Enjoyed this delightful fake relationship Regency romance! Abbie is a likable character with a talent for writing. She invents a fake suitor in order to turn down an unwanted proposal from Lord Dunley. Surprisingly, Lord Dunley finds the exact embodiment of the person she describes and tells all and sundry that Percy Randall is engaged to her.

Percy, a carefree, somewhat lost 2nd son hasn’t quite figured out what he wants to do with his life. He’s set to be engaged to a young woman whom he doesn’t love by his 30th birthday. When he goes to visit her, he’s shocked to find he’s supposedly already engaged to a woman he’s never even heard of.

Percy travels to the obscure village of Sidvale to get to the truth, expecting a scheming woman after his name and money. What he finds, is a delightful vicar’s daughter and aspiring writer. He also finds friends, purpose, and falls nicely into a life he never imagined. He agrees to keep up the pretenses of the fake engagement until Lord Dunley finds another. This becomes even trickier when family gets involved. But the more time Percy spends with Abbie, the more they both are in danger of wanting the lie to be real.

I loved the romance between Percy and Abbie. Percy is so likable. He’s clever, funny, and has a great imagination. I loved how he joined her Ladies Literary Society and wrote as Mr. Stitch. He’s the perfect compliment to Abbie. I loved the funny stories they made up together and how he encourages her writing. Abbie can’t believe the man of her dreams, the likeness of the hero in her novels, is in love with her. Will she give in to self doubt and throw away her chance at happiness?

All in all, this was a fun novel and I found myself enjoying the dialogue, characters, and the creative premise. Following the novel are 14 snippets or flash stories that are just a few pages each. Each was accompanied by a lovely sketch. They were intriguing and had surprising depth for such short stories. I definitely wanted to know more after reading them.

While I would consider the novel mostly “clean,” a few of the flash stories while not too detailed had salacious elements I wouldn’t consider compatible with “sweet” or “clean” romances. The few stories which had these elements were: Entangled, Midsummer, and Gorgeous. Those you might want to skip if you prefer “sweet” romances.

3 1/2 stars I received a complimentary advanced review copy of this book from Book Sirens. All opinions are voluntarily left and I was not required to provide a positive review.

Content: innuendo, brief mention of a mistress, mention of tongue kissing in the main story and in a few of the short stories, one brief mention of unclothed individuals caught in a sexual act (Midsummer), suggestion of compromised virtue (Midsummer, Requited, Gorgeous), foreplay between a married couple but no direct mention of sex (Entangled). ( )

Abbie and Percy, forced together by a misunderstanding but so perfect for each other.

I simply love this book. The storyline is simply, but great and once I fully jumped into to the book I could no put it down. The whole plot is fresh and different from other historical romances I’ve read. The story really kept me in its grip and I loved following Abbie and Percy’s journey to happiness.
Abbie is a great character. I have always loved strong independent character in historical fiction and I really like Abbie. She reminds me a lot about myself so if was very easy for me to jump into her shoes.
I also really like Percy and I especially like how much he grows as a person during the book. It is refreshing to read. The supporting characters are quite brilliant too. I especially like that Abbie’s father is a gentle and happy vicar who loves his daughters rather than a strict one.
The ending is of course great and I truly made me happy.

In addition to the full novel, there is short stories included in the book. I have to say love I love them all and I wish I could read all of them as full-length novels.
I also simply love the art that was included in between the short stories. It somehow makes the book more entertaining and special, at least to me.

All in all, I have to say, I think I have found a new favorite author to follow and I recommend this book to all fans of historical romance.

* ARC received from BookSirens and review given voluntarily ( )

Abbie and Percy, forced together by a misunderstanding but so perfect for each other.

I simply love this book. The storyline is simply, but great and once I fully jumped into to the book I could no put it down. The whole plot is fresh and different from other historical romances I’ve read. The story really kept me in its grip and I loved following Abbie and Percy’s journey to happiness.
Abbie is a great character. I have always loved strong independent character in historical fiction and I really like Abbie. She reminds me a lot about myself so if was very easy for me to jump into her shoes.
I also really like Percy and I especially like how much he grows as a person during the book. It is refreshing to read. The supporting characters are quite brilliant too. I especially like that Abbie’s father is a gentle and happy vicar who loves his daughters rather than a strict one.
The ending is of course great and I truly made me happy.

In addition to the full novel, there is short stories included in the book. I have to say love I love them all and I wish I could read all of them as full-length novels.
I also simply love the art that was included in between the short stories. It somehow makes the book more entertaining and special, at least to me.

All in all, I have to say, I think I have found a new favorite author to follow and I recommend this book to all fans of historical romance.

* ARC received from BookSirens and review given voluntarily ( )