What do you think?
Rate this book
Dancing with an Enigmatic Duke
When Emmeline was summoned to London by her brother, the Earl of Pentworth, she never expected that she would have to fight for her right to choose her own match. She quickly realizes that he is willing to sell her off to the first man who offers. She knows she has to act fast! The answer to her problems comes when she makes an elaborate plan with her brother’s closest friend to pretend to be courting. Having the future Duke interested in her will certainly make her more attractive to other potential suitors. What happens though when this unexpected friendship blossoms into something greater, possibly a match made in heaven?
Lord Nash Torrington is beset by matches that his mother insists are splendid, but all he really wants is to focus on his business endeavors. However, it is obvious that his mother will not be satisfied until Nash is properly married off whether he likes it or not. When his best friend’s beguiling sister arrives in London, Nash sees a golden opportunity that might just solve both of their problems. Things don’t always go according to plan though and he finds himself surprisingly stricken with Emmeline’s wit and unique beauty. Will he be courageous enough to declare his true feelings?
Waltzing across ballroom after ballroom together, Emmeline and Nash will quickly find it hard to believe their courtship is a scheme. Will they be able to make their dreams come true and marry for love?
326 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 4, 2019
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
May 14, 2019
Slow, insipid and full of inane dialogue. Possibly poor editing or rush to print.
July 24, 2019
This was my first book by Abigail Agar and although I liked the premise I did not enjoy the way it was executed very much. I'm kind of confused by all of these glowing reviews, as often it felt like the book was disjointed and the author trying way too hard to write in an affected old-timey way...yet also used some modern slang terms like 'okay'.
I really, really wish Ms. Agar would look at a chart for English noble titles. Very rarely is an English peer, peeress, or courtesy peer/ses titled with their last name; they bear the title of their estate, ex. John Smith, Earl of London, is Lord London and not Lord Smith, and his daughter as a courtesy peeress is Lady Mary, not Lady Smith. However, this was how all of the characters were addressed the entire time and it set my teeth on edge. The 'Enigmatic Duke' of the story title should not have been even called a Duke, because his father is still alive!
The names in general did not give a Regency feel...Francesa, an Italian name meaning French, for a Frenchwoman? Jasmine for an English maid in the early 19th century? This is probably the least difficult historical accuracy thing to get at least a little bit right, so the fact that it isn't at all correct is a pretty big mark against this book. Watch Downton Abbey and you'll get a better understanding of titles than this.
The next issue I had was with historical accuracy. This is a Kindle Regency romance. I am not looking for Georgette Hyer's meticulously researched work, nor am I reading a history textbook. I am perfectly fine with characters talking in more accessible language than Jane Austen, though I draw the line at words like 'okay' (which I did see once or twice unfortunately.) When characters inevitably end up unchaperoned or with more freedom than a character ofthat time, it's fine within reason. But there were so many things that were just so egregious it kind of spoils the entire point of a historical romance book, which is to see how romance can develop within the unique world and constraints of the time. Again, I am not exacting. I am just saying that at one point, Nash, the 'Duke' (although not, because Dad is still alive and the Duke), in preparing for a dinner party, goes to his estate's kitchen and persuades the cook to make him a 'lemon dessert', so he can bring it to the dinner party held at another nobleman's home. That might be acceptable for a neighborhood block party, but really? This sticks out in my mind, but there were plenty of other details: a housemaid becoming a ladies' companion, which was generally a position reserved for gentlewomen, and also would not be necessary at the point in the book when it happens because her mistress is about to be married and does not need a ladies companion anymore; descriptions of anachronistic hairstyles, and no mention of the specific ettiqute regarding balls, when there are like four in this book.
But I haven't actually talked about what happens in the book yet. Emmaline, now orphaned, is sent to London and the brother she has barely met, and worries he will marry her off to a random man; Nash, the alleged Duke and a friend of Emmaline's brother, is just trying to run a business but his mother keeps bothering him about getting married. The two agree to be fake-engaged to give Emmaline time to play the field and Nash a rest from his mom's pestering. Meanwhile, Emmaline's ladies maid/companion Francesa is scheming to marry Nash or any other peer who will have her.
