ARC Review: Never Doubt a Duke (Never #1) by Maggi Andersen
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Series: Never #1
Author: Maggi Andersen
Published June 4th 2020 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
Take an arranged marriage, add a damaged duke who doesn’t wish to marry, and an independent lady intent on her own pursuits. Stir in an explosive, passionate attraction. Sparks fly!
Lady Nellie Dountry, and Charles, His Grace, Duke of Shewsbury have had their hearts broken in the past. Neither is prepared to chance love again. When they are compelled to marry because of an agreement made long ago by their fathers, they are both determined to resist falling in love. Convinced that it’s mere desire which draws them together, both are surprised by their jealousy.
Nellie finds Charles irresistibly attractive, but other women do too. They circle like sharks. Aware that Charles’s former fiancée, who had broken his heart some years ago, is now a widow and on the hunt for a lover, Nellie struggles to trust him while she fears she is falling in love with him.
Charles was more than pleased with his choice of bride, but he wishes she wasn’t so difficult to understand. One minute she’s hot for him, the next as remote from him as a chalet in the Alps. Why he wants to get close surprises him; he planned for his marriage to be little more than one of polite indifference. But Nellie is so dashed beguiling!
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
After their father's made an agreement that their children should marry, both Nellie and Charles have known that an engagement was in the cards. The first time they meet, after Nellie has heard many things about Charles, they are pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoy one another's company, but know that they've both been burned in love in the past, and aren't willing to let themselves be vulnerable. Nellie knows that her hatred for fox hunting, and wish to host a literary salon will likely cause strife between herself and Charles, but she can't give up her beliefs, even if she is falling in love. And falling in love, she is. Charles' romantic past with the now-widowed Drusilla, and his long time French mistress, Angelique, are appearing everywhere, and her jealousy is off the charts. She knows she'll be hurt, but Charles seems so stoic and unbothered by it all. Charles, on the other hand, was never meant to be the Duke, but after his older brother's early death, and then his father's not long after, he had to learn very quickly. Yes, he cared for Drusilla and Angelique in the past, but as soon as he met Nellie, he was gone, even if he hadn't realised it. Will they overcome their walls, or will the past come back to haunt them.
This was a good read, and I liked Nellie in particular. She was both confident in herself, but vulnerable with Charles, especially as she found herself falling more and more. To let herself be so open with someone seemed wholly unnatural to her, especially after she had seen how husbands can be in the marriages of her acquaintances, and she never wanted to be with someone who would keep up mistresses while the Duchess was at home. Her jealousy was understandable, but I did wish at time she would just have a conversation with Charles, as the angst could've been sorted out so much earlier! I liked the resolution, and especially the time they spent in the countryside with Charles family, and particularly the Dowager Duchess, Catherine. An enjoyable regency romance.
Dates Read:
June 5-6, 2020
Rating
3 Stars
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