This is an emotional roller coaster Regency romance written by a skilled wordsmith who brings the characters, their interactions and feelings vividly to life in this page turner novel. I loved it!

Eighteen year old Lady Isolde Worthingham is in love with the man she's to marry tomorrow Merrick Mountshaw, the Duke of Moore. They met at a country dance and both love each other and can't wait to be married . . . . Until her spiteful, deceitful and manipulative supposedly best friend intervenes to cause a scandal that forces him to marry her friend rather than Isolde.

Heartbroken, Isolde takes refuge in her Scottish estates for more than five years before acknowledging she needs to see her family and returns to London for the season. She didn't expect to see Merrick again but nor did she expect to discover his marriage is the talk of the ton and definitely not a happy one. Isolde and Merrick are still in love with each other but he's still married to his now scandalous wife and has a young son. As she seeks to find a suitable husband, he's torn as he doesn't believe she should be with anyone but him. The angst and turmoil between the two just rolls off the pages, taking the reader into their tumultuous relationship. With both being betrayed by someone they previously trusted, being thrust apart, this is their emotive journey to love and a possible happy ever after that seems so far out of reach for most of the story!

I have no hesitation in highly recommending this dramatic regency romance to anyone who enjoys this genre, it is well written with great characters together with so many twists and turns making it an enthralling read. I can't wait to read the sequel which I believe will feature Isolde's sister, Lady Alice Worthingham.

Many thanks to the publishers for gifting me, without obligation, a copy of this book. This is my honest review.

Regency Melodrama

3.5 stars
The scene's set. It's the night before the big day when finally Lady Isolde Worthingham is going to say 'I do' and marry the man who holds her heart, Merrick Mountshaw, the Duke of Moore. But when Isolde witnesses her fiancé in bed with her so called best friend her heart breaks into a thousand pieces. And her best friend--nothing less than a scheming cat who goes to scandalous lengths to bag a Duke!
The marriage between Merrick and Leonora Hart is doomed to failure from the beginning.
Isolde hives off to Scotland for five years to try to mend her broken heart. After that time she is at last was persuaded to return to London. Because society is society, Isolde finds herself back in the arena of all that is fashionable--including Moore and his Duchess.
Lenora is even worse than when we last saw her, glittering, highly strung, barbed and dangerous. Merrick still calls to Isolde. But enough! Isolde has decided to find a husband and start a family. Love need not be a factor.
The man she chooses however is pursued by his own devils, and it's seems that unknowingly Lenora is heading into a marriage that will be far less far than the contract she envisages and nowhere near the polite union she's hoping for. Isolde's heart will not be involved but she hopes for at least a civil scandal free union, despite the draw that Merrick still is.
A reasonably enjoyable romantic farce with an eye opening prelude and three interesting acts.

A NetGalley ARC
(February 2017)

Publisher's Description:
Without a Season, Lady Isolde Worthingham captured the Duke of Moore’s heart at a country dance. But on the eve of her wedding, a scandal that rocked the ton and sent her fleeing to Scotland alone and unwed, leaves her perfectly planned future in a tangle of disgrace and heartbreak.

Merrick Mountshaw, the Duke of Moore loathes the pitiful existence he hides from the ton. With a scandalous wife he never wanted, who flaunts her many indiscretions, life is a never-ending parade of hell. When the one woman he loved and lost returns to London, he knows he can no longer live without her.

But vows and past hurts are not easily forgotten. Love may not win against the ton when a too proper Lord and Lady play by the rules.

My Thoughts:

This is a mostly sad tale of betrayal and love lost then rediscovered.
What's a lady to do when her long time best friend betrays her in order to steal the man she was about to marry just before the wedding.
Leave town and the country in disgrace, that's what. Now five years later Isolde has returned home. Her former betrothed is married to the woman who betrayed her.
This convoluted story is heartbreaking at times. Will Isolde and Merrick get their chance together again and their Happily Ever After?
I gave this sad tale 4.25 of 5 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 3.5 of 5 flames.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book from the publisher to read and review. This in no way affected my opinion of this title.

This is one of those WOW, stories. Well written, fast paced, action packed with realistic situations, challenges and hope of finding a HEA.
This is the story of Lady Isolde Worthingham and Merrick Mountshaw, the Duke of Moore.

