This book was such a delight to read! I was torn between wanting to slowly read and savor every moment, or rush as fast as I could and devour it all. Tough decision. In the end I was middle ground and thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Rebecca was such a well written and developed character. Her spunk was fun. I was laughing multiple times over her antics. And then on the other hand I loved watching her interacting with her family, neighbors and friends and seeing the kindness and love she offered them. She's trying to discover some family secrets and this causes her to sneak behind her mother and brother's backs. There are some consequences that happen from her doing this. But the growth she has to go through leaves her a better person than she was before.

And Nicholas. Oh, Nicholas. The first meeting he has with Rebecca...hysterical, embarrassing, and a whole myriad of other words. You're gonna love it! Not only that meeting but the next meeting, and the next and the next. Ha! They were all so very enjoyable. There's a bit of a misunderstanding between them, one that she thinks he understood and one that he doesn't fully understand. It's a perfect little storm by the end. And it creates some heart wrenching moments and uncertainty and some big self discovery.

Get ready for lakes, hats, horses, family time, secret escapades, shooting pistols, sudden surprises, friendship, secret notes, humor and sweet, sweet romance. *happy sigh*

This is up there as one of my top favorite Regency stories. Loved it a lot. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did if you take the chance to read it.

Content: Clean. Just kissing and nothing further.

I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

New release! @authorjoannabarker’s newest books was released today and you won’t want to miss it! I couldn’t put this book down! Rebecca and Nicolas captured my attention from the first chapter. They had such great chemistry and spunk. Their banter was fun refreshing to read. I loved Rebecca’s adventures spirit. I wasn’t sure how it all would end but it was perfect! And...I hope we can read more of Olivia’s story in the future! I highly recommend Otherwise Engaged! 5 out of 5 stars!

(4.5 stars) - from youthfully "in love with love" to discovering soul deep love

Rebecca has the passionate & impulsive soul of a romantic. Her joie de vivre brightens everyone's life, though it was once almost the death of her. She's nearly twenty, but still has some maturing to do.

Her secret relationship with her affianced Edward seems to be almost a romantic figment of her imagination.

When the practical & more philosophical Lieutenant Avery moves to the neighboring estate with his young sister, Rebecca is at first not too pleased with him. He hardly compares to her Edward. But he does make a good friend, she discovers...

Initially, Rebecca's immaturity was a little off-putting, but it's not long before we learn the reasons for it & see that she is learning as she acquires life experience. I was increasingly drawn into her story.

The Lieutenant makes an interesting hero. He is most definitely flawed - but he's learning quickly, too. The build up to the heart-melting moment he shares with Rebecca on the stairs was one of the most romantic scenes I've ever enjoyed!

The climactic conflict was unexpected & the denouement is a study in trying to discern what's right when right seems wrong. Of course, it ends happily or it wouldn't be a romance, & the ending is totally satisfying! This is one I will assuredly be reading again!

*Romance level: passionate kisses, nothing graphic

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher Covenant Communications via NetGalley. This is my honest opinion of the book.

This was the first book by this author that I've read. The book is set in 1822, several years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The author did a remarkable thing in this book. She let us see Rebecca change for the better.

My first impression of the heroine, Rebecca, was that she was reckless, selfish, and irresponsible. If something was a Bad Idea, she appeared to be irresistibly drawn to it. For example, she had once suffered a riding accident that led to a badly broken leg, where she lay for hours before she was found. Despite this, her favorite hobby was sneaking off alone so that she could race her horse across country, riding astride like a man, barebacked (no saddle), and no bridle, like the performers at Astley's Circus. I'm an animal lover and I kept picturing her horse permanently lamed or worse, from stepping in a rabbit hole.

