This was just okay. Very average in terms of the historical romances that are being published right now.

The conflict is that Jo is matchmaking for the Duke and having to push him toward other ladies that are more suitable for marriage. They end up falling in love in the process. But it didn't really feel genuine to me. The pieces were there, but none of it felt actually emotional to me. I felt like Jo didn't really love him, she was just inexperienced and had sex once. I think the dialogue kept me from really connecting with either character.

I was interested to see how the situation was going to unfold and liked the tension that occurred towards the end of the book a bit more. But I also just hated how the Duke was discussing proposing to another girl while he's actively thinking about and having sex with Jo.

Other reviewers have really loved this, so if you're into the matchmaking trope it may work for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a great historical romance! Every character had nuance and depth which is rare for most historical romances.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This was my first book by Jennifer Haymore and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It certainly won't be my last.
Joanna Porter is a Matchmaker that is truly in love with love. Sadly, she has never experienced it for herself. When the Duke of Crestmont comes to her to find his Duchess she is in for quite a challenge. The Duke doesn't believe in love and a love match is the last thing on his mind. Jo is determined to change his mind and find him The One. That is until she starts having feelings for him herself. A Matchmaker can't fall for her client, especially not when that client is a Duke.
I thought Joanna was a wonderful and truly kind character. She was willing to put the happiness of her dear friend above her own. She was also devoted to finding the best matches for her clients.
Matthew, the Duke of Crestmont is also very likable in his own way. He has a hard shell on the outside, but on the inside, he has a very big heart.
These two as a couple are very easy to root for.
The Duke's Rules of Engagement was a delightful and very entertaining Historical Romance. I can't recommend it enough!

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

This is an arc review from NetGalley.

I have a soft spot for historical romances but this one lacked a lot of what makes the historical romance genre so amazing.

Pros:
- Unique way for the main characters to meet / unique profession for the FMC - matchmaking.
- Unique and fun interest / hobby that the MMC has - rowing.
- The full cast is really interesting and it's fun to learn about the side character's relationships.
- The descriptions of Vauxhall are AMAZING!! I learned so much about this historical romance staple from this book!

(SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT)

Cons:
- It is probably true to the time period that Matthew (MMC) would never consider marrying Joanna (FMC) because she was not of his class - however - the story breaks all kinds of other social status / time period realistic ideas, so this seemed unbelievable for his character / the story overall.
- Some of the most fun parts of a historical romance for me is reading about the balls, the parties, the DRESSES! But so little time is spent actually describing any of this. Other than the amazing descriptions of Vauxhall, I missed the glittering descriptions of the events of the season. (The characters do experience these things, the descriptions were just lackluster).

Overall, the main characters are likeable and they have good chemistry but a lot of what makes a historical romance so magical is missing.

I adored Joanna and Matthew's story! It was so much fun watching these two come together! I'm hoping that this is the first in a series so we can see more of them!

This was a great historical romance with a unique premise, and fantastic characters! I would definitely recommend it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Joana Porter is a matchmaker to make ends meet and quite good at it. She's a romantic, so she helps her clients fall in love and seeing them happy makes her happy.

The Duke of Crestmont must marry for duty to continue his line, but he has no interest in falling in love. Someone recommends Joana to him in finding a bride, but he doesn't think it will work and he certainly doesn't want a bride to love. Will he find a wife who meets his list of qualifications or will he follow his heart?

This was my first Jennifer Haymore book and it was such sweet fun! I loved Joanna as a matchmaking heroine and Matthew as the stoic aristocrat.

I also will simply never tire of the class difference trope. It just hits right almost every single time. I especially love it when it is a true obstacle that the couple has to overcome and there isn’t some easy solution like a secret inheritance or being a titled man’s “by-blow”(*cough* An Offer From a Gentleman *cough*). This book was just how I like my class difference trope. 🤌🏻

Matthew and Joanna were just sweet perfection and so enjoyable. Even the steam was somehow sweet and emotional.