With hatred, anger, scandal, heartbreak, separated lovers, secrets, betrayal, hope, healing, misunderstandings, and an unknown foe, readers will be turning pages as they have a few cries, some smiles, a bit of bitterness, and overwhelming desire for Isolde and Merrick to face the challenges presented to them, force the past hurts to heal, overcome the obstacles to find their HEA and a forever love. Merrick is married to a scandalous wife, one he never wanted, and who flaunts her many indiscretions. What a hell he’s been through. Then the only women he’s ever loved returns to London, all changes. I enjoyed Merrick and Isolde’s
story. Can heartbreak and scandal find healing, hope, and a second chance, amongst the chaos of their lives?

Ms. Gill presented readers with an emotionally charged read, that will have you turning pages as they are engrossed in an exciting and enticing read. Powerful, compelling, emotional and an absolute delight to read. Strongly recommended for fans of Historical Romance, fast paced and action packed stories with a strong heroine and a proper Lord who face the ton. Can Merrick and Isolde win if they by they follow the rules of the ton? I can’t wait to read Book 3, coming May 22, 2017 “Only a Viscount Will Do”.
I received a complimentary copy.

Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Mild
Received by: AprilR

I received this from Netgalley/ Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book is number two in the series by Tamera Gill. In this book we deal with Isolde sister number two. The book was well done and I liked it more than the first because I actually enjoyed Merrick. Merrick was caught and forced into a marriage with a horrible person and the story just get better from there. I couldn't put it down.

With a flair for the dramatic and the heart of a dreamer, it's no wonder Tamara Gill writes romance. Her attention to imagery and the tempo of her delivery are all on full display in Only A Duke Will Do. Her vision speaks to the romantic deep within believers in love and happily ever after. Merrick and Isolde were a dream interrupted by heartbreak, but the chance to begin again was always in the cards for them. The heart will not be denied and Tamara Gill has been blessed with a haunting gift of classic proportions.

Well, this was depressing. Which is probably to be expected in a romance when the hero is married to someone else while still pining after the heroine, and the heroine herself gets engaged to someone else. I don’t know why, but I expected Merrick’s wife, Leonora, to die off pretty quickly and for him to have to work to win Isolde back, but that’s not what happens. Leonora is alive for most of the book, which makes for a pretty miserable read.

That’s not the only issue I had with this book. In fact, there were many, many problems that made the whole read a distracting exercise for me because I simply couldn’t believe most of what was going on.

Firstly, Leonora has all the power. From her first appearance, even after her death, she is completely in control. The daughter of a country vicar. Somehow, she gets the whiphand over two dukes, and that’s within the first chapter. It just doesn’t make sense. Leaving aside what she does to Merrick, her attempt to blackmail Isolde’s father should have been laughable. Considering even in this day women who accuse powerful men of abuse are rarely believed, the idea that she can ruin not just one powerful duke, but two, by spreading a lie was ridiculous. Even if she’d been believed, rape culture is so strong it would likely have been shrugged off. It is a horrible accusation she makes, and I can understand why it repulsed all involved, but the fact Leonora can use it to gain everything she wants is so unlikely.

It also blatantly undercut everything else she was saying, because it’s such an obvious lie to everyone in the room that it shreds her credibility. Who would believe anything else she said after that? None of them. Merrick would have walked away, Isolde’s family would have thrown Leonora out and her life would have been ruined. The idea that Merrick, a duke!, can be forced to marry someone who has clearly manipulated her way to a coronet is ridiculous. The scandal would have blown over for him or he could have gone abroad for a year or two and returned largely unscathed. If he truly loved Isolde so much, I can’t believe he would ever have married the woman who ruined it all.

Not only that, but he lets her live the life she wants. He controls everything about their life. He could have forced her to live in the country, taken his son away and cut off all her money, all within his rights as her husband, but no, he prefers to mope about like a loser while she has as much fun as she likes. This did not endear Merrick to me. He’s far too passive and lets everyone else rule his life for him.

Plus Leonora is completely irredeemable. She is manipulative, spiteful and a rapist. She doesn’t even have a sympathetic back story. She doesn’t have much of anything. She’s plain nasty, so the fact that both Isolde and Merrick feel guilt/forgiveness for her after her death made me like them a little less. They’re so shiny and perfect, but I think they’re allowed a bit of hatred or ill feeling. It’s the least Leonora deserved.

