Esther Hatch’s latest addition to the Proper Scandals series, A Proper Facade, is a delightful Regency romance that fans of the genre will thoroughly enjoy. Though the fourth installment in the series, it stands strong as a standalone read, offering a clean and wholesome narrative that remains true to its charming period setting.

The story captures the essence of a classic romance, with a refreshing twist: the hero falls for the heroine first and he catches onto her scheming. This unique dynamic adds depth and intrigue to their relationship. The plot centers around Mercy, whose parents are insistent on her marriage, despite her own wishes.

One of the book’s standout features is the clever use of chess games as a means for the characters to connect and understand each other, adding both intellectual and emotional layers to their interactions. Overall, A Proper Facade is a highly recommended read for those seeking a captivating and heartwarming Regency romance.

The author did a fantastic job with this book. Nicholas kept his facade up in front of Mercy for so long, but still managed to believably win her over. This whole series is excellent, but this one might be my favorite!

This is the fourth book of the series. I didn’t read the others, so it could be read as a stand alone. I do plan on going back and reading the others eventually. This is a sweet regency. Nicholas and Mercy were fun to observe, opposites do attract! I was entertained and enjoying their banter and Mercy trying to push him off to other women. This was definitely a fun read.

This book was clean with kisses only.

I was given a copy of this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a review, these are my honest thoughts.

Her parents are looking for a perfect match. She is looking for a love match. He is just looking a match.
Love has terrible disappointed him once and he will never suffer that fate again. Until he does. But will he win her when she is trying to put him back with the insufferable girl who broke his heart.
This was an enjoyable read engaging enough to keep me involved.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.

I loved this book! It’s the last of a series, but I read it as a stand alone and can’t wait to read the rest of the series! Watching the characters meet cute and following them as they go from complete strangers to friends to love was beautiful. Mercy is looking for passion and Nicholas is keeping those kinds of feelings tamped down due to previous mistakes. Is so beautifully written!

Esther Hatch strikes again! She is a master of telling a heartfelt story that will make you smile, laugh, and bite your nails. This book was pure joy. I loved the banter between the Duke and Lady Mercy, and the cameos from characters in previous books in the series made the story glow!

A Proper Facade is available NOW at most major book retailers. There’s a reason it was the #1 new release in the Regency category on Amazon and if you’re a Regency Romance fan, you owe it to yourself to find out.

Thank you to the author and publisher for a complimentary copy! All opinions are my own.

Such a great historical romance read. I love the Proper Scoundrel series. This is book 4 and I love seeing some characters from the past books. The story line flowed and I wanted to keep reading way past my bedtime.
I definitely recommend you give this one a read!

A fantastic conclusion to the Proper Scandals series! I loved being and to delve more into Nicholas' character and his background. Mercy was the perfect person to bring out the best him and it was really sweet to see how their relationship helped him heal from past hurts. I loved it and I'm kind of sad that it's over!

She plays games to thwart his courtship...

Mercy does not want to marry the oh, so proper duke, Nicholas, she plays childish games to entrap him with other girls. Not cool. Will she learn her lesson too late?
I really liked Nicholas, but thought Mercy was pretty childish and immature.

Well lost me in the very beginning when mourning rituals were improperly described. Extended mourning was NOT the norm in Victorian England until the death of Prince Albert in 1861. Irish famine occurred in 1847, so well before Albert died. It would have been HIGHLY abnormal for a 2 year mourning period before 1861 and even then 2 years for a father would have been far in excess.

This! This *pointing dramatically* is what historical romances should be like. This book was so good that I would give it more stars if I could, but I'm too lazy to create a whole new rating system. What was so good was how society and the demands of society have such a large impact on romance and marriages. No spice and no spice was needed. It was perfect without it! This book really snuck up on me. I was really not expecting such a good book! This is 4th in a series but it can be read as a stand alone. I am going to go back and read more of the series and more by Esther Hatch.

- He falls first
- Love match
- Grumpy meets sunshine
- Slow burn
- Just kisses
- Societal pressures
- Strangers to lovers.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Covenant communications and Esther Hatch for this early release copy. This is my honest review

Dear Mercy,

You are going to play the best game of chess of your life. And this one is definitely going to be very important and meaningful. But I promise, if you play it right, whether you win the game or lose, you will come out the biggest winner. What's the prize you might ask? None other than the heart of a gentleman who will love and cherish you for all his days. He's smitten. Be kind to him and try to look past that stoic behavior and see to his heart, who he truly is. I promise all of your dreams and hopes for your future will be fulfilled.

You're going to mess up. Kind of big time. But just be honest and things will work themselves out. Maybe stop your scheming for a little bit. Then again, all of your scheming is quite entertaining and will bring many laughs. Just don't forget that you will have to fix it all when it turns south. But it will be oh so worth it!

And when you meet a man in the corridor while you are being nefarious, don't be afraid to get lost in his eyes, especially when he seems to be staring at your face. Your freckles will be very captivating. Be yourself. Don't be afraid to be yourself and all will work out better than you could have ever imagined. And remember, you need grace, so make sure you offer it as well.

Sincerely,
A Reader


This book is wonderful! I didn't want it to end. I loved seeing characters from the previous books in this series. My heart was so happy. I laughed and swooned and sighed and maybe almost cried (I had to keep the rhyming going there)! My teenager discovered Esther Hatch's books recently and devoured them. I was beyond thrilled. And then my teen read this one and was sooooo excited to talk to me about it and tell me allllll the things! Hahaha! Thank you Ester Hatch for writing incredible books that I can share and have giggles and fun conversations with my kiddos (and friends and family and everyone) about!!!

