Rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this novella!

Short and sweet queer historical romance between a duke and his valet. The pacing was great, loved the writing and the pining! So good. This is my second book by this author and it won't be the last.

I was excited for this book because I loved “Perks of Loving a Wallflower” also by Erica Ridley. While the characters were all right, I really wished there was a dual POV for Geoffrey and it was a bit longer. I liked the characters and the plot, but it felt a little rushed and not fully fleshed out. Still a good, easy read, but I was a little let down.

His was a vert quick read but it still contained all the ingredients in a story that one would expect from Erica. My only comment is that I wished that it had been a little bit longer and that we had learnt more about Donovan and Geoffrey in their younger lives.

Love this and after falling out of love with historical romances Erica Ridley has been drawing me back in. Unfortunately this was a novella which my library usually doesn't purchase but I will be recommending Erica Ridley books for those who want a fresh take on historical romances.

This was a short, sweet romance between Donovan and Geoffrey. These two have spent two decades as duke (Donovan) and valet (Geoffrey) .Their chemistry, banter, and pining is delightful.
I appreciated the support and acceptance from Donovan's family, especially with the release during Pride.
Definitely recommend this sweet, feel good romance.
Happy Pride, everyone!

😍 I was instantly intrigued when I saw this pop up on Erica’s newsletter, and I’m so glad I got a chance to read the eARC via #netgalley.

👨🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏼 Such a cute, heartwarming book with the humour you would expect from Erica Ridley. It’s such a shame it’s so short, I would have loved to read more backstory when Geoffrey first met Donovan, or more on what happens next! 💕

🥰 This is such an adorable little story, loved it!

This was such a quick and lovely read. Donovan breaks his own heart by sending his valet away because he's expected to marry and he won't be able to fake it with Geoffrey so near. He immediately has second thoughts and begs Geoffrey to stay for a few weeks so he can get through this festival he's been voluntold by his family to go to so he can find a bride. Despite his own broken heart Geoffrey agrees and away they go.

They decide they aren't going to participate in the festival and spend the time being honest and open with each other. Turns out Geoffrey is a sassy little thing. There was really only one way this story could have possibly ended and it was lovely. I loved seeing how chill and loving his family was concerning Donovan and his partner.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

We’re supposed to believe that these two men have spent twenty years pining for each other but never actually did anything about it? Sorry but I just couldn’t buy that.

This was a sweet, bland, cosy M/M romance with two lovely characters who would be anyone’s dream partner. Once I suspended all disbelief about how real the situation could have been in Regency England,, it had some pleasant moments and the writer has a nice writing style.

Gosh but this was so sweet and sentimental that I struggled to take it seriously..

This is a short and sweet standalone novella. It may only be 100 pages, but the romance is well-paced and less rushed than many full-length novels. While the limited page count and single POV make it difficult to completely connect with the characters (especially Geoffery), they don’t feel flat. I also like that the class difference and power imbalance get addressed and resolved. I have not read anything from Erica Ridley before, but I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading The Perks of Loving a Wallflower.

Correction needed: At one point in chapter 9 (while at the pub), the name "Dominic" appears instead of Donovan. “The barmaids kept the ales coming for Dominic and Geoffrey.”

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't know it will be short novela, but it was a cute little story.

Because it was short I didn't get too much into it, but nevertheless, I liked it. :)

<i>I received this title as an ARC on Net-galley in exchange for a honest review. Thank you publisher for the copy!</i>

<b>The Good</b>
I loved both Donovan and Geoffrey immensely. Donovan felt so burdened by his dukedom and responsibilities and wanted Geoffrey so much. Geoffrey understood Donovan so well and loved the real him. Their banter was so fun and playful. I liked how the power dynamic was addressed here and the overall development of both of the characters. It is impressive that a book this short managed to almost make me cry from happiness at the end!

<b>Format:</b>
Ebook — Netgalley Arc

<b>The Rating</b>
I give this book a <b>5/5🌟 rating.</b> I absolutely loved this story! The romance and plot was done well and was so sweet.

Check out my socials <a href="https://beacons.ai/buffyreads"> here</a> for more reviews!

