When You Wish Upon a Duke is the first book in Isabella Bradford's series about the three Wylder sisters. Charlotte is the oldest of the sisters and since the death of their father she has had to look after her heartbroken mother and her younger siblings. The family have been living in the country for years and Charlotte is a happy tomboy, much to her mother's distress. It comes as quite a shock to Charlotte when a solicitor arrives to organise the details of her wedding. It turns out her father had arranged a marriage between her and the Duke of Marchbourne but nobody had thought to tell her. Nervous about travelling to London and being forced into polite society Charlotte is equally worried about meeting her future husband for the first time. Luckily their attraction is instant but it doesn't take long before misunderstands start to force a wedge between them. Can they look past their differences and find a way to connect with each other?I thoroughly enjoyed this story, Charlotte and March make a great couple and I loved the chemistry and banter between them. The circumstances of their first meeting had me laughing out loud and I quite often giggled as I read about Charlotte's latest escapade. Charlotte may be young and quite innocent but she has a backbone to her and she stands up for what she wants from her relationship with March. It takes her a while to figure out where things are going wrong between them but as soon as she does she takes steps to fix things.
March is a hero who has some major issues to work through, his family history and the behaviour of his father all cause him embarrassment and he is determined not to repeat his ancestors mistakes. He is crazy about Charlotte from the moment he sees her and even goes as far as bringing their marriage forward because he can't wait to make her his but after the wedding he is so focused on treating her like a lady that he stops thinking of her as a passionate woman. His heart is in the right place but thanks to the expectations placed on him by society he comes close to ruining his marriage before it's even properly begun.
When You Wish Upon a Duke is a great start to a series and I'm pleased that we don't have long to wait for the next two instalments. I'm looking forward to getting to know Charlotte's younger sisters Lizzie and Diana better and I have a feeling that Diana in particular is going to be quite a handful - her future husband is going to need to keep his wits about him! If you're looking for a fun, witty and light hearted historical romance then you can't go wrong with this series and I think it will appeal to fans of authors like Eloisa James and Julia Quinn.