An arranged marriage isn't what Percival and Aurelia were expecting, but finally meeting, there is a spark between them. Participatimg in the London season is not always pleasant. Much gossip and speculation, makes it tough to be out in Society. Aurelia's mistreatment by her parents gives Percival the reason for a quick marriage. Only after they're married, Percival puts his marriage in danger.
Not exactly the regency period, but close. An interesting relationship between Percy and Aurelia. A clean romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Entertaining Regency Romance

A mistaken identity, misunderstandings, and scandal make this an entertaining read. Percy and Lia want nothing to do with the marriage arranged for them by their parents, but when they meet, the idea does not seem so bad after all. However, they must weather an old scandal, ton cruelty, and a misunderstanding that can break them apart. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading the next one in the series.

A fun entertaining story that kept my attention throughout. Percy and Lia are betrothed by their parents, but haven't met. Percy and his brother head to Northern England to meet Lia but first Percy, then is brother suscumb to illness along the way. Their valet disappears with their clothes and money. Confusion as to Percy's identity at Lia's home has him becoming a shepherd to remain in the area. Lia pretends to be a maid bringing him his meal.
There were plot twists to keep these two apart, but it ends with a sweet ending.

I felt like both Lia and Percy were way too young and immature and had no business getting married or having children. These characters needed to be older. It really took me out of the story. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook and this is my freely given opinion.

I have generally enjoyed this series and the fairy tale themes. But can someone direct me to which fairy tale this references because I do not see anything that I am familiar with.

On saying that, this was a generally sweet romance with two young persons who are set to wed in an arrangement made by their parents. While they each are opposed to the betrothal, both are underaged, and under the control of their parents. So young Lord Thornstead, Percy travels with his valet and brother, to the country estate of his betrothed, Lady Aurelia Byrne, to meet her, travelling ahead of their ducal retinue partway there. Unfortunately, Percy falls quite ill from an ague, and is forced to stay at the inn, delaying his visit. His young brother travels ahead to let the family know, leaving him behind with his valet. Due to a variety of events, this leads to mistaken identities when the two young people finally meet. Despite the fallacy of events, the two young people connect and develop an affection, with a strong sense of protectiveness on the part of Percy. Especially when he observes how the strong minded, spirited Aurelia is mistreated and neglected by her parents.

His father, the stern, powerful, but fair minded Duke, wants to help the two a chance to know each other, and see if a strong relationship can develop, and it is not just Percy wanting to save Lia from an unhappy home life, so he arranges for Lia to travel and be under the care and chaperonage of his sister, and be formally presented to society with his own niece. This helps Lia to open up, when not under the depressing, abusive care of her parents. But while in London, a past scandal affecting Lia and her family comes back out in the open, and the gossip creates havoc on Lia's Season, and causes more strife in their families. Percy, not matter what happened, was strong and loyal in his love for Lia, and his desire to marry and support her, whether it was against her parents, or Society.

This was an interesting story of mistaken identity, young love, and familial relationships, and how a woman forced to suffer for her parents mistakes, and live stifled as the target for their bitterness and resentment was able to blossom when shown love and support. I did enjoy it, but one of the things I really enjoyed about this series was the twisting of the Regency romance with a classis fairy tale and I did not get that clearly with this one.

3.25 stars out of 5

Lia and Percy meet as ordinary people in an unusual way. But they guess who the other is and go about trying to fix the situation. Many obstacles are brought in their path but how they choose to deal with them will be the true test. Including her own parents…..
I found this a delightful novel where opposites attract and sets of parents are polar opposites. Wonderfully enchanting I was completely intrigued from the get go.
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.

