Publisher: Berkley Publishing,  March 28, 2023

Format: ebook

Pages: 352

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary (Goodreads):

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a lady in danger must be in need of rescue, but whether she wants to be rescued is up for debate—for fans of Evie Dunmore and Netflix’s Bridgerton from the bestselling author of A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem!

England, 1867: Miss Poppy Delamare is living a lie. To escape an odious betrothal, she fled to London where she’s been hiding as the unassuming secretary Flora Deaver. However, when her beloved sister is accused of murder, Poppy cannot leave her to the wolves. Only a most unexpected—and unwelcome—collision interrupts her journey home . . .

Despite a rather dismal first meeting, Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham, has no intention of abandoning a lady in need. But he’s not above asking a favor. A fake betrothal will give Poppy and her sister the power of the dukedom and protect Langham from the society misses intent on becoming his duchess.

Yet the longer the ruse goes on, the more Poppy and Langham realize how false their first impressions were—and the less pretend their engagement feels. But before Langham can propose in truth, their search reveals a tangled web of lies and betrayals. With time running out, can Poppy and Langham find the real culprit—before Poppy becomes the next victim?

My Review:

Read if you like: fake dating/insta-love
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Poppy and Joshua decide to fake an engagement so that Poppy can use Johsua’s standing as a Duke in investigating the murder of her brother-in-law and the fact that her sister is being accused of the murder. Joshua wants his grandmother to stop pushing unmarried girls at him, so he is down for the bargain.
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Overall the book was fun but the drama was a little much and I struggled to believe the romance. Poppy and Joshua hated each other and then it felt like the switch was immediate. I loved the first book in this series so if you did too, then I encourage you to check this out and see what you think. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me!
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Thank you Forever Publishing for the copy of this book.