Story Lake, Book 2
From the publisher:
It takes more than Cupid to arrange a marriage in this sparkling Regency romcom from New York Times best-selling author Suzanne Enoch, where The Parent Trap crashes into Bridgerton as two precocious children decide to play matchmaker for their unsuspecting single parents.
Beckett Raines, the Marquis of Hentrose, needs a wife, and he’s resigned to participating in the Season to search for a suitable mother for his young daughter Rebecca. Beckett is determined to wed for practicality rather than love―and he thinks he’s found the perfect, proper woman for the job.
Instead, he’s stunned when his new next door neighbor Iris Silbern bursts into his London home in pursuit of her mischievous son Edmund. Her ferocity, sharp wit, and humor charm him, but she is by no means proper. Meanwhile, Iris’ relations are trying to set up a match with a wealthy, elderly duke―an answer to her financial troubles, if not her resistant heart.
Rebecca and Edmund have no interest in practical plans, not when the perfect father and mother are right in front of them. With only one Season to summon Cupid, they scheme to bring their parents together. But will Beckett realize how perfect a messy life can be? And will Iris open her heart to a man who may not be a duke, but something even better?“Bestseller Suzanne Enoch puts a Regency spin on The Parent Trap in this sparkling romp…. Historical romance fans won’t want to miss this one.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
https://amzn.to/4sIJwNw
“Keeps one-upping its own hijinks as it goes along, culminating in an ending that would be ridiculously over-the-top if it wasn’t so satisfying… A lively Regency romance that brings two lovable families together.” —Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
“A charming play on The Parent Trap, moved to Regency London.” —Library Journal
I haven’t read Enoch in years, and I’m not sure why. This standalone historical romance was terrific – don’t let the horrible cover put you off. (That is one of the blessings of reading advance digital galleys, I rarely even see the cover because frankly, this one is off-putting.)
Iris Silbern has moved to London to stay, at least temporarily, with her aunt and uncle. A widow for years, she has been thrown out of her home by the new title holder, who wants to convert it into a hunting lodge. With her bright young son, Edmund, and his tutor in tow, Iris hopes to persuade her uncle to loan her the money to buy a small country house that she can convert into a boarding house and run as a business.
Next door lives the Marquis of Hentrose, Beckett Raines, along with his precocious daughter, Rebecca. Rebecca’s mother died in childbirth, and Beckett has received little help from his own mother, who firmly believes children belong in the nursery with a nanny and should be visited only occasionally. Having disliked that distant upbringing himself, Beckett is determined to be a more attentive parent and spends as much time with Rebecca as he can. But as she approaches ten years old, he realizes she will soon need a mother figure to guide her through society. So when his mother claims to have found the perfect woman for him to marry, he is willing to listen.
Her choice is Lady Pauline, the granddaughter of a duke who has spent six seasons without securing a husband. To Beckett, that is not necessarily a drawback. Having married very young the first time—to a wife who was little more than a schoolgirl—he now wants a more mature and practical arrangement. He has no interest in a grand romance; in fact, he would prefer to keep emotions out of it altogether. What he wants is a sensible, well-connected woman who can be a proper stepmother to Rebecca and provide him with an heir. Lady Pauline appears to fit the requirements, though Beckett has no intention of rushing into anything after being burned once before.
Meanwhile, Edmund and Rebecca quickly become inseparable friends. Beckett finds himself liking Iris as well, though he considers her somewhat ill-mannered and too quick-tempered to be the sort of role model he wants for Rebecca. Because the children spend so much time together, however, Iris and Beckett inevitably develop a friendly rapport of their own.
Things begin to unravel when Beckett invites Lady Pauline to lunch so she can meet Rebecca. When Beckett is called away, Pauline dismisses the servants from the room, and the encounter takes an ugly turn. Rebecca is left terrified that her father will marry this dreadful woman, who will surely send her off to boarding school at the first opportunity. At the same time, Iris’s aunt introduces her to the Duke of Trent—a man more than twice her age who has already buried five wives and is apparently looking for a sixth. Iris wants nothing to do with him, but she also knows that if she hopes to secure Edmund’s future, her options may be limited.
Determined to prevent these disastrous marriages, Edmund and Rebecca hatch a plan to bring their parents together instead. Their schemes grow increasingly elaborate, eventually drawing the household staff into the conspiracy. It takes time—and quite a few mischievous pranks—before Iris and Beckett finally see what is right in front of them and find their way to a well-earned happy ending.
This was a delightful, thoroughly entertaining read, and I highly recommend it. I’ll definitely be moving Suzanne Enoch to the top tier of my historical romance authors list.
3/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
BETTER THAN A DUKE by Suzanne Enoch. Bramble (March 3, 2026). ISBN: 978-1250331205. 352p.
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