Kate Pembrooke knows how to craft a sweet and charming romance that is very gentle and easily engaging. This is Kate's second novel and I found it to be a very lovely edition to her current series. I found this novel to be very well writing, Kate's writing has an ease about it that swiftly drew me into the story and she keeps the story well paced. Based off of this romance and her first, I can definitely say that Kate's style is much more on the softer side, the sensuality and heat in her stories is very gentle and reminds me of Mary Balogh, while her writing and situations feel modern like the other historical romances during this era of writing.

This romance is between Lady Serena, who does not mind flirting with scandal, and Charles, a former boxer and consummate gentleman. Lady Serena and Charles both find themselves in a situation where they can both help and support each other. They also are both extremely attracted to each other and find that they are constantly fighting their chemistry, but for how long.

Serena is such a strong and bold heroine. I love that she is strong in her convictions, I love that she is unafraid to fight for what she wants. I love that she constantly works hard towards her goals and her dreams without worries about what society will thing. Charles is such a kind a sweet hero. He is compassionate and willing to help whenever and with whatever he can, especially when it comes to Serena. This romance is gently build with trust between these two, they both have a great working relationship with one another and they both find that they can easily open up to each other. I love that Charles and Serena never judge the other for their pasts or presence. They accept each other for who they are and love each other for who they are and how they make each other feel. I really love that this romance does not have a third act break up around their class differences, I love that Serena is able to show Charles that he is worth anything to her and she will fight for him. This romance is definitely very low on the heat level, and in my opinion because of this the chemistry between these two was not as strongly shown as I think it could have been with more physical exploration.

If you are looking for a comforting romance, with low steam, low angst and a sweet love story, then Kate Pembrooke is definitely the author for you. I found this novel, and her first, to be delightfully enjoyable and I am definitely interested in continuing in exploring her work and watching her writing grow.

Friends to lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes, one that Pembrooke used to good effect in this novel. I enjoyed the solid foundation of friendship between Serena and Charles, the ease and open communications they shared. I liked that they were their true, authentic selves with one another. Yes, each had a secret tucked deep into their hearts but, eventually, those were revealed and it was a testament to their respect for one another that those reveals did not precipitate angst or drama. Instead, they only deepened the affection and understanding between them. I was intrigued by the cross-class facet of their relationship. While Charles had strong connections to certain members of society, he was neither titled nor wealthy, a deficit (in his eyes) that he felt strongly eliminated him from Lady Serena's marital consideration. Good thing the lady who held his heart was confident, self-assured, and boldly certain of what she wanted.

I adored Jem, the young boy who unexpectedly entered their lives and opened both Serena and Charles to new possibilities. He was an absolute delight whose scenes with Serena, Charles, and Serena's father touched my heart and left me happily smiling. I wish we had seen more of him in the latter part of the book. He was a bright ray of sunshine that I missed.

There's a richly depicted secondary cast surrounding Charles and Serena who add texture, humor, conflict, and support to the main characters without detracting from the central romantic journey. It was fun to catch up with characters from book one, make the acquaintance of some new ones, and set the stage for the next book in the series. I'm already excited for a new hero who is a reluctant peer, notorious rakehell, and, apparently, enjoys reading time tucked into quiet corners of a local bookstore. Or is the lovely young lady who frequents that store the draw? I've already marked my calendar for Phoebe and Simon's story in Sweet Dreams Are Made of Dukes, due to be published in the fall of 2022.

ARC received for fair and unbiased review

Lady Serena Wynter has loved and lost, so she is perfectly happy being a member of the Wednesday Afternoon Social Club and working on worthy endeavors. Charles Townshend is one of her closest friends, and he happens to be secretly in love with her. When Serena starts seeing Charles in a new light, he must fight his feelings for her due to a secret he has been keeping. Will the find their happily ever after or are they destined to remain friends?

Another amazing book from Kate Pembrooke! I love her voice and her humor. I can’t wait for the 3rd book in the series.

We have no choice but to stan a wound-up hero who has to slowly succumb to the headstrong lady's charms!!!!! What a fun read - I will definitely be looking for more Kate Pembrooke books in the future!

The 2nd in the Unconventional Ladies of Mayfair series. Lady Serena Wynter runs her Wednesday Afternoon Social Club with her unconventional lady friends as they organize charitable work and help those in need.

