This was fun - a great weekend read full of crazy people and situations. I enjoyed the escapism of the story, but it was still plausible enough to be relatable and the characters were easy to imagine.

I have a confession to make. Yes another one. I have to admit that I haven’t come across Felicia Kingsley. Well I have certainly come across her now and after reading ‘How (Not) To Marry A Duke’, I just know that I will be making a point of looking for her future books. I found ‘How (Not) To Marry A Duke’ to be interesting and amusing and I really did enjoy it, but more about that in a bit.
It took me a little while to warm to the character of Jemma Pears. She is rather self centred, selfish, spoilt and she can be a huge pain in the ass. That said, I warmed to her in the end and I found myself chuckling along at things she said or did. I don’t think that she was being intentionally funny. She certainly has a way with words too – as a very dear late colleague of mine would say ‘she certainly has a way with words, not always the right way but a way nonetheless’. Jemma is amazed to hear that she stands to inherit from her Grandmother’s estate and she starts dreaming about how to spend the money. That’s until she is told that there is a condition attached- she has to marry a man with a title. As you can imagine, one is not amused. Jemma is close to her parents but at times they can be rather embarrassing – especially when you learn that they are naturists. Jemma ends up meeting Ashford via her solicitor. Ashford is the man with the title (Duke of Burlingham) but he has no money. I must admit that I really did want to jump inside the pages of the book to give Ashford a huge slap across the face with a wet fish- okay make that a few dozen slaps. His attitude stinks in general and he is so far up how own backside he has almost disappeared. His attitude towards discovering he is broke absolutely stinks. You can certainly tell that he has never had to scrimp and save before or he hasn’t had to forgo buying gas in order to have electricity and lighting. I didn’t like Ashford’s mother either as she was just plain annoying and wanting to spend money like water. That said as the story went on, the characters became more established and as a relationship developed between Jemma and Ashford, I did thaw a little bit towards Ashford.
Oh my word, this book certainly had me chuckling away on and off throughout the story. I have a very vivid imagination and as Felicia described things that were happening, I was imagining them in my head. At times it seemed a bit like watching an episode of ‘You’ve Been Framed’. ‘How (Not) To Marry A Duke’ is a light hearted and easy read. I soon got into the story and because I am a nebby Nora I just had to keep reading to see how the story turned out. I was mentally crossing my fingers that Jemma and Ashford would decide that they loved each other and that they would live happily ever after. The story is written in an interesting way. Chapters are written telling Jemma’s story and they alternate with chapters telling Ashford’s side of the story. This way of telling the tale works really well, the chapters interlink well and the story flows seamlessly.
I enjoyed reading ‘How (Not) To Marry A Duke’ and I will certainly look out for any further books by Felicia. ‘How (Not) To Marry A Duke’ will particularly appeal to those people, who enjoy reading light hearted, amusing chick lit. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 4* out of 5*.

** spoiler alert ** This book was decent but seemed too long. I'm not quite sure if the story just dragged at points or could have done with additional editing. I also feel like this was a little too my fair lady/stargirl. Jemma made the choice to change herself to survive in Ashford's world but how sustainable is that? The author emphasized how important Jemma's look was to her but then she's okay with tossing it aside long term? I feel like that would make for some resentment in the relationship later.

I struggled with where to put this book. Its Pride and Prejudice and the Taming of the Shrew inspired, both great pieces of writing. Basically, an English Duke and a commoner were forced to marry in order to resolve some financial issues on both sides (not a spoiler its in the excerpt) and the evolving love story.
I read pretty fast but laboured to read this. The story was cutesy and chick-lit-y which I honestly don't mind as I read most of it on the beach (its actually pictured above) but it lost me when the main female character had to change her appearance to get respect and the Duke was just a chauvinistic asshole for most of the book. Listen, I love a good royal happily ever after but it was just so stereotypical. Thankfully things kinda redeemed themselves in the last 15% of the book with a few twists and turns which made me not hate it.

How (Not) to Marry a Duke by Felicia KingsleyJemma Pears doesn't want to marry a duke, not even to inherit her grandmother's fortune... how much is that fortune... er, maybe she'll think about it.

