ARC Review: No Dukes Allowed (The Kent's Row Duchesses #1) by Jess Michaels
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Series: The Kent's Row Duchesses #1
Author: Jess Michaels
Published July 11th 2023 by The Passionate Pen, LLC
Goodreads Synopsis
A Brand New Series from Bestseller Jess Michaels!
After her abusive husband’s death, the Duchess of Gooding has been relegated to Kent’s Row, a place where widows are put out to pasture. Valaria isn’t upset by this. She’s running from her past and happy to be independent and away from prying eyes. And she knows she won’t be lonely after she meets and befriends two other young dowager duchesses who are also residing in the Row. Oh yes, life could be perfect…as long as no one ever finds out her secret.
Callum Osgood, Duke of Blackvale, was best mates with Valaria’s late husband and he mourns his friend’s untimely death. He also finds himself concerned about Valaria, especially when he hears she has been all but kicked out of her home and onto Kent’s Row. Convincing himself it isn’t about the attraction he’s always felt for the prickly duchess, he vows to do what he can to help her.
Of all the people in the world, Valaria cannot let Callum near her. But his honor and decency keep edging around her walls. As does the unexpected desire he makes her feel. Resistance turns to surrender, an affair to something deeper and soon all that she is trying to keep secret will spill out. Will what she’s done come between them and tear apart all they are starting to build? Or could he love her enough to fight for their future and protect her from her past?
This is the first in The Kent’s Row Duchesses Series and can be read as a standalone book.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
After being widowed at a young age, Valaria, now Dowager Duchess of Gooding has been relegated to the notorious Kent's Row, where dowagers are put out to pasture. But unlike her neighbours, she still has plans for the future, and the new found independence, which she's always longed for, is a dream. Her late husband was abusive, and she needs to keep her past a secret, particularly from her new friends. But Callum, Duke of Blackvale, can't believe that the vivacious Valaria has been kicked out of her home. Her late husband was one of his closest friends, so Callum feels as if he has a duty to care for her in his absence. But Valaria can't risk him discovering the truth, and as her feelings grow, it's harder to push him away.
I love Jess' books, and was so happy she had a new series coming out. I binged this whole series in the space of a weekend, and couldn't believe how much I fell in love with the characters. Valaria was like most women of this time period - forced to marry a much older man for the sake of a title, and doomed to accept her conditions, no matter what. Finally free from the abuse, she is happy in her own home, and with her friends, Flora and Bernadette, fellow dowagers on the Row. But Callum complicates things. He has rose tinted glasses on when it comes to the late Duke of Gooding, and Valaria can't let her walls break down enough to put her or her heart at risk. I really felt for her here, as she had the chance for happiness, but her past abuse was continuing to hold her back. I loved them as a couple, and was so happy they managed to overcome the problems separating them. Their friends also played such a big role in the plot, and I love how the three couples and romances intertwine.
Dates Read:
October 20, 2023
Rating
3 Stars
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