I previously read another ARC by Emma Orchard and thoroughly enjoyed it, which is why i was excited have the opportunity to read this through NetGalley.
The initial act and conflict is fun and interesting. Following the hero and heroine around London while they try to unravel the mystery of the missing fiancée/sister is really enjoyable. Unfortunately, the plot includes lots of extraneous twists and turns which extend the story unnecessarily and leave the book dragging. The villain almost never appears, and the final climactic scene doesn’t have much conflict or tension at all.
I would happily read another book by this author similar to the first one I read, but this is not one I would necessarily recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, the book was okay. I think the biggest problem is that the summary of the book listed here on Goodreads and other locations only actually tells you about half the book. Going into this book, I was under the impression that Margaret and Dominic would be spending the entire book trying to find her sister and we’d get a really good slow burn along the way.

Instead, it’s lust at almost first sight and they find the sister around the halfway mark! The rest of the book is then spent trying to figure out how to allow Margaret and Dominic to marry so that Maria can be with her girlfriend all the while trying to get the girls’ father to stop blackmailing Dominic’s mother. Honestly, it didn’t make for a bad read but it did make me wish my first impression had been the actual plot.

You can definitely see how the author was influenced by Georgette Heyer in her writings (a comparison I made before even knowing that the author was a huge fan) but this particular story just fell flat for me. While it wasn’t badly written, I feel like the romance was rushed too quickly, which then made the rest of the plot begin to drag.

I really enjoy Emma Orchard's historical romance novels and believe she is one of the authors who pays the most attention to detail and historical accuracy. That being said, I think this was probably the weakest of her books. Plot-wise, it wasn’t impressive—some of the revelations and characters' actions were hard to believe, even within the realm of the genre. The ending felt quite abrupt, and we didn’t get to see the crucial plot elements wrapped up. Speaking of characters, the development of relationships between them fell flat. I wasn’t fully convinced by how quickly the characters fell in love—it was more tell than show in terms of their emotional journey. Still, it was a fast-paced read, and the author, as always, did a good job with the language, historical credibility, and setting. Not a bad book, but I expected more from this author.

This book was an enjoyable read with an engaging premise—an arranged engagement turned upside down by mistaken identity and a race against time. The chemistry between Sir Dominic and Margaret was well-developed, and I appreciated the slow build of their partnership as they worked together to find Maria. The Regency setting was well done, and the stakes felt real as the story unfolded.

That said, while I liked the book, it wasn’t my favorite. Some plot points felt predictable, and I wished for a bit more depth in character development, especially for Dominic. Still, it was a solid, entertaining read for fans of historical romance, and I’d recommend it to those who enjoy a mix of mystery and slow-burn romance.

Had this not been an ARC I would have given up at chapter 5. The character development was none existent and the character we were, I assume, supposed to care about (as everyone was trying to find her) we knew little about and what we did was negative. The book is so laborious that the truly delightful parts get utterly lost.

The use of 19th century language feels like a GCSE coursework piece, as it is often used in the wrong context or is just historically wrong. Given this book is likely to appeal to avid readers of this period (and history buffs) it is very jarring and doesn’t help with the desire to abandon the book.

However, the last quarter of the book is enjoyable and left me wanting to read the next in the series - quite a turn around!

I am grateful to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in return for this honest review.

This definitely gave me major bridgerton vibes and I absolutely LOVED it ! Thank you so so much again to Netgallery for giving me the opportunity to read and review :)

This book had so much potential, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to expectations. The concept of a twin swap and mistaken identity sounded intriguing, but the execution fell flat. From the start, I was excited about the premise, but as I kept reading, I found myself more and more frustrated with the characters and plot.

Dominic De Lacy was stiff and one-dimensional. At times, he even gave me the "ick." His sudden attraction to Margaret, after barely knowing either sister, felt forced and lacked any real chemistry. The supposed tension and slow burn just weren't there, and what could’ve been an engaging romance turned out to be a series of bland conversations and predictable plot twists. It didn’t help that the writing felt disjointed, especially in the beginning, when the language was overly formal and felt like it was trying too hard to be a classic regency piece.