Emmaline was...fine. I could tell she was supposed to be fiesty, and of course she did the usual cool!heroine thing of disliking corsets and being fast friends with the servants and wanting to find true love. there wasn't really any flaw that she had that stopped her from doing so, or flaw in general except for the cool!heroine thing of 'not being ladylike enough' but in an intended to be 'endearingly down to earth' way. I didn't dislike her. She was witty in the exact same way most of the characters were, with somewhat wry one-line responses to things other characters said. I think a few times I did find them genuinely funny, but the only one that comes to mind now is when Nash wants to carry her up a flight of stairs and she says, "I am going to die."
Nash was also okay. He was a business man who wanted to focus only on business. A guess it's point in his favor that he didn't rely on dead parents or an otherwise tragic backstory to make him interesting, but...he wasn't interesting. So maybe he should have had them (and then he would really be a Duke, too.) I don't expect my Regency romance heroes and heroines to be fully psychologically developed characters with tics and immersive POVs and justifications for their every waking moment, but...a goal and a motivation would be enough for me. Nash's goal was to make his mom leave him alone so he could focus on business because...he really liked business? And when he realized he liked Emmaline the thing stopping him was...it was awkward to tell her, a bit? The chemistry between Emmaline and Nash was...not awesome. They just seemed like they hung out for several chapters and thought the other was attractive, and then we were told they were in love. I couldn't really form any opinion about any of the characters, to be honest, because the way all the dialogue was written all I could think of was 'these are book characters, now they are doing this. Now they are doing that'.
Francesa was kind of the villain, but I don't know if she can be called that when her 'evil plot' barely even converged with what Emmaline was doing at any given time, and she was not a threat at all at any point. She wanted to marry Nash, but he never seemed even a bit interested, and her attempts to sow discord between him and Emmaline also did not work even slightly at the beginning. Which, like, jealousy/miscommunication subplots aren't my favorite. But we are scraping the bottom of the conflict barrel here.
So I'm rating it two stars. One star is off for how terribly the titles were misused, just, all the way; one off for historical inaccuracy (but 99% for the troubling and confusing lemon dessert part); and one off for the fact that I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters or think of them as anything other than stiff, lifeless cardboard entities.
I want to end this review on a positive note, so I did like that it was clean, and there was the occasional witty line that actually struck me as okay. Other than that, though, I was not impressed. I think historical romance authors need to try a lot harder if they want to get readers—though from the looks of things, they aren't going to because they don't have to, because people seem to react favorably to this kind of writing. I want to read more from this author and see how her other books hold up. But I also wanted to make my opinion known because...I did not think this is a good addition to the Regency romance genre. I hope Ms. Agar keeps writing, maybe watches a few period dramas, and improves her understanding of the history as well as writing in general.
I really, really wish Ms. Agar would look at a chart for English noble titles. Very rarely is an English peer, peeress, or courtesy peer/ses titled with their last name; they bear the title of their estate, ex. John Smith, Earl of London, is Lord London and not Lord Smith, and his daughter as a courtesy peeress is Lady Mary, not Lady Smith. However, this was how all of the characters were addressed the entire time and it set my teeth on edge. The 'Enigmatic Duke' of the story title should not have been even called a Duke, because his father is still alive!
The names in general did not give a Regency feel...Francesa, an Italian name meaning French, for a Frenchwoman? Jasmine for an English maid in the early 19th century? This is probably the least difficult historical accuracy thing to get at least a little bit right, so the fact that it isn't at all correct is a pretty big mark against this book. Watch Downton Abbey and you'll get a better understanding of titles than this.
