A review by delaneyyyw
The Duchess Charade by Emily E.K. Murdoch

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Sylvia is a headstrong young woman sent by her father to live in a finishing school run by the cold headmistress Miss Pike ("The Pike"). She decides to run away so she can travel to Antigua and find her mother, but the carriage she hijacks belongs to a duke (or so everyone thinks--the man inside, Teddy Featherstonehaugh, grew up a orphan, and is simply running an errand for his friend, the real duke). Teddy is confused and while trying to determine what's going on, the two are discovered alone in the carriage. The Pike decides Sylvia is compromised and forces Teddy to propose. Luckily, The Pike believes Teddy is a duke, so she consents to allowing Sylvia to travel to London so she can experience society and plan the wedding. Meanwhile, the two begin investigating Teddy's parentage while bonding over their similar upbringings.

I enjoyed watching these two connect! There are quite a few funny moments, and they have decent banter. I'm personally a sucker for angst, so I wish the author would have dug deeper into their histories and traumas, but she mostly uses a light hand with the emotional conflict. Actually, the two seemed to bond so well that their "third act breakup" didn't feel at all realistic to me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!