This is a:story about Taylor Sparks who decides to quit her 9-5 job and create a new type of dating app. She wants to make an old fashioned Regency romance club. With Period clothing and fancy dinners and dancing. With help from her family she starts her new enterprise. She wants to make it authentic and hires a historian, Jaq Bailey, to give a lecture on the period at each event.

Bailey’s wife has died and she has become a hermit and dislikes all social settings. A mutual friend introduces Bailey to Taylor and they have an instant attraction and both try to deny their feelings. Bailey doesn’t want any new romance and fights her feelings until the end of the story. Taylor acknowledges her feelings but can’t get Bailey to pay any attention to her. Bailey is completely hung up on the age gap between them.

This was an okay read for me. I got a little bored with both Bailey’s denial of her feelings and constant focus on the age gap. And the Regency Romance background theme started to get annoying.

ARC received from Net Galley for an honest and voluntary review

It wasn't my first novel by Jenny Frame, however this one fell short if of others I've read before. I didn't connect to the characters as much, compared to the storyline and the idea of the novel. To me the characters romance didn't feel deep and as connected as I would've liket, However I loved the storyline with the queer Regency Balls and al.l. As someone who loves history and is a hopless romantic, I appreciated the idea, of a queer safe place recreating the past.


I received an ARC by Bold Strokes Book through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

the story for me was super dry, I did not like either character besides the age gape was so obvious in the writing I don't know how to explain it,

Taylor and Bailey meet when Taylor is looking for a historical consultant for her new regency romance club. Bailey doesn't believe in dating apps and certainly not one that includes the courting rituals from the regency period but finds herself pulled into Taylor's world nonetheless.
3.25 stars for me, this was a typical Frame books. It includes her usual butch/femme pairing so no surprises there but the romance here is a little more drawn out making the evolution of the relationship seem more natural and I enjoyed that. I liked the backstory for both MCs and Taylor's family and friends were wonderful side characters, especially her parents and brother. Bailey is a bit more aloof and the difference in personalty for these two is like night and day. There is also a not insignificant age gap, which was a tiny bit much for me but I think it worked out alright in the end.
Couple things that I didn't love here though. The break up at 90% felt out of place and too late in the book. I hate these dramatic breakups right before the hea, they make the ending feel less sincere and I really would like to see a different kind of last minute drama rather than these predictable break ups. The other thing that drove me bit crazy was the focus on Bailey being the butch who pays for everything and opens all the doors, etc. In this scenario it highlighted their 19 year age difference and Bailey came off as more parental in some scenes than romantic. Taylor comes off as a bit inept and I'd have preferred to see them on more equal footing.
I enjoyed this new one by Frame, her books are always light and a guaranteed happily ever after that make you feel a bit lighter as you read them. Great choice for someone who is looking for a feel good romance.

I really wanted to like this one, grumpy /sunshine and an age gap ! Yet right from the start I did not mesh well with the authors writing style . Unfortunately I found it boring, the conversations repetitive, one MC immature and a bit spoiled and the other MC very unlikable.

The characters felt three dimensional immediately. There is a grumpy sunshine pairing and although that paring is not original, the interactions they have are. Boiled sweets should be compulsory date comparability tests!
I didn't expect the reason for break up before make up, but it totally fitted and had been set up.
There is a cast of diverse characters, where being your choice of gender is the norm. Also all sorts of families. Nice to see two mums as the older generation and no child explanations beyond that. This was 3.5 to 4 stars for a lot of the book but a couple of personal preferences in the love scenes have me sticking at 3. I enjoyed the book, and certainly recommend it.

Jenny Frame writes an age-gap romance with a Regency theme. 26 years old Taylor is a marketing wiz but she dreams of an Regency era dating club. When she fails to secure funding her family chip in. Now all she needs is a historian. Enter Professor Jaq Bailey (45) a recluse for the past couple of years but still a heavy weight in the world of history. All sorts of sparks start flying around but Bailey’s main concern is the 19 years age gap. It’s a light read but enjoyable nonetheless. Added bonus, a surprise appearance from some of Frame’s Axedale series characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

Taylor Sparks leaves her 9 to 5 job to start her own Regency dating club and needs a historian to help make it as realistic as possible. Enter Jaq Bailey, the Grumpy, introvert, and their first meeting does not go well.

Bailey fights the attraction a lot, but Taylor is persistent and doesn't give up. There's a big age difference, which isn't always my cup of tea personally, but it was well done here.

The research that went into this book is amazing and made me feel like I learned a thing or two, which is good. I'm not a huge history buff.

