I love Mari (rhymes with starry). She's this perfect blend of Mary Poppins and Anne Shirley, and I want her to be my new best friend. Lenora Bell performs magic with every novel, and I love how she weaves elements from books and movies in pop culture into her Regency romance setting. Bell said she drew on inspiration from Mary Poppins for What a Difference a Duke Makes and it's so fun finding the little pops of inspiration when you know what to look for. Some great examples are Mari's frothy white dress with the crimson sash that is reminiscent of Mary Poppins' iconic "jolly holiday" dress from the movie; Mari makes up a story about someone named Bert; the lawyer's name is Albert, the same as Mary Poppins' Uncle Albert (a coincidence? Not in a Lenora Bell novel!) There's a part in Albert Shadwell's office where Mari takes note of pattern on the carpet - urns with red and blue roses. I am certain this has some sort of meaning or connection to something, I'm not just bright enough to connect the dots. But if Bell put it there, I'm sure it means something!I haven't seen anything official that mentions a connection to Anne Shirley (of Anne of Green Gables fame) but I'm so sure Bell must have drawn on inspiration from this character by L.M. Montgomery. In addition to her general appearance, Mari insists her name is Mari (with an "i") just like Anne (with an "e"), and she even makes a reference to "scope for the imagination" at one point. There are a few other clues in there as well, but I'll let you find them for yourself.I'm in danger of this review becoming as long as the book itself, so I'll wrap it up. In addition to being (clearly) enamored of the leading lady, the other characters are also superb. I appreciate Banksford's drive and his desire to care for his family (as well as his confusion about to how to that love he feels). India is an amazing woman and I can't wait to read about her in the next book in this series. The twins, Adele and Michel, are precocious and so sweet, and I hope we get to see how they're getting on in later books in the series as well. I love Lenora Bell's writing style; the book is well-researched, feels authentic to the period (as far as I can tell as a reader who enjoys Regency romance and doesn't inspect them with a grimace through my quizzing glass), the plot is well thought out and pleasingly paced, and the dialogue is in turns witty and endearing. I am a huge fan of Lenora Bell and this had pretty high expectations for this book, and I was definitely not disappointed. Now I just need to wait (ever impatiently!) for the next book in the series, For the Duke's Eyes Only.