Not the Duke's Darling
Series: Greycourt #1
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Published December 18th 2018 by Piatkus

Goodreads Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt brings us the first book in her sexy and sensual Greycourt Series!

Freya de Moray is many things: a member of the secret order of Wise Women, the daughter of disgraced nobility, and a chaperone living under an assumed name. What she is not is forgiving. So when the Duke of Harlowe, the man who destroyed her brother and led to the downfall of her family, appears at the country house party she's attending, she does what any Wise Woman would do: she starts planning her revenge.

Christopher Renshaw, the Duke of Harlowe, is being blackmailed. Intent on keeping his secrets safe, he agrees to attend a house party where he will put an end to this coercion once and for all. Until he recognizes Freya, masquerading amongst the party revelers, and realizes his troubles have just begun. Freya knows all about his sins—sins he'd much rather forget. But she's also fiery, bold, and sensuous—a temptation he can't resist. When it becomes clear Freya is in grave danger, he'll risk everything to keep her safe. But first, Harlowe will have to earn Freya's trust-by whatever means necessary.
Goodreads

Review
Freya Stewart de Moray has been working as a companion for the past few years, known only as Miss Stewart to the family she works for, and hiding the fact she's the daughter and sister of the Duke of Ayr, and also a Wise Women, charged with protecting women's rights, and doing all the she can to help those in need. 15 years ago, a scandal hit her family, and her eldest brother - the current Duke - was accused of murdering his betrothed, Aurelia Greycourt, and beaten by his once friends, Julian Greycourt and Christopher Renshaw. The aftermath left the whole de Moray family in ruin, her father in shock and dying suddenly, and the girls having to live with their aunt. Freya has never forgiven Julian or Christopher for their actions, and when she meets Christopher again, now the Duke of Harlowe, at a house party while investigating a local Lord who wants to bring in new Witch Hunting laws, she's out for revenge. Christopher doesn't recognise her at first, but when he realises who she is, it brings out his remorse even more. Christopher himself is in turmoil over his past. Following Ran's beating and Aurelia's death, he was exiled to India, with a new bride, and left to his memories until his father died and he was allowed home. His guilt over his wife's death, the blackmail he is currently facing, and his own PTSD make him feel like no one can ever help him - but once Freya cools to him, she might just be the balm he needs. Will both of them be able to face their demons and come through the other side together, or will their pasts be too much?

I've never read a Hoyt book before, and have heard fantastic things about them, so decided to start with her latest series. This book was everything, and I'm so glad I was able to get a copy. Freya is such a spitfire and feisty main character, it was impossible not to love her. Being the Macha for the Wise Women, she was a sort of spy who would work around her role as a companion to aide those in need. The first time her and Christopher meet again after all the years was when she dove into his carriage with a 1 year old Earl and his nurse maid, fleeing from pursuers, to return the baby to his widowed mother. Everything she does puts her at risk, especially when the Dunkelders are looking to stop and kill all 'witches' they come across, but she doesn't even think of her own danger, just of others. At the house party, she knows she's being watched, and when her old best friend, Messalina Greycourt arrives, she expects Messalina to reveal her identity as the highest ranking woman at the party - but, she doesn't.

Messalina is hiding something too, as she wants to know what happened to her friend, who 'died' a year ago, and was buried without any family or friends present - just her wicked husband, who happens to be the same lord wanting to pass the witch hunting bill. Together the two old friends join forces to discover the truth, and the way they reconciled after so long apart was definitely sweet. Because of the fact that Freya's brother was accused of killing Messalina's sister, they were on two sides of the battle, but never needed to be. I'm so intrigued by Messalina, and can't wait for When a Rogue Meets His Match, which is her story.

I think the character I most liked, though, was Christopher. Having his pov contrasting with Freya's showed us his suffering, and made you definitely care for him. After wanting to help Ran, but being forced to stop, he was abandoned by his parents because of the scandal, forced to marry a woman he had only met once, and shipped off to India, not to return. While in India, he and his wife lived separate lives - mainly due to his wife's mental status - which left her open to be seduced by the man now blackmailing Christopher. Then they were caught up in the siege of Fort William in Calcutta, and the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta incident, which left Sophy dead and Christopher with PTSD and guilt. He was such a multifaceted character, and the way we learnt it all, through his chapters, was perfect. He and Freya, though different, were made for each other, and helped the other get through their own problems, and come out the other side. This was one of the best romances I've read in a long time, and I'm now desperate for more! Hoyt has been added to my auto-buy list, and thank god December isn't too far away!

Dates Read:
August 13-14, 2020

Rating
5 Stars