This felt like a coming-of-age story where the heroine is already of age. She learns from the past, comes to understand her own choices, and own her mistakes. She startlingly brave, and a perfect match for the hero (who is so perfect his only defect is impatience). Another beautiful story from Joanna Barker.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a lovely story with characters you could relate to. The heroine feels stifled by her life, the expectations of her time and family. She just wants to be herself, even if her interests are outside the norm for a female. With a secret engagement and a family secret to uncover, she only has one friend she can turn to, the new neighbor, who doesn't mind her unconventional interests. As time passes, sparks fly, but she isn't sure which sparks she should encourage and which ones need stamped out before they grow.

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Otherwise Engaged by Joanna Barker
Otherwise Engaged
by Joanna Barker (Goodreads Author)
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Rebecca has struggled to live within the expectations of the society in which she was born. Having tasted excitement and adventure in brief moments, she seeks the thrills that only an adventurous life can bring, from bareback riding, to shooting guns, and even hiding an engagement to a member of a family that is her own family's foe.
Nicholas has been thrust into becoming the guardian of his much younger step-sister after the deaths of his father and step-mother. He is on leave from the Navy and desperately misses life at sea. He moves his sister and himself into a country home for a short while to see if it will benefit them and to find a school for his sister if he is called away.
Sparks fly when the two protagonists meet, even when Rebecca shares of her secret engagement. Whether these two end up together or the dashing Edward sweeps Rebecca away in the end is yet to be seen (you have to read it to find out).
I am generally not a fan of historical fiction. The time period of this novel is not my fave. I did find that the author showed a family that was much less stringent with societal rules than is normal for the time period. Certainly most women would not have had the choices or opportunities that Rebecca had. She was allowed to be much more independent than normal.
I found the storyline to be interesting and watching the tension between Rebecca and Nicholas was intriguing. The author did a wonderful job writing this novel. It may notbhave made me a lover of historical fiction but it did help me realize that there are gems amongst the genre

I received an ARC on Netgalley but freely give my honest review.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a delightful and clean Recency romance. I loved everything about this book and didn't want it to end. Main character, Rebecca, was flawed but her flaws were relateable and the author did a great job of developing her character. Rebecca thinks she knows who she is and who to marry but learns much over the course of the novel. Lt. Avery is a delightful character and his interactions with sister Olivia are endearing. This book will be added to my favorites amongst Edenbrook and The India Orchid!!!! Loved it and definitely a 5 star read!!!!

This is the first book I have read from this author. I enjoyed the character development, I loved Rebecca's joy and hope and spirit. The side characters were fun, and I am hoping there are some additional books out there about them. I will be looking for this author again.

Goodness, I certainly didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did (was that a backwards compliment, because that wasn't how I intended it to come out..)! I don't usually enjoy books as much when written from first person POV, but I was drawn in from the first chapter and could hardly put it down after that. Rebecca is a fiery, full-of-life daring woman who is secretly engaged to her own real-life Romeo. Keeping her secret, however, becomes increasingly difficult as she and her intended attempt to puzzle out the rift between the families, along with the arrival of a dashing Lieutenant Avery.

While I truly enjoyed this read, there is one little gripe I have, the kisses Rebecca and Nicholas share before Rebecca has an honest discussion with Edward. Rebecca beat herself up for getting caught up in the moment and kissing one man while engaged to another, yet Nicholas seems hardly affected. Rebecca, while she may have been vague, did inform Nicholas from the very beginning she had an understanding with another. But because 'the vow haven't been said yet', it's okay to kiss another man because you aren't sure of your true feelings? Umm...I don't think that's how it works, Nicholas.

However, I absolutely love Nicholas's character in all other aspects; he's not afraid to call out Rebecca, force her to face her fears, yet encourage her to 'fly' as she so desperately wants. If you want a book to read that will have you smiling from the first chapter till the last, this one is for you!

I received an e-book from the publisher via Netgalley, but this title is going on my to-buy list!

Having never read a book by Joanna Barker before, I was curious about "Otherwise Engaged." Based on the growing relationship between spunky, feisty Rebecca and stoic, yet charming Lieutenant Avery, Barker does an excellent job of making the story come alive. I really enjoyed the sparks between Rebecca and her beau, and was thankful that the hurdles they faced were not just tied up neatly like is so often done in romance novels. I greatly enjoyed this book, and will be looking into more books by Joanna Barker!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A lovely, clean romance with a brave and lively female character! Don’t miss this one!

