Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lavinia, a bookish middle child is more comfortable in the library than in social settings, much to her mothers chagrin.

Alexander, a Duke with a green thumb, is more comfortable in his greenhouse with his research than preforming his social obligations as a Duke.

When a chance meeting and decades long family arrangement put the two in each others paths, they find they are a match in introverted heaven.

Misunderstandings, self doubt, and trying to be the person others want you to be, all play key roles in the plot.

I really identified with Lavinia, while I’m not the middle child, I’m the bookworm who would rather sit by a potted plant at a party than be the center of attention. Once Alex and Lavinia are together, she loses herself to what she feels he wants and what their society has told her she should be. The reason I identify with Lavinia so strongly is that she just wants to be noticed and be chosen. Alex, every the introvert himself, saw her when she was invisible.

#netgalley #entangledpublishing #FourWeddingsandaDuke

This book had so many good premises, yet suddenly the characters seem to have switched their persona for someone else.
Alexander never expecting to become the duke has built his life around his own pursuit. So when his circumstances change and he has to step in his late brother’s shoes, he makes the choice he believes the best for him. As unexpectedly the lady he has met without knowledge of her identity is one of his potential brides, she intrigues him and appears to share his awkwardness among crowd, longing too for quiet and intellectual pursuits.
Lavinia is the overlooked sister, the one hiding behind potted palms, the one no one saw becoming a duchess. She likes to retreat to read as feels ill at ease with her peers, always compared to her shining sisters
Yet suddenly from the moment she walks from the shadows to the limelight, influenced by her sisters, she discovers she wants a bit of this light for herself, to be seen, to become part of the crowd.

So the more Alexander retreats, the more she exposes herself. He wanted quiet, but she becomes noisy. Led by others who have specific agendas or see things differently, they come to engage in ugly rows, throwing awful words, and spreading pain as they are unable to bring themselves to quietly talk, to discuss where they both would like to move their marriage forward, they do not compromise instead they fire their ires and frustrations.
I wondered how could they find some middle ground for them to coexist together outside the bedroom with Alexander so focused on his work, yet wanting to please his wife as long it would not derail his schedule, until he blows everything out and damage their relationship so much only a Scotland to London groveling could repair.
4 stars

I just was a bit lost with some incoherent behavior from side characters like Lavinia’s older sister that I did not understand at a time.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

This is a very sweet, low angst romance.

Because of a family agreement, the new Duke of Beaubrooke, Alexander Reddington, must marry one of the three Wynnburn sisters. Everyone expects that he'll choose the imperious Harriet, who would be a perfect duchess, or the sparkling, pretty Kitty. But he chooses middle sister Lavinia, a wallflower who always sneaks a book into balls (my kind of girl) and likes to hide behind plants.

Alex isn't a typical duke. He's a younger son who wasn't expected to inherit, and he's a botanist. He prefers plants to people and he's not interested in the typical social life of a duke. When he first meets Lavinia at a wedding, he's intrigued by her and he's happy when he eventually learns that she's one of his possible brides.

It's interesting to read a historical romance where the marriage takes place early in the book and it's not because the woman was compromised. It's an arranged marriage, but both partners are ok with it and there's no real drama in the arrangement.

The real conflict is Lavinia and Alex getting to know each other after the wedding and realizing they're not exactly what the other expected. The conflict is pretty low angst, and the resolution is well done. Lavinia is a great heroine. I like it when an overlooked character gets to blossom. Alex wasn't my favorite hero. He's not a bad guy and he redeems himself, but he's pretty thoughtless.

