ARC Review: Betting on a Duke’s Heart by Royaline Sing
10:00
Series: None
Author: Royaline Sing
Published April 19th 2021 by Entangled: Amara
Goodreads Synopsis
Aetius White, the Duke of Saxton, couldn't save his father, but he'll be damned if he won't save the man’s dream. He'll acquire a Triple Crown–winning horse at any cost, even marriage. Luckily, the lovely lady in mind loves challenges as much as he. Certainly he can win her heart without losing his own…
Hell will freeze over before Miss Dina Campbell agrees to marry a horse-mad man who wants her dowry of a prize stallion, no matter what her father wants. The duke may be handsome, but he’ll have to prove he is a suitable match for her before she’ll even consider the offer. And there’s no way this love-averse man will ever succeed with the wager that she has planned…
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
All Aetius White, the Duke of Saxton, has wanted was to own a Triple-Crown winning horse, and restore some honour to the family name. When the stallion which is tipped to win this year is offered as dowry for Miss Dina Campbell, Aetius can't believe his luck. Miss Campbell is a neighbour, and her father will obviously accept his suit, because who wouldn't want their daughter to become a Duchess? Well, he's never met Dina, and she has no intention of marrying a horse mad man, no matter what. She wants to marry for love, and also be free to complete her translations, and being a duchess would put too many restrictions upon herself. Will Aetius be able to convince her to marry, or will he have his work cut out for him?
This book was okay, but not one I would ever be in a hurry to re-read. There was nothing particularly wrong with it, but I wasn't hooked by the plot, nor the characters. Dina was the daughter of a British nobleman, and an Indian woman, and had spent most of her childhood in Kolkata. She was brought to England later in life, and shocked many of the ton with her different ways. She has tried to mould herself into a perfect English rose, lest she draw more attention to herself, or scandal, but the stallion she was given has brought the fervour back around. All she wants is to travel, and return to India to find more traditional tales in need of translating. Aetius, on the other hand, is very stuck in his ways, and definitely horse mad. He's known as the Bareback Duke, as he rode a horse in the derby when he first inherited and he shirt was ripped from his back. His father died in scandal, and in debt, and Aetius managed to restore both the wealth and honour of the duchy in one action. Even with all this, I wasn't invested in their romance, or in each other really. I kept reading on to find out if I would become more interested, but never really was. I liked the originality of it, and the references to India and Indian society, but all in all, it was just okay.
Dates Read:
March 20-25, 2020
Rating
3 Stars
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