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Verdict: A lavish, very spicy finale to MJ Duncan’s Symphony series, with a cocky Olympic fencer, a sharp ballet producer and swords on the Royal Ballet stage. Fans call it one of the best in the series — but at 600 pages, many readers say the second half badly needed an editor.
Best for: Symphony series fans and readers who want a long, steamy rivals-to-lovers romance.
Heat level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (readers say it is spicier than Duncan’s earlier books)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5 — a 4.38 Goodreads average across 190 ratings, 4.19 on StoryGraph from 28 reviews, and 4.7 stars across 410 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, university rivals, forced proximity, workplace romance, Olympic athlete, series finale.
En Garde is MJ Duncan’s 2023 contemporary lesbian romance, the fourth and final book in the Symphony series. After seven years as Nina Devereaux’s executive assistant at the Royal Ballet, Serena Bowers finally gets a shot at producing — but her promotion depends on Nina’s new ballet, Illyria, and that means working with the Honorable Rowan Alexander, Olympic fencing gold medallist and Serena’s arch-nemesis from university.
It holds a 4.38 average across 190 Goodreads ratings, with 86% of them four or five stars, 4.19 on StoryGraph from 28 reviews, and 4.7 stars across 410 Amazon ratings.
What Is En Garde About?
Illyria puts swords on the ballet stage, and Rowan — Nina’s goddaughter — is brought in as the fencing expert. She is amused to find Serena, a former ballerina whose dancing career ended with injury, as prickly as ever and even more beautiful.
Both need the ballet to succeed. Working together without killing each other may be harder than defending an Olympic title.
What Works in This Series Finale
- Chemistry: Readers say the tension between Serena and Rowan is off the charts.
- Rowan: Reviewers love her as an endearingly cocky, loyal lead with hints of insecurity.
- Fencing and ballet: Readers enjoyed learning about Olympic fencing and seeing it woven into a ballet.
- Series reunion: Characters from earlier books return, and fans loved seeing them again.
Book Synopsis
A ballet producer with everything riding on one show is forced to collaborate with the aristocratic fencer who tormented her at university.
Old grudges meet new sparks as Illyria heads for opening night.
My Review
Duncan’s fans are delighted here: the banter is fun, the rivals-to-lovers heat is intense, and one reader notes the new multiple points of view pay off. Several call it the best of the series.
The length divides readers sharply. Multiple reviewers say the main conflict wraps up around the halfway mark, leaving what one calls a very, very long epilogue of sex scenes and affirmations of love. Some readers stopped partway, and one DNF reader tired of side characters who exist to tease and matchmake. Others found the fencing and ballet jargon tedious, the enmity too brief, the prose dense, or the typos distracting.
My honest note: Superb for fans who want more time with these characters; everyone else may want to skim the back half.
| Element | In En Garde |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Serena Bowers (Royal Ballet producer) & Rowan Alexander (Olympic fencer) |
| Core tropes | Enemies to lovers, university rivals, forced proximity |
| Setting | The Royal Ballet, London |
| Heat level | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ |
| Length | About 600 pages |
| Series | The Symphony series #4 of 4 — the finale |
| Content notes | A career-ending dance injury in the past; explicit sex |
How Spicy Is En Garde?
Very. Readers mention a lot of bed scenes, and one fan says the spicy parts are spicier than in any previous Duncan book.
StoryGraph has no user-submitted content warnings.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you’ve read the Symphony series and want a long, sexy send-off. It is on our sapphic sports romance list.
You may want to skip it if: you prefer tightly edited books or a long enemies phase.
In short: A dazzling duel, then a very long bow.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 56% five stars, 30% four, 8% three, 3% two and under 1% one. On StoryGraph, every reader who answered tagged it emotional and slow-paced. Series fans are sad to see Symphony end, and several plan a full reread.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Chemistry first. Second, Rowan. Third, the fencing-meets-ballet world. Fourth, returning characters.
What readers argue about and complain about: Length, above everything. Second, the conflict ending at halfway. Third, matchmaking side characters. Fourth, jargon and typos.
The comparison worth making first: the earlier Symphony books — readers name Evolution and Duncan’s own Pas de Deux among their favourites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I read En Garde as a standalone?
Mostly. It is book four of the Symphony series, and at least one reader who started here without knowing enjoyed it anyway, but characters from earlier books appear often.
How long is En Garde?
Very long — around 600 pages (602 on the Kindle listing). Length is the most common complaint.
How spicy is En Garde?
Very. Readers mention many bed scenes and say it is spicier than MJ Duncan’s previous books.
Is En Garde enemies to lovers?
Yes, though several readers feel the enmity fades quickly and the main conflict is resolved around halfway.
Is En Garde on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes, at the time of writing.
If You Loved En Garde, Read These Next
Start the Symphony series from the beginning with Symphony in Blue. For more, browse our sapphic sports romance list or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
En Garde sets out to close the Symphony series with a fencer, a ballet and a rivalry, and its chemistry and heat deliver. What holds it back is its length. Worth it for fans. Check En Garde on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, En Garde ranks as a very good series finale — hot, overlong.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ 4.38 average across 190 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 86% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 4.19 on StoryGraph from 28 reviews
- ✓ 4.7 stars across 410 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Off-the-charts chemistry
- ✓ Rivals to lovers
- ✓ Enmity fades fast
- ✓ Long payoff
Characters ★★★★☆ 4.2/5
- ✓ Cocky, loyal Rowan
- ✓ Bold Serena
- ✓ Series favourites return
- ✓ Matchmaking side cast
Writing ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Fun banter
- ✓ Multiple POVs
- ✓ Needed an editor
- ✓ Jargon and typos
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Tagged emotional by all respondents
- ✓ Series farewell
- ✓ Satisfying
- ✓ Low late tension
Heat Level ★★★★★ 4.5/5
- ✓ Many bed scenes
- ✓ Spicier than earlier books
- ✓ Open door
- ✓ Explicit
Ending ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Happy
- ✓ Predictable
- ✓ Long epilogue feel
- ✓ Series finale
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ On Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ About 600 pages
- ✓ Fans plan rereads
- ✓ Series binge
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