Infused with bold new ideas, but slightly overworked, The Portrait of a Duchess is the long-awaited sequel to Scarlett Peckham's Society of Sirens series, and it definitely doesn't disappoint when it comes to pushing the framework of historical romance: age gap (particularly with a hero in his early 50s), interracial relationship, bisexuality, are just a few elements explored in this universe filled with characters rebelling against societal restrictions and accepted norms. While I applaud the effort (and actually do enjoy a lot of them), the drastic alteration to the formula does upset the storytelling somewhat, making it an uneven reading experience overall.

The best part of The Portrait of a Duchess is its found family aspect; Scarlett Peckham has created a colorful group of nonconformists, and the story is often at its peak when the ensemble cast is involved. As someone who's in the creative field, I particularly enjoy its central plot revolving around an art exhibit, and the power of art truly shines through in the author's intensely expressive and passionate writing style.

The romance has its shining moments (particularly the past timeline), and a fascinating perspective (a man's grand declaration of love being a forced-on burden and robs the woman partner's agency), but the journey getting there feels drawn-out and aimless. The reliance on lack of communication to draw conflict seems to be in stark contrast to characters who are suppose to be avant-garde, and the closure to their romance is disappointingly limp and not at all convincing.

The Portrait of a Duchess is ambitious, beautifully crafted, if suffocating in the mold of a historical romance. There are moments where it is quite clear the author was struggling to balance between expressing her own creative vision, and giving what the audience want from the genre. The self-critiquing on what is 'romance' is fascinating, if quite bumpy getting to the point. Still, I would always prefer reading something fresh and unbalanced, instead of safe and stale.

Perfect for romance fans who want to read about older heroines getting a second chance at love with the one that got away.

I really liked Cornelia’s stubborn nature and preoccupation with appearing in control at all times. Watching her walls break down during the course of this book and watching her finally accept the love that’s been given to her in spite of any faults imagined or otherwise was a beautiful.

I also loved the found family vibe brought by her ladies in radicalism, Thaïs and Elinor.

I was tickled in parts and delighted in others and greatly moved by the story of women seeking equality in a time when we were merely thought of as broodmares.

Thank you to NetGalley for an opportunity to review this eARC.

When Cornelia Ludgate and Rafe Goodwood reunite 20 years after their secret marriage, much has changed. Cornelia is a painter famous for her radical ideas of rights for women and Rafe has become a duke through a series of unfortunate deaths. Rafe's seemingly changed political beliefs that go against everything Cornelia believes keeps a wedge firmly between the two.
When Rafe learns of an inheritance for Cornelia of 5,000 pounds from her now deceased uncle, he endeavors to show her the truth behind his facade and how he desires to change the dukedom that her uncle possessed into something that fits both of their beliefs.

I absolutely adored The Rakess (the first book in this series) and have been avidly waiting for the next book and here it is!
I love Rafe, that sweet bisexual hero. He is intense in his feelings, especially when it comes to Cordelia. He wants to be allowed to love her and be loved by her that he acts impulsively. And of course, in true romance fashion - Cordelia wants nothing to do with love and displaying affection in public. She strives so hard to keep herself untethered from men that she threatens her own chance at happiness. At a certain point I was a little annoyed with Cordelia - she was expecting Rafe to completely change his personality to fit her needs but wasn't willing to make the same concessions for his needs. As always, everything works itself out for the HEA.

I will always want that Feminist, Women's Rights plot line wrapped up in a steamy, sexy romance. I have little care for historical accuracy so this is not the review for you if that's what you're looking for. But just another great book from Scarlett!

This book was one of those that I liked when I first read it but didn't sit as well with me over time. While I loved the political aspects of the book, I did feel like the age gap was a little much and didn't feel as okay with time.
Definitely liked the author though and would check out more of her books.

Scarlett Peckham is growing to be one of my all-time favorite authors. After reading THE RAKESS, I desperately wanted to read the next installment in the Society of Sirens.

THE PORTRAIT OF A DUCHESS did not disappoint. It became another favorite. Peckham takes her time to let Cornelia and Rafe's relationship develop, considering that they have not seen each other after marrying 20+ years prior. Their tension was palpable.

What I loved as well was the cast of characters surrounding the primary couple. Thais is an absolute page stealer, which made me even more excited for her novel.

I would be doing Peckham's novel a disservice if I did not speak about the racial dynamics addressed in the story. I appreciate how she explicitly explored Cornelia's place as a Black woman not only in society but in the case of their relationship. I began to cry when she told Rafe to consider her identity when loving her because it is an integral part of her.

Overall, I devoured this novel and ran to tell my friends about it. I cannot wait for the next book!

Scarlet Peckham writes delicious feminist historical romances! This one was wonderful, and I’m not typically a fan of second chance romances so that’s saying something. It was less depressing than The Rakess & did a good job balancing the tropes & character development.

I devoured this book! I love a second chance romance, and Scarlett Peckham always finds a way to surprise me. Rafe is a former horse breeder turned Duke, and he agrees to marry Cornelia in her youth to gain her freedom from her uncle. Most of the events of the novel take place 20 years later, after the two have reunited. Cornelia is an artist and revolutionary, a strong heroine who refuses to give up her independence, sometimes to a fault. At times, I was so frustrated with her inability to see that Rafe was willing to grant her that independence in a relationship. At the risk of spoilers, this book does feature polyamory, so if that's not something you wish to read about, you may want to avoid it. I thought it was handled very well, and Scarlett Peckham's signature steam was in full force. If you've enjoyed Scarlett's prior books, you'll enjoy this one!

I really tried to enjoy this book more. I struggled a lot with the characters, Rafe specifically. His character felt so immature. The 20 year gap was also really hard to believe.

I was really looking forward to this as I'm always up for an interracial historical romance. However, this one felt a bit flat.

Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This one sadly didn't work for me.

Peckham's characters are described as being radical, but they all came across very wooden which didn't lend itself to the romance. There were chapters from 20 years ago that explored how Rafe and Cornelia entered a marriage of convenience, and I often forgot which chapters were in the past or present because the main characters read the same. It was only the mention of their ages that helped me differentiate, because other than that, there didn't seem to be any growth over the 20 years.

There also wasn't a conflict to move the plot along which made it hard for me to lose myself in the story. Radical progressives sound very interesting, but not so much when the majority of their conversations were around essays and art exhibits.

While the story and the romance were an unfortunate miss for me, I appreciated that Peckham gave Cornelia and Rafe the space to define what they wanted out of the relationship.

I wish I could put into words this book but I can't, the author had some shocking subplots. The main characters seem thrown together, I think it would have been better if the story picked up 5-6 years not twenty. A million things can happen and twenty years. An interracial couple in 18th century England is always an interesting and complex story line but the twenty-years of not seeing a person is loong. Cornelia is not that strong to me and Rafe is like a teenage getting all the goods. This is just my opinion but I this could have been better.