Book Review: A Proper Charade

I am a big historical romance fan, so I was excited to pick up Esther Hatch's new book, A Proper Charade.

In it, we meet Lady Patience Kendrick, who is young and about to enter society. Her older brother has accused her of being flighty and making more work for the servants, just sort of floating along. She wants to prove him wrong, so she goes to her brother's former commanding officer, a General Woodsworth, and secures a position as a maid in the house without any experience or letter of recommendation. She also proves quickly that she has no idea how to be a maid, but the staff keep her on anyway, and make excuses for her. (They were all so nice!)

Beyond that, the general's handsome son---who resides at the house---notices how pretty she is and asks her to help with a scheme to pose as a society lady he could be interested in. He's hoping to worry the parents of the woman he wants to marry into thinking he's lost interest. This little charade within a charade is a nice twist to the story and provides a lot of cute moments. The chemistry between the main couple is well-written and there are some very sweet moments. I loved the little quirks that our hero and heroine had and they added a nice depth to the story. I was turning pages long after midnight to see how Patience would be found out! My only complaint is how far-fetched the situation is and that something like that would never really happen. Once the reader gets past that and just reads for enjoyment, however, this romance is a fun way to spend the afternoon.

Get your copy here

Here's the back copy:

Does love have a chance if she doesn’t play by the rules?

Lady Patience Kendrick was born to a life of privilege, and with the London Season looming, she finds herself facing unprecedented pressure to adhere to the rules of society. Unfortunately, the free-spirited young woman is anything but proper. Patience’s elder brother, a former military man, bemoans his sister’s antics—but when he accuses her of incurable frivolity, it is simply more than she can bear. Determined to prove her brother wrong, Patience undertakes a drastic experiment: she will disguise herself as a maid and demonstrate her ability to work as hard as anyone.

Taken on as household staff by her brother’s former general, Patience soon learns that willingness and ability are two very different things. While her plan sounded promising in theory, the reality is that she is out of her depth—and the irresistibly charming son of the house isn’t helping matters. Patience soon finds herself embroiled in a charade far more complicated than she imagined. With both her pride and her heart at stake, she is determined to prove her brother wrong—even as her plans spiral delightfully out of control.