If Not for the Duke
Series: The Duke’s Lost Treasures #3
Author: Lana Williams
Published November 30th 2022 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Can she keep her secret from the suspicious duke?

While thrilled her older sisters are happily married, Lena Wright doesn’t expect that future for herself. Not when her ability to foresee events causes her such distress. How unfortunate that her intuition places her directly in the path of the grumpiest man in all of London--the Duke of Renwick.

Sterling Dunworth, the Duke of Renwick, learned not to trust others from his father. Lena Wright is intriguing, and he’s grateful to her for befriending his shy sister, but a secret lurks in her beautiful eyes. If only he could remember that after their first kiss.

Lena is dismayed to learn His Grumpiness has launched a search for treasure on Oak Island. But when the famous treasure hunter the duke employs to lead the dig claims instant success, Lena refuses to remain silent.

All Lena wants is to unveil the treasure hunt as a fraud and protect her father’s legacy. She has no desire to hurt Sterling or his sister. Yet with each day that passes, it becomes clear she can’t manage both.

Sterling and Lena aren’t the only ones interested in the supposed treasure on the island, and they must put their love and lives on the line to stop the thief from stealing the most important treasure--the one they’ve found in each other.
Goodreads

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

As the youngest Wright sister, Lena has always followed her older sisters. But now the only one unmarried, she's both relishing and hating the silence. And when her 'gift' of feeling when something is about to go wrong occurs at a garden party, with the Duke of Renwick's sister, Lena finds she is drawn to his family like never before. Sterling Dunworth will do anything for his sister, and that includes buying up the rights to dig on Oak Island. He's wary of Lena and Bernice's friendship, as women have tried to befriend Bernie in the past to get closer to him. Lena seems to actually care about Bernie, though, and it's clear that Sterling is the one who is falling.

I enjoyed the romance in this one perhaps the most, but parts of the plot line weren't as enjoyable as previous books. I did like that we got to see Lena's gift more, and learn about the family connection it has. It allowed Lena to come to terms with it more, and see it as less of a curse, and more of a bonus, particularly when it came to the people she loved. Sterling was a grumpy hero, but one who loved hard, and Lena was no exception. They were both wary at first, and tried to fight the attraction, but it was too much for them, and anyway, they were perfect for each other. A lovely way to tie up the series.

Dates Read:
December 19-20, 2022

Rating
3 Stars