What an absolutely delightful period romance!! I fell in love with Maxwell Dean and Diana Boyle, and loved seeing their relationship blossom. The concept of a directory of marriageable widows and spinsters, tailored for the poorer second sons in genteel families, was creative and novel. (Apparently a similar guide actually existed!)
I loved how the women in the directory responded to this offensive pamphlet, and how it ended up being a catalyst for love for so many. The pacing of the story was perfect, and the subplots satisfying. I look forward to reading more by this author.
This book publishes in January and my full review will be on Instagram then!
Thank you to @austenprose and @berkleypub for the complimentary advance copy.

It’s rare that I read a book almost four times in the span of as many days, entirely incapable of walking away from the characters and the world the author has so splendidly woven for us, but not reading this book over and over again was not even an option for me. Highly recommending it.

Fun, arch and filled with personality, The Ladies Rewrite The Rules turns the Regency comedies of manners upon its head and gives readers plenty to enjoy.

Diana Boyle is enjoying all the pleasures young widowhood has to offer and has absolutely no plans to re-enter the marriage mart. Unfortunately, the universe seems to have another plan on tap for her. Completely by accident, Diana comes upon her butler reading The Rich Ladies’ Registry or Bachelor’s Directory, a booklet intended to help young bachelors snag themselves rich spouses. Diana is incensed upon discovering that she appears in the ‘widows’ section.

Wanting her name out of contention, she confronts the pamphlet’s writer, Mr. D. Mr. D happens to be Maxwell Dean, a singleton who wants his friends to be well-off, if not happy, in marriage, as he’s quite sure the two states are not always compatible. Diana soon figures out who he is, and she confronts him over having put her name in his book without her knowledge or permission. Max explains that he simply wants to help out younger sons like himself, lost and adrift without proper inheritance, and, though he doesn’t tell her this, he’s tired of watching perfectly nice, honest, kind and handsome friends be thrown over for big buck-bearing bachelors.

Knowing the men pursuing her are merely after her money, Diana gets proactive and calls together all the ladies in the directory, letting them know what’s afoot. Collectively, they decide to dodge fortune hunters and take advantage of their new infamy. But Diana is attracted to Max – and Max is still out there on the marriage mart looking for the right woman…

Some romances are just fun down to the bone, and so things go with The Ladies Rewrite the Rules. It’s peppery, filled with wonderful wisdom about society, and knows its characters so wholly that one ends up enraptured.

Naturally, Max and Diana find love, and the way they get there is tender, fun, and well-thought out. You’ll root for them in spite of their protestations. You’ll also end up caring about all of Diana’s new friends, and for their hopeful wishes for husbands they can trust; my favorite was Mildred, who finds love with one of Max’s rejected second-son friends (I won’t reveal who; you’ll have to read the book yourself).

Joyful, warm and witty, this is a delight of a book. The Ladies Rewrite the Rules well, ‘rules’ in a delightfully effervescent way.

Ladies Rewrite the Rules was such a delicious and fun read. I loved every line and every page! A definite 5 🌟 read.

The young, well-off, and beautiful widow, Diana Boyle, receives two unknown and unexpected gentleman callers on the same night, both claiming to be acquainted with a distant relative. What are the chances of that? With the help of her butler, Godfrey, Diana discovers that her callers are in possession of a little publication that provides the names and wealth of all eligible women in the area. As she suspected, they were fortune hunters. Well, Diana is just going to have to do something about this.

When a book starts out like this, you know you are in for a fun and exciting read. This story is set during the Regency period and was an interesting look into the London Society and the rules women must follow to be accepted in society. As well as what it is like for second (or third, or fourth, etc) sons of the wealthy.

I really enjoyed that the story focused on characters who might otherwise be overlooked and/or taken advantage of and imagines them flouting the rules and getting their happily ever afters. I liked the second chance romance, both from finding a second love and from reuniting with a lost love, and of course, the new romances that developed.

The book was quite fast-paced as it was full of adventure and romance, so it was a quick read. This was well written and definitely felt true to the time period.

I received an advance copy of this book for free, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

Oh, how I enjoyed this one! Wealthy widow, Diana Boyle, and her friends turn the tables on gentlemen fortune hunters when they discover someone has the audacity to publish a directory of wealthy, eligible women in society. That someone is Maxwell Dean, a second son without any inheritance prospects, who must marry a lady of means. The ladies band together and make their own rules for dancing and courtship. Not only are the gentlemen befuddled by this turn of events, but the matrons at Almack's Assembly Rooms are reaching for their smelling salts. This proper romance was such a fun escape!

I like The Ladies Rewrite the Rules in concept. It starts off with an interesting premise based on real life--the publication of a book of rich spinsters and widows. My issue is that the pacing is a bit herky-jerky. The book would be clipping along and then it would stall to the point that I'd put it down for a week or so and read something else. There's a lot of like about Allain's writing and I think she would be a favorite for many readers (to the point I'd recommend her). She just isn't the writer for me.

MINI REVIEW (full coming 1/12/24):
THE LADIES REWRITE THE RULES is a fun twist on the usual rules of society when a group of heiresses decide that they are going to set their own rules instead of always following the men's whims. There is a rather entertaining beginning and an even more entertaining end. In between is a story with some delightful characters, a bit of a mix of the enemies-to-lovers and second-chances tropes, and an honestly rollicking good time. Readers will fall in love with these characters and cheer on the men who are the ones who must win the ladies' love. Definitely a recommended read to sweet Regency romance fans!

