Historical romances are always a favorite of mine and this one was no exception to the "feel-good, easy going romance".

The characters were likeable and I did appreciate the lack of venomous characters that seem to always make an appearance in historical romance novels.

While the plot seemed somewhat lacking of any real conflict, the overall story was still sweet. and enjoyable to read. I'm still a tad confused why Lavinia's sister was mad about her being chosen as the Duke's bride when she was supposedly in love with someone else but maybe that's just me.

Four Weddings and a Duke is another sweet, romantic, and heartwarming kind of historical story. It was well-written and nicely paced, it had wonderful characters, secrets, warm love scenes, great supportive secondary characters, a little bit of angst, a dash of heartache with a few drops of tear. After loving Ten Rules for Marring a Duke, Michelle Mclean has easily become an author I look forward to reading again and again.

My love for historical romance novels drew me to this story of a duke and a book-loving lady. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy how the plot was executed or the character development.

A botanical expert in England, Alex, the Duke of Beaubrooke, hates social events. Lavinia loves books and prefers a quiet life, as she is regularly ignored at social events. Due to an agreement between their fathers, Alex must marry Lavinia or one of her sisters. After seeing Lavinia, Alex marries her because he believes her quiet disposition would make her the perfect wife for him. Unfortunately, their marriage is marred by a lack of communication and understanding between the two.

The struggles Alex and Lavinia faced in their marriage were not relatable to me. Alex resented Lavinia for doing her job as a duchess and hosting parties, while Lavinia should have known what kind of man Alex was instead of resenting him for spending so much time on his research and manuscripts. Throughout the whole book they danced around each other and created unnecessary drama instead of talking about expectations and desires for their marriage.

Alex and Lavinia's constant misunderstandings seemed like a lazy way to create drama and tension in their relationship. As a reader, I would have preferred to see more creative and interesting character development.

In spite of its charm and intrigue, I can't call this book my favorite because it relies so heavily on clichés. There are some lovely and beautifully written scenes between the two main characters. Unfortunately, there was no real plot in this book, so I was unable to enjoy it.

I thought that this story was a smashing good romance story. The two main characters Liv and Alex were unbelievably awesome. How the writer created two characters who’s character’s and motivations that are totally opposite, how they came to be I don’t know. Harriett the older sister. I was waiting for a psychotic episode to come from her.
Oh my god Alex through everyone for a conundrum during his announcement. Kitty was the only one that I thought would hide behind a piece of furniture during his announcement. The romance was beautiful and sweet. The plot connected well with the characters. The emotion and dialogue was very real and gripping to the idealism that Liv and Alex asked for.
Until next time my fellow readers… read on! I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Two introverts, Lavinia a reader, Alex a scientist, have a quick courtship and wedding. The Duke then proceeds to make his rivalry with Lavinia’s friend Nigel the sole focus of his time and this pushes his wife away.

Skipping ahead to the end we see the zduke coming to his senses, and all is HEA.

Four Weddings and a Duke explores a post-wedding romance between a Duke and his wife, as he discovers that the marriage of convenience isn't so convenient. i love a good story of love after marriage, and Michelle McLean doesn't disappoint with the swooniness, romance and banter.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the premise of this book. A socially awkward botanist meets a socially awkward bookworm and sparks fly! Of course, they don’t marry for love, obviously. That would be silly. They both want to retire to the country, he to his conservatory, she to her library, and be quite happy to never appear in public again. Through a series of misunderstandings and interferences from family and friends, there are more social engagements, cancellations, lonely nights and arguments than either of them wanted and it all gets a bit much for them! Spoiler alert though: it all works out in the end. The interactions between our MCs are sweet and beautifully romantic…I’m a sucker for a MMC who builds up his lady with compliments and assurances! A sweet, fun and cosy read.

