisoned for murder. When he has the opportunity to be released with the agreement to serve as an heiresses bodyguard, Declan reluctantly takes the offer. Helena is an heiress who has been trying to break her engagement to a disinterested, inebriated, and philandering fiancee for five years.

An unwilling participant in an arranged marriage, Helena refuses to be a pawn in her parents’ greedy schemes, especially when her marriage will result in the destruction of the land that she holds dear. Helena determines, with Declan’s help, to find other suitable women to entice her betrothed and, hopefully, break the engagement. However, neither Helena nor Declan planned to develop feelings for each other, especially considering the impossible positions they are both in. How can they be together when life threatens to tear them apart?

I loved Helena and Declan’s story. They are so different, yet they complement each other well. Declan is tough, while Helena is naive. He is experienced, and she is innocent. However, both are passionate, strong, and stubborn, and they both have a quick wit, which adds to their fantastic chemistry. They also seem to understand each other well. As both characters are misunderstood and used, Helena and Declan are drawn to one another. I loved how their relationship blossomed.

Unfortunately, Declan doesn’t feel like he is good enough for Helena. She is an heiress, and he is a mercenary. He has the threat of prison looming over him, and he has three family members to care for. He doesn’t want to burden her with his problems. Helena, in turn, feels invisible and helpless and has no one to turn to. She hates the vapid, materialistic society that her parents have forced her to be a part of and wishes to return to her quieter life at her apple orchard. Declan is the first person to really see her, understand her, and support her. The pair brings out the best in each other, and their characters are dynamically developed.

A Duchess a Day is a witty and swoon-worthy historical romance with dynamic protagonists and a well-paced plot. Readers who enjoy feisty main characters and a HEA will love this story! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.