A tall, well-dressed woman fleeing in the darkest night goes unremarked; the shabby carriage arrives, the heavily cloaked figure enters and a comforting voice reassures the runaway that all will be well.
Sir Dominic De Lacy was a man in need of marrying or so his mother kept telling him. He did not think so, but as she kept assuring him, his father and the reclusive Lord Nightingale had struck a bargain several years before his untimely death, he eventually gave into filial pressure, agreeing to offer for the hand of Miss Maria Nightingale.
She was considered a rare beauty, wealthy and personable, except he felt she was a marble statue, going through the motions, but offer he did and she accepted. The die was cast until the evening of their engagement party; an evening Beau de Lacy was not soon to forget as it turned what until this point in his life, was a very orderly and straight forward existence, into something entirely different.
So begins a madcap regency romp A Gentleman’s Offer, which sees the very conservative Sir Dominic De Lacy plunged headlong into an event that could result in the largest scandal of the Season, with a woman, his betrothed, who is not the woman to whom he became betrothed!
Hatred, manipulation, theft and skullduggery are all uncovered along with outright ruthlessness, as Dominic and his fiancé Margaret ‘Meg’, the twin sister of the woman he thought he was engaged to, find themselves embroiled in a terrible and what could be deadly scheme to cover-up outright theft.
Emma Orchard has created a wonderfully enjoyable regency romance with A Gentleman’s Offer, in the style of her beloved Georgette Heyer with a very modern twist, which will appeal to lovers of a very good regency romp. Great reading for a weekend of pure indulgence.

When Miss Margaret “Meg” Nightingale, the estranged daughter of Baron Nightingale, receives notice from her aunt that her recently betrothed identical twin sister, Maria, has gone missing, she agrees to come to London to take her place until she is found. But Meg is not one to stand idly by and let someone else take charge, she makes it her mission to find Maria. She informs her sister’s betrothed, Sir Dominic De Lacy of the situation and demands that he assist her in finding her sister. She is attracted to Dominic and he to her, but until they find Maria and learn why she bolted, they won’t be able to act on that attraction. When they found Maria and learned why she left should make it easier for them to be together, but finding Maria only makes it harder.

Sir Dominic De Lacy, known to the ton as Beau De Lacy due to his manners and personality, has been a happy-go-lucky bachelor, but when his mother tells him of a promise his late father made to Baron Nightingale, he agrees to marry Maria Nightingale, and after just two supervised meetings, he proposes, and she accepts. He is not really attracted to her, but since he never expected to marry for love, he accepts that this will be a typical arranged marriage and only hopes they will get on better than his own parents did. However, when he sees his betrothed at their engagement ball, he is stunned at his reaction to her and a bit relieved when he learns the truth. He agrees to help Meg find her sister but makes it clear that he won’t be marrying Maria. The more time he spends with Meg, the more he knows that she is the woman he never expected to find and the only Nightingale he will marry.

The blurb for this book, hooked me hard and reeled me in, but sadly, it failed to deliver the story I was expecting. The story has a lot going on including a twin swap, estranged families, secrets, lies, blackmail, slow-burn romance, and finally a HEA for almost everyone. I wanted to love the book, but I found Meg annoying and Dominic a bit too beta for my taste, add to that the ridiculous plot and the very wordy dialogue that caused the story to drag, and unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Another easy 5⭐️!

This was my first book by Emma Orchard, and it certainly won’t be my last!

Quick overview: Set in early 19th-century London, a noble gentleman gets engaged to a charming blonde young miss—only to discover she’s actually her identical twin. With the real bride missing and a scandal brewing, the two team up to find her, but sparks fly along the way.

This book was right up my alley, and I enjoyed every bit of it!

The characters were a joy—diverse, witty, and full of charm. I loved the little grumpy vs. sunshine dynamic between the leads. The writing was lyrical and beautiful, and the pacing kept me engaged from start to finish.

What I love about this genre in general is the atmosphere, and this book absolutely nailed it. The first half sets the perfect tone, then the second half is packed with action and drama! I was giggling and completely hooked from start to finish.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much action and twists filled the second half. Typically, based on my experience with this genre, these books are mostly focused on vibes and character development, but here we get a perfect mix of everything.

As a hopeless romantic, I adored every moment of the romance—it was full of tension in the best way possible, rich, immersive, and just wonderful.

If you love historical romance that perfectly blends atmosphere, action, and humor, A Gentleman’s Offer is a must-read. Highly recommend! 🩷🌸

(The release date is 03/22)

‘When had daydreams ever been logical?’