Four Weddings and a Duke was like sleeping on a cloud. The interactions between our main couple were so tender you could cut it with a fork. I am a great supporter of gentle, soft moments and I gobble them up like bonbons. The hero and heroine were sweet introverts more than willing to escape into the greenhouse together for some time alone. I knew from the first few pages that I loved the author's writing style and ran to NetGalley for more of her catalog. I'm weak-kneed for protagonists who wear glasses, especially when their partner encourages them to use them at every opportunity. Bundle in that feature with the couple's immediate chemistry and I was hooked like a bluefin tuna.

Lavinia and Alex were so well matched and a joy to read. I loved how they first met and he was already meant to marry a daughter of the Wynnburn family. Everything certainly worked out in the end. I felt like the eldest sister and family friend were both manipulative busybodies, but you've got to have a villain somewhere. Both the spice and the sweetness were perfectly curated in Four Weddings and a Duke. The last quarter of the book dragged on, but I suppose you have to lay the ground work for the eponymous four weddings. I was the most invested in the second wedding, but we gotta deliver on the title's promise!

Four Weddings and a Duke was a lovely surprise and I'm already anticipating the second Michelle McLean book stored in my Kindle. I could already tell from the first chapter how talented the author was and I couldn't wait to read more from her. If the next book has half as much tenderness as this one, we're golden. With gentle, green-thumbed heroes and strawberry sweet heroines, what's not to like? I'm just saying that I'm willing to suffer through four weddings like Lavinia if my consolation prize is a duke like Alex.

I really enjoyed an earlier book by this writer, so I took a chance on this one. I did enjoy the first portion especially, though it was clear from the first page that this is a Bridgertons subgenre "Regency romance", with extra emphasis on the quotes, as it's not clear when it's supposed to be set. The world building details are scant, and the language twenty-first century, as are most of the attitudes--which I realize is a feature, not a flaw, for many readers who want balls and dukes and carriages and romantic trappings, without dealing with archaic language.

Aside from that, I suspect that this book wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a romance or a comedy of manners, and so it opted for romance tropes--lots of emphasis on hero and heroine's physical attraction, the grand misunderstanding (they argue like modern people but don't actually talk out their problem until way late, a trope that is a difficult sell for me). When the novel tried to be a comedy of manners, that is, a girl not prepared for becoming a duchess trying to figure out how to do so, and to fit into her new role, I found it a bit more engaging. But the thing with comedies of manners is, they work if author and reader knows the manners and mores of the given time. And that wasn't the case here, so there were a lot of falters, and then reversion to predictable tropes.

Still, it's a slow, pleasant read, with likable characters. Just the ticket for those times when you want an untroubling read!

It was a fun, light read. Lavinia and Alex's chemistry is sooo good, i love them. What I don't like about them is that Alex doesn't truly trust his wife (like do you think the world revolves around you and your rivalry with your childhood frenemies?? no. he's too obsessed with Nigel). Their story was fast paced, but also so slow at the same time like its unnecessarily being dragged out. The whole story is okay but I have to put it in my DNF pile because halfway through the story, it becomes to underwhelming for me but I did enjoy the first half

Four Weddings and a Duke is everything you want from a great regency romance. The chemistry between Lavinia and Alexander had me finishing this book in a day. A perfect book for when you want to get swept away. So grab some chocolate, make a cup of tea and enjoy. Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

4 1/2*STARS"
I laughed at the antics of Alex, the Duke of Beaubrooke, and Lord Nigel Bainbridge, school mates and rivals over propagating plants and their presentations to the Royal Sociey. In the middle is Lavinia Wynnburn, Alex's choice for a wife, also friends with Nigel. Misunderstandings and regrets follow Alex and Lavinia in their marriage. When Alex lashes out at Lavinia in frustration and distrust, it looks like their marriage is over. Three little words they need say to make their marriage work. Open bedroom door.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

I love the complexity of the characters in this book. They are not perfect and their choices don’t always lead where they expect. Each one has their insecurities and strengths making them interesting.

Lavinia is content living her life in the shadow of her popular sisters. That is until Alex an eccentric but handsome duke chooses her over her sisters. Suddenly her life is much different than she expected, possibly exchanging one gilded cage for another.