I also loved the way things resolved in the end and how Joanna was able to keep doing what she loved, even after becoming a duchess. It even felt realistic because she was really just helping people find good matches. It could work! 🤷🏻‍♀️

I will definitely be checking out more of Jennifer Haymore’s backlist.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Jennifer Haymore’s The Duke’s Rules of Engagement is a captivating historical romance with a spirited heroine and a gorgeous brooding hero readers will be completely enchanted by.

Miss Joanna Porter is making a name for herself as London’s most eminent matchmaker. With her business prospering and her clientele growing with each passing day, Joanna is well on her way to becoming a huge success. So far, the aristocracy haven’t engaged her services – so she is absolutely thrilled when Matthew, Duke of Crestmont, comes to her door and asks her to find him a wife! If Joanna manages to pull this off, her career would be made. She is determined to pull out all the stops for the Duke and find him his perfect match – only she hadn’t counted on falling in love with Matthew herself!

The pressure is on Matthew’s shoulders to marry and make a suitable match. Having once trusted somebody with his heart and lived to regret it, Matthew makes it perfectly clear to Joanna that he wants her to find him a bride who will agree to a marriage of convenience where feelings and emotions are not part of the deal. Matthew does not intend on falling in love ever again. Yet, the more time he spends in Joanna’s company, the more he finds himself falling for her.

Joanna is as far removed from Matthew’s idea of a perfect bride as it is possible to get. Yet, he simply cannot imagine spending the rest of his life with anybody but her. Will he find the courage to trust Joanna with his heart? Can she make him whole again? Or is Matthew about to lose the only woman he will ever love because of his pride and insecurities?

In The Duke’s Rules of Engagement, Jennifer Haymore has written a beguiling historical romance that cannot fail to touch the heart. Spiced with emotion, intrigue, passion and sensuality, The Duke’s Rules of Engagement is an atmospheric, dramatic and poignant historical romance about letting go of the past, learning to love again and finding your soulmate readers will fall in love with.

Joanna and Matthew are two wonderful characters it is impossible not to care about and root for. Theirs is a love story that is beautifully written and full of intensity, pathos, heat and charm.

Jennifer Haymore’s The Duke’s Rules of Engagement is a dazzling historical romance that is simply first class!

When an author pits the most unlikely to fall-in-love couple against each other, well you had me at the cover! I absolutely adored The Duke’s Rules of Engagement. It’s funny, witty, engaging, sizzling, and full of laugh-out-loud moments on this couple’s road to claiming each other’s hearts. But. It’s not going to be an easy journey when two equally stubborn people come together and each believes that they alone know best.

Joanna is a woman who is in love with love. Oh, she may not believe that the happy state of being loved is in her own future, but she finds great pleasure and satisfaction in pairing up couples who will find that magical happily ever after future, thanks in part to her matchmaking. She confidently believed that she could find the perfect match for anyone, right up until she met the Duke of Crestmont. Matthew has rules, ridged rules for what the woman he will marry should be, look like, act like, and behave within his world. If his list of rules wasn’t so much like many members of the ton during this time period they would have been laughable… but Jo isn’t laughing, at all. And Matthew isn’t budging, either.

It was a treat watching Jo and Matthew banter back and forth, fall in love themselves, and change one stubborn Duke’s mind on the true state of love. It’s not going to be an easy journey to their happily ever after ending, after all this is one determined and may I say, bull-headed Duke. Yet, watching Matthew slowly change his attitude, and seeing Jo begin to believe that just maybe love can be found for herself as well was emotional, sizzling with chemistry, full of laughter and tears (and a touch of anger at times) experience. I liked this couple, a lot.

The Duke’s Rules of Engagement is full of all the reasons I read Regency Romance… and if you love an emotional, funny, sexy, well-written Regency Romance full of laughter and promise, then this one is for you.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

I gave this one a fair shot, but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters and the writing dragged down the story's pacing a tad much.

Oh well, they can't all be winners.

I really enjoyed this new book by Jennifer Haymore - it's been too long since I've read her historical romances! This emotional and sexy and sometimes funny romance was great as I watched the two engage and circle each other before realizing that they were the best for each other.

BRAVA!