Unexpected connection
Our story starts with the two main characters Alexander Reddington, second son and now the Duke of Beaubrooke and Lady Lavinia Wynnburn, the socially inexperienced middle daughter of the Earl of Abberforth. Alex, never expecting to become the Duke of Beaubrooke has spent his life studying botany, and his goal is to create a hybrid plant that can help people. Lady Lavinia, Livy, feels that she has been outshone by her two sisters’ beauty and talents, so she has devoted her time to reading, and fading into the background. An accurate description for one, and a shield for the other. Michelle McLean takes the story she’s set up and gone where her readers might not expect. Well written, with characters developing throughout the book, with good side characters. Of the two main characters Livy is the one I felt did not really grow through her life with Alex. She becomes a totally different person to the people around her, while her inner self is still stuck as who she was before she met Alex. I enjoyed the book, and by the end of it saw that both Alex and Livy deserved the lives they wanted. The only thing that threw me was the title, which I still am not sure about. I was given an ARC of the book through NetGalley and Entangled Publishing and this is my honest opinion.

This story was a delightful surprise! The interactions between our main couple were so tender and sweet. The hero and heroine were sweet introverts more than willing to escape into the greenhouse together for some time alone. Lavinia and Alex were so well matched and a joy to read. I love arranged marriages but this one is nice in that the two do want to marry and get to know each other better. Neither is forced. The trick is to figure out how to work the marriage together. The writing style is something that I really liked and if you are in the mood to swoon and watch two adorable individuals fall in love then this is for you!

I really enjoyed this book. Alex and Lavinia are lovely people who find themselves in a position they never expected. Alex never thought he would be the duke, and Lavinia never considered that she would be a duchess. But fate has put them together, and they cannot deny their attraction to one another. They are happy to be married, but they don't know each other well. Because they are kind people, they both try to make the other happy, but neither of them actually asks what the other person wants. It just seems obvious, so they go with it. I found this very realistic. Lots of marriages start off exactly like this. There are lots of funny parts, and the epilogue is not to be missed. Overall, I appreciated that this is a low-angst, realistic story with no villains or violence and lots of good fun.

This is a good story. It involves two people who are very similar. Alexander was not supposed to be the Duke and was not fitting into the role. Lavinia is the middle child who feels neglected and unloved. There story begins with a wedding and follows them as they grow into the marriage. It is an easy to read story with some fun characters.

Weddings, Family, Flowers and Horticulture:
They say that opposites attract but do they really? It doesn't seem so in this romance story.
After getting to know the intriguing Lavinia and Alex and follow them to the alter I was shocked at what happened after their wedding and ball.
I had an "Are you kidding me?" out loud moment.
This couple had several learning moments how to deal with each other and overcome their differences before reaching a happy conclusion.
Friends and family were a big support and added depth to the story. 
Lots of emotional situations. The banter and angst between Alex and Livy's best friend Nigel helped carry the story quite a bit.
My first time reading this author and the story was enjoyable, but it was a little slow in many places which caused me to do some skimming.
Adult Advisory🌶🌶

Alexander Reddington never wished to be the new Duke of Beaubrooke. He was a happy, scientifically inclined second son, loving his quiet life and botanical experiments. Marrying one of the Wynnburn girls - an agreement between his late father and the earl - will save him the torture of navigating a season. The lovely Liv will make him the perfect wife! Intelligent, sweet and best of all: she despises the social whirl as much as he does. If only her best friend wasn’t his botanical nemesis…

Overlooked, bookish and shy, Lavinia Wynnburn is the middle daughter of an earl, used to living in the shadows of her lively sisters. In a ballroom she usually prefers the company of her book and the potted plants in the corner. So when Alex chooses her as his future duchess, she’s surprised, overjoyed and terrified. Her own prince charming, but will she conquer the challenges of her new title?

Their marriage starts out as an unexpected romantic fairytale, but nothing is ever that easy… Romantic passionate nights, steamy greenhouse and office quickies, and lonely cold days. Balance is hard to find. Estate business and his plant grafting experiment claim all his attention. The social pressures of being the perfect wife, his absence and nasty murmurs make her doubt his intentions.
Deep down they love and adore each other with every fibre of their being, but will it be enough?

