Miss Newbury's List by Megan Walker
Publication Date: 07th Feb 2023
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Romance
3.7 Stars
One Liner: Entertaining; a comfort read
1820, England
Rosalind Newbury is engaged to marry a duke even without having a season. Her family sees it as an opportunity to increase their reach. Rosalind agrees to make her family happy. As the wedding date gets closer, she cannot help but feel suffocated and uncomfortable. She barely knows the duke and hasn’t had a chance to live life the way she wanted.
Rosalind digs out a list from her childhood and is determined to complete it before the wedding. She thinks it’ll make her ready for the marriage. She seeks help from her dearest friend Liza. But Liza’s cousin Charlie also joins the gang. After all, a gentleman-turned-wayward boxer needs something to keep him entertained.
As Ros ticks off each item on the list, she realizes more about her suppressed self. But with the wedding fast approaching, can she make a decision that’s right for her and her family? Is there a place for love and happy ever after?
The story comes from Rosalind’s first-person POV.
What I Like:
This is a straightforward historical romance. It was rather a relief to read something simple and sweet. This is a clean romance, too (not that I mind some steam).
The pacing is steady. I could finish the book in two days and didn’t have to speed-read either.
The characters are neither too deep nor shallow. They have the right amount of depth to keep the whole thing light and easy on the mind.
Rosalind, Charlie, Liza, and Ben are easy to like. They have their flaws but are loving, witty, and family-oriented. Ros can be a little childish, but she isn’t even eighteen, so that’s understandable.
The banter between Ros and Charlie is fun to read. Some of it is silly, while some of their conversations are thoughtful and heartwarming.
The secondary characters are also sweet and warm. They don’t get much space, but I can see the potential to turn this into a standalone series. There definitely is a track ready for the next book.
It has HEA, which is always welcome (with exceptions). We know what will happen. It’s the how that matters, and this was entertaining pretty much throughout.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The climax and resolution were too simple and flat. A little more tension would have made the ending much better.
Rosalind’s father and the duke have very limited roles. We don’t see the duke until toward the end. By then, we already have our loyalties towards another character. The duke has to be live in action early in the book to build a case. It seems unfair that this happens to him (and a couple of dialogues don’t justify it enough).
To summarize, Miss Newbury's List is a sweet regency romance with pretty likable characters and lighthearted banter. It works great as a breather or a comfort read.
Thank you, NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing, for the eARC.
#MissNewburysList #NetGalley
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