The twin swap aspect was the only thing that kept me somewhat interested, but even that fell short. Margaret and Marie's motivations were confusing, and the mystery of Marie’s disappearance was anticlimactic. The story was more talk than action, and the romance didn’t build in a way that felt earned. The smut, when it arrived, seemed out of place and only highlighted how little emotional connection had been established beforehand.

The background of the characters felt flimsy, especially with Margaret’s "unique" upbringing, which seemed like a weak excuse to make her different. Overall, it was a missed opportunity, and while this book might work for some, it was a letdown for me. That's why I'm giving it 1 ⭐.

This was lovely. It was a really great premise and completely believable (in context!). I liked both main charcters. Worked really well.

cute, fun, regency romp! the mystery element was interesting and although not the main plot of the book, helped move events along. about halfway through, however, there seems to be a point in which everything is solved, and while further complexities are unveiled within the latter half of the book, it dragged on a bit for me. all in all though, it's a quick read with a variety of entertaining moments, and worth giving a read.

I enjoyed this book so much! I loved the Bridgerton vibes from the beginning. An overbearing mother, a forced engagement, and some twists along the way! I thought it was so fun and charming.

DNF@ chapter 9

The synopsis sounded good but the book was a disappointment. The dialogue was boring and so was Dominic. He was nice but didn't have a personality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

When I read the synopsis for this book It peaked my interest based on sister swapping places and bit of mystery just three weeks before maria and Dominic are set to be married.

If you are a fan of LGB representation, arranged marriage, regency romance, mistaken identity this could be the book for you.

In just over a weeks time Margaret and Dominic realize they are attracted to each other. These moments had me looking forward to a budding romance building while they look for maria. I struggled with the internal dialogue as it changed the vibe of the story as well as being completely unprepared for unnecessary open door scenes that came out of left field and felt out of place.

I felt this story has a lot of potential It's not a good fit for me

Sir Dominic De Lacy va a casarse con alguien que solo conoce de vista, ya que su fallecido padre quería que se llevara a cabo esa unión. Para honrar su voluntad, decide pedirle matrimonio a Maria Nightingale. Sin embargo, cuando va a pedir su mano, se da cuenta de que sus observaciones sobre ella eran equivocadas y que tal vez podrían lograr una buena unión. La sorpresa llega cuando descubre que Maria es en realidad Margaret, la hermana gemela, quien se está haciendo pasar por su hermana desaparecida.
Margaret está muy preocupada por su hermana y piensa que Dominic es el culpable de su desaparición, pero después de una pequeña confrontación, se da cuenta de que él no está implicado y decide pedirle ayuda.

Ambos tendrán que ser muy cuidadosos para evitar un escándalo y que los demás descubran la verdad sobre Maria, ya que esto podría manchar su reputación. Así que deben hacer sus averiguaciones en secreto, mientras que en público deben mostrarse como una pareja amorosa. El problema surge cuando ambos comienzan a gustarse, pues el compromiso con Maria ya ha sido anunciado.



~

Aunque tiene mucho potencial, el desarrollo de la historia queda algo flojo. Hay demasiados pensamientos internos y poco diálogo, lo que provoca que la narrativa se sienta apresurada, como si me estuvieran persiguiendo todo el tiempo.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars*

this book had so much potential. the whole twin swap/mistaken identity thing? loved it. it had “the princess switch” vibes but make it regency. the cover? adorable. short chapters? an absolute dream. and sir dominic? had his moments where i was like mhmm yes, but unfortunately, most of the time, he (and the rest of the characters) were just… kinda there.

tropes:
✔️ arranged marriage
✔️ twin swap/mistaken identity
✔️ regency romance
✔️ slow burn
✔️ forced proximity

my biggest issue? confusion. like, who was who? which sister was actually supposed to be with dominic? which one was missing? who was in an arranged marriage? i felt like i needed a diagram to keep up. and for a romance, there was surprisingly little… romance. lots of telling me they were in love but not much showing. i wanted angst, tension, emotions, and instead, it was mostly just talk, talk, talk.

then the smut towards the end?? was a surprise because their relationship up until that point was giving nothing. no buildup, no chemistry, just i don’t know... and instead of making their romance feel deeper, it just made it seem like their whole connection was purely physical.

still, thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publishing team for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a few other books by this author and they've been between a mid-hit and a miss for me. But this premise sounded ok, so I tried it and it is slooooow. Not even a slowburn, just slow. It sapped my energy.

