Nicholas, the Duke of Harrington decides he needs a wife to to help him succeed in society and parliament and puts his plans in motion. Nicholas comes across as stuffy, unwilling to show emotion and overly concerned with all things proper. He is desperately looking for a match where no emotions will come into play and has drawn up a list of suitable, potential proper young ladies who would be suitable to the task of being his duchess. However, all this goes out the window when he sees Mercy for the first time

Mercy on the other hand, has always dreamed of a love match, similar to what her parents had but cannot see this materialising with Nicholas! She proceeds to ruffle his feathers and try to get a reaction from him and get him to display more emotion.

These two are made for each other! Nicholas' desire for level headed discussions versus Mercy’s desire for passion always ends up creating some really good chemistry between them. A lovely read.

I received an ARC from the publishers and NetGalley and submit my honest review voluntarily.

Esther Hatch's *A Proper Façade* is a delightful Regency romance that mixes humor, romance, and social commentary.

Amelia Kennington, a noblewoman with philanthropic aspirations, must navigate societal expectations, leading her to create a façade of compliance. Lord Bryant, known for his charm and scandal, hides a man of depth and integrity beneath his carefree exterior. Their encounters are filled with witty banter and chemistry, gradually revealing their true selves and growing affection.

Amelia is a refreshing protagonist, balancing strength and vulnerability as she pursues her charitable goals. Lord Bryant evolves from a seemingly typical rake to a supportive partner, adding depth to his character. Hatch's witty writing and keen period detail immerse readers in the Regency setting, with brisk pacing and engaging dialogue.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

This was a fun and compelling regency romance. Mercy is so genuine and unapologetically herself, but she is definitely naive about true romance at the beginning of the novel. Nicholas, on the other hand, isn't so naive, but he has been traumatized by his own difficult experiences with romance and high society. Their relationship is a rollercoaster of misunderstandings, sweet moments, peer pressure,etc. I enjoyed this novel!

I received a copy from Netgally, and all opinions are my own.

I was so excited to see another book in this series! A Proper Facade was the perfect slow burn romance with moments of sizzling chemistry and the most perfect hero! This love journey was just that, a journey, but the romance is worth the wait for this couple! Mercy is all about passion and romance and Nicholas is all about control and order. Mixing these two brought about many noteworthy scenes as Mercy tried to ruffle Nicholas’s feathers and loosen his composure a bit. This story was full of layers as the characters got to know one another and their friendship and romance began to blossom! There might be a sizzling kiss that was worth the wait!

This was well written and a lovely romance. I want to read more from this author.
It was believable and the relationship developed at a nice pace.

Wow! This book was enthralling! I was already excited having read all the other books in this collection, but this far surpassed by hopes for Nicholas! He was downright adorable in his struggles, and Mercy was a hoot to get to know! I just love Esther Hatch's books, and this one is no exception! Well done! This book left my heart beating in my chest so many times. I felt like I was going to die from all the second-hand embarrassment Mercy put me through, but it was so worth it! Thank you to Netgalley and Covenant Communications for allowing me the wonderful opportunity to read this book early!

I picked this up thinking it would be a fun Victorian read and that I’d have the willpower to put it down to get some things done. I was wrong. I was pulled in and stayed up entirely too late to read it, I have no regrets though. I could not put it down, my curiosity was piqued. That scene with the handkerchief. IYKYK. And their meeting!! After reading, and loving the previous books, I could not wait to get my hands on this one, and it did not disappoint. The ending and how everything was resolved were so romantic and I could not put it down. I highly recommend this book!!

I received an EARC from Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is a story about first impressions being misinterpreted.

When Mercy and Nicholas meet each other, they are obviously very different, although deep down they want the same thing: love. Mercy is all about showing emotion and living it, and Nicholas likes order and keeps his true self hidden. This led to enough awkward situations and to her thinking he's not the man for her.

It's a slow burn romance in which they slowly discover each other and how perfect they are to one another. It has some elements reminiscent of Pride & Prejudice. It was also fun to see the couples from the previous stories.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I have enjoyed this series of books and was excited to come back to it. I will say the characters fought so hard against themselves and their internal demons I felt it was not resolved enough for me to truly see their romance. I do believe in forgiveness and enjoyed that theme throughout, however I am a big believer in boundaries as well and some of it was hard for me to accept.