The next issue I had was with historical accuracy. This is a Kindle Regency romance. I am not looking for Georgette Hyer's meticulously researched work, nor am I reading a history textbook. I am perfectly fine with characters talking in more accessible language than Jane Austen, though I draw the line at words like 'okay' (which I did see once or twice unfortunately.) When characters inevitably end up unchaperoned or with more freedom than a character ofthat time, it's fine within reason. But there were so many things that were just so egregious it kind of spoils the entire point of a historical romance book, which is to see how romance can develop within the unique world and constraints of the time. Again, I am not exacting. I am just saying that at one point, Nash, the 'Duke' (although not, because Dad is still alive and the Duke), in preparing for a dinner party, goes to his estate's kitchen and persuades the cook to make him a 'lemon dessert', so he can bring it to the dinner party held at another nobleman's home. That might be acceptable for a neighborhood block party, but really? This sticks out in my mind, but there were plenty of other details: a housemaid becoming a ladies' companion, which was generally a position reserved for gentlewomen, and also would not be necessary at the point in the book when it happens because her mistress is about to be married and does not need a ladies companion anymore; descriptions of anachronistic hairstyles, and no mention of the specific ettiqute regarding balls, when there are like four in this book.
But I haven't actually talked about what happens in the book yet. Emmaline, now orphaned, is sent to London and the brother she has barely met, and worries he will marry her off to a random man; Nash, the alleged Duke and a friend of Emmaline's brother, is just trying to run a business but his mother keeps bothering him about getting married. The two agree to be fake-engaged to give Emmaline time to play the field and Nash a rest from his mom's pestering. Meanwhile, Emmaline's ladies maid/companion Francesa is scheming to marry Nash or any other peer who will have her.
Emmaline was...fine. I could tell she was supposed to be fiesty, and of course she did the usual cool!heroine thing of disliking corsets and being fast friends with the servants and wanting to find true love. there wasn't really any flaw that she had that stopped her from doing so, or flaw in general except for the cool!heroine thing of 'not being ladylike enough' but in an intended to be 'endearingly down to earth' way. I didn't dislike her. She was witty in the exact same way most of the characters were, with somewhat wry one-line responses to things other characters said. I think a few times I did find them genuinely funny, but the only one that comes to mind now is when Nash wants to carry her up a flight of stairs and she says, "I am going to die."
Nash was also okay. He was a business man who wanted to focus only on business. A guess it's point in his favor that he didn't rely on dead parents or an otherwise tragic backstory to make him interesting, but...he wasn't interesting. So maybe he should have had them (and then he would really be a Duke, too.) I don't expect my Regency romance heroes and heroines to be fully psychologically developed characters with tics and immersive POVs and justifications for their every waking moment, but...a goal and a motivation would be enough for me. Nash's goal was to make his mom leave him alone so he could focus on business because...he really liked business? And when he realized he liked Emmaline the thing stopping him was...it was awkward to tell her, a bit? The chemistry between Emmaline and Nash was...not awesome. They just seemed like they hung out for several chapters and thought the other was attractive, and then we were told they were in love. I couldn't really form any opinion about any of the characters, to be honest, because the way all the dialogue was written all I could think of was 'these are book characters, now they are doing this. Now they are doing that'.
Francesa was kind of the villain, but I don't know if she can be called that when her 'evil plot' barely even converged with what Emmaline was doing at any given time, and she was not a threat at all at any point. She wanted to marry Nash, but he never seemed even a bit interested, and her attempts to sow discord between him and Emmaline also did not work even slightly at the beginning. Which, like, jealousy/miscommunication subplots aren't my favorite. But we are scraping the bottom of the conflict barrel here.
So I'm rating it two stars. One star is off for how terribly the titles were misused, just, all the way; one off for historical inaccuracy (but 99% for the troubling and confusing lemon dessert part); and one off for the fact that I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters or think of them as anything other than stiff, lifeless cardboard entities.
I want to end this review on a positive note, so I did like that it was clean, and there was the occasional witty line that actually struck me as okay. Other than that, though, I was not impressed. I think historical romance authors need to try a lot harder if they want to get readers—though from the looks of things, they aren't going to because they don't have to, because people seem to react favorably to this kind of writing. I want to read more from this author and see how her other books hold up. But I also wanted to make my opinion known because...I did not think this is a good addition to the Regency romance genre. I hope Ms. Agar keeps writing, maybe watches a few period dramas, and improves her understanding of the history as well as writing in general.
