"From Victorian England to Gilded Age America, two brothers are rising to the challenge of The Redford Dukedom. Enjoy the first installment of this captivating new duet.

The duke must marry…

But not for love!

In an accident that killed her parents, Lady Anita was left with a permanent leg injury, and at the mercy of her loathsome uncle. Bartering her to the Duke of Redford is a new low, so when the duke suggests a convenient marriage, she seizes the chance to escape.

Myles is determined his new wife won’t distract him from his ducal duties, but the woman who arrives at his estate is not the meek bride he expects! Society may have overlooked her, but now his spirited, determined duchess is all Myles can see!

From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past."

Quoted parts are from the book's Amazon page. The bulk of my review will be in the "further comments" section.

People who like sweet, historical romances.

The heroine and hero's characters and the hero's family.

Read the next story (the younger brother). I don't think it's been published yet though.

Like I was reading Anita's diary.

"
About the Author
Lauri Robinson lives in Minnesota where she and her husband spend every spare moment with their three grown sons and their families—spoiling the grandchildren. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and Northern Lights Writers. Along with volunteering for several organizations, she is a diehard Elvis and NASCAR fan. Her favorite getaway location is along the Canadian Border of Northern Minnesota on the land homesteaded by her great-grandfather." Source: the book's Amazon page.

It was a light, uplifting read.

I think this is only the second regular Harlequin Historical romance that I've read. I've read plenty of their Love Inspired versions (the Christian ones) before. The first one I read (earlier this week and reviewed just a few days ago) was a deep dive into the life of a surgeon and his soon to be wife during the Napolean war. It was gritty, suspenseful and very interesting.

This book was still good, but nothing like that. This book was more like a lighthearted vacation, once the heroine and hero connected. There was very little drama and even where I expected there to be drama, it was a lot tamer than I expected.

So my first two books from this line are very different and give me no idea what to expect from others. But I enjoyed them both, so at least I can expect to enjoy the books, even if they are wildly different experiences.

If you plan to read the book, just know that I enjoyed it and skip the rest as there are spoilers.

Clearly, the author didn't write the blurb for the Amazon page. It made Anita sound like she was taking advantage of the Duke's offer, when in fact she had to be talked into it. That, to me, is not "seizing" an opportunity. Though I guess, she did decide to accept his offer. It just wasn't that dramatic.

What was dramatic was her daring rescue of her footman and drive through a snowstorm to get him to the Duke's house. She saved his life and arrived on the scene as a very different woman from the meek one the Duke had investigated prior to his offer. His mother immediately loved Anita, and the Duke wanted to help her get away from her wicked uncle but he wasn't so sure she would be the kind of wife he needed.

Of course, everything worked out in the end. I expected a lot more trouble from the uncle than occurred. And more trouble from society. But it was really nice for me to read about a person with a disability being totally accepted for herself, the way she was, by a big, loving family. And, of course, the romance was nice.

So I'd recommend this book for when you want something easy and low-conflict to read. But not if you want a lot of action and adventure or hot, spicy romance.

Here are the book's current standings on Amazon's "Best Sellers Rank: #199,582 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)

#86 in Fiction on People with Disabilities
#116 in Disability Fiction
#162 in Gilded Age Historical Romance"

I think that's pretty good for being just published on August 20, 2024. So I'm clearly not the only one who appreciated the heroine's strength and courage in light of her disabilities and the quick acceptance into her new family by one and all.

Before meeting her, the Duke's mother and brother had reservations, but her personality quickly won them over. She was a delightful heroine for me to read about.

In fact, she's more of the reason that I want to read the brother's story (hopefully coming soon?). The end of the book said Anita and the Duke were going to go visit Wesley (the brother) in America. I'd like to read more about how she fares with such a voyage and in America. I do expect there to be more action and intrigue in the next book... it is set in America after all.

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Created Sep 06, 2024 at 1:33pm • Submit your own review...