The pace of this novel was on the slow side for me. It’s well-written but with too much focus on manners and not enough on plot. I didn’t feel an emotional connection to the characters. DNF.

Ignore the retelling claim and this is ok

The biggest error in this book is marketing it as a reverse My Fair Lady retelling, setting reader expectations to certain themes and then whiffing them very badly. I might have enjoyed this more had I not had that preconceived idea in my head, because this was not in any way close to My Fair Lady, insofar as he is not a fish out of water and he needs no instruction on how to behave properly among the aristocracy and she is not in any position to be teaching him, considering.
Just letting this be what it is and not inferring a link to a different story would have been a much better experience for me. Also, <spoiler>the ending and reveal made the entire premise pointless too, so why did the author try? </spoiler>

Other than that this was mostly a light read, but I found the characters lacking in chemistry as there is very very little heat between the two. And everything was wrapped up quickly and perfectly in the final chapter after a pretty large deception on the part of the hero.

Small note: the author spent a lot of time soap boxing on modern issues. Though I agree with her take, I never like social issues preached at me in light romance. It ended up making the heroine appear like a Mary Sue and had a touch of white saviorism at its core. So maybe the author wanted us to see how much the heroine didn’t agree with the treatment of the lower classes, especially people of colour and former slaves, but her approach left a bad taste in my mouth.

With a couple of small tweaks this could be a very light hearted, sweet historical romantic comedy, but it just spent too much time trying to be something it wasn’t. Plus no sex, heat, angst, longing or anything to be had here. They could have been siblings, I can’t stress enough how little I believed they wanted each other.

This was a predictable and fun read. I really enjoyed the main character and her resistance to a traditional life. The plot twist at the end was expected, but came about in a more inventive way than anticipated. Overall an enjoyable experience and definitely one to recommend for some happy and light reading.

What a gem of a romance! I would give anything to have one of those MIB machines that wipes my memory so I can go back and give this one another read. Loved!

A Gilded Age Retelling of My Fair Lady.

Arriving into English society from the drawing rooms of New York, Miss Florence Wakechild declares nothing less than the marriage her father is so desperately seeking for her. Clayton Wakechild desires nothing more than finding a suitable husband for his daughter - a husband of noble birth and a title no less. No "new money" here. Frustrated with her father's obsession with the British aristocracy, Florence comes up with a plan.

Florence is a strong-willed woman who has no desire to marry any man that her father deems suitable for her. But her father is desperate to find a suitor with noble birth and title. Florence devises a plan to fool her father and to prove that a title is meaningless. But she chooses the wrong man for her deception.

I quite enjoyed this story and the plight a daughter has with her father about the kind of man she should marry. The characters are well-developed and likable. The pace is steady. This well-written story held my attention throughout.

I've read the original Pygmalion play and have always been enchanted by the narrative. I saw My Fair Lady that was inspired by it and was disappointed by the ending that strayed from the canon. Combine these two stories and add a five o'clock shadow, then we have My Fair Lord. I wouldn't say this is a strong adaptation of My Fair Lady but rather a loose interpretation. There were class differences and hearts full of ambition, but I don't think it's "fair" to liken this to My Fair Lady. There weren't very many similarities and I thought it was odd to revolve the book around that false mirror. Personally, I thought this was a strong marketing tactic but not enough to move it into retelling territory.

Florence and Ned had sweet banter, but that's all this book was: dialogue. I swear nothing happened but talking. There were a few chaste kisses, but there weren't any exciting action sequences or major bombshells. I found myself skimming and ready for the book to be over. I liked the easy chemistry between the two characters, but this was the story's only redeeming quality. I thought My Fair Lord was a very gentle love story, but also incredibly sleepy. I prefer my romances much quicker paced and with higher stakes. This was a sweet venture, but I'll keep my eyes open around the various flower shops to find My Fair Lord.

A turnabout of the classic with appealing characters. Florence decides to turn Ned into a gentleman but then discovers she cares for him more than she realized. Can these two be happy? What will her father do? No spoilers but then again, there aren't really any surprises either. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for a rainy day.

I found the pacing of this painfully slow in parts and, (warning - it’s predictable - but if you know the story of Pygmalian / My Fair Lady / Pretty Woman then you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Well written, my own issue with this, was I had a nearly impossible time getting into the story. I just wasn’t the right reader for this one.



Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the DRC

What a fabulous whirlwind of story. It was easy and entertaining read taking place of times with arranged marriages between new money of America and aristocratic families of England.
The struggle to be seen, the fight of women for their wishes to be listened to. The thriving love between two different classes and the unexpected discovery in the end.
I truly loved this book, it was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it immensely.

Elisabeth Hobbes presents Florence and Ned. Florence is an American whose Father believes that she can only marry an English Lord so he can brag about it to his American friends. So, a pact is made by Florence to present Ned an ordinary gentleman but as a Lord to prove that you don’t need to be an aristocrat to be a gentleman. The story takes them from Liverpool back to the USA. Fun characters as well as the rogues. Thanks to Elisabeth and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

“Mystifyingly, Ned felt a tug in his chest from heartstrings long grown rusty from unemployment.”

