ARC Review: The Wolf and the Wildflower by Stacy Reid
10:00
Series: None
Author: Stacy Reid
Published February 27th 2023 by Amara
Goodreads Synopsis
USA Today bestselling author Stacy Reid’s addictive tale of two lost people who are found…by each other.
London is buzzing with the news that James Winters, the Duke of Wulverton—thought lost at sea a decade ago—survived in the harsh wilderness of the Yukon. Now he’s been returned to his family, his responsibilities, and a nightmarish world of artifice and noise. He has three weeks to become a refined, elegant duke for the Queen…or doom the entire family to ruin and scandal.
Promising psychologist Jules Southby knows a lot about disguises. She’s secretly been living as a boy since birth, enjoying the freedoms of men and knowing little about how to behave like a woman. When she meets the alluring duke, she’s unprepared for his raw, masculine beauty and icy intelligence…or that he can see through her darkest secret.
Jules has very little time to transform the duke into a true semblance of an English gentleman. Yet his very presence seems to unravel her in every way. Their attraction is stark and achingly real—and forbidden. But loving the lost duke would mean losing every sacrifice she’s made to earn her freedom…
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
All her life, Jules Southby has lived as a boy. Her mother knew that if she had another pregnancy she would die, and her husband was adamant he wanted a son. Jules has known that she has enjoyed more freedom as a young man, than what she would've done as a lady, but there are times she wishes she could be her true self, and not have to hide. Working with her father as a psychologist, she meets the alluring and newly discovered James Winters, the Duke of Wulverton. Thought to have died in a shipwreck, he survived the harsh Canadian winters, first by working with a local wolf pack, and latterly alone. Back at his estate, he struggles with the pomp and expectation that comes with his title, and his mother, the Dowager Duchess, is wanting him to return to society completely. From the first moment they meet, sparks fly between Jules and James, who seemingly sees straight through her disguise, and wants to know more.
I honestly requested this book for 3 reasons: 1, the author; 2, the cover; and 3, the wild synopsis. I really did not know what to expect going in, what with a woman who's pretended to be a man her whole life, and a duke who's lived with wolves for the past few years. However, once you get over a few unbelievable moments, you see the romance blossom between Jules and James, and that they are what each other needs at this moment. As they grew to love each other, there were real moments when I didn't know how they could have a happy ending, but I'm glad at the direction that Reid took in that regard. A fantastic book, that I just couldn't put down!
Dates Read:
February 21, 2023
Rating
4 Stars
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