James Ludlow, Earl of Rotherham, Violet and Rosamund daughters, Widow of five years has decided it is time to remarry. He does not want a love match due to his wife's proclaiming she never wanted to marry him and her father forced her to since she was in love with someone else. Now he just wants a companion who can help raise his daughters and possibly give him a son.

Charlotte Dunthorpe ne Harnessmaker, lives as a widow after her fiancee died from an infectious wound. Using the thousand pounds to set up a house she trains other women in her same situation with not family to rely on. She and her housekeeper Mrs. Atherton train them to be housemaid, ladies maids, and housekeepers.

Cecilia, Lady Cosford, husband John, friends to both Ratherham and Charlotte, are throwing a house party for twenty friends to allow short or long term liaison or to remarry.

Lord Sleaford, Cousin Sidney Prewitt, was bethrothed to Charlotte before he died. Sleaford is vile, nasty, and mean.

A conversational landscapes starts a chain of events that surprise and horrify Charlotte. She is trying to keep her secret so that no one can harm her or her training endever. However, Roth is the surprise she least counted on. To find someone she can possibly be herself and share her secret, only to learn she can't. Roth on the otherhand, is finding that the instant attraction he has with her is scary and fears he will wind up the same as with his deceased wife.

So come join in the fun at the house party. Play games, enjoy contests, and walks, talks, and dancing. Find out how these to meet, do they become friends or lovers? Does her secret get revealed at the party? If not where? What does Sleaford do to Charlotte? How does everyone react? What does Roth do in the end? What does Charlotte do?

Such a drama of events unfold that will have you on the edge of your seat reading to the end to find out. Great character depth gives this an easy read and have you finishing before you know it.

I tend to enjoy Darcy Burke and this quick read was no exception. Charlotte and Roth have lovely chemistry alongside mutual respect. This is a slow burn but steamy read, and the novella length does not mean the story feels rushed. Charlotte and Roth still feel like fully developed characters. A solid 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

I really enjoyed this book as a whole and was excited to learn more about the main characters and see how their lives unfolded with the deceits that occurred. I think that as a regency romance, it was wonderful and something that I enjoy! It stood out with more relationships in the book aside from the main paring which I liked.

This was a steamy romance. I wonder if there really was this much pent-up frustration and steamy releases in this era? Either way, va va voom!

Roth is some yummy eye candy, who more than adequately knows how to please a woman. Charlotte is a smart woman who knows not to pass up such a gift, but rather to enjoy it while she can.

Both Roth and Charlotte were likeable characters, and their chemistry flowed naturally.

The plot, although simple, was uncluttered.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I love this genre, but I wasn't a big fan of this story. It was quite slow in places and I didn't find the main characters very engaging.

Charlotte and James find they have a definite passion for one another. But they want two different things - - he wants marriage but she just wants "right now." But as their liaison moves forward, can James change her mind? Or will it all come crumbling dow

This was a lovely story about two people who learn to listen to their hearts instead of their heads when love is involved. This is a quick and fun read that kept me hooked until late at night.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Suspecting pregnancy, and alone after her fiancé's death, Charlotte created a new identity as a widow. But the longed-for child never materialized. Now, years later, at a house party, she meets widower James. He's seeking a mother for his daughters. But given the secrets of her past, she's only willing to commit to an affair. What happens when the truth comes to light?

This steamy novella delivers passion and a cast of likeable characters. The interactions between the hero and heroine are full of longing. The plot is tense and keeps the reader wondering what will happen next.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Widower James Ludlow, Earl of Rotherham, needs to find a wife to care for his two daughters. He is determined that his second marriage will not be for love. Yet when he meets Charlotte Cunthorpe, at a house party, he can’t ignore the sparks between them. However, Charlotte is not a widow, as she proports to be, with her fiancée dying before they could wed. Whilst Charlotte is attracted to James, she must refuse him, or risk ruin.
An entertaining novella, which manages to bring to life, two characters who long for happiness but struggle to articulate their feelings. The plot never wavers and manages to have a few twists and turns, with plenty of angst and romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'll preface this by saying I love historical romance and this book has some of my favorite tropes. However, it just didn't pull me in. I think it's a combination of the insta-love and the way there was little angst--it was almost too easy for the characters to fall in love and to get into terms with how the FMC basically lied about her identity.