📚 What a wonderful backwards romance between two socially awkward souls! Realistic, tender, heartbreakingly beautiful and emotional. So many feelings! So much heart! Her palpable loneliness and uncertainty, and his crushing dilemma between his wife and his lifelong passion.
Well-written, delicious, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. Reading this book was pure joy!
📚 Marriage of convenience, bluestocking wallflower, nerdy botanist, steamy, open door

Thank you to Michelle McLean, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Alexander Reddington never expected to be the Duke of Beaubrooke, he was born the second son and had dedicated his life to botany – specifically grafting to create hybrid plants. But when his father and brother die close to one another, Alex finds himself the new duke with a host of obligations and duties he never planned for, especially marriage. But a promise is a promise and while attending the wedding of his cousin, he is to make the acquaintance of the Wynnburn sisters and choose one to be his bride, but it is the woman hiding in the back of the church reading that piques his interest when they chat. But it isn’t until the next day that he learns his wallflower is the middle Wynnburn sister, making his decision much easier. She is perfect for him, she is smart, and pretty and hates the social whirl as much as he does, so she will not expect him to socialize, leaving him with plenty of time to prepare his research for the Royal Society, what more could he want?

Lady Lavinia Wynnburn is the middle child of the Earl and Countess of Abberforth, she is often overlooked and feels lacking when compared to her two sisters Harriet and Kitty, who are both lovely and socially sophisticated, while Livy never feels like she fits in. She too is surprised to learn that the mystery man she met at the wedding is the duke and hides during the wedding ball. She is joined by her dearest friend and pseudo-brother Lord Nigel Bainbridge, who has known Alex for years and shares his interest in botany, they are rivals of a sort, but more like frienemies. Livy is thrilled when Alex wants to marry her, and for a while, it seems like they are well on their way to a love match, but obligations, expectations, and assumptions halt their HEA before it even begins. Can they find their way back to each other or will theirs just be another society marriage in name only?

What a delightful read, I found this story to be not only well-written and nicely paced, but the story felt original and fresh, even though it utilizes more than one commonly used HR trope. I really liked Livy and Alex and was frustrated for them each time they wronged each other, it was obvious to me that they were “meant to be” which made their setbacks a bit heartbreaking. The story has so much going on, a former wallflower finding her stride, a brilliant botanist, steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters, lots of plants, careless words, hurt feelings, grand gestures, collaboration with the “enemy”, and finally a hard-won HEA. I don’t know if this book is the start of new series or a standalone title – I am hoping it is the beginning of a new series, because there are several characters that I would love to see get their own HEAs. In any event, this is a fun story that I am happy to recommend!

*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.*

If you’re a fan of Georgette Heyer, I expect that you will like this story! Its wholesome and traditional regency — but also a lovely story and with a little bit of spice to it. Lavinia, bookish and frequently ignored, catches the eye of Alex, Duke of Beaubrooke, who needs to choose one of 3 daughters to marry. As she navigates how to be a Duchess, he tries to figure out how to be married while also working on his research into plant species. I will say, the emphasis placed on Alex’s research, and his obsession with it, felt a bit out of place for the book, and did drag a little bit — but it needed to create some drama after all! Definitely worth the read!

As a second son, Alexander Reddington never expected to become the Duke of Beaubrooke. He is a scientist and scholar at heart. There are not enough hours in the day to get all his work done, let alone marry as he is expected to.
Livinia Winnburn is the middle and misfit daughter. Often overlooked, she hides behind her books while her sisters take society by storm.
This is an amusing and often emotional historical romance with fabulous characters that aren't always the personalities you might expect. The story also takes some surprising turns.
Good fun.

I just couldn't get in to this book. I can't articulate anything wrong with it, but I just couldn't connect with the characters and their story.

