The Reluctant Duchess: A Charmingly Sexy Historical Regency Romance

Oliver Sterling, eleventh duke of Kendal, lives in seclusion in his massive home, Horncliffe Manor in the north of England. His only company is his guardian, Mr. Winters. One day, Oliver sees a beautiful young woman in a painting titled “St. Ives Girl.” Captivated, he asks Mr. Winters to find her, marry her by proxy, and bring her back as his bride. Rebecca Kane is shocked that her squire father has agreed to marry her off to a duke in exchange for payment of his gambling debts. But with no option, she submits. When Rebecca arrives at Horncliffe she learns that no one is allowed to look at the Duke & the rumours about him are less than complimentary. Though they remain in darkness, she detects nothing odd about him. This is the fourth book in the series & easily stands on its own. My first reaction was ‘oh no not another Beauty & the Beast story’ but the more I read the more I realised that although it was broadly this trope it was so much more. This is the first time I've read a book with any character having this condition. I enjoyed the book & the more I read the more engrossed I became & by the second half of the book the pages flew by. Strong characters, I liked both Oliver & Rebecca & thoroughly disliked Philip. I liked how the relationship between Oliver & Rebecca developed & the strength they found in each other. The road to their HEA wasn't straightforward with a villain intent of thwarting them but it was entertaining. My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Quite an interesting read. Who would ever imagine finding a bride based on a picture? How does such a bride respond? Rebecca agreed to this arrangement because of her father's gambling debts. After a few false starts Oliver begins to understand Rebecca's reluctance to consmmate her marriage. What takes place to draw this couple together? It's a mystery.

1879 Horncliffe Manor My first historical romances were gothic, so I was excited about this book due to the premise. I can honestly say this one pulled me in from the first page! Oliver Sterling, eleventh Duke of Kendal, could not stop looking at the beautiful young woman in the picture. "Who is she?" he asked, turning to look at his guardian. Philip Winters, the man who raised him, gave a dismissive shrug. "I have no idea Your Grace. But I can find out. Shall I have her delivered?" Oh my I knew right then, this was going to be interesting! Well Winters actually did deliver the young lady, after finding her in her village and wagering with her father so that he had him at his mercy. The prize was Rebecca, the oldest of four daughters of a squire if she did not marry the duke by proxy, her whole family would be destitute. It seemed she had no choice... Can you just imagine? Rebecca and her friend figured out Mr. Winters set out to manipulate her father and that made it all the worse. But a Duke wanting to marry a commoner? What was wrong with him? This is an engaging story of a man believing himself a monster, not having hardly any human contact except for his guardian, that finds someone by chance. A caring, compassionate soul, Rebecca was fated to come together with Oliver and help bring him to the light. Mystery, suspense, strong emotions and unexpected happings kept me enthralled until the end. I have read several books by this author and she has quickly become one I want to continue reading over and over! I cannot wait until the next in this series!