ARC Review: Nothing But a Rake (Ashton Park #3) by Abigail Bridges
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Series: Ashton Park #3
Author: Abigail Bridges
Published July 21st 2022 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
He believes love is an unattainable goal. She is facing a marriage without it. But when their paths cross in a mud-drenched alley, both discover something neither thought possible—hope.
Four years ago, Lord Michael Ashton stood at a crossroads in Gretna Green, abandoned, penniless, and determined neither would happen again. The third son of the Duke of Kennet, Michael left his family for a life in the darkest streets of London. Now his father has delivered an ultimatum, and Michael faces a steep climb out of the gutter.
Lady Clara Durham struggles to find her place in Society as well. She is too round and too smart to please most aristocratic gentlemen, and far too quick with her tongue. But with her father’s health declining, Clara agrees to marry the Duke of Wykeham, a prickly man with ulterior motives.
Everything shifts, however, when Clara’s kitten disappears down an alley. Clara darts after her, tripping headlong into a mudpuddle behind the Kennet stables. When Michael helps her up, he becomes fascinated by this woman who loves horses, talks about hunting with a falcon, and is more interested in finding her cat than cleaning off the mud.
The sparks that fly between them leave both determined to help each other out. But their struggle to make new places for themselves in London’s Society explodes into a conflict between three powerful families that results in a horse race with their future at stake and a duel that could destroy them both.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
As the third son of the Duke of Kennet, Lord Michael Ashton knows that he has no real place in society, and when the woman he thought he loved, and loved him, leaves him when she realises how little power he has, Michael spirals out of control. Now, years later, he has been brought back into the family fold, but still lacks purpose. That is, until he meets Clara. Lady Clara Durham is the youngest, and only unmarried, daughter of the Earl of Beckcott. She's not someone who relishes in being in society, and would rather be at their country estate with her beloved animals. When her kitten, Pockets, flees one night, and is found at the Ashton family home, Clara and Michael meet, and the sparks fly. However, a third son with no role is not enough for the daughter of an earl, especially not one who a duke wants to marry.
I read this book a while after I'd read books 1 and 2, and had forgotten a little about the family, but not long into the book I was fully enmeshed in the Ashton family once more. Michael only just returned to his family after 4 years in a binge state, and is struggling with his sobriety just as his mother has a stroke, and his brother causes a scandal. As the family tries to regroup, Michael meets Clara, and it's clear they are made for each other. I really felt for the pair, and the forces at play that were trying to drag them apart. Clara's mother was a piece of work, and the Duke of Wykeham was a heinous character. Whenever those two were around Clara, they just treated her awfully, and it was with Michael when she was able to be free, and be herself. The Ashton family really embraced her, and the camaraderie between Michael and Robert was great to see. I'm pleased with the way the family all truly came together, and how they were in the final pages. A lovely end to the series.
Dates Read:
January 1, 2023
Rating
3 Stars
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