I love that historical rom coms are still having a moment! How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days is Sophie Irwin’s latest and is a bit of a madcap adventure that blends humour with romance along with a hint of a mystery. I enjoyed it well enough but it didn’t wow me as I had hoped it would.

Here’s the book’s description:

Rich, handsome, and titled Lord Ashford, has every lady in England longing for his hand in marriage.

Everyone, that is, except Miss Lydia Hanworth – the only young woman Ashford wishes to marry.

Pressured into accepting Ashford’s proposal, Lydia has just ten days to free herself from her obligations before the engagement is publicly announced… what can go wrong?

As you may expect from a book whose title spoofs a movie from the early 2000s (good gracious, where has the time gone), Irwin’s novel was as funny as it was romantic. There were giggles throughout as I was rooting for the main characters to get over themselves and figure out they were into each other.

It just took so freaking long to move past the ridiculous stunts Lydia was pulling just to try to put Ashford off. It got old real fast and I found them both to be so immature. And Ashford was just as much of a frustrating idiot. He refused to listen to Lydia when she outlined why she was trying to get out of the engagement and why she felt she had to say yes in the first place. It was enemies-to-lovers (never my favourite) with a whole lot of miscommunication. Blergh.

All that to say, I absolutely understood why Lydia wouldn’t want to marry and what she would be giving up once she became a wife. Women had barely any rights in that time (and sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s much better now…) and basically stopped being a person as soon as they said, “I do.” Irwin did try to show, through a few storylines, how hard it could be for women in a number of different ways and I did appreciate it.

How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days was a fun enough read but I don’t think Sophie Irwin’s latest novel is going to stick with me for long. I’d recommend her first two books, though, especially for those who like historical romance that takes a look at feminism and how few freedoms women had in Regency England.

*An egalley was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Lady Lydia Hanworth is not looking to be married to just anyone, she wants a love match. She meets Lord Ashford at a party and overheard him talking unfavourably about other Lady's so when he asks for her hand in marriage she is not happy but her family does not give her a choice. She is to accept the future dukes proposal or be shipped off to her other aunt and banished.

The engagement won't be announced for 10 days, and they will both be staying at Lord Ashford's cousin's estate until then and she is determined to act fo foul he has no choice but to end the engagement.

I enjoyed this loose retelling of how to lose a guy in 10 days. The side characters were all so fun, and so was the hijinx. I didn't quite buy the romance between the characters because they were so antagonistic for most of the book so their change of feelings did not feel genuine to me. The B plot and side character dynamics is the strong point of this novel.

Sophie Irwin can do no wrong and is my queen when it comes to regency romances.
This was a cute fun read that was a fun mix of “How to lose a guy in ten days” meets “bridgerton”
Highly recommend

How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days by Sophie Irwin is a witty and delightful rom-com with the perfect blend of charm, tension, and humor. The story follows Miss Lydia Hanworth, who finds herself in an awkward situation: she's reluctantly engaged to the dashing and wealthy Lord Ashford, a man who everyone wants but she has no interest in. The catch? She has only ten days to get out of it—without ruining her reputation in the process.

Irwin’s writing is sharp and engaging, with a heroine who is both clever and determined, and a hero who is more than just a handsome title—he’s got depth and charisma. The battle of wills between Lydia and Lord Ashford is fun to watch, especially as they both try to navigate their feelings and the social pressures of their time. The stakes are high, the romance is irresistible, and the humor adds just the right touch of lightness to the story.

For fans of historical romance with a twist, this book delivers an entertaining, heartfelt read. It’s a fast-paced, feel-good story that’s bound to leave readers smiling. Irwin’s fresh take on the genre makes her a must-read author, and How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days is a perfect example of why!

Overall this is a fun book and definitely reminiscent of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Lydia ends up engaged to Ashford for a marriage of convenience but she doesn't love him and wants a love match. She makes it her goal to make him call off the engagement by not acting like a Lady. A lot of hilarity ensues as they drive each other crazy.

I felt as though the characters were not fully developed because there were so many of them. In the beginning I found Lydia's pranks fun but then it just got to be a bit annoying since it felt like we didn't know her better. By the end though, I was starting to enjoy the characters more. There was also the subplot of cruelty in one of the character's marriage and another trying to solve a mystery. It was just a lot going on at once.

