Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Sophie Irwin for an advanced reader copy of How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days. Pride and Prejudice meets How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days in this lighthearted, romantic adventure. Lord Ashford and Miss Lydia Hanworth had me laughing out loud with their antics as Lydia sank to lower and lower depths in a desperate attempt to escape their engagement. There was a more serious subplot that added some unexpected depth to the story as well. This book was a lot of fun to read, and I would certainly pick up more Irwin books in the future.

I have enjoyed every book by Sophie Irwin but i must admit that How to lose a lord in ten days has become my absolute favourite and the antics of Lydia in her pursuit of getting out of their engagement will have you laughing out loud throughout.

I really enjoyed her brother Pip and how ridiculous he could be, he was suspicious of everyone and was very dedicated to solving mysteries as the story went on.

Lord Ashford was a joy in this story and even though he was insistent that his life was all about duty and not trivial things he did take Lydias efforts of sabotage in his stride. I did feel sorry for him when she was doing her best to humiliate him as he was a genuine good man! There was a scene where she threw her glove in water and made him go in and retrieve it, I'll admit it was a highlight of the story for me!

A really enjoyable read!

I LOVED this. I have read both of Sophie Irwin’s other novels and just adored them, so I was thrilled to read a third.
It’s loosely based on the film How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days which I loved so I was destined to love this.

Really funny, light-hearted, great character development and stories.

This is Sophie Irwin’s third novel and since I loved her first two – A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting and A Lady’s Guide to Scandal – I was looking forward to reading this one, but although I did enjoy it, I think it’s my least favourite of the three. If you’re new to her work, all three of Irwin’s books are set in Regency England and are all standalones with different sets of characters. Apparently this one is loosely based on the romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, which I haven’t seen, although I don’t think that would have made any difference to my impressions of the book.

Our heroine this time is Lydia Hanworth, a wool merchant’s granddaughter, who, as the novel opens, has found herself engaged to a man she doesn’t love. Lydia’s aunt and uncle, with whom she has lived since the deaths of her parents, have made it clear that if she refuses Lord Ashford, she’ll be sent to live with her awful Aunt Mildred – but Lydia has no intention of marrying him, or any other man not of her choosing. The engagement is due to be announced by Ashford’s father at a party in ten days’ time. That means Lydia has ten days to make Ashford regret he ever met her and voluntarily withdraw his proposal!

Like Sophie Irwin’s other books, this is a lively, entertaining read written with a lot of humour and comedy. Most of the story plays out at a house party hosted by Ashford’s cousin Phoebe, which means there are a limited number of characters to get to know. Despite this, not all of them came fully to life for me and a subplot that develops later in the book involving Phoebe, her husband and a missing necklace felt unnecessary. It does provide some purpose for Lydia’s brother, Pip, though – he has just begun working for the Bow Street Runners and has arrived at the house party with his notebook and quizzing glass, hoping for a real mystery to solve.

Some of Lydia’s attempts to drive Ashford away are quite amusing and could be described as harmless fun (her hideous, unfashionable gowns; her loud, grating laugh; her tone-deaf attempts at singing) but others seem a bit cruel. Despite Lydia’s dislike of him, which is largely based on misunderstandings, Ashford is a decent person and doesn’t really deserve to be humiliated by her! I also couldn’t quite believe that the other guests would have overlooked her behaviour and background so easily and accepted her as one of the party. She broke so many of the rules of upper-class Regency society her reputation should have been in ruins, but it seemed that while people were momentarily shocked by her actions, it was all forgotten the next day.

Still, this is another enjoyable read from Sophie Irwin and I’m sure if I hadn’t held it to such high standards based on her first two books, I would probably be less critical of it. If you’re looking for a light, fun summer read this would be ideal.

4.5⭐️

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is one of my favourite romcoms so you know when I saw there was a regency era version coming out that I had to read it.

I loved loved LOVED this book. I found myself wanting to go straight back to reading whenever I had to stop. It was cute and fun and the tension had me kicking my feet and giggling.

Madcap fun, this has a ludicrous premise but is such a fun read. Lydia behaves so dreadfully to put Ashford off her, I couldn’t imagine for the life of me how the author would kindle a romance between them.
This story had me grinning from ear to ear at times. A silly but likeable romp. Leave your disbelief behind and enjoy.

This book was a good story but just felt very long winded in places which made it a hard book to keep engaged with.

