This has the most appalling title, and I cannot imagine why the publishers chose to put a blue dress on the cover given that so much of the plot involves a red one, but odd presentation aside, this is a thoroughly good-natured and enjoyable romance. I've finally found a romance author other than Tessa Dare who believes in making her protagonists likeable people, and it makes such a difference. Anyway, apart from the Percy subplot, which I found tonally jarring and had very little interest in, this is a frothy popcorn read with shades of Pride and Prejudice about it. Not in the leads, but Mr. Collins is rebranded as Mr. Humphrey and is as entertainingly awful, although Humphrey improves - if only a little - over the course of the story where Collins does not, and gets his own deserved happy ending. I did like, too, that the Duke and Duchess, who must be in their 50s, get most of the sex scenes, because that's a refreshing change.

I'm interested to find that in my efforts to read more romance this year, the only ones I've actually liked so far are historical. There must be some contemporary romance writers out there who are producing enjoyable stuff, though, and I'm determined to find them.