The trope of this book is arranged marriage, a variation of marriage of convenience, my favorite ever! Alex, the duke, must choose a bride among three sisters and he chooses the quieter, the bluestocking one, in order to avoid social engagements and to be left alone with his research. But he’s in for a surprise…
I really liked this book, it was well written and had well-defined characters as always, even if it was less hilarious than usual. But there definitely were laughing out loud moments!
It dragged on a bit in my opinion with all the talks about Alex’s project and the misunderstanding between the main characters and I found the subplot with Lavinia’s sister somewhat strange, like it was added as an afterthought, but I enjoyed the book all the same. I think this is supposed to be a standalone, but I really would like to see the HEA of some of the side characters, like Kitty and Nigel! One can only hope…
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was more angst filled than I expected. I’ve previously read this authors cowboy books, and they definitely had a more rom-com feel to them.

With the main arc of this story centering about miscommunications and failures of the leads willing to talk to each other this book was a little bit of a struggle for me. I especially struggled with the FMC listening to advice from her sister one thing, but not the other, from the same conversation.

This had some great steamy scenes and was definitely not a slow burn, which I enjoyed.

Four Weddings and a Duke starts with a sweet meet-cute and unexpected proposal. Lavinia and Alex seem like a match made in heaven. They are both solitary and intellectual, and they connect instantly. Alex is so drawn to Lavinia, and they have great chemistry. It’s pretty clear that their arranged marriage has a lot of potential.

Unfortunately, I ended up not liking their romance. I think the biggest issue I had with it is the way Alex and Livinia fought. They say things to each other that are so hurtful and immature, and I felt like it was really toxic. Telling Lavinia he should have just married her sister was a low blow from Alex, and he said and did other things that were equally distasteful and mean. Not showing up for a party she held in his honor with no explanation? Making her feel like she’s not important? I felt like Alex totally took Lavinia for granted and didn’t even try to understand her, which also bothered me. The same goes for Lavinia.

Lavinia knew she was marrying a man who was more interested in his research than society, yet she keeps organizing and attending social events. Why? At the beginning of the story, she seemed to prefer solitude, much like Alex, which is part of the reason he chose her as his wife, so for her to change so drastically was surprising. I think that being a duchess gives Lavinia confidence, and she feels seen for the first time in her life, but it seemed like her entire personality changed after she got married, and it didn’t make sense to me.

I also hated that Alex continually put his work before everything else. As much as he cared for Lavinia, this truly felt like a marriage of convenience. I didn’t feel like the attraction grew into love, especially on Alex’s part, until the very end. Alex does something so lovely at the end that he almost redeemed himself in my eyes, but I think I needed more groveling from him because he was a pretty terrible husband for the majority of the story.

There were a few other elements of the plot and characters that didn’t make sense to me. Lavinia’s sister, for example, is so angry when she finds out she wasn’t chosen to be Alex’s wife, but then it is revealed she loves someone else. Huh? Then, why was she so rude to Lavinia? That was odd, and I never could really figure out her character.

I did like the end, though, once they finally reach an understanding and express their feelings. I also like the banter between Alex and his frenemy, who is also Lavinia’s best friend. The final scenes with all three of them were hysterical. I think I liked Nigel more than Alex and kind of wish Lavinia ended up with him. lol

This book was not bad by any means. The writing was solid, and I felt the pacing worked well, as I wasn't ever bored while reading this. I even liked the two main characters at first.

The problem was, once these two wed, Lavinia became the complete opposite of the woman Alex had wanted to marry. Instead of a cute read where two people decide to avoid society in favor of each other's company and their own pursuits (Alex with his plants and Lavinia with her books), maybe venturing out to society parties here and there. Sadly, it would seem as though Lavinia became obsessed with going to events and being seen.

I get it. She explains later on that she never enjoyed those types of events before her marriage because once she was a Duchess, people took the time to notice her, speak with her, etc., whereas before then, she had been a wallflower overlooked by everyone. However, she knew he was marrying her because he wanted a quieter life than he knew he would have with either of her sisters. I was also a bit turned off when she admitted that she had never paid attention to her mother's lessons on how to be a proper society wife, even though she had to have known she would one day marry (especially with the contract between their families specifying that the Duke would marry ONE of them). However, a lot of their drama, I feel, could have been solved if they had been honest with each other from the start about what their expectations were (especially Alex and his weird idea that he can dedicate all of his time to his plants and neglect his wife).