Ashford is new to being the Duke of Burlingham. Too bad his title came with such crippling debts. Luckily, his lawyer and Jemma's are the same person and he sees a way for both Ashford and Jemma to get what they want. And maybe even what they need.

Told in alternating first person, this was a fast read and the perfect fluff to help me get through a rather difficult time. I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Kingsley.



Four stars

This book came out August 21

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

An enjoyable book if not totally accurate. I enjoyed the reading and writing style of the author.However I did have to overlook a couple of mistakes which were made through lack of research but if you can forgive the author these mistakes its a great book to snuggle down with and enjoy as the evenings start drawing in!

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, contemporary, romantic comedy by a new-to-me author – I’ll definitely be looking out for more by her in future!

Jemma Pears unexpected inheritance has a serious catch – she can only access the immense fortune her grandmother has left her if she marries someone with a title or who will inherit one. Ashford, the new Duke of Burlingham, has a different legacy from his inheritance – huge debts that must be paid or the banks will be seizing his assets. Their legal advisor introduces them to each other, suggesting they should consider helping each other out . . . . Jemma can inherit her grandmother’s fortune and use a small portion of it to pay off Ashford’s debts – they can even keep it secret so no one else knows! Great plan but – you just know there’ll be a but – what happens when their marriage is leaked to the press?

Get ready for fun, laughter, strange relations, and laugh out loud moments in this excellent read. It has great characters and I really appreciated how the couple’s attitude to each other grew and developed during the story, though the ending few chapters dropped my rating for it because I really didn’t like Jemma’s (wrong) assumptions and her subsequent behaviour. If you ever needed a reminder of how important communication is in a relationship, this is a brilliant example of what happens when you don’t give each other the opportunity to ask questions or explain, just assuming you know what happened or the answers is so wrong.! Their respective parents were so different and so brilliantly portrayed that it is easy to visualise them – though that’s not at great idea at certain points in the story! This is a different aristocratic romance, Cinderella with a twist since she’s the one with the money.

I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

I have to admit. I actually did laugh out loud quite a few times in this novel. And how could you not? There are so many moments that are completely hilarious, so props to Felicia Kingsley for that!
I've always loved a fluffy romance novel, as in not too much heavy stuff, and I'm pretty happy. This book made me happy. I'll put it that way. Jemma and Ashford were absolutely wonderful together and I loved the way that they kind of bickered back and forth before eventually, of course, falling in love. Those are my favourite romances.
Jemma was such a great protagonist to have - funny, kind, down to earth, and just a little bit nuts (after all, who of us isn't?). Ashford, at first, I have to admit was a little bit unlikeable, but his journey throughout the book brought him to a great place, so I have no complaints there.
I don't know how much more I can say about this, other than I absolutely adored it. A fantastic summer read - light, funny and just a little bit swoony - go read it now!
NB: I received a free ARC of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Just loved this book! While reading I could perfectly imagine the movie. It would be awesome. Light, fun and witty. Can't wait to read other Felicias's books.

I tried to like this book. I really tried. But I must admit that How (Not) to Marry a Duke was a frustrating and unsatisfying book. There were some funny moments, and there were some cute moments. But the characters were off-putting, and overall the story was disheartening rather than lighthearted.

The plot requires a suspension of belief, which I was ok with. You don’t read Chick Lit for the plot. This particular story is about a marriage of convenience. Jemma Pears is a free-spirited makeup artist raised by hippie parents. Her highbrow grandmother leaves her a fortune, but Jemma can only access it if she marries someone with a title. So she strikes a deal with Ashford, an impoverished Duke on the brink of bankruptcy. They agree to get married in name only and split the fortune. But news of their marriage leaks out and they have to act married in order to draw attention away from their marriage of convenience and avoid scandal. The story is told from Jemma and Ashford’s perspectives in alternating chapters.

