Edward and Amelia is a wonderful novel for book clubs or solo readers alike! With playful banter and mistaken opinions threatening to derail a new marriage the reader is taken on a merry tale with such a satisfying happy ending you can't help but smile and sigh on the last page. In addition being an engaging story, the deeper heart of the tale lies in the characters learning to look beyond what others say and discovering their own self-worth regardless of emotional and physical scars.

Can we please have more books like this one? Asking for myself and a friend!

Edward and Amelia had lots of potential, but unfortunately, in my opinion, it didn’t quite reach the level it could have. Based on the premise (a forced marriage that happens very early in the book) there was a lot to work with, but the story is entirely character-driven which makes it very slow, especially for its length. I wish we had gotten to know Edward in particular better before his marriage; I don’t think the reader knew either Edward or Amelia very well until the last quarter of the book. Too much information was withheld from the reader for too long, which also contributed to the pacing issues. I’m also realizing I’m finding stories based on miscommunication or lack of communication increasingly annoying, and the two main characters didn’t communicate until the very end. Overall, this story just wasn’t for me, but other fans of Regency romance may enjoy it! 2.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Redemption romance stories are some of my favorite and I felt this was a great story that showed a man who truly wanted to change. Would the circumstances that Edward Drayton finds himself in allow him the chance he needs to prove he is more than his reputation?

The forced marriage between Edward, a rumored rake, and Amelia Kennington, was off to a rocky start and I couldn’t wait to see how it would turn out for the couple. All of Edward’s attempts at having Amelia fall in love with him were not working. Boy, am I glad he had some older women who acted as his mother to help set him straight on matters of the heart! These ladies were some of my favorite characters, providing wisdom when Edward needed it.

There were some great antagonists in the story that made Amelia have to make a choice to either believe lies that she thought were true, or choose to trust herself and her own judgement. I was cheering and clapping when they were discovered and their plans failed. It’s not said what exactly happens to those who brought near destruction to Amelia, but I sure hope they got what they deserved!

I received an arc of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Edward and Amelia stole my heart. Enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, and faking a good relationship. A great combination for laughs and swoons. The characters were vivid and had strong personalities, which helped them come to life.

Sweet Edward. He truly had good motives, but man he was clueless. Thankfully he has a strong support team to lead him out of the mess he makes. Amelia was so good for him. She knew how to communicate and show him how to be authentic.

I love dialog and banter and this book had a lot of witty dialog. It had heart. Getting to know Amelia and watching her learn her worth was a special thing to experience. A theme of redemption was lightly woven throughout. There’s a few characters who I really questioned, but learned to be gentle with when I understood them better.

This book had a pretty intense villain that was fun to watch fall. Is that terrible to say? I do hope she gets her own redemption story, because I’d like to believe she has some good in her.

I feel like Karen’s books just keep getting better, and this is my new favorite of hers.

Regency has my heart! It’s my comfort zone reading and I can’t get enough! I thought his story was sweet and enjoyed the marriage of convenience trope. Edward’s humor offered moments of chuckling and I appreciated his light hearted manner. Amelia had a sharp wit that could be humorous, but also very biting at times. While overall I liked this story and the characters I did find myself wanting to shake several characters in this book. Firstly I would shake Amelia. She was validated in her concerns over Edward’s reputation, however I felt like she was closed off for 95% of the book and it made the romance aspect more difficult for the author to demonstrate. Secondly, I would shake Edith, and really Amelia’s while family. Shake, shake, shake! It was excruciating to read how these people treated their own family member. Edith deserved a shake, and not the ice cream kind!
When the characters finally found some common ground I really did enjoy their time together as their relationship blossomed. The story was sweet and I enjoyed getting to read it!

Lovely Regency romance with complicated characters and a satisfying plot. Sweet sensuality level without profanity.

Very enjoyable read, always wanting to flip to the next page to find out what happens next. Edward and Amelia is a love story with relatable complex family dynamics. Through all trials and tribulations it's nice to see the way it played out. Time well spent reading this novel. Karen Thornell is a fantastic author. Would definitely recommend this book!

**Review will be published June 6th on blog/Goodreads/Insta**

IT WAS SWEET.

