I think you may have girlbossed to close to the sun.

Tinkerbell, I'm so sorry they did this to you.

I think this started to go downhill about halfway through for me. Isobel as a character lost all strength as soon as they got to Iceland. Maybe that was on purpose, but at the end I didn't like her at all. Can't really explain it, but she flipflopped so often that I had no read on her as a character.

Despite not being a huge Peter Pan fan to begin with, I think I just struggle in general when this genre tries to follow a fairytale. I just kept waiting for the next Peter Pan character to be forced into the story. Trying to get everyone from Neverland accounted for distracted from the any romance between the lead characters.

I didn’t want to like this book. I never truly enjoyed Peter Pan and I wasn’t looking forward to this retelling.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER TO BE WRONG BECAUSE THIS BOOK WAS SO FREAKING GOOD.

Pirates. Espionage. Badass Ladies. Reluctant Dukes. FEELINGS EVERYWHERE.

I don’t even have words for this, honestly, except to say that this is nothing like you think it will be. It’s BETTER.

When You Wish Upon a Duke by Charis Michaels is the 2nd book in Awakened by A Kiss Series. This is the story of Isobel Tinker and Jason “North” Beckett. Jason need Isobel to help him rescue his cousin that has been taken. This leads them on adventure that I really enjoyed. I do plan to read more from this author.

When You Wish Upon a Duke is Charis Michaels' second fairy-tale inspired romance, this one featuring Tinkerbell. Isobel Tinker runs a travel company, which she is very good at. She has successfully buried her unsavory past, which is just how she likes it. When North, the Duke of Northumberland, comes seeking her assistance with rescuing a wayward cousin from Iceland, she is scared of what returning to that place might do.
This story feels almost like fantasy, which I'm sure is exactly what Michaels intended. There are pirates and plots and the northern lights. The romance plot is wonderful, and I really enjoyed the whole book. I can't wait to read what Michaels writes next!

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review **

First and foremost, can we just talk about this cover? This is probably one of my all time favorite historical romances covers. The colors, the lift, the scenery. It's EVERYTHING. Plot wise, this was a fun time! This book follows Isobel Tinker, a travel agent at Everland Travel Agency, and the mysterious Duke of Northumberland (North), a man looking to enlist Isobel's help to rescue his cousin. What ensues is a romantic, suspenseful, and almost magical journey to Iceland for a rescue mission. I'm not always a fan of retellings, but I enjoyed the subtlety of the Disney retelling here. This was the first book I've picked up from Charis Michaels, and would definitely consider reading more from her! Especially since Book #1 has an equally beautiful cover, and we know I'm a sucker for a stunning cover.

TROPES: Class difference, spy hero, travel, working heroine

A fun twist on Peter Pan and tinker bell.
A Lord who is also a spy. An independent heroine who also has a career....and a past....dun dun dunnnn.
New Duke of Northumberland needs to go to Iceland and Miss Tinker is the best person to take him, what with her speaking the language, personal knowledge of country, and being a woman works to his advantage. Isobel has vowed to never return to Iceland but can she do it for a promise of the independent future she wants?
It was fun a read with great MC's. I loved visit to Iceland, such an unusual place for a hist rom.
2nd in series but can read as a standalone, I didn't read book one and did not feel like I missed out on anything.

Another fun fairy tale adventure. The Icelandic setting was unique and beautifully written, and fit perfectly with the magical tone of the story. Isobel was delightfully feisty and heartbreakingly vulnerable. Jason was a perfect himbo: sweet and chaotic and charming. Highly recommended.

Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋 🦋 🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 (for the main one, the other was very short)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: Yes

Should I read in order?
The hero is a side character in this book but doesn’t play a large part. There is mention of his marriage to the heroine in book 1. Most of the book doesn’t involve this and would be fine to pick up without reading book 1 if you really want to do that. BUT I really loved book 1, which is A Duchess a Day, so I think you should all try it :)

Basic plot:
Isobel Tinker is working toward realizing her dream of saving up enough to run her own Travel Shop, so she won’t have to work for the despicable Drummond Hook anymore. Her help is requested by North, whose cousin has been kidnapped by Nordic pirates. North has found out Isobel has insider knowledge of Iceland’s terrain and towns and knows there’s no better guide for his mission.