The hippie girl meets upper-class guy romance totally made me think of Dharma and Greg… except that Dharma and Greg liked each other. The only foundation of Jemma and Ashford’s relationship is their desire for money. Real romantic, right? While hate-to-love stories can work, there was no underlying sexual tension between the two. This story was massively lacking in chemistry or steaminess. Rather than love, it felt more like two people who got together just because they were around each other all the time. No one can accuse this story of instalove or even instalust. That is for sure! They actually start out hating each other. And I do mean hating not just denial of underlying feelings. They immediately judge each other and never entirely move past those initial judgements. The “romance” does not start until quite far into the story. It goes beyond “slow-burn” into overly drawn-out set up.

It’s clear that Ashford is getting the better end of the deal. The marriage makes almost no impact on his life whereas Jemma is expected to completely leave her old life behind and become a prim and proper duchess. I never cared for any of the characters, but Jemma is treated like complete trash throughout the whole book. The story has massive amounts of classism and prejudices. Ashford’s mother was by far the worst. She was such a nasty, hateful person. But Ashford himself is classist, inflexible, and judgmental and makes an awful hero for a romance.

I never liked either main character. Jemma was impulsive and weak-willed. Her personality goes out the window as the story goes on. Yes, some of that is due to the pressure to conform to the nobility’s stuffy standards and her desperate attempts for approval. But once she starts to care for Ashford, she becomes neurotically insecure and paranoid. The misunderstanding between them is far more absurd than the plot itself, and Jemma’s reaction was selfish to such an extreme that I went from being annoyed with her to hating her.

Ashford was not any better. I’ve already mentioned what a stuffy suit he was, but what pissed me off the most about Ashford was that he calls Jemma a bitch multiple times. Even when it was only in his internal stream of consciousness, it earned a massive OH NO HE DIDN’T from me. And it wasn’t just once or twice. Neither was it limited to when they first met and hated each other. He still frequently thought of her as a bitch quite late in the story even after he started to care about her. Any time he didn’t get his way, Jemma automatically was “being a bitch.” I know this book was originally published in Italian, so maybe the original word used was not as much of slur? I don’t know. But regardless of whether it was due to the author or the translator, it was still objectionable to read. It massively killed the mood and probably would have been a deal breaker for me even if I didn’t have other issues with the story. But there were other issues. And the few humorous moments were nowhere near strong enough to balance out all the negatives in this book. So there is no way I can rate this above 2 stars.

There is also borderline cheating. While Jemma and Ashford do agree to an open marriage since they initially intend to be married in name only, the situation changes as their feelings evolve. There were some very uncomfortable moments. It is a personal preference, but I simply do not enjoy reading about open relationships in Chick Lit. There are things that I don’t mind in other genres that won’t fly when I’m looking for a fun Happily Ever After.

The story makes references to Pride and Prejudice and The Taming of the Shrew – even going so far as to outright compares themselves to characters from those stories. But How (Not) to Marry a Duke is not a strong enough to compare to either of those works. I also want to mention that the U.S. cover art does not match the characters’ descriptions in the book.

The ending of the story killed any good feelings that might have lingered. I won’t spoil exactly what happened, but I hated both characters’ actions at the end of the book. It just proved that they were both pathetic people. I had no real belief in their love or any faith that their relationship would be anything other than fleeting. Rather than being an entertaining, cute story, How (Not) to Marry a Duke was a huge disappointment.

Jemma Pears is a struggling theatrical make-up artist in London. Then she finds out she’s been left a huge fortune by her estranged grandmother. There is a catch though- the condition that she marries a she must marry a man with a title. Jemma, a romantic, searching for true love, is not. convinced at all that this is the way to go and does not want to mrry for another person’s convenience.

Ashford is the new Duke of Burlingham. He ows massive debts that he must pay back immediately or the bank will take everything. Arrogant and annoying, he also has his mother to contend with.

Despite coming from majorly different bavkgrounds, they both have the same lawyer. They are forced to confide in someone about their dilemmas and it is bim. His solution? That if they marry each other, Jemma will be able to inherit what her grandmother left for her and Ashford can pay back his debts. Simple, right? Wrong. Enquiring, knowledge- hungry journalists want to know all the juicy details of what is going on and the situation is leaked to the press and is now a public talking point…..