A cute Regency romance that feels more Heyer-esque in writing style and general family-focused vibe than the current crop of modern Regencies. I love that it's modern in its scope in terms of diversity among side characters, but has that more gentle, less intentionally madcap feel - it's a nice change of pace for a new release! However, talking about pace, I will say that this book does not have the best pacing in the world - the big stuff happens too early and then the plot wraps up at around 87%, leaving really quite a lot of chapters that are just incredibly similar conversations about where to go from here. You could skip from Chapter 37 to the epilogue quite handily. That being said, this is still a very enjoyable read, and I'd happily read another from the author!

Thank you so much to @netgalley , @emmaorchardbooks and @theboldbookclub for allowing me to read this book! I had so much fun reading and getting to meet all of these characters!!

Meg? Such a strong and confident main character. I loved how much she cared about her sister, how adventurous she was and how she went after what she wanted!

Sir Dominic!!! Ugh this man!! LOVED

I’m a sucker for a historical theme book and this is definitely up there in my favourites!

Honestly went into this book expecting a romance and boy did I underestimate this book!!!!

The plot twists, the mystery, the big discoveries!!!!

Ugh such a good, funny and clever book.

I enjoyed it so so much, watching the relationships develop and trying to guess where the mystery will end! Would 100% recommend to anyone who loves a regency era book with mystery and romance!

This was a cute romance about an eligible bachelor and a young woman thrust into each other's company by the disappearance of his fiancé/her sister. I appreciated that the story moved quickly and there wasn't alot of dithering around and hand wringing when it came to finding Maria. They proceeded to lay out and execute plans with rather speedy efficiency and not leave the reader hanging. I did, however, really want to get to the "why" of Maria's disappearance and I was pleasantly surprised that we got there sooner than I expected, which then introduced a new series of obstacles to overcome. I also particularly enjoyed the more inclusive nature of the relationships in this book - it was delightful to see that kind of representation!

This book has an excellent premise, and great representation throughout. Having one twin sister switch with the other mid engagement? So much fun! Historical romance is one of my favorite genres and I do think this successfully differentiates itself from other books I’ve read in the genre. I enjoyed Meg as a main female character. She’s singular and I understood her motivations and conflict. Unfortunately, as a whole, this fell a little short of the mark. Much of the issue I had with this was the prose: it’s just slightly too formal to sink into, and I wish there had been more showing than telling as far as the narrative went. I found myself wanting to get to the dialogue and skimming through the lengthy descriptive bits. The big reveal felt too soon to keep the stakes high, and in turn the last 40% or so of the book lacked urgency. I think this could be great for some readers—it really does have such potential, especially if you prefer a more heightened writing style—but I don’t think it was for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & Emma Orchard for providing me with this advanced copy!

3.75⭐️
historical romcom girlies — this is for us. 💝
i can’t say that this book amazed me, but it was such an enjoyable read.

• we have the main male character, Dominic who is 29 and is persuaded by his mom to marry this woman — Maria which his father basically chose for him. and he’s like “ok, why not?”. however, right before the engagement celebration his fiancée tells him she’s actually not Maria but her twin sister Margaret. Maria has disappeared and Meg need’s Dominic’s help to find her.

as i said, this story won’t blow your mind. but it might warm your heart.
the writing style hooked me in, because the language that the author uses is very reminiscent of Austen’s (which is obvious with the beginning). it allows you to fully emerge into 1817’s London.
💝 the characters are quite fun. i love how Dominic is basically goes with everything Meg wants to do. him and Meg are so “hyper gf and calm bf”coded.

the tension building in the first half of the book was so good. it was lost a bit later, but instead we got sweet moments from our main couple. the “mystery” part of the plot was just fine, it wasn’t shocking but it played nice into the story as a whole.

⭐️ overall, it’s a great book to warm your heart and get some comfort