However, Rebecca's daring also had a positive side. One day when she is out riding, she rescues a young girl from a pond at great risk to herself, as she is wearing a bulky riding habit. She and the girl's brother, Captain Nicholas Avery, make an agreement that he will be present when she is riding, for her safety. The captain has rented a property near her home and is new to the neighborhood. Rebecca befriends the naval captain's young sister, who lost her mother and then was sent to live with a cousin who mistreated her. I liked very much how Nicholas understood Rebecca and accepted her unconventional ways.

Rebecca lives with her widowed mother, her brother, and his very pregnant wife. To me, the book becomes an outstanding read beginning when the brother's wife goes into labor. During and after the long and difficult labor, Rebecca seems to begin to recognize and understand her need for excitement, how it has formed her character and influenced her decisions, small and large. From that moment on, it was an excellent book, and I recommend it to any lover of romance.

I do not know where to start with this review. There was not one thing I didn't love about this book. Except maybe Edwards mother. Please read the story, then you will agree. Within the first few paragraphs I knew I was going to love this book. It has been a long time since I have read through a book so fast. It was ending before I was ready. Joanna Barker is a new author to me, but I am already planning the next book of hers I want to read. She writes about family, morality, love and romance. Her stories include serious subjects but a lot of laugh out loud fun as well. I totally enjoyed Otherwise Engaged. If you like Regency Romance, I believe you will too.
I received a copy of this book from Covenant Communications through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Rebecca hastily engages herself to the son of her father’s former business partner. Her family are not too happy with his family and vice versa, so we have a bit of a Romeo & Juliet situation. As Rebecca works to keep her engagement secret, what she doesn’t plan on is falling in love with someone else entirely, and she fights it every step of the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The author brilliantly took a heroine I have very little in common with, whom I really cannot relate to, and immersed me so completely in her thought process that I could understand her. I loved the character development. I could see exactly how this should play out but was left in suspense as to whether it would actually work out that way or not. It is told in first person with just the one perspective, and I think that worked so well with this story.

I highly recommend to those who enjoy a good, clean romance. It pulled me right in with its charm and humor. I left feeling satisfied and inspired. That’s just what I look for in books I like to read over and over.

I really enjoyed reading Otherwise Engaged by Joanna Barker.
Rebecca is having a hard time deciding to follow her heart or head. She has a huge inner struggle on when to tell the truth, and where her heart lies. I love the mother/daughter relationship Rebecca and her mother share is amazing, which wasn't common in that day it seems.
I love the first meeting with Rebecca and the Lieutenant! It is comical and they both did not put their best foot forward. I automatically fell in love with him because of his love for his sister and that he stepped in to care for her despite her acting up all the time. Since you don't meet Edward in the beginning I questioned his motives and their relationship. He seems like a nice guy, but is there something we don't know that is a big deal breaker? It is neat to see Rebecca's relationship with Olivia grow and realize she can indeed help children and have a bond with them. At times Rebecca seems very immature but it's fun to see her grow as a person as the book continues. I relate to her impatient personality as it's what I am.
So many things in the book unveil themselves as the book moves on keeping you alert to the story and wanting to know more answers. The love story is sweet and it was beautiful to see the family dynamic.

There are so many regency books about engagement, but Joanna Barker takes a different spin on this kind of trope. She also has the gift to describe scenery with so many details, which would help the reader understand where everything took place. Rebecca is charming, witty, and determined as one should say. Nicholas was a perfect gentleman. Both had fascinating conversations, and an honest and open one at that, which I would say is a good foundation for a long-lasting relationship. The heroine’s family is also impressive, which was a plus. I had a hunch of what will happen in the end, but all is well and good because the character development was an A+ for me. Out of all the books of Joanna Barker, this will be my favorite. I highly recommend it! :)