Isolde is boring. She’s a proper lady most of the time, except for when she decides to go walking about the seedy side of London without any kind of back up, for reasons that never make much sense. She also runs over to Merrick’s house in the middle of the night and walks around in front of his servants, but doesn’t think this is particularly scandalous. It’s so brainless.

A bit like the idea that of all the eligible men in London that she could marry, she thinks Merrick’s best friend is her best bet. This never makes sense to me. If she cared so much about coming between them she could, I don’t know, pick someone else! And even if she didn’t come between them, surely the idea that she would spend the rest of her life in close company with Merrick would have been too painful to bear. But apparently not.

Also, why are her family so nice to Leonora? The cut direct was a real weapon and since it’s obvious the duchess is scandalous and awful, why do they acknowledge her, let alone invite her and Merrick to their house? On top of that, why does Merrick ever escort her anywhere? Oh, that’s right, because he’s spineless and prefers to wallow in his misery.

I was willing to have so much sympathy for Merrick and Isolde over what was done to them. Leonora is awful and the things she freely admits before dying prove what a monster she was, but Merrick and Isolde are so boringly passive throughout it all that I couldn’t care about them. They don’t deserve a grand passion, because neither of them do a thing to fight for it. Even the end felt like a complete let down. They’re so disappointing.

Overall, I think it’s safe to say that this book and I did not get along. Guess this one just wasn’t for me.

Excellent regency romance. Merrick is the rogue Duke who from the moment he sees Isolde he knows she is his one. The night before their wedding disaster happens. Over several years their lives continue yet neither content, happy or loved. Numerous tragedies tear them apart as society dictates. The author kept with the period strictures placed on couples. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by Ms. Gill. I received a complimentary copy via NetGalley and chose to write a review.

Lady Isolde Worthingham was betrayed by her fiancé and best friend on the eve of her wedding.

Merrick Mountshaw, the Duke of Moore knows he has lost the love of his life, and all due to the scheming witch he is forced to marry, but when she returns to London to try and find someone to marry, even though it will be for convenience alone, he is determined, they should have a second chance.

I loved this story, it's got a lot of emotion and a few twists, and is the second book in Tamara Gills To Marry a Rogue series.

I received an advanced readers copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

To be reviewed on Goodreads and my blog when I return from overseas in a few days.

“Only a Duke Will Do” is the second book in the “To Marry a Rogue” series. This book was a two time first for me. It’s my first Tamara Gill story and also my first second chance at romance. I liked both.
When the story begins, Lady Isolde Worthingham and the Merrick Mountshaw,Duke of Moore are madly in love. Both are very young but it was love at first sight for both of them. Merrick asked Isolde to dance at a country dance and both knew they were made for each other! On the eve of their wedding they are ready to embark on a live of love and bliss together but it’s not long until all that shatters. Isolde’s life is shattered when she wakes up to screams and her fiancé in bed with one she thought to be a good friend.
Five years later Isolde is ready to come back to society. After that the disastrous night when Merrick married another she left for Scotland and has stayed away from London society. Now she is ready to reclaim her life and finally open her heart to another. It’s not long before Isolde and Merrick come face to face after five years and their feelings for each other have not changed.
I’m not usually interested in second chance romances but I was instantly invested in “Only a Duke Will Do.” The author provided a cliffhanger type plot at the beginning as we try to understand why Merrick, so much in love with Isolde and so ready to marry her and start a new life together beds her best friend. I think that “the cheating” storyline is very hard to redeem but Gill provided us with a very sad and miserable Merrick and as the plot unfolded, it became clear that he was simply a pawn in his now wife’s plans. Merrick is a devoted father and his only consolation is that his son has a good life. For Merrick being stuck in a loveless marriage is difficult but seeing Isolde having a season and ready to marry another was the true test of his strength. Isolde was equally as endearing. She was young and naive but also a pawn and the struggles that she faced with trying to move on but not able to deny her love for Merrick was heartbreaking. I wanted to know how they would both find their way out of this mess. I have to confess that they only reason I gave this three stars instead of four is because the last part of the book dragged on. I understand why the author did it but I would have liked the book more if the overly dramatic last part of the book would have been more straightforward. Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable read and I plan to read more books by Gill. Once I started reading I didn’t want to stop until I found out how these two would finally find their way back to each other.

