Series: All the Duke's Sins, #1
Traits & Tropes: enemies to lovers; reverse My Fair Lady retelling
Publication Date: 08.24.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Staffordshire/London, England, 1815
Heat Level: 2.5
Rating: 4/5
Since his father, the rakish Duke of Bentley, abandoned him and his siblings, Rafe Audley has wanted nothing to do with him. His sole interest is to protect his two younger brothers and sister, who have been his responsibility since he was thirteen, and to care for the population of his small mining village. Rafe has successfully sent three of the duke’s emissaries fleeing, but the latest offering is a different breed: a bold and determined lady who’ll stop at nothing to see Rafe take his rightful place in society.
Edwina Dalrymple has an impeccable reputation as a successful governess to the daughters of the gentry, but success with the son of the duke will provide her the entrée into the aristocracy that she craves. It should also be one of her easier jobs, simply fetching an errant son home to London and polishing him up for presentation to society’s elite.
But Edwina’s determination is sorely tested by the stubborn Rafe, even as the animosity between them ignites into something more. Whatever the outcome of their lessons, it’s clear that their attraction cannot be denied.
Wow these two were an unlikely pair. I’ll be honest, at first all my sympathies fell with Rafe and I really didn’t care for Edwina. I completely agreed with him about her being pushy, inconsiderate, and insolent and I was put off by her superior air and the hypocrisy of her refusal to give Rafe any information about herself while expecting him to be forthright and open with her. Fortunately, Edwina did eventually realize these shortcomings in herself and Rafe recognized his own failings and the two were able to meet in the middle, both demonstrating a good deal of character growth and development.
This was quite a slow burn, with the two dancing around each other in heated encounters that always cooled too soon for much of the book. Of course, they were explosive when they did come together, but I wanted to see a bit more conversation and communication between them when they eventually realized their feelings. Since this didn’t happen for quite a while, we didn’t get enough of this for me to find the ending wholly satisfying and it felt a bit rushed to me. I wanted more of them together being open about their feelings without the interference of others, especially the meddling duke. I also wanted a bit more for Rafe as I felt he kept having to compromise and make changes, but no one really seemed to see what he’d been through on his own. I enjoyed the scene we got with him and the duke having a genuine, serious conversation, but this too was quite short and left me wanting a bit more. In the end, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I might based on the first quarter or so, the characters felt very real and fleshed out, and I look forward to the other siblings’ stories.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3720770502
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3847319072
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