I am not a huge historical romance fan, so saying, I found this book a little dry. It does have a good storyline and if you enjoy period pieces, this is a great option. I am giving it 5 stars, others will love this, just not me.

I enjoyed this book and give it a rating of 3.5. It was slow initially and took me a while to get into, but I ended up enjoying it overall. I liked the premise of a caper at a wedding, but I feel as though more time could have been given to the actual relationship. It seemed very stilted at the end.

Review of uncorrected eBook file

Margaret Arden has a problem. She’s written a book [her third and, arguably, her best] . . . and she wants to have it published. But women don’t write books . . . and her aunts are worried; they want Margaret to abandon her “silly” writing and find herself a husband [especially since the family’s finances are minimal].

Maggie approaches Bridger Darrow [of the publishing company Dockarty and Company], at one of her aunt’s poetry salons, hoping to persuade him to consider publishing her book, but he cruelly dismisses her.

Will Margaret be able to find herself a publisher? Or should she heed her aunts’ advice to abandon her writing and find herself a husband?

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This Regency-era tale, a retelling of Shakespeare, brings wonderfully diverse characters to life; Maggie’s courage in the face of so many obstacles in both heartwarming and impressive. Ambition, family, love, courage, and the expectations of society all play a part in the telling of this charming tale.

Maggie’s rebelliousness and her courage in the face of overwhelming obstacles make her a particularly relatable heroine; some unexpected plot twists keep readers guessing as the unfolding story slowly reveals its secrets. There’s a special appreciation of a character who wants nothing more than to write books, especially since she lives in a time when women were neither encouraged or appreciated for such endeavors. [Maggie could have simply written under a male pseudonym, but she longed to see her name on the spine of a book.]

Readers who enjoy historical stories and Regency-era romances will find much to appreciate here.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine / Dell and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#MuchAdoAboutMargaret #NetGalley

Spice Level: 2 out of 5. Two open door scenes but BG descriptive words used.

Strong headed women in a world that wants them docile and obedient are my favorite.

Margaret doesn't disappoint, she has her nose in a book, and wants to hold strong for what she believes in. I love that she does have self doubt and is conflicted about doing what's right by her sisters. The author does a great job at showing the world and what is expected of each person in the society. The story pulls you forward, it was hard to put down at points because I needed to know outcomes.

The scandal was well, scandalous. I love that it had moving parts, high emotions and a full multi character resolution. I enjoyed the flare that Margaret added to the chaos. The mini mystery of it was fun, while it does feel a bit like instalove, I think for the time period it felt writing. Obviously she was going to have to fancy someone at some point or she was going to end up with smelly feet. Everything wraps up nicely in the end for all characters, which is also a plus. I love when small characters are given wrap ups, makes the world feel more real life.

Loved all the literary references, the bookish discussions and the enemies to lovers theme. Gives judging a book by its cover vibes, fitting of course. Overall you'll enjoy this book if you love the classics, or retellings, or just some fun historical romance.

Thank you to Net Galley for a copy of this book!

Too many characters and too many extreme actions/reactions from the MCs. I think the story would have been better served by paring down the cast and perhaps hewing more closely to the characters of the play from which it takes its inspiration.

A sweet romance that addresses some fairly deep issues, but still staying mostly light and frothy. (This is a compliment, btw). The main character is one of three daughters born to a happy but impoverished couple. They are now dependent on their two aunts, who married well, but unhappily. They are determined that these three girls will not make the same mistake their sister made, marrying for love.

The MC Margaret is a writer, which the aunts find abhorrent. They intend to find her a "good" husband, and the wedding of Margaret's cousin Lane. Of course, Lane is making a "love match" to a wealthy but rather unacceptable woman who is half Indian. There is an enemies-to-lovers romance in store for Margaret.

I didn't particularly like the two younger sisters, Winny and Violet. There were glimmers that they will be formidable young women, but they did too much galloping about and shrieking in each other's arms - they became one kind of unruly character in my mind.

But, all in all, an enjoyable read.

