A Lady Would Know Better by Emma Theriault is a delightful historical romance that feels like a modern take on the elegance of Jane Austen and the dramatic flair of Bridgerton. The story begins with the discovery of an unconscious woman in the snow on the Earl of Belhaven’s estate, and from there, the mystery of her identity unravels. As she slowly regains her memory, I found myself drawn into her journey of self-discovery and the evolving relationship between her and Jasper.

While I enjoyed the depth of the characters and the intriguing plot, the pacing felt a bit uneven at times. Certain sections seemed to drag on, and there were moments where the writing felt a bit repetitive. The romance, though slow-burn, sometimes felt like it developed a little too quickly, leaving me wanting more depth and tension between the characters. Nonetheless, the charming setting and the underlying mystery kept me engaged throughout. If you’re a fan of character-driven romance with a touch of intrigue, this book offers a satisfying read, though it may not be for everyone.

Well, this is fun. A Lady Would Know Better offers a lively heroine with no memory of the past and hero who is loving but weighed down by his memories of same. Throw in an enthralling mystery romance with a lot of humor and heart and you've got a winner. 

On his way to visiting his mother’s grave, Jasper Maycott, Earl of Belhaven, is stunned to find a woman lying alone and unconscious on the grounds of his snowy Surrey estate one winter. She wakes, asks him to make sure ‘they’ don’t find her, and passes out again.

Jasper already has enough on his plate with five younger siblings (sisters Helena, Viola and Isobel and brothers August and Freddie) to raise. And he is brokenhearted; the estate and title have fallen unexpectedly to him in the wake of the death of his mother, father and his older brother, Anthony, from scarlet fever. Jasper had planned on marrying Annabelle, a vicar’s daughter, and settling into a moral life. Instead, Annabelle and her father, too, were borne away by the epidemic. Jasper is sunk into grief, and little stirs him. He avoids happiness and fun, to the consternation of his siblings, who want to celebrate the holidays as their mother once loved to do. On top of that, he also must support his cheroot-smoking Aunt Adelaide.

But still, he can't leave the woman in the snow so he brings her home and dubs the woman Jane (she bears a ring with the initials JHD upon it). Once she awakes--with no memory--Jane is a hit. Her brio, chatter and humor instantly enliven the household. And she's a fascinating mystery. Her golden ring and fine clothing hint that she could be a lady. Where did Jane really come from? She and Jasper set about trying to find out – and fall in love along the way.

There’s a couple of minor issues of address afoot – servants are far too familiar with their masters and no one uses proper form of address – but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t charmed by the romance and rooting for Jane and Jasper to find true love. I loved her genuinely biting wit and understandable frustration with her lost memory. And while some might find Jasper’s extreme melancholy a bit much, so many people in his life have died all at once. I felt it was natural he’d be scared to emotionally commit again.

The mystery itself was pretty solid – I did have an idea where it was going just after the midpoint of the novel, but it continued to surprise me. Jasper’s servants and siblings alike were great – I liked spiky Helena best of all. But they’re all lovable, and so is A Lady Would Know.

A Lady Would Know Better is a Regency store that centers around "Jane" and Jasper. Jane has no memory of her past or who she is; the only thing they know is that she was running from something or someone. Jasper has been doing his own sort of running, avoiding living a full life after the death of his fiance. Will they be able to overcome both of these things and move forward? Will either of their pasts get in the way?

I felt like the pacing of the story worked well. Given the amnesia plot line, they did not rush into a relationship and instead it grew organically. I enjoyed some of the side characters and definitely had strong feelings about the baddies!

Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

I was really liking this book at the beginning when Jasper, an Earl, and his sisters find “Jane” unconscious outside in the snow and find out she has amnesia. It was great seeing Jasper and Jane get to know each other better. However there is a LOT of grief happening in this family where each member has had at least one or two close family deaths recently. But then things start to look up as the family starts taking care of Jane.

Then, a ridiculous turn of events happen at the end. The kind where I wanted to hurl my book against the wall. And unfortunately that ruined the story for me. Why an intelligent woman would make the decisions she did, I have no idea.

A heartfelt and charming historical romance, A Lady Would Know Better delivers a beautiful story of love, healing, and second chances.

When a woman suffering from amnesia is taken in by a kindhearted Earl and his family, she slowly begins to rebuild her life—and in the process, proves that love has the power to mend even the deepest wounds. The chemistry between Jane and Jasper is undeniable, with witty banter and a slow-burning tension that kept me hooked until the very end. Their journey to a happily ever after felt well-earned, especially because of the mutual respect they had for each other. Instead of letting jealousy take root, they honored their pasts and the loved ones they had lost, which added so much depth to their romance.

Beyond the main couple, Jasper’s sisters were a delight, particularly Isobel. Her sharp wit and spirited personality made her stand out, and I would absolutely love to see her get her own love story—especially if it involves someone who can match her sass and win over the formidable Aunt Adelaide. I had the pleasure of reading this book as part of the Entangled Insiders read-along, thanks to a NetGalley ARC from Entangled Publishing. This is my honest and heartfelt review, and I highly recommend this book to historical romance fans.

This was such a fun historical romance read! I am learning that I love historical romance when it has all of my favorite tropes, but with a more modern feel to the writing style, and this one really worked for me. I even found myself laughing out loud a few times, which is a hard feat for any author when it comes to humor in books.

After falling from her horse, "Jane" is found by Jasper Maycott, the Earl of Belhaven, in the snow. With no memory of her identity, he makes it his responsibility to take care of her and protect her. It's an emotional upheaval when they become attracted to each other. He is still mourning the death of his parents, brother and the woman he loved. She is troubled by no memory of her life before the accident. How can anything come from their attraction? Discovering her identity may bring heartache and the danger that she ran from. It's a slow read. Jasper's behavior to "Jane" can be cruel and maddening with his on again, off again attitude. Take heart, there is redemption.
Descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This was such a cute read! I was swept up in the Austeness era and couldn’t get enough of Jane and Jasper. Jasper tried so hard to be a grumpy old Earl but he couldn’t help revealing his swoony ways!

I loved how witty this book was! The banter was fun and so was the love story. I enjoyed every minute! The tension was so great. I really enjoyed reading this period-inspired piece.

I received an Arc from Entangled publishing. I had not heard of this book before signing up for the read along, but as a fan of historical romance like Bridgerton I signed up as soon as I’d heard of it.

In my opinion things started off strong in the book. I liked the way that it was written and also liked that we started off with Jasper’s point of view. Additionally I liked that Jasper was different from other male main characters in that he had lost his fiance. I even liked that ‘Jane’ had lost her memories and the level of mystery this added to the story.

But the issues I had began shortly afterwards. The story felt painfully slow and it felt like Jane and Jasper were just having the same miscommunication right after they cleared one up. There were too many characters for me to keep up with. Names were being rattled off but I had no idea who they were talking about. I quickly started to dread picking this up because it would take so long to get anywhere in the plot. Though things did start to speed up for me again once her true identity was revealed.

The second half of the book began to redeem it in my eyes, but at that point I still did not feel really connected to the story. By the time there was a romantic scene, it felt like it was too late. At that point I did not connect with the characters or their relationship. Overall, I wanted to like this book, but the pacing hindered my enjoyment too much.

What a fun and charming book! This is outside of my usual genre but I found myself really enjoying the story and the vibes.

I don’t usually read historical romance books, but I am really glad I picked this one up, as I really enjoyed this book. The author did an amazing job writing engaging characters that really stood out. I always prefer a book with a great set of side characters, and Jasper.s family and friends definitely kept things interesting in this book.

Jasper was a very well written character. He was struggling with grief as the story began, and it was a very important piece of his character. Jane was honestly just so refreshing and such an interesting character. I loved their romance and how drawn to each other they were as the story progressed.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for the ARC

A Lady Would Know Better was a fantastic historical romance! It was so enjoyable to read. It was witty, sweet and wonderful. I loved the fleshed out characters and appreciated how well researched the time period seemed to be. A delightful romance I highly recommend to everyone

While reading this book I was completely getting hooked on historical romances which are not my thing really. Found the story to be pretty fast-paced and to follow along with. Reading a long with the characters as they grow was my favorite part. All in all of say it was a good book. Thanks for letting me read entangled publishing.

Sweet period romance about a FMC with amnesia and the grumpy cinnamon roll who falls in love with her. It took me a bit to get into and the ending was a little confusing but I would definitely read others in this series if it were to continue

A Lady Would Know Better is definitely for fans of Bridgerton - with similar family bonds and shared trauma. I really hope this is the start of a series on all of the siblings and their friends/lives and search for love. I liked Jasper and Jane (I will not reveal her name), the story of amnesia was fun if not a little cliche. Solid start to a series.

Thank you @entangled_publishing and @netgalley for my #gifted copy of this book!

Would you believe it if I said this was my first ever historical romance? 😱🙈 It’s just not a genre that I ever really have a strong pull to read, but this one sounded so cute and the cover is so bright and fun!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. But I will say, I struggled through the middle. It was very slow and repetitive, and I struggled to find the desire to pick the book up and keep reading.

But even so, I enjoyed the characters and seeing Jasper’s growth throughout. I just think the slow burn was too slow and that made the ending feel rushed. The story is well written, though, and the likability of the characters means I’m excited to read about the other siblings’ stories!

I also thought the amnesia and mystery surrounding that was well crafted and kept me wondering what happened to our FMC. At the end, though, she starts to act really naive and started to drive me a little crazy with her lack of awareness. Thankfully, it’s not a major thing and it doesn’t appear anywhere else in the book, but it did lower my opinion of her.

This was a fun one and I’m glad I read it! I just wish the middle had either a little more going on or parts taken out to move it along.

I adored A Lady Would Know Better! Set in Surrey in 1877, this story is packed with fabulous characters, a plot that twists enough to keep you guessing, and plenty of wit along the way. Jasper, the new Earl of Belghaven, enters this story heavily burdened with grief over the deaths of his parents, older brother, and fiancée from Scarlet Fever. He grew up as the second son, doesn’t feel either entitled to or capable of carrying the burden of the earldom and caring for his remaining siblings, and is generally miserable. Enter a mystery woman, whom he and his sisters find unconscious in the snow as they are trekking to visit their family’s graves. Of course, Jasper insists that it is his responsibility to return her to their home and care for her until she can be returned to her family. Not only is Jasper smitten pretty early on in the piece, though he tries his best not to be, but their guest turns out to be suffering from amnesia. With no idea who she is or where she has come from, Jasper and his family decide to create a background for her and, of course, as the story unfolds, it becomes more and more difficult to maintain the pretense. Jane, as the woman has chosen to be called, is a perfect match for Jasper though their possible disparity in rank and the chance that Jane could be affianced or married creates plenty of tension. This story is beautifully told. I loved the characters, the setting, and the way the plot unfolded. It held my interest from start to finish and I am keen to read more from Emma Theriault.

Perfect for fans of Martha Waters and Virginia Heath, Emma Theriault's A Lady Would Know Better is a delightful addition to the historical romance genre. With a bit of mystery, well-developed characters you can't help but like, and a budding (and a bit steamy) romance to root for, this book is a 5-star read!

This book is a sweet historical fiction romance. A young woman has an accident on property owned by the Earl of Belhaven (Jasper) and upon awakening she can't remember her name or anything about her life. Needing to call her something, they give her the name "Jane". The Earl’s family takes it upon themselves to care for her during her recovery and help her try to regain her memories.

Jasper and his family suffered significant losses just a year prior, and the house is just coming out of mourning. Jasper, in particular, chafes against his new role as Earl, a role he was never supposed to hold but undertakes nonetheless as is his duty. He’s closed himself away from any feelings, determined to stay that way forever.

But, hard as Jasper tries, he can’t fight his attraction to “Jane”. They are drawn to each other despite trying to fight it. Jasper and "Jane's" relationship develops slowly, building trust along the way. Despite his gruff exterior, Jasper is surprisingly gentle with Jane and finds himself instinctively wanting to protect her from harm. His broken heart starts to mend, little by little, and he credits "Jane" with this transformation. "Jane" fights her feelings for Jasper, understanding that she is most likely not a lady and therefore, can never have a relationship with him.

I enjoyed the couple's relationship journey, as well as the understanding, support, and antics of Jasper’s younger siblings. Add in Jasper’s friends during a house party and a society ball, and things go about as well as you’d imagine. When events take a dangerous turn, however, Jasper's friends and family jump to "Jane's" aid. Overall, this is a quick and easy read to spend an afternoon with.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Entangled Publishing. All opinions are my own.