ARC Review: Duke of Charm (Dukes of Distinction #2) by Alexa Aston
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Series: Dukes of Distinction #2
Author: Alexa Aston
Published March 11th 2021 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
A woman unjustly imprisoned...
A duke jilted at the altar...
Lady Samantha Wallace has been in love since childhood with her brother’s best friend, the Duke of Colebourne, but George only sees her as a little sister. She weds a viscount who is George’s opposite, only to find herself trapped in a miserable marriage. When she becomes a widow, she is held against her will and finally escapes, vowing to live life her own way and never be controlled again.
George is jilted at the altar and becomes one of London’s most scandalous rakes, bedding women left and right. After years of being the Duke of Charm, though, George is tired of his meaningless existence and decides he is ready for a change—which includes finding Sam, who is now a widow, and asking her to be his duchess.
Fate brings George and Samantha together at a house party, where their desire for one another ignites in a torrid encounter. Yet Samantha refuses to wed George. Determined to learn Sam’s secrets and make her his, George will do whatever it takes to fight for the woman he’s always loved in secret.
Will Samantha be able to escape the past that still haunts her and find happiness with the Duke of Charm?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Samantha Wallace has loved her brother's best friend, George, Duke of Colebourne, since she was young, and during her first Season, she thought he might start to see her as more than just a little sister. However, he announces his own engagement, and Sam, wanting to forget the pain this has caused, rushes into a marriage with the heir to an Earldom in County Durham. It's now been five years, and George was jilted at the altar, and Sam has been a prisoner in the home of her in laws ever since her husband's death. On the day she is being forced to marry the new heir, her late husband's cousin, she and her maid, Lucy, manage to flee the church, and slowly make their way south, towards Sam's family home. Finding refuge at the home of the Duke of Windham, a family friend, Sam realises that she will be in contact with George a lot earlier than expected, and during the house party at Windham estate, they grow close. For George, he's been known as the Duke of Charm since he was jilted, and normally spends time in the beds of unhappily married women, or widows. He wants more, and though he never expected that it would be Sam who caught his eye, and made him want to be better, he will stop at nothing to prove to her that he is right for her, and that marriage to him will be nothing like that she has just escaped.
This book was as good as the previous one, if not better. Sam had had a horrendous life, both during and following her marriage, and I felt so sorry for her. Marrying Haskett had been a mistake, and once she was in her in-laws home, it was clear that her mother-in-law, Lady Rockaway, ruled the roost, and nothing happened against her will. She wore down Sam, and after she had mourned her husband for a year, and then announced she would be returning to her brother's home, she was imprisoned in her room, with little food, and it's implied her maid was raped while trying to get word out about what was happening. It's only because of the little support the vicar's wife gave her on her second 'wedding day', that Sam managed to escape and get a mail coach to Dorset. She's ready for her freedom, and is more than willing to have fun like most society widows do - but no intention of ever remarrying and finding herself at the mercy of a husband, or his family. George has a reputation around town, that's not unwarranted, but he wants to change and Sam forces him to look inward, and see how much he wants more than he currently has. Their chemistry was lovely, and I always enjoy stories like this one, with friends to lovers. Some parts of it, okay, I thought were a bit trite, and could've been dealt with quicker, but all in all, a lovely book, and I look forward to the sequels.
Dates Read:
February 28, 2021
Rating
3 Stars
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