Content: Clean and wholesome. Some kisses but nothing further.

I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

4.5 stars

Mercy Rothschild has never felt pressured by her parents to marry, but this season they seem to be acting suspicious, and their pushing her towards Nicholas Kendrick, the Duke of Harrington. He’s all that’s proper and good, maybe even too proper. Mercy wants love like she’s seen her sister have. But how can she find it with such a staid man?

Mercy can’t disappoint her parents who seem to like the Duke of Harrington, but she must get rid of him. Mercy and her best friend come up with a plan to throw other eligible women into his path. They can have him with her blessing! But what happens when she realizes he’s more than he appeared, and maybe she should have kept him for herself?

The scheming was hilarious, but also the height of stupidity. I wanted Mercy to see Nicholas more clearly, and she took her sweet time about it. Nicholas and Mercy were adorable together, once they broke down each other’s walls. I’ve never seen someone work so hard for a kiss. Sweet Mercy!

I loved seeing characters from the previous stories. You don’t have to read them first, but you should definitely enjoy them at some point.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful book. I enjoyed it a lot!

This was not my favorite book of the series and I didn’t like some of the themes as much as other Esther Hatch books, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

The romance wasn’t the strongest in this one. Esther always writes swoony kisses, but the chemistry wasn’t there for me with these two.

I was anxious to see how things turned out, so I wanted to keep reading, but I wasn’t very happy with the miscommunication and some of the plot twists.

I think one thing that I didn’t like was that the FMC was trying to out the MMC in compromising situations with other women that were cunning and predatory in nature. The MMC did not want to be in these situations and it was very uncomfortable that the FMC kept doing it. Her reasons seemed flimsy and didn’t really make sense to me.

I will continue reading this author, because I felt the writing was still good, they were just things in the plot I didn’t like.

🔥Romance: Kissing

I did feel like the HEA took too long to get to, but I did enjoy the yearning. I've really enjoyed this whole series.

Nicholas Kendrick, Duke of Harrington, 25, is working hard to fill his late father’s shoes. The man was well-respected and even though Nicholas has been the duke for several years, some feel he is too young to earn the respect in Parliament that he deserves. He is fighting for continued aid to Ireland as so many people are starving.

When he was much younger, Nicholas fell in love with an older woman and pursued her until she married someone else. Now, he has a reputation of being a hot head to live down.

Nicholas’ brother-in-law, Ottersby, advises him that he needs to get married and that will help him to command more respect. So, at a ball, he happens to meet a young woman named Lady Mercy Rothschild, 20, daughter of an Earl. He finds her to have a good sense of humor and he loves her freckles. As it’s her third Season, her weary parents are pushing her to find someone that she can love and get married.

Nicholas politely pursues Mercy but his attempts at courtship don’t show any passion and she refuses to marry a man without that. Thus follows Mercy trying to find someone else for Nicholas to marry while he resists her attempts at introducing him to other women. He knows he wants to marry Mercy, he just has to learn how to stop being so stodgy and let his love show.

This sounds like I have given out a lot of spoilers but I admit that weeding through this story was difficult. Mercy trying to find someone for Nicholas to pursue was truly daunting and a bit of a turn-off. But, hopefully, all will work out and love will prevail…or will it? You have to read the book to find out.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Of all the books in this series I think this is my favorite. I really love that the hero is a gentleman through and through. He could let his desires get the best of him but he doesn't. The heroine is quirky and I liked her too! Enjoyable read!

Oh, my heart! This book was amazing. It is the 4th book in the Proper Scandals series, and I must say it surpassed my already-high expectations. The laughs! The swoons! And those anxiety-ridden moments that feel so stressful in the moment but lead to such satisfying resolutions...whew! And did I mention the swoons? This book is very clean - no smut, no tawdry lusting - and still provides all the heart-swelling romance I could ask for.

Nicholas Kendrick, the Duke of Harrington, is exceptionally staid, proper, and by-the-book, doing everything he can to earn the respect of his peers and not bring shame to his family name. This often ends up making him appear cold and dispassionate. Nothing could be further from the truth, as we realize that the more tightly Nicholas holds himself in check, the more passionate his true feelings really are.

Lady Mercy Rothschild is a young, carefree woman living life to the fullest and enjoying every moment of it. She has no plans to marry anyone unless she and her suitor are both madly, desperately in love with each other. She has seen romantic love matches like her parents' and her sister's, and refuses to settle for less.

When Nicholas decides choosing a wife would help him to be taken more seriously in Lords, he sets out with a list of potential brides, but then he meets Mercy... His fierce self-control does not show Mercy the passion and whirlwind romance that she is waiting for. Oh, dear. Whatever will they do? ;)

I loved being able to spend time with the characters from the previous books, and learning more about Nicholas was deliciously fun. This series just keeps getting better and better.

I will definitely read this book again and recommend it to everyone who loves a good romance and good laughs.

Thank you so much to Covenant Communications for providing this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I will be snapping up my own paper copy as soon as they are available!

Esther Hatch has always been a favorite author. This story confirms why. A Proper Facade is a beautiful slow burn romance that pulls you in from the beginning. I love Mercy's happy, charismatic personality as well as Nicholas's deep emotions due to a complicated past. I thoroughly enjoyed it