The Marquess' Daring Wager
Series: The Dukes' Pact #2
Author: Kate Archer
Published September 8th 2020 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
A Willful Lady and a Daring Lord.

Lady Sybil Hayworth might be petite, but her looks are deceiving—she comes from iron-willed stock. Her family claims a winding descent from Margaret Beaufort and they are unwavering in defense of their honor. An insult is easily taken, it invariably leads to a feud, and a Hayworth feud will continue until all parties to it have expired.

Richard Smythe, Marquess of Lockwood and heir to the Duke of Gravesley, has the misfortune of becoming one of those enemies. He knew of the plot against Cassandra Knightsbridge, and that is quite enough for Sybil.

Throughout the season, Sybil had enjoyed finding herself led into dinner by the lord, but all that must now come to an end. She will travel to a house party in Yorkshire and she is determined to forget about the gentlemen of the dukes’ pact, especially Lord Lockwood.

As her carriage leaves London and rumbles north, Sybil might be wise to remember that Lord Lockwood is a war hero and there is no risk he will not dare. Lord Lockwood, on the other hand, might be wise to understand that it will take more than pushing into Lord Hugh’s house party to win this particular battle.

#2 in The Dukes’ Pact Series—six dukes take dire steps to force their heirs to marry, while those heirs fight just as hard to remain bachelors. A sweet regency romance.
Goodreads

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

Though her friend, Cassandra Knightsbridge, now Lady Hampton, has forgiven the gentlemen of the duke's pact, Lady Sybil Hayworth has not. The Hayworth family never forget a slight, and especially not when one of the gentlemen is the son of her father's enemy. Richard Smythe, Marquess of Lockwood and heir to the Duke of Gravesley has always been intrigued by the petite and feisty Lady Sybil, and wants more than anything her forgiveness. When the Blanding family decamp to Yorkshire of a house party, Richard manoeuvres his way in, and tries to get in Sybil's, and her father's, good books. Both of them are attracted to the other, but Sybil will not give in, and when it seems as if Richard is making a joke of the entire thing, and after the pretty Miss Mapleton, she's heartbroken. Richard, for his part, knows he wants to be with Sybil, but the other gentlemen in the pact are actively working against him, and he might just not be able to convince her he's serious.

From the first book in the series, I loved Sybil and Richard's interactions. This time, they aren't together as much, because of the various situations they find themselves in, but I still enjoyed their romance. Richard was nothing if not persistent, and though he went around it the wrong way, he was sweet in his efforts. I also loved the camaraderie between him, Kingston, and little Charlie - who was definitely a cheeky chap! Sybil, for the most part, was a bit brash and abrasive, but seeing her and her parents, you could understand it. The thing that got me the most with the book was how much I dislike Lord Dalton, and though I know one of the books will be about him - likely the final one - I don't know if I'm looking forward to it - unless he suffers before getting his happy ending. His imprisonment of Richard, and trying to actively hurt his chances with Sybil, was abhorrent, and I want him to get his comeuppance in some way. I do look forward to reading about how the other gentlemen get on in their marriage chances.

Dates Read:
August 21-23, 2020

Rating
4 Stars