Sincerely, The Duke by Amelia Grey

On By TracyIn Other3 Comments

Sincerely, The Duke (Say I Do, #2)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.*

Damned If I Duke by Anna Bradley

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Damned If I Duke (Drop Dead Dukes)Barbara’s rating: 3.3 out of 5 Stars
Series: Drop Dead Dukes #2
Publication Date: 3/26/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 368

Prudence Thorne has been raised differently than most females of her time. Her mother died when Prue was very young and she was then raised by her father – who allowed her to pursue skills that were different than other young ladies. While fashionable young women were restricted to dance, music, embroidery, etc., Prue learned to shoot, ride like a demon, and handle a rapier. She was strong-willed and not afraid of anything or anyone – even a duke. I liked Prue and was rooting for her and her HEA.

Jasper Vincent, Duke of Montford, lost both of his parents early in his life and was raised by his grandfather – his mother’s father. Jasper has a different view of himself than his friends and family do. Jasper sees the fearless rake who is always finding some new way for excitement, while his friends see through to the caring man with a good heart. They also see the rake and troublemaker – but believe that is his way of protecting his heart. So, what is he to make of a woman who goes toe-to-toe with him and even attempts to blackmail him? Strangely, I liked him from the beginning and that usually isn’t the case. I was rooting for his redemption and HEA.

For me, this was the typical ‘daughter/sister does whatever to save father/brother, etc from ruin after gambling debt trope. It was well written and a nice read, but nothing so attention-grabbing that I’d want a second read. For me, that isn’t unusual, so you might feel entirely different. I enjoyed the sniping/banter between Prue and Jasper, and I thoroughly enjoyed the scene where she shot him in the rear with buckshot. What I didn’t enjoy was where Prue acted totally out of character and ran away sniveling. I know the author needed a scene where there was a conflict – but – this was just too unbelievable given all we’d been led to believe about Pru. What I would have preferred was for her to stand up to the antagonist, then confront Jasper, and the two of them work together to exact revenge. One of the antagonists paid a price – but that was just the lackey – I wanted the real aggressor to pay – big time. The bottom line for me – I liked the characters, I liked the story, but wouldn’t care for a second read. However, I will read the next book in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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