April 11, 2019
A very gentle and sweet romance. It started off as a faux betrothal only to grow into a real engagement. Lady Emmeline Callum moves from Scotland to London for a season. Her brother, Harcourt, the Earl of Pentworth, finds it his duty and to his dismay the task of finding a suitable match for Emme. Lord Nash Torrington is a duke and a close friend of Harcourt. Nash's mother is severely pressuring him to find a bride. Emme's brother is determined to marry her off as soon as possible. Nash wants to wait a year or two before settling down and Emme wants time to find her own match. They hatch a plan to keep both of their families satisfied by entering into a faux courtship that is to lead to a faux engagement. I love Emme's personality. She is forthright, honest and is extremely kind to all especially the staff. A small subplot of the story is when Harcourt engages a French woman as Emme's lady's maid. Her name is Francesca is she is one devious, two-faced, viper in sheep's clothing. So, the main plot of the faux relationship between to barely acquainted people, a subplot of a viperous lady's maid turn companion, and a subplot of a third party who is interested in Emme even though she is to be engaged. Lots of drama. Plenty of witty dialogue and wonderful characters will keep you entertained. A must read. I highly recommend it.
April 12, 2019
Ok
Sadly, this story was lacking. There were many type-o’s, it was overly drawn out and left many dangling ends. After the companions stealth she just blows up... I don’t think so. What was the meaning of her marked arm? On the good side, it was engaging enough to keep reading. A good editor could have made this a best seller.
Sadly, this story was lacking. There were many type-o’s, it was overly drawn out and left many dangling ends. After the companions stealth she just blows up... I don’t think so. What was the meaning of her marked arm? On the good side, it was engaging enough to keep reading. A good editor could have made this a best seller.
May 15, 2019
But, the Duke’s not a Duke yet
I’m not the biggest stickler for historical details. However, when the basic rules of primogeniture are ignored without plausible explanation it spoils the story for me.
In the introduction, Nash is briefly described as a future Duke. In the story he is referred to as “Your Grace” and as a duke, but his father is still alive.
And, yet the father is a superfluous character to the story.
I don’t understand why the author decided to keep the father of the Duke in the story. She could have easily changed him to a step-father and the primogeniture would work.
I’m not the biggest stickler for historical details. However, when the basic rules of primogeniture are ignored without plausible explanation it spoils the story for me.
In the introduction, Nash is briefly described as a future Duke. In the story he is referred to as “Your Grace” and as a duke, but his father is still alive.
And, yet the father is a superfluous character to the story.
I don’t understand why the author decided to keep the father of the Duke in the story. She could have easily changed him to a step-father and the primogeniture would work.
May 6, 2020
Dancing 💃👑Queen
Emmeline💃💋 is summoned to London from her Scottish estate by her brother, the Earl of Pentworth. He intends to marry her off.
Lord Torrington🐺, a Duke and his best friend, offers to escort her to the many balls and parties that season, if only so he can further his own business career. He'll dance the first dance with Emmeline💃💋, and introduce her to prospective husbands, then spend the rest of the ball talking business.
Emmeline💃💋 of course, falls for Nash🐺, Lord Torrington, and all the other men she dances with are mostly a waste of time.
ARC Received from Author📚 via Amazon
The Opinions expressed are my own.
The book is a clean and sweet romance. I really enjoyed the back and forth between the three main characters when they talked among themselves. Great dynamics!
The book did get a little too long towards the end.
Emmeline💃💋 is summoned to London from her Scottish estate by her brother, the Earl of Pentworth. He intends to marry her off.
Lord Torrington🐺, a Duke and his best friend, offers to escort her to the many balls and parties that season, if only so he can further his own business career. He'll dance the first dance with Emmeline💃💋, and introduce her to prospective husbands, then spend the rest of the ball talking business.
