In this sweet romance, the heroine Rebecca Rowley is reckless and impulsive, although she doesn't see herself that way. Her secret betrothal to an enemy's son is both. Thankfully she has her new neighbor Lieutenant Nicholas Avery to show her why she does the things she does and what it is that she really wants. She grows throughout the novel, fortunately, as she is exceedingly clueless. Rebecca and Nicholas's earlier interactions are quite humorous, with the resulting egg always on Rebecca's face.

The lighthearted tone of this book is delightful, although the childbirth crisis is rather serious. The epilogue is charming.

The novel is fairly well-written, although as a rule I dislike first-person narration. It is also clean, with few grammatical errors. However, "discrete" instead of "discreet" appeared twice.

Thanks to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for an ARC of this enjoyable novel.

This was a fantastic Romantic comedy and I say that with love. The story was mostly lighthearted and witty and I could hardly classify it as anything else. I could see this one as a movie. Rebecca is a character with fire. She is secretly engaged to Edward and finds herself befriending Nicholas. It's very Romeo and Juliet meets While You were Sleeping, though the two gentlemen do not know each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It didn't have the pressures of the London Season which was refreshing. Rebecca had quite the time keeping her secrets and then had a situation on her hands when the secrets came out.

Joanna Barker has weaved a lovely tale that allowed for a true escape and much of the struggle of our heroine was of her own making. Both gentlemen were truly good though my heart only knew one true winner. Rebecca was able to truly know herself and she had to overcome her own obstacles. This was written solely from her perspective which helped me not see as easily who she would choose, though like I said, there was only one choice.

#netgalley #otherwiseengaged

I absolutely loved this amazing, clean, and lovely regency romance. The characters are so engaging. They are charming, witty, and made me laugh so many times. The plot was thrilling! I I highly recommend it!

OTHERWISE ENGAGED by JOANNA BARKER is a well written historical romance novel which is highly reminiscent of Jane Austen. I enjoyed everything about it and also feel that the title is very clever. It is the first book I have read by this author and it most certainly will not be the last!
The story takes place in Hertfordshire in 1822, with Lieutenant Nicholas Avery moving into the country estate next door to Rebecca Rowley and her family. This threatens to spoil Rebecca's bareback riding in a field on his property, until they come to an arrangement. Their first meeting is dramatic, with Rebecca saving the lieutenant's decidedly difficult eleven year old sister, Olivia, from drowning in the lake.
Rebecca is quite a rebel and gets bored with tame women's pastimes and society in general, although she did enjoy her time in Brighton society, coming home secretly engaged.
The story has a fair share of intrigue, dinner parties and assemblies, and of course the gossip that goes with it all. The characters are wonderfully portrayed and will keep you entertained, especially with the witty repartee that goes on between Nicholas and Rebecca.
I highly recommend Otherwise Engaged to anyone who enjoys this genre.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Covenant Communications. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

I absolutely loved this fantastic, clean, and delightful regency romance. The characters are charming, witty, and made me laugh out loud. The plot was completely captivating and thrilling. I I highly recommend it!

I found myself liking the character of Nicholas much more than the main character Rebecca. She came across to me as slightly immature and annoying, although I did appreciate that she didn't back down from a challenge. And I was expecting there to be more development around the history of Rebecca's father and her fiance's father, as well as a little more drama from his side of the story once the truth came out. Overall, it was a decent read, but I just felt like there was something lacking a little bit.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

Oh my heart! I loved this book! Where to begin?!

So I'll start by saying that Rebecca is amazing. She grows so much throughout the story but still remains true to the person that she really is. She's brave, adventurous and full of life. But she does have flaws and those cause some problems in her life. Not being completely honest with her family and with herself puts her in some sticky situations. I love how in the end she decides to be honest with herself and that is what ultimately leads to her own happiness.

I LOVE Nicholas. He is one of the best male characters I've read in a while. He's not afraid to call Rebecca out when she is doing something ridiculous but also he's not afraid to let her be herself and do the things she loves. And some of the things he says to her! So swoony!

This book could be called a love triangle but it's pretty obvious from the book summary and the opening chapters who she will end up with so I didn't feel conflicted at all about that. And I guessed about halfway through what would happen with Edward and it all works out nicely.

Olivia was a good secondary character and I'd love to see her get her own book some day. She's got...attitude. Is that a nice way to say it? But I liked her.

I appreciated the epilogue. I'm ALWAYS a fan of epilogues because it makes me feel like I get a little more closure and a glimpse into their HEA.

JoAnna Barker for the win again! I'll definitely be rereading this one!

What a delight to find yet another "new favourite" author to me! While Joanna Barker is a popular author (she was a finalist in our Book of the Year awards last year), I have never read one of her books. I can honestly say it won't be my last.

I loved the inner dialogue of Rebecca Rowley. Her humour and impulsiveness reminded me of Jane Austen's Emma. It was quite a treat to peek inside her thoughts. Her friendship with Nicolas Avery was also reminiscent of Emma. She feels perfectly safe to call him a friend because she is "otherwise engaged" (perfect title by the way). Nicolas, for his part, accepts this new friendship, agreeing to keep Rebecca's engagement secret. The quick and witty banter between them was so realistic I felt like I was watching a movie. Filled with hilarity, romance, a mystery we are in on and misunderstandings, this is a story you will want to place on your "keeper" shelf. I will miss these characters.

If you love Jane Austen and Regency Romances, you will love this book. I highly recommend it.
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I received a copy courtesy of Covenant Communications through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

This was a charming story, Rebecca and Nicholas were wonderful characters. Their journey of friendship to love was a delight to read and to be a part of so thank you to Joanna Barker for making this so authentic.

Very well written, page after page kept you captivated, it just kept getting better and better. The scenes with Nicholas and Rebecca towards the latter of the story and the end were restrained but so full of emotion.

Otherwise Engaged by Joanna Barker is an excellent historical romance set in the 1820s England.

I will leave the plot synopsis for the reader, and will go ahead and start talking about how much I love this book!

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I have decided I am now a huge fan. I loved the two main characters: Rebecca and Nicholas.
I loved that both were realistic, imperfect, human, complex, and have strong moral compasses. I loved seeing their respective paths, growth, and their relationship blossom as the novel goes along. A sweet, romantic journey on the path to finding who we are meant for, and our greater purpose. I enjoyed this story so much and am so glad to see their happy ending. So wonderful!

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Covenant for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, and Instagram accounts immediately, and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

A wonderful romance! A must read for lovers of clean and intriguing regency romance.

Otherwise Engaged absolutely thrilled me. I enjoyed the plot of it, starting from her first meeting with the Lieutenant and Olivia. The realism in her finidng it difficult to go with Nicholas because of Edward and her love for family make for a great heroine. It's a real and sweet book.

I would definitely recommend.

This book was absolutely charming! I'm torn between what I loved most: The author's writing voice or that perfect, swoony first kiss scene. :) I love books where I'm able to just immediately settle in to the story and the characters and that was this one to a T. A perfect summer evening read on the patio with just the right mix of humor and romance.