When Dominic De Lacy learns of his late fathers wish to marry Maria Nightingale, he proposes without question, despite barely knowing her. After all, she seems nice enough, and he knows that just because the marriage isn’t born out of love, doesn’t mean they can’t come to love each other. Which is why he is most surprised when in the middle of the engagement celebrations, he learns that Maria has disappeared and her identical twin sister Meg has taken her place. Together they must work to find out where Maria has gone, and why she would disappear without a word to anyone. With 3 weeks until the wedding, they must race against time to avoid a scandal that no one can escape the fallout from.

I was interested in reading this book,as it was suggested to be the fix to missing Bridgerton, however the only similarity was that they were historical romances, which to me isn't a bad thing. However I found myself never really connecting with the characters. I liked the romance between Meg and Dominic, but I just felt like it was a little bit quick in their feelings being shown, and I never really found myself rooting for them as characters.

The storyline itself to me just fell a little flat. I think Meg said it best herself that the ending felt a little anticlimactic. I was enjoying the mystery and was expecting some sort of massive fallout, or some sort of ploy to out their father as all through the book, he is described almost as some kind of monster, however they defeat him very easily, with no sense of backlash. It seemed really at odds with what we learned of him, and made the ending just not really feel like a big payoff. The big entrance, which I won't spoil, felt like I was supposed to be shocked at, but honestly it just didn’t hold that kind of weight.

It had a good plot, I enjoyed the mystery aspect, and it was something that I did want to find out, but it wasn’t shocking with any big twists. I like a mystery in a book, and trying to figure out what happens. This definitely feels more like a cosy mystery really. It doesn’t feel as though there are high stakes, and whilst most of the characters would disagree, that was something that I didn’t mind. I thought it would be a little high drama, but the story made sense, and I liked that the reveals that we got didn't seem like they were coming out of left field. There were enough cliffhangers that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened, but not to the point where I was questioning why there were so many. I also liked the pacing of the book as well, nothing felt like it was dragged out too long, and aside from the romance for me, nothing was really rushed, which can happen a lot so it was a pleasant surprise. Each action felt like it was something the character would actually do, and whilst it was a little predictable in places, it was still a good read.

I do wish the ending had been a little more fleshed out. The whole book builds up to this sense of these 2 people doing anything they can to unravel the mystery purely for them to be together in a way that doesn’t hurt those around them, and then it skips to 10 weeks later. I’ve said it before that I’m not a big fan of time jumps, and this one just made me feel a little cheated out of an ending, in a way. I would have preferred seeing them actually having a wedding, and whether their plan actually worked, rather than having a small conversation about it 10 weeks later.

It was a good read, and one that I enjoyed.

Loved the premise of mistaken identity and swapped twins - an engagement where the girl disappears and her twin takes her place, then has to work with the very confused fiancé to find out where her sister has gone. It had shades of Twelfth Night for me (and I enjoyed the way Emma played with some quotes from the play). Definite chemistry between Dominic and Meg; a good slow build of their partnership; very much enjoyed the Tim-nice-but-Dim brother; and nice to see some diversity in there. A quick read. Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood and the author for the ARC.

I absolutely loved everything about this book. It was a very great storyline and easy to follow. Very hard to put down once I started. Can’t wait to read more from this Author!

DNF'd after chapter 5. I was very excited about this book given how much potential the storyline had, but honestly, I couldn't get into the writing and very little captivated me.

this is my 2nd emma orchard book and this one is definitely better than the previous one but i felt it was a bit too plot heavy and i didnt get a feel for the characters as much as i would have liked. i think if half the plot twists were removed and a bit more time spent on character building this would have been perfect

I previously read another ARC by Emma Orchard and thoroughly enjoyed it, which is why i was excited have the opportunity to read this through NetGalley.
The initial act and conflict is fun and interesting. Following the hero and heroine around London while they try to unravel the mystery of the missing fiancée/sister is really enjoyable. Unfortunately, the plot includes lots of extraneous twists and turns which extend the story unnecessarily and leave the book dragging. The villain almost never appears, and the final climactic scene doesn’t have much conflict or tension at all.
I would happily read another book by this author similar to the first one I read, but this is not one I would necessarily recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, the book was okay. I think the biggest problem is that the summary of the book listed here on Goodreads and other locations only actually tells you about half the book. Going into this book, I was under the impression that Margaret and Dominic would be spending the entire book trying to find her sister and we’d get a really good slow burn along the way.

Instead, it’s lust at almost first sight and they find the sister around the halfway mark! The rest of the book is then spent trying to figure out how to allow Margaret and Dominic to marry so that Maria can be with her girlfriend all the while trying to get the girls’ father to stop blackmailing Dominic’s mother. Honestly, it didn’t make for a bad read but it did make me wish my first impression had been the actual plot.

