Blog Tour – A Duke for Miss Townsbridge by Sophie Barnes

She threatens to conquer his heart…

When Matthew Donovan, Duke of Brunswick, proposes to Sarah Townsbridge, she’s shocked. After all, she’s never met him before. One thing is clear though – he obviously needs help. So after turning him down, she decides to get to know him better, and finds out she’s right. But fixing a broken man is not the same as adopting a puppy. Least of all when the man in question has no desire to be saved. 

Matthew has his mind set on Sarah. Kind and energetic, she’ll make an excellent mother. Best of all, her reclusiveness is sure to make her accept the sort of marriage he has in mind – one where they live apart. The only problem is, to convince her, they must spend time together. And the more they do, the more he risks falling prey to the one emotion he knows he must avoid at all cost: love.

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Barbara’s Review:

I’ve enjoyed ‘The Townsbridges’ series so far and this is a nice addition to it. We’ve found HEA’s for the brothers, Charles, James, and William, so it is now time for Sarah to get her HEA. As always, the story is well-written and well-plotted.

Sarah Townsbridge is a caregiver, a fixer of things and people. She’s open, honest, straight-forward, and wants a marriage like her parents have. In other words, she wants love and open, honest communication. After six seasons, it doesn’t appear she’s going to find it – she doesn’t even have any suitors. However, her mother is determined and gives an entertainment – to which only gentlemen are invited. Oh! My! Things are actually going well enough – she’s had a few invitations for fishing and rides – until a man to whom she has never been introduced barrels his way through the guests, drops to his knee in front of her, and proposes. No proclamations of love – just more of an order – “marry me”. She knows who he is – and she doesn’t like him. Naturally, she says “NO”. Suddenly, the men who had invited her out withdraw those invitations. I mean – she’d just publicly humiliated a duke!

Three years ago Matthew Donovan, Duke of Brunswick, decided it was time to marry. He has specific requirements for a bride and he’s spent the last three years coldly assessing all of the potential candidates. Now, he’s made his decision and it is time to make his offer. What he didn’t count on was being denied. Who declines a proposal from a duke? Evidently, his chosen bride does. Being a stubborn male – once his choice was made up, he’ll not change his mind.

Matthew has a long way to go if he wants to win Sarah’s hand. Can he do it? Can he change? Can he allow himself to love? Can Sarah see him as more than someone she wants to heal? Come along for the ride with Sarah and Matthew and see how they manage to work their way to their HEA. Then, stay tuned for Athena’s book, An Unexpected Temptation.

I enjoyed the book, but I never really warmed up to Matthew. I felt as if I knew Sarah, but Matthew just didn’t seem fully fleshed out as a character. I think if there had been a few more pages containing his background, his traumatic childhood, etc. I might have felt differently about him.

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About the Author:

Born in Denmark, USA TODAY bestselling author Sophie Barnes spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the world. She’s lived in five different countries, on three different continents, and speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish, and Romanian with various degrees of fluency. But, most impressive of all, she’s been married to the same man three times—in three different countries and in three different dresses.

When she’s not busy dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family, swimming, cooking, gardening, watching romantic comedies and, of course, reading.

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The Return of the Disappering Duke by Lara Temple

The Return of the Disappearing Duke

The Return of the Disappearing Duke
A scarred mercenary…Or the Disappearing Duke of Greybourne?

The Return Cover Disappearing Duke

Rafe has spent years running from his true identity. He’s a lone wolf, living far from aristocratic England and his violent father. Then unconventional Cleopatra Osbourne requests his protection as she crosses the Egyptian desert. In Cleo he discovers a fellow outcast—and a fierce desire! Cleo must return to London, and here lies Rafe’s dilemma—because following his heart means claiming the title he’s avoided for so long!

Purchase Links:

Amazon ~ Amazon US paperback ~ Amazon UK ~ Bookbub

 

The Return Author

Author Bio:

Lara Temple writes strong and sensual Regency romances about complex individuals who give no quarter but do so with plenty of passion. She lives with her husband, two children, and one very fluffy dog and they are all very understanding about her taking over the kitchen table so she can look out over the garden as she writes and dreams up her Happy Ever Afters.

Social Media links:
Amazon author page US ~ Amazon author page UK ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook Author Page ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website

 

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Tracy’s Review:

 

Tracy’s Rating 3 out of 5 stars


Rafael Edgerton, heir to the Duke of Greybourne, ran away after yet another violent confrontation with his father. At 16 he left home, became Rafe Grey and enlisted in the military. Years later he works as a mercenary and has learned of his father’s death. He knows he has to return to England, but is in Egypt trying to coax his younger brother Edward “Edge” out of hiding. This is when he meets Cleopatra Osbourne – who is also trying to find her younger brother.

Cleo and her brother Dash decided it was time to return to England, but Dash would not leave Egypt without telling their father, so he set out, found out his father was dead and having some trouble with an “associate” – this man wants a book that Dash took when he got their father’s belongings, but Dash disappeared and a case of mistaken identity has put the villain on Cleo’s trail. She “hires” Rafe to get her to Cairo safely, he agrees, but is not willing to let her go on alone once they reach the city. He insists on taking her all the way to London – with or without their brothers!

I really liked Cleo and Rafe, but the story was not my favorite. It was a very slow-moving story that dragged in several places, then the last chapters are jam-packed with reunions, revelations, secrets and resolutions. I will reiterate, Cleo and Rafe are wonderful characters, the banter and dialogue between them is fantastic and I LOVED Rafe’s little names for her – but all in all, everything was slow and felt dragged out. The love scenes are mild and never lead to consummation, his secret was built up, but really ended up being a bit of a red herring. The epilogue was the saving grace of this book – it was so sweet and so fun that it made up for all my previous frustration.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me.*