ARC Review: About a Rogue (Desperately Seeking Duke #1) by Caroline Linden
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Series: Desperately Seeking Duke #1
Author: Caroline Linden
Published June 30th 2020 by Avon
Goodreads Synopsis
The first book in the new series Desperately Seeking Duke from USA Today bestselling and RITA award-winning author Caroline Linden.
It’s no love match…
Bianca Tate is horrified when her sister Cathy is obliged to accept an offer of marriage from Maximilian St. James, notorious rake. Defiantly she helps Cathy elope with her true love, and takes her sister’s place at the altar.
It’s not even the match that was made…
Perched on the lowest branch of his family tree, Max has relied on charm and cunning to survive. But an unexpected stroke of luck gives him an outside chance at a dukedom—and which Tate sister he weds hardly seems to matter.
But could it be the perfect match?
Married or not, Bianca is determined to protect her family’s prosperous ceramics business, even when Max shows an affinity for it—not to mention a dangerous ability to intrigue and tempt Bianca herself. And when Max realizes how beautiful and intelligent and desirable Bianca is, he’ll have to prove he’s no rogue, but the passionately devoted husband she craves…
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via Edelweiss. This in no way impacted on my view.
After the heir to the Duchy of Carlyle dies, young, unmarried, the dowager Duchess is left to find a new heir, before her sickly son dies. That brings Maximilian St. James to the picture. A descendent of the third Duke, he has a small claim, but being a notorious rogue, he needs to tidy up his act before he could be considered worthy. The Duchess allots him a stipend to improve himself, and better yet, marry and start a family. That's when he meets the Tate family. The Tate's are known throughout the country for their fine dinnerware, and St James is interested in investing in the business, and marrying into the family, to kill two birds with one stone. However, his betrothed, eldest daughter Cathy, is in love with the local curate, and wants to elope and marry him instead. Bianca, angry at her father's meddling to marry off Cathy without her say so, helps her to escape and marry her love, but that leaves her being forced to marry Max instead.
Well, the marriage doesn't start off well. Bianca only cares about the business, and doesn't trust how much Max is getting involved, as she thinks it should be hers, and hers alone. However, the more she is forced to listen to Max's ideas, which are actually brilliant and will improve the business, she starts to see him as something more than just a rogue and a rake, and perhaps he is the perfect partner she never knew she wanted or needed.
This was my first of Linden's books, but it definitely won't be my last. I just loved her characters and her plot, and Bianca and Max's romance was swoony and perfect for the story. Each were strong willed people, who wouldn't back down without a fight, and seeing them clash and start to give way when they knew they were just needling for the sake of it was definitely refreshing. More than that, there was the plot line of the improvement of the pottery business, and Max's past, which helped as an interlude between the romantic scenes, and fleshed out the story to be as enjoyable as it was. Everything that happened in the book was perfect for it, and I can't wait for the companion novel, about the other prospective heir, and I hope to see more of Bianca and Max. Linden is definitely an author I'll be keeping an eye out for in the future.
Dates Read:
April 12-13, 2020Rating
4 Stars
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