A Duke of One’s Own
Summer, 1816. A notorious rebel is about to meet her match…
Lady Georgiana Pendlebury is no stranger to breaking the rules of polite society. But when a so-called ‘friend’ invites her to a clandestine party, Georgiana is shocked to discover the event is more scandalous than even she could have imagined. So when a mysterious stranger offers help, she accepts, not realising their encounter will turn her life upside down.
Later that summer, Georgiana is invited to attend a house party at an infamous castle in Yorkshire. The gathering is a loosely veiled effort to arrange a marriage for the Duke of Northriding, who desperately needs an heir. Duke Gabriel Mauleverer has a terrible reputation as a rake, and Georgiana is happy to be a guest purely for the entertainment, but upon arrival, she is shocked to discover that the Duke is none other than the stranger who rescued her weeks earlier.
As the other ladies vie for the Duke’s attention, Georgiana is desperate to avoid their shocking secret getting out. But she finds herself caught, unable to avoid Gabriel’s gaze. Are they a threat to each other? Or could they be the answer to each other’s greatest desires?
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Review
I really liked Georgiana! There’s a real independence to her, but also that awareness that she truly is acting against the ways a young lady of her standing should. Her description of events at the masked ball at the start of the book show that she is also a woman who knows what she wants, and that’s incredibly refreshing to read. As for Gabriel, well. Our ‘Silver Duke’ is clearly a man of talent.
As with so many of our Regency heroes, he is a duke in need of an heir, but with no desire to marry, but increasing family pressure to do so (our poor dukes, so put-upon by society…). Clearly, the solution is to invite a multitude of eligible young women to a house party. All fine, until one of the guests very much NOT on the list of women out to impress turns out to be the damsel he rescued just weeks before.
To say sparks fly is an understatement.
The two awaken something in each other, and the desire jumps right off the page.
Of course, with a prize like the duke on the table, there’s plotting and scheming which tries to force our lovers apart, but if anything, this forces their hands, and we see both really deal honestly with their feelings.
The sense of time and place in the book is beautifully written, and whilst this is the first book I’ve read by the author, I’ll definitely look out for more in the future.
About Emma
Emma Orchard is the author of several well-reviewed regency romance novels published by Allison & Busby. In her other life she is a literary agent. Her first book with Boldwood is a raunchy romp set in Regency London.
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Jennifer C. Wilson 