Unexpectedly Engaged to the Duke by Emily Honeyfield

 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

       Two cowards and a very flawed plan

I enjoyed the story well enough, but the character logic was exhausting. Penelope is allegedly "highly intelligent," yet she can’t see the bigger picture and cowers before the Duchess despite standing up to the Duke. She and Sebastian deserve each other—they are both cowards in their own way.

The plot also falls apart under historical scrutiny. The Duchess’s plan was nonsensical given that Regency marriage laws favored men, and the Ton kept a tight watch on inheritance. Has the author never heard of Debrett’s? Everyone would have known James’s identity. A decent read, but the inconsistencies are hard to overlook.