I am always bound to pick up a marriage of convenience read and this was no different. I loved that aspect and watching Edward and Amelia (especially Edward) bumble around trying to figure out how the whole marriage and falling in love thing works.

Edward wad endearing. I liked his nature and I think his heart was in the right place even if his mind put together the most ridiculous ways of trying to woo Amelia. Gratefully she was taking no crap from Edward and actually made him work for it. Anytime these two were on page having a quiet moment by the piano or talking together and letting walls down I was charmed. I do think these two had fantastic chemistry.

I struggled with the plots involving Edith. Wow she had way too much control over this entire story. I did not like her at all and became increasingly frustrated that she was never put in her place until 98% of the book. It made the ending wrap up way too quickly and not get some of those satisfying moments to the antagonists. I’m glad that Edward and Amelia were able to have an adult conversation about rumors etc. and that the drama for by that point was significantly lessened.

There’s plenty of good things here even I was had some issues with it. I like Thornell’s writing and will continue to read her books. I love a good swoony cinnamon roll lead and Edward delivered.

Overall audience notes:
- Regency romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Trigger/Content Warnings: bullying, shaming

Edward and Amelia by Karen Thornell - ARC review

Edward, the Earl of Norwich, is a known rake, after several seasons of scandal he has decided to settle down and find a wife.

Amelia is in London for her first season and does not like being confined to the house with her fussy sisters. She slips away unaccompanied and becomes lost. Edward comes upon her and startles her, causing her to fall in the Serpentine. After recovering, they are meet with members of the ton and scandal ensues.

Being forced into marriage is not always the best start but can they find happiness despite Edward’s reputation?

Edward is a lovable, dare I say, idiot. I love reading from his POV and watching him fumble trying to win Amelia over. This is an adorable regency romance with some real vipers that you just love to hate.

4.5* I loved the resolution to this sweet romance! The way the threads of back story were woven together and the final revelations were disclosed, then the conflicts wound down was highly satisfying. There was a lot of inner angst and turmoil, and the characters seemed to struggle with their insecurities throughout much of the book, but the premise and the situations they found themselves in were convincing and I found myself very much engaged in the journey to their happy ending.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are completely my own

4.5 stars
Ahhh. I enjoyed this story and was pulled in right from the beginning and stayed up way too late to finish it. I don't always enjoy books where a main conflict is lack of communication but I did this one. I wished that Edward had been more forthcoming from the start but that was in large part the basis for the conflict so I gotta go with it. And truthfully, since they didn't even know each other when they married, the hesitancy to share intimate details of their lives is understandable. I felt sad for Amelia and her relationship with her family. It was a little weird that Edith was so obviously cruel and vindictive yet no one else seemed to see it until the climax. I thought over and over as I read that Amelia needed to remove herself from the toxic family but how it played out was better.
I liked both Edward and Amelia. They had good hearts. And I was happy that in the end they could have their happily ever after.
Love the cover too.

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

"The last thing Amelia Kennington wants is to participate in the London Season. But the daughter of a duke is not afforded such opinions. She must put forth a subdued facade, but beneath it is a well-hidden fire that surfaces only when provoked - such as when an overly familiar gentleman startles her and she falls into the Serpentine.

Edward Drayton, the Earl of Norwich, has gained a reputation as Society’s most decorated rake. And while there are benefits to such a reputation, it no longer gives him the satisfaction it once did. This Season, he plans to find a wife - except she seems to find him instead. And she is nothing like he expected.

Scandal is inevitable following Edward and Amelia’s ill-conceived meeting, forcing them to marry. Amelia’s disdain for this man she hardly knows is more than clear, and Edward’s pride is wounded before their marriage has even truly begun. Yet, against all odds, the two slowly let their guard down, discovering the truth of who they married. But when Society gossip, a sister’s jealousy, and long-held secrets threaten their budding relationship, the unlikely couple must determine if their unconventional love is strong enough to withstand the opposition they face."

Ah, Regency Romance, you know it's my jam!

3.75 stars. The first half of this book was kind of hard for me to get through, simply because Edward was not a very likable character and his refusal to open up to his wife got rather frustrating. He became more relatable as he opened up little by little to show his true personality, and I enjoyed seeing him and Amelia fall in love.