From the moment I saw the beautiful front cover and read the blurb, I couldn’t wait to read this latest book by Joanna Barker.
Rebecca Rowley is constantly breaking the rules, according to her brother and mother. She rides bareback and has made her feelings known about the vicar’s sermons. However, her hidden engagement may not be so easily forgiven. When she discovers her family’s connection to her betrothed, she is forced to keep her secret. Yet, when she meets Lieutenant Nicholas Avery, after saving his sister, she finds herself drawn to him, like no other. Nicholas has made it clear that he does not wish to marry and yet, their friendship begins to grow the more time they spend together.
The author has brought to life, the two characters of Rebecca and Nicholas, with her beautifully flowing descriptions. They were delightful and I was captivated from the beginning. The high regard that Nicholas has for Rebecca, transpires without the need for his POV. The tenderness of his feelings whilst teasing Rebecca, was interspersed in their conversations. Whilst Rebecca is conflicted in her feelings, her justification is so heartfelt, that it is difficult to oppose her. However, I must confess to moments of frustration when I could not believe that she didn’t seem how right Nicholas was for her! Rebecca’s family members and Nicholas’ sister are also complex and add to this delightful story. I can’t wait to read more by this amazing author.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I thought the Plot line was fantastic and the dialogue between characters was so fun. I wasn’t sure how the author would wrap everything up so that everyone in the story was happy, but she managed it! I thought this book was very well done and I would for sure recommend it to everyone.

This was pretty sweet. Our heroine, Rebecca, is a bit of a rebel. She’s taught herself, secretly, to ride bareback. She learns to shoot a gun. All very scandalous things for a proper lady. She’s even entered into a secret engagement with a gentleman from an enemy family! She left him in Bath, and has come home determined to change her family’s mind.

Rebecca jumps into a pond to rescue a cranky 11 year old girl from drowning. Her brother, Nicholas, shows up and doesn’t make a good first impression on Rebecca. What a way to meet the new neighbor! He’s on leave from the Navy, suddenly the guardian of Olivia, his angry, headstrong half sister. These three just keep encountering one another.

Rebecca confides that she has a beau to Nicholas. Nicholas plans to make the Navy his life, and has chosen not to marry. They agree to a friendship, and it’s kind of wonderful. Rebecca even has a bit of influence over difficult Olivia.

The deep friendship between Nicholas and Rebecca slowly starts to feel like more. Complications ensue. There is a toe curling kiss. Then, of course, the fiancé shows up and stirs the pot. There was a bit of, “I’m such a fickle, bad person. I do not deserve either man!” nonsense from Rebecca that made me want to smack her forehead. I did love Nicholas. Everything works out neatly. It was a little too perfect without any squashed hearts. Very enjoyable overall.

Content: clean, no language, no religion.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

Miss Rebecca Rowley loved bareback riding and enjoyed it. She had seen them at Astley's when she and her mom went. She had been to Bath and had become secretly engaged. But there was a problem Her family didn't like him and his family didn't like her. They needed to find out what happened to cause the split between the two families.
Lieutenant Nicholas Avery had rented the house next door. His half-sister was there as well. He was on half-pay.
His stepmother had died and he had to come home to Olivia, his sister. The first meeting of Nicholas and Becca
was not good, she had to rescue his sister from drowning and they were rude to each other. All three of them.
I really did not care for Rebecca at first. I thought she was stuck up, sarcastic, and just rude. Olivia was also snotty but she had an excuse, her mother had died about six months ago. I haven't told you about her fiance. He seemed a very nice man but his father and possibility his mother as well, did not get along anymore with her family. It was very interesting especially when she did things she knew she should not have. It was very easy to read and there were fun spots. There always seemed to be a small crisis. I think you will enjoy the tale.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This was the perfect combination of romance and humor! Rebecca is not your typical Regency era woman- daring and courageous, and doesn’t follow all of society’s rules for women. Nicholas is not a typical Regency era gentleman- a bit rough around the edges having lived most of his life at sea. The two are a match made in heaven, except their lives are headed in two different directions. The two main characters were written very well- both with good development and very lovable. The way Nicholas embraces and celebrates Rebecca’s quirks is so heartwarming. I loved seeing the resolution at the end of the story. A delightful Regency romantic comedy!