Give this a try if you want:
- Fairy tale retelling – this one is a wink to Tinkerbelle/Peter Pan vibes
- Regency time period – 1817
- Class difference romance – hero is a duke, heroine is a bastard and daughter of an actress
- A consent filled romance (zero hints of dubcon/noncon here!)
- Lower steam – there’s a few kisses, and 2 sex scenes, one being extremely short
- Experienced heroine – this heroine has experienced life and has had lovers
- Ex-soldier hero/travel agent heroine
- Roadtrip romance – this book starts in London, they travel to Iceland, then return to England for the end of the book
- Heroine is 27 and the hero is “older than her by at least 5 years” (his exact age may have mentioned but I missed it, if so, I think he’s like 6 years older)


My thoughts:
This is my 4th Charis Michaels and I really enjoy her writing style. I find her a wonderful mix of dialogue, character depth and cleverness. I have been loving this most recent series, probably because they are fairy tale retellings and that is just fun! And instead of the commonly done Cinderella, etc book 1 was Snow White and this one is Tinkerbell.

This whole book I found to be a breath of fresh air and newness. I read almost exclusively HR, so some stories can feel the same to me after awhile. Not this one. Iceland? Yes please. A travel agent heroine? I found that part fun and interesting. And a duke that, well, he doesn’t want to be one. He’s lived a life of adventure and he doesn’t want to be stuck in a pile of boring paperwork. It’s a lovely story of two people working together towards a goal. They respect each other. They admire what each other brings to the mission. They trust each other. And ultimately fall in love and humble themselves to each other for the sake of it.

North is caring and sweet and understanding. He’s absolutely not a jerk. He needs Isobel, but more importantly he wants her. He wants her as a partner and he allows her to take the lead when needed and do the hard parts when she can. He doesn’t believe she can’t do it because she’s a woman, or he knows better, or that she should let him do it anyway to keep herself safe. He really trusts her enough and believes in her, and it’s everything to their relationship and her confidence and healing. He wants to know her, the true her she hides from everyone else. And he doesn’t pressure her to shed her layers, he works towards it. He earns it from her.

Isobel is a survivor. She’s lived life, a life many can only imagine. Adventure, risk, travel...It all came to a halt in Iceland. Hurt and a broken, she returns to England. Goals: recover. Never return to Iceland. Work towards a life selling travel dreams to London’s families. North comes and dashes her plans. But she knows she's the one meant for this, to help him.

This book did grip my heart a bit. All the characters just feel so real. They came alive for me. As they shared themselves with each other, I fell more in love with them. Especially Isobel’s heartbreaking history. Much of this story is Isobel’s story. What she has overcome, accomplished, and all she hopes to be.

I'll admit this one the romance itself wasn't quite as gripping to me. The tension was there, but maybe not quite as strong as I prefer. But this is one of those few stories where I just didn't care. I don't care. I loved them so much for other reasons, and was so fascinated with what was happening, I still adored the story itself.

I think this book had a lot of really sweet, romantic parts. Their discourse with each other was funny, and as they shared more with each other, I couldn't help but melt with them. It especially tugged my heart when North called her "S'bell". And one of my favorite parts was witnessing Isobel going in and taking care of business in Iceland. I quite adored that she was the 'hero' here.

A Peter pan themed regency romance? Sign me up please! Loved the story line here and all the pan Easter eggs.

When you Wish Upon a Duke is loosely based on the Peter Pan Fairytale. Isobel Tinker was once a "Lost Boy" who traveled to exotic areas with friends before settling full time in England for a life as a travel agent. Jason, "North" Duke of Northumberland, was previously a spy who has been forced to return to England to take over a dukedom after his beloved father and brothers have passed. The couple meet when North offers Isobel the opportunity to have her own travel agency in exchange for her agreement to accompany him to Iceland to return his beloved cousin from pirates.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I found Isobel very relatable. She's smart, witty, and brave. I was a little less of a fan of North. Although a Duke who could do whatever he desired, he eschewed society and their views of his relationship with Isobel a little too easily. He also doesn't seem as well-developed as a character to me. That said, I really enjoyed their love story, particularly in the first half of the book (I was a little less enamored with Isobel's grand plan in Iceland). I also really enjoyed their conversations and banter, which I thought were well-written. Anyone who enjoys a good feminist retelling of a fairytale will enjoy this book.

I was provided an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. This did not impact this author's views or opinions in any way.

