The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M White Publisher: Bethany House (2016 - April 5th)
eARC (384 pages)
Via: NetGalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: Read 2016
Synopsis
Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she has never felt good enough—not for her father, not for the man she thought she’d marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she’s willing to be forever an outcast if it means escaping Loch Morar and the men who have jeopardized her life.
Brice Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has suddenly found himself in possession of a rare treasure his enemies are prepared to kill for. While Brice has never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, the last thing he needs is the distraction of his neighbor, Lady Rowena, who finds herself in a desperate situation. But when the moody Earl of Lochabar tries to trap Brice into marrying Rowena, Brice finds he’s not as opposed to the idea as he expected to be.
Rowena wanted to escape the Highlands, but she’s reluctant to resort to marrying a notorious flirt just to gain his English home. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in some kind of questionable business with a stolen treasure, she ’fears she’s about to end up directly in the path of everything she was trying to avoid.
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My Review
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I enjoyed the glimpse into the Scottish Highlands as well as England. The characters were also rather interesting.
Rowena is the heiress to an earldom and a Scottish clan. She has suffered in her life. Her mother committed suicide. Her father is abusive. Her beau takes advantage of her. Her step-mother despises her. This poor girl just needs somewhere to be safe. She can’t be safe in her own home so she has no idea what else to do.
Malcolm has been Rowena’s beau for quite a while. And then he takes advantage of her. He doesn’t really care about her at all. He is the closest relative of the Kinnaird, Rowena’s father, and would have inherited the estate had Rowena not been born. He still feels he is entitled to such an inheritace even if he has to get it through Rowena.
Lilias is a cousin of Rowena’s as well as her lady’s maid. Hard times made her become a servant to Rowena’s mother and now Rowena. She is the closest thing to a mother that Rowena has left. She wants only what is best for Rowena, even if that means leaving the Scottish Highlands for good.
Brice recently became the Duke of Nottingham with the death of his father. He has a super-strong faith and that was amazing. When his life got difficult, he turned first to God in prayer. He is protective and will take care of those who need him. At the beginning of the book, this is his sister and his mother. When he sees the full scope of Rowena’s problems, he feels compelled to help her situation.
Like I said at the beginning, I enjoyed reading The Reluctant Duchess. The characters were my favorite part. I highly recommend this book as well as the first in the series, The Lost Heiress.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley for
review consideration. This in no way affects my opinion of the title
nor the content of this review.
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