THE REVIEW
Arabella is desperate to restore her family’s name in society after her oldest sister ran away with the stable boy! She has no interest in marriage and has always planned on living as a spinster surrounded by her books. But her younger sister is desperate to be married and have a family, so Arabella has come up with a plan. She decides to make a bargain with the most eligible bachelor in London the Duke of …….!

Silas is enjoying his bachelor status and has no plans to change that! But when Arabella shows up at his door proposing a partnership of sorts, he is intrigued by her and her crazy idea! Arabella and Silas come up with 10 rules for their marriage of convenience, but mostly that he will help restore her family name and find a husband for her sister and Arabella will give him an heir. After they accomplish those goals, she will abscond to the country and he can return to his independence.

But neither one of them planned on enjoying marriage or falling in love! This was such a cute book and I loved the premise. I do not, however, like the miscommunication trope. It grates on my nerves and I just want to strangle the MCs! If I can get past that annoyance, their banter was so so good and funny! Silas is a jokester and tends to make light of himself, but Arabella doesn’t let him and he starts to mature and grow in their relationship. Watching them develop as a couple and as individuals, embracing their marriage and adulthood together was the sweetest thing I’ve read in a long time!

TROPES
Historical Romance, Regency Era, Season/Marriage Mart, Ton Society, Beta/Cinnamon Hero, Titled Hero, Bookworm Heroine, Shy Heroine, Virgin Heroine, Wallflower Heroine, Fake Relationship, Marriage of Convenience/Arranged Marriage, Miscommunication Issues, Secrets & Lies, Five Star, Three Steam ( )

Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean

Are you looking for historical fiction with that is weighty and philosophical? Not this book
Are you looking for a feel-good story that makes you smile? This book
Are you looking for characters and a plot that make you happy? This book
Do you want to dip into what does/doesn’t make a relationship work? This book

Well…that didn’t work…I was trying to make it short and pithy but really, even though this book may be short on pages, it is not short on plot, depth, character development and chemistry…not at all.

So…a bit more about the book…

We learn that Arabella Bromley’s sister selfishly chose to do what was best for herself without giving much thought to how it would impact her younger sisters – she ran off with the groom…and he became HER groom/husband. Wanting to fix things for her family and younger sister, Arabella hatches a plan and then seeks to implement it. She could care less about the Ton but does want her younger sister to have a successful season and make an advantageous love match. She does her due diligence, finds the perfect Duke to further her goals and accosts him (yes…accosts him) to see if she can make her sister’s dreams come true. And from that point…from leaving the carriage and a singularly interesting meet-cute that leads to time with Silas and her friend in his parlor…well…I started chuckling and caring and thinking the couple could have a future…but I also knew they would definitely hit a few bumps in the road, have some stellar times with ascents to spectacular heights and some less fun time wallowing in lows.

And…with that…I will stop her and say…

I loved reading this book
I would gladly read another by this author
This book had me smiling more than once
It was witty and charming
And the characters definitely grew to be a couple I adored.

Would I recommend this story? Yes
Will all agree with my assertion? Probably not…but then…they are not me.
Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review

5 Stars ( )