This was certainly the best book of the series together with the first one! This time the plot is very, very intriguing and the characters exceedingly interesting, villain included. It lacks steam in my opinion, but the main characters spend very few time alone together for the most part of the book. I particularly liked Amelia, who’s young, but very smart: she knows what she wants and doesn’t hesitate to ask for it. I would have liked to explore her relationship with Marcus a little bit more, though, because they seem to fall in love far too quickly. But all in all I really enjoyed this read.

If you loved Bridgerton then you need to read this love triangle historical romance book! The romance was so good!

“To Catch a Lord" follows Lady Amelia as she tries to cast off her father's scandalous reputation.
With the help of Lord Thornfalcon, she hopes to fix the past.
The plot has so much going! Two people trying not to be attracted to each other. Then, there’s the stepmother…
Overall, an entertaining read.
This can be read as a standalone regency tale.

I read this and a bunch of other historicals back to back, so unfortunately this one did not really stick out to me, it just blurred with the rest I have read recently.

First off, I love this cover. It says “pick me up and promenade” into some historical fiction. And I’m here for it.

The premise reminded me immediately of Bridgerton, and so my expectations for this book were pretty high. While it had the same atmosphere, this book didn’t have the same romantic suspense as other historical romance.

The love story happened a bit too quick for me. I like a slow burn, particularly when it comes to a fake dating/engagement/arrangement because it’s established early on that the arrangement is being entered into mutually, so it didn’t feel as authentic as I would have liked. I get that it’s a regency romance, so engagements move quicker, but they didn’t spend as much time together as I would have liked to really get me to fall in love with the story.

Emma Orchard did pull me into the story quickly. I believe this is a standalone series, but I think reading some of the other books that came out before it might be helpful because it did feel like I was missing some background on characters at a few moments. Nothing that you need to know, but as a reader I wanted to. I’m nosy. Also, I want to know what happens to some of those villainous characters!! I’ll need a book on them later!

Overall, a relatively quick read with some pacing inconsistencies that left me wanting a bit more. I’d be interested to see if the next books in the series pull from this story line at all.

Spice rating - 🌶️/5

My only question, why did Marcus just not kick Lavinia out. Honestly, his family was already facing a scandal. He could have just given her the ✂️. In a time period where women were not empowered, the author gave Lavinia a bit too m7ch, unrealistic power.

I liked Amelia a lot. She's direct, she's kind and she just wants a nice life. There could have been more explicit relationship building, not sexy scenes, but open dialogues between the MCs.

Overall this was an okay read.

#ToCatchaLord #NetGalley

Lady Amelia Wyverne enters the social season with a single objective: to restore her family's reputation, tarnished by her father's dissolute behavior and baseless rumors about her mother. However, Amelia is no ordinary debutante. She faces the balls armed with reinforced shoes and strategic needles to use against overly intrusive gentlemen.
Following her sister-in-law's advice, Amelia agrees to a fake engagement to a war hero that will be broken off just before the wedding. Enter Major Marcus Thornfalcon, who has returned home after being wounded in Portugal. Marcus is a man of honor but is also the target of gossip. Between satirical newspapers and a widowed sister-in-law (as well as his former flame) trying to win him back, his life is anything but quiet.
Note to us Italians: The book mentions Michelangelo—Michelangelo Buonarroti. A little cultural trauma.
As is often the case, I found the secondary characters more engaging than the main characters once they realize they have feelings for each other and become paranoid. My favorites are Runner Pennyfeather, who is brilliant and theatrical, and Rosanna Wyverne, Amelia's stepmother, who redeems herself in a surprising way. Her line, "Save your breath to cool the porridge," made me laugh so hard.
Most hated character: Lavinia. She's manipulative, disingenuous, and a mythomaniac. And yet, I understand her motives. Women in those days had few choices, and often do today as well.
The book was a captivating read, filled with humorous moments and well-developed characters, despite the overuse of romantic clichés.

Another fun read from Orchard, of Regency with some spice. This one feels like it has modern parallels, of gossip sites, fans who behave madly and also fans who turn malicious; Those internet take-downs we read about, it feels like this could be the Regency equivalent. Two likable MCs, dealing with troubles that they haven’t brought upon themselves, seeking to navigate it with a spot of Fake dating, which gets turned on its head.