I feel like this book might have done better as a novella so that some of the drama that occurs could have been left out, and some of the side-stories could have been their own stand-alone stories (as some of it seems to only have been added to up the word count), but I was intrigued enough by this author that I would read more of their works.

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.

This was lighthearted romance. I could easily see this story being reimagined as a contemporary rom-com. All of the necessary elements were there. I especially liked the silliness of Alex and Nigel. Every scene featuring the men that had been rivals since childhood was quite funny. I actually felt sorry for Alex once he realized that his new wife Lavinia was Nigel's close friend. This coincidence added some additional tension to Alex and Lavinia's marriage. It initially seemed like Alex and Lavinia were going to have smooth sailing in their marriage because they were both scholarly and disliked social events. Unfortunately, due to some misunderstandings, things did not go as planned. Lavinia, who had always been overshadowed by her two beautiful sisters, suddenly found herself the center of attention. She began to enjoy socializing, mistakenly believing that she was helping her husband by doing so. Alex, who needed to focus on his important scientific research, ended up spreading himself too thin. The couple did enjoy each other's company, but the external stressors eventually became too much. The couple then endured the standard short-term separation which was followed by a grand gesture which was most epic. The ending of this story was absolutely perfect and it made me very happy.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

This was a fun one. Both Alex and Lavinia are quite scholarly- she loved to read (to the extent she brings a book to weddings) and he is a botanist who is heavily into research.

Their fathers made a pact that he would marry one of three sisters. She’s the most unlikely but he ends up choosing her. But once they are married, she falls into the social whirl and he is super focused on his research. This leads to issues.

I liked it and I liked their relationship. But I struggled to feel super involved for some reason. I also got frustrated because they didn’t communicate! A couple of words would have solved everything. There are some really funny bits- someone getting stuck in a planter, someone having to big on an inappropriate statue.

Overall, it was cute and I’d probably read more. I’m curious who our boy Nigel will end up with.

Four Weddings and a Duke is a thoroughly entertaining read. I really enjoy stories about second sons, as they are rarely prepared for the position they now find themselves thrust into.

This one begins with Alexander Reddington being forced by his mother to attend a family wedding. As his mother joins the family Alex conveniently finds an out of the way seat in the back of the church. But he stumbles into Lavinia Wynnburn who has hidden behind a decorative palm and is reading unobserved. Both commiserate about not wanting to be there and are pleased to have found common ground in each other. But Lavinia is dragged back to her family by her sister who questions why she was sitting with the Duke since he holds their future in their hands. Unaware of who she had been chatting with, Lavinia is unable to retrieve the words spoken in haste to the Duke. She shall just have to suffer the consequences when they meet again.

An agreement existed between the Reddington and the Wynnburn families that the Duke would choose a bride amongst three sisters. As it would happen Alex is now expected to choose one of the three sisters since his elder brother the heir has died before actually choosing one to marry. Since his brother did not, Alex can make his own choice of the the sisters. He dances with Harriet the oldest first, and Kitty the youngest second. Alex makes his way to chat with Lavinia who happens to be again hiding to avoid being noticed. Alexander surprises everyone by asking Lavinia to be his wife and she accepts.

Having been mostly ignored by the family it comes as a surprise when Lavinia actually blossoms under the attention, she now finds herself in. Wanting to be a help to her husband she quickly accepts invitations to events he does not want to attend.

Alex is a botanist, is on a deadline and needs to work on his research which takes up most of his time. Lavinia feels forgotten by her new husband as he is often missing, and people are now gossiping about their unusual marriage. Alex and Lavinia will each make a huge mistake about each other that will pull them apart. Can they resolve their differences before it is too late.

I found this to be thoroughly entertaining and creative with the idea that both, Alex and Lavinia. are wallflowers forced on a path neither entertained for their future. Usually, it is the woman who is the wallflower. I liked the writing style and the characters as it kept me engaged throughout the story.