Emmeline💃💋 of course, falls for Nash🐺, Lord Torrington, and all the other men she dances with are mostly a waste of time.
ARC Received from Author📚 via Amazon
The Opinions expressed are my own.
The book is a clean and sweet romance. I really enjoyed the back and forth between the three main characters when they talked among themselves. Great dynamics!
The book did get a little too long towards the end.
June 24, 2019
This book had a very good premise, however it suffered from a lack of research and editing.
For example, the Lady is titled in her own right, yet the servants call her Miss.
She is not the queen, yet mentions something about having a Lady in waiting.
The new ladies maid eats with the family at the table which would never happen, there are no female chaperones, also not done back then.
No mention is made of how Emmiline got a different title to her brother.
Two men sit beside each other at a formal dinner party in mixed company, also not done.
My biggest issue is that the Duke's father is still alive, so how could Nash be the Duke. There is no mention that his father abdicated, and his father is not the king. Would make more sense if he were a Marquis, or his father were dead. He is introduced as Lord Torrington, and yet somehow everyone knows he's a Duke. Normally the intro should be Lord so-and-so Duke of Something.
Also they only dance 3 times total so the title is a bit of a misnomer.
Had the author done a little research into the time period, or perhaps had some explanation for the weird changes she made this book would have been a little better.
For example, the Lady is titled in her own right, yet the servants call her Miss.
She is not the queen, yet mentions something about having a Lady in waiting.
The new ladies maid eats with the family at the table which would never happen, there are no female chaperones, also not done back then.
No mention is made of how Emmiline got a different title to her brother.
Two men sit beside each other at a formal dinner party in mixed company, also not done.
My biggest issue is that the Duke's father is still alive, so how could Nash be the Duke. There is no mention that his father abdicated, and his father is not the king. Would make more sense if he were a Marquis, or his father were dead. He is introduced as Lord Torrington, and yet somehow everyone knows he's a Duke. Normally the intro should be Lord so-and-so Duke of Something.
Also they only dance 3 times total so the title is a bit of a misnomer.
Had the author done a little research into the time period, or perhaps had some explanation for the weird changes she made this book would have been a little better.
May 23, 2023
I loved reading this book. Emmeline was sent to London to find a husband. The only problem was that she was worried her brother would marry her off to the first one who asked. Emme wanted to marry for love. Her brother's best friend was Nash. His mother had been harassing him to find a wife bec she wanted grandchildren. Nash's best friend was Emme's brother. He got to meet Emme by visiting his friend almost daily. Nash made a deal with Emme to act like he was courting her. That way, his mother would leave him alone. Emme would have time to meet men and find love before her brother married off too fast. They ended up falling in love with each other. The only thing I did not like is that neither one talked much to anyone about their feelings of love for each other. It seemed like all of a sudden, they told each other in front of everyone that they loved each other. I would have liked for there to be more Romance as they got to know each other. Otherwise, I loved the book and how all these men protected her. I also loved the extended chapter. It always seems so perfect when they have children after they marry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2019
In true historical regency romance fashion the younger sister of the Duke of Pentworth is summoned from their family estate in Scotland in order to take part in the London Season and find a worthy husband. While the Duke is intent on marrying off his sister, she is not of the same mind. Her brother’s friend, Lord Nash Torrington, has also been “forced” into taking part in the season by a mother intent upon getting a wife for her son. The two form their own friendship and vow to help each other get through the season with a false courtship. The question is, can they remain friends for the whole of the season? And what exactly is the ladies maid/companion, Francesca, hired by the Duke to help Emmeline, up to as she cattily insinuates herself into the family? Abigail Agar writes another great book that manages to bring the London Season drama into a storyline of young people trying to be in charge of their own destiny and finding true love. I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review, which this has been.
