This was a fun book! It started out slow, but soon picked up the pace when Meg joined the scene. Dominic was a solid mmc, and by the end, I really wanted him to have his happy ending. I always enjoy Emma Orchard’s books and this was no exception.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fun historical romance novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

This book gets 2.75 breeches wearing ladies!

Things this book did really well;
- being historical accurate, I definitely feel like the author does a lot of research to support her writing.
- well described locations. I could imagine myself in many regency areas of high society London.
- regency era slang, this is something you don’t see as much as I’d like in regency romances.

What I think this book could have more of;
- a faster pace. This book DRAGGED. I really struggled through sections. And wondered if some conversations were important to the furthering of the plot.
- more engaging characters and believable character connections/motivations. I honestly struggled to believe or feel the romance between our leads Dom and Meg. She is particular is written to be passionate but even in those “passionate” scenes it all felt very wooden to me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood books for the advanced reader copy ebook for A Gentleman's Offer.
To start, the concept and overall story were super fun. At times I felt like I was reading a Jane Austen novel, which is not easy to do considering how much language has evolved since the 1800's. Dominic and Meg made a great team and I loved reading about their romance. What ultimately decided my rating of this book, however were some items I found too problematic to overlook. The mystery that forces our main characters to team up is solved way too early on and doesn't feel right. The existence of a queer couple feels out of place and their storyline within the book is weak. Secondly, Dominic's mother uses language that is wildly problematic for a book published in 2025. It feels like this story is trying to have modern ideas and representation, which is great, but that is a delicate balance that is not achieved here! The placement of POC characters, and queer characters feels like tokenism. Unfortunately this book missed the mark for me.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book! I thought the story and plot were fun, engaging, and a little bit mysterious. I was skeptical of Dominic falling for the twin of the woman he's engaged to while she pretends to be her sister, but Meg and Maria were so incredibly different that it made sense to me. I really wish that the search for Maria had gone on longer. I think if that had been more of the focus of the plot, it would've strengthened the romance. I loved the scenes of Dominic helping Meg search for her sister, but their chemistry felt a little rushed and forced. The second half of the book, unfortunately fell off for me, and I lost my interest.

Overall, this story was unique and fun, but it fell a little flat.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Emma Orchard for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Gentleman's Offer. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read a few books by this author. I really enjoy Regency romance. So I’m always excited to check out new books. I liked this book. I thought it had some interesting scenes in the plot. I am not sure if I was in love with it. I think I wanted a little something different than what it was. I enjoyed the characters, but I wasn’t feeling the chemistry as much as I would’ve liked. I would check out other books by this author.

In this delightful Regency romance by Emma Orchard, Meg has to pretend to be her identical twin sister Maria, whilst also searching for her after she goes missing. She enlists the help of Maria’s future husband, Sir Dominic de Lacy to help her, after she realises that he is not responsible for the disappearance of her twin.

I loved the way in which Meg and Dominic worked together to try and locate Maria. As they did so, they were drawn to one another in spite of Dominic being in an arranged engagement with Maria at the request of Dominic’s mother and Maria’s father.

I found the progression of the story, which provides them with a number of dilemmas alond the way, really engrossing and I did not want to put it down. There were some interesting twists throughout the story, and although we did not see much of Maria, the juxtaposition of just how different these identical twins were, in part as a result of them being raised apart following the split of their parents.

The mysteries woven into this story were the greater part of the storyline but the steamy moments Emma Orchard is known for were captivating as always.

I had high hopes for A Gentleman's Offer by Emma Orchard, especially given its unique premise. The idea behind the story had a lot of potential, offering a fresh and intriguing perspective that would typically draw me in. However, I found that the book didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

While the plot itself was interesting, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it fell a bit flat. It had moments where I could see the potential for something really engaging, but overall, it just didn’t hit the mark for me. One of the biggest issues I had was with the writing style. The author seemed to use an overwhelming amount of description throughout the book, which, unfortunately, led to a lot of parts feeling unnecessarily drawn-out. There were just so many words used to describe things that, instead of immersing me deeper into the world, I found myself becoming disengaged.

It's clear that Emma Orchard has a way with words, but in this case, I feel like the language was a bit too much at times. The pacing felt slow because of it, which made the story drag on more than it should have. I appreciate a well-written book, but I prefer when descriptions serve the story rather than bogging it down.

All in all, A Gentleman's Offer has a unique idea, but it didn’t quite land for me. While it may work for others who appreciate a more descriptive writing style, it wasn’t the right fit for me.

A somewhat interesting plot but a bit too slow for the most part and towards the end just a bit convoluted. . Definitely more 🌶️ than I expected in this one

Regency romance, twin swap, horrible parents, and a touch of mystery. Overall an enjoyable read for me. The writing style really fit the era and while it's a great way to keep the reader in the moment, it can make for a slower read, just because our brains, at least mine, isn't set up for it.
Dominic was a ideal main character. He's attractive, honest, earnest, and supportive. Did he have a single fault? I'm not sure.
Meg was also a strong character. She has great love for her mother and sister, is smart, inquisitive, and a writer.
These two are a perfect match. Their banter was fun and progress through the story felt natural.
My only gripe is that I'm not a big fan of insta-love which happens happens here.
Thank you Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Emma Orchard for the arc!

