Author: Heidi Kimball
Genres: Historical Romance
Format: Audio, eBook, Print
Pages: 256
Date: March 2, 2020
Publisher: Covenant
Juliet Graham fervently counts the days until her twenty-first birthday, when she can claim the inheritance that will grant her the freedom she has always craved and the guardianship of her younger brother. Until then, she is trapped under her aunt Agnes’s domineering will. When forced to accompany the family to a house party at Shaldorn Castle, Juliet’s only objective is to keep to herself. That is, until a chance encounter with a boorish stranger stirs up an unexpected whirlwind of emotions in her. Thrown off-balance, Juliet does the unthinkable: loses her temper and insults the man—who turns out to be her unwilling host, the Duke of Halstead. Fully expecting to be sent away, Juliet is surprised when the brusque and callous duke instead takes an interest in her.
Drawn to the duke in unguarded moments, Juliet finds herself more and more intrigued by the man who shuns Society’s rules as completely as she does, and over the next few weeks, their unlikely friendship deepens into a connection neither expected.
But even as Juliet comes to recognize her true feelings, her scheming aunt issues an ultimatum that threatens the future she was just beginning to hope for. Juliet must choose: either break the promise she made to herself years ago, or lose the man who has captured her heart and soul.
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This book is so well written that I didn’t even notice it was written in first person present tense. I usually hate that but I didn’t notice! Not until near the end did it dawn on me. It just felt so normal and didn’t stick out as weird like the books that turned me off to it. Well done.
I enjoyed the book. It might be a little slow paced but that felt normal too. If I were to put the pacing into an image it would be a woman walking through a park enjoying the flowers. And I don’t usually enjoy love triangles but that didn’t hinder this book either. Everything worked. I liked the main characters and enjoyed some swoony lines from the duke. I loved how they brought the best out of each other in helping to find themselves and their place in life. Robert was also a good guy but even in his love and care of Juliet he missed understanding things about her. He should get his own book to give him a happily ever after too. Except who wants his mother as a mother-in-law? Ugh.
If you love clean, swoony regency this is a must read.
No sex, language or violence.
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Netgalley and voluntarily chose to review it.