To Love a Duchess by Karen Ranney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: All for Love #1
Publication Date: 7/31/18

This is a lovely read that is emotional and compelling. It is well paced, well plotted, and well written. The characters are fully three-dimensional and very likable and relatable. It is also very sad and melancholy in its telling of grief, despair, and loss.

Suzanne Whitcomb, the Duchess of Marsley, is merely existing. There is no joy, no happiness, no goodness – just nothing left in her life. All that mattered in her life died two years ago in a terrible accident. She just complies with everything now – her father orders her to attend a function and act as hostess – she does it – no questions, no arguments. Her disagreeable maid orders her to take her potion – she takes it – even though it makes her feel strange and her mind feels fuzzy.

Adam Drummond is a spy – a member of the Silent Service. He joined the army when he was just a small boy and he was grateful to have done it. He’d been born and raised in a tenement in Glasgow, so the army providing food, safety and warmth were more than he’d ever had. He’d become a decorated hero and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He’d also lost his wife six years ago in a terrible, terrible attack. He’d left the army and joined a new part of the War Department called the Silent Service.

Adam’s latest assignment was different than any he’d had before. He was undercover as the majordomo at the home of a duke that the War Office had reason to believe was a traitor. It was Adam’s task to find the proof and he was determined to complete his mission successfully because he thoroughly despised that particular duke and he was sure that the War Office was correct in believing the duke to be a traitor. It didn’t matter that the duke was now dead. What mattered was finding justice for all those deaths that he was sure the duke had caused.

What Adam doesn’t count on is the very sad, grieving duchess. How can such a lovely creature be so mournful over such a dastardly man? She seems haunted – and sometimes she doesn’t seem to be totally there. Does she drink? As the weeks move on and they have more and more interactions, he learns her story and is more and more attracted to her. He knows, of course, that a boy born in a Glasgow tenement cannot have a duchess. However, the attraction is mutual and as the case comes to an end – he can hardly say goodbye.

I love how he actually listens to her, to her opinions and then believes her. I also love how she comes to trust him and always feels safe around him. Their journey into love and an HEA is a lovely thing.

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”