Every Duke Has His Day

I just finished Every Duke has his day by Suzanne Enoch and here is my review.

Michael Bromley may be a Duke but he isn't interested in the society or the trivial pursuits that come with it. He has bigger aspirations. Chemistry. He has no decorum and his eccentric ways keep people from getting too close. When his Aunt Mary asks him to watch her beloved Poodle Lancelot while she is away, he does so begrudgingly.

Bitsy Dockering is the daughter of a viscount and in her second season in London. Everyone loves her, even her nightmare pooch, Galahad.

A mishap at the park has both Michael and Bitsy accidentally swapping dogs. Unbeknown to Bitsy, her suitor has planned to steal her dog as he and the dog do not get along. Problem is the dognapper ends up with Lancelot instead of Galahad which has both Michael and Bitsy working together to find the missing dog. Michael isn't thrilled that Bitsy wants to help. He has no time for flakey women. He soon realizes he may have misjudged Bitsy and he certainly isn't missing the chemistry that is igniting between the two of them.

I loved the title of this book and that was one of the reasons I had to read it and it really didn't disappoint. The book was full of funny quips and banter! The situation was so funny and only something so insane could have bought a man like Michael out of himself. I loved watching Bitsy shed off the constraints of formality and find not only herself, but a man that could see for her more than just a wife in name. It was super sweet and I loved how eccentric Michael was.

I am always a sucker for historical fiction set in London. It's like my catnip! I loved the intrigue of dogs being mixed up and how all zany adventures started. I have a real soft spot for Jimmy too and watching him figuring out who he wanted to be was amazing!

If you love regency romance books then you must add this one to our TBR. The adorable seemingly incompatible pair will fill you full of all the feels!

5 stars!!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy

I was intrigued when I saw Every Duke Has His Day by Suzanne Enoch described as Bringing Up Baby, in the style of Jane Austen. I love Bringing Up Baby, which is a 1938 movie starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and a Leopard. I grew up watching it, incorporated the song from the movie(I Can't Give You Anything But Love) into my wedding ceremony, and had a framed Bringing Up Baby poster in my living room. I also like Jane Austen books.

In Every Duke Has His Day, an eccentric, scientifically minded Duke is watching his aunt's pet poodle. He's taking the poodle for a walk when a young woman's near-identical poodle runs at them, knocking the duke and his poodle into a stream. They accidentally switch dogs, dogs are stolen, and adventure and romance proceed from there. The story takes place during the summer in London during the “Season”.

It was a bit slow to get into, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. The dialogue and banter were funny and engaging. It had multiple points of view, giving the reader a full picture of what was going on. There was also a Gaston-level villain, and a bonus commoner romance for a bit of upstairs/downstairs action. Good “swooniness”.  Happily Ever After for everyone except the villain, even the pets. It had a 101 Dalmatians vibe too. It didn't really have a Bringing Up Baby plot, though it had screwball comedy elements.

I couldn't put it down and had to finish it before I could go to bed.

This is a “sweet” or “clean” romance with no “spicy” scenes.

Despite having read lots of classics throughout my youth, this may actually be the first contemporarily written “regency romance” that I've read. I actually had to look up British nobility rankings, because I wasn't sure about the difference between, say, a marquis and a viscount. I'm glad I looked it up instead of just wondering if I had it right the whole time.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.