April 13, 2019
Emmeline happily lives in Scottland on the estate she inherited from her mother. One day she is summoned to London by her brother, the Earl of Pentworth and she knows her brother wants to marry her off, using her estate in Scottland as bait. Lord Nash Torrington, a future duke is pestered by his mother to get married. She is introducing every eligible young lady in and around London, but Nash wants nothing to do with any of them. Nash is also Emmeline's brother's best friend and she is introduced to him at her brother's estate. They come up with an idea, for her and Nash to start courting, and it gets his mother off his back, while she sees a lot of different balls on the arm of a handsome future duke. Can these two remain just friends? Or will love find them when they least expect it? This is an exciting new book by Abigail Agar. She never disappoints. This is a clean and wholesome book.
April 21, 2019
The Earl of Pentworth summoned his sister Lady Emmaline Callum to come from Scotland to London to find a husband. When she arrived she met with her brother Harcourt whom she hadn't seen in many years and his friend Lord Nash Torrington. Her brother plan to get her married as soon as possible and she wanted to choose who she married and she didn't think her brother would let her. Lord Torrington had the same problem with his mother wanting to get him married as soon as possible. Emmaline and Nash decided to pretend that they were courting each other and would announce her agent midseason and that way Emmaline could discover the man she wanted to marry and Nash would have to put up with his mother matchmaking Emmaline at the first ball she attended met a gentleman and he danced with her throughout the season not to find out if she married Nash or Lord Howley you have to read the book. It's a good book...
April 9, 2019
Another "Reader Beware" Book (hard to put down)
Abigail has written another story that pulls you in and "reader beware" it is hard to put it down! The characters and the storyline weave themselves into your mind - so maybe just read to the next chapter doesn't work. Emmeline and Nash (Lord Torrington) have devised a way that enables them to fill a commitment and still leaves them free from marriage or romantic involvements! What happens next is a surprise for all concerned. Another good book by Abigail Agar that is clean, full of action, and a very engaging story.
I received an ARC copy of this book. This is my voluntary, honest and completely personal review.
Vicki from Wyoming
Abigail has written another story that pulls you in and "reader beware" it is hard to put it down! The characters and the storyline weave themselves into your mind - so maybe just read to the next chapter doesn't work. Emmeline and Nash (Lord Torrington) have devised a way that enables them to fill a commitment and still leaves them free from marriage or romantic involvements! What happens next is a surprise for all concerned. Another good book by Abigail Agar that is clean, full of action, and a very engaging story.
I received an ARC copy of this book. This is my voluntary, honest and completely personal review.
Vicki from Wyoming
April 12, 2019
ONE DAZZLING ADVENTURE!!!
OMG! Talk about thin lines. A whirlwind of activities and events that keep you flipping page after page. One rollercoaster ride with a plethora of swirling emotions burst front and center. One intriguing storyline and thrilling plot bring this little gem alive flawlessly. The characters are realistic with personalities and depth that draw you in. All the non-stop action, flowing smoothly, hard hitting and suspense bringing piece after piece together brilliantly. The scenes are so vividly detailed it gives the illusion you were right there with them. Remarkable job Abigail, thanks for sharing this little gem with us.
OMG! Talk about thin lines. A whirlwind of activities and events that keep you flipping page after page. One rollercoaster ride with a plethora of swirling emotions burst front and center. One intriguing storyline and thrilling plot bring this little gem alive flawlessly. The characters are realistic with personalities and depth that draw you in. All the non-stop action, flowing smoothly, hard hitting and suspense bringing piece after piece together brilliantly. The scenes are so vividly detailed it gives the illusion you were right there with them. Remarkable job Abigail, thanks for sharing this little gem with us.
June 21, 2019
Friendship pierced by Cupid's unexpected arrow
Lady Emmaline Callum of Scotland is called to London by her brother, the Earl of Pentworth to find her a husband. Lord Nash Torrington has been best friends with her brother for years and has been inundated by his mother trying to introduce him to families with eligible young daughters.
Nash comes up with the idea of himself and Emmaline having a faux engagement until about the middle of the London Season giving him breathing room from his mother's machinations and Emmaline time to meet other eligible men without pressure being applied for her to accept someone she doesn't want herself.
