Thank you to Random House - Ballantine/Dell and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is such an entertaining book. It's a light-hearted romance with a touch of mystery, set in the Regency era.

Margaret (Maggie) Arden's greatest wish in life is to be an author. Unfortunately, after her father's death left her mother, her sisters, and herself without any financial security, she needs to find a wealthy husband under the guidance of her aunt.

I was hooked by the first sentence. Maggie is a strong, clever character who is easy to root for. On the other hand, Captain Bridger Dryden does not make a good first impression (with either Maggie nor the reader) but he does demonstrate growth by the end of the story. Maggie and Bridger have much more in common than their shared love of books. Both come from complicated families that prohibit them from going after what they truly want.

There is definite chemistry between Maggie and Bridger. I also enjoyed the interactions between Maggie and her sisters and other family members (aside from her aunts). Due to the numerous characters, the story got a little overly complicated in the middle (a lot of characters with their own subplots) but not enough to deter me from continuing. At times it felt like the romance between Maggie and Bridgers was secondary to the mystery/scandal occurring.

One quick note: The title makes it seem like the book would be a nod to Much Ado About Nothing but it felt more like Pride and Prejudice with a head-strong girl who refuses to settle and a grumpy MMC. This isn't necessarily a critique, just something to be aware of when you pick up the book.

Margaret Arden is a writer in Regency England who wants to get her work published. She is turned down spectacularly by publisher Captain Bridger Darrow. When they later meet at a wedding, he finds loose pages from a story and realizes he must publish it, only to learn that the author is the woman whose writing he rudely rejected. Can he reverse course and win her over, saving both of them from difficult life circumstances? A delightful romantic escape set in my favorite era!

I enjoyed the characters and the plot but the writing style threw me off at points. I think the parts from Much Ado About Nothing were fun but sometimes it didn’t match up with regency esque books. I look forward to seeing what else the author writes!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I know regency era is getting another dose of the spotlight dur to a current popular show but this was a great unrelated read. I loved that the author was female and that a man aided her in publishing. Great setup and fun read.

Aspiring author Margaret Arden wants nothing more than to sell one of her books. Unfortunately as the eldest daughter in the early 1800s. she is required to marry well and forget the writing nonsense. Her book has been branded as trivial by a publisher, but when he turns up at her cousin's wedding things change. Pages of her book mysteriously blow out of a window all over the garden and Bridger Darrow changes his mind about the book and pursues Margaret, not only for the book but romantically. This does not endear either of them to her aunts.
Entertaining, charming and witty.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. It was a great summer read- light and entertaining. It reminded me of Pride and Prejudice, but, happily, it wasn't another knock-off of that. My only criticism is that the book has unnecessarily explicit love scenes which seemed out of place with the rest of the book. Maybe the author was trying to imitate Bridgerton. In any event, I enjoyed the book and look forward to more from the author.

All those who like their rom-com set in the regency period, look no further to your next love! "Much ado about Margaret" is a lovely novel with a fantastic heroine and the romance was very sweet. I couldn't put it down until I had my happily ever after and I cannot wait to own this book in print. Recommended for anyone needing a Bridgerton fix!

Margaret is a misfit for her family and her time. All she wants to do is read and write her books. After her book is rejected by a publisher, she chances to meet him at a party, and he soundly rejects it and her. She is mortified, but her aunt is livid with her for taking such a bold action without even an introduction to him first. The plot gets complicated, Margaret's life gets unceremoniously interrupted when her aunt sends her away and bans her from her books, her writing and the publisher with a threat of putting her mother and sisters on the street. It's a thrilling look at ambition, brilliance, and love for women of a particular time period. A historical romantic mystery, it's fast-paced enough to keep you galloping through it. I loved it.

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for providing a DRC of this title for review.

Unfortunately, I didn’t really feel connected to these characters or feel their chemistry, but it might still be a fit for readers looking for a light regency tale with a bit of romance and a bit of whodunit.

Margaret "Maggie" Arden has always been a lover of the written word, a love that she shared with her father before his untimely death. She had poured her soul into her novel "The Killbride" and is just waiting for a publisher to take a chance on her dream. However as much as Margaret wants to establish herself as a writer, her hands are bound by regency era rules/expectations of a young woman. She, her sisters, and mother are living on the charity of her Aunt Eliza. Her aunt is staunchly against Maggie publishing her book, she believes Maggie should put her focus into securing a wealthy husband to save her family from poverty.
Bridger Darrow is a former captain, that now works in publishing. He is a second son to a cruel and abusive father who is on his deathbed. Bridger is forced to face the fact that his family is on the verge of ruin due to his elder brother's overspending and wild behavior. When he is sent a copy of "The Killbride" Bridger barely makes it past the first chapter before rejecting the novel.
The two wish to never cross paths again, despite their instant attraction for each other.
Margaret and Bridger have been invited to attend the wedding of the season. When the wedding festivities turn to chaos the pair band together to uncover the culprits. In this enemies to lovers, regency romance Maggie and Bridger take you on a journey of love, grief, hope, and believing in yourself.
Thoughts: 💭
This book was so much fun to read, a lighthearted romance with mystery! I really enjoyed the masquerade mystery that the author incorporated, when the culprit was revealed my stomach dropped. I did guess it correctly but was still surprised!
Maggie and Bridger were delightful characters, and their story progressed at a decent pace. I was so happy that this book incorporated both of their POV's. Maggie was a force to be reckoned with and I loved that she wasn't afraid to go against societal norms. Maggie's sisters also had me cracking up! Those two were bold, supportive, and were my favorite minor characters. Women supporting women!
This novel was full of Shakespearean references and gave me Sense & Sensibility vibes but with a little spice 🌶️ (I did get the impression this was going to be a closed door romance, and was a little surprised when it was not!)
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, and Madeleine Roux for this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This really gave me lizzy Bennet diaries meets lost in austen but not really if you know what I mean? Love the modern take and the fun romp

The writing was really strong. I had a hard time getting into the story. I liked the way the characters were developing and the writing but just didn’t connect to the story, unfortunately.

“Much Ado About Margaret” was a wonderful book. “Much Ado About Nothing” is my favorite Shakespeare play, and so a novel inspired by the play has great appeal. I enjoyed the dynamic between Margaret and Bridger, from their unfortunate first encounters to their working together to help protect Lane (Margaret’s cousin and Bridger’s best friend) and salvage Ann’s reputation after she was cruelly betrayed on her wedding night to exploring the attraction between them.

The story has plenty of colorful characters -- some you will love, others you will loath. There is plenty of scheming and surprises. Margaret and Bridger are both bound by societal expectations. This is especially tough for Margaret, whose personality and interests are not at all what is expected/required of a proper lady. She is good at standing up for others, but can she stand up for herself when it matters most?

I am a self-admitted book worm, and I have been the majority of my life. Here lately, I gravitate towards suspenseful books. At my core, I still remain primarily a fan of romance. While I mostly read contemporary romance, I have been known to enjoy a few historicals, especially after the success of “Bridgerton.” Because of that, I was extremely excited to read this book after looking at the description.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but I could not put it down once I got started. My only complaint is that I wish there was more! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It definitely had a very satisfying ending. Not to be a spoiler, but I would definitely like to read more about her sisters!

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

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for honest review.

A sweet and enjoyable story that would benefit from being longer so as to set up more of the stage and allow its lead characters to feel more established both separately and together.

The whodunit aspect feels a little underdeveloped because we don’t really know the people involved too well. The enemies to lovers is also similarly rushed due to the events occurring so quickly. I could see this author’s future Regency work going down smooth if the length and pacing are addressed.

A lot of the reviews say there is no steam - I disagree there are at least 2 explicitly steamy scenes which are actually well written and help validate the emotions of the leads. If only we got there more believably!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Much Ado About Margaret" by Madeleine Roux is a romantic comedy set in early 19th-century England. It has the setting, characters, and tropes you'd expect from a light-hearted historical rom-com but the book fell flat for me. I enjoyed the character and plot set-up of the first third of the novel, but then the plot seemed to become disjointed, and I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. The romance felt rushed and the "enemies to lovers" trope was resolved in basically no time, which wasn't compelling or believable. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

Much Ado About Margaret
by Madeleine Roux
Pub Date: Oct 22 2024

Margaret Arden yearns to live like the passionate and daring women in her novel. The idyllic life at Mosely Cottage with her two younger sisters and mother is fine, but Margaret wants more than the demure and dainty existence she’s known. After a particularly brutal rejection from an annoyingly attractive publisher, Margaret fears being forced into marriage to protect her family if their financial situation doesn’t improve—until her cousin’s glamorous wedding masquerade brings her onto a collision course with scandal, notoriety, and even love.