You can definitely see how the author was influenced by Georgette Heyer in her writings (a comparison I made before even knowing that the author was a huge fan) but this particular story just fell flat for me. While it wasn’t badly written, I feel like the romance was rushed too quickly, which then made the rest of the plot begin to drag.

I really enjoy Emma Orchard's historical romance novels and believe she is one of the authors who pays the most attention to detail and historical accuracy. That being said, I think this was probably the weakest of her books. Plot-wise, it wasn’t impressive—some of the revelations and characters' actions were hard to believe, even within the realm of the genre. The ending felt quite abrupt, and we didn’t get to see the crucial plot elements wrapped up. Speaking of characters, the development of relationships between them fell flat. I wasn’t fully convinced by how quickly the characters fell in love—it was more tell than show in terms of their emotional journey. Still, it was a fast-paced read, and the author, as always, did a good job with the language, historical credibility, and setting. Not a bad book, but I expected more from this author.

This book was an enjoyable read with an engaging premise—an arranged engagement turned upside down by mistaken identity and a race against time. The chemistry between Sir Dominic and Margaret was well-developed, and I appreciated the slow build of their partnership as they worked together to find Maria. The Regency setting was well done, and the stakes felt real as the story unfolded.

That said, while I liked the book, it wasn’t my favorite. Some plot points felt predictable, and I wished for a bit more depth in character development, especially for Dominic. Still, it was a solid, entertaining read for fans of historical romance, and I’d recommend it to those who enjoy a mix of mystery and slow-burn romance.

Had this not been an ARC I would have given up at chapter 5. The character development was none existent and the character we were, I assume, supposed to care about (as everyone was trying to find her) we knew little about and what we did was negative. The book is so laborious that the truly delightful parts get utterly lost.

The use of 19th century language feels like a GCSE coursework piece, as it is often used in the wrong context or is just historically wrong. Given this book is likely to appeal to avid readers of this period (and history buffs) it is very jarring and doesn’t help with the desire to abandon the book.

However, the last quarter of the book is enjoyable and left me wanting to read the next in the series - quite a turn around!

I am grateful to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in return for this honest review.

This definitely gave me major bridgerton vibes and I absolutely LOVED it ! Thank you so so much again to Netgallery for giving me the opportunity to read and review :)

This book had so much potential, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to expectations. The concept of a twin swap and mistaken identity sounded intriguing, but the execution fell flat. From the start, I was excited about the premise, but as I kept reading, I found myself more and more frustrated with the characters and plot.

Dominic De Lacy was stiff and one-dimensional. At times, he even gave me the "ick." His sudden attraction to Margaret, after barely knowing either sister, felt forced and lacked any real chemistry. The supposed tension and slow burn just weren't there, and what could’ve been an engaging romance turned out to be a series of bland conversations and predictable plot twists. It didn’t help that the writing felt disjointed, especially in the beginning, when the language was overly formal and felt like it was trying too hard to be a classic regency piece.

The twin swap aspect was the only thing that kept me somewhat interested, but even that fell short. Margaret and Marie's motivations were confusing, and the mystery of Marie’s disappearance was anticlimactic. The story was more talk than action, and the romance didn’t build in a way that felt earned. The smut, when it arrived, seemed out of place and only highlighted how little emotional connection had been established beforehand.

The background of the characters felt flimsy, especially with Margaret’s "unique" upbringing, which seemed like a weak excuse to make her different. Overall, it was a missed opportunity, and while this book might work for some, it was a letdown for me. That's why I'm giving it 1 ⭐.

This was lovely. It was a really great premise and completely believable (in context!). I liked both main charcters. Worked really well.

cute, fun, regency romp! the mystery element was interesting and although not the main plot of the book, helped move events along. about halfway through, however, there seems to be a point in which everything is solved, and while further complexities are unveiled within the latter half of the book, it dragged on a bit for me. all in all though, it's a quick read with a variety of entertaining moments, and worth giving a read.

I enjoyed this book so much! I loved the Bridgerton vibes from the beginning. An overbearing mother, a forced engagement, and some twists along the way! I thought it was so fun and charming.

DNF@ chapter 9

The synopsis sounded good but the book was a disappointment. The dialogue was boring and so was Dominic. He was nice but didn't have a personality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

When I read the synopsis for this book It peaked my interest based on sister swapping places and bit of mystery just three weeks before maria and Dominic are set to be married.

If you are a fan of LGB representation, arranged marriage, regency romance, mistaken identity this could be the book for you.

In just over a weeks time Margaret and Dominic realize they are attracted to each other. These moments had me looking forward to a budding romance building while they look for maria. I struggled with the internal dialogue as it changed the vibe of the story as well as being completely unprepared for unnecessary open door scenes that came out of left field and felt out of place.

I felt this story has a lot of potential It's not a good fit for me