"Her Darling Mr. Day" by Grace Hitchcock - American Royalty, book 2

Jilted in front of all New York, Theodore Day decides to lose himself in his family's luxury riverboat business in New Orleans and compete against his brother to become the next company head. The brother with the most sales by summer's end will win the position. It took Flora Wingfield's best work to convince her family to summer in New Orleans, but with Teddy Day a bachelor once again, she's leaving nothing to chance. Desperate to stand out from all the clamoring belles, Flora attempts a bold move that goes completely awry, only to find it's her interior design skills that finally catch his notice. But when Flora learns her father has matchmaking schemes of his own, Teddy will have to decide where his happiness truly lies and what he is willing to sacrifice for it.

As the second book of the series, this one is easier to follow if one has read book one (the contest Teddy participated in is referenced quite a bit), but even so, it stands on its own decently. I think it has more humor than book one, which I enjoyed. There are hints of a mystery indicated by uncharacteristic actions by Flora's father, though Flora (and consequently, the reader) is kept in the dark. I assumed the Wingfield family was actually bankrupt, but I was wrong! Aspects of Flora's relationships with her sisters reminded me strongly of the Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice (as, for that matter, did some of the socialites of New Orleans). 

Over all, it's an entertaining story; sometimes over-the-top, but if you're in the mood for a light-hearted romance, this fits the bill.

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

American Royalty
1. My Dear Miss Dupree
2. Her Darling Mr. Day
3. His Delightful Lady Delia