I love when the setting is a renaissance fair or festival so this whole town in on the act and the conflict was a lot of fun. I enjoyed spending time in this villiage and getting to know these characters . Fun, well written romcom that I enjoyed.

The inner theater kid has returned with a vengeance and is ready to talk about Bard's rest, yet again. Please please please let there be more books coming in this series - I love these characters and this town so much!

The Dane of my Existence follows the older sister of our main character from the first book (Miranda the author). Our older sister is Portia and is a stoic, calm, and (think hallmark business woman from the big city) lawyer. Portia has been tasked with being the festival's lawyer over the summer and is soon faced with a very big problem - a contractor is in town and is looking to purchase some land.

Benjamin and Portia have a really fun arch nemesis to quickly friends, then lovers dynamic. Their banter is top tier as well. I also loved seeing Portia's other relationships with friends and family develop and flourish as well.

Returning to the town of Bard’s Rest, the Shakespeare village in New England, and the Barnes family.

Portia is the eldest Barnes sister, and corporate lawyer, with only eyes for success. She keeps everyone at a distance, and shows no emotion.

Paired with Ben, they have similar interests and great chemistry. Overall this was a cute story!

I paired the audiobook with the ebook and really enjoyed this immersive listening experience.

*many thanks to Berkley romance, Netgalley and PRH Audio for the gifted copy for review

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Enemies to lovers, small towns, Shakespeare, Hallmark movie vibes, light reads

This was good, but I had a hard time connecting to the characters. Portia was very unlikable to me. I didn't super feel the chemistry between the two. I liked the small town feel and the general storyline. It just lost me a bit.

Thank you to Berkley for the eARC of this book!

I absolutely adored diving back into the town of Bard's Rest for book 2! The author has such a way with words that pull you in, make you think, and have you laughing out loud. I liked how we got to know Portia better as I knew after book 1 that there was more to her than met the eye!

Bard's Rest and its Shakespearean festival (and themed town) are the setting for this delightful enemies to lovers romantic comedy. Portia Barnes is ready to make partner at her law firm in Boston but she's home for the summer and just in time too, as real estate developer Benjamin Dane is looking to build on property that is essential to the festival the town's residents put on every year. This sets them up for an epic clash of wills and intent made difficult by Portia and Ben's attraction to each other. Watching these two go toe-to-toe (and mouth to mouth, wink) made for an exciting and thoroughly enjoyable read. Mistakes are made and the 3rd act dark moment makes it seem as though there is no chance of a happy ending but all's well that ends well. And I'd be remiss if I didn't note that separating the sections by Acts/Scenes is a cute touch. Definitely worth the read and I'm looking forward to more by this author!

I never wanted it to end, nervously grasping onto each word, and wishing I could make them last longer on a page. Definitely one unputdownable read for me.

As delightful as the first one, I’m a sucker for some good Shakespeare puns and references so there was a lot here to keep me happy. This whole town series is sweet and I liked the banter very much. Like the last one, it had so,e good heat to the main characters. Enjoyed.

With a charming town and a work obsessed but still secretly tender main character, this is such a perfect summer romance. Bard's Rest is such a great setting, and all the Shakespeare references add fun color to this story. It's also a great romance with characters who really get each other, despite their frustrations and disagreements.

This cute contemporary romance is the second book in Jessica Martin's A Bard's Rest Romance series. I don’t think it is essential to have read the first book to enjoy this one.

The high points for me were the enemies to lovers plot, small town setting, and the chemistry between Portia and Benjamin. I also liked the cute Shakespeare references around the town.

What could have been better: I could see the pending conflict/third act breakup coming from a mile away. The workaholic lawyer persona of Portia wasn’t that interesting to me.

Read if you like Shakespeare references, small town setting, and enemies to lovers.

3.5

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: sick parent (cancer), death of a loved one (past)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-small town romance
-rivals to lovers
-coming home

I don't always enjoy books that feature a MC that is a lawyer (it just hits too close to home) but this was a great read. I loved how Portia's legal career was very much integrated into her personality, and while there were up and downs she also just truly loved being an attorney. I loved returning to Bards Rest, this small town is so fun and all the Shakespeare puns.

Ben was a fun love interest, they had great chemistry and push and pull. This one kept me guessing if these two could make it work and it was just a great summer read. I listened via audiobook which I highly recommend. I can't wait for the third sister to get her book.

