Duke in Training by Jane Charles

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Wayward Dukes’ Alliance, #8 AND Observations of a Wallflower, #4

Release Date: September 26, 2023

Miss Theresa “Tessa” Claxton, a self-proclaimed spinster, made friends with American Darius Copeland and did the unthinkable, she fell in love! But fear of losing his friendship has kept her mouth shut and when he is called to his uncle’s estate, it is almost a year before they see each other again. But when he returns, he is no longer a mere mister, he is now the Duke of Ellings and under the tutelage of his cousin the Duke of Claybrook. Claybrook is bitter and has compiled a list of rules to avoid matrimony, rules he takes quite seriously and that he is doing his utmost to make sure Darius adheres to. Rules that Tessa is fully aware of and is determined to make Claybrook break, but rather than Claybrook, it is Darius she tempts into breaking the rules. Too bad he will never think of her as anything other than a friend or does he?

Darius never imagined he would ever be the duke, but when his uncle dies in an accident and then is followed soon after by his own father, Darius finds himself with a title he never expected and thanks to his suspicious cousin, not sure who he can trust. To make matters worse, the woman he has fallen in love with has repeatedly stated her desire to remain unwed, but when he returns to town, she shows him marked attention, and now his cousin’s “rules” have him questioning her motives. Can he trust her or will his doubts cost him the love of a lifetime?

This was a fast-paced story with a lot of familiar faces and utilizes the oft-used miscommunication trope. I didn’t really mind the miscommunication, but it dragged on a bit longer than necessary, and while I don’t want to give anything away, I did feel like Tessa was a bit of a hypocrite and was completely unfair to Darius. Overall this was a good read and I am really looking forward to reading Claybrook’s story!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*