Sincerely, The Duke by Amelia Grey

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Say I Do, #2

Release Date: March 26, 2024

While visiting his mother, Roderick “Rick” Cosworth, the Duke of Stonerick begins to feel the onset of a recurring fever and as his mother is berating him about his need to marry and beget an heir, he worries that the fevers may be the end of him and his mother is right, he does need to marry and get an heir. In a fit of anger, he picks a name off the list his mother provided of suitable brides and proposes to her in a letter, which he hands to his mother as he leaves and is lost to the fever. Days later when his fever has passed, he gets a caller, the very lovely and bold Miss Edwina Fine, the woman he wrote to. At first, he was shocked, he thought his mother burned the letter, but clearly, she didn’t. And then he makes a split-second decision, he stands by his proposal and even agrees to help find husbands for her two older sisters. But he doesn’t explain his sudden need to wed or why he picked Edwina.

Edwina Fine is the youngest of triplets, and due to superstition and folklore, it a secret she and her sisters hold close to the vest. She doesn’t lie to Rick, but neither does she offer the information, nor does she admit to her fear that she too will give birth to multiples. She is in London to find a not one, but three husbands as she promised her father on his deathbed, that she would marry and would find husbands for her sisters, as well as have them all be accepted by society. As a duchess, she will be able smooth the path for her sisters, but convincing them to marry will be a challenge, especially since they refused to join her for the season in London. But Rick is up to the challenge and with one passionate kiss, gains her agreement to marry and sets things in motion to lure her sisters to London.

This was a well-written, interesting, albeit unusual story with likeable, flawed characters. The book is filled with secrets, vows, shooting matches, great secondary characters, misunderstandings, superstitions, fear, perceived betrayal, family, mild love scenes and finally a hard-won HEA complete with an epilogue. I liked this story, but I didn’t love it, both Edwina and Rick were a bit hypocritical, they both had and kept secrets, while crying foul and broken trust when they learned the other had secrets and Edwina’s “vow” was unfair to her sisters – who, in my opinion, acted incredibly immature, especially at the wedding. However, I did find the twists about commonly held superstition and Rick’s illness to be very believable, and those plot points saved this book for me. This is the second book in the series, but the books are not really connected, other than the friendship of the three dukes, so this book could be read as a standalone title.

*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.*

It Takes a Rake by Anna Bennett

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Rogues to Lovers, #3

Release Date: January 23, 2024

Architect Leo Lockland has been in love with Miss Kitty Beckett for as long as he can remember and has known for just as long that she had no idea and considered him her nemesis. So when he left Bellehaven Bay four years ago thanks to his father, he tried to forget her, but she owned his heart and no amount of brandy or flirting or work could make him forget her. So now that his father has passed and his grandfather is getting older, Leo is returning to Bellehaven Bay to take over his grandfather’s practice and hopefully win Kitty’s affection once and for all. But almost immediately it is clear that Kitty hasn’t forgiven his hasty departure and clearly finds him too boring to consider as a husband. But when a design contest is announced, Kitty proposes a deal – he will help her with her building specifications and she will help him win his lady love by giving him “rake” lessons. He agrees, hoping that he will be able to win her heart and if not, then maybe he will finally be able to let her go and move on.

Kitty Beckett has known loss, sometimes it feels like loss is all she knows and that is why she doesn’t want to fall in love. Shortly she will come into her inheritance and will be able to live independently. She plans to move to London and start an architecture firm, and when she finally marries, she will find a man who is happy to share in her wealth, give her children, and leave her to live her own life, free from any emotional attachments. Because in her mind, love hurts too much and everybody leaves her in one way or another, starting with her parents, who died, then her uncle who left her at boarding school, and most recently Leo, who took off to London without a word of goodbye and no communication since he left. Now he is back, looking better than he should and obviously in love with someone. When the design competition is announced, she is ecstatic, winning would help her start her career on a positive note, she knows her drawings and concepts are unbeatable – even by Leo, but her mathematical calculations could use some work – and Leo is the best at numbers, so she offers him a deal, he helps her with her design calculations and she will help him attract the object of his desire by giving him rake lessons. It is the perfect solution and gives her a chance to engage in a bit of flirtation without any danger of losing her heart. Well, it was perfect until she lost her heart and it got broken. Can Leo make her see that his love is true and constant or will Kitty hold on to her fear and walk away from the love of a lifetime?

This was a well-written, nicely-paced, fun story with wonderful characters that perfectly wraps up the series. I loved Leo and Kitty together, but at times found myself annoyed with Kitty and her firm belief that love was pain. I know she has had more than her fair share of heartache, but she has also been witness to incredible love and so when she had the bobble with Leo, I felt that she should have had more faith in him instead of giving in to her fears. That aside, I thought this was the best book in the series and I would happily read it again and recommend it. The book has secrets, loss, emotion, wonderful chemistry, a sigh-worthy hero, great secondary characters, steamyish love scenes, grand gestures, a devious villain, and finally an ending that will warm your heart and gives our lovers a well-deserved happy ending. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read and enjoyed as a standalone title.

*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.*