Steam: 3

✨ Review ✨ The Dane of My Existence by Jessica Martin

High-powered lawyer meets developer in this small-town Shakespeare-themed romance. I didn't read the first book in this series (For the Love of the Bard), and maybe that left me feeling a little disoriented? I liked the quirky Shakespeare-themed spaces and the characters that surrounded the main characters, but the ways that the two characters were sort of scheming against each other wasn't really my jam.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: m/f romance
Setting: small-town East Coast somewhere

Thanks to Berkley, PRHAudio, and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

I was so excited to return to Bard’s Rest in this follow up novel to For The Love Of The Bard. This time we follow older sister Portia as she returns to her Shakespeare obsessed hometown where she finds herself in an enemy to lovers situation with a commercial developer Ben, who has plans to build over the town’s outdoor theater. Not if Portia has anything to do with it! Although she isn’t a diehard Shakespeare fan like the rest of her town she definitely has a soft spot for the town and its annual festival.

I actually enjoyed this one more than the first. Portia’s badass, independent woman persona was more my style and I enjoyed the banter and sexiness between her and Ben. Martin writes banter very well and I was all in rooting for the two.

I recommend this book for all romance lovers. Even though this book can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone, the first book definitely gives you a good impression of the town and the Barnes family. I’ve got my fingers crossed for a story about Cordelia next!!

The Dane of My Existence is a charming small town romance set in Bard's Rest, New Hampshire. Portia Barnes is a type A attorney, but she has the summer off and spends time with her sisters and parents in Bard's Rest. She becomes involved in the Shakespeare festival, of course, but also a land development dispute -- going up against a charming developer. Sparks fly although they are on different sides of development.

I wanted to read this novel because I enjoyed the first book in the series so much. I absolutely love Bard's Rest and consider the town almost another character in this series! It is such a quirky place with lots of Shakespeare inspired locales. The small town atmosphere and snappy dialogue in these books reminds me a bit of one of my favorite TV series, Gilmore Girls (high praise from me!).

I think I enjoyed this second novel in the series even more than the first. It is fun watching Portia and Ben navigate a possible romance when they are on such different sides of small town development. Ben is a book boyfriend to pull for - charming and authentic. And there is even a lovable rescue dog in the mix!

I recommend The Dane of My Existence - and the Bard's Rest series - for fans of small town fiction, heartwarming romance, and feel good stories. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!

Beautiful


Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Book 2 set in the town of Bard’s Rest. This time focusing on Portia, the youngest partner in her firm and setting her sights on running the Boston office. Before that happens she’s headed home right in time for the annual summer Shakespeare festival. Just like in any small town there’s the threat of a real estate developer looking to shut down a beloved spot and this beloved spot is the theater. Also, no surprise the person looking to shut it down is extremely handsome! This is such a fun town and this was a fun one!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another fun look at Bard’s Rest, New Hampshire. This second book in the series (but can definitely be read as a stand alone) has eldest sister Portia examining her life choices as she is on a summer sabbatical. Lots of summer fun and romance, this book is a lovely quick read.

small town
enemies to lovers
closed door

If you're a fan of Sarah Adams this is for you. Hot shot lawyer versus commercial developer made for a fun romance to read. Their verbal duels were fun to read. This can be read as a stand alone.

Calling all theater folks, this book’s for you, I really enjoyed this read. Having a town dedicated to Shakespeare was a really fun setting. The female main character (Portia) isn’t really a fan of Shakespeare, which I can relate to, but she did love her hometown and it’s whimsical elements.

I would have to say the drive-in date was my absolute favorite part and the fact that Ben the MMC was staying in a very eclectic known swinger’s house. The details were too funny.

I did get a little bit of whiplash from how back-and-forth the FMC and the MMC were in their relationship, very hot and cold, and I did get confused with all the different characters in this book. But the playbill style character list in the front of the book was a big help.

Overall, this was a really fun romcom. A perfect summer read. Definitely if you have theater experience in your past, I think you will enjoy this book.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘺 𝘌𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 is perfect for fans of theater. There were lots of Shakespeare references and behind the scenes glimpses into theater productions which brought a unique element to this romcom.

I love a small town setting, and the quirky small town of Bard’s Rest really delivered with a kaleidoscope of personalities and characters.

I thought Ben and Portia were well matched in their relationship, and I really enjoyed Portia’s character arc as we discovered sho she was beyond her tough, no nonsense lawyer shell. The banter between Ben and Portia was fun to read as well—they kept each other on their toes!

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝗼𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
❤️ Enemies/rivals to lovers
🏘️ Small town setting
😂 Witty banter
🎭 Theater life