ARC Review: Duke of Disrepute (Dukes of Distinction #3) by Alexa Aston
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Series: Dukes of Distinction #3
Author: Alexa Aston
Published April 6th 2021 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
Who doesn't love a duke? How about five of them?
Welcome to bestselling author Alexa Aston's new Regency romance series, the Dukes of Distinction! These five aristocrats all come with nicknames Polite Society has bestowed upon them. Renown. Charm. Disrepute. Arrogance. Honor.
A beautiful widow at the mercy of selfish relatives...
A duke broken by a terrible secret...
Lady Elise Ruthersby is with child when her husband is killed, and the family awaits the birth to see who will be the new earl. A daughter arrives, relegating Elise to the status of a servant as she becomes the unpaid governess to her two nephews.
Weston Wallace, the Duke of Treadwell, learns a devastating secret about his fiancée the night before their wedding, causing him to break their engagement. He becomes London's most notorious rake, with a rule that he only beds a woman once.
When Elise and her daughter are trapped in a carriage struck by a flaming tree in a perilous storm, Weston rescues the pair. Years of cynicism fall to the wayside as he becomes captivated by the beautiful widow and her enchanting daughter. Weston decides he must marry the woman who has thawed his cold heart without scaring her away because of his vile reputation.
The two strike a bargain where Elise will help Weston navigate the Marriage Mart during the upcoming Season if he will help her find a husband. Little does the unsuspecting widow know that London's most infamous womanizer has already decided who his duchess will be.
Can the Duke of Disrepute convince Elise that he's a changed man—due to love?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Seeing two of his best friends fall in love and marry. Weston Wallace, the Duke of Treadwell, considers it may be his turn. Dubbed the Duke of Disrepute by the ton, following his broken engagement years ago, he's the last person you would imagine would settle down, but while he's out in the country, he saves a young widow and her daughter from a burning carriage, and soon falls for her. Elise may be the dowager Countess of Ruthersby, but following the deaths of her husband, and later three day old son, she's pushed to the sidelines by the new Earl and Countess, and has found herself as the unpaid governess to her two tearaway nephews. Hoping when a letter arrives from her father, that she'd be able to move home, and eventually rejoin society, she's left despondent when within days of arriving, both her parents have died. Being rescued by the dashing Duke of Treadwell, who dotes on Claire, and genuinely seems to want to help, was like a dream, and when he says he'll help her find a husband - as long as she helps him find a wife - it's more than she could imagine. However, she doesn't realise that Weston plans on them being engaged by the end of the season, and to each other no less.
This is the third in the Dukes of Distinction series, and, honestly, they're getting better and better with each new addition. I just couldn't put this book down once I started, and was gripped from the get go. Both Elise and Weston had been crossed in love in the past, but wanted to find romance again, and hopefully have a family. Even from the get go, they were a little family, and the longer the three of them - including Claire - spent time together, you could see a family already formed. Elise have been alone for so long, without friends or family to support or care for her, so to see others from previous books, especially Weston's sister, Samantha, embrace her and support her, was fantastic! The romance and chemistry between Elise and Weston, too, was phenomenal, and I hope we see more from them in the other two books in the series!
Dates Read:
April 3, 2021
Rating
3 Stars
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