The Duke's Rules Of Engagement by Jennifer Haymore is the story of Joanna Porter and Matthew Leighton, the Duke of Crestmont. Joanna is a matchmaker who is very successful. Joanna truly believes in love and finding her clients their happy ever after. Then Matthew knocks at her door needing help finding a wife but doesn't want nor will he love his wife. Joanna is taken back but she knows if she can match him up it would be a feather in her cap. Also, she thinks she can make him fall in love with the women she finds. Enjoyed this book and I hope to read more from this author.

Jo considers herself a wonderful matchmaker. Now, of only she could get the Duke of Crestmont to fall in line. All he can think about is this audacious matchmaker. This is a wonderful story readers will enjoy.

This was an enjoyable romance between a duke who doesn't want love and his matchmaker who wants to help him find love. I really enjoyed it and loved watching these two spend time together and not reaise they were slowly falling for each other. It was a really sexy historical and one I really enjoyed reading.

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

Working as a matchmaker has been rewarding for Joanna Porter, but her newest client, the Duke of Crestmont, may be her biggest headache ever. Matthew can't believe he needs a matchmaker, but he'll do anything to stop his uncle from inheriting the estate. Even though he's resolved himself to marrying, he doesn't have the time to actually look for a wife, so he gives Joanna a list of requests, top of which is that he has no plans to fall in love. But Joanna doesn't agree in matching couples who aren't in love, and as she tries to draw more out of the dour duke, it's soon clear that his perfect match might just be her.

What I liked most about this book was how quick and fun it was. I read it while on holiday, and it was the perfect pool side read. The two main characters had their ups and downs, but they brought out the best in each other. Matthew was too uptight and dour, whereas Joanna was a little flighty and outgoing for his liking, but together, they worked. Matthew always thought he needed the perfect debutante as his duchess, from the best family, with no hint of intrigue or scandal, but Joanna managed to show him the error of his ways.

I tried reading this book twice.

The first time, in August, I stopped reading after 3 chapters, because I couldn't get into it and wasn't particularly fond of the writing. Granted, I was in a major book slump, so it could've been me. So I put it down and thought I'd try again before the release date. But then that came closer and closer and I just didn't feel the pull to read it again. Finally, I gave it another shot because I saw some good reviews about it. I started reading and stopped at 25%. Although I don't think it's as bad as I thought it was the first time around, I just don't feel compelled to continue reading. In fact, I hadn't read anything in 4 days because I just always found something better to do than read. I don't feel involved with or pulled into the story, and I don't feel much chemistry with and between the characters. So, I decided to DNF at 25%.

This regency romance pulled me in front the start. I loved the fact that Joanna was a matchmaker, it’s a profession that I never think of during this time period. I loved the banter in the beginning and how it turned into deeper conversations. The way the Duke kept denying his feelings but couldn’t stop thinking about Joanna made me smile. I wanted them together as a couple so bad and the slow burn long but worth it and had a good amount of spice to it.

@entangled_publishing and @tlcbooktours for the gifted copy

The Duke’s Rules of Engagement, by Jennifer Haymore. Readers, you are going to love this steamy love story. Matthew and Joanna has set the pages of this book on fire. The writing was intense and most of the time very romantic. I loved the often times witty moments between Matthew and Joanna, during outings, meetings and ball events.
I loved how the writer took the time to explore deep into Joanna and Matthews feelings. The written words during these moments you could get a sense of that the couples deep emotions. I found Matthews character to be strong and viral. His strong presence in the book only enhances his passion in the boudoir. Joanna’s character is very independent.
She runs a small little business and she’s happy with that. I took her character as a person who rather see the people around her happy. Joanna senses her growing attraction to Matthew. Throwing caution to the wind, can she resist these temptations from Matthew? I give this book two snaps and twist. Until next time my fellow readers… read on!

The Duke's Rules of Engagement was a great read! This was my first Jennifer Haymore book and it did not disappoint. I loved the heroine, Jo, and her group of girlfriends-- her best friend, her mother and her lady's maid! I wish I had a standing tea appointment with them! The dialogue in this book was excellent. Jo and Crestmont's chemistry was fantastic! I loved his breaking point, and their miscommunications between them had *just* enough angst to satisfy me, yet not turn me away from this book. I'd recommend The Duke's Rules of Engagement to someone who likes HR.