I loved this new offering from Emma Orchard! This is a fake engagement historical romance and it is oh so much fun. I read it in two days I enjoyed it so much!

Another brilliant novel from Emma Orchard! When we meet Lady Amelia Wyverne she could so easily have been a character to be pitied, but she's made of stronger stuff and determined to take control of her life and rise above her late father's terrible reputation which threatened to ruin her happiness. Marcus, Lord Thornfalcon, once in love with the beautiful Lavinia, before she had married his brother, is now plaqued by satirical prints depicting him being pursued by young ladies clad in flimsy garments led by his now widowed sister-in-law, Lavinia. Lavinia has sworn that she will marry Marcus despite the inevitable scandal that would follow such a match. Thus Lady Amelia Wyverne and Lord Marcus Thornfalcon agree to a false engagement to keep their would-be suitors at bay. And so begins this delightful tale of deceit, as they fool everyone, including themselves, into believing that this engagement is merely a way of escaping their undesirable suitors. Or is it? The unexpected twists and turns of this tale kept me glued to the pages and I have no hesitation in awarding it 5 stars.

This book is a fun, fast-paced Regency romp that leans into the Bridgerton-style of historical romance—full of flair, wit, and scandal, rather than strict period accuracy. If you’re here for a precise rendering of 19th-century society, this might not be your cup of tea. But if you’re in the mood for a lively, trope-filled tale with a good dose of charm, this delivers.

The story follows Lady Amelia—sister to the male lead in The Viscount and the Thief—who is struggling to secure a match in the wake of her family’s tarnished reputation. Her solution? A fake engagement with the dashing but reluctant Lord Thorn, who’s fending off the romantic overtures of his newly widowed (and once-beloved) sister-in-law. Their plan is simple: fake betrothal, real protection from unwanted suitors. Naturally, it doesn’t stay that simple.

The novel is bursting with classic romantic twists and turns, and though the opening chapters are weighed down by a somewhat muddled mix of world-building and dialogue, it soon finds its rhythm. Once it does, Amelia and Thorn prove to be compelling leads—both endearing in their own right, and delightful in their growing chemistry. Their banter sparkles, and their emotional arcs give weight to the otherwise breezy plot.

both our main characters need a marriage for very different reasons. our lady needs one to stop other men hounding her as if this woman should be lucky they have given her a chance. the lord needs a certain someone to leave him alone as he most definitely does not want to marry her. but she is determined and thinks they will be together. so when the pair come up with a plan to be each others get out of jail free cards they think win win. right? ermm yes but being a win win soon becomes a feeling feeling and that feeling appears to be alot like love.
this was a fun and drama packed plot. i enjoyed it so much and was doing the goofy smile a fair few times at just how outrageous and fabulous some parts go me to.
this is part of a series and our characters are know somewhat. but you could follow along just find and fall for all the characters just the same if this is the first you are coming to these books.

4.5 stars

Amelia wants to repair her reputation so she decides to get mock engaged to a really respectable Lord. Lord Thornfalcon has a problem with his sister-in-law. Originally he was going to marry Lavinia but he was a second son so her parents got her to marry the heir. When he dies she makes a play for Marcus. She has quite a few mean girl friends who are likely to take out anyone in her way. Amelia starts a mock romance with Marcus that then gets more serious. The second half of the book gets more convoluted and it was a suprise to find out who initiated the police investigations. Interesting read.

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

The set-up of this book is very clever and interesting. The reasons behind the fake engagement are unique and show the writer's creative talent. The specifics of the love triangle become more clear as the story progresses.

However, as others have mentioned, it is a bit of a challenge to get into the story for two reasons. The dialogue is very wordy and it slows down the plot. I feel like several of the conversations were repeated and each exchange was just too long. Secondly, there is too much backstory about extended members of Amelie's family. I'm assuming it's the author's/publisher's attempt at catching the reader up if they did not read Emma Orchard's previous novels. However, if it's meant to be readable as a stand alone, we don't need to be filled in on that many details.

It is odd that this book is not marketed to be part of a series. Sophie and Amelie's brother are the main characters from a previous novel. They have a lot of "page-time" in this story. I think readers of their book would love to know that they can see their beloved characters more in this book. I always enjoy when characters from previous books are not forgotten.

