2023 Beat the Backlist challenge
Review: Duke Gone Rogue (Love on Holiday #1) by Christy Carlyle
10:00
Series: Love on Holiday #1
Author: Christy Carlyle
Published December 28th 2021 by Avon
Goodreads Synopsis
Will Hart, the Duke of Ashmore, is everything his father was not: scrupulously honest, forbidding, and apparently joyless. As a duke, he’s a catch, but as a grumpy stick-in-the mud, no lady knows quite how to catch his eye. When his sisters concoct a plan for him to visit a run-down family property in Cornwall, he reluctantly agrees, hoping it will be a chance for him to rediscover the carefree man he once was.
Madeline Ravenwood believes she can do anything she puts her mind to, including running the gardening business she inherited from her father and being a founding member of the Royal Visit Committee. Hard at work preparing for Princess Beatrice’s visit to judge their annual flower show, the appearance of a stern, handsome duke is a distraction Maddie doesn’t need.
Tasked by the committee to convince the duke to repair his ramshackle manor house in time for the royal visit, he agrees, if she will join him as he explores Cornwall. Spending their days, and nights, together, Will’s love for Maddie becomes too strong to ignore. But Maddie knows how different their worlds are and when the burdens of his title reappear, can Will convince her that she’s the woman he’s been waiting for?
Goodreads
Review
Madeline Ravenwood has never found a task or activity that she could say no to. Since her parent's deaths, she has been the owner and manager of Haven’s Cove's local gardening firm, as well as a member of the town's preservation society and on the Royal Visit Committee. The whole town can't wait for Princess Beatrice's visit, but the Duke of Ashmore's rundown property on the outskirts of Haven’s Cove is an eye sore than needs fixing before the Princess arrives. Maddie takes off for London, hoping to find the duke and convince him to work on the property. Will, however, doesn't really care about a far flung house, especially not as his engagement has been broken, and he needs to solve the family's issues to help his sisters. Escaping London for some quiet, he meets Maddie again, and convinces her to hide the fact he is in town, in return for help with the visit. Neither would expect to find themselves falling in love, but soon Will forgets about the life he has waiting for him back in London. Can he convince Maddie that she is his perfect duchess?
I really liked another of Christy's books which I read during the lockdown's, and this new series sounded so much fun, that I needed to get my hands on copies of them all. Will and Maddie were such a perfect couple. She was all sweetness and lighthearted, whereas he was a grump and very set in his ways. They shouldn't have worked, but they were fantastic together. Will was the type of character who would never let anyone get under his skin, but seeing Maddie, completely in her element, with not a bad bone in her entire body, he couldn't help but fall for her. I wish he was more open to her, but when he did make himself vulnerable, it was clear that Maddie would be unable to resist him. This was a great introduction to a new series, and I hope that Maddie and Will make reappearances in the sequels!
Dates Read:
July 22-24 2023
Rating
4 Stars