*3.5 stars*

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC of this book.

This was so fun!! I loved reading this, it felt like a breath of fresh air. I love the concept of how to lose a guy in ten days and the regency era setting, they worked so well together. I loved that i was dual POV, it really elevated the story for me. I really liked Lydia, and found her hijinks to be funny, but also that they ended just when I may have been starting to get sick of them. I liked Ashford, he was smart and funny, and handsome of course! I also liked the mystery elements and that the whole story wasn't just about them, they had friends and family as well, and they played a part in this. Overall I had a great time with this, and need to read more from Sophie Irwin!

This was a cute fun read that was a fun mix of “How to lose a guy in ten days” meets “bridgerton” - so if you love those two things you will love this book!

It starts with our FMC being forced to accept an engagement she doesn’t want by her aunt and uncle, whom she lives with after she lost her parents. Trying to avoid being sent off to live with a even crueler aunt, she hatches out a plan to appear as undesirable as possible so that our MMC will call off the engagement before it’s announced to the public (therefore claiming the responsibility of the failed engagement so her family’s reputation isn’t tarnished). When I tell you this girl tries it ALL, she really really does.

Fast forward through a WHIRLWIND of ten days filled with pranks, skits, drama, mystery, banter and a lot of emotions. (The banter was definitely my favourite part)

Our FMC learns a lot of love and life lessons, she learns not everything is as it seems and that you shouldn’t judge without a bit more understanding. She also teaches our MMC about thinking of others more than himself and learning that your past can’t always play a part in your decisions. What they both get is a hearty dose of falling for the enemy, which is one of my favorite tropes so I love this!

Not a ton of spice, which is fine but I kinda kept holding out for just a LITTLE bit more than we were given. Other than that it was a great book, definitely YA, and a very fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author for giving me a chance to read this before the pub date! Hope you all enjoy just as much as I did!!

4.5/5

Oh this book!!!! How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days is one of my favourite movies so when I read the premise for this I had high hopes. It was SO funny! I laughed out loud regularly. Irwin also weaves in a tender storyline about regency men and their FEELINGS. Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for the early copy!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that summer calls for diverting levity. Irwin’s new romance has all the Austenesque trappings and Bridgerton-era English society but the fresh banter and meet-cute is a throwback spin on a more recent rom-com favourite. The title offers a clue: Lydia trying everything to dump an unwanted betrothed before the engagement is made public. The yellow Regency dress on the cover is a clever nod to Kate Hudson’s now-iconic gown in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, the 2003 enemies-to-lovers romp co-starring Matthew McConaughey that remains one of the genre’s most profitable and enduring. A charmer!

Delighted to include this title in the July edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days is a delightful Regency-era romp packed with charm, wit, and just the right amount of romance.
Meet Lydia, our main female protagonist. She is smart, sensible, but longing to have a love match. She doesn’t believe in arranged marriages and wants flirtations, courtship and a beautiful, swoon-worthy proposal.
Out of nowhere, Lord Ashford visits her and offers a marriage proposal. He is the most eligible bachelor of the ton and a future Duke. But he isn’t what Lydia wants. For Ashford, marriage is a mere transaction that he wants to be done with.
Lydia doesn’t want to create a scandal and get banished from society by jilting Ashford, so she devises a plan to get rid of Ashford by making him reject her.
It is a smart, swoon-worthy escape with a modern heart beating beneath its corseted exterior.
An absolute joy from start to finish.

I am obsessed with these books. And I think they keep getting better and better. I loved every moment in this one, every moment. And I don't think I have smiled and laughed as much as I have in reading a story. The lead-up. The banter. The slow burn. The pranks. The characters. The secondary plot to the romance. I love that all of these have had more to it than simply a romance. But intrigue. Suspicion.

It was so cute and I still can't stop smiling thinking about it.

Thank you for taking me on this wonderful journey, Sophie Irwin.

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

I really wanted to love this one because I love Bridgerton and How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days but it fell short of my expectations, unfortunately. I felt like there wasn't any chemistry between the MCs, and I wasn't hoping they would get together because the lack of chemistry made me not care about them as a couple. I think the abusive relationship representation was well-done though!

An absolutely charming regency romp, hilarious in parts and thoughtful in others, that totally captured the heart of this reader.

In an early nineteenth-century era when women are chattel (beholden to their male counterparts), when Lydia Hayworth, the low-born daughter of a now-wealthy gentleman, finds herself “accidentally” betrothed to the handsome Marquess of Ashford, it will take all of her wit and intelligence to find a way to free herself without incurring societal scandal, or the wrath of her conniving guardians.

Playing homage to “Pride and Prejudice”, this clever novel takes the strong-minded independence of Lizzie Bennett from that novel, and adds an outlandishly devilish twist, creating a uniquely compelling character in Lydia — who may or may not have found her match in the equally roguish Ashford.

Guests at a lavish ten-day dinner party hosted by Ashford’s cousin, Lady Phoebe Henley, it is not only up to Lydia, and her investigator-wannabe brother Pip, to nullify the engagement, but to deal with a troubling theft, escalating violence, and puzzling layers of mystery — which may threaten the life and liberty of both family and household staff.

No spoilers here, the terrific Georgette Heyer, meets Agatha Christie, meets PG Wodehouse mashup that ensues is highly recommended, leaving this reader totally engrossed and in stitches as the plot, and the machinations of our two main protagonists, oh-so-feverishly unravel.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

Actual rating: 3.25 stars

*I received an eARC from HarperCollins Canada & NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*
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With a title like this, I had a feeling it would be funny, but I did not realize HOW funny this story would be. Lydia isn’t interested in marrying Lord Ashford and when he comes to propose to her, she knows immediately that the proposal is absolutely bogus, so she concocts a plan to get him to break off the engagement before the two are set to be wed.
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Lydia is hilarious and absolutely ridiculous and the shenanigans she gets up to in an attempt to get away from Lord Ashford and his lack of interest in her. However, these plans backfire by forming an odd sort of friendship between the pair where Ashford begins to see her as a person with actual personality. Their friendship and banter is so great that I honestly would not have been upset if this story had resulted in the two of them being the best of friends and not a romantic couple on top of it. But it’s a romance so we get our happily ever after, I just won’t spoil how 😘
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There are a lot of characters to keep track of, it makes the world feel full, but I was a little too distracted from the plot with them, so just heads up going in. Additionally there was a plot line with a necklace that I wasn’t too engaged in and was simply pleased when that wrapped up so we could focus on other things. Like the final chapter - that was a great final chapter.
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Of course, Bridgerton fans will absolutely get a kick out of this story. So, if you’re looking for a light and funny read and want some more humour with your regency, definitely check out How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days
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Hisses & Kisses 🐍

This book was fun. I enjoyed the ‘How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days’ reference and it was played out very well. The Victorian/regency time period lent itself well to creating a light-hearted spin on the movie. It was fun and easy to read. While I enjoyed the hijinks, I also really enjoyed the way the Lydia and Ashford found themselves having deep, meaningful conversations. Weaving a mystery through the storyline was a fun little addition as well. Overall, it was well written, lighthearted and easy to read.
3.5 stars rounded up to a 4.

Wow, wow, wow. I am not a historical romance girly, but Sophie Irwin just gets me. This was such an amazing vibe - the humour was unmatched, characters delightful, and setting and plot - whimsical and lovely!!!!!

I must be easy to please because I couldn't put this book down. How to lose a lord in ten days is a funny historical romance/rom com that will make you scream, laugh like a crazy person and most probably throw the book or the device you're reading it from . But I loved it anyways. Thank you netgalley and Harper Collins for this arc.

I absolutely loved this book! It was so chaotic and messy, I could not put it down. The absurdity and banter of both main characters made this book a delight to read. 10/10 recommend for a good laugh that ends with you says hell yeah

3.5/5 stars

This was such a fun book! It was a treat to know the bones of the plot from the 2000s romcom and see how they played out in 19th century England. Overall, it was fun, cute, and had a sweet romance pairing -- all the things I look for in historical romance.

This was such a fun, low-stakes read! Very reminiscent of 2000s romcoms. It had me grinning and giggling more than once. I’m not usually a fan of third-act conflicts or breakups in romance, but I’d still recommend this to anyone looking for an enemies-to-(friends-to?)-lovers romcom.