This book was such a delightful Regency romp! Lady Amelia, dealing with her family’s scandalous reputation, concocts a plan to fake an engagement with the virtuous Lord Thornfalcon to deter unwanted suitors. Their arrangement is supposed to be all pretend, but as they navigate society’s expectations and meddling exes, real feelings start to surface. The banter is sharp, the chemistry is palpable, and the fake dating trope is executed perfectly. It’s a fun, swoony read that had me grinning throughout. If you’re a fan of Bridgerton-style drama, like I am with a touch of spice and heart- then you’ll love this.

The Vibe:
Gossip, fake engagements, and one very proper lord. A Regency romance with enemies, exes, and emotional confusion all swirling through London’s ballrooms. Bridgerton-style drama? Definitely. Deep emotional pull? Eh… depends on your patience level.

The Plot:
Lady Amelia, scandal-adjacent and tired of fending off creeps, comes up with a plan: fake an engagement to Lord Thornfalcon, the most respectable man in the ton. He’s sick of real proposals, so why not a pretend one?

Of course, there’s a snag—his ex, Lavinia, is back and ready to reclaim her man (and bring all of society with her). What starts as a strategic move turns into something a bit too real for Amelia… and Thorn.

What I Liked:
• The idea of a fake relationship in Regency London? Always a win.
• Lady Amelia has bite, sass, and some real vulnerability beneath the layers of social survival.
• Once the story picks up, the drama is fun and the couple is pretty cute.
• Lavinia makes a solid mean-girl villainess.

What Didn’t Work (for Me):
• The beginning dragged a lot. So much detail, chit-chat, and slow setup—it almost lost me.
• By the time the plot kicked in, I was already a bit detached.
• The romance felt a little rushed emotionally. I didn’t totally buy it, but maybe that’s because I wasn’t fully invested after slogging through the first chunk.
• It had potential! But it needed tighter pacing and more spark early on to really shine.

Final Thoughts:
If you love Regency drama and fake-dating tropes, this might still hit the spot. Just know that it’s a slow burn—not the steamy, swoony kind, but the wait… when does it get interesting? kind. That said, the second half makes up for a bit of the rocky start, and the characters do grow on you.

3/5
Worth a read if you have patience, tea, and no pressing balls to attend.

this one was so fun! loved how fast i was able to devour it. at times it did feel like there were too many things happening at ince but the fake fiance turned true love really made me smile. loved how it all came together and will be reading the next!

I found To Catch a Lord a bit word excessive. Not dialog between the two main characters, but that relationship could of developed a bit more, but the amount of descriptive and background information that was not necessary to the success of the story. I did enjoy the theme of the book and look forward to the next by Emma Orchard. Free ARC from NetGalley for honest review.

To Catch a Lord is a fun, quick read, perfectly pitched at fans of the Bridgerton-esque tradition of regency romances that have arisen over the last couple of years. If you are a stickler for historical accuracy, this is not the book for you, but it had enough spark and interest to carry me through.

To Catch a Lord is tied into Orchard’s book The Viscount and the Thief, though I don’t think pre-reading is essential to enjoy this book. Lady Amelia (sister to the MMC in The Viscount and the Thief) is floundering in the marriage market - her family’s scandalous reputation is proving too much to overcome their titles and their fortunes. Beset by undesirable matches and fortune hunters, Amelia comes up with an unconventional solution - what she needs is a respectable fiancé to keep them away. Thorn is desperately trying to rebuff the advances of his recently widowed sister in law (and childhood sweetheart… yikes). A fake engagement with Amelia feels like just the ticket.

The plot is packed full of twists, turns and tropes, but is sold by the character work. After the first couple of chapters, which are an almost incomprehensible barrage of world-building dumped in between vague patches of dialogue, the plot begins to kick in. Despite this, Amelia and Thorn are likeable and interesting characters, both independently and in their banter and chemistry with each other. My only other gripe is that Orchard has fallen into my most hated regency trope - utterly ridiculous names for the members of the ton! I was wavering with Thornfalcon - Thorn’s full name - and Lord Peacock in chapter one almost sent me over the edge!

All in all, an enjoyable read with a couple of niggles that prevented me from fully enjoying it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A great fake fiancée turned into true love story with a fascinating villian that leaves you wondering what will happen next. Would make a great TV series!