I wanted more from this than I got, I think I wanted a little more angst about her widow faking, and the couples clearly different goals. Instead he zeroed in on her pretty fast and it just fell flat

This is a very sweet, entertaining read.
Charlotte, who lost her fiancée 10 years ago is invited to a matchmaking/house party by her friend.
She decides to attend even though she never plans on remarrying due to the fact that she created a new identity for herself when her fiancée died. At the party, she meets Roth, The Earl of Rotherham, a widower who has 2 young daughters who is looking for a wife. There is an instant attraction between them. I loved all their interactions.
This is a very fun, heartwarming story.
I received this book as an ARC and these are my opinions.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the book.

The Earl of Rotherham is searching for a wife since his daughters require a mother's affection. Charlotte Dunthorpe, a fictitious widow, attends her friends' matchmaking house party with no intention of marriage. Their meeting at the party ignites something between them, but will Roth still think Charlotte would be the finest countess after learning the truth about Charlotte's past and why she became a fictitious widow?

I absolutely love this story since both main characters are walking green flags. They respected each other during their early encounter, even though they had already felt a spark towards each other. It is nothing like other romance stories, where the characters basically jump onto each other, making out right after their first meeting. This is definitely the type of slow-burn romance that I enjoy reading, and I could definitely feel the intensity between them. They understood that they had their own purposes for coming to the party, yet they could not set themselves apart from each other. Their pasts hindered them from being truthful about their feelings.

There is a villain in the story, yet the plot does not focus on it, as I believe the main villains are Roth and Charlotte themselves. My theory is that their hesitance and doubt are the barriers to their relationship. Therefore, the characters in the story are not very significant except for the friends, Cecilia and her husband, who host the matchmaking party.

Overall, this is a great romance book for those who enjoy light-hearted reading. I obviously enjoyed my experience reading this book.

3.5 rounded to 4 stars. This was my first time reading work by this author, and I’ll definitely be reading more of her books. I enjoyed the plot, the main characters, and the house party trope. This did move very fast, but that’s to be expected since it’s a very short book/novella.

My one complaint is that I found the description in the sex scenes rather odd. Some things that were described were anatomically impossible, such as references to “thrusting into” body parts that can’t be thrusted into. I liked the book, but I ended up skimming those scenes because the language was just so odd at times.

Loved reading the engaging and amazing story. When Roth, an earl, meets Charlotte, a widow, he is instantly attracted to Charlotte and wishes she would reconsider his marriage proposal. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting love story by the phenomenal author, Darcy Burke.

Charlotte and Roth attend a house party that is for matchmaking, marriage and other kinds. Roth wants to remarry so his children have a mother but does not want to love again. Charlotte does not want to marry again but might be open to some other kind of arrangement. They both have pain and secrets.
The story is short but it's also a bit of slow burn. They talk and spend time together and get to know one another. When secrets are revealed they must find a way to overcome and decide to be happy together.

I enjoyed this book, and the story line as it developed into a pretty complex back story on the main characters. While at times I felt lie I could have skipped over some of the scenes as they played out, I overall enjoyed the book, and the conclusion.

The back story was well thought out and contributed a lot to becoming somewhat invested in the story.

Well done!

You wouldn't believe how fast I downloaded and read this ARC when I saw it. I so love Miss Burke's works. It never fails to tickle our heart bones (does that exist?) This one especially is very heart-warming and more modern even though it's a regency romance. Miss Burke is definitely an auto-buy author for me.

Delightful! Roth was a wonderful romantic lead, and Charlotte was fantastic, to say nothing of the chemistry between the two. Though a shorter novella, the story doesn't come across as rushed (which this reader really appreciated).

Ms Burke shows readers again with this fourth title in her Matchmaking Chronicles series her talent for telling an utterly enjoyable historical romance.



Thank you to Zealous Quill Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC!

James, a widower, is not looking to fall in love when he attends a house party of widows and widowers. He is looking for someone to be a mother to his two girls. Charlotte, a pretend widow, can not marry but might be interested in a brief fling. They can not fight the attraction they feel for each other, but will secrets from the past break them up? I received an ARC from NetGalley and Zealous Quill Press for my honest review.

This is a quick and easy read, the plot moves forward at a good pace as you would expect from a novella. The sizzling attraction between Roth and Charlotte is steamy and a lie from 10 years ago causes most of the issue's here. There are a few more twists and turns including a villain who makes and appearance to add angst to the story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.