What follows is their attempts to play out the risky charade for at least a year or pay the price- time in jail for fraud.

Jemma has her hands full after this and comes up against a lot of people whilst having to deal with not just crazy mother in law, a stuffy aristocracy, Ashford, but his mother too.

OK, this book sounded fun with a quirky title, cover and synopsis so I requested it. I really wanted to like Jemma and I did after a few chapters once I understood her background. I sympathised with her, who wouldn’t with someone who is struggling to make a living in London and who has recently lost her grandmother?

I was enjoying the book. Until Ashford came along. Self-centred and with a dry character, I was very reluctant to want to know about him and I disliked him. My annoyance speead to Jemma at some parts of the book where I felt she was a little immature (especially during the meeting with the lawyer) but then I was almost rooting for her with her way of voicing her ideas and the references to her life.

One thing that did not fit with me about this book was the mention in the synopisis that they had the same lawyer. I thought it was a contradiction of sorts, because, with Ashford being part of the Aristocracy, would he not have sought out his own personal lawyer or finance advisor or someone? I thought that was a little odd. But then I suppose there had to be some way of throwing these two people from different backgrounds together in the first place in an initial meeting.

What Felicia Kingsley does well, I think, is create characters. I’m just not sure about the plot of this book. It sounded fun in the synopsis but the way it played out just did not grab me and I felt that there was not enough romance and that it was very slow. Some say that it is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Having read only Romeo and Juliet, I wouldn’t know so can’t comment on that.

Unfortunately, this book moved too slow for me, but I did like the way Jemma’s character was represented. If you like a slow-moving book with the struggles of people from different walks of life, this is for you. It wasn’t for me in the end.

3 stars.

Thanks to Felicia Kingsley and Aria for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

The Blurb :
One minute, Jemma Pears is a struggling theatrical make-up artist in London. The next, she's been left a vast fortune by her estranged grandmother. The catch: she must marry a man with a title to inherit.
Jemma thinks this is truly impossible: she's a romantic, searching for true love, not just a convenient marriage... and besides, where would she even find a titled guy?
Enter Ashford, the new Duke of Burlingham. His legacy: massive debts that he must pay back immediately or risk the bank seizing his assets. Or worse: his mother's wrath!
When their lawyer hears of their situations, a secret match is made despite their mutual hatred of each other: through marrying Ashford, Jemma can inherit and Ashford can pay back his debts immediately. Problem solved. That is, until their marriage is leaked to the press and everyone finds out...
Now they have to play out the charade for at least a year or risk going to jail for fraud!

My Thoughts :
I really liked the cover on this book and this is what drew me to have a read, the blurb also sounded interesting.
I struggled to get into this at first and really didnt connect with the main charactors, both Ashford and Jemma are mighty annoying and childish but they do grow on you as the story progresses.
They do nothing but argue in the beginning but have to keep up a pretence for the press after their marriage sham is leaked.
Most deffinetly a slow start in the romance stakes but it does get better nearer the end.
Although a bit flat at times and I didnt quiet enjoy the ending, its still worth a read.

Unbelievable and poorly developed IMHO!

This was the first book I've read from this author. Unfortunately, I found it not well developed and unbelievable. I felt that Jenna was immature and although she got a bit better halfway through the book, it wasn’t much better. It bothered me that the lawyer match Ash and Jenna up and recommend they marry for the convenience of each of their legal issues, totally unprofessional and unethical. As such, I felt myself doing more eye rolling than laughing.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

I liked this story. I liked the idea, the majority of the characters, and the general feel of the book.

I didn’t like Jemma to begin with. I found her irritating, too stereotypical on some levels. Her development though was massive, she was more likable towards the end of the book but every now and again there was a little bit of her I still didn’t like.

I sort of liked Ashford, but then on the other hand I didn’t. He was rude, judgemental, up in his own backside. He did change with the story like Jemma did but he didn’t improve as much as her.

I think my favourite characters though we’re Harring and Cecile. The banter between them kept me smiling when it was needed. I also liked Jemma’s parents. The idea of them is hilarious, I’d love to read a story about their history just based on the limited time we spent with them in this book.

