A decent read of a betrothed couple meeting each other and falling in love w/o knowing their respective identities. There's a bit of angst thrown in with jealous cousins trying to end their relationship that the couple has to overcome. This book was okay, nothing exceptional, the characters were luke warm.

#EllenasSecret #NetGalley

"Ellena’s Secret" by Elizabeth Donne is a sweet Regency romance that feels like a Jane Austen novel with a dash of Shakespearean mischief. The premise is delightful—an arranged marriage between two strangers who’ve already met under entirely different (and far more intriguing) circumstances. Ellena, resigned to a loveless match like her parents’, is unexpectedly swept into a whirlwind of mistaken identities, highway robbery, and a night in a secluded cabin with a man she doesn’t realize is her betrothed. Talk about a first impression gone wrong!

George (or rather, Dominic, as Ellena knows him) is endearingly flawed—awkward with society’s ladies yet disarmingly sweet when he lets his guard down. They have chemistry, even when they’re tripping over misunderstandings and meddlers’ schemes. The tension between duty and desire keeps the pages turning, though I’ll admit I wanted to shake them both a few times for not just *talking* to each other. While some twists felt a bit convenient—*that veil*—and the emotional depth occasionally skimmed the surface, it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable escape.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Much like a Shakespearean tale, an arranged marriage is subject to a series of mishaps, misunderstandings and gossip. Unfortunately I had trouble in connecting with Ellena and found it difficult to care about her tribulations.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A sweet romance evolves out of misdirection and misunderstandings in this Regency romance. Having spent her life bending to her father's will, Ellena reluctantly travels to her conniving cousin's home to meet her betrothed. The fact that her father was too busy to ensure her safe arrival would have wounded any heart. An accidental meeting makes the arrangements for her wedding harder to cope with, and both Ellena and George find their hearts being torn. I was not at all sure that I liked George as he seems somewhat impulsive and given to flares of temper, but once the truth is discovered, the couple can finally begin anew. I received a copy of this novel as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Ellena's Secret is a lively story that takes us on a masterful journey of drama, robbery, lies, betrayal and so much more. George needs a bride and chooses Ellena, however she has no interest in marriage given her families history. Not having actually met, she sets off to meet him but runs into trouble over and over. George, who thought to have a quiet, peaceful experience suddenly finds himself in a pickle he's not sure he wants out of. Highly entertaining. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

The second book in the Ladies of Monro Sweet Regency romance series was unique and captivating. It was full of drama, action, intrigue, false identity, secrets, betrayal, suspense, a highway robbery, poor judgment, and so many emotional issues and twists that kept me very engaged. A robbery gone wrong, a meeting durring a rain storm, a mistaken identity, a mischievous friend, and a troublemaking cousin, made for an entertaining love story. I enjoyed how everything turns out in the end. I highly recommend reading!

I really like this book it was a great tale with good characters and settings. I received a review copy from NetGalley but the views and opinions expressed herein are my own.

The story is enjoyable, though the repeated misunderstandings between the main characters became a bit tiresome towards the end.

My feelings on this book were mixed and changed constantly as the book progressed. I think one of my biggest issues with the book is that some story threads were just not fully developed and other parts were too contrived. In looking back on everything the occurs I also realized that we got to see more interaction between Ellena and Mr. Cole than between her and Dominic. Which was a problem because by the end Ellena and Dominic are madly in love after only talking to one another on three or four occasions - obviously I wanted them to get together, I just did not fully buy their romance. I so badly wanted just one open, honest conversation between Ellena and Dominic (with each knowing the other's true identity) so that they actually had the chance to truly fall in love and get to know one another. At times I found Ellena to be clueless but then reminded myself that she was rather sheltered and really wouldn't know what to look for or avoid when it came to interactions with men. It's clear that Dominic actually listens to her when she talks about her upbringing but I am not sure she really understood what he was talking about when he explained how he was often treated by women and only seen for his title. Maybe then she would have better understood why he would be so quick to believe that she was stringing him along. I was also left wondering why the author added the part about one of Dominic's sisters not having any children much to her husband's disappointment - it did not do anything for the plot of this book and was not necessary to the story overall. The whole veil thing was too contrived for me. And I wanted to point out to Ellena that she had plenty of opportunities to reveal her true identity - when they were alone and talking after their first dinner, through a private letter or note (which she ultimately ends up doing anyway), asking Mr. Cole for privacy when he initially interrupted the walk, etc.). She really did not understand why her fiancé may have been upset about her not wearing the veil around another man. I'm also not sure what the point of giving Dominic a stutter was if the author was never going to have him talk about it with Ellena and only has it come out once or twice. The carriage accident/robbery was also just to set up the two of them meeting and could have just as easily been accomplished through an accident. Despite some of my issues with the book, I did enjoy it and am looking forward to future books in the series - I'm assuming the Verity from the next book is the vicar's daughter and want to know what happens with Jillian.