We met the Wyverne family in The Viscount and the Thief and in to Catch A Lord, the viscount’s sister finds her own happily ever after . I do like a fake engagement trope and although I generally do not like the love triangle and the evil lover,
I thought the author did a good job with it here .

I’m a fan of Emma Orchard’s Regency romances, and To Catch A Lord was the best one yet. Lady Amelia and Lord Thornfalcon are both mired down by gossip and scandal in the ton, so they decide to fake an engagement to restore their reputations and silence the gossip. The major problem is Lavinia, Thornfalcon’s brother’s widow, who is determined to marry him.

Lady Amelia and Lord Thornfalcon are actually both honorable people who have done nothing to deserve their bad reputations. But they still must endure whispers and endless gossip as they go through their daily lives in London. Amelia’s father and stepmother created drama and did many scandalous things, and Lord Thornfalcon’s former sister-in-law has declared that they are star-crossed lovers destined to be together. Amelia and Thornfalcon meet and agree to have a fake engagement for the Season to quell the rumors about them. What they don’t consider is Lavinia’s anger and thirst for revenge. Soon Amelia finds herself the target of threats and assault from Lavinia’s friends, and Thornfalcon is devastated that he brought this danger into Amelia’s life.

The engagement quickly turns into something real. These characters bumble through their feelings but find their happy ever after by the end of the novel. The author did a wonderful job of building the chemistry and affection between these characters. She also created a lovely circle of family and friends who supported both of them through various challenges in the novel. The character of Lavinia was completely unhinged, which provided a lot of dramatic tension. The pacing of the story was quick, and the action kept me engaged in the novel until the last page. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel.

Thank you to Emma Orchard, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Amusing historical romcom /mystery

Another amusing regency romcom/mystery from Ms Orchard, this is a great book for the beach or poolside.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time limited e-arc via netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

This novel had many things I like: strong and kind main characters, crime, romance and a light heartedness. It was a fine read but I thought the author could’ve done so much more to make things more realistic (like how quickly they fell in love) and the villain more villainous rather than dumb and empty headed.

Emma Orchard delivers another irresistible historical romance: fake engagements, scandalous reputations, and a love triangle! Lady Amelia—sharp-witted, defiant, and weary of fortune hunters—hatches a plan to salvage her tarnished name by fake-betrothing the impeccably upright (and devastatingly handsome) Lord Thornfalcon. But when Thorn’s scheming childhood sweetheart, Lavinia, rallies the ton against her, Amelia discovers her pretend feelings might be dangerously real.

Orchard’s writing sparkles with Regency flair and modern sensibilities. The banter between Amelia and Thorn is pure delight—charged with chemistry and laced with vulnerability. Lavinia makes a deliciously petty antagonist, and the stakes heighten as Amelia’s heart becomes entangled in their ruse. The slow burn simmers perfectly, culminating in a payoff that’s satisfying. The only quibble I have is that the author's style can get bogged down in telling not showing, but that's more of a stylistic preference, I think.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I've enjoyed all the stories in this Regency Romance series, and this is one of the best. It is readable as a standalone, but as it features characters from previous books, I recommend reading all of them. I like the clever storytelling, heartfelt emotion, and spicy romance. The complex characters are believable, and in keeping with the period, the story keeps you invested with many twists. The mix of naivety and passion makes this perfect for lovers of sensual romance.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Lady Amelia has suffered the bad effects of her terrible father for long enough. If she's to have a chance at improving her lot in life, she needs some help. Her sister-in-law notes Lord Thornfalcon is also in need of a lift to his reputation after his childhood sweetheart and eventually his brother's widow tries to keep her claws into him. A proposal of a fake relationship leads them together with hopes of repairing damage, but the gossip seems to get worse. Meanwhile, they are both catching feelings for each other. Of course. :)

This was yet another lovely book from Emma Orchard. I find her books are grounded in ways many aren't. I do think the pair catch feelings rather quickly, but these are regency historical romances, so I shouldn't expect much different. Lavinia Thornfalcon is quite a character and the perfect villain of the story. Seems her beauty brings with it many benefits and she uses them to help herself along no matter the collateral damage. Most of the other characters are pretty likeable and even Amelia's stepmother makes an appearance and seems to have somewhat redeemed herself.

