A Gentleman’s Offer

By Emma Orchard

What it’s about?

June, 1817

Sir Dominic De Lacy – one of the season’s most eligible gentlemen – has recently proposed marriage… to a woman he scarcely knows. But his father’s choice for him, Miss Maria Nightingale, seems amiable, and at 29, Dominic cannot live the life of a bachelor forever. He hopes he can provide a happy future for her as they learn to care for each other.

Maria, however, has other ideas. Midway through their engagement celebrations, she confesses to
Dominic that she is not Maria at all, but her identical twin sister, Margaret. Maria has disappeared,
and Margaret’s been persuaded to take her place until she’s found – and for that she needs Dominic’s help. The pair quickly find they make a formidable team, but with just three weeks to avoid the biggest scandal of the season, time is against them.

But even if they find Maria, can they really hope the wedding will happen? Because, as they are starting to realise, chemistry can’t be arranged – and Sir Dominic might just be engaged to the wrong Miss Nightingale…

What I think:

If you like Regency romances, Emma Orchard is an author you definitely add to your TBR.

The premise for this is a Parent Trap/arranged marriage/missing bride.

Dominic is an eligible but apathetic bachelor. While he does actually know that women are individuals with their own hopes and dreams, he is generally quite skeptical about the Regency marriage market. He’s nearly thirty and needs to settle down and provide an heir. He doesn’t seem to care who he married as long as she is a suitable bride so agrees to a bride chosen by his father.

Maria Nightingale is beautiful, rich and has the social pedigree to make an excellent match. Having meant Dominic once, they get engaged and the wedding is planned. But when it is revealed that she has disappeared days before her engagement party, desperate to avoid the scandal of the season, her twin sister Meg steps in as the bride.

Will Dominic and Meg find Maria?

Will they fall in love along the way?

Does Maria have secret?

Will it all end happily ever after?

Well of course the answer to all of these questions is yes.

It’s clear from their first meeting that Dominic is more attracted to spirited and sparky Meg than composed and serene Maria. As well as wanting help find Maria out of a sense of duty, he genuinely wants to get to know Meg. He learns that not all well-bred ladies are the same and that he can marry for love as well as duty.

There’s some twists and obstacles along the way. Secrets and scandals will be uncovered and there are big changes ahead for the Nightingale family.

I think my best advice is to suspend your disbelief and enjoy the fun!

About the author:

Emma Orchard grew up in Salford and was given tickets to the grown-up library at the age of 11
because she’d read all the children’s books and the librarians were sick of the sight of her. She became obsessed with Georgette Heyer and hasn’t stopped reading her novels since. She studied English Literature at university and went on to work at Mills & Boon and behind the scenes in television and in publishing.

Social Media Links:
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Twitter: @EmmaOrchardB
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Thank you Boldwood Books for my gifted digital copy of A Gentleman’s Offer and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be a part of this fabulous blog tour.

Check out the other stops on the tour: