Lady Helena Lark must marry the Duke of Lusk. She has known this for five long years and tried everything to avoid the doomed wedding. But, she finally has been forced to London for the impending nuptials. However, she has one last scheme to try; she is going to find another woman for the Duke and hope that they fall madly in love and he calls off the wedding!

Declan Shaw, known as The Huntsman, to his business associates, is released from jail by the Duke’s uncle and is tasked with keeping Helena from running away again or pulling any other hair-brained scheme. He is determined to succeed in this job as he desperately needs the money to support his ailing father and two sisters. Of course, being released from prison after being wrongfully accused is nice as well!

I had a hard time with this book. At times I found it boring. Others I was confused; either but the rushed emotions that seemed to come from nowhere to odd plot scenarios. I would find myself reading and wondering how we got to the middle of the street in a rainstorm…Maybe it was the narrative that was not clear or that things happened so fast that I was not following quickly enough. I’m not sure. But I also knew exactly who was stalking Helena and Declan and saw the ending about halfway through the book. Also, I get that Duke Lusk was horrible, but, other than the scene at the party, I just wished he was more of a jerk than he was presented. I wanted to really HATE him, so I could feel more of the trepidation Helena felt. Helena felt very juvenile to me, in her manners, the way she spoke, the way she behaved towards Shaw…anyway, I really don’t want to tear this book apart, but the kissing was ridiculous and I could not tell their was desire on Shaw’s side. I mean he is supposed to be experienced, but he barely touched her provocatively and there was zero passion. ( )

　　　
Lady Helena Lark, an heiress with a plan, has spent years trying to escape her betrothal and pending wedding to the drunk and dull Duke of Lusk, Bradley Gridleston. She’s evaded, refused, and even ran away—more than a handful of times. When her family’s patience runs out, they pack her off to London to walk down the aisle but Helena has another idea—find a more suitable bride to take her place, even if she must look for a replacement duchess every day (which later to be revealed as a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs reference) that prompts an unlikely alliance with Declan Shaw, better known as “The Huntsman,” who is a mercenary who can pick and choose his clientele. After his last job, escorting a young noblewoman, Knightly Snow, to France, landed him in jail under false accusations, he wants nothing to do with aristocrats or women but the law isn’t done with him, and if he agrees to babysit a duke’s errant fiancé, the payout could make his legal troubles go away.

When their polar opposite worlds collide, Declan realizes that containing his new client is only slightly harder than keeping his hands off her while Helena senses an ally in her handsome new bodyguard and solicits his help. Together they must escape the forces that oppose them and fight for the fairy-tale love they desire, leaving readers with a strong lasting impression.

Embarking on this read, I am shook. This was waaaaaay better than I had originally expected and to think I wasn’t going to request this ARC on Netgalley but thank goodness I ignored my stupid thoughts and took the plunge.

Helena was hands down one of the best heroines I have read in a historical romance in a very long long time! She oozes confidence, was playful and forward with Declan, and remained true to herself throughout the novel. Declan and Helena had a great balance in their romance. There wasn’t any winey, woe me moments and they took a realistic approach to their bubbling relationship (pros/cons) and made it work. They complimented each other so well despite their backgrounds and I instantly fell in love with these characters and that also included the sides Knightly (she’s a riot!) and Lusk (more so after Knightly resurfaces).

I sincerely hope the next installment to the series, ‘When You Wish Upon a Duke’, features Knightly and Lusk. The Duke truly did awakened by a kiss before doing a 180 when she came out of hiding. He was no longer dull, boring, drunk and a pushover when it came to his uncle. I really need more of this couple now and I would be utterly devastated if we don’t get to see more of them in the future. My fingers are crossed!

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A fun read!

A fanciful Regency romance cleverly using the Snow White tradition as the organizing motif to give us a wonderfully witty romance. This fractured regency fairytale has a skew of cleverly inserted identifiable parts.
Lady Helena Lark has been evading her arranged marriage to the Duke of Lusk for years, using more outrageously creative attempts as time moves on.
Declan Shaw, a mercenary dubbed “The Huntsman” languishing in Newgate prison is released on the condition that he will guard Helena and prevent her from escaping her upcoming nuptials.
Helena has other ideas. Declan is faced with a rather different challenge. Guarding this astonishing woman is a test in more ways than one. His amazement as Helena plots with all the confidence and ability of the best of spies equals my delight at Helena's capabilities.
Helena plans to introduce alternative candidates to Lusk as part of her campaign.
Her seven potential duchesses list riffs off the seven dwarfs--Sleepy, Happy etc.
Helen's bodyguard and protector Declan (remember the Huntsman movie!) is fabulous.
The swapped roles with Lusk who seems removed to the point of sleepiness and is awakened by a surprising entry is nicely drawn. Indeed explosive!
All the best elements are present, aided by a strong plot and tight writing, to give us a three W read--Wow factor, Winsome and Wonderful!

A HarperCollins ARC via NetGalley ( )

I received an ARC of this book to read through Edelweiss+. All opinions are my own. A Duchess A Day by Charis Michaels is the first book in what looks to be a delightful new series, Awakened by a Kiss. Lady Helena Lark has spent the last five years trying to end her betrothal to Bradley Girdleston, Duke of Lush, but none of the things she’s tried, from running away to pretending to be mad, have had any effect on her parents and Bradley’s Uncle Titus’s determination to force the union. Mercenary Declan Shaw was languishing in Newgate Prison falsely accused of murdering a client when Titus Girdleston pulled some strings, had him released and set him to watching Helena in the guise of a groom. Helena growing desperate, has come up with one final plan … to get Bradley to dump her, and all she needs is to find just the right woman to attract his interest. Working together, combining Declan’s tactical skills and Helena’s ability to persuade, they just might find a new bride for the Duke in time to stop the wedding. What starts as a reluctant alliance grows to a friendship and then to love, but an Earl's daughter cannot marry a mercenary and secrets Declan’s keeping can upend all their plans. I enjoyed this lighthearted story very much. Steam Level: Medium. Publishing Date: November 10, 2020. #ADuchessADay #CharisMichaels #AvonRomance #HarperCollinsCanada #BooksOfHCC #HistoricalRomance #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #EdelweissPlus ( )