Regency romances have their fair share of obstinate, headstrong girls, yet it is always a delight to discover another less-than-perfect heroine. Especially when “pictures of perfection, as you know, make me sick and wicked,” as the incomparable Jane Austen once wrote. Joanna Barker’s Otherwise Engaged is one such Regency romance with an imperfect heroine getting herself into unladylike scrapes and earning our respect along the way.
Rebecca Rowley is a bold, rebellious young woman with a sarcastic wit and a determination to leap over fear as if it were a hedge she wished to jump with her horse. While riding bareback. On muddy ground. Hatless. In other words, Miss Rowley had a tendency to be reckless. Her brother William admonished that “you could cut stone with a tongue that sharp.” (588)
During a visit to Brighton with a friend, Rebecca encounters Edward Bainbridge, the charming son of her deceased father’s business partner-turned-enemy. The longstanding animosity between their families is a puzzle to them both. No matter what others might think—or perhaps because of it—Rebecca does what she wishes, pursuing the enticingly off-limits Edward.
Yet she is not without remorse. She tries to be a dutiful daughter and a trustworthy sister, to protect her beloved mother and brother from worry. And it is those good intentions that lead her to hide her sudden and secret engagement to Edward. Arriving home to Havenfield in Hertfordshire, Rebecca is certain she will get to the bottom of the mysterious feud on her own and win her family over with her explanations and, eventually, her betrothed’s charm.
Rebecca’s fearless attitude, while not precisely appropriate for a Society lady, turns out to be a useful trait indeed when she unexpectedly rescues a young girl in a perilous situation. She is rewarded for her considerable efforts by making the disagreeable acquaintance of her new and seemingly unpleasant neighbors, Lieutenant Nicholas Avery and his much younger half-sister Olivia.
The following day, Rebecca is the reluctant recipient of a remorseful visit from the Avery siblings. “Oh, lovely. A forced, insincere apology. My favorite kind.” (364) But as she learns more about their unfortunate circumstances, she realizes that she “had judged them. Quite harshly, in fact.” (433) Rebecca begins to see that the initial, aloof impression they gave was a result of their uncertainty and discomfort with each other, as well as the pain of their losses.
As the burden of her secret engagement weighs heavier with each passing day, Rebecca continues to pursue answers that will allow her to reveal to her family her desire to marry Edward. “The truth was elusive, broken, and divided until it was unrecognizable.” (654)
At the same time, seeing a need for resolution—and never one to turn away from a challenge—Rebecca also begins to form tentative friendships with Nicholas and Olivia, who so desperately need to understand each other better. “Clearly, Lieutenant Avery wasn’t making any progress.” (1111) “‘Heaven knows nothing I do seems to make any difference,’” he said. “‘I think heaven knows you are trying,’ I said. ‘And that is quite good enough.’” (1113)
Rebecca begins to understand them better herself when Lieutenant Avery explains his desire to return to his naval duties:
“‘The moments of beauty make every difficulty worthwhile and every hardship bearable.’ I stared at him. I stared because I could not reconcile his words with the man who stood before me. He was a navy officer. He was strict and unyielding, self-assured and principled. I thought I’d known who he was from the moment we’d met, but clearly I had only glimpsed the surface of his character.” (757)
As Rebecca’s admiration for Nicholas grows, she must discover a way to fearlessly face her greatest challenge yet … that she is otherwise engaged.
Admittedly, I am not a fan of first-person point-of-view—having been spoiled by the multi-faceted, immersive qualities of many deep third-person stories—and I did not initially enjoy my journey in the mind of the somewhat self-centered Rebecca Rowley. But Joanna Barker’s powerful writing, as usual, persuaded me that this realistically flawed character had her redeeming qualities, after all.
The romance was slow and steady and believable. I had one expectation in particular that was thwarted with an unforeseen twist, and the conclusion left me with a contented smile.
This is a story about well-intentioned people making mistakes, yet still being worthy of happiness. It demonstrates how “love was real and strong and brave. Love was sacrifice and compromise.” (3473) Otherwise Engaged is a touching tale of friendship, devotion, and acceptance of others … just as they are.
4 out of 5 Regency Stars