Lady Emmaline Callum of Scotland is called to London by her brother, the Earl of Pentworth to find her a husband. Lord Nash Torrington has been best friends with her brother for years and has been inundated by his mother trying to introduce him to families with eligible young daughters.
Nash comes up with the idea of himself and Emmaline having a faux engagement until about the middle of the London Season giving him breathing room from his mother's machinations and Emmaline time to meet other eligible men without pressure being applied for her to accept someone she doesn't want herself.
April 7, 2024
Sweet romance starting with fake courtship. Harcourt’s, the Earl of Pentworth, duty to his sister has him summoning Lady Emmeline Callum to come from Scotland to London for a season to find a husband. Emme is a free spirit, forthright, and honest. Lord Nash Torrington, after pressure from his mother to find a bride, plots with Lady Emme to enter a fake courtship. Nash wants another free year to build his shipping business, not be tied down with a wife. Two subplots are also brewing. One with a viperous French lady's maid turn companion, Francesca, who has her eye on the Lord Nash. The second with Emme’s new friend, Lord Hawley, rumors begin to circulate about a triste between the two. Wonderful HEA for Emme and Nash as they grow to love each other.
December 22, 2019
Historical English romance with a fake it til' you make it plot line.
Lady Emmeline is in London for the first time because her brother Earl of Pentworth wants to marry her off as quickly as possible so Emmeline must fight for the best possible marriage before her brother sells her off to any acceptable offer, even to strangers. So she takes the opportunity to be introduced around as the special friend of her brother's best friend, the Duke's heir, Lord Nash Torrington. They fall in love as they spend more time together, the usual HEA.
288 pages and kindle freebie
2 stars
Lady Emmeline is in London for the first time because her brother Earl of Pentworth wants to marry her off as quickly as possible so Emmeline must fight for the best possible marriage before her brother sells her off to any acceptable offer, even to strangers. So she takes the opportunity to be introduced around as the special friend of her brother's best friend, the Duke's heir, Lord Nash Torrington. They fall in love as they spend more time together, the usual HEA.
288 pages and kindle freebie
2 stars
April 14, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this story
This story kept my attention throughout. I finished it in one setting, which is very unusual for me. The interaction between the characters was, as usual with this author, very entertaining. I'm a huge fan, and can always count on thoroughly enjoying one of her books. There were a few proofreading errors, but as it really didn't interfere with my reading, it didn't alter my rating.
This story kept my attention throughout. I finished it in one setting, which is very unusual for me. The interaction between the characters was, as usual with this author, very entertaining. I'm a huge fan, and can always count on thoroughly enjoying one of her books. There were a few proofreading errors, but as it really didn't interfere with my reading, it didn't alter my rating.
April 16, 2019
A ruse that backfires..
Some grammatical errors that took away from the context left this as a 4 star rather than a 5 star rating.
Emmeline comes to London for a season at her brothers command. Nash is trying to avoid marriage and his mother’s insistence on it.
The ruse that they enter into seems like a good idea but they find that the more they are together, the better they complement each other.
Some grammatical errors that took away from the context left this as a 4 star rather than a 5 star rating.
Emmeline comes to London for a season at her brothers command. Nash is trying to avoid marriage and his mother’s insistence on it.
The ruse that they enter into seems like a good idea but they find that the more they are together, the better they complement each other.
July 12, 2024
This story is really drawn out, leaves characters hanging and makes no sense. The "Duke's" father is still alive, so he isn't really the Duke. Why even include the father in the story since he adds nothing to the book? Why spend so much time on the ladies maid/companion just to drop her? What did the mark on her arm add to the story? At least 3/4 of the book could have been cut and not missed at all. Not worth the price, and it was free.
January 30, 2025
Another sweet story. I loved the interaction between the main characters and watching them get to know each other, especially the brother and sister who haven't seen each other in a long time. The characters are realistic and approachable. The only thing confusing is that Lord Torrington keeps being referred to as a duke, yet his father is still alive and in charge. The extended epilogue is very nice too. I received a copy of the book free and this is my honest review.
