When You Wish Upon a Duke

Dreams do come true in Tinkerbell-inspired book “When You Wish Upon a Duke” by Charis Michaels! Well-traveled Isobel Tinker was minding a business when she finally decided to confront the “Lurker” in front of Everland Travel. All five-foot-two-inches of her and her parasol found Jason aka North, new Duke of Northumberland, at the back door looking for his future cultural attaché for a rescue mission. Not believing North was a duke and preparing for her meeting with the welcomingly-absent owner of her workplace, Isobel dismissed him. The semi-retired spy used his tricks of the trade to get a clandestine meeting with her to explain why he needs her expertise. Said meeting consisted of answering questions, kissing to hide her identity from scandal, then telling him to leave her alone. A few days later, Bell escaped her boss’s ultimatum and agreed to accompany North to a land she promised never to return to in exchange for her own building. I thought this book was so charming and I smile every time I read the word “shimmer!” There was travel (by sailing, not flying), pirates, tummy-upsetting fairy dust, familiar names, and the color green. I love to travel so I loved that aspect of the book. We got to escape to Iceland where Isobel and North got to experience its wonders, and she got to heal from and replace bad memories. I enjoyed S’bell who was feisty, goal-oriented, and knowledgeable. I got a kick out of how she would barely let North explain himself throughout the book, for goodness sake he was a duke. North acted, as always, in spy-mode so he spoke to her as a person. I loved that North saw how valuable S’bell was as an informant, and how capable she was as an escapist. I love that they would have conversations and when things got too serious, they intuitively lightened up the mood. I love this book! If you want to read about a heroine who dreams and works for a happier future despite her circumstances, then this book is for you. If you want to read about a cinnamon roll hero who cares about his relations and does not mind a female being an equal, then this book is for you! If you like stories about hope and realizing we can be whatever we want to be, then this book is for you! Thank you to Net Galley, Avon Books, and Harper Voyager US for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I liked this book. The writing was well done and the characters likable. I definitely liked book one better. Things feels kind of bogged down here and there as the story unfolds and although I could feel sparks between this couple there was sadly very little heat. This book offers up a very modern twist on a historical romance, so if you like your books historically accurate you are going to be disappointed. I can't say that I'm a huge Tinkerbelle fan but I do think the concept behind this series is clever and as a whole, I thought it was a fun read. This is my frank, freely posted review.

Isobel is happy running a London travel agency on behalf of its absent owner. But when the man comes to town and gives her an ultimatum—marry him, or she’s fired—her world is upended. Jason, Duke of Northumberland, offers her a solution: act as translator on his trip to Iceland, and she can set up her own agency in one of the commercial properties he owns. Of course, it’s a little more complicated than that. After the heartbreak she experienced the last time she was in Iceland, she vowed never to return. And Jason isn’t going on a pleasure cruise: he’s on a mission to save his bumbling cousin from pirates. Can Isobel and Jason survive long enough to fall in love? I enjoyed the original elements in this book, like the travel agency and the Icelandic setting. I’m usually not a fan of adventure romance, but this one had a nice balance between plot and character development. Isobel and Jason were so good together, and the obstacles so real, that the romance storyline flowed naturally rather then seeming contrived. It’s a fun and very romantic novel. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.