Dear Karen,

Every book of yours I read just makes me love your writing all the more. And this delightful forced marriage story? *le sigh* I am in love. IN LOVE!

Amelia is spunky but vulnerable, and just so lovely, I couldn't help but adore her. And Edward? What a rake! Or is he? *wink* Talk about swoony, if a little thick. His plan to woo his wife was so dang funny, and I was a big fan of how he learned through that process. Watching how they overcame their differences and misunderstandings, and fall in love one small step at a time, was so delicious, and I loved every moment. You crafted that so well.

Edward's darling two "aunts" are the cream of the crop. I could not get enough of their feisty personalities and meddlesome ways. They were fabulous!

Once again, you have captured my heart and made me fall in love with your genius. I'm a fan. Forever and always.

Jessica

Forced marriages can be a tricky storyline to write but Karen Thornell nailed it! I absolutely loved seeing Amelia's relationship grow with Edward. There were some hard times where they had to learn to trust each other and it was so very strengthening to read while their admiration and love grew! Karen Thornell definitely has a way of making the characters jump out of the book into our lives. I found it hard to put down the book let alone to stop thinking about the characters throughout the day... That is a sign of a good author!

Clean romance, five stars.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, all thoughts and opinions our my own.

This was a good historical, forced marriage to lovers, I wonder if there will be a series to continue some of the characters we met

Amelia Kennington does not desire a London Season. But as the daughter of a duke, she has no choice but to play the role designated by society. The Earl of Norwich, Edward Drayton has a reputation and not a good one. Something he has viewed as an advantage until now when he has decided to find a wife.

When an accident lands Amelia in the Serpentine and the two of them in a compromising situation, they must marry if they hope to salvage a future standing among society’s elite. Amelia’s contempt for the known rake and Edward’s wounded pride, set the marriage on the rocks before it has a chance to even begin. Becoming acquainted with the stranger they married, the couple must decide if they have something worth fighting for after all.

The marriage of convenience trope is one of my favorites as attested by the large number that I read and review. Sadly, Karen Thornell’s Edward and Amelia only fell in the okay category. I enjoyed the Regency time period and found the heroine somewhat sympathetic, but I didn’t care for the hero, which made me indifferent toward their romance.

Edward is repeatedly referred to as a rake who left a trail of broken and pining hearts. However, I never saw it. I don’t mean in the sense that he acted too nice, but in that I couldn’t for a moment believe him to be that popular or sought after. He was too awkward and annoying around women — and women in general not just his wife with whom he is supposed to be this way. He seemed the kind of guy that society would have tolerated because of his title but ignored otherwise.

I found Edward and Amelia to be an entertaining though not immersive read. Despite this, I liked it enough that I can see myself trying another book by this author in the future.

Super cute story, can’t help but fall in love with the characters. It was a quick and easy read that highlights struggles of both characters

I enjoyed reading this book and thought it had a delightful meet cute.
The characters were fun to get to know and the story was great. I just wished Amelia would have just talked to Edward instead of just assuming things.
Although…. In real life things like that happen all the time and people are too scared or too stubborn to talk it out.
It had a great ending and it was clean so that’s a win in my book.

Looooved this sweet regency romance! And it was all about a marriage of convenience which I’m a total sucker for. And this one was done very well. Edward is already determined to find a wife this season, and when things happen and him and Amelia end up in a forced wedding, he agrees without putting up a fight. The same can’t be said for her, as she’s pretty upset about it all, but he is determined to win her over! It’s hilarious how cringy and awkward his first attempts to woo her are, because he’s totally clueless to women and it’s so precious and relatable. He is trying to do all the things he “thinks” women like and what they want to hear - none of it being true for Amelia (or most women probably). But he learns, and she teaches him a little, and she softens to him and it’s so precious! I just love all the things. They share some precious moments and (almost) kisses, really working up the slow burn romance! The ending is perfect and I couldn’t be happier with how it all worked out! If you’re looking for a good, clean, regency romance, this one is definitely one I would recommend!!

I loved this heartfelt and wonderful story. The characters were so charming and fun. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I love when I pick up a book expecting a cute little love story, but then the author surprises me by throwing in something that speaks to my soul.
I find myself nodding along, saying yes, that is exactly what music does. I love music and they way Karen describes how music can emotionally affect people is perfection. It’s one thing I always tell my piano students. You have the power to make people feel sad, happy, excited, anxious, all in how you play. I love how she uses that in her story to get them to open up and have meaningful conversations.
I really enjoyed reading Edward’s story. I loved how the villain in her previous book wasn’t truly the bad guy. The relationship between Edward and Amelia was enjoyable and sweet. I really struggled with the parts of the cruel sister as well, but enjoyed the couples story enough to keep reading, and I’m glad I did.