Overall, it's an enjoyable read and I recommend it to loves of the genre. I give it 3.5 stars rating. Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the free advanced reader copy. My opinions have been shared voluntarily and under no obligation.

Emma Orchard's "To Catch a Lord" guarantees a merry Regency romp with a welcome spin on familiar tropes. The 1813 London setting finds Lady Amelia, daughter of the scandalous Wyverne family, concocting a pretend engagement with the morally upright Lord Thornfalcon to deter unwanted admirers.

But their easy configuration is soon complicated by Thorn's determined childhood sweetheart, Lavinia, who mobilizes half the ton against Amelia. As pretence and true affection become intermixed, Amelia discovers herself falling for courageous and good-looking Lord.

The writer masterfully weaves wit, charm, and a dash of spice, and it's the ideal read for "Bridgerton" fans who love a spicy historical romance with a witty plot and interesting characters. Readers like me will love it as a "delicious slice of escapism" and "Heyer with spice!"

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
I continue to enjoy this author’s stories! This had a lot of shenanigans and kept you on your toes. I like a fake dating (or in this case fake betrothal) trope and I thought the author did this trope well!

I did feel for Lady Amelia, being ignored and gossiped about, apart from fortune hunters, because of the scandal her father caused. Marcus, Lord Thornfalcon, was having a similar problem with women throwing themselves ( sometimes literally) at him, in order to force a marriage. At Amelia’s suggestion they form an alliance but not all people are happy at their engagement. One vindictive person, in particular, is determined to thwart their supposed plans. They are a number of surprises, particularly in the second part of the story. There are a number of interesting characters as well. My only negative thought is that sometimes it was a bit wordy, especially when the main characters were expressing their inner thoughts. I did enjoy it though and found it to be an entertaining read. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emma Orchard has delivered another scintillating Regency Romance, or should one say romp, Georgette Heyer style in her latest book To Catch A Lord in which Lady Amelia Wyverne sets out to catch a Lord, who just happens to be Marcas, Lord Thornfalcon!
Both Amelia and Marcus are attending the Season reluctantly. Amelia is supposed to be finding a husband but is less than impressed with the men who are out to not necessarily to marry her but her fortune.
Marcus has recently returned to London after considerable time in the Military in Spain and Portugal. He is also mourning the death of his older brother and learning how to be Lord Thornfalcon, a position he never thought he would hold. He is chaperoning his sister Helena in her first season.
Both have earned the scorn, in Amelia case and ridicule in Marcus’s case of the Ton and are finding the Season challenging, depressing and beyond comfortable. In desperation Amelia and her sister-in-law Sophie create a daring plan to stage a false engagement with Marcus, but how to achieve this is the issue.
Enlisting the help of Marcus’s sister Helena, Amelia puts the proposition to Marcus, who after a serious moment’s reflection agrees to go along with the ruse. That is when things really begin to get interesting, as the widow Lady Lavinia Thornfalcon is not prepared to accept that the engagement is real. She is a woman of outstanding beauty, used to getting her own way and will not have her plans thwarted by, in her mind, a no account woman!
As the days pass Amelia and Marcus realise they enjoy each other’s company and also that Lavinia is not about accept the engagement, setting about doing her upmost to uphold the story she has carefully let become common knowledge through the Ton; that of a long time love for Marcus and how they are now destined to be together at last.
To Catch A Lord is a comfortable and captivating read, full of twists and turns as well as the unexpected, which will hold interest until the final word, as nothing goes to plan and sinister forces are at work to bring it to bring the engagement to an end one way or the other.

Witty, funny Regency romance with Mean Girls and Bridgerton vibes. Definitely read Emma Orchard's other book The Viscount and the Thief first, there is a lot of background information for the characters and storyline in To Catch a Lord.

I really liked the characters and premise in this book, and found it had an interesting take on tropes like a love triangle and fake engagement. The banter between Amelia and Thorn is excellent, and the appearances by the couple from the previous book (Amelia's brother and sister-in-law) are well written and add to the story.