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a delightful read. Loved the characters and their story. I'm not always a fan of love triangles but this one worked. Rebecca undertook great growth and self understanding over the course of the book. Edward and Nicholas were both worthy suitors and very likable so I wanted them both to be happy.

I love a strong female that is willing to go against society norms to make her own life. And I love a hero that is supportive of said woman. And this book was very much that.

I have enjoyed all of Ms. Barker's books and I add this one to that list.

No sex, language or violence
*I received a complimentary ARC through NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

A story of a young girl named Rebecca and her journey of discovering herself and her darkest and deepest parts of herself. She learns through her family and friends that she is nit the girl she has believed herself to be. she grows and falls in love and discovers that everyone has their own secrets.
An inspiring story of daring and sacrifice for true love.
I enjoyed this book and I appreciate it for what it does. It gave me definitely ideas of new passions to pursue. It also taught me to be brave and not hold back.

"Otherwise Engaged" is a romance set in 1822 in England. Rebecca has entered into a thrilling secret engagement with a charming, handsome man that she barely knows. She does know that her family would never approve because of a long-standing feud between their dead fathers. She's certain that she can get her mother's approval if only she can discover the reason behind the feud, but that turns out to be more difficult than she expected. When she meets Nicholas while out secretly bareback riding and he willingly keeps her secret and even admires her skill, she begins to question whether her betrothed will be so supportive of her unusual interests.

The characters were engaging, likable, and reacted realistically to events. Rebecca wasn't self-centered; she simply longed for more adventure than social custom (and her protective brother) allowed. I liked how Rebecca and Nicholas became best friends that supported and built each other up, and that this was the foundation of their growing attraction. When conflict occurred, both were quick to ask for forgiveness and see where they were at fault. And they could laugh and joke together. Both grew in maturity and character throughout the story. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this very enjoyable historical romance.

I really enjoyed this by Joanna Barker, it had me laughing and it was a sweet love story. I would definitely recommend. I loved that it’s a clean but swoony regency romance.

Wow. This such an incredible read! Joanna Barker has such a way with words and this book was no exception.

I loved getting to know Ms. Rebecca Rowley. She's such a wonderful heroine with her fiery spirit, her heart for adventure, and all of that made even more exciting with her self-teaching how to ride bareback(!). Of course, for such a girl who loves to rebel against society's rules there has to be a true Hero who could match her in actions and character, and that's none other than Lieutenant Nicholas Avery. Their meet-cute was... not so cute *grins* but it set the scene for how their friendship, and then relationship, would play out perfectly.

Granted, I was not a fan of the secret, previous engagement, but the pace at which the author set the events in this book felt right. The getting to know each other, their friendship, and then slowly falling for each other was sprinkled with either swoon-worthy or funny quotes that made it all that much more believable. Oh, and while others have already mentioned that first kiss, which, don't get me wrong, is beautiful and really sweet, I'm much more a fan of the second one ;).

Of course, the cast of side characters was also perfect, and I enjoyed getting to see these other sides to Rebecca's character and personality through her relationships with her mother, brother, sister-in-law, as well as Olivia.

Overall, a beautiful sweet Historical Romance read, perfect to curl up with on a rainy day, or any day ;) and which fans of the author (or the genre) are sure to enjoy :) ~ 5 stars

Another winner from Joanna Barker showcasing her excellent storytelling skills! Set in England in 1822, this Regency romance with its well-crafted plot and well-developed characters (main and secondary) is totally engaging from the dramatic beginning to the sweet ending. The first person narrative works well for this story enabling the reader to gain insight into Rebecca’s thoughts and motives and better connect with her. This book has just the right combination of romance, drama, humor, and mystery evoking a myriad of emotions. Descriptive language and imagery painting beautiful word pictures adds to the enjoyment of the read. One of my favorite descriptions is: “…the steeple piercing the sky like a needle through an endless length of azure silk.” I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book in e-book form from the publisher via netgalley but am under no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the main characters, Nicholas and Rebecca, especially Nicholas. Rebecca irritated me a little in the beginning because she was a little overly self-centered from time to time. But I loved seeing her character growth! The characters had multiple layers to them, and I was happy with how well-written the side characters were as well.