I don’t normally reach for retellings, but this one called to me because it was so unique. Author Elisabeth Hobbes has crafted a gender-swapped retelling of My Fair Lady AND endowed one of her characters with neurodivergent qualities. This historical romance is spectacularly reworked, very intriguing, and set in Victorian Liverpool and Gilded Age New York.

Twenty-four-year-old Florence Wakechild proposes to make a counterfeit viscount to present to her father and show him how preposterous it is to be determined to marry his daughters to titles. She plans on training her protege how to behave, clothe him appropriately, and teach him etiquette and is spurned by her brother-in-law's declaration - a bet of $100 that she CAN’T create a viscount before he leaves for England.

The thing is, Florence already has someone in mind. Someone really good at playing the part. Someone really good at deception. Will she get her heart hurt? Will she prove her father wrong? Or will she learn a thing or two about herself and fall in love in the process? Will Ned Blake even be up for the ruse?

I loved this story and the spin Hobbes put on a classic. It was spectacularly executed. I included the above quote because it shows the vivid descriptions Hobbes utilized that made me love her writing. I fell in love with Ned before Florence and was rooting for this underdog the whole way. For some reason, I saw him in my mind’s eye as Scully from M*A*S*H episodes because of how Hobbes described his playful nature and his twinkling eyes. I appreciated that Florence was so courageous and loved reading how her personality and view of her world affected her choices and behaviour. How wonderful to spotlight neurodivergent characters!

I was gifted this copy by Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

An enjoyable read, if a somewhat convoluted story of star- crossed lovers, based very loosely on the theme of My Fair Lady. The narrative meanders back and forth between our American protagonist Florence, daughter of a ‘new money’ magnate, Clayton, desperate to find an aristocratic, titled husband for his feisty daughter. The mysterious and enigmatic Ned Blake has his own reasons for his elaborate subterfuge, but doesn’t anticipate the complication of his falling for Florence.
An easy, undemanding read, charming if predictable, though I did become a bit impatient when the pace of the story slowed down during the voyage to New York.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Retelling of My Fair Lady, loved this version. The story line is brilliant no boring parts and kept me glued to the end. Great author Can't wait for the next one!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love stories involving forbidden love. In My Fair Lord, Florence is set to marry someone of noble birth. She comes up with a plan to prove to her father that someone’s birth doesn’t mean they are a suitable candidate for marriage. I loved the story and how it unfolds. I could do without some of the language at the beginning, but nevertheless, as a whole I thought it was a great story.

This book is exactly what I wanted! I absolutely love my fair lady and I was so happy to find this book! I would highly recommend!

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this. Sadly, I lost interest pretty quickly. I'm a little confused why this is a twist on My Fair Lady. Ned is already pretty practiced in adopting identities and doesn't seem to need coaching on how to be a viscount. In fact, he seems to know more about the British aristocracy than Florence. But outside of that, I was just a bit bored. There isn't much chemistry between Florence and Ned and I really didn't end up caring much about the story.

Florence Wakefield, American, does not want to marry into the British aristocracy to suit her father's ambition of improving his status to more than nouveau riche. She feels that manners can be taught and sets out to prove this by bringing an ordinary man "up to scratch" and duping her father. She finds Ned Blake and then finds that he is a very quick learner, not to mention falling for him. Needless to say he's not who he seems. The both travel to America to complete the dupe which then horribly backfires, but in a pleasant way. No spoilers, but it's fun, if predictable, and makes a quick light read. 3.5* rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I wasn’t too sure how this book would work but I really enjoyed it. Florence is a feisty American daughter of a wealthy businessman and Ned is a complex working class English man. A bit of a silly plot but it’s an entertaining read and a nice story.

A fabulous My Fair Lady retelling set during the Gilded Age. Florence Wakefield's father wants her to marry into British aristocracy. She has other plans, and works to remold an average bloke into an aristocrat ... just to prove her father wrong about the superiority of titled men. A beautifully written lovely romance!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Published: March 1, 2024
Series: One More Chapter
Pages: 384

I’ve read one other story by author, Elisabeth Hobbs and that story in the One More Chapter was just beautiful. So reading “My Fair Lord” by this author, I was not expecting anything different. The story is well-written, pace is good and is a delightful read.

Miss Florence Wakechild clearly wants to steer clear of her father’s desire to marry her off to some nobleman with a title. However, she has other plans and due to her father’s obsession, she comes up with a plan to turn an ordinary man into an aristocrat that would humiliate her father but also prove her point that a title does not make a gentleman. Ned Blake, the man Florence has chosen is not quite the gentleman. With all the training she provides him, it somehow backfires and Florence finds herself being swept into feelings…or love that she did not anticipate.

A lovely story of a strong-willed woman who proves her father wrong and proves that there is nothing wrong with falling in love with the right person and changing you mind on marriage. Both characters are likeable individuals and I truly loved this story and recommend the read.