Series: The Duke Hunt, #1
Traits & Tropes: childhood enemies to lovers; class difference
Publication Date: 07.27.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Shropshire, England, 1848
Heat Level: 3
Rating: 3/5
When it comes to light the Peregrine Butler's parents were in fact married after his birth, he finds himself stripped of the dukedom he was raised for and reduced to plain, illegitimate, Mr. Butler. With no prospects or funds of his own, Perry's best bet is to turn on the charm and land himself an heiress, but that means ignoring his nonsensical fascination with the meddling woman intent on scarpering his prospects.
Strait-laced vicar's daughter Imogen Bates is well-known and beloved in the village. She takes care of her ailing father and sees to most of his duties herself, which means she feels it is her responsibility to save the heiresses of Shropshire from the former duke's schemes. But her attempts at sabotaging her childhood nemesis soon turn very improper indeed, especially when she finds herself longing for more with him.
The was a light-hearted story and the plot and premise had so much promise. Unfortunately, for me, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Perry wasn't a bad hero; he was just rather tepid and his noticing of Imogen as a potential love interest happened so randomly and suddenly that it wasn't all that believable or romantic for me. In fact, I could more easily see why he wouldn't like her than the reasons he would. She held a childhood grudge for an incredibly long time and the fact that she used that bitterness to try to ruin Perry's prospects as a grown man just seemed incredibly immature to me and made her unlikable. The awful rumors Imogen spread about Perry just seemed beneath her and made it hard to root for her. The fact that Imogen was still sniping at Perry and spreading rumors well past the halfway mark meant that, for me, the romance here had no real substance. This was not helped by the suddenness of Perry's interest as well as the fact that his showing Imogen a brief taste of pleasure leads to her suddenly becoming more interested in him and the epiphany that the animosity she feels towards him is actually the love that she has always harbored for him. The relationship and feelings here came on so quickly that the romance just felt flimsy and there were missed opportunities to make it stronger, especially with the appearance of Imogen's former love interest. Overall, this was a fun story and an enjoyable premise, but the execution didn't quite reach it's potential for me. I look forward to the duke's story, however, and seeing where this series goes from here.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4088749191
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2149413520
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