This story is definitely like nothing I have ever read before; a crazy old lady (I totally see myself turning into her because of all the regency books I read), a Duke of Whatthehell, and frumpy schoolteacher. I'm three chapters in and feel like I should write some comments but honestly I'm flabbergasted as to what to say, not because it is awful but because it is so damn good and intriguing right now.
 
When someone asks you to waltz, you waltz. I understand Ally's fear for her grandmother (grandmother ran away and has dementia) but she did find her safe and sound and with so many people around it would have been safe and ok to have a night waltz in central park with Sam. Yeah, yeah I get the author is trying to establish and make known Ally's personality here. She has issues from her parents abandoning her, I get it. Just please let the lady waltz!
 
Awesome stuff, when Sam is imaging Ally's "garden" (personality/environment) and how it differs from Veronica's and is possibly full of poison ivy but doesn't care and wants to scoop her out of it and carry her to his jungle. Funny, Funny.
 
Up until ch. 11 I kind of brushed Sam off as carefree, rich, and good looking male but after he reads "The Dulcet Duke" (regency romance book Ally's grandmother thinks she is living in) and proceeds to get drunk at the pub the reader gets an insight into the real man. These couple of pages that show Sam's thoughts, feelings, and past are fantastic and add some much needed heft to his character and the story.
 
The trip in a horse carriage through New York seemed kind of crazy and a bit fortuitous how everything worked out perfectly for them. However, in the pursuit of the greater good (storyline) I was able to forgive the author for these nagging little unbelievable parts.
 
I liked Ally's friend June, great secondary character doesn't try to take over the story but adds something and is intriguing in her own right.
 
Very touching how Sam is hurt that Ally doesn't think him worthy. He is also bothered that he and Ally had to role-played as a duke and princess in order for Ally to sleep with him. After they sleep together he just wants Ally to respect him and see him for who he really is. So touching; story becomes about breaking through walls to get to the true essence of a person.
 
Oh the late night conversation between Ally and Sam when they are at the Brazilian hotel is where I felt like the fun, frivolous aspect of their relationship stopped and it started to become meaningful. Ally wants him to tell her about his past but he argues he is his own man and his past doesn't matter (even though it's obvious it affects who he is and his actions) and that only what they feel and do here and now matters. This little part was incredibly meaningful and brought this couple out of "Chik-lit" for me.Oh Sam what a hero sigh sigh sigh. I refuse to tell you what made me type this, you must read for yourself.
 
Oh letter writing such a lost art form! When Sam writes his "prologue" my eyes watered for some weird reason. The last chapters of this book are guaranteed to make your heart clench. Ally is the focus of the first half of book then Sam last half, it worked, sort of. Mateo (carriage driver) was nice character but his soccer story was unnecessary. The quotes from a regency romance called "The Dulcet Duke" was just about one of my favorite things from this story. I want to read that story!
 
LOVED the ending (I really want to waltz) just sigh, sigh, sigh.Read this book people. Sure it's a little fluffy, glossed over heavier tones the author tried to introduce in regards to her character's background, a hero/heroine not fully flushed out, and some unnecessary secondary character drama. But the overall story is wonderful from it's humor, sheer romanticism, and sigh inducing moments. Simply a modern day fairytale. This book is going in keeper purgatory. Meaning it was really, really good but I don't know if it is quite keeper worthy. I have a bad feeling that the magic and sigh worthiness will fade after the first reading. You all know books like that where some dialogue loses it's weight with a second reading. Time will only tell, we'll see after I read it a second time in the distant future. ( )

This is a contemporary romance that is an easy, fun, lighthearted read.

Commitment-phobic Sam Carson has only dated model-gorgeous women. But one stolen kiss from a plain-Jane schoolteacher and he's hell-bent on stripping away her floral dresses and teaching her the art of being bad. If only her good-girl ways didn't make him want to be a better man...

Ally Giordano is at the end of her rope. Her beloved grandmother actually believes that she's living in her favorite romance novel in Regency England and Ally doesn't have the heart to set her straight. But now Granny Donny's last wish is for a retreat to the country and Ally can't refuse her...until she demands that Sam accompany them. And though his smiles turn her knees into jelly, Ally knows better than to trust a playboy...and she definitely knows better than to try to change one. Or does she? ( )

What a great premise for a book! Ally's aristocratic, addled grandmother thinks she's living in a Regency romance novel, one of her favorite reading genres and Ally, who is moving out of state shortly, has no desire to disabuse her grandmother of this, aside from the fact that this means Granny Donny is determined to marry Ally off to a Duke. As they live in New York City, Dukes are in short supply but one roguish English ex-pat literally jumps into the masquerade as he's trying to sneak off undetected by an irate ex. Sam Carson is indeed the modern incarnation of a rogue but he's also a good enough guy that he helps Ally play along with her grandmother's delusion. So when Granny Donny insists that her horse and carriage (hired from Central Park) must take them to the country estate (no matter what NYC law says about horses on bridges), Sam smooths the way, staying in character and allowing Ally to maintain the charade for Granny Donny, even as Ally allows herself to hope against all evidence to the contrary that perhaps her long missing parents are waiting for her at the "country house." What might be waiting is a changed Sam, one willing to be a reformed rogue.

This was a cute book, playing on the conventions of both historical and contemporary romances. It was funny and sweet and clever. The characters, especially Granny Donny and Ally, were charming. Sam was more stereotypical in presentation but his conversion from playboy to solid, dependable, likable to grannies guy was natural if a little easy. Fans of both historical and contemporary romances will definitely enjoy this dip into each others' swimming pools. ( )

The good news first: This book was a lot of fun. I loved the setup-- the always eccentric grandmother decides she's living in the world of a particular Regency Romance novel. As in the book, she must marry off her granddaughter (who, luckily, is not 16 as in the book). So she picks out a duke, or the closest thing to one that she can find.Granny Donny was an interesting character, and I liked Ally. I wish I'd liked Sam a little more. His resemblance to your typical physically attractive but emotionally wounded regency romance hero was something of an ongoing gag. I did like it when he showed up in lace up pants :-).The problem is that I need to be able to shut off the analytical part of my brain when reading a book like this. I did have some issues with this book, that usually went away when I reminded myself I was looking forward to this book for the fun part, I wanted a break from books I needed to think about. ( )