This wonderful regency novel is one thaat will surely keep you hooked the moment you start reading it. It has all the wonderful things you can think of such as blackmail, fake engagements, and the list just goes on and on. I admit I was enjoying myself the whole time.
We are introduced to Marcus who has always had a thing for his sister-in-law Lavina. However, they unfortunately can't wed which is alright with Marcus because he wants to move on. Unfortunately Lavina is not over him and will go to great lenghs to destroy her rival for Marcus' affections even if it means losing her freedom in the process.
We are also introduced to Amelia who is fed up with being hounded by the attentions of men season after season. When she meets Marcus they both agree to play the part of a fake engagement. However over time they realize that they have feelings for each other. But there is someone out there who wants to sabotage Amelia no matter what the price may be.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

2.75 🌟

I’m gonna be honest and say from the start I lowkey wanted Marcus to end up with Lavania at first and felt sad knowing the text would definitely be trying to convince me against that…and indeed it did taint the last half of the book which was a reveal I felt I saw coming and by then I stopped being as invested by the narrative but I did have a much better time reading this after the 40% mark (rarely happens so that’s a win)

once I got over the worry that I would DNF, I really felt endeared to all the characters (Sophie especially grew on me the most…I didnt really care for her at first) because I realized the writing style (large chunks of paragraphs that lowkey made my eyes hurt at first and I had to adjust to) was not the kind I usually love in MY regency romances but as the story progressed, it became easier to navigate thankfully

unfortunately because I liked Lavania’s characterization a lot, I enjoyed the messiness of the middle portion of the book and realized once she was less included in the plot that Marcus & Amelia’s relationship, though sweet, felt kinda rushed and obscured by the other events of the story so their love declarations didnt really give at all to me personally but nonetheless, this was an entertaining and relatively easy read!

(I’m not sure if I would read another book from this author but maybe if I was curious about Sophie and Rafe’s story)

thank you so much to netgalley and boldwood books for this arc to review!

3.5/5

This is another book where the beginning was quite slow and then it picked up and became sooo much better!

The beginning dragged and I had to force myself to care about the characters at first, then it really did pick up, the characters felt more real and their personalities really started to come out. After that point, it became so much fun. Regency drama is always so chaotic and fun in books (yes, I do ignore historical inaccuracies because if I didn't, I would never be at peace).

We get a fake engagement (turned real, obviously, this is a romance novel so that is not a spoiler) situation that benefits both parties. Amelia doesn't want to continuously be hounded by men who want her money and Thorn wants a specific woman to stop bothering him (she won't take no for an answer). With both off the market, they will both have a much more peaceful experience.

The family drama is also so crazy in this book. Everyone needs to chill and mind their own business. And don't try to steal someone else's man, even if they are in a fake relationship.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was a little slow at the beginning, I almost DNF. I was able to push through and definitely happy I did. The spice level kicked up and the drama including the banter. The FMC and MMC had a good storyline. I will definitely be buying this book.

I love regency romances, and this was no exception. This was very good but a little slow in spots. It really picked up in the last third of the book.

I had a blast reading this!

I was not ready for the twists and turns of the second half of the book—I was expecting some petty society drama, but what we got was even better :) I absolutely adored every character (well, not Lavinia…) and had so much fun watching Amelia and Marcus sorting through their feelings for each other.

While I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, I had no issues following along. Any details from previous books were explained briefly, but thoroughly. I will definitely be going back to read the previous books!!

The language took some getting used to at the beginning (as will any historical romances I read after a long stretch of contemporary ones). I love reading all of the creative insults and backhanded compliments they use.

It's a light esay read with Bridgerton vibes and a bit of steam.
I new going in, that it was part of a series (and can be read as a standalone), but I felt like there were a lot of people/characters I did'nt know (and probably would have liked to know before..)
Anyway not really my style, but a cozy quick read ;)

This is a corker. A lovely regency romance with all the dresses, balls and flounces and yet it somehow gets to be a bit more than that. It is about the power of gossip to damage someone's prospects and opportunities, whether male or female. There is also a sordid family story that may or may not be true and yet also impacts on whether Amelia will be able to attract a suitable suitor. There is the fix that is required of nastiness in Lavinia - the ex! All of this is woven into stolen kisses, police investigations and manipulation galore.