Let me start this off by saying that I adore the concept of this series and really enjoyed the first book. I was also really excited going into this installment when I saw the cover and read the synopsis. I love this twist on Peter Pan!

And for the first 70% I was having a good time with this book. This historical romance had a very unique feeling to it, especially bc part of the novel takes place in Iceland. I’ve never seen that in an HR before. I also really enjoyed the sea voyage and pirate adventure we had going on.

Isobel and James were wonderful characters to follow as well. The build up of their romance was really well done. Unfortunately, the last chunk of this book just draaaaaaaaaaagged. Omg it took so long for these two to actually get together, and for like no reason?? And how dare Michaels make me wait the entire book for Isobel and Jason to FINALLY have sex and then that scene was super short and the book ended like one page later! I’m kind of joking but not really lol. This story had so much potential and it fell kind of short for me personally.

**thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

I had read and enjoyed the previous book in this series and I was very excited at the synopsis of this one.

I love love loved Isobel and Jason. She's smart and worldly and knows what she wants. He's steadfast and smitten and stubborn. Together they have excellent banter and instant intrigue that leads to some glorious chemistry. I loved reading their relationship grow through honest, open conversations and actual listening from both sides.

Plot wise, it's a lot of fun. I wasn't quite sure how it would all relate to Peter, but I really liked how it tied together with the Lost Boys. These two are together for most of the story (hooray!) and the angsty part really doesn't last too long (double hooray!). I would have loved to see a bit more of a futuretake, but that's mostly me just being greedy because there really was enough breadcrumbs left to tell me how it was going to go.

Overall, this one will be one that I revisit when I need something fun to read. I can't wait to get to the next in the series.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

A heartwarming romance that makes you want to snuggle with a cup of hot tea and a warm blanket, this story about Isobel and North has all the feels. I adored how beautifully the author has written this amazing heroine who is smart, brave and independent. I will be honest, this book is all Isobel and North supporting her through it and I won't have it any other way. The scene in Iceland with them by the hot springs is so sexy and sweet, it still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. I adored this book and highly recommend it.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

This was a delightful romance, with a unique version of Tinker Bell! I would definitely recommend trying it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Mayfair - 1817

Isobel Tinker, 27, works in a shop called Everland Travel helping people to plan their travels to different countries. Having lived in other areas, she is able to honestly recommend fun travel to people.

Jason Beckett is the new Duke of Northumberland. He has worked for many years for the British Foreign Service and does not look forward to giving up his career to become the duke at Syon Hall. His cousin, along with some English merchants, have been captured by Nordic pirates. Thus, he needs to go to Iceland and rescue them. He has learned that Isobel has lived in Iceland and speaks the language so he approaches her to go with him and in return, he will make sure she has her own travel agency.

The fairy tale aspect of this book didn’t appeal to me. I did not read the first book so maybe having done that would have pulled me into the story a bit more. I admit that I do tire of the same theme where dukes are also spies for the Crown. I much prefer a more realistic approach to the life of a duke and his lady love. Sorry, but the plot was just not for me.

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

I really enjoyed reading this story. The characters I found very entertaining. I that Jason and Isobel’s characters were very strong and maintained a commanding performance and personalities. The writer maintained the intensity and excitement of the story by giving the readers descriptive details in the story. The writer avoided adding ill relevant verbiage that would turn you off from the story. I like the quick pace of the story. This prevents the story from lagging. The romance was sweet and oh so charming. I liked everything about the book.

The way this story was set up with Peter Pan references was very clever -- I loved it! And the cover -- talk about gorgeous! Jason and Isobel were an incredibly great couple and their sexy scenes blazed up the pages. I loved the ending, and will probably check out the rest of this series. Thanks, Netgalley, for my arc.

I really enjoyed Isobel and North's story! I loved that this wasn't your typical historical romance and they they were on an adventure when they fell in love!! Such a fun story!

Isobel Tinker is a London travel agent that when is invited to a mission in Iceland by Jason Beckett, the Duke of Northumberland to rescue his cousin, cannot say no, however, at the beginning, this mission threatens all the stability that Isobel has achieved in London.
I adored how Iceland was integrated into the book and loved how original this book was, the idea of a Tinkerbell retelling really was intriguing and the end result fun and cute.
It was really interesting how the author included all the elements that are part of Tinkerbell's life in this new story.