I absolutely adored this book, although I do have mixed feelings about Margaret's love interest, Bridger Darrow. He has so many red flags at the beginning that I am so confused at how he did a complete 180 by the end. Although it happens so often in romance novels that so many people are convinced it really could happen in real life. People might change with time and therapy, not just because they meet their soul mate.

So, anyway . . . Margaret has finished her novel and approaches Bridger to ask him about publishing her book. He tells her exactly what he thinks about it. Not a single good word, no constructive criticism. Then, of course, he finds pages of her book, without knowing she wrote them, and thinks it is great. We aren't told whether it has more to do with the content or if he was just biased because he didn't know a woman wrote it.

I was about to write more about him but realized then I would have to mark the review as spoilers, and I don't want to have to do that. Obviously, the whole thing plays into the enemies to lovers trope. There is a tiny bit of smut but not much at all. If you only read clean Christian romances, you will obviously consider it horrible. Otherwise, I would say almost nothing. There are little descriptions, but not much.

My only real issue with the book was I felt there needed to be a bit more at the end to wrap up so loose ends. Unless the author is planning on writing more books in the world, and that's why? Idk. I definitely would read more books about these characters 😊

Thanks to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given.

This was such a fun regency romance! It started off a bit slow but this book gets progressively better. By the end, I fell in love with Margaret and Bridger and the side characters. I’d love to read a companion novel from this world. Maybe one of the sisters, Regina, or Primm. I think he could have an interesting character arc!

I really enjoyed this enemies-to-lovers historical romance. I liked that the main character stood up for herself and fought for what she wanted, and was also a good sister and friend. The romance was sweet, and the obstacles they had to overcome kept things interesting. Overall, this book just made me happy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Overdramatic and silly are the best I can come up with after finishing. I didn't feel chemistry between the main characters at all and it felt completely spoon fed.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Premise was great, cover is cute, but this was a bit of a mess!

There were inconsistencies in the story and it was pretty much all over the place. I just got lost amongst the several characters and storylines. In fact, there are so many characters I thought for sure this book was one in a series and that perhaps I had missed previous books in a series.

Cute enemies to lovers in the vein of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Not my favorite but a quick read that fans of the genre will enjoy..

wonderful characters in this witty fast paced historical romance with a fun story. a must read. lots of twists and turns making this a real page turner.

This book was great but then fell flat for me. I couldn’t finish it. I read about 80 percent and was done trying.

Much Ado About Margaret is a historical romance that had nice bookish vibes and a whole lot of family issues and an enemies-to-lovers theme.. Margaret is a writer while Bridger is the publisher that is meant to publish her book. Bridger decides based on the first chapter not to publish but when he gets an unexpected second chance to read more changes his mind. I thought the enemies to friends to lovers was handled well, and the family issues added an interesting perspective to the story if a few too many bumps. Overall this is a good historical romance that readers of retellings and regency romance will probably like.

I would give this 3.5/⭐️ but I read this at the WORST time for me...directly after my Bridgerton binge. When I received the ARC I was thrilled but of course, I couldn't get Collin or the Viscount out of my head, so I tainted this lovely book. Upon another read, I do like it, especially with the back and forth with the publishing of Margaret's work and the vying for her words. Maybe it's the period of regency era pieces knocking it out of the park lately, but I feel like regency era books are falling flat. BUT as I always say, it was still a good read and I would recommend...just not after you finish Bridgerton. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved the Much Ado About Nothing of it all, and that it's set up as a parallel that then because actively acknowledged by the characters, so you're not left just re-creating the plot point for point. I enjoyed our female heroine and her sisters, and her friendships. The mechanism by which they're set up as enemies doesn't work for me if I get it any thought at all, because it's not developed/resolved enough (he ... hates women? Or did? Or at least went along with it in a way that's only redeemed because he says it is?), but I just ignored that part and enjoyed the rest as a regency romp. The second half had some plot and pacing challenges, but I still had a good time.

London - 1817

While Margaret (Maggie) Arden’s mother wants a wealthy husband for her, she just wants to be a known author. At the age of 22, she has written 3 novels. Her sisters, Violet and Winny, are supporting her to try and convince an editor, Mr. Bridger Darrow, to accept and publish her book. Maggie has already submitted it to him once but heard nothing back. Therefore, at a soiree she knows he will be attending, she secrets the book close to her hoping to approach him and ask him to read it. When she does, he remembers that he read a few pages and put it aside and slams her work.

Darrow’s home is Fletcher Estate and his father’s mental health is dissipating. Darrow’s brother, Pimm, drinks and gambles too much and is wasting the family money. Therefore, Darrow heads to his friend’s wedding as he knows Pimm will be there and try to talk some sense into him. As it turns out, Maggie and her sisters will also be there. Maggie has her book with her but an open window and a draft sends many of the pages flying out the window as people try to grab them out of trees and shrubs.

