I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FINAL DECISION: I loved the restrained hero who hides some secrets and the independent woman who fascinates him. I especially enjoyed that these two become friends and there is great respect between them before passion wins out.

THE STORY: Eric Marshall, the Duke of Brentworth is incensed when he learns that a Scottish woman, Davina MacCallum, seeks to gain control of one of his family’s properties claiming that her family are the rightful heirs and it should not have been added to the ducal estate. Brentworth is determined to turn away the fraud, but his anger is in direct proportion to his intense attraction to Miss MacCallum. Davina wants to reclaim her family legacy in order to build a life for herself and establish a medical facility on the property — honoring her father’s work and her own interests in the medical field. But first she has to wrest the property from the duke.

OPINION: While I admittedly tend to enjoy the outwardly passionate stories, I really did like this book even with its restraint. In the beginning of this book the hero is really buttoned up (but fear not, we learn some of his secrets later). The relationship between the hero and heroine begin in polite (and not so polite) arguments. Some might not be interested in the details of the land inheritance, but I found the investigation quite interesting.

Eric is such a restrained man but he has an essential kindness and respect of Davina that I really liked. He is a man living with his mistakes but he is a good person. Davina is an independent a woman who is unconventional for her time. Yet, what is especially enjoyable in this book is that it feels like this book stays within the constraints of its time. So often these days, historicals have characters who sound like they fell from the streets of modern America into a time machine. These characters are progressive for their time, but the way they interact with one another and even in the constraints of their time felt more realistic.

This romance is quieter and the relationship takes time to progress, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. It reminded me of the type of book that Mary Balogh — a restrained slow burn.

I especially liked seeing the other couples from the series who have important supporting roles here as well.

WORTH MENTIONING: There is a nice little epilogue to reward readers of the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: NEVER DENY A DUKE is the third book in the Decadent Dukes Society series. While the romance here is self-contained and thus the story can be read as a standalone, the overlapping characters makes this book richer by being familiar with their stories.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FINAL DECISION: Fabulous start to a new series.  Didn’t go in the direction I expected and I ended up loving Adam. Motives are mysterious until all is revealed which built suspense and interest.  Loved these two together.

THE STORY:  Adam Penrose, Duke of Stratton, has returned to England after years in France following his father’s death.  Adam has returned for revenge and to find out who set the events in motion which led to his father’s death.  He is also in pursuit of a wife.  He discovers Lady Clara Cheswick, the daughter of his family’s longtime enemy.  Lady Clara has no intention of agreeing to Adam’s determined pursuit of her as she is independent and spending her time managing her own property and interests.  Then there is the also the question of what Adam’s true motives are.

OPINION: This book was more intimate and personal than I expected from the description.  Really focusing on the developing relationship between Adam and Clara, the reader is left questioning what Adam’s motives are.

Clara is a woman who desire for independence even if that means upsetting conventional behavior and roles for women.  Having inherited property of her own, Clara plans never to marry but instead publish a paper for women — written by women.  She is independent but isn’t willing to toss away all convention.  That creates tension as she tries to exist both in and outside of society’s expectations.  She also struggles with her relationship with her family.  While she doesn’t always feel close to them, her loyalty to her father makes her suspicious of Adam’s motives — perhaps rightfully.

Adam is mysterious through much of the book.  By the end of the book, however, I loved Adam. In the book, people wonder what Adam’s motives are for returning to England…and the reader is left to wonder as well.  By not cluing readers in to Adam’s thoughts on the matter, the story has more tension and mystery.  And the story needs that mystery because this book is truly driven by Adam’s reasons for returning to England and what his plans are.

This book feels more intimate and personal because the focus of the book is truly the relationship between Adam and Clara.  Can Clara trust Adam? Why is he pursuing a relationship with her? Does he truly intend to marry her? Why?  What I ended up loving about this book is that the answers are more complex than a simple narrative.

WORTH MENTIONING:  Oh, I can’t wait for the other two upcoming heroes. There are some good stories to be told there.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  THE MOST DANGEROUS DUKE IN LONDON is the first book in the Decadent Dukes Society.

STAR RATING:  I give this book 4.5 stars.

NOTE:  I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions contained herein are my own.