Her acquaintance and friend Charles Townshend is worried over her charitable work and the areas she goes to alone. On one such occasion they find a young boy living in one of the buildings.

Serena takes the boy in to feed him and help him find a home. The boy who has taken a liking to Charles forces the two to spend a lot of time together. The two already had a growing affection and this just kindles it higher. There are complications from the past that get in the way of their relationship. Can they overcome them?

Read if you like:
🌹Slow burn friends to lovers
🌹Class Difference
🌹Secret Crush
🌹Headstrong female characters

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you readforeverpub and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Say You'll Be My Lady finally features a strong-minded women who is NOT afraid to go after what she wants - A MAN! This fierce heroine is kindhearted, helping to right the wrongs in society. Along the way, she finally finds the man she wishes to marry only he doesn't feel himself worthy. Her goal is to convince him of her love, and that societal dictates shouldn't prevent their marriage.

This is the first book I've read in The Unconventional Ladies of Mayfair, #2, and I look forward to going back and reading Not the Kind of Earl You Marry. And, Book #3 is coming soon too. This novel is a slow-burn which finds its footing in the second half.

Thank you Forever and Hachette Audio for the advance reader / audio copy.

Lady Serena Wynter is a independent woman who doesn’t mind risking her reputation or courting danger to help the cause of the charities she’s involved with. And she’ll not be hindered in her efforts by handsome friend Charles Townshend’s disapproval of her activities…
Charles is worried about Serena and more than a bit fascinated by her. Even if he‘ll do whatever he can to protect her, he’s not worthy of her. His family hides a dangerous secret and he will not risk Serena’s reputation with it…
I must confess that I didn’t particularly like this book. The dialogues are good, witty and pleasant to read, but in my opinion the love story was overshadowed by too many conversations, too many side characters, too many storytelling and never got really emotional as I would have liked. Even the story of the orphan could have been more interesting, with some mystery, maybe, but it was a missed opportunity. I’m sure the author is talented, so I’ll try her future books, but this one just wasn’t my cup of tea.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the first book in this series and was looking forward to Serena's romance. Lady Serena Winter is a founding member of the Wednesday Afternoon Social Club for ladies. It allows women to gather and express themselves. They may drink or wear trousers while they hear lectures on improvement for women. She feels she is past the age of marriage and has experienced love when she was only 17 but he died during the war. Charles Townshend was a boxer and is now a member of parliament and also works as a personal secretary. He is friends with Serena but feels he is far beneath her station. Serena suggest an arrangement between them but he is too much of a gentleman to consider it.

I like both Serena and Charles and this is a friends to lovers troupe without big angst. But it is slow going. They help save a child from the streets, there are discussions of future employment positions for Charles and Serena is pushing her advances. But it just slowly chugs along. I didn't feel passion between them. He is almost too much of a gentleman content in his celibacy. I just wanted more heat or something exciting to happen around them. The biggest mystery remains unsolved which was also annoying. I will look for the next book in the series which will feature a rake duke but this one gets a mild thumbs up. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Serena Wynter never plans to marry, she has focused her attention on her charitable causes and the ladies club she started - the Ladies Wednesday Afternoon Social Club. When she courts a bit of trouble while working on one of her causes, her friend Charles Townshend steps in to keep her safe. While she doesn’t want to marry, she doesn’t deny her attraction to Charles and in true Serena fashion, she sets out to explore that attraction but Charles is not willing to entertain a closer connection.

Charles loves Serena, but he doesn’t feel worthy of her and feels he has nothing to offer and harbors a secret that could be ruinous if the truth gets out. But as much as he knows he should stay away from her and knows nothing can come of his feelings, he just can’t deny her and when she puts herself in harm's way, nothing will stop him from protecting her. He spends more time with her and his feelings deepen, but he still plans to keep her at arm’s length – too bad Serena doesn’t agree with that plan!

This was my first book by this author and I have mixed feelings, I thought the idea of the story was fun, I love a good friends-to-lovers trope, but the story lacked consistency and a steady pace. I also felt like I was missing something, I didn’t read the first book in the series and wonder if that would have given me a different perspective of the existing relationship between Serena and Charles. The book was OK, I don’t regret reading it, but it did have a lot of dropped plotlines, virtually no heat, and several story points that felt a bit clichéd, but on the other hand, it had wonderful characters and a great supporting cast. Overall, while this book was not a hit for me, you might want to give this book a try if you like a slow-burn, low-heat, friends-to-lovers romance.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

I absolutely LOVED the interaction between Charles and Serena in the first book so I was super excited to get the chance to read this one.

