I've read a few other books by this author and they've been between a mid-hit and a miss for me. But this premise sounded ok, so I tried it and it is slooooow. Not even a slowburn, just slow. It sapped my energy.

A cute Regency romance that feels more Heyer-esque in writing style and general family-focused vibe than the current crop of modern Regencies. I love that it's modern in its scope in terms of diversity among side characters, but has that more gentle, less intentionally madcap feel - it's a nice change of pace for a new release! However, talking about pace, I will say that this book does not have the best pacing in the world - the big stuff happens too early and then the plot wraps up at around 87%, leaving really quite a lot of chapters that are just incredibly similar conversations about where to go from here. You could skip from Chapter 37 to the epilogue quite handily. That being said, this is still a very enjoyable read, and I'd happily read another from the author!

Thank you so much to @netgalley , @emmaorchardbooks and @theboldbookclub for allowing me to read this book! I had so much fun reading and getting to meet all of these characters!!

Meg? Such a strong and confident main character. I loved how much she cared about her sister, how adventurous she was and how she went after what she wanted!

Sir Dominic!!! Ugh this man!! LOVED

I’m a sucker for a historical theme book and this is definitely up there in my favourites!

Honestly went into this book expecting a romance and boy did I underestimate this book!!!!

The plot twists, the mystery, the big discoveries!!!!

Ugh such a good, funny and clever book.

I enjoyed it so so much, watching the relationships develop and trying to guess where the mystery will end! Would 100% recommend to anyone who loves a regency era book with mystery and romance!

This was a cute romance about an eligible bachelor and a young woman thrust into each other's company by the disappearance of his fiancé/her sister. I appreciated that the story moved quickly and there wasn't alot of dithering around and hand wringing when it came to finding Maria. They proceeded to lay out and execute plans with rather speedy efficiency and not leave the reader hanging. I did, however, really want to get to the "why" of Maria's disappearance and I was pleasantly surprised that we got there sooner than I expected, which then introduced a new series of obstacles to overcome. I also particularly enjoyed the more inclusive nature of the relationships in this book - it was delightful to see that kind of representation!

This book has an excellent premise, and great representation throughout. Having one twin sister switch with the other mid engagement? So much fun! Historical romance is one of my favorite genres and I do think this successfully differentiates itself from other books I’ve read in the genre. I enjoyed Meg as a main female character. She’s singular and I understood her motivations and conflict. Unfortunately, as a whole, this fell a little short of the mark. Much of the issue I had with this was the prose: it’s just slightly too formal to sink into, and I wish there had been more showing than telling as far as the narrative went. I found myself wanting to get to the dialogue and skimming through the lengthy descriptive bits. The big reveal felt too soon to keep the stakes high, and in turn the last 40% or so of the book lacked urgency. I think this could be great for some readers—it really does have such potential, especially if you prefer a more heightened writing style—but I don’t think it was for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & Emma Orchard for providing me with this advanced copy!

3.75⭐️
historical romcom girlies — this is for us. 💝
i can’t say that this book amazed me, but it was such an enjoyable read.

• we have the main male character, Dominic who is 29 and is persuaded by his mom to marry this woman — Maria which his father basically chose for him. and he’s like “ok, why not?”. however, right before the engagement celebration his fiancée tells him she’s actually not Maria but her twin sister Margaret. Maria has disappeared and Meg need’s Dominic’s help to find her.

as i said, this story won’t blow your mind. but it might warm your heart.
the writing style hooked me in, because the language that the author uses is very reminiscent of Austen’s (which is obvious with the beginning). it allows you to fully emerge into 1817’s London.
💝 the characters are quite fun. i love how Dominic is basically goes with everything Meg wants to do. him and Meg are so “hyper gf and calm bf”coded.

the tension building in the first half of the book was so good. it was lost a bit later, but instead we got sweet moments from our main couple. the “mystery” part of the plot was just fine, it wasn’t shocking but it played nice into the story as a whole.