Alex marries Lavinia because she fits what he needs for a wife, a wallflower too busy with books to be interested in society. He hopes this will allow him to continue his research into his beloved plants.

They both have the best of intentions going into the marriage but soon find things are different than anticipated. Will they be able to work things out before it’s too late?

This book takes a look at the human condition, the effect of miscommunication in a relationship, and the benefit of evaluating our personal motives.

Along with this the author manages to still make it fun and have you rooting for the outcome. A totally satisfying book given to me courtesy of Amara through NetGalley. This is my honest opinion of the book.

I loved this one. I am a sucker for a shy wallflower who is the supposed unattractive one of her sisters. It was just perfect. So fun and charming!
Will definitely read more by this author.

thank you to net galley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Entangled Publishing, Netggaley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

This was such a fun read-basically two nerds nerding out and falling in love but one of them happens to be a Duke and one happens to be a previous wallflower.

Lavinia and Alex are meant to be together from the moment they meet by chance at a wedding - both wishing they were in a library somewhere - he reading romances and him working towards a biological breakthrough. Serendipity strikes when it turns out that he is contractually obligated to marry one of three women, of which Lavinia is one.

After they are married cracks start to appear - Alex is on the cusp of a breakthrough and is never there while Lavinia is trying to help by managing the household and social life of a husband she could never aim so high for.

It all works out beautifully in the end but I did love the way they got there - the writing really appealed to me with it's blend of humour, angst and swoony monments, A decent amount of steam but still pretty tame so wait until you want to read something that is smouldering rather than burning your pants off!

I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it to anyone who loves nerd romances as much as I do.

NetgalleyARC

Alexander Reddington is the unplanned Duke of Beaubrooke who is expected to fulfill his father’s agreement of marrying one of the Wynnburn sisters. Lavinia is the middle Wynnburn who is more comfortable with a good book, away from the social scene. Lavinia leaves an impression on Alex when they bump into each other at a wedding. When they meet again, Alex is pleased to discover that she is a Wynnburn and proposes. The marriage seems to start off well but the lack of communication between the two as well as assumptions and misunderstandings leads to trouble as they try to figure out what is truly important. I enjoyed this story as the main characters had to navigate through marrying a stranger and working out what is truly important. I couldn’t put this story down and it evoked all kinds of feelings as I read it, so I rate this 5 stars.

The Duke is charming and funny. His irreverence and witty conceit provides much of the comic relief. You can’t help but like him.The heroine has a drier wit, but is equally funny and is both sweet and sassy at the same time. She is admirable in that she puts everything on the line to save her family.
The author does a good job of building a relationship between the H and h, but the underlying conflicts are not fleshed out. Still, this is mainly a well written, feel good romance.

Alex is so focused on his own life and his plants to communicate with his new wife Lavina. She does everything she thinks she needs to do to become the ideal wife only to find out Alex resents her for it. They do eventually communicate with each other and work it out but I would have like it to happened sooner in the book.

I really liked this one! It had been a bit since I read a historical romance, and I'm super happy this is the one I picked up. Because it was the perfect read for my mood!

My favorite thing about this was definitely the soft moments. Although Lavinia and Alex definitely spent a lot of time arguing, the moments when they were happy made up for it all. They were so adorable!

What was even more adorable was the relationship between Alex and Nigel. It had me cackling. Especially at the end. Seriously, they were so much fun. I'd pay good money for a book solely about their brotherly shenanigans.

I'd really enjoyed McLean's last book, Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke and I'm happy to say I enjoyed this one too!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a mixed bag for me. The premise of the story was engaging, and Alex and Lavinia both had so much potential as characters, but, unfortunately, it fell a bit short to me. I'm used this author creating characters and scenes that I can just get lost in, because I'm so immersed in the story. This one, felt more formulaic and much less engaging. This is a book that I could easily put down - there wasn't anything in it that made me feel like I couldn't wait to read the next page.

I remain a fan of this author, however, this isn't her best work.