A thoroughly enjoyable romp through the marriage market of Regency London. What can a young woman, disinclined to marry, do in the face of a marriage proposal from a very eligible bachelor who seems disinclined himself. She is threatened with something worse, an extradition to a country relative, so she must take things in hand herself. She has ten days to turn things around, and she certainly does that, to wonderfully hilarious results. It is very charming, and had me hooked from the start, very well written and with a wonderful list of characters. It should be televised.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc!

When Lydia Hanworth, an heiress, unexpectedly finds herself engaged to a future duke the only course of action can be to make herself so unmarriagable that he has to break the engagement. But what if she realises that’s not what she really wants?

I love a good ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” trope book so I knew I was in for a treat with this one and it definitely delivered. Amazing plot and the dialogue was just so engaging.

I loved this story, hugely amusing. I often found myself laughing out loud whilst reading it. This is a perfect book if you love the Bridgerton era but are wanting something light-hearted and funny. The relationship that develops between Lydia and her Lord is brilliant and you can exactly imagine them trying to best one another. Would recommend.

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

The Marquess of Ashford, one of the highest-ranking peers in England, wishes to marry Miss Lydia Hanworth. She doesn’t want him but is forced to accept his proposal.

His father, the Duke of Ashford, wishes to keep the engagement secret for ten days and publicly announce it during Lady Phoebe’s esteemed masquerade ball.

When Lydia and her brother, Pip, are invited to Lady Phoebe’s house for the days leading up to the ball, Lydia has a cunning plan. She will make herself as disagreeable, rude, and eccentric a creature as she potentially can.

She has ten days to be jilted by Ashford. After all, what can go wrong?

I love Sophie Irwin’s books, and this one didn’t disappoint. I was laughing so hard at Lydia’s capers, and trust me, she had many tricks up her sleeve.

I really liked Ashford as a character; he reminded me a little bit of Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. However, there were layers in Ashford and barricades that he put up to protect himself.

Another person I liked was Lady Phoebe – I immediately knew that something was wrong in her marriage, and I admired her strength towards the end.

Be prepared for some hilarious moments, but also sad ones. This book has it all!

Thank you to HarperCollins for approving my NetGalley request.

This was an easy to read historical romance, a genre that I wouldn't normally pick up. Felt it has a slightly dark side to it too! I would be interested in reading further books concentrating on some of the other characters.

This was a nice and amusing enemies-to-lovers story where the lead characters clearly had strong chemistry.

It was a little slow to start, but it really picked up in the second half, thanks in part to a crime-focused subplot that seemingly came out of nowhere but proved to be a welcome addition.

The pranks that both characters played on each other ranged from clever and witty to downright farcical, and that sojourn into the silly pulled me out of the plot more than I would have liked.

It was easy enough to read, and a good deal of fun, but I don't think it'll stay with me for long.

‘How To Lose A Lord In Ten Days’ is an entertaining regency rom-com with a twist… it BEGINS with wealthy (and quite handsome) Lord Ashcroft proposing to Miss Lydia Hanworth. Lydia is a somewhat unconventional choice for such an eligible bachelor, who had well-regarded ladies - and their mothers - chasing him all season, but he is insistent that she is the one for him and her family are delighted!

Happy ever after in chapter one? Not quite… Lydia has zero interest in a loveless marriage but can’t say no to his offer, so decides she must make him jilt her before their engagement ball.

This book felt thoroughly modern and immersively rooted in Regency England - I loved the country house setting of most of the novel and the important side plots. The main couple’s banter was hilarious, and I really enjoyed how the dynamic between them evolved throughout the tale as Ashcroft realised the true position he had put Lydia in, and she gained awareness that the life of a Lord isn’t all sunshine and riches.

Overall, this gets 3.5 stars from me. Th story took a little while to get going in my opinion, but at its best it reminded me of a cross between Bridgerton and Sarah Hogle’s amazing ‘You Deserve Each Other’ (which is one of my total faves!)

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Harper Collins UK via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A really fun and playful read that had me hooked! I completely fell into this story and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it. I couldn't get enough of the dynamic between Ashford and Lydia, with their fierce competition and all of Lydia's cunning to boot. Her brother, Pip, added a good dose of humour - a quirky and lovely older brother with a passion for investigation, those nobles didn't know what they were in for! Pair that with Lydia's outrageous attempts to deter Ashford without ever having to end the engagement herself, and his desperate attempts to reconcile the woman he first met with this menace. Ashford and Lydia bounced off each other well, and I loved that we got both of their points of view in this story. It was certainly a slow burn but it was fantastic. Lydia is absolutely formidable (the ending! I was a little bit in love with her at the fountain scene) and I greatly admired her cleverness and how shameless she was in her efforts. to ditch her future husband. There are some fantastic side characters alongside Pip, and Lady Morton and Lady Hesse's battle was also fun to see play out. There's a side plot of mystery as well, a love triangle or two, and a forbidden romance so this book really delivers. Plus, it's based on one of my favourite films and it's really made me want to do a rewatch. I'll be picking up Sophie Irwin's other books pronto as I really enjoyed this one!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