4.5/5 ⭐️
Suzanne Allain has become one of my favorite Insta-buy authors, she wonderfully captures the true air and essence of Jane Austen in her stories. And you can tell she knows and loves the time period.
I will admit, I don’t think I loved this story as much as I did her others (Miss Lattimore’s Letters is my favorite), I still highly enjoyed this story. It did lull a little a in the middle, but was still a quick, enjoyable reading that had me giggling and kicking my feet.
I highly recommend this book and all her others for anyone who is a fan of Jane Austen or any contemporary authors of that time (I really enjoyed when she gave a little shout out to Evelina which is my favorite story). This book is sweet and fun taking a twist where the ladies alter the rules, showing that the author is aware of the social rules. It’s perfect for any fan of Jane Austen
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

**Full Review To Come in January 2024**

A delightful tale of love for anyone who loves classic romance literature with a twist! I adored the prose, the multi-layered plot, and the lovable characters. While closed door, I got so many tingles reading the interactions between the two main couples. One is a second chance romance with some childhood pining and miscommunication thrown in the mix. The other is a sort of “enemies” to lovers where the hero must make effort to win the trust of his lady widow’s heart, which proves tough when said lady has expressed no interest in marriage. We also get to see other romance bloom with side characters, which is always enjoyable, and there is some family drama mixed in which lends a historical lens on what life was like for women during that time. I should mention for those who want to know - this is a multiple POV book, where we get to see the main characters’ inner thoughts and perspectives. It added much color and charisma to an already charming story.

The Ladies Rewrite the Rules
by Suzanne Allain
Pub Date: 09 Jan 2024

Diana Boyle, a wealthy young widow, has no desire to ever marry again. Particularly not to someone who merely wants her for her fortune.

So when she discovers that she’s listed in a directory of rich, single women she is furious, and rightly so. She confronts Maxwell Dean, the man who published the Bachelor’s Directory, and is horrified to find he is far more attractive than his actions have led her to expect. However, Diana is unmoved by Max’s explanation that he authored the list to assist younger sons like himself who cannot afford to marry unless it’s to a woman of means.

She gathers the ladies in the directory together to inform them of its existence, so they may circumvent fortune hunters’ efforts to trick them into marriage. Though outraged, the women decide to embrace their unique position of power and reverse the usual gender roles by making the men dance to their tune. And together…the ladies rewrite the rules.

This was absolutely charming! It has a feminist Georgette Heyer/Bridgerton vibe, and yet to me had so much more depth and personality to the plot and characters than the Bridgerton series. This was the absolute perfect romance I was looking for, it had all the warm feels and was just so wonderful. I actually read it again right after I finished it because I loved it that much. Perfect for a Christmas present, perfect for the cold weather that is soon to arrive, perfect for Valentine's day - no matter when you read it, I promise you, this book will be on your favorite's list! I loved everything about this book, and highly recommend it!

A fun, frothy spin on the Regency that really leans just as much into female friendship as it does its main romance. It's a concept that I would have enjoyed just as much as a longer book — at 270 pages or so, it feels like the length short-changes the book somewhat in terms of being able to flesh out every single aspect of the plot, but Diana and Max are a really fun pair to follow along with, and I enjoyed the conceit of the ladies taking back society under their own power rather than just going along with whatever society dictates they should do. Also enjoyed this overall a lot more than <i>Mr. Malcolm's List</i> (although I can see the places where this would be just as tailor-made for adaptation as that book was).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This sweet Regency romance lifted my spirits with its charming narrative and characters you grow to love, especially MCs Diana and Max. Perfect for histfic romance fans who love clean joyful tales featuring strong women who rewrite the rules on male-female relationships -- and on their terms attract men who adore them.

Thanks to Suzanne Allain, Berkley Publishing, NetGalley, and Austenprose PR for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

(Full review coming on 1/16/24 as part of an Austenprose PR book tour.)

4.5 stars

This book was just what I needed. Funny, fun and full of friendship. I love a book that shows women coming together and helping each other out and not fighting for attention and this book hit all the marks.

When two men she does not know, come to her house obviously trying to woo her Mrs. Diana Boyle finds out she has been added to a directory mentioning all the wealthy widows or single women. Of course, when she finds this out, she is furious. Who would do such a thing?? As it continues you see a true sisterhood coming together over this directory. Changing the rules means them taking control of their future. I love how Diana befriended the "ruined" woman Lady Regina. Diana shows what a sweet, and giving person she is, especially with this friendship.
I also liked the romance part. Everyone had such a different story and I really liked that. It didn't take anything away from the book following other little side love stories. I really liked it. And I liked the romance of Lady Gordon the best. It was so sweet.
Can't wait till this comes out in January so I can add all my favorite lines!!!

I received this ARC from NetGalley.

First: LOVE the cover. I didn't find Diana and Maxwell's relationship to be anything particularly romantic, but I still enjoyed this book-with all the other plot points-to be a fun read.

Suzanne Allain is now an auto-buy author for me!
The story is absolutely delightful. If you like characters who both have tremendous personal growth throughout the story. This is for you!

Also, one of the reasons I really love Suzanne's stories is that the plot is always original. The twists and turns feel fresh and fun.

I highly recommend this book!

For romance readers expecting steam, this is a sweet romance.

This was so much fun! I realized by chapter 5 that I hadn’t stopped grinning. 😁

Read this if you enjoy….
-Georgette Heyer &/or Austen
-cinnamon roll MMC
-sweet and spunky FMC
-second chances
-lovable side characters (spoilerish: I’m looking at you, Jerome-I was totally rooting for the jilted grump from his intro)
-palm kisses
-happy endings