ARC Review: The Duke in Question (Daring Dukes #3) by Amalie Howard
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Series: Daring Dukes #3
Author: Amalie Howard
Published November 8th 2022 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Goodreads Synopsis
James Bond meets Bridgerton in this steamy enemies-to-lovers Regency romance by bestselling author Amalie Howard
Lady Bronwyn Chase is far from the paragon of society that her mother expects her to be. Which is why she's on her brother's passenger liner bound for America with a secret packet of letters that could get her into trouble. Serious trouble. The kind sisters to dukes shouldn't be in. But she doesn't care, because for the first time in her life, she feels alive.
When Lord Valentine Medford, the Duke of Thornbury—retired agent of the Crown and spymaster—is tasked with finding the tyrant who's stolen correspondence from the British Home Office, he thinks it should be business as usual—track down the spy and turn him in. Valentine Medford has never lost a target. But when he discovers that the devious spy known as Kestral is really Lady Brownyn, his world is turned upside down. Soon he'll have to decide what means more to him: the beautiful and mysterious woman who calls to him, or his allegiance to the crown.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
After being expected to be the perfect lady, Lady Bronwyn Chase longs for adventure. She has seen her brother and sister in law take what they want, and be happy, so why can't she? Soon, she finds herself on a liner bound for America, transporting secret documents to the American war effort. If she was discovered to be the mysterious Kestral, she would be in a world of danger, so discovering that her brother's friend, Valentine Medford, the Duke of Thornbury, is also on board the SS Valor has thrown a spanner in the works. Valentine may be a duke, but he's also a retired crown agent, and his last mission is to find, and stop, the spy known as the Kestral. This Kestral has state secret's which may bring down the government, and prove disastrous to all, and so Valentine will do whatever it takes to stop him - though discovering Bronwyn and needing to protect her proves difficult, especially when the truth is revealed.
I wanted to learn more about Bronwyn after seeing what she had to put up with with her wicked mother in the previous book, and her story was even better than I could expect! She had lived a sheltered, and privileged life, but wanted to help others in any way she could, and when she learnt about the opportunity to transport letters to help, Bronwyn jumped at the chance. Yes, it is dangerous, but being the 'Kestral' was fun, and seemed helpful, so Bronwyn was willing to risk it. However, she could never have expected it to get as bad as it did, and though she wasn't happy to see Valentine originally, she would have been lost without him, and his help. Valentine was a hard nut to crack, but his history as an agent had hardened him, and he wasn't new to espionage, like Bronwyn, so didn't have any rose tinted glasses on when it came to what she was doing. I liked the dynamic between the couple, and though they were very different people, they brought out the best in each other, and changed for the better. The mystery aspect to the story wasn't that difficult to crack, but enjoyable nonetheless, and I couldn't put the book down once I started it. Another great book from Amalie, and I look forward to her next one!
Dates Read:
June 5, 2022
Rating
4 Stars
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