This was a fun, fast-paced regency romp with just the right amount of scandal and slow-burn tension. Lydia is smart, independent, and definitely not looking to marry Lord Ashford, whom she barely knows and certainly doesn't love. But when circumstances push them into a secret engagement, sparks fly and the countdown begins. Ten days might not seem like much, but between secret schemes and help from her brother, a lot can happen. Perfect for fans of clever heroines, reluctant romance, and a dash of period drama chaos.

I forget how many times I have watched the movie How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, but I haven’t forgotten how fun it was to watch Matthew McCounaghey and Kate Hudson play pranks on each other and fall in love. If you are looking for something like that, something with humour and romance, but set in the Regency era, then How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days is perfect for you.

We have two protagonists. Miss Lydia Hanworth, an heiress with no interest in a marriage of convenience who just wants to be left alone with her books. And Lord Ashford, eligible, but in need of money to run his father’s estate and, for this reason, he needs to marry a rich woman and Miss Lydia, with perfect manners and a substantial dowry, meets his requirements. After a quick marriage proposal that is everything but romantic, Lydia has no choice but to accept it, but she has every intention to make him regret it. A house party in the countryside is the perfect setting for Lydia to lead Lord Ashford to call off the engagement. Armed with colourful and ridiculous dresses (there is a large number of feathers), bad manners, and a twin brother set to make use of his detective skills, Lydia is ready to do anything to reach her goal, but she doesn’t expect to meet her match in Lord Ashford.

Hilarious, cheerful, immersive, romantic, and full of surprises, it’s a good thing that I started reading it during the weekend, because I couldn’t put it down. I am a fan of Sophie Irwin. I love her writing and I have enjoyed all her novels, but How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days may be my favourite so far!

Lydia Hanworth is pushed into accepting a proposal of marriage from Lord Ashford, this is to be kept secret for ten days until it is officially announced. When invited to a weeks gathering with Lord Ashford she decides to make it so that he breaks off the engagement, rather than suffer from the damage to her social standing if she breaks it off.
I was cringing at what Lydia was doing to try to dissuade him from going through with the engagement, which was the the idea. At the same time Ashford's manner was so cold and clinical that it was difficult to feel any sympathy for him. As the story continues you begin to understand both their reasons for their actions, with the added mystery of a theft to investigate. It gives an insight into the times and the expectations that the aristocracy have to live up to to counter the advantage that they have. A fun but thoughtful story that I did really enjoy.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

When Lord Ashford turns up at Lydia Hanworth's family home, he naturally assumes she will want to marry him. I mean why wouldn't she, he's soon to be a Duke and her family were wool merchants just 2 generations ago? Unfortunately for Lydia she becomes too stunned to answer Ashford's proposal coherently and it gets taken as a yes! Now she risks becoming a social pariah if she rejects him, and that's without considering where her aunt and uncle will send her to live. Lydia and her brother Pip get invited to a country house party with all the leading members of the ton, and when it ends in 10 days, Ashford's father is to announce their engagement, giving her 10 days to force him to jilt her.

This is a fun regency romance full of the usual wit and humour of Sophie Irwin's previous books. The shenanigans get sillier the longer the characters are together, and eventually he starts to cotton on, so both of them are at it. But the characters also have depth, with both of the leads having lost parents alongside all the other societal struggles around arranged marriages, sexuality and abusive partners. Don't get me wrong, it's still light and fun but there's decent subplots, including a crime for Pip to investigate, surrounding the mayhem!

When Ashford, heir to a dukedom, offers for Lydia, her guardians are ecstatic. Ashford wants to keep the engagement secret for ten days to allow his father the pleasure of announcing it, and this plays into Lydia's hands because she has no desire to become a duchess. What follows is an ill-fated house party where Lydia acts in an increasingly bizarre fashion to get out of the engagement without loss of reputation. The story highlights deeper issues amidst the banter and romantic gestures. There is an authentic cast of characters and two likeable protagonists, whom the reader invests in. I like the witty dialogue, the romance and the humour of this engaging Regency read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.