However, it felt like something was missing. For one thing, I didn't feel like I connected with either of them this time around. They still had the same back and forth, push and pull relationship they always had, but instead of coming across as passionate, it instead came across as stilted. Well, at least until Serena gets it in her head that she wants Charles as her lover, then she comes across as well.... a bit desperate and obsessed. Charles tells her repeatedly that he cannot be with her that way, and yet she continues to pursue him and push the issue. Honestly, I'm surprised he wasn't completely turned off by her behavior.

Another issue I had with this story is that three of the side storylines did very little to actually add anything to the story.

First, we have the fact that there is a newcomer to the London gaming halls - who looks nearly identical to Charles. While he believes the man to be his half-brother, we never really find this out for sure. As Serena points out, plenty of people look similar. What I find hard to believe is that they look enough to the point that Charles is accidentally mistaken for him (admittedly by someone who was drunk), but no one else notices this resemblance other than Serena and Charles? Not even his closest friends? Then instead of Charles being forced to confront his possible parentage and his half-brother, said brother is conveniently labeled a cheat and run out of England. Again.

Then we have the arrival of Charles' family, including his mother and the girl she hopes Charles will marry. And except a brief mention here and there, there was seemingly no point to even mentioning her. His mother doesn't force the issue in the way most meddling mothers would have, and the girl herself doesn't do anything to try to ensnare him either. It was as though she was added in as a potential love interest for someone else (which does end up happening at the end).

Finally, there is the storyline surrounding the child that Serena and Charles come across whilst searching for a property that would suit Serena's latest charity venture (another thing that is mentioned once and then seemingly forgotten about). Serena initially takes charge of the boy until she can find a suitable family to take him in - and then promptly (but understandably) grows so close to him that she inevitably doesn't. I would have liked to have seen her at least make an attempt more than just writing a list of potentially acceptable families - maybe she visited them and found out they weren't suitable? Another thing is that like Charles pointed out the ton would have taken one look at the boy (and the fact his eyes were the same color as Serena's) and immediately ruin her reputation by claiming the boy was hers.

So they would see a child with the same color eyes and immediately make the jump that he was Serena's illegitimate child, but those same people didn't see Charles' supposed half-brother and make the connection that Charles himself was illegitimate?

All of that being said, one of the things that did pique and keep my interest throughout this novel is Phoebe. She is the seventeen-year-old niece of one of the other characters who by the end of the story is dancing will a well-known rake. And if there is one thing I am a sucker for it's a rake-to-husband story, so I will be keeping an eye out for that one. I would read more from this author.

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

Delightful romance!

While this story lacks the spark and intensity of the first book, it still delivers a wonderful romance between a headstrong young woman and a rule-following young man. Charles has his reasons - very good reasons - for always adhering to proper rules of society, but Serena seems to have been born just to test his patience and resolve.

I enjoyed the slow-burn of their romance, how their friendship gradually turned into more, and how the author pulled out all the stops to demonstrate the emotional depths of her subjects. The HEA was solid, if a bit cliché, and I truly loved all the assorted characters throughout the story.

If you've read the first, you don't want to miss this one. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book,

Say You’ll Be My Lady is book two in the Historical Romance standalone series, The Unconventional Ladies of Mayfair. It follows the love story of Lady Serena Wynter, independent thinker, dedicated philanthropist, and founder of the Ladies Wednesday Afternoon Social Club – a group founded for likeminded ladies in pursuit of knowledge, socialization, and worthy causes of all sorts. Serena is unafraid of a bit of scandal and has a strong sense of social justice.

Her love interest? Mr. Charles Townshend, a gentleman of lower birth with no notable connections, but a believer in honor and one who seeks to help Lady Serena’s causes as he can, while maintaining her safety. The two are friends, and cannot hope to be more in Charles’ mind, as he knows he does not have the social standing or funds to be a worthy match of Lady Serena.