I enjoy this group of books, and this one is no exception. How often do we put on a face, a facade, to fit into whatever situation we are in. Sometimes that facade can take over our lives!

Nicholas allowed his facade to over take his life. As a young man, he made mistakes and embarrassed himself and his family, especially his father. Since that time, he has been trying to be the perfect man, keeping all emotion and passions hidden.

Mercy has been enjoying her London seasons, when suddenly her parents are pushing her to wed. When a chance encounter places her near a Duke, her life takes a turn. But can she find the true man behind the mask, the one able to love her how she wants to be loved?

This is a sweet story, with all of life's twists and turns. We all make mistakes and we all have to learn from them, and from mistakes of those around us. What we take away from that learning is what creates who we are.

After reading another review that much better matched my own thoughts, I am scrapping my original review to write something more honest. I love this author's books, and so I tried to only focus on the good things in the book in my original review, but really there were many things that irked me and even made me put the book down. It's hard to give honest feedback when it isn't positive. I would much rather write a glowing review for this lovely author, but I have to be true to myself.
This book focused so much on Nicholas craving Mercy and how he needed to suppress his sexual desires so often. Because so much of the writing is dedicated to the character's inner thoughts in this book, it was hard to be Nicholas' head. Taking a scene here and there out of context, I have to admit there were some very lovely scenes and if I just squinted enough and gave the characters enough benefit of the doubt, then I could empathize and celebrate with them through their ups and downs.
Also, the kiss scenes yo-yoed for me between romantic and cringey. They were so drawn out and spelled out. I prefer it to be more understated so I can fill it the blanks the way I want the scene to look.
Where are the secondary characters? They are there, but the interactions and subplots all felt half-baked. I wanted side characters that helped me love the characters more and side plots that tested the characters mettle and forced them to fail or become stronger.
Still, I was entertained often, but I wasn't won over. I want a hero and heroine that win me over by the end and who bring out the best in one another.

Fourth in a series, Esther Hatch's "A Proper Façade" follows Nicholas, Duke of Harrington, brother of Patience from "A Proper Charade", as he methodically searches for a wife. He sets his sights on Lady Mercy Rothschild, his polar opposite.

Lady Mercy is shallow, naive, and lives for dancing. She is generally responsible for her own angst as she attempts to manipulate people and their actions for her own benefit. Perhaps this reads as "selfless" to some, yet her one true selfless act near the end is misconstrued. This is understandable, as these people don't truly communicate. While the Duke's motivations are based on his own history, he is nevertheless somewhat misguided.

I never really warmed to the heroine. Yes, she teaches Nicholas to relax, although his devotion is confusing, since she repeatedly pushes him away. In a surprising twist, her parents reveal themselves to be self-serving, under the guise of concern, of course.

Characters from the three previous books make appearances, and while I read them in order, the stories can stand alone. I usually love Esther Hatch's works. They are clean and well-written, with amusing situations and clever banter. Until this one, I've enjoyed them all. However, I'll continue to read this author's tales.

Thanks to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for an ARC of this novel.

I loved the book. It had all the right ingredients: strong characters, laugh out loud humour, interesting dialogue and most importantly, swoon worthy romance. I gave it a full five stars because of the epilogue! I think it is one of the best epilogues I have read.
Readers who are aware of Esther’s writing style would know that the language used in her books is not 100% historically accurate. So, if you are a Regency expert, you might not like the language. But good solid writing appeals to me and the writer’s ability to make me smile and sometimes even give a loud chuckle makes me her fan!
I was given an ARC by NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Proper Facade by Ester Hatch, tells of Nicolas Kendrick, Duke of Harrington, who has returned home following his time serving in the army. You will soon see him attempt to fit back into English society!

"A Proper Facade" is a romance set around 1846 in England. When Nicholas was 17 years old, a woman who wanted to marry him for his title aroused his passions in an attempt to entrap him. His father sent him to the army to learn self-disciple. He's been extremely careful with his and other's reputations since then as he realized how damaging his actions could be.

Mercy's more interested in dancing than marriage. She told several people that she wanted to marry for love--like her parents and her sister--and that she believed that the evidence of love is (before marriage) enflamed passions. As in, she wants the guy to get her alone and intensely kiss her every chance he gets. Mercy's the daughter of an Earl. I find it unbelievable that no one told her "lust is not love. Any guy who can't keep his hands off of you cares more about what he wants than about you."

Mercy's convinced that Nicholas' restraint is lack of interest rather than a show of respect and that his comments about the things he likes about her are worthless. Even knowing how he felt about reputations, she set him up several times so he was alone with scheming women who wanted to entrap him into marriage. She finally got him alone and got physical with him to provoke passion, demanding a passionate kiss before she'd agree to marry him. Only after this did she realize that passion doesn't always mean love and that she'd undervalued Nicholas.

Frankly, I don't understand why Nicholas wanted an unpredictable wife, which is what attracted him to Mercy in addition to her connections and her freckles. Especially when that unpredictable nature was turned against him rather than used to support him or build his confidence. I felt like they really needed some time to rebuild trust, so the ending felt rushed to me. There was no sex. The kissing was on the face, and the touching stayed in the face to (his) chest area. There was no bad language.

Everything I love in a Regency Romance. Even though I read all levels of spice for romance, when an author of a proper romance get it right - you still feel that love between the characters.

Esther Hatch is always a must-read for me. Highly recommend A Proper Facade!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A wonderful romantic historical novel, I found the book to be delightful! Nicholas and Mercy are the perfect pair, they just don't know it yet. It's a bumpy ride but worth the journey with these two lovebirds. Clean and romantic!!

I should start by saying Esther Hatch is one of my favorite authors in this genre, so it pains me to rate it so low. This comes on the heels of having just read the extended version/rewrite of There Goes The Groom. I noticed some similar things.

SPOILERS

The whole premise of the book is that Nicholas is a very physical, passionate man who made a devastating mistake at 17, so now he keeps those passions firmly bridled. Lady Mercy is chosen as his bride for practical reasons (which were quite flimsy). She wants a love match - strike that - a passion match, because everyone around her has had them, and successful ones at that. She doesn't believe Nicholas is capable of passion, at least toward her, so she is determined to break him or foist him off on someone else. That's it. The entire book. There is a -very- little bit thrown in about the starving Irish, which is supposed to testify that these characters have substance and morals and will fight for a cause. But really, it's only about passion.

Because Nicholas and Mercy spend the entire book pushing each other away, there was very little conversation or charm, very few opportunities for humor or connection. So I did not connect with them with either.

I found Nicholas' obsession with Mercy's skin and freckles weird and his constant struggle with general lust painful to read. Mercy was not any better. She's naive, shallow, and reckless, taking strangers into her confidence and setting up compromising situations for OTHER PEOPLE nonstop, instead of just facing her problems with intelligence and grace. She does eventually realize she was foolish (about 75% of the way through the book), but it is too little, too late, in my opinion. And then, she pushes him away -because- she loves him. -_-

I did appreciate that Nicholas had learned propriety, respect and integrity the hard way. But Mercy was determined to break him of all that when it came to her, as if that proved something. Terribly disappointing and an awful message to send. It felt very similar to the situation in There Goes The Groom. I don't like this theme the author appears stuck on, of finding rare men who are strong in their convictions and destroying it in the name of "love" and passion.

So on the whole, I found this story and characters lacking in substance. Would make a lethal drinking game ("passion"). I couldn't recommend this book, but I am not ready to give up on this author yet. I will eagerly await her next novel, hoping for a return to the humor and wit that made her stories so great.

I adored this book (which is no surprise)! This whole series is amazing. I recommend it to everyone I know- A Proper Charade is my favorite but they are all great.
I loved the characters especially Nicholas. This book had romance and humor which I love. Once I started reading I had a hard time putting it down.
It is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. You will however miss some connections plus…. You will love the other books- so I recommend reading them in order.

I loved this book by Esther Hatch. It was a beautiful love story that was well written. I would definitely put this on my “to be read again “shelf.