Overall, good story, but not my favorite by Frame.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Taylor is annoyed about how people are finding love she wants to starts a business the Regency Romance Club where you take your time with finding the right person and to experience regency style and she finally has the backing from her family who is very supportive. While planning she wants a historian not just anyone but Jaq Bailey who has become a recluse after her wife who was also her best friend since they were children died. Bailey doesn’t want anything to do with a dating business because she a real historian. Bailey feels guilt because she didn’t love her wife Ellis like she supposed to even though she shouldn’t because Ellis knew and even told her and she feels more guilty because she not keeping her promise to find real love. Taylor and Bailey clash but starts to grow closer. I enjoy this read.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

taylor sparks is fed up.... she has a plan to start her own company and finally she has the backing to begin but first she needs a little bit of help

her plan is bring back old fashioned dating.. instead of using an app to swipe left or right her idea is bring people together and give them a taste of the old fashioned way of dating going all in with the regency romance club and getting on board an historian and giving select people a chance of weekends away with taster session of how dating was back in regency times

but first she has to get jaq bailey on her side and things dont go as planned... bailey is appalled at the thought of being involved in any sort of dating and thinks it will bring her reputation down as a serious professor being involved in this venture of taylors and refuses point blank but taylor has her ways.....bailey doesnt stand a chance

its a fun read and one that romantics will love...

Thanks to NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Taylor Sparks is sick of swiping left or right. Online dating, where a casual glance at a profile forms your opinion of a person, has no sparkle. She has a business idea to make dating special—the Regency Romance Club. Guests fall in love in the regency style, with grand balls and regency pursuits, while enjoying some of Britain’s most magnificent stately homes.
Jaq Bailey is mourning the death of her best friend. She wants to feel every inch of the pain and guilt she deserves for their death. A professor of early modern history, Bailey has sequestered herself in her study writing books and articles. Life is lonely and unchanging, until her publishers ask her to meet with Taylor, who is looking for a historian to help with her new business.
As they start working together, Taylor’s bubbly personality and Bailey’s guilty angst clash, but as Bailey gets dragged into the magical, regency romance world, Taylor’s sparkle brings hope back into her life. They’re working to help others find their true loves, but they just might find it for themselves too.

This was the first of Frame's books that I've read and it was such a fun, quick read.
It was a fun book but it wasn't super well developed especially in terms of the characters. I liked them enough but I did feel like we didn't know them very well or they were shallow people. It was a light read that was entertaining, but I don't know that it was my favorite. It would probably be a great beach read. I would definitely try another of her books later.

This beautiful cover drew me instantly and at first I thought Jenny Frame wrote a historical romance. Nope. She delivers a modern, age-gap romance with a Regency theme. Taylor Sparks is 26 and a wiz at marketing. But her dream is to have her own business. She wants start a Regency era dating club. For a fee you will get to attend a gathering and have two weekends at great houses. The weekend includes period clothing, activities, food and dancing. She even plans to have a historian educate the attendees about the time period. It reminds me of one of my favorite books Austinland (May 2007). The idea is to slow down the quick dating decisions based only on a photo, and to take the time to walk, talk and get to know another person.

Jaq Bailey (45) is a professor of history at Cambridge. She took a sabbatical two years go when her wife died and has since been writing popular books. Taylor thinks having Bailey be the historian would give more prestige to her new business and woos her to participate. Sparks are flying between the two but the big obstacle is the 19 year age gap.

This story is light and breezy. The characters are well developed with their own issues. Taylor lives with ADHD and Jaq is coming out of her grief. They both also get their feelings ruffled a little too easily too. The age gap is the drama in the story. It is an obstacle for them to overcome themselves and it comes up again with Taylor’s family. I enjoyed the surprise at seeing characters from Frame’s Axedale series make a brief appearance. But this is a stand alone novel and not a sequel to those.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

4 stars.

It’s very quick and easy to read like most of Frame’s books. If you’re already a fan or have read some of her works, and if you need a light read, I recommend the book, it’s entertaining enough. If you’ve never read this author, as a fan, I’d recommend to start with any other book. I was looking forward to read this, and, unfortunately, I’m disappointed.

I’ve nothing against sweet and easy books, these romances have their place, and I’m also used to the fairytale way it all works out in her stories, but this one was too linear. The characters don’t seem like real well-rounded people with different qualities, everyone is just too perfect. There’s no real tension, nothing to overcome, everything resolves quickly, almost instantly.

It’s a book for when you’ve had a bad day and want something extra sweet to smooth it over. It’s not a bad book, but it’s too much of a fairytale for my taste, and Jenny Frame can write, and has written, much better stories. It’s a pick-me-up fairytale where everyone and everything is perfect. If that’s what you’re looking for at the moment, you’ve found it. Enjoy the read.

I can’t give this book more than 4 stars, and if I’m honest, it’s heavily influenced by the fact that I’m already a fan.

I loved this so much. The premise of a Regency dating club was really interesting. The chemistry between the two leads jumped off the pages and was sizzling hot. An age gap in romance novels can sometimes lend itself to clichés and one-dimensional younger characters, but the author had pulled it off really well and it added another layer of sexiness to the leads’ very well-written chemistry. I look forward to the author’s next book.