Oh my. I was really expecting a better story but at times, this book didn’t make sense. One thing that makes me roll my eyes are books that are peppered with Shakespeare quotes. It comes across as rather pretentious. Sorry. This book was just not for me.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Pride and Prejudice-esque enemies to lovers vibe had me rooting for Bridger and Maggie from the start. Yes, men were sexist in this time period and did not appreciate the talents and abilities of women. Even many women thought it was rogue and imposing for other women to be working and writing things that they might have no business knowing about. If it had been written differently, it just wouldn't have been accurate. Fortunately people change. The other characters and events begin to unfold and sometimes turns were taken that were kind of strange. I do think the love scenes were very "modern," which might be your thing as a reader, but not typical of good old-fashioned Austen-like regency romances if that's what you thought you were getting into. Just an observation.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dell Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

I've mixed feelings about this book. I liked the story in general and the writing was mostly good. A couple times there were phrases where I was not sure that they were era appropriate but they might have been. I don't know. But the usage took me out of the story even if they were. That was just a couple times.
The relationship between Maggie and Bridger seemed to turn on a dime. Their first kiss seemed to come out of the blue. I hadn't really thought the relationship had developed that much. So imagine my surprise when they were suddenly having sex. I didn't realize this book would have sex in it. I really have no desire to read about other people's sex lives and even detailed kissing scenes bore me quickly so I ended up skipping ahead during those parts. Therefore, I can't really say how detailed they were.
There were nine instances of language I believe, seven of which were Deity and one was an f-bomb that seemed to come out of nowhere.
I think my favorite relationships were between Maggie and her sisters, and Maggie and Ann. And I enjoyed Lane. I'm not sure I ever really grew to love Bridger all that much. He was difficult. But he ended up doing well by Maggie so I liked how that ended.

Potential trigger: abuse by parent
Sex: yes - 2 scenes
Language: yes - deity & F-bomb
Violence: yes - fist fights and gun shot

What a love story! So much emotion is present, and the characters are deeply developed. Flaws are exposed and eventually understood which only makes the story richer. The relationship between parents and children is a strong part of the story, as well as trials between siblings. There is so much depth of feeling in this story which made it an enjoyable read.

The sweetest regency-era romance that will give you all the Bridgerton/Pride & Prejudice vibes! Margaret is an aspiring writer in a time where women's ambitions were not taken seriously and her biggest responsibility is to get married. Mr. Darrow is a Mr. Darcy type character that seems to be a jerk at first but eventually you are rooting for their happily ever after. I loved the banter between Margaret & Mr. Darrow & the mystery elements of the book kept it interesting. 3.5 stars!

Loads of vibes and hijinks, not so much romance.

- Loosely inspired by Much Ado About Nothing.
- Female main character is an aspiring author whose money-conscious aunts pressure her to give up her dreams and marry rich, lest her mother and younger sisters be left penniless.
- Male main character is a publisher (and ex-soldier with PTSD) trying to balance his work and his obligations to his dying (and abusive) father and problematic brother.

There is a LOT going on in this story, tons of subplots and secondary characters, and I found it entertaining but at times confusing. Although both main characters have difficult histories, this is mostly glossed over, and even in the central plotline the tough moments are skipped past quickly. A light, fun read.

Margaret is a writer who is trying to help her family. Her aunt opposes her efforts and then the odious publisher, Bridger turns her down without really reading the manuscript. When he reconsiders, the story gets really going with the two of them dealing with their own families, issues and their distrusts. A fast paced story with fun moments and fully engaging. This author has such creativity and depth for her characters. Lovely read.

I'm such a sucker for historical romances and this one did not disappoint. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Much Ado About Margaret is a regency romance which follows writer Margaret Arden, whose fateful encounter with publishing partner Bridger Dryden changes the course of both their lives.

A thing that I think is remarkably difficult to execute well in a Regency romance is crafting a male lead who feels truthful to the conventions of the era but doesn't come off like the founding member of the He Man Woman Haters Club. Unfortunately, Bridger Dryden did not successfully hold this line for me. By the end, I didn't hate his guts, but it's hard to root for an enemies-to-lovers plot where the reason they're enemies is blatant misogyny.

Beyond that, the pacing of this novel just felt a bit unbalanced for me. The side characters didn't have quite the room to grow as much as I would have liked, and some of the plot points felt a bit hurried. That said, I do think the book overall was relatively easy to sink into, striking a solid balance of Regency era vibes without feeling overbearing or lethargic. I definitely did enjoy my time reading it! I would have just liked a bit more polish to the final story and our leading man.