On a trip to Brighton, Rebecca fell in love with the one man she shouldn't have: a man whose father was in partnership with her father until something led to a permanent breach between the families. Now back at home, she is hiding their engagement until they can work out what caused the breach and try to fix it. But another secret, bareback horse riding, introduces her to neighbours whom she finds at first disagreeable but later increasingly intriguing. Concerned that Lieutenant Avery might be attracted to her, she informs him that she already has a suitor, though she neglects to mention their engagement, and the two agree to be friends and work together to help his much younger sister. As her secrets accumulate, though, they start to escape and land her in trouble. A hurried, secret engagement between two whose families are at war and a growing relationship between the girl and her neighbour. Can any way be found out of the mess without someone being hurt badly?

I'm not a fan of love triangles because it feels like someone always gets hurt, but I was pleased with the way things worked out in this case - not quite how I had expected, but better. It's an enjoyable story, clean and well written, and I particularly appreciated the way that Rebecca and the lieutenant each helped the other to be a better person. A good read - 4.5 stars.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

I know it’s going to be a great reading experience when the author has me engaged from the first sentence. This is a great read!

In this entertaining tale that takes place during the Georgian era, a young woman is secretly engaged to a man from a family that is not on good terms with her family. While she tries to figure out a way to heal the rift so they may announce their engagement, she encounters another man who appears to show interest. That’s when the fun begins! How do you get rid of someone your family likes while getting them to accept someone with whom they do not wish to connect? Even more, what is the problem that occurred between the families? Will the problem be revealed and then resolved? These are not new problems. However, the author has written such an entertaining story that the reader will find it difficult, if not impossible, to put this book down.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book provided by the publisher and Net Galley. However, the thoughts expressed are my own.

Rebecca finds life stifling and tries to rebel at all times. She rides her horse bareback which is definitely a Nono for English misses! She becomes secretly engaged to a man who she knows her family will not approve of and she hasn’t found a way to tell them of her new status because she has to have her brothers approval she is underage.

Lieutenant Nicholas Avery finds himself called back from the Navy to become the guardian of his precocious 9 year old half-sister. He accidentally meets Rebecca when his sister finds herself in need of saving in the pond and Rebecca is the rescuer.
Rebecca finds the Lieutenant attractive and has a flirtatious moment with him and finds herself appalled that how could she be thinking of him that way and be engaged to another.

So, what happens when the engaged man enters the picture and throws havoc into this volatile situation.

Overall, the storyline is predictable but it was a lighthearted read.
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

So: first, what I didn't like. To me, the story needed to be longer! I see a lot of Regencies (from Covenant House especially) that are in the 200s page-count. It's a shame for many of them because they really center on the romance alone. While I'm a sucker for a good Regency romance, I love additional things like backstory, fleshed out characters, more MC solo motivation for life goals...that kind of thing. So while this was a lovely read, it could've been longer with more uniqueness within this genre.

As mentioned a line ago, this was a lovely read. The banter was well-done and the plot moved fast. Dialogue (aka banter) is a big deal for me, and Barker hit it here.

*Received a review copy through Netgalley, but in no way has this review been influenced by the publisher or others.

What a cute Regency romance!! I always love a strong female lead and a swoony male lead!! This is a perfect cozy, lose yourself in the fun romance!!

I really enjoyed this book. When I first opened it and read the first few paragraphs I was afraid I wouldn't like it. However, as I read more I came to really enjoy it. There was a slight element of mystery (although when it was resolved it was rather simple, not drawn out, so do not think this is a mystery novel.) I liked Nicholas and the developing romance between him and Rebecca.

This is a standalone book. You may recognize Rebecca's brother and sister-in-law from their own story but you can read this book without having read theirs first.