April 8, 2019
Make sure you have a lot of reading time!
I ended up devouring this book in large chunks in one day! Had to find out what would happen next. Will her brother figure out it's not a true attachment? Will the French maid manage to marry above her station? Keep reading, you'll want to know!
I ended up devouring this book in large chunks in one day! Had to find out what would happen next. Will her brother figure out it's not a true attachment? Will the French maid manage to marry above her station? Keep reading, you'll want to know!
April 11, 2019
Wonderful Book!
Abigail Agar is a wonderful author! Dancing with an Enigmatic Duke is a fantastic book with characters that have a depth of emotions that bring them to life for the readers. It is a book full of surprising twists that keeps the readers intrigued from start to finish and makes it hard to put down. I cannot wait to read her next book!
Abigail Agar is a wonderful author! Dancing with an Enigmatic Duke is a fantastic book with characters that have a depth of emotions that bring them to life for the readers. It is a book full of surprising twists that keeps the readers intrigued from start to finish and makes it hard to put down. I cannot wait to read her next book!
April 14, 2019
I have always like a good historical romance. I enjoyed the story a lot and it quite hit the spot. I would have liked to have seen the love relationship develop a little more than it was but I can deal with it. I can read these like people binge Netflix and I was not disappointed. I always am looking for her new book.
May 5, 2019
A well written story with a strong woman Emmeline who gets called to London by her brother, the Earl of Pentworth. Her brother wants her to marry any of the men he decides on so she asks Lord Nash Torrington to pretend to be courting her. I enjoyed reading this story and seeing how these two come together.
May 11, 2019
For a Duke who doesn't like dancing, he sure knows how. Emmeline and Nash danced around each other to keep Harcourt and Nash's mother from matchmaking. The story is well written and whimsical. I loved how Miss Durant got her just desserts. There is more epilogue than I thought necessary, but I think the author wanted to give Lord Hawley a happily ever after also.
July 10, 2019
Love
I truly enjoyed this wonderful story. I wish there had been more intimate moments between the two main characters to show their blossoming romance. I rather enjoy being part of the story vrs being told what happens. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the sweet nature of the story and was captivated by the story line.
I truly enjoyed this wonderful story. I wish there had been more intimate moments between the two main characters to show their blossoming romance. I rather enjoy being part of the story vrs being told what happens. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the sweet nature of the story and was captivated by the story line.
November 11, 2023
A very good read
Emmeline and Lord Torrington were both being pushed to marry and they were very tired of it. They decided to pretend to be courting so their parents would stop pushing them toward mates of their choosing. Neither of them have any intention of marrying. They do end up falling in love, though it takes a while, and marry after all!
Emmeline and Lord Torrington were both being pushed to marry and they were very tired of it. They decided to pretend to be courting so their parents would stop pushing them toward mates of their choosing. Neither of them have any intention of marrying. They do end up falling in love, though it takes a while, and marry after all!
November 20, 2023
Great Read
If you love historic romance, then this book is for you. Two people make a plan to help each other out of the situations they are in. Before either realize what is happening, they fall in love. She believes he doesn't want a wife and he believes she is in love with another. A tricky woman that causes problems. This book is truly fun to read.
If you love historic romance, then this book is for you. Two people make a plan to help each other out of the situations they are in. Before either realize what is happening, they fall in love. She believes he doesn't want a wife and he believes she is in love with another. A tricky woman that causes problems. This book is truly fun to read.
March 8, 2025
This book is cute but very surface level. There were some other story lines thrown in that just took a little away from the actual story. I really felt like neither one of the characters had much feeling for the other. There were details thrown in that didn't feel necessary and some things that were just inaccurate.
April 7, 2019
Loved it
A really good story. I loved Lady Emmaline and Lord Torrington's story. Make sure to read the extended epilogue. The book grabbed my attention from the beginning and left me with a smile.
A really good story. I loved Lady Emmaline and Lord Torrington's story. Make sure to read the extended epilogue. The book grabbed my attention from the beginning and left me with a smile.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews