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✨Games in a Ballroom by Jentry Flint✨

Genre: Regency Romance/YA
Pages: 272
Pub Date: May 3, 2022

📚 Synopsis: London, 1815. Olivia Wilde has resigned herself to never finding a love match. Her father has insisted she marry a man with a title, if only to increase his own standing and reputation in society. But the men her father deems acceptable are, at best, boring and uninspiring, and at worse, are as brutish as her father, and are only looking to increase their own diminishing coffers. With her future looking dismal, Olivia decides to enjoy the last few months of freedom with her childhood friends, including the handsome Emerson Latham. His devilish smile and flirtatious teasing stirs up feelings she knows she cannot entertain.

Emerson is struggling to rise to his responsibilities after the death of his father. Though he might still be learning what he needs to do as the head of his household, one thing he knows for sure is that he wants Olivia Wilde to be his wife. Having grown up as childhood friends with Olivia, Emerson long ago had fallen in love with her quick wit, beauty, and passionate heart. However, without a title, he will never be permitted to court Olivia openly. But he has a plan that may give him a chance to court her in secret.

📝 This was a charming and innocent regency romance with a friends to lovers trope. I’d definitely say that this is for a young adult audience (aka not Bridgerton💁🏻‍♀️).

The combination of his pining for Liv, witty banter and the relationship with his mother and friends made Emerson my favorite character.

A solid debut! An enjoyable read for fans of regency romances and Jane Austen.

💫Thank you Netgalley for my ARC💫

Games in a Ballroom was a fun chaste romance. This friends to lovers story follows Olivia and Emerson, whom have been friends since childhood. Emerson desperately wants Olivia to see him as more than just her best friend's older brother. In order to bring out her more fun and mischievous side, he proposes an ongoing game of tag with their friend group during their weekly balls. This book is very lighthearted and sweet. I can see this as a good transition book for teens starting out in the historical romance genre even though it didn't seem to be marketed at YA or new adult romance. The book is on the shorter side and has little to no steam but plenty of hijinks. There isn't even a kiss until 85% into the book. All in all, I enjoyed this book and hope that the author writes Emerson's sister, Arabella's, story next.

This book is for you if you like: practical jokes, witty banter, unrequited love, best friend's brother tropes, chaste romance, engaging secondary characters, and plenty of games in a ballroom.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jentry Flint, and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

London, March 1815. Emerson Latham has set his mind on winning the hand of his childhood friend, Olivia Wilde, in this years season. He is certain that she will be the right woman to marry and share his life with, and to help with the household that his late father has left him with. There is only one problem; Olivia's father has decided that she will marry a man of title so that he can further his position in society. The titled men who are interested in her are all boring, plain and they all have a catch – which makes the endless balls and outings dreadful things for Olivia. Emerson Latham is the opposite of these men. He is charming and playful, proposing a game of tag in London's ballrooms to pass the time. The group of friends participate in the game that soon turns Olivia's attention toward Emerson in a whole different way. He is handsome and she knows him well, but he isn't titled. Her father would never allow such a match.

This book is packed with romance, yearning for another, friendship, and the challenges that a person faces when growing into adulthood in the 19th century. We have a quite typical star-crossed lovers situation in the book, but the game of tag that drives the whole novel forward gives it a feeling that is slight different from books that I have previously read. The game gives the book a playful, fun, and youthful feeling, while the underlying problems are far deeper and more fitted for adults.

Jentry Flint writes in a way that easily brings you through the book, and it flows nicely all through. The book felt rather short to me because of the flowing writing and the length being under 300 pages, but it still managed to make me root for the characters and their stories. They were all nicely written, and even though I feel that they could have been more developed if the book was longer, I am satisfied.

This book has some of that Bridgerton-vibe without being as spicy, so that is definitely something to note. Further, I also feel that it has it’s similarities to Pride and Prejudice and other books written in and about this time-period. If you’re a fan of historical dramas and romances, then this is a book for you. Don’t expect to be blown away by something new or different, but it is a sweet book that is easy to enjoy for most people!

Rating: 3.8 / 5

**Received free ARC from Netgalley for honest review**

For all intents and purposes, this is a charming Regency romantic comedy, with definite influences of being a Jane Austen fan--as all writers who tackle the Regency era are, I guess. It centres around Emerson Latham and Olivia Wilde, childhood friends who make up two thirds of the trio that also includes Arabella Latham, Emerson's sister.

See, Emerson's got a problem: he's head over heels in love with Olivia (whom he called Liv as in "live wild"), but she doesn't know it yet. Not only does Olivia still see him as just Arabella's brother at the beginning of the story, but Emerson also doesn't have the title that qualifies him as a suitor in the eyes of Olivia's father, a self-made (but rich) man, Joshua Wilde. With a lot of the plot taking place in ballrooms as Olivia's father desperately tries to secure her a match with a title, Emerson decides to press his suit in an unconventional way when the usual conventions fail to get through Olivia's dense exterior.

Namely, he proposes a game of tag.

No, seriously.

At first, even to the reader, it's confusing just what this game is intended to do since...tag = courting seems like a kindergarten tactic, right? And...yeah, it kind of is, honestly, and no amount of posh-sounding description changes that. But it's...cute, and kind of entertaining to see Emerson get more and more frustrated with making things work whereas Olivia as no idea what she's in for via this unconventional method of courting. Add to that Arabella's obsession with Shakespeare and Emerson's two opposite friends (the cheerful gambler Bradbury and the brooding baron whose name I forget) and you've got a group of funny characters in this romance, therefore making it a historical romantic comedy.

Now, usually these books are not my cup of tea, but because of the Austen-like description and, I'll admit, especially because of the cover, I decided to give it a try. And, for the most part this was a gamble that paid off, as I actually ended up mostly liking the story.

....Until the last quarter which...though not quite a trainwreck ending, was the author pushing things too far in my opinion, to the point that they get silly rather than endearing. Basically, Olivia's father is painted as a villain far out of proportion to how a person would realistically be and act, and becomes almost monstrous in a Gothic novel way that's juxtaposed with the rest of the romantic-comedy setup. Then, there's the fact that Olivia's character is compromised in the process as well and becomes just plain stupid in her decisions, which of course necessitates Emerson coming in to "rescue" her from herself. Yeah, that entire rescue bit at the end is cheesy, cliché, and not very well done. Maybe the author thought that the plot needed to be spiced up by all that action at the end because of the otherwise slow-ish paced rest of the book but...

...yeah, not a decision that I particularly liked, to be honest. Just having Olivia realize her feelings for Emerson was enough of a revelation and climax, thank you very much, and quite frankly it would have been truer to the Austen fashion that way as well.

But oh well, Jentry Flint is obviously no Jane Austen, so that comparison's unfair from the get go.

Still, this book was a lot better than I was expecting it to be, and I can definitely see a lot of people liking it as well. Will it ever be "great"? I doubt it.

BUT, it could be a lovely addition to someone else's romance shelves out there. Give it a try.

** spoiler alert ** I really liked the characters and the interaction between Olivia and Emerson and Arabella and Northcott because they fit together. I loved the dancing and the talking. Outside the game part everything the couples did made me smile and wish for more of that then the game part. The story between Olivia and Emerson is touching, but the games that started as fun seem to derail the reason why they were started. One of the game is to make Olivia realized that Emerson loved her and the other game was to have some fun by letting a pig loose in the gentleman's club but to me both games seem not as fun as they were suppose to be. The game seem to get Olivia into more trouble with her volatile father than giving her any fun, and it never makes her realize that Emerson loves her. The other game in the story wasn't that funny to me because the mishandling of a innocent animal made me sad because they only used it for entertainment without any thought to the animal. I know in those days that people didn't care much for livestock, but maybe one person does.

The story was well written and is worth reading because the story is good.

I want to thank Shadow Mountain Publishing, Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for the advance copy of this story.

I really LOVED this book. I am a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, and this book did it so successfully. I loved watching the characters realize the feelings they had for each other. The overall premise of the book - the tag game during balls - was a little silly. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that these young men and women probably had to find ways to entertain themselves just as we do today. So I accepted that their behavior was a bit out of character for the standards of the time period.

The author seemed to set up some stories for the minor characters that could be future novels, so I hope to spend some time with these delightful characters again soon!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves some playful fun with their clean historical romances.

Thank you to NetGalley, Shadow Mountain Publishing, and Jentry Flint for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest opinions!

A book that I really enjoyed right from the start. There was no long back story as the leading couple are childhood friends and neighbors. The book is a slice of life where Emerson is in love with Liv and how he goes about courting her with humor and a wonderful game of tag. His friends are well written and I hope they get a book of their own as they are supportive and loyal. The writing is in keeping with the time and I never felt it was too modern but the description never gets too bogged down in detail. The books is also a tale of 2 families, one that has love and the other abuse. I would have liked an Epilogue as to what happens are things are tied up.

Games in the Ballroom was a fun read. I enjoyed the games that were added into the novel. Would love to see this done more in novels I read. I really enjoy the banter and pranks explained but some of them were too long. I got bored and ended up skipping. Just need to be trimmed up to hold interest. Since I was reading an arc maybe this was delt with. (Spoilers) In addition the ending was unrealistic to me. I fear the couple would have to run from the law for the rest of their lives for attacking her father etc. I wish there was another way to make things work out. But getting out of abusive relationships was not something people were able to legally do back then. (And even now it is very difficult) so I understand.

Emerson Latham faces unusually dire odds for a romance hero, denied the allure of a reformed rake and the angst of a tragic past (though his two best friends do look promising in both respects as potential leads for future novels). He is... a Nice Guy. I confess, I love books built on strong friendships... but being Friend Zoned is hardly what Emerson hoped for all those times when he asked Olivia to dance with him.

Fortunately for him, Olivia and Arabella (her best friend, and Emerson's sister) agree to join a secret game of tag that the five friends play at Season balls, But "the course of true love never ran smooth" to quote Shakespeare, Arabella's favorite author. Olivia's father is determined to see his daughter marry into the aristocracy. Emerson's rival is Lord Voldemort--sorry, sorry! Lord Valencourt, a villain hiding dark secrets, but the most chilling aspect of the novel is the specter of domestic violence. I was hooked and speed reading by the final chapters, caught up in the suspense. Three plus stars, rounded up for a first book: I look forward to finding out what happens next. Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the opportunity to review an advance copy of Games in a Ballroom.

A quick, light-hearted book. The idea of using children’s games as a plot device really appealed to me, but the execution fell a little short. The characters were a little flat, all depending on one character trait over and over (Arabella loves Shakespeare, Northcott barely speaks, etc.). There was no explanation about why the main pair loved each other, which is important in a romance. A fun concept, but it just didn’t pan out as I would have liked.

'Games in a Ballroom' is mostly a cozy, entertaining read, but this is unfortunately one of those books where the supporting cast is much more interesting than the two main characters. Emerson is infatuated with Olivia from the very beginning but I don't think the book does a good job of explaining why, when or how. Maybe flashbacks to their earlier friendship would've helped with this while also developing Emerson and Olivia more. Emerson's also too controlling for my liking (this is probably supposed to be seen as romantic and persistent), which is odd if he's supposed to be a foil to Olivia's domineering father.

3.75 stars

Games in a Ballroom is a clean, lighthearted and humorous (and I acknowledge that there was humour, just not in excess, and not the kind that leads to audible chuckling) historical romance boasting a friends-to-lover trope that never seems to get old, and is done quire well in my opinion.

This is very much a cozy read that is well settled into Regency London. It wasn't terribly descriptive from a worldbuilding perspective, but I never felt like we weren't in that era, especially when the bounds of propriety came into play.

The story itself is told in a dual POV, third person narrative, which worked well. I liked reading about both sides of the burgeoning relationship between Emerson and Liv, especially the teasing and banter (and the pining, we can't forget the pining). Liv slowly learning about how she feels and what she wants from her life in a partner and Emerson having to reign in his feelings and figure out how to win Liv over was depicted in a way that was sweet and felt genuine. There were also subtle growing pains for our two leads. We see them more pronounced in Emerson than Liv, but both of the lead characters slowly learn to be true to themselves, and in doing so, learn how they fit alongside one another. The romance is the focus of the novel, and I think it's executed quite well.

The characterization overall wasn't overly developed, but the supporting cast was so much fun. Northcott and Bradbury were the perfect foils to one another and really rounded Emerson out, while Arabella's more outgoing and outspoken nature helped Olivia come out of the shell she surrounded herself with due to her father's pressuring and domineering nature. The friendships were not without conflict (and I wish we'd had more of an opportunity to explore Northcott and his stoic and silent nature in addition to Bradbury's utter disdain for the institution of marriage), but the loyalty between them all showed how important each of them was to one another.

I did however want a little more from Mrs. Wilde - to be able to see her actually take up more of a maternal role other than at the end would've solidified her character more. She was a strong individual placed in a domestic abuse situation due to her family without any means of recourse, but I think we could've been shown more to really hammer that point home. Similarly, the villains of the story were of the classic sort; Lord Valencourt and Mr. Wilde didn't have an incredible amount of depth to them, but they served their roles well enough.

The ending was cut too short for me though. It was action-packed and yet still somehow centred around another game despite the high stakes of the moment but I would've enjoyed an epilogue, or even a couple more chapters to see exactly how the pair evaded the wrath of Liv's father. Everything just wrapped up way too quickly for my tastes when I wanted more of a graceful exeunt to the tale.

Overall, I enjoyed this Regency romance from a debut author and would definitely be willing to read more from Lady Flint. I would not be opposed to any sequel(s) concerning Liv and Emerson's friends - it would be welcomed actually (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

And so with all that being said, this is where I make a gracious proclamation of gratitude towards both NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me access to an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.

Games in a Ballroom is certainly an interesting and original idea for a historical novel. I was very intrigued when I first saw the book's description and was excited to read it. Now, having read it, it reminds me of a movie I saw a preview for about a group of friends that play tag as adults, so not sure if this in the inspiration for the novel or not, but it seemed very similar.

Oftentimes, historical novels describe how restricting and judgmental society could be, so livening things up with a secret game amongst friends sounds like a good idea. The game is suggested because Emerson wants to court Liv, but I don't see how the game really helped him with his pursuit of her heart. Certainly, the game helped bring a little bit of the "old Liv" back, who she was before her father tried to form her into the perfect daughter worthy to marry a titled Lord. But again, I don't know how her risking her father's ire to play a game helped her develop or recognize feelings for Emerson. Despite the odds of them finding a happily ever after together, you were rooting for them to succeed and find love.

As far as the characters go, both the main and side characters were all interesting and I enjoyed reading about them and their addition to the story. They are each unique and seemingly burdened in their own way and I can tell they have a story to tell and had just hoped to learn a little bit more about them. I certainly hope they get their own books and space to tell their stories. There was a little bit of immaturity involved with the games and pranks that felt a little bit too forced for the characters, time period and society.

The end of the novel tied up rather nicely but quickly, compared to the danger they were risking throughout the whole story. I think I would've enjoyed a little epilogue or follow up. Overall, this book was a fun idea and uniquely original and I would recommend this book.

Olivia Wilde's father made a fortune in shipping and investments. He now insists that Olivia, who is in her second season, marry only someone with a title. This will ensure that his doors and business will be open to the upper crust. Emerson doesn't have a title and is the older brother of Olivia's best friend. He declares to his two friends that he plans to woo and wed Olivia. (An unusual move in a historical romance.) When he realizes she takes his asking her to dance as pity and not courting, he decides to create a game to be played during balls.

I enjoyed the core group of the MCs, his friends and sister. But playing the game of tag in person is more fun than reading about it in a book. He could have spoken to Olivia about his intentions to court her but the main obstacle isn't addressed which is her father. I thought there might have been efforts to befriend or prove Emerson's worth to the father. Instead we get silly hijinks involving a pig which didn't increase my opinion of Emerson. (I understand the purpose from the book, but still.) In other stories like this, the father usually comes round to the idea of the daughters love is most important, but that isn't the direction the author takes. So I didn't love how things work out with her father.

I'm guessing the author is setting up his two friends or his sister as future books. I would read their stories. This is clean for language and contains a few kisses. This book would be fans of proper romances YA and up. Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy.

GAMES IN A BALLROOM follows Emerson Latham’s attempt to woo his sister’s best friend—a friend convinced that he cares for her out of brotherly duty and whose father is aggressively determined that she marry a titled gentleman. Olivia Wilde knows two things: Emerson is off-limits to her and this is to be her last Season because her father is determined that she marry. When Emerson suggests a game of tag to play in secret at Society events, she decides to risk her father’s wrath and join in the fun. What’s merely a game of fun for their friends is of the highest of stakes for Emerson and Olivia.

This was a very quick read with a premise that I have not encountered in a historical romance, though I hesitate to label it as such as it sits outside the mold of what is typically expected from the genre. The introduction of childhood games into the ballroom snagged my interest but I felt that the writing could have benefitted with deeper characterization. Emerson’s tendency to make a game of everything could have benefitted from a counterbalance of more vulnerability, and it would have been nice to perhaps see some of the history between them that caused him to fall in love with Olivia before she was of marriageable age. I also occasionally found myself pulled out of the story by the use of contemporary language and some of the wilder elements of the story.

Overall, this is an entertaining and refreshing take on the regency era that is best read with a healthy suspension of disbelief. Just the idea of people in full dress attire darting through the crowd to surreptitiously tag a co-conspirator has me chuckling. Compared to other historical romances, this one is squeaky clean but does include heavy themes of parental abuse.

Thank you to Jentry Flint and NetGalley for providing me with this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review. After Olivia fails to notice Emerson’s attempt to court her and to avoid her father’s unsuitability concerns, Emerson proposes a game of tag to be played. While the premise sounded good, the characters were a bit underdeveloped and the plot a little far fetched (even for a Victorian romance).

Fun Regency romp by a promising new author.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Tag in the ballroom! Who would have thought. What a clever idea. The H&h had a real connection, having been friends for a time and that always makes for a good story. Emerson's friends were excellent supporting characters and I really hope the Brooding Baron gets a story.

I would have liked to see the ending a bit more tied up but it wasn't a bad ending by any means.

Overall I give this a solid 4 stars for clean Regency readers.

This is my first experience with a novel written by Jentry Flint. I enjoyed the story ands found it to be an easy and intriguing read. I look forward to reading more of her novels.

Olivia Wilde knows she must obey her sometimes violent father's wishes and marry whom he chooses. She must protect her mother. When childhood friend Emerson Latham encourages the group of friends play some games, like tag, secretly during society events, Olivia knows she should avoid playing. If her father were to discover the games, she and her mother would be in trouble. But she decides a little bit of freedom and fun may be just what she needs before she is committed to her fate. What she didn't plan on, is falling in love with Emerson.

Not my favorite, but not my least favorite. The romance was so one-sided for most of the book that it threw me off when Liv began to reciprocate. Also, reading elaborate descriptions of pranks is never actually very fun (certainly not as fun as watching or participating!), and I found that the whole pranking thing to be more of a distraction than anything.

3 stars *may change.

I tend to read a lot of those campy “mom” regency romances books you find in a suspicious book isle at a gas station. They’re mostly very trashy and way too hormonal. This wasn’t that.

I hesitate to categorize it as adult only because it doesn’t have any of the features most adult regency romances do, but it also has none of the young adult conventions either. It’s more of a contemporary than a romance, to be honest? I mean, it still had its fair share of campy, sickeningly cute moment, but it wasn’t some big dramatic and horny novel that most of the genre it seems to be.

I think this actually makes it a pretty good qualifier for anyone who wants to start reading regency’s without having to trudge through the hormonal mess that are Tessa Dare books. lol. It’s a fun enough novel with a cute couple that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader’s copy.