Miss Daphne Vaughan is in trouble so she writes to her childhood neighbor for help. Major Bartholomew Blackpool decides that he is just the person to help her out by becoming her "fiance". Daphne is to call off the wedding but knows that will ruin any chance that the Major will have of finding a suitable bride. He thinks the same way about her. Neither of them want to be married but then love happens. This book had me laughing out loud. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good laugh and a good romance.

This is the fourth book in the Dukes of War series. Each does stand alone, but it is much more enjoyable to read them all and in order due to the familiar faces that pop in.

I enjoyed this story of two very imperfect people learning they can depend on more than themselves. I understand that fear that there is nobody who will truly understand and the joy of finding the one who does.

Friendship that is allowed to grow into lust and love is the best kind of love because it will last the longest. That is the relationship that Daphne and Bartholomew have nurtured, not by design, but by them each trying to be selfless. .. and isn’t selflessness a wonderful attribute in a partner, too!

I have read each of the stories in this series thus far and look forward to the remaining ones. Ms. Ridley has a gift for weaving a tale that will remove me from the stresses of the modern world and allow me to dream of a time that never was with a bit of the history that is true.

Note: while I was given this book as a gifted ARC, through NetGalley, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

This was a great addition to the Dukes of War series. Bartholomew and Daphne were great characters, and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. The storyline of Daphne needing to find a husband quickly and talking Bartholomew into being her fake finance was a good one. It kept me interested and entertained. I enjoyed the other familiar characters, and am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

I almost finished this book. It was an okay read, not anything exceptional, but I didn't care to finish reading when it was no longer a clean romance. There wasn't anything too terrible in the book, but it was enough for me to stop reading. Not my type of story.