The old twin swap but this time it's in a regency setting which adds it's own twist to the troupe. I enjoyed that I got a bit of a mystery with my romance in this one.

Apparently, it was Dominic de Lacy's father's fondest wish that he should marry Maria Nightingale. He's not getting any younger, so he does propose marriage despite barely knowing the young lady. It's during celebrations for their engagement that Maria reveals she is not Maria but her twin sister Margaret. Maria has run away and once Meg is sure her flight has nothing to do with Dominic, she teams up with him to find her. Of course, the chemistry between the two is quite good and even if when they find Maria, the idea of Dominic marrying her is unthinkable.

This was another enjoyable story from Emma Orchard. It includes some serious issues but also a nice bit of romance along the way. Both Meg and Dominic are likeable characters, and we meet a variety of interesting people through the story that add color to the tale. One thing I like about Orchard's books is the way her female characters are as empowered as they might be for that time period. Really, they didn't have many rights back then, but it definitely shows ways that might have worked around their circumstances.

Overall, a good read and I rate it 3.5 stars. I would like to thank Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the free advanced reader copy. My review is totally voluntary.

3.75/5
I really enjoy Emma Orchard's prose. A lot of historical romances use way too much modern language, which she luckily does not (in fact, there is a character that uses a lot of Regency slang & it's hilarious!) but her prose isn't stuffy or stilted either. The plot is also chaotic without being too far out of the bounds of reality.

Sir Dominic has agreed to an arranged marriage that was the dying wish of his father and all seems to be going well...until he realizes that the woman at the engagement party is actually the twin sister of his betrothed and that Maria has disappeared. He agrees to help Meg track down her beloved twin while pretending that nothing is amiss...and that they aren't catching inconvenient feelings for one another.

This is almost more of a family drama than a romance, which is fun. I wasn't the biggest fan of Sir Dominic and didn't fully understand his motivations, but I did find the plot engaging even though I guessed some of the twists.

The tale of a swap, families torn apart, blackmail and secret meetings.
This book went through a rollercoaster of items between the two sisters.
Though it was a good book, it didnt grip me in a need to rush to finish it.

The story has all the elements of a great book—a Regency-era romance about an arranged marriage with a twin twist—but I couldn't get into it. Although the premise is quite interesting, it fell flat for me. Also, the writing style is not a good fit for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for sharing the ARC. This is my first Emma Orchard book, but definitely, not the last.
This Regency romance is loosely based off the 12th night. Estranged twin sisters, Maria and Margaret Nightingale, are swapped in courting Monsieur Dominic Lacy. The first half deals with a missing twin and the second half, a redemption arc for the storyline. The romance is soft, and fluid and the dysfunctional family trope is at its muddled and loveable best!

A Gentleman's Offer is a Heyer-inspired Regency romance with some Parent Trap vibes. I like Emma Orchard's books and looked forward to this one, but wasn't sure how I felt about one twin standing in for the other's engagement. It worked, though! The conflict was fun and different, but the resolution felt a little dragged out. Read this is you like bookish heroines, instalove, and unfolding mysteries. Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGally and the publisher for this ARC. I really enjoyed this book! I’ve read all of the others in Emma Orchard’s series, although this could definitely be read as a stand-alone book (there was only one line in the whole book that mentioned a previous couple, and not at all related to the plot).

The premise of twins switching places was fun, and I appreciated that Meg was very up-front about her identity with Dominic. There were plenty of other secrets, things to discover, and funny hijinks with them working as a team, versus working against each other! The main characters worked well together, had chemistry together (with some spice), and worked through their issues together, relying on each other. The story also tied up well together at the end. Overall, a good book, and I look forward to reading anything else this author publishes in the future!

Dominic De Lacy is indifferent to marriage however, at the age of twenty-nine, it is his duty to take a wife and his late father’s wish is that he marries Miss Maria Nightingale, a young woman he doesn’t know well but who accepts his proposal with no resistance and little enthusiasm. With the marriage only weeks away Dominic is astonished to discover that his fiancé is actually not his fiancé at all but is in fact her identical twin sister, Margaret. The reason for this subterfuge becomes evident as the story progresses and as we become more involved in the consequences of this masquerade so we get to learn more about both Dominic and Margaret (Meg).

The door opens into this regency world with all the lovely attention to detail we have come to expect from this author’s historical novels. It’s a delightful romp, beautifully imagined, with sparkling dialogue and all the wit you would associate with a classic Regency romance, and if you have to suspend belief a little, isn’t that what good fiction is all about? Stepping into this world which the author brings so vividly to life is a real delight, her characters leap fully formed from the page, taking you into their confidence and all the while tender little snippets of romance start to twirl around, making the sizzle of sexual attraction between Dominic and Meg all the more tantalising.

A Gentleman’s Offer is pure historical escapism from start to finish, I enjoyed trying to work out how all the threads would come together and I finished this lovely story with a satisfied smile.

This was a fascinating, original, and well written historical romance. A terrible father, a forced marriage, a lord, a farce of marriages, identical twins, fraud, theft, blackmail, and so many emotional, heartfelt issues, and plot twists which are extremely exciting amd engaging. I enjoyed the characters and a chemistry that can't be denied, which leads love in the right direction. The ending is lovely. I highly recommend reading!