Thursday, December 07, 2017

TO THE DUKE, WITH LOVE (THE RAKES OF ST. JAMES #2)

There may be times when a gentleman is desperate to gain a lady’s attention, but a gentleman would never resort to desperate measures to obtain it.
―A Proper Gentleman’s Guide to Wooing the Perfect Lady


Sloane Knox, the Duke of Hawksthorn is guardian for his sweet, younger sister. Due to his misguided past as one of the infamous Rakes of St James, Hawk is hoping to avoid the Season by securing a match for her before it begins. He has the perfect gentleman in mind, but for one infuriating―and unexpectedly intoxicating―obstacle: the intended groom’s own sister, Miss Loretta Quick.

Having narrowly avoided her own arranged marriage to an unacceptable nobleman, Loretta is determined that her dear brother―a gentle, good-natured soul―should marry for love. Matching wits with Hawk may be her greatest challenge yet. . .until she realizes it may also be her greatest pleasure. For the young duke’s irresistible charm has not only begun to crumble her stubborn resolve, it has claimed her heart in true love as well. . . 

Release Date: December 5, 2017
St. Martin's Press
The Rakes of St. James #2
Historical Romance
Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

To the Duke, with Love is the second book in The Rakes of St. James series from Amelia Grey, but the very first book I've read by Amelia Grey. I absolutely adored her voice, so I'm already looking at her backlist for when I'm caught up a bit more on my TBR list.

Loretta Quick might just be one of my favorite historical characters ever. She made no apologies for her choices in life and had pretty much decided her fate was to remain at her uncle's hunting home for the rest of her life as penance for ending her engagement right as the wedding was to begin. She also will protect anyone she cares for from being forced into an arranged marriage if at all possible.

Enter the Duke of Hawksthorn...and really all of Loretta's choices were going out the window. Seriously loved the banter between these two characters. They attraction was palpable and I impatiently waited for them to be together through much of the book. In fact, my only issue with the story was how long it took for Hawk and Loretta to actually make love.  I loved that Loretta continuously thought of the kisses she and Hawk shared, and Hawk wasn't really any different, as he worked to make it possible to see Loretta again as often as possible.

The romance between their siblings was a sweet romance, and it really seemed to be the polar opposite of the one between Loretta and Hawk, who had a hard time staying away from one another and keeping their hands off each other from the very beginning. I think seeing the two couples showed that both types of romances can work, though, I much preferred Loretta and Hawk's romance.

To the Duke, with Love was a very enjoyable historical romance. I really enjoyed Amelia Grey's voice and look forward to reading more books from her in the future. I highly recommend To the Duke, with Love to all readers who enjoy historical romance books.

Rating: 4 Stars (B)


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