AUTHOR: Emma Hart GENRE: NA Romance PAGES: 366 RELEASED: 24 April 2022 SYNOPSIS: Taking a work call for my best friend in my undies? Check. Filling in for her after an emergency and getting mistaken for her? Check. Royally messing it all up until the hot duke-in-waiting I hate but can’t keep my hands off steps in to save me? Uh, check… Yes, yes, that all sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Until you consider I now have to plan and execute an 80th birthday party for The Dowager Duchess of Devon, and I can’t organise my hairbrushes. The current duchess is the ultimate Type-A personality, determined to micromanage the entire thing. I’m a type… XYZ...LMNOP… Maybe not even that. When all my attempts go to hell in half a handbasket—I can’t even mess up properly—the only hope I have to pull this thing off is duke-in-waiting Hugo Edwards. The dreamy, handsome, makes-my-heart-pitter-patter, arrogant tosspot Hugo Edwards. He and his brother are the only people who know who I really am. The success of their grandmother’s party relies on us getting along long enough to make it happen—and me and Hugo keeping our hands off one another behind closed doors. None of which is easy to achieve. When my best friend shows up to take over from me, the fact that I’ve fallen for Hugo is the least of my worries… Pretending to be a party planner for the aristocracy could lead to a happily ever after...
Sophie is no stranger to taking calls for her party planner best friend and roommate Camilla. But when Camilla is stuck overseas with her family for the lead-up to the 80th birthday party for the Dowager Duchess of Devon, Sophie is thrown in the deep end when Camilla asks her to take her place to finalise the party preparations before she returns for the actual event. However, a little miscommunication issue throws a spanner in the works, and soon Sophie isn’t just taking Camilla‘s place, she’s pretending to be her in order to organise the party. It’s not the most ideal situation, but with the help of heir of the Dukedom Hugo and his brother Henry, who know Sophie’s real identity, the trio work to ensure the party will be a success and Camilla’s reputation won’t be ruined. But there’s someone on staff who doesn’t want this party to be a success, and while Sophie’s running around like a headless chicken trying to keep everything on track, sparks are flying with Hugo that could threaten to derail the whole thing anyway. Once again, Emma has knocked it out of the park with another romp with the British aristocracy – good thing there are lots of Dukedoms she can continue writing about! I don’t know what it is about upper class society, but they make for an interesting read, with a nice healthy serving of swooniness. Plus, I cannot get enough of escaping to the English countryside! Sophie and Hugo’s relationship was fun to watch develop, going from being at loggerheads with one another to giving into their sexual tension and chemistry – not quiet enemies to lovers, but not exactly a smooth road to a relationship. I also really appreciated that Emma drew out the conflict and breakdown of their relationship before they ultimately realised they worked well together and reunited – sometimes this conflict is resolved in like a chapter, so it was nice to have it span a few chapters and almost feel like there was a good chance they wouldn’t get back together before the end of the book. As always, I think my favourite character was our kooky grandmother Evelyn, the Dowager Duchess with a wicked sense of humour, no care for social boundaries, who just loves a good bit of cake and tea. Emma truly knows how to write hilarious grandmother figures who you just wish were you own grandmother, even if she would drive you a little bit batty with all her antics. I think I say this every single time, but Evelyn might just be my favourite grandmother so far. But watch me say that again in Big Duke Energy.... Set in the same world and timeline of The Aristocrat Diaries, I quite liked the small references to our three previous leading ladies and their partners. And while we didn’t actually get to see them in person, it was nice to get a small update on their lives from a distance. And while Emma has said that Henry won’t be getting a book of his own, I lowkey kind of wish that he was, just because I’d love to spend more time in this Dukedom. Although, if I’m wishlisting characters I really want Emma to write about, I wouldn’t mind seeing Hugo’s bestie Caitlyn find the girl of her dreams... Romance fans with a soft spot for swoony and slightly moody dukes will love getting to know Hugo and Sophie, and get sucked into British Upper Class society. |
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