The Sincerest Flattery by Jude Knight is a fun romance about two people who were betrothed without even meeting, a not uncommon occurrence in these times. Lord Thorstead is his father’s heir and as such it behooves him to do as he’s told. He and his younger brother, Lance, have traveled north to meet Thor’s bride. Along the way, Thor comes down with an ague. Lance leaves him and his valet, Martin, in an inn and travel north to tell the family what has happened, but by the time he reaches their manor, he himself is barely hanging on the reins and it is raining. He mutters his brother’s name and is quickly put to bed and seen by a medic. When Thor regains his senses, he discovers that Martin has taken everything he owns, including the horses. He has been cared for by the innkeeper’s wife, who hopes he really is a lord and payment will be made. Meanwhile at the manor everyone assumes Lance is Thor and the young lady to whom he is betrothed is instructed to stay away from his sick room. So, she sneaks out of the house to deliver the new shepherd’s luncheon and discovers a well-spoken and very handsome man. Everything gets sorted.

Amelia (Lia) has taken the brunt of her parents’ dysfunctional relationship and, it must be said, has been abused. Thor is immediately attracted when he meets the comely servant bearing food and when he discovers she is his betrothed, is very happy. Eventually his father turns up and everything is sorted. Lia returns to London for the season with Thor’s sister and Thor’s father solves most of the problems. It is a good story with an excellent plot and pacing. The characters are good and the Duke, most of all. Despite his gruff exterior, he is a gentle and loving man. It made me happy to read this book and every problem was explained and solved for this lovely young woman. Thanks Jude Knight, for another excellent read!

I was invited to read The Sincerest Flattery by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #JudeKnight #TheSincerestFlattery

4 stars

I enjoyed the story but found the hero and heroine a bit young. There's a bit of confusion for the heroine who is due to marry hero, Percy when a lordship turns up but is very ill. She subsequently meets a shepherd who is much more to her taste, who actually turns out to be our hero. The hero and heroine and both respectful of their parents and the Duke is keen for the marriage to be a happy one. A pleasant story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is great!! The storyline and characters are well developed and interesting. I became so engrossed in the book that I finished it in one evening!

As an Austrian, I grew up with Grimm, Andersen and Hauff fairy tales, but for the life of me I couldn't recognise which fairy tale served as the model for this story.
I am a big fan of the author and this book is also beautifully written.
I liked this "love at first sight" story in and of itself, but it could have been a hundred pages shorter, especially with this theme. I wasn't really taken with Lia's character at first, but that changed as the book progressed. I liked Percy right from the start, even though I thought he was a big fool at times. The relationship between the two felt natural and was nice to follow. Of course, there are villains, complications and twists in the story caused by past scandals, gossip and miscommunication, but these were (too) quickly resolved.
I also liked that the author wove characters from previous books into the plot. However, my favourite character in this book was not one of the main characters, but Percy's father, who was particularly compelling with his matter-of-fact yet compassionate manner.
There are a few love scenes but they are rather hinted and off-scene.

When Percy's father, the Duke of Dellborough, informs him that he has arranged a marriage for him with the Earl of Harrowby’s daughter, Lady Aurelia Byrne, Percy Versey, Marquess of Thornstead, decides to visit his prospective bride at her family’s country estate, accompanied by his brother Lance, in order to get to know her. On the way, however, he falls ill and Lance continues alone at Percy's request. But Lance also falls ill and loses consciousness on his arrival. He is mistaken for his brother and when Percy arrives days later, robbed and in borrowed clothes, no one believes him to be the real Lord Thornstead. He decides to take a job as a shepherd to find a chance to talk to his brother.

Since her birth, Aurelia has been neglected by her parents and abused by her mother. She grew up alone most of the time with the servants at the country estate and was thrilled to finally be old enough for a season in London and to escape the seclusion.
When her father informs her that he has arranged a marriage for her with a stranger, she is anything but thrilled, especially when she sees her supposed fiancé before he collapses unconscious and is subsequently cut off from her.

When Percy and Lia meet by chance under false identities, they are immediately attracted to each other and when the mistake is made clear, they both agree to marry. But their relationship is not under favourable auspices. A past scandal, malicious people, gossip and above all poor communication threaten to derail their love and marriage...

All in all, a sweet and entertaining tale with some twists and a heartwarming happy ending.

An entertaining romance, although I did find it a little convoluted in parts as misunderstandings abound and mistakes are made. It all comes down to the basic truth that communication is essential in a good marriage. Fortunately, both Percy and Lia find each other again and the novel comes to a sweet conclusion. I received a copy of this book as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary

I usually avoid putting my negative thoughts at the beginning of the review but I feel that's what I remember most when thinking back on this book. I have enjoyed this series prior to this book for the clever twists on classic fairy tales - which brings me to my first issue with this book (which I realize is really a minor aspect), I could not figure out what fairy tale this was based on so it came across as just another simple, sweet romance with nothing new to it. My second problem with the book is that everything just seems to happen so easily for Percy and Lia. They meet, the immediately like one another, within a day they discover one another's true identity, and then they are off to get married. Yes, there is a scandal involving her parents and her true origins but that gets swept up pretty quickly and does little to interfere with their lives, in fact, it just gets them married that much sooner which they both wanted anyway. I did not buy the way her true father addressed the issue, I still don't think people would have been so openminded as to get over it that quickly. Then once their married they just settle into married life with little difficulty until Percy decides to keep his wife in the dark about something (as though anything stays secret for long in a town like London with gossips on every corner). One thing I did really like was that Lia confronted Percy right away rather than stewing away on it. My final complaint is how this series is told in somewhat of a haphazard fashion when it comes to time lines. The first few are in chronological order then it's kind of all over the place. Having read Talons of a Lyon I already knew what Lance's future had in store and this book must be about 10-15 years prior to that. In the end, this is a perfectly fine, sweet, and enjoyable story - there's just not a lot to it to make it stand out from other books that take place in the same time period.

A fun romp in mistaken identities and family interference.
Percy and Lia have been betrothed by their parents but they have never met.
Confusion ensues when they are posing as a shepherd and a maid.
Slowly they begin to form an attachment but plot twists contrive to keep them apart.
Their friends are supportive but truthful revelations are slow.
An enjoyable read.

I so enjoy reading this author's work. She has such a unique way of taking a period of time and turning it into more than a boilerplate story. In this 6th book of the series, she sends two young Lords off on a trip to meet a prospective bride. Hardship falls on Percival and then on his brother. In the meantime, the prospective bride, Aurelia, isn't terribly happy with the situation that she is being forced into. It's the hardship, the misunderstandings, hurdles and outcome that makes this a unique and page turner event. There are characters from the other books, yet it doesn't distract the reader who hasn't read the entire series. This just points out what an exceptionally talented writer she is. I highly recommend this book as well as her other books. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Percival Lord Thornstead & his younger brother Lance head to the far north east of England to meet the bride his father, the Duke of Dellborough has arranged for him to marry, but bad weather, halts their progress & then Percy falls ill, Lance carries on to inform the Harrowby’s that Percy is ill but on arriving at their destination Lance falls ill & the Harrowby’s think he’s his older brother. Meanwhile Percy’s valet robs him of all but the shirt on his back. Dressed almost in rags Percy is turned away at the door of the manor, he takes a job minding sheep to stay close. Lady Aurelia Byrne sneaks away from the house dressed as a kitchen maid. She is angry at being told she must marry someone she has never met. She’d rather marry the shepherd she meets in the fields than the London fop her father has chosen for her. Percy guesses who Lia is and is charmed. Lia discovers who Percy is and falls in love. If not for Lia’s overbearing mother all would be perfect.
The sixth book in this delightful series, the characters have lovely depth, the story flows effortlessly & the chemistry between Percy & Lia sizzles. A lovely love story, two young people fall hard & fast for each other & even want to bring their arranged marriage forward. Things don’t go smoothly but they both learn that honesty & talking is the best policy. The secondary characters, whether you love them or loath them, are also well portrayed. As with most of the authors books the characters inhabit the same world so there are cameos from other books & series. A very well written charming story
I voluntarily read and reviewed a advanced copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own