Series: Pennyroyal Green, #5
Traits & Tropes: widower; titled hero; revenge; heroine loves someone else/love triangle; age gap
Publication Date: 02.22.11
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Sussex, England
Heat Level: 4/5
Rating: 5 stars!
Narration Rating: 5/5
Alexander Moncrieffe, the Duke of Falconbridge, has long been a fascinating enigma to high society, surrounded by dark rumors and a dangerous reputation that has everyone trying to avoid making an enemy of him. So, when Ian Eversea does exactly that and in spectacularly outrageous fashion, Alex has the perfect comeuppance. Rather than ruin Ian, he’ll seduce his sister, Genevieve, and then break her heart.
Only, when he actually meets Genevieve, she’s not at all as Alex anticipated. She has passion and intelligence that no one else seems to notice because of her inherent kindness. She sees right through Alex’s plan and her heart lies with her childhood friend, yet she can’t seem to stay away from the duke. When Alex opens her eyes to everything they could have together, she’s forced to determine what she’ll do to make that happen.
This book gave me mixed feelings as I was listening to the audio, and yet I wound up loving it in the end. I was especially concerned Genevieve would continue too long with her pining for her original love interest, and she almost did, but this fine line was skirted expertly, and the duke’s actions were utterly sweet and romantic. The fact that Alex had such a dark reputation and such a tragic past made him just the sort of broody hero I love to read and once I got past the age difference, I think he was an excellent match for Genevieve. I think the best part of this dynamic was how Alex brought Genevieve out of her shell and put her more in touch with her true self beneath the quiet, kind façade she presented to the world. He helped her come into her own without trying to control or manipulate her too much and it was really interesting and different to read. I loved Julie’s rich, descriptive prose as it really pulled me into the story and was truly beautiful writing. This was also the steamiest, most sensual book in the series so far, in my opinion and I think the sheer intensity of the physical relationship that developed between Alex and Genevieve was very well crafted and a key part of their growth as individuals and as a couple. The love triangle aspect was handled well here and not too much of a focus, which I was grateful for as it’s not a trope I much care for. In fact, some of Genevieve’s lack of self-awareness on this front almost led me to knock off a star on this review, but the heart to heart she had with Alex, along with the brief amount of time it took her to come to her senses, redeemed this for me. This may just be my new favorite of the series so far or at least be tied with Violet’s book.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/684823986
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4104048613
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