One thing I want to comment on is the translation. It didn’t work. There were too many American terms when it came to certain things. It sort of bugs me when it’s not done properly. In this case, they referred to school as elementary school, middle school and high school. I can give them the high school part, but not elementary or middle.

Also, for me, there were a few things the author should have looked into regarding the getting married part. It’s fiction, yes, but surely the point is too make it more believable?? Just going down, filling out some forms, and the getting married? Nope. We have to wait at least 28 days in the UK after giving notice.

The writing style was easy to follow, but I do think it could have been better. I know that’s probably down to it being translated and they’ve probably have had to modify it slightly. I did find the story to be a bit clumpy in places unfortunately as well. There were things that weren’t really needed to be said, details that weren’t really necessary.

Overall. I enjoyed the story, the character development was for the good, it all worked quite well. For me, it’s just the translation and the information what let it all down for me.

A great story with memorable characters. Story flowed nicely, was everything I thought it’d be and more! Would recommend to any Romance reader.

A light-hearted romantic comedy that is simply fabulous, Felicia Kingsley’s How (Not) To Marry a Duke is a funny, engrossing and hilarious romp that should come with a warning: don’t read this book in public because you will be laughing so much, you will cause a public disturbance.

Make-up artist Jemima Pears is well used to keeping the wolf from the door and making the pennies stretch to their limit. Living hand to mouth and from pay cheque to pay cheque in London is certainly no walk in the park and nobody knows this better than Jemima. However, it looks like at long last her finances might be looking up when she is left a vast fortune by her estranged grandmother. But just before she can get her hands on the money, Jemima realises that there is a catch: she will only inherit her grandmother’s fortune if she marries a man with a title to inherit! Where on earth is Jemima going to find a man like that? However, when she is just about to give up, her luck changes when Ashford, the new Duke of Burlingham comes into her life…

Jemima is a romantic who always believed that she would marry for love. A marriage of convenience was never part of the plan, but if she doesn’t find a man who fits her grandmother’s exacting requirements, then the fortune which could change her life could slip through her fingers – and Jemima is damned if she is going to relinquish the money! However, could Ashford, a man she dislikes immensely hold they key to Jemima finally getting what she wants? When her lawyers propose a secret match between her and Ashford, Jemima is incensed! She cannot find one good word to say about Ashford and even the thought of spending the rest of her life with him, brings her out in hives. However, nobody would know about their arrangement except for the two of them… until the press find out!

Jemima and Ashford are now trapped. If anybody finds out that their marriage is not the real deal, then they risk going to jail for fraud, but as they begin to spend more and more time together, they soon realises that there is nothing sensible about their attraction for one another…

Will their marriage of convenience lead to a love that will last a lifetime? Or are there just too many obstacles standing in the way of their happy ever after?

A book that will cheer up the darkest and most dismal of days, How (Not) to Marry a Duke is a charming and heart-warming romantic comedy that I just couldn’t put down. Full of wonderful characters that leap off the pages, fantastic repartee and moving romance, How (Not) to Marry a Duke is top drawer romantic escapism of the highest order!

This was the first book I've read from this author. I didn't care for it at all. I received a free copy for NetGalley and I'm glad I didn't purchase the book. The main character, Jemma, was so immature and one dimensional. And the fact that the 'solicitors' would interfere and match them up is even worse; definitely not realistic. The ending was predictable. Unfortunately not a good chick lit read. Didn't find it hilarious, as noted in the synopsis of the book.
#nownottomarryaduke #NetGalley

Over all this book was a very well done read. I will say that I did find it to be a bit predictable at times and it is filled with the typical tropes. However, the strong characters makes it easy to enjoy this book in spite of it's tropes.

A bit of a mixed bag story here: influences from Pride and Prejudice, Taming of the Shrew, and others as well as the addition of several tropes {most of which are included for an unknown reason} are in this story, with plenty of conflict – perhaps too much, and an ending that managed to undo all of the growth and progress for the couple –a growth that was hard won and desperately needed to not make the book feel like a juvenile game of ‘who can score the first point’.

