“That was, perhaps, the most unfeeling proposal she could imagine. The man was cynical, insensitive, condescending, rude. And she was definitely going to marry him.”

Guys this book? Is so good. That I’m mad that the next book in the series doesn’t come out for months. (MONTHS! August is a lot of months away.) It’s full of trope-y delicious nonsense, and ridiculous people, and stuff you know could never happen in real life, but who cares?

Duke, hideously scarred in The War, loses fiancé and proposes a Marriage of Convenience to the Uppity Seamstress who dared ask for the funds he owes her for creating the lost fiancé’s hideous wedding dress. (“It looks like unicorn vomit. Or some beast rumored to menace the Himalayas.”)

And of course, there are a list of rules, on both sides, outlining the bargain. And – of course – those rules are immediately and utterly trampled upon by both parties. And the falling in love commences, painfully. And – of course – each thinks it is only on their own part, and Must Not Impose Feelings upon the other. And – of course – people do stupid things in the other’s “Best Interest.”

So sure: Have you read the bare bones of this story before? A million times, probably. But is it as cheeky and sweet, and filled with servants’ plots to get them to Fall In Love Forever(TM), preferably with little floaty hearts around their heads? No, I can almost guarantee it is not. So read this one. Because it’s adorable. The quotes I’ve added here are from the First Chapter. It gets even better. You’ll like this, probably, if you like tongue-in-cheek, don’t take it too seriously love stories, set in a time when people could wear fancy clothes without having to worry about what con they were going to.