Always the Best Friend
Series: Never the Bride #4
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published July 7th 2020 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Always the best friend and never the bride—it was a trap she never saw coming...

Lady Harriet Stanhope grew up with her twin brother and his friends, never questioning their laughter or their games—but now she's a young lady, she's desperate for one friend in particular to see her in a different light.

But after twenty years of knowing each other, she's just the best friend, not a serious contender for the Duke of Devonshire's heart.

Montague Cavendish knows what is due to him and his family name, and he is not fool enough to wish for a love match. He'll find a pretty young thing with plenty of money, and that will be that.

Until Harriet—Harriet—breaks into his rooms to seduce him. He should resist her; he knows he should. But Montague had never imagined such perfection lay beneath the gown of his best friend.

He's determined to resist. She's sure that he will fall in love with her after one night of passion.

Mistakes will be made, and confusion abound as friendship is put to the ultimate test.

Is it possible for two people raised as siblings to become lovers—and if it all goes wrong, what will be left of their friendship?
Goodreads

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

Harry, or Lady Harriet Stanhope to give her full title, has been best friends with Montague Cavendish, the Duke of Devonshire for as long as she can remember, and in love with him for just as long. He has never seen her as anything but 'Harry', and now that Monty needs to marry, and quickly, Harry is slowly losing her chance to win him. Because of a weird addition in his grandfather's will, Monty needs to marry by the time he turns 26, or lose the title and everything that comes with it, to a male cousin. His problem - he has no male cousins, and the title will become defunct. Whenever he spends time with the society ladies, he is bored and wishes they were more like Harry, who he can talk to about anything, and does. He's never seen her as a choice though, and honestly, forgot she was female until others started paying her attention. Harry decides to take matters into her own hands and climbs in Monty's bedroom to seduce him, and it actually works. He seems to be falling for her, and the night they spend together was wonderful, but, of course, a spanner is thrown in the works, words said that shouldn't have been, and Monty needs to grovel on his hands and knees to win Harry back. Will he manage it?

Harry and Monty's friendship and later romance was lovely to read about. I read this book in a few hours one morning, and just needed to read more and more without putting it down. Because of how close they had always been, the intimacy between them was immense and the way it developed into romantic love was perfect for them. At first, the seduction scene I thought might've been a dreamscape, but loved how it was done, and how the aftermath was dealt with. The other cast of characters, from Harry's twin brother Josiah, his wife Honora, and Monty's cousin Letitia were wonderful additions to the book, and I'm looking forward to reading Letitia's story in the next book, Always the Wallflower.

Dates Read:
July 23, 2020

Rating
3 Stars