A Duke of One's Own
Series: None
Author: Emma Orchard
Published April 22nd 2024 by Boldwood Books

Goodreads Synopsis
Summer, 1816. A notorious rebel is about to meet her match...

Lady Georgiana Pendlebury is no stranger to breaking the rules of polite society. But when a so-called ‘friend’ invites her to a clandestine party, Georgiana is shocked to discover the event is more scandalous than even she could have imagined. So when a mysterious stranger offers help, she accepts, not realising their encounter will turn her life upside down.

Later that summer, Georgiana is invited to attend a house party at an infamous castle in Yorkshire. The gathering is a loosely veiled effort to arrange a marriage for the Duke of Northriding, who desperately needs an heir. Duke Gabriel Mauleverer has a terrible reputation as a rake, and Georgiana is happy to be a guest purely for the entertainment, but upon arrival, she is shocked to discover that the Duke is none other than the stranger who rescued her weeks earlier.

As the other ladies vie for the Duke’s attention, Georgiana is desperate to avoid their shocking secret getting out. But she finds herself caught, unable to avoid Gabriel’s gaze. Are they a threat to each other? Or could they be the answer to each other’s greatest desires?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

After being tricked into attending a masked orgy, Lady Georgiana Pendlebury knows she is lucky to have her reputation intact. The only person who knows she had a 'romantic interlude' was the man in question, and she's never seen him before. So arriving at a house party with her aunt at the Duke of Northriding's Yorkshire castle, and realising that the notorious "Silver Duke" is that man, is a shock. Gabriel Mauleverer, Duke of Northriding, is in need of an heir, and a wife. The house party this summer is for him to choose a bride who'd be happy to live at the castle, and not just after the title. Gabriel never expected to want any of the debutantes putting themselves forward, but he hasn't been able to forget about the masked lady, and now he knows who she is, he'll do whatever it takes to the bride he wants.

When I saw the cover for A Duke of One's Own, I knew it was my kind of book. Georgie may be a lady, but she cares little for her reputation, or what is expected from her. She is lucky in her family that she won't be forced to marry against her will, just for reputation or for security. So everyone knows she is not at the castle as a prospective bride, but as a guest of Gabriel's sister. She's harmless to the other debutantes, but Gabriel doesn't want any of them, he only wants Georgie. I did think she was too headstrong at times, and was about to spite herself, and Gabriel, by refusing him again and again. Gabriel was portrayed as a rake, and he had had a reputation in the past, but following the deaths of his brother and cousin, he is ready to settle down for the sake of the duchy. Finding Georgie first in London, and then again at his home, he realises that she has awakened something inside him, and he wants only her. He never tries to force her into anything she doesn't want, but tries to show her again and again that he is honest and steadfast in his affection.