This Georgian romance was racier than expected — Jane Austen would have been shocked. In other respects the book follows in the footsteps of many others and offers little that is unique. The denouement is extremely short, and this reader wanted more details as the story wound its way to the abrupt conclusion. Still, readers will enjoy the characters and the melodramatic plot right through the end.

What happens when you've closed down the best thing that could happen to you? I laughed aloud, chewed my fingernail, and rooted for both the Captain and Margaret. I closed the book with great satisfaction.

If you like a historical she-can-do-it-despite-the-odds story about a women with brass and courage, you'll have fun with this one.

Took me a while to get into this one, but once I did I thought it was cute! It’s not a style of writing I usually like (very wordy in places), so I think that’s part of why I struggled with it. Still a sweet feel-good story!

With a Regency romance story, a retelling of Shakespeare and great characters, what's not to love? A fun book with masked balls and a courageous young woman writer who defies her family's expectations.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I think this book was super cute, a nice quick read! It’s fast paced, with enough storylines that make the book interesting not confusing. And they all pretty much tie together at the end. Anyways would recommend it’s a fun read!

I enjoyed the story. It had several villains to be upset with, brother against brother, cousin’s betrayal, snobby aunts., vindictive ex. I felt that the epilogue could have elaborated more on the happy couple. The heroine was strong but duty to her mother and sisters held her in chains. The hero had to overcome guilt. The secondary characters added a lot to the story so it wasn’t just about the couple.

"Much Ado About Margaret" is a charming and heartwarming story of love, ambition, and the courage to defy societal expectations. Madeleine Roux delivers a captivating read that will appeal to fans of Regency romance and those who enjoy spirited heroines and dashing heroes.

Margaret Arden is a writer and life with her mother and sisters is lovely...but getting rejected by a publisher brings the risk of a forced marriage to firm up the family finances.
Captain Bridger Darrow has returned after serving his country and finds he enjoys the work of a mysterious writer, who isn't only a woman, but a woman with whom he has a negative history..
The road to love is never smooth, but between a mistaken identity and the "wedding of the season", ANYTHING is possible.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions are strictly my own in this review.
I can't say enough about this book. I absolutely loved it and the characters. I'm not big on historical stiff but this book drew me completely.
I.loved how Margaret was a woman ahead of her time. The blossoming love between her and Bridger was so sweet to follow. Will probably reread this at some time.

This was an okay historical romance that had nice bookish vibes and a whole lot of family issues and an enemies-to-lovers. The fmc is a writer while the mmc is the publisher that is meant to publish her book. This book is also a much ado about nothing-inspired romance which brought about a nice aspect to the book. I like Regency books especially ones about rebellious female writers trying to make a name in the literary world. I loved that the romance went from enemies to lovers to friends to lovers and developed organically. I thought the family issues also added an interesting perspective to the story. Overall this is a good historical romance that readers of retellings and regency romance will probably like. Thank you Dell for this arc for an honest review.

Read if you like:
- Historical romance
- Regency time period
- Shakespeare retelling
- Enemies to friends
- Writer fmc/publisher mmc

This book is cumbersome to get into and it took me a while to care about the characters in any way. The author also seemed to have a hard time sticking to the regency time period and some parts of the book read more like a contemporary romance. But overall, it was an enjoyable read.

This book was an unexpected delight. The characters were engaging and I loved the similarities to Much Ado About Nothing, which is one of my favorites. The writing was such that I felt I could sometimes see the places described, such beautiful imagery of the English countryside. There was fun banter and the action in the story was well-paced. This book was a first for me by this author and I will look for more from her in the future. Disclaimer I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

I want to start by thanking the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. Big fan! I really enjoyed this book!

Much Ado About Margaret is the perfect example of a modern regency romance. Madeleine Roux honors the spirit of the time while knowing exactly what needs to be altered to fit the modern era. The heroine is brave, bookish and assertive. The man, flawed and wrong at times but will see the error of his ways throughout the course of the book. The need of marrying for financial gain, mistaken identities and elopement plot devices are executed with perfection! The cast is diverse and engaging – I could have read a spin off book about any of the secondary characters. I couldn’t put this book down!