This was a charming story. I loved that the book made me laugh multiple times, and the brewing romance between Edward and Amelia is sure a fun one. This book really drew me in and now I will be looking for Karen's earlier book which features characters from this story. Great read/listen.

Another solid story from Karen Thornell! I really liked this. Edward and Amelia were fantastic together. I loved watching their relationship change over time. I’m still having a hard time wrapping my mind around how absolutely horrible Edith was! What a terrible sister!

I think Karen is getting better with each book. I can’t wait for her next one!

I wanted to absolutely love this book. Marriage of convenience is my all-time favorite trope and I was excited to read a regency one. Unfortunately this one was a little bit of a struggle for me. The writing was good, the basic plot of the story was intriguing, and Edward redeemed himself after a bit of a rough start, but I really struggled with the Amelia. She made a base judgement off of his reputation and basically decided not to like him from the start. Then no matter what he did or what progress they seemed to have made the second she heard or saw something that seem to corroborate what she believed about him she went back to icing him out. It was literally one step forward two steps back for the entire book-like up until the last scene-and it was exhausting and frustrating. Amelia’s sister was also a piece of work that I had a few choice words for and I wish her motives for being the way she was would have been a little more valid.
Honestly my frustrations with the characters really took me out of the story and kept me from loving it as much as I wanted to. But I know that a lot of what I didn’t love could just be a personal problem and I know many people did love this one!

I loved this story! It was the perfect balance between light-hearted and heartache. At times, I would get a little frustrated at the lack of communication, but the reasons why that happened were brought to light later in the story. This was one that I hated to put down, and wanted to read “just one more chapter” much more often than I should have. (Sleep is over-rated anyway, right?) Definitely a keeper.

Amelia has just arrived in town for the season. She goes for a walk alone and has she is about to fall in to the Serpentine Lord Norwich is trying to help he and it becomes a potential scandal. Her father the duke insist they marry. Edward feels she is different from the other young ladies as she is not after his title or money so he agrees. Edward finds himself falling in love with her as time goes by. He is different too from his reputation. Ladies who were friends of both their mothers try to help them. Amelia's sister works against her she is so jealous that she is married a head of her. In spit of what her sister tries and her sister's friends they eventually see the good in each other and come to love the each other. Thank you NetGalley.

The book is sweet and an enjoyable read. I liked the mix of the intrepid heroine and the scoundrel requiring redemption. At times, the witty banter felt forced and made the dialogue hard to get through. As this is mainly in the first half of the book, it dragged in the beginning. The second half was much better. The last two chapters and the epilogue truly more than made up for it and make the book worth the read. That plot twist at the end was *chef’s kiss*. The dialogue in the first half of the book felt off for the period and did not flow between any of the characters, not just the two mains. However, it is the book and banter are redeemed in the last few chapters. Definitely a recommended read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute book with lots of character development. I personally love the close quarters trope, so that was nice for me!

I did struggle with some of the writing as it felt like things kind of jumped around a lot. And I didn't much care for the characters a ton either.

But overall it was a good book, and the cover is so pretty! I appreciated the insight and growth of her father too, as that was a nice change and unexpected.

This book has everything I love in a historical romance. Forced proximity, scandal, enemies to lovers, a head strong FMC, and a rakish MMC. The book is slow to start, and I didn’t quite get the chemistry between the characters until much later in the book, making the book slow, rather than a slow burn.

I'm always a fan of the unplanned marriage, marriage of convenience, and the enemies to lovers trope. Edward and Amelia was a gem of a story where the two characters' miscommunications were so relatable. Don't we all have those moments in our own relationships, where someone totally misunderstands our actions, or we totally misunderstand someone else? Edward and Amelia wrestle with this, and with the rumor mill of society, with a witty banter and a dash of humor. I loved it!

I really enjoy watching Bridgerton so I wanted to read something similar. In this book, Edward and Amelia are forced to marry despite not knowing each other over a misunderstanding. Although it is very Bridgerton-like and I was sure I would enjoy this book unfortunately the plot of this book really frustrated me. The plot exists only because people refuse to communicate properly, the evil characters are just pure evil for the sake of it and everything would be okay if people would just TALK. TO. EACH. OTHER. I guess this is expected for regency romance books, and now I know that regency romance is not my thing, If it is a genre you enjoy, however, go for it, you won't be dissapointed.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgally for a copy of this in exchange for my honest opinion,

This is a great marriage of convenience story about two people with secrets. They have to learn to trust each other with their secrets in order to build a loving relationship. I think my favorite part of this story was the older ladies that intervene to help out Edward and Amelia’s relationship.