⭐️ overall, it’s a great book to warm your heart and get some comfort

Lots of telling and introspection and I struggled with the beginning. As it was, I skimmed until I got to the point where Dominic learned who he was really engaged to. And then I kept skimming.

I was disconnected from the characters because I was told so much about what they were doing and didn’t know what they felt. I don’t need the deepest pov but this was all dry narration. It felt long.

The Bridgerton comparisons in the description does this book a disservice. Readers will be disappointed if they expect the books or the show. It’s more Heyer-like with its emotional distance and didn’t have the deeper pov more popular in modern historical romance. The plot points are here for a fun romantic romp, but it fell flat for me.

When I read the synopsis for this book, I was intrigued: one sister swapping places with the other? It felt very ‘parent trap.’ Add to that a thriller/mystery of not knowing what happened to the other sister and I was sold.

The book begins grabbing my attention. Maria is running off into the night, the reader is wondering who is this fugitive what is she planning? Why is she running?

Then we are introduced to Dominic De Lacy, a well known bachelor who at the age of 29 remains unwed. It was a wish of his late father that Dominic wed the eldest Nightingale daughter. After meeting her in person at a ball and finding her suitable enough, they are engaged. But his betrothed disappears and in pops Meg, his betrothed’s twin sister who is masquerading as her sister Maria to avoid scandal.

Dominic as a character just felt very stiff, and at times gave me the ick. He was one dimensional and there was seemingly nothing to his character other than him being nice!? I think I prefer rakes. Especially because I didn’t find him the least bit interesting until he started flirting with Meg. Everything else that comes out of his mouth went in one ear and out the other. Very often he feels like two separate characters, particularly after meeting Meg, but maybe thats by design?

Dominic wasn’t the only thing that felt disconnected, the writing itself did as well. There were times where it felt like this book had two different authors. Particularly in the beginning when the writing was overly pompous and sentences too verbose. The language was too stuffy and formal for my tastes. Don’t get me wrong, I ADORE a period piece, but the way this was written felt like it was trying too hard to read as a dated regency era romance.

Again, not my style but if it’s yours it may be worth giving it a try. I will credit the author this: she describes the female anatomy in quite a unique way. I mean referring to a clitoris as “a swollen pearl of venus…” That’s new.

The plot just fell short for me and felt overly predictable. Marias reveal ended up being anticlimactic, and the antagonist was also one dimensional and cliche.

For some context on the sisters, they were raised seperately by either parent, Maria with their stuffy father and Meg with her mother who is an author and does not enjoy london society. This is why ‘meg’ is so unique, because she’s strong willed like her mother. To me, that was a lame background. There’s no depth and Meg comes across as a pick me girl.

I hate being brutal, but if this wasn’t an ARC I would have DNF’d by page 30.

The most disappointing thing is that the bare bones are here. The wiley heroine: check, the mystery of searching for a twin sister: check, the growing frustration of a gentleman: also check. But the writing is just so not my tastes and in my opinion, utterly predictable.

Tropes:

Xarranged marraige

Xfake dating

Xforced proximity

Xregency romance

Xage gap

Xlgbtq+ rep

The perfect book for between heavy reads. A more modern historical romance with a little mystery to it to be solved. I quite enjoyed and hope to read more from this author!

Okay this was a really cute read - admittedly the first half of the book fell a bit flat for me, but after that point it picked up, and picked up quickly! Similar to Bridgerton in the sense that it is a historical romance, very different, but still so cute! You definitely root for the two leads, however there wasn't much of a build-up with them. I saw other reviews say there was spice, though I found there hardly was UP until the end which made no difference to me then.
It was a cute read that I'd recommend if you want to continue a historical romance train.

2.5⭐️
This one didn't work for me. It was cute and fun but unfortunately fell kind of flat. And yes this is similar to Bridgerton in that they are both historical romances- and that is all.

