Series: Hazards of Dukes, #3
Traits & Tropes: compromised into marriage; former miltary, titled hero
Genre/Setting: Historical; Victorian; London, England
Publication Date: 04.27.21
Heat Level: 4
Rating: 3/5
Thaddeus Dutton never wanted or expected to receive his title but now that he is the Duke of Hasford he’s determined to do his duty to the fullest. He’s approaching the task with the same military precision he employed in his former life as an officer and one of the first items on his list is to find a suitably prim, quiet wife. Shy, retiring Lady Jane Capel seems to be the ideal candidate, if only her vibrant sister Lavinia didn’t insist on spoiling his courtship.
Lavinia can acknowledge that the duke is an attractive man, but she’s not interested in him for herself, she’s just determined to keep him away from her reticent sister so Jane can remain free to marry the man she loves. But when Lavinia and Thaddeus accidentally find themselves in a compromising position before many witnesses at a well-attended society soiree, he is forced to propose marriage to the wrong sisters. Theirs is not a love match; they barely even like each other, so he proposes a bargain by which they will both be free to lead separate lives upon conception of an heir. Lavinia agrees to this bargain, albeit reluctantly, but demands passion and patience in the bedroom. Thaddeus acquiesces and soon they both realize their relationship has the potential to become so much more if they’re willing to set their bargain aside and allow it.
This book has so many elements I loved, but also some I wasn’t crazy about. I adored how straightforward our heroine was. No games from her and she forced strait-laced, clueless Thaddeus to broaden his horizons and have some frank and uncomfortable conversations. Thaddeus frustrated me with his ongoing cluelessness and reluctance to communicate and put himself out there, though a lot of this does make sense given how little he’d ever been shown affection or allowed to really express his emotions before. A life of repression isn’t easily undone, and this did make the changes he underwent as a result of his marriage to Lavinia more obvious and meaningful. I wanted to see a bit more of Thaddeus defending Lavinia against her awful mother and would’ve liked a bit more steam between these two as a couple. It made sense that their first awkward scenes were closed door, but I never really felt the spark between them even as things heated up. Otherwise, Thaddeus’ groveling was well done, and the character development exhibited by both Thaddeus and Lavinia was spot on.
I also truly loved the fact that things in the bedroom weren’t an instant success and he had to learn how to please his wife no matter that those conversations were awkward and uncomfortable. This is such a realistic and relatable issue and it’s refreshing and rather charming to find a romance hero who has to learn the ropes as it were. That said, given their ability to have an open discussion about a subject as tension-inducing as bedroom performance, it was frustrating that the conflict of the rest of the book largely stemmed from a lack of communication between these two. They handled the harder subject but not some of the more obvious ones for discussion. This made it seem just a bit like they were merely two lonely people who bonded through lust and proximity and not much else as it took them quite a while to openly communicate and we didn’t get much more time with them after that. I also would’ve loved to see more interactions between them as a couple and the couples from the previous books.
Overall, some of the internal monologues about the conflict got a bit repetitive here, but I enjoyed the story and the tackling of a relationship not having such a stellar start in the bedroom. I find myself much intrigued by developments with the characters of Jane and Percy and wondering if perhaps they’ll get their own stories now.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2259175431
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3479326732
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