The banter was amazing! I smiled and laughed multiple times as I was reading. And the romance was delightful and it made me so happy.

This is a beautiful romance, and I’m so happy I read it! Between the characters, the romance, and the banter, I found myself reading as fast as I could because I didn’t want to put it down. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author!

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

This book just made me smile SO much. I loved Nicholas. Oh man, oh man, he is pretty dreamy! I loved Rebecca; she had some growing and self-realization she needed to do, but that made her all the more realistic. I loved how she's spunky and brave and always trying to push the boundaries--and I loved how Nicholas didn't try to reign her in but instead supported her. They were so good for each other! I loved the banter--oh, I love a story with good banter and there was some excellent banter in this book! I loved Nicholas's and Rebecca's first kiss (and the other ones, too, of course). I kept wishing I could read Nicholas's POV on so many scenes--but I also loved seeing them all from Rebecca's POV, so that's an indication of how good it is, not a criticism. This book was just so much fun to read. This is easily one of my favorite books of the year and one of my picks for one of the best books of 2020. Definitely add this to your to-read, to-buy, and to-share lists ASAP!
5 stars.
I read an ARC provided by the publisher via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a really cute and funny book! It reminded me of Karen Witemeyer's writing (which I love!) I loved the premise of it, and really just everything about it! I'm a sucker for a book that has both of the lead characters perspectives and their inner (usually humorous) thoughts and this book for sure delivered! I will be reading more from Joanna Barker in the future!

This was a darling story of a young woman too impulsive for her own good. The characters were solid and flawed. Not all their choices made sense but it was still believable. I hadn't read this plot line before so I enjoyed the scenes.

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Otherwise Engaged
by Joanna Barker

Back of the Book: “She’s never been afraid of breaking the rules—until she risks breaking her heart

Constantly stifled by the rules of Society, spirited Rebecca Rowley enjoys finding ways to quietly—or not so quietly—rebel. But riding bareback and avoiding nosy neighbors are nothing compared to the thrilling secret she is keeping from her family.

When Rebecca’s quick thinking saves the life of a young girl, she unwittingly attracts the attention of the child’s dashing brother, Lieutenant Nicholas Avery. As that attention turns flirtatious, Rebecca is forced to tell him the truth: she is secretly engaged—to the one man her family would never approve of. Fortunately, Lieutenant Avery is a navy man with no wish to marry, or so they both assume as they enter into a friendship. Rebecca hopes to change her family’s mind about her betrothed, but the more she comes to know the handsome lieutenant, the more she wonders if she promised her hand too hastily.

After all her carefully laid plans are shattered during a family crisis, Rebecca must force her heart to decide. Should she stay true to the promise she made or fight for the future she’s only just begun to imagine?”

Impressions: I gobbled this book up and stayed up quite past my bedtime to read this story! You could say that I enjoyed it.

Liked: I really enjoyed the characters in this story and how it all unfolds. It was well written and easy to follow but still held my attention.

Disliked: Nothing was distinctive to me that I disliked.

Learned: I discovered a new author I enjoy! I was also reminded to give oneself grace. We can make mistakes and still be worthy. It’s ok to change our mind.

Quotes: “Of the many things that could be depended upon to make a young lady swoon, a love letter certainly made the list.” – This was the first line of the book and I couldn’t agree more. My husband and I met in middle school. We didn’t start dating until our senior year of high school but I remember the notes that he so thoughtful wrote to me. I miss those little tokens of love.

“’ You said you do not worry over what might happen in the future,” he said softly, “but instead focus on the joys of now.’” – I am a nervous nelly. I worry over this and that, making plans and keeping things organized. Often, I have to remind myself to focus and enjoy the joys of now.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review which I’ve shared here.

What a lovely story with such engaging characters and an excellent writing style!

Rebecca is a free spirit. She's just returned from a holiday and is keeping her secret from her family. After saving a girl from drowning, she becomes friends with the girl's older half-brother and guardian.

I've read other books by the author and have come to appreciate her writing and characterization. Rebecca and Nicholas are nuanced alone and they truly shine together. The supporting characters are well rounded and help fulfill the story splendidly.

I also enjoyed the uniqueness of the main characters's traits in forming a story that leaves a mark in the reader.

The epilogue was a treat! Maybe there's a story for Olivia in the future?

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.