Jemma Pears is a make-up artist, working in the theatre, in productions that are far from high quality or popular. Until a change in the company’s production, and her services are no longer needed. There is an out for her though, her grandmother’s death has left her with an unusual bequest: marry a titled man and receive an inheritance worth millions, don’t marry and have nothing. Unemployed and without actual prospects, her solicitor, who is also dating a friend of hers, makes a plan: Marry the Duke of Burlingham, Ashford, and solve everyone’s problems. She gets the money, Ashford is saved from bankruptcy, and no-one needs to be the wiser.

Jemma clings, near desperately to her ‘one of the people’ motto, with her parents embracing every cliché from the 70’s hippies that one could imagine, and her own rather isolated childhood because of it. Not wanting her parents to think she’s sold out – she agrees to a registry office marriage if it can be kept secret, and she never has to see the uptight and cold Ashford again. For his part: her brash and bold makeup, provocative clothing and accent, straight out of the gutter, are not quite enough, but the wolves are at the door – so he agrees, certain that he won’t have to mention, see, or think about Jemma again.

Of course the secret isn’t kept –and Jemma is the fish out of water: far different and more ‘in your face’ than other women ‘born to the life’ and Ashford’s mother is a roaring bitch – Jemma’s arrival just adds to her bad behavior. Ashford is a total snob- he and Jemma do little but snipe at one another: he dreads spending time with her, yet can’t be arsed to help in her introduction to the world as his duchess.

Early on, perhaps the first half, the story was loaded with clichés and caricatures, with varied success – but the predictability was tempered with a slowly developing growth for both Ash and Jemma – as she actually makes an effort to ‘be the duchess’ and he recognizes her never-give-up attitude, even facing down the tigers of the tonne. But they still aren’t communicating, and despite Ashford’s rather cold manner and unwillingness to help her adjust – Jemma’s willingness to jump to the wrong {and most damning} assumptions brings the story to a ‘Leave him and don’t tell him about the pregnancy’ moment that undid ALL of her growth, most of his – and then resolved. No real anything except the feeling that the word count had hit a specific target.

A debut that needed more editing, more development of characters, less tropes and a single rather than multiple set of influences left me flat – despite the moments that showed the author’s ability to create depth in Jemma and Ashford – taking them from flat, overdrawn caricature to more dimensional people, flawed but plausible.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9Z3/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

How (Not) to Marry a Duke by Felicia Kingsley is not my usual pick. I normally veer away from trope-filled vomit-inducing romantic chick-lit. I am happy to admit that this novel exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations. The original title for this book was A Marriage of Convenience which describes the plot. Jemma and Ashford come from vastly different social realms. Ashford is a high and mighty Duke with an extravagant lifestyle and eccentric friends. Jemma is a hard-working, stubborn woman who has luck (and a massive inheritance) fall into her lap. Jemma’s strong character and Ashford’s whiny habits give way to a story where the gender roles are reversed. They are forced to marry each other to save their own lifestyles, and their opposition is clear. Jemma is a breath of fresh air in an uppity society, and Ashford learns how to dial back his excessive life.

To be honest, there was a lot about this book that bothered me. The novel switches back and forth between Jemma and Ashford. Although it worked in moments that quickly flipped back and forth between their thoughts in a tense moment, I originally thought that having an alternative male voice in the story downgraded Jemma’s strong character. In fact, I believe that as she sinks deeper and deeper into her duties as a Duchess and learns the ways of society, she loses some of the strength that I admired from the beginning. The switch in characters would have been more welcome if there was a change in tone, but Kingsley writes in the same tone for both. She also gets wrapped up in a woman versus woman drama that I utterly despise – although it is relatable.

Despite what I’ve said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It touches on some mental health issues (something I find very important), and there are some amazing females portrayed in this novel. It is not entirely predictable, and the tropes that typically exists in chick lit are not present. I can’t give this book a 4/5 because there are just too many issues I had with the writing, but this novel is perfect for an easy holiday read. I give this a 3/5.