I really didn’t like Trevor as a character and I wasn’t able to sense the chemistry between him and Mellie.

I would read the author again, but this one wasn’t a favorite.



Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

A fun and spicy story for fans of Tessa Dare and Julia Quinn

What a fun read! As a big fan of Tessa Dare’s Girl Meets Duke series, this was giving me a lot of the same vibes. The playful banter, the fun characters and meaningful character journeys. This story has it in spades. I’m a first time reader of Katherine Lyons and I’m a new fast fan.

Rules for a Fake Fiance follows the wonderfully winding and sometimes ridiculous journey of Melinda Smithson and the future Duke of Timby Trevor Anaedsley. With both of them caught in difficult home situations, for Melinda an over arduous cousin who she does not wish to marry and Trevor cut off from his family fortune without a bride, the two strike a deal. To become affianced.
Engaged to a future Duke will get Melinda out of the countryside to meet far more likable potential husbands than her cousin and Trevor will once again be flush with cash. The plan seems perfect until, as always, feelings start getting in the way.

I really liked this story! The banter and flirtation between Melinda and Trevor is fun and entertaining. I especially loved the characters, even the over dramatic cousin Ronnie. I especially loved the ever proper Lady Eleanor and the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Bucklynde. Lady Eleanor gave me major Caroline Bingely energy, a cool calculated sort of woman who may come off harsh and cruel but it is out of extreme care and understanding of the unfair world in which the women must survive.

While the plot is a bit windy, and sometimes the circumstances become pretty ridiculous (at one point there is a duel between 3 men and a turkey - like an actual bird..) it was still a fun ride, peppered with steamy rendezvous between the two romantic leads. I truly liked the growing romantic moments more but the spice is written well and grows naturally. It also drives home with a heavy hand the authors message about the ridiculousness of men sometimes - the constant challenges to duels etc, was a bit ugh BUT does successfully make the comparison between the level heads of women versus the erratic nature of toxic masculinity.

It seems the start of a series, and I hope the next book sees Lady Eleanor contending with a man that can meet her on her intellectual level and get her to let her hair down so to speak.

Overall, a very fun read. I’m excited to see what else this author has in store for this series!

A very fun story with great whit and banter. The plot is pretty basic, a fake romance, a would be duke needing to marry, etc. But what makes it different are the main characters and the depth with which the author creates them. Book one of the series is a hit with Melinda a super smart science brain and Trevor, the improvised duke. Join the fun while they deal with social expectations, family issues, crickets, and more. You will be greatly entertained.

A fun romp with lots of heart. Intimate scenes were sexy rather than outright spicy/titillating, and genuinely contributed to the storyline, which I appreciated.

There were a couple of phrases that I had to look up their regency-era meanings to make sure I understood them correctly in context (e.g. carte blanche has a different connotation these days), but otherwise an enjoyable read.

Overall, I gave this book a rating of 4.3/5. To me, the main area it lost points in was the supporting cast; some were two dimensional, others had potential to be the subject of future books, but we’re not given the opportunity to get invested in them.

Witty and entertaining read. The heroine is a delight and the hero didn't really see her until their temporary arrangements. Both are fighting against family expectations and want to live their lives on their own terms. As it turns out, it is with each other. It is a lively tale with a ruse, circumventing society rules, challenges and discovering what really matters most.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

A fun read with lots of banter.
Mellie is the daughter of a scientist and Trevor was one of his students who still comes around to talk and share information.
Mellie is super smart but has to deal with the unwanted attentions of her cousin and the pressure of her uncle to discover her own formula for his profit.
Trevor is flat broke, heir to a Dukedom but his grandfather is withholding funds until he becomes engaged, marries, and produces an heir.
Trevor and Mellie combine forces for a fake engagement and go to London for the season.
The fun begins with all the pressures and fun of the season with aristocrats.

3.75 stars.

The politics of regency era romances always catch my attention. What I was not expecting was the constant threat of duels because of men's fragile egos. Trevor made me mad multiple times through this book to where in my head he was not fully worthy of Mellie, but in the end, his speech made me giggle so I guess he can have a pass this time.

The writing was simple to understand, although slow at points. I was not itching to dive back in whenever I but the book down, but when I did pick it up I had a good time. A classic romance book with a dodo bird that had me cackling at the end.

Nellie aspires to put her intelligence to good use and make products to improve the lives of women, however she is unable to do so without a husband as no one will give her the money for her products without a man to control that money. Her only prospect is her artistic and dramatic cousin Ronnie who has been proposing to her for years. Trevor offers her an alternative, become fake engaged to him and go to London to pursue the opportunity to find a love match.
I didn't enjoy Trevor, he was cut off by his grandfather and fled to Nellie's home to spend time with her father, his mentor, to avoid his debt collectors. He was quite immature and considering Nellie is an intelligent woman he did not feel like a great match for her character.

I want very much to like this book. It felt like it had the makings of a quirky book like Tessa Dare but it was not. I feel so sorry for Millie. She was a good person, kind, thoughtful, and really just wanted to be loved and not held back by those around her that say they love her. Trevor…. I wanted to view him as charming but he was cruel and childish. No wonder his grandfather cut him off. And he did not do enough to protect her I was trying to let go how I felt about him but it really never got better IMO. I have read other books by this author but this one is just not for me.

Melinda Smithson needs a husband preferably one who appreciates her scientific mind. Trevor Anaedsley, future Duke of Timby, needs a temporary fiancé to secure his inheritance. Their fake engagement seems like the perfect solution until real feelings start to complicate their clever scheme.
A new author to me & a new series. I’m on the fence about this book, whilst it was well written I liked Mellie & Trevor but didn’t love them & didn’t feel any real chemistry between them. I found myself skimming through pages too which showed I wasn’t invested in their story. I will try the next in the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

This book may have actually been good if it did not try so hard to be quirky. I really found the "humor" quite juvenile and not funny.

The characters themselves were okay. The plot is a little off the historical mark.

#netgalley #RulesforaFakeFiance

Brawls, Crickets and Family Displeasure.
Despite a scientific mind bent, Mellie wants a loving marriage and children but her father doesn’t want her to have a London season. He likes having her helping with his experiments and thinks if she would only marry her half cousin it would keep their mill business in the family. However Mellie finds Ronnie a buffoon and is tired of him importuning her and so when her nemesis, a former pupil of her father, proposes a fake engagement she agrees. Trevor Anaedsley needs to get his grandfather off his back and his allowance restored and Mellie needs to meet suitable men with a view to marriage. What could be more straightforward than introducing his new fiancée to Society with the help of an old friend? He knows that his betrothal to a Cit’s daughter will send shock waves through his family and the Ton but that their eventual breakup when she finds another husband will be met with relief, after all she is totally unsuited to being a duchess one day. However once in London Trevor begins to see a different side to Mellie….
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.