This story for me, is an example of Friends to Lovers done right – the earnest pining, reminiscent of Jane Austen style of yearning. The careful bond, the slow burn beneath the surface – I really enjoyed it. I was instantly intrigued by Lady Serena and Mr. Townshend after being introduced to them in book one and the dynamic between them, so I was happy to see a whole book of this playing out.

This story was slower paced than the first, more of a languid, slow burn love story – but once again, I really enjoyed all the characters. Not just the mains, but the secondary cast which caught my interest and intrigued me again to learn more about their stories as well. An easy highlight for me was young Jem, I adored his character and really loved getting some scenes with him – my only wish being that we could have had more time with him. I also enjoyed Serena’s father and would have been happy to have more time with him on page as well.

The change up of the dynamic that I’m used to in HR was also a pleasant surprise, I like that Charles’ wasn’t super experienced or in hot pursuit but more torn and pining. It was also nice to see Serena as the pursuer, not in dramatic fashion, but her directness felt like it fit with her character. I think my only other wish would have been for a bit more inclusion of wrap up around Serena’s project – specifically helping young mothers, as it didn’t have quite the tie up I was hoping for prior to the books end.

I think that Kate Pembroke writes great historical romance stories, and has a lovely writing style and distinct voice. I will definitely continue to check out what she comes out with next – especially as the tease at the end of this book has me eager for the next couple!

Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and freely offered.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

As the daughter of a duke, Lady Serena Wynter should be happily married by now, but she cares more about her social causes, and the Wednesday Afternoon Social Club that entering the marriage mart. The only man, other than her lost beau who died at battle at Badajoz, is Charles Townshend, a former boxer and gentleman, MP and friend of the family. But he believes himself firmly beneath her, and though he loves her, he wouldn't scandalise her and her family with the truth of his parentage. Best friends, they can tell each other just about everything, but they are holding back their feelings, and when they find an orphaned child, Jem, living in the slum, and foster him together, they can see what their future would be like as a family. Will they be able to tell each other the truth, and be together?

I loved book 1, but simply adored Say You'll Be My Lady! Friends to lovers is another trope I adore, as well as found family, and Pembrooke uses both of them so well in this book. We met Serena and Charles in the previous book, and I knew they would fall for each other, if they hadn't already, so reading their love story was fantastic. Because of how close they were, they were able to talk to each other about so much, and it was easy for them to take on the parental roles Jem needed from them when he was found and adopted. They had secrets which may have been scandalous to some people, but when they eventually revealed them to each other, it changed absolutely nothing about their feelings - they still loved each other, but were self sacrificing and willing to step aside for the other to be happy. There's a scene towards the end of the book that seemed straight out of Pride & Prejudice (if you've read it, you'll know which one), that had me cackling as I read it. I honestly could not put this down, and am really happy there's the announcement about a third book at the end of this - Phoebe deserves her romance!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lady Serena Wynter is a member of a progressive ladies club. Serena is passionate and independent, sometimes landing in trouble. Charles Townshend is the ultimate gentleman that fights his attraction to Serena due to a disastrous family secret.

I loved the first book in this series; however, I felt this book fell flat. The story was too long; there was not enough content to justify the book's length. Many ideas and situations would occur but disappear, leaving the reader with a sense of confusion. The push and pull between the couple were not exciting. I liked Serena and especially Charles, yet I didn’t feel the passionate connection I wanted.

I do not read a lot of friends-to-lovers tropes, and I felt it worked; I liked that aspect of the story. I did enjoy the foundation of the plot, and the premise was interesting. Kate Pembroke is a talented author. Say You’ll Be My Lady is the second book in the Unconventional Ladies Of Mayfair series. I like the spunky characters and intelligent dialogue. Unfortunately, this one did not meet my expectations after reading the first book. I will read more of this series because I genuinely like the author and the intrepid ladies of this series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Serena was my favorite character in the previous book, so I was quite excited for her story. She established the Wednesday Afternoon Social Club, a place for ladies to gather to pursue their own interests comfortably and to contribute to charitable pursuits. She refuses to follow conventions and is utterly comfortable with her choice. Charles Townshend assists the club's efforts to find apprenticeships for the sons of war widows. And all of their friends seem inclined to matchmake the two.

This is a relaxing, slow-paced book. Serena and. Charles have a long history of working together, and their romance grows from their shared interests. That made it quite believable.