Captain Bridger Darrow is starting over after fighting for his country. Now home, he is struggling to save his family from destitution and succeed in a new venture of passion: book publishing. It’s all going rather poorly, until he stumbles upon loose pages of an astonishing novel while in attendance at his dearest friend’s wedding. Bridger knows he must publish it. But upon meeting the author, Bridger is stunned to discover that he—she—is a woman, and he has already told her off in grand fashion.

While Bridger is keen to gain her trust and rescind the initial rejection, Margaret can’t help but be skeptical of his intentions. Sparks fly between the two, just as the wedding of the season starts to descend into chaos when a masked dance leads to a case of mistaken identities.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! All opinions below are my own.

Much Ado About Margaret is the newest addition to the Regency romance genre, presenting a fresh but familiar take. Our main character, Margaret, is invested in becoming an author, but recognizes the reality that her marriage prospects, especially after her father's passing, will pave the path to a good life for her younger sisters. There's a good deal of realistic reckoning with what marriage meant in the regency era, without being at all heavy handed. We're also presented to a wedding where a mystery arises (someone impersonates the bride and pretends to be cheating!!) and Margaret and our MMC must get to the bottom of it. There's elements of the enemies to lovers, after he is rude about her writing, despite their initial attraction; it also doesn't help that he's a second-son and flat broke, both aspects that wouldn't serve Margaret's goals in the marriage mart. Despite that all, as an avid reader of regency romance books, I have to admit that this added tidbit of mystery, without it being a murder and central to the plot, added a flair that kept me reading the book. I enjoyed the relationship between Margaret and our MMC, Bridger, although to be honest, thought I have a hatred for gamblers and multiple times had to put the book down when I was too fed up with his brother. The personalities of both romance characters came off the page, and I'm looking forward to reading the book about Ann and William (if it exists?) and future novels about Margaret's sisters!

I absolutely adored this book! Margaret is a writer who desperately wants her book to be published and she approaches a handsome publisher with her manuscript but he rudely turns her away. Bridger Darrow owns a publishing company and is struggling to keep his father’s estate afloat and when he’s approached by an impertinent girl with a manuscript he dismissed her thinking he would never see her again. Her turns up to his best friend’s wedding only to discover it’s his dear cousin who he so rudely rebuffed. Drama ensues at the wedding and Margaret and Bridger are thrust together to solve a mystery. These characters are beautifully written, and three dimensional, the plot draws you in with plot twists and intrigue. The author does such a wonderful job of developing even the minor characters that I felt like I was in the house with them seeing their lives. Bridger and Margaret’s love story is heartwarming and romantic and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes romance novels and love.

Much Ado about Margaret is an enemies to lovers whodunnit set in regency era England. Margaret wants to be an author more than anything and Bridger Darrow owns a publishing company. After a charming meeting gone wrong sets the two up for mutual loathing, their paths are thrown together again at Margaret’s cousin Lane’s wedding. Unknown to Margaret, Bridger is one of Lane’s best and enduring friends. When a mysterious scandal threatens to undo all of Lane’s happiness, Bridger and Margaret band together to bring the truth to light.

While this book was initially a fun and easy read, at some point, it diverted. There was so much extra going on, I found it hard to stay in the story. The original plot line became a bit of an afterthought to the subplot, and there were two explicit scenes which were so unfathomable that it pulled me out of the story entirely. As one of them formed the catalyst for a change in fortunes for the MC, you have to be willing to accept it as plausible and move on to be able to enjoy the conclusion. Some people will enjoy this book tremendously, but it was difficult for me to stay engaged.

I’d like to thank Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.