Edward and Amelia is a clean regency romance featuring the enemies-to-love trope. The writing is good. If you're a big fan of that trope, you'll probably love this novel. Unfortunately, I didn't click with either main character. Amelia was too angsty for me. Edward was too clueless for my taste (but I know some readers love more of a rom-com feel, so if that's you, you might enjoy him as a hero.)

I would recommend this one to regency rom-com/enemy-to-more trope fans.

I received this ARC thanks to NetGalley. I truly enjoyed this novel. I love the main characters as they learn more about themselves and each other and slowly fall in love. If you enjoy historical romances with forced or arranged marriages, this is the book for you.

I enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. But some parts were truly vexing. The novel is listed as a stand alone but it takes place in the same world as the authors To Marry an Earl. I liked that book and enjoyed seeing the Bowcott’s (the main characters) make appearances in this story. Amelia is the youngest daughter of a Duke and just arrived from the country to experience her first season in London. Due to a wandering mishap in Hyde Park she is compromised and forced into marriage to Edward Drayton the Earl of Norwich. I like arranged marriage tropes so even though the situation is flimsy I accept it.

Edward had determined to marry this season and the daughter of a Duke is a catch so he goes along with the arrangements. He also has a very rakish reputation that plays into the distrust Amelia has for her new husband. Edward wants to win over his new bride hoping for a better marriage than his parents but goes about it horribly. I actually enjoyed this part and watching them interact as a couple. But those moments were only here and there. Much of the novel is taken up with the schemes of others hoping to harm the marriage. And the miscommunications went on far too long. Edward’s character learns and grows through the story. Amelia is lovely but her character is less clear. Her sister and others are outright awful but it takes forever for her to stand up for herself. She is young but I wish she had an ally beyond her maid to help her clarify her wants and expectations for her marriage.

This is a squeaky clean romance as are all books from this publisher. And it would be appropriate for teens and up. Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (3.5 stars rounding up)

First of all--this cover is gorgeous! One of my favorite that I've seen this year!

This novel was a fun arranged marriage and enemies to more love story!

Edward was an entertaining hero. He has the best of intentions, but his execution and follow through need some work. I laughed at how he bungled everything up while thinking he was nailing the "husband" thing lol. For someone who thought they knew what a woman wants, he was sadly mistaken. He was also my favorite character. Amelia was sweet and I loved her quiet strength. The flirtatious/banter bits were my favorite and I loved whenever we saw them hit their stride.

I am wondering if we will get stories for Henrietta and Edith. Henrietta grew on me throughout and Edith...well, lets just say she could use a redeeming storyline lol.

I'm excited to see what comes next from this author.

DNF at 28%

I put this down because it wasn't making any sense. Both plot and character-wise.

The reason for the forced marriage was so flimsy, but I tried suspending disbelief. They were both against the match, although Edward changed his mind for no reason. Not only did he accept the marriage, but he wanted to win her over? Why? He is also baffled about why Amelia would be sad or upset. He truly has no clue, even though he was privy previous conversations where she expressed her feelings of dismay at being forced into marriage.

The moment that really did me in was when Amelia apologized to Edward. She was so filled with spite and spunk when she first met Edward, and was rude for no reason, but when they're married and he's actually been complicit in the forced marriage, she says she's sorry for not being happier.

Could some of these issues be resolved later in the book? Perhaps. I know not every secret or explanation can be revealed at once. But I just can't keep reading when I have no idea what the characters' motivations are. I can only suspend my disbelief for so long.

The story of Edward and Amelia was very sweet and engaging! A definite must read for the slow burn and forced marriage tropes lovers out there! The end even has a surprising twist that will just melt your heart.

I will add that Edward and Amelia were the only likeable characters in my opinion, which I think made me root for them even more.

Spice level: 0/5 🌶

Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the ARC!

Cute fast read!

Quite loved Edward, he was a sweetie. I did get a little frustrated with Amelia being so prejudiced against him and the whole miscommunication which was the main plot of the book - but oh well, the romantic moments with Edward clumsily attempts of courting were cute enough to make me love it :)

Definitely a must read for Clean Romance lovers! Will be checking out the author's other books for sure!