Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux is a fun Regency romance about a woman named Margaret who doesn’t want to marry but is forced to look for a spouse to help support her family. She would prefer to publish her novel and make money from writing. Bridger used to fight for his country and now owns a publishing company. He made fun of Margaret’s writing but finds that he actually loves hit novel. After already rejecting her book, he must regain her trust and convince her to let him publish it. As they argue and work together to find who is framing Margaret’s friend and Bridger’s friend’s wife as everyone believes she was caught cheating on her husband. As they keep working together, they find they are falling for each other, but will they need to put their feelings aside based on the needs of others?

I really enjoyed this story. I thought it was a sweet story and loved the references to writing. However, I felt Bridger could have been developed a bit more as it took me a bit to warm up to his character based on his attitude.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

Margaret Arden is a lady who wants to get her book published. Darrow is a publisher and Margaret brings her book for him to read to a party that she made sure he was invited to. They do not have a great first meeting. Then at Margaret’s cousin Lane and his fiancé Ann’s wedding Margaret’s manuscript is lost on the estate where Darrow finds several pages and decides that he wants to publish it. When someone who looks like Ann is found kissing another man Margaret and Darrow try to clear Ann’s name. Darrow figures out that his brother is responsible and Ann’s cousin is the women that he kissed. Darrow’s brother Primm and Ann’s cousin decide to get married after Ann’s cousin forages a certificate of marriage. Darrow and Margaret stop them in time and save Ann and Lane’s marriage. Darrow and Primm go to their father’s home where he is near death and when he dies during that same time Margaret is given a choice and has no choice but to forget about Darrow and writing. Some time passes and Darrow publishes Margaret’s book and they decide to marry.

The was a cute play on Much Ado About Nothing with a few twists for the Regency period. It all seemed rather unbelievable to me. Margaret dreams of being a novelist while her aunts are pressing her to marry since her family is poor and needs her to make a wealthy marriage. Bridger Darrow runs a publishing house and he’s hoping to make a success of the business since his family’s money has been wasted and his brother is somewhat of a rotter. He starts out rudely dismissing Margaret’s novel which he hadn’t read beyond the opening. But then he realizes it’s a great read.

Throw in the mistaken identity scandal that is built on the plot between Hero and Claudio from the Shakespeare play. That plot element gets solved, and quickly dismissed which doesn’t seem likely.

I didn’t buy the characters and the romance that quickly blooms between Margaret and Bridger nor the way it all gets resolved.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

4 stars

This was a fun, lighthearted, regency romance with just a hint of mystery sprinkled in. Margaret was an independent, intelligent, funny fmc and Bridget was a sweet if misunderstood mmc with way too much to deal with. I liked their enemies to reluctant allies to lovers development. It felt like a very natural progression in their relationship and I liked seeing them get to know each other better.
My main issue with this book was that the description made it seem like this was going to be about Margaret’s book and the struggles of women trying to get published in the regency era but this plot line really took a backseat for the majority of the book. Even in the parts where it was the focus there wasn’t a whole lot of struggle, just a minor miscommunication. This made the book feel a little disjointed because it seemed like there were two different plots. I also would’ve loved a deeper dive into the main characters, especially Bridget dealing with his trauma from the war (which does come up once, but is never really mentioned again), I think it would’ve helped the reader connect to the characters more.
Overall, I thought this was a cute book and I really enjoyed the relationship between the main characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC!

I wanted to love this book as much as I loved the premise of this book. But it just didn’t work for me.

The enemies became lovers with little personal interaction or communication. The spice felt very out of place and like it was there just to be there.
I loved the setting and side characters and even quite like the MCs individually but nothing can be done to convince me they actually fell in love.

This book was seriously the most bad ass regency romance I have ever read. The main characters were EVERYTHING. Margaret is a writer, she has always been a dreamer thanks to her upbringing and when she lost her dad everything changed, for her and her sisters. She wrote this amazing book, and she wants it badly to get published. Little did she know that she will be meeting the one man who will help make this happen for her. But how they met was not the nicest, Bridger is also another character who has gone through some trials in his life, and between his horrible dad and drunk brother, this man has it bad. Margaret’s aunt wants her to marry for money, and some drama unleashed while attending her cousins wedding. This was an adventure, and so much fun to read, the drama was worth everything lol.

I really admire what this debut tried to do!! I loved that Margaret and her passion for literature and trying to publish her novel. The literary undertones and classic tropes were reminiscent of Ne’er Duke Well by Alex Vasti, a recent histrom favorite.

While I loved Bridger and Margaret, their romance got overshadowed at times by the mystery aspect and the numerous side characters, and I found myself wanting more from them prior to this.

I’m hopeful this will turn into a series as I’d love to get inside Violet’s head!!

Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for this advanced copy

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
🌶️

✨Summary✨
Miss Margaret Arden is an inspiring author in a society, which is greatly frowned upon profession for women. Though she does not let society deter her from pursuing her dreams. Mr. Darrow from the publishing company she sent her manuscript to, however, does rankle her after a chance encounter during her aunt’s house party. Mr. Darrow completely inhalants her book to Margaret’s face and they make a spectacle of themselves. Margaret is enraged and vows to hate Mr. Darrow.
Mr. Bridger Darrow is dealing with an ailing father, an out of control brother, and estate finances when he meets Miss Margaret Arden. He comes away from their initial meeting angry and vindicated that he did the right thing by rejecting her manuscript, because the woman is clearly out of her mind.
However, when the pair are thrown together once more for Margaret’s cousin, who happens to be Bridger’s best friend’s, wedding, a series of events brings them closer together. And when a mystery evolves, it’s up to the dueling duo to solve it or risk the good reputation of someone they both hold dear.

✨Critiques✨
The change in pov half way through a chapter was hard to follow at first, though I did get used to it.

👩🏻My Recommendation👩🏻
If you enjoy Shakespeare’s timeless stories with a touch of Jane Austen and Bridgerton, you’ll greatly appreciate and enjoy this novel. The writing style is excellent and the characters are full of life.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing the ARC and the opportunity to review this book.

I love the cover and concept of this book, but the writing style is not for me.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Maggie is passionate writing, which is a difficult occupation for a woman in Regency England. And her family needs her to forget all that, find a rich husband, and settle down. Instead, Maggie finds Bridger, a publisher who initially detests her work. A house party, a series of encounters and misadventures, mysteries and intrigue make this book a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the Shakespearean references.
I'd recommend this this book to lovers of light-hearted Regency romances.

Margret knows in her soul that she is a writer. She just needs to convince someone to publish her. She brings her manuscript to her cousin's wedding hoping to convince Bridger to print it only to get swept away in a mysterious scandal.

Read if you like:
-Regency Romance
-Forced Proximity
-Annoyance to Lovers

I had a difficult time getting into Much Ado About Margaret. I enjoy regency romances and the forced proximity of a house party, but I felt like the book wasn't sure what it wanted to be. Was it about Margret winning Bridger over with her writing? Was it about solving the scandal? It tried to be both, and didn't quite achieve either.

Not a bad book, just one that was a little scattered.

"Madeleine Roux's next season in Regency England follows a rebellious writer and the man who risks everything to publish her.

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."

One can't help wonder why he rejected the manuscript in the first place...

Aspiring writer Margaret longs for financial stability to protect her family, and publisher Bridger seems to be determined to hold her back. The two are entrapped at the same house party, and discover they have more in common than they originally thought. Much Ado About Margaret is a cute read,

I was really excited by the concept, an early female Victorian writer determined to make her way. The male lead was also a strong and interesting character. It was refreshingly down to earth without titles or wealth and human characters with human flaws.
That is where the good stuff ended, the other characters were superfluous, the drama pointless and rushed. Tying up all the loose ends at the end lacked depth especially the lack of consequences for the wrongdoer.

I love when the first interaction between MCs is disastrous and they become enemies. It was a journey for Margaret and Bridger to find they HEA and I enjoyed every moment of it.

This sounded so promising! Maggie, a passionate writer is determined to get her precious manuscript published. It is a formidable ambition and she charges at it headlong. But as anyone who has ever submitted a manuscript knows, it is notoriously difficult. It can only have been even more so 150 odd years ago. Therefore, not unsurprisingly, her hopes are immediately dashed by the handsome publisher who awakens in her feelings the smelly-footed bachelors her aunt shoves at her never have.
What follows next is a melange of tropes that struggle to find purchase. And what makes them even harder to swallow is the rampant overwriting. There is no reprieve from the adjective-heavy prose.
The enemies-to-lovers trope feels disjointed, the gothic novel aspect seems forced, the mystery is awkward. It’s a melodrama fighting to be a regency love story and none are victorious. The villains are as one dimensional as the good guys.
The major, pivotal drama is slightly hard to follow chronologically - the incident happens and we are led to believe it’s addressed immediately and yet quite a bit of time has actually elapsed? For an incident that the book hinges around it is not well crafted.
Bridger is a wooden soldier come to life through florid description with three basic emotions (anger, self-recriminating dismay & lust) who is never fully formed. Incidents from his past dictate his actions but he never has a chance to evolve and become a real boy, as it were.
A more decisive editor could surely have wrangled this into a more successful book but I’m afraid it didn’t work for me. Ms. Roux is lucky that she has found an audience for her work. I gather she is incredibly popular but this is my first, and may be my last.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - Dell for the book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Maggie Arden is a square peg in a round hole in her Regency times. She and her mother and sisters live on the charity of other disapproving family members. Maggie is far too opinionated to win anyone's approval. It is made very clear her duty is to marry and marry as well as she can so she can provide for her family. She has no interest in that and wants only to continue writing books, even though it's nearly impossible for a female author to get published.

But then she runs into publisher Bridger Dryden and flouts societal rules to plead with him about her manuscript. She catches him at a bad time since he is dealing with a dying, aloof, verbally abusive father and a wastrel brother.

They are thrown together at a family wedding and the chemistry is evident. They have to navigate a lot of family problems before they can be together. The plot is sometimes a bit haphazard but it's a decent romance with sympathetic characters. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

When aspiring author Maggie approaches new publisher, Bridger at a ball to pitch her book, it does NOT go well. Her aunts, who resent Maggie’s mother for marrying for love instead of money, want her married to a rich guy instead of foolish notions. Bridger also needs to marry a rich woman after his father and brother have squandered most of the family fortune.

I really liked that we had biracial characters with their experiences acknowledged. However, I think for a book which had a sprinkle of Much Ado About Nothing as inspiration, it was missing that dynamite Beatrice and Benedict banter and spark. As such, the romance didn’t really work for me, and parts of the book dragged on a bit to much.

Overall, a fun and frothy low-key Shakespeare vibes with a dash of mystery.

Thanks to Random House/Ballantine/Dell and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a cute romance-mystery book about Maggie, an aspiring writer, and Bridger, a former army man turned publisher. Both Maggie and Bridger face financial crises: Maggie because her father died leaving her and her two sisters at the mercy of her aunts who want them to make advantageous marriages, and Bridger because his brother's various reckless expenditures risks bankrupting their ailing father's estate. Bridger is pursuing publishing to stave off financial ruin, but he initially rejects Maggie's manuscript rather harshly.

Maggie is more determined than ever to prove Bridger wrong and get her writing published. The two are reunited, however, when Bridger's best friend, who happens to be Maggie's cousin, is getting married at his estate. The night of the wedding, Bridger's brother hatches an evil plot to ruin the married couple's marriage and reputation when the new wife is seemingly "caught" in the arms of another man. From there, Maggie and Bridger are determined to investigate who is involved in the scheme, why, and to capture Bridger's brother and save the new marriage.

I wasn't expecting this to be in the vein of an investigative mystery with Maggie and Bridger attempting to solve the mystery of who would try to ruin their friend's and cousin's marriage. To me, that left me a little disappointed in terms of developing the relationship between Maggie and Bridger. It was more mystery than romance, and that made the sudden romance aspect seem rushed and sudden. It seemed out of left field, and the blurb for the book didn't make it seem like that would be the book's direction.

Well, Bridger certainly makes an impression. He was rude and violent and I doubted a worthy path forward after the antagonistic beginning. But the story grew on me. The scenes bounce around a bit and it's a fast-paced romp, but Bridger's character growth and the romance with Margaret pull through.

The highlight for me was the ending: I loved reading a happily ever after that required some sacrifice and landed the couple in modest but contented circumstances. Refreshing.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.