Click here to read reviewer Helen Hancox's take on At the Bride Hunt Ball.
Debut author Olivia Parker sets her Regency-era historical romance at a week-long house party in the country where Lord Devine, Duke of Wolverest, has invited seven of the most eligible ladies of the ton with the intention of selecting one of them to be his brother's bride…and future Duchess. Attending the soiree wherein the invitations are being handed out is Madelyn Haywood and her best friend, Charlotte Greene. As the invitations are being passed out, it becomes clear that both Charlotte and Madelyn will be invited to the bride hunt house party. Madelyn, however, has no interest in competing for the hand of the Duke's younger brother. If anything, it's the older brother who's caught her eye, but he's made it clear that he's not in the market for a wife. Or is he?
At the Bride Hunt Ball is a fun, humorous romance that takes an anachronistic look at modern-day competitive reality shows. Parker admits that this book was inspired by shows like
The Bachelor, but the fact that it is set in the Regency era is what makes it fun rather than cheesy. If anything, I wished the story did more to parody
The Bachelor; I kept waiting for the contestants to be sent home, one by one. Overall, however, At the Bride Hunt Ball is a quick read with memorable characters. I very much look forward to reading Olivia Parker's next offering.