Donovan, Duke of Southbury, has a mother and brother who are desperate for him to marry, but at 36, the young debutantes hold zero interest for him. He would much rather spend his evenings playing chess with is valet, the handsome Geoffrey. When his brother invites him to a festival but he requires that Geoffrey accompany him. The two find that the inn where they are meant to stay only has one bed allowing them to act on the attraction that has always been hidden under the surface of their companionship.
This very short novella (about 100 pages) was a fun and quick read. The pair were enjoyable heroes and I liked that we got a sense that they saw each other as equals, even if they did start out as employer and employee. I loved that we got a sense that they have been pining for each other for 20 years which meant their quick romance didn’t feel rushed.
Thank you to NetGalley and Webmotion for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Erica Ridley always knows just what to say and this book is no exception. Great tension between the characters. A nice quick feel good read. Will definitely be pulling this one out again. Thank you NetGalley for the copy!

Absolutely lovely little novella. It was super cute and sweet, had plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and some really hot pining. It's short, but lacking nothing, so if you're looking for a quick romance fix, I'd highly recommend it.

3.5 stars. This is a sweet and funny M/M novella, I just wish the MC's had more character development and there was more plot/conflict. Lighthearted but not memorable.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary review. Opinions are my own.

Loved reading the amazing and engaging romance story. Since it is time for the Duke of Southbury to find. a bride, he has to let his charming, handsome valet go. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting love story. Can't wait to read the next story in the series by the awesome author, Erica Ridley!

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review
-If you haven't catch on from the blurb, this is a MM regency romance, not the first from this author.
-The MM parts are written with taste and no more details than when the scene is MF.
-Poor Donovan had to stand at his mother's elbow and "greet unwanted guests as they invaded his home." LOL.
-A bit of repetitions. In chapter 6, 41%, we've been told several times already that Vachon was the man Southbury wanted and couldn't not have. At chapter 9, 61%, we've been told at least thrice that Donovan would be the best husband ever if he ever married his bride.
-I remember seeing Southbury all disorganized in the way he looked in the previous book. Now I know why - he didn't have a valet for a whole week.
-The whole scene with the mother and children with Donovan and Geoffrey is so funny; these children know what they want and are not afraid to speak-up.
-I felt there was a big jump during a conversation about kissing; two seconds later they are discussing backdoor business.
-It must not have been easy to want someone for twenty years and knowing it could never happen. This situation is no better than if one was lowborn and the other part of the peerage, except for the fact that it was against the law. So if marriage is out of the question, how is this going to work? You'll have to read it for yourself, but I thought the Duke of Southbury found a reasonable way to please everyone, including himself and Geoffrey, his then-valet.
-I'm still confused if the amount of money granted was enough or not. I couldn't tell if Vachon was kidding or not.
-I was glad to hear Bernard saw through them and their mother wanted her children to be happy.
-Please don't mix God with the peerage and LGBT. God did not invent the peerage and its privilege and obligations; men did.

I like this series a lot and this was generally good, I missed the connections to the other characters which happened in the other books and while i'm always up for an HEA, there wasn't enough build up to why they loved each other

I apparently didn't pay any attention to the page count when I requested this, because I didn't realize it was a novella. I was wondering why everything seemed to be moving so fast, and then it was over. I was honestly a little disappointed in the end. There is no character development, no build-up, no angst, no drama. Everything progresses very quickly and ends happily ever after. It's almost too perfect and I found it to be a little underwhelming for that reason. The valet's description makes me think of Henry Cavill, which I did like. But there are not enough details about anything else to gather much info about the other characters. The spicy scenes were okay. Nothing amazing and over too quickly in my opinion. Overall, I guess if you're looking for a quick bit of MM spice, you might like it. I just found it to be a bit meh. Also, random complaint, but at one point the author calls him Dominic instead of Donovan. Might want to fix that mistake before publishing, along with several grammatical and spelling errors.

This was a sweet novella following the 36 year old Donovan, Duke of Southbury, as he decides it is time for him to find a wife despite having spent the last 20 years pining for his valet, Geoffrey.

I liked the two main characters, and especially liked the way Donovan was mindful of his privilege/the power dynamic between himself and Geoffrey. I also enjoyed watching their relationship develop from a friendship into something more.

This was short and sweet and accomplished everything it was trying to do and did it well. I just found myself wanting something more fully fleshed out, and ultimately because of the length I don’t think this will be a particularly memorable read for me. That being said, I did like the writing and had a good enough experience that I will be bumping some of Ridley’s full length novels higher up my TBR.