HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN TEN DAYS

A woman tries to get her betrothed to jilt her in this Regency England spin on the early-aughts rom-com How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Miss Lydia Hanworth wishes to marry only if it’s for love, like it was for her grandparents, a merchant and a former maid. Her sizable dowry has invited the attention of gentleman suitors in the past, but when the Marquess of Ashford, an extremely eligible bachelor, proposes, she’s blindsided. Forced into accepting under threat from her aunt, Lydia is invited to a house party held by Ashford’s cousin; their engagement is set to be announced by Ashford’s father, the duke, at the conclusion of the party, 10 days hence. Lydia schemes to make herself so utterly foolish and insufferable that the marquess will be compelled to cry off before then. Ashford has his own reasons for making this wedding happen, even if his bride-to-be is proving nothing like she first appeared. As the days of the house party go on and Lydia and Ashford’s antics escalate, a surprise guest and other secrets start complicating matters. Irwin highlights the “com” part of rom-com in this downright hilarious tale. Lydia’s ridiculous behavior is funny on its own but made so much more delightful by how Ashford reacts and the witty banter between them. The push-pull as they exasperate each other—yet also start to find enjoyment together—is wonderfully good fun as their slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance sweetly develops. The colorful secondary characters who populate the house party, including Lydia’s eccentric brother, Pip, who fancies himself a detective, add extra charm. While mostly lighthearted, the book is given a touch of thoughtful depth as it examines imbalanced power dynamics based on gender, sexuality, and class.

Thoroughly entertaining, mischievous mayhem.