Dominic De Lacy is told by his mother that his father made a verbal agreement before he died, for Dominic to marry Lady Marie Nightingale. He has never met her, but agrees to do his mother's bidding and becomes engaged after meeting the young woman twice. He barely knows her and has zero attraction to her, but figures it will be a marriage of convenience like so many of the Ton. Then he shows up to his engagement party and *gasp* is so attracted to her! Instantly thinks she's beautiful and is daydreaming about kissing her. Then he finds out that Marie is secretly Margaret, her identical twin sister. Marie has disappeared and Margaret is covering for her, but needs Dominic's help to locate her.

Like...come on. He meets her IDENTICAL twin sister and is attracted to her all of a sudden? And the whole plot of Dominic being the only person who can help Margaret find Marie... he has literally met her twice and doesn't know a single thing about either of them or their family. When he starts to ask Margaret questions she's basically like "these questions are irrelevant. It doesn't matter. You have to help me find Marie!" Like how is this man supposed to find her with no context?! It just doesn't make sense. Surely a discreet lady's maid would be more helpful

I also found the writing style tough to get through. Sometimes a single conversation would take pages to get through, it was so full of exposition.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick and spicy read! I love historical romances and this fit the bill. I enjoyed the characters even tho I feel like the main issues could’ve been resolved easier.

ᯓ★ˎˊ˗ net galley review
Thank you so much to Boldwood Books for providing me with the ARC of this book.

I went into this book thinking it would be similar to Bridgerton and hold me over until the next season. However, the only thing they had in common was the romance, which was great, and the regency aspect. Honestly, regency is always going to do it for me, no matter what, so I am very biased. I will say that at times the book was slow but it does pick up and could just be my short attention span. This book was really funny and I found myself giggling often. I loved the main girl Margaret she was too smart for her own good. I think if you are looking for a fun, short, and sweet time then this is absolutely the book for you!

Enjoyable read without the needed charme to make it memorable - the resolution seemed incredibly easy (why this family had to suffer so long eludes me), and one of the sisters (look out for the twist!) is be the worst person alive.

I devoured this one in a day, so suffice it to say that it's an enjoyable read. The spice is well-dispensed and doesn't overtake (or become) the entire plot.

This was such a fun read! I devoured it in one sitting! Maria is probably one of my favorite FMC I’ve read set in a historical fiction novel and Dominic is definitely added to my top book boyfriend list!

I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to Bridgerton, but the only thing I feel is similar is the regency setting. A Gentleman’s Offer is hysterical and had me actually laughing out loud.

This book was such a cute, modern twist on a period set in Austen times. I was simply enthralled by the characters and thought the plot was really well done.

⭐️ Dom and Meg’s first kiss
⭐️ Primrose and Maria being in love (called it)
⭐️ the banter

Although quite predictable, overall the story stands as a cute rom com with fun spice

A Gentleman's Offer was not one my favorite picks by Emma Orchard. It seemed to go on and on and circle back to more information/ words that where not pertinent to the plot. I did finish the title, although, I am contemplating returning to the author for future reads.

It's nothing like Bridgerton, despite the comparisons—but in the best way possible. This story has its own unique charm, blending unexpected twists, sharp turns, and the most delightful banter. The heroine is a refreshingly liberal woman, unafraid to speak her mind and challenge societal norms, while the hero is utterly charming and sweet, making their dynamic both engaging and irresistible. Their chemistry crackles on the page, and the steamy scenes strike the perfect balance—sensual without overpowering the story. I was completely hooked and devoured it in just two days. Emma Orchard has definitely earned a spot on my must-read list!

To recommend this as similar to Bridgerton would be a discredit to the former. The Gentleman’s Offer is much more fun! Tension. Yearning. Forbidden love. Drama. Blackmail. This is a slower paced book which I’m not very used to, filled with haughty vocabulary and lots of character introspection. The writing style fits the regency era and manner of speaking perfectly.

At times it did feel repetitive and that would cause a lull before the story picked up again. The main characters would learn new information and then sometimes entire chapters were spent just for them to explain again what they’d learned to a new character.

Overall, I’d recommend if you’re a fan of funny, ambling plots full of scheming. It’s a sweet romance (plus a little spice) with a male main character who doesn’t shy away from a “love match.” The characters are witty, satirical, and inclusive.