I also enjoyed the book's focus on family and who constitutes family. Serena and Charles rescue an orphaned child they find through her charitable efforts. And her father is an amazingly supportive one.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

Serena is a founding member of the Ladies Wednesday Afternoon Social Club. A place for women to meet to be themselves. Some drink or wear trousers. That's about as shocking as it gets. Otherwise they do good works. Charles is a oh-so-proper secretary and temporary member of the House of Commons. They start out as just friends but deeper feelings develop. They both have secrets about their past that are overcome easily. Most anything physical is behind closed doors and quickly glossed over. This is a mild and pleasant story. They even rescue a poor little orphan boy together.

One of my, shall we say, concerns with romance heroines is that I often feel like I'm being lied to. Which is to say, I'm told they're XYZ yet they act OERDHKHDSCHJ. The math doesn't add up. But Serena actually acts the way she's described (you know, reasonable, funny, assertive, thoughtful, etc.) and I really like that she knows what she wants and why, and that she's determined to get it. Like, yes. If you're gonna hammer home #StrongIndependentWoman, then give me one.

On the other side of the pairing, Charles feels like a semi-unique love interest in the sense that he's a good blend of forward-thinking male living under a rigid social construct. His struggle to resolve feminist ideals with Regency social codes of conduct is fair and also lends credence to his angst—and makes the romance extra savory.

I have to admit, though, that I don't really enjoy ladies clubs in historical romance. I don't oppose the idea of them. It's just that there's always 5 or 6 other ladies to keep track of and they're not very distinct. One wears glasses, maybe. I also think the reason for the impediment to HEA is bigged-up; it plays out over several chapters, then gets wand-waved away in one.

Still, I'm looking forward to going backwards to read Not the Earl You Marry.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not The Kind of Earl You Marry, the first book in The Unconventional Ladies of Mayfair series, was one of my favorite historical fictions of 2021, so I've been eagerly anticipating Say You'll Be My Lady for a while now.

Unfortunately, this one really missed the mark for me. Unless I'm remembering the first book completely differently, it almost felt like a completely different author - the writing was incredibly stiff and full of lengthy exposition or awkward filler conversation to explain backstory. Despite all of that, I never got a good sense of Charles and Serena's history to really believe their friendship before it turned romantic.

The story developed so slowly and there was so much going on outside of the romance that made it really difficult to get past some of my other issues. The strongest parts of the story were when they were bantering and facing off on their different opinions. Sadly, those weren't very prominent.

I'll still consider picking up the next book in the series and highly recommend book 1, but overall, this is one I'd skip.

2.5/5 stars

"It occurred to him then that men who preferred their females biddable and compliant were fools. He far preferred a lady unafraid to speak her own mind to stand up to him."

After having met Lady Serena Wynter in the first book in this series, I was very eager to get her story next. She is a strong-willed, intelligent, and generous young lady with a mind of her own, and she does not hesitate to speak it. Which means I totally love her. Charles Townshend is her opposite in every way - reserved, introspective, always a gentleman above all else. They have been friends and verbal sparring partners for some time, with each wanting more but each also having their own reasons for feeling they were ill suited to be anything but friends. So of course I shipped them immediately.

And please let's talk about Jem, the curly-haired little foundling who stole my heart along with everyone else's. He is just so damned adorable that I wanted to snuggle up with him, give him all the kittens, and bestow upon him all of the love and affection he had missed in his early years.

I do have to say that after the steam level of book one, I was a tad disappointed by the mostly closed door of this one. The chemistry between Serena and Charles is palpable on the page, and it's a shame that we didn't get to see that shown in the bedroom.

I'm delighted to see that the next book in the Unconventional Ladies of Mayfair series will focus on Phoebe. She's a young firecracker, and I'm sure Pembrooke will deliver a swirling roller coaster of romance once again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Forever for the ARC to read and review.

First time author for me and I just did not connect with this story. It’s so long winded. Long drawn out segments of utter rubbish. This story could be condensed to half its size to get the main characters together. Serena has a lot of inner strength stemming from a past tragedy that added to her taking in the young boy she finds. She has charity work and raising the boy to keep her fulfilled. She and Charles dance around each other most of this book. There lots of side plots that are eye rolling. Lots of side characters coming in and out.

This one needed a bit more editing down.