Only a Duke Will Do is a riveting tale which has the Duke of Moore, Merrick Mountshaw meeting and falling deeply in love with the daughter of a duke, Lady Isolde Worthington at a country dance. They plan their wedding with a love that will last a lifetime. Lady Isolde’s best friend and the vicar’s daughter Lenore, also, fell in love with Merrick but no one knew. On the eve of their wedding, Merrick spends the evening drinking with Isolde’s father, the Duke of Penworth. Events lead up to Isolde and her father finding Lenore in Merrick’s bed. Isolde and her family watch Lenore wed Merrick on what should have been Isolde’s and Merrick’s wedding day. Heartbroken and betrayed, Isolde disappears to a family estate in Scotland.

Fast forward five years, Isolde returns to London for various reasons and quickly runs into Merrick and his son with Lenore, a precocious little boy named William whom Merrick adores. It is quickly obvious Isolde and Merrick still love each other, but Lenore is not going to let Isolde forget she won the duke’s hand in marriage while Isolde is still single. Isolde is a much stronger woman now with the maturity and heartbreak that has come from the last five years. Isolde lets it be known she is in London to find a husband. She feels she has hidden for long enough and she really wants a husband and children.

Merrick’s best friend, Lord Wardoor is the gentleman who introduced Merrick and Isolde. Lord Wardoor is making some bad financial decisions and needs to marry quickly. Lord Wardoor decides he will offer for Isolde regardless of his friendship with Merrick. Wardoor is one of the few people who know the truth of Lenore’s trickery on what should have been the eve of Isolde’s wedding day.

Merrick and Lenore present a good front at ton events but lead totally separate lives. Part of Lenore’s separate life is opium dens and extra-marital affairs. Isolde learns Lenore is pregnant with a child that is not Merrick’s. Lenore and Merrick cannot help but be drawn to each other and try to fight it, especially once Isolde and Wardoor become engaged. Lenore just does not want to see Isolde happy. There was a lot of hatred between Lenore and Isolde while they were growing up together, Isolde just never knew of it. And, now Lenore will say or do anything to keep Isolde from finding her happily ever after. If Merrick can never love Lenore, Lenore will ruin others.

Only a Duke Will Do is a gripping tale of love, hatred, anger, betrayal and, finally, hope. The way Merrick takes responsibility for Lenore’s activities due to his treatment of her is very telling of the man he is even when all goes wrong. He has a huge heart with a lot of love and heartache held inside. Isolde is the quintessential lady and does not let Lenore get to her even at Lenore’s most cruel moments. Lenore created a horrible existence for herself and never really got what she wanted – which was Merrick’s love. Although this book has some dark moments, you see they love and care of Merrick for Isolde and Isolde’s love for Merrick. Thank you Net Galley for sharing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Only a Duke Will Do by Tamara Gill is Book 2 of the To Marry a Rogue Series. While this is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. Each book centers around one particular child of the Duke of Penworth and is their own story.

I have quickly fallen in love with Ms. Gill’s amazing writing and characters. The author has a wonderful writing style that is smooth and flows beautifully as she weaves her stories. Only a Duke is no different and will pull you into Isolde and Merrick’s story of love, betrayal, misunderstanding, heartbreak and forgiveness. A powerful and gripping tale. Must have tissues on hand!

Please note that an ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.

This is an honest review, as promised, for the honour of reading this ARC. What a way to start a tale! Betrayal and broken hearts. Different way to go about it but definitely a good read.

This story is very emotional-definitely not a light-hearted tale. Isolde is such a nice person and so looking forward to her wedding and then wham, her best friend betrays her. You cannot help but feel sorry for Isolde, all she wants is a family to love. Actually in parts of the story I did not think Merrick deserved to even think about trying to renew a relationship with Isolde. Merrick has two sides, one I loved (his caring for his children) and one I was not thrilled with (his lack of backbone under certain circumstances). Fortunately he redeems himself in the end. This is one story in which I was not sure if an HEA could be reached.

One character you want to hate but just could not because he is so pitiful. The story did not resolve his situation but was on the way. I would like to see a redeeming story for him.

I felt so sorry for all the characters in this book. Drug addiction is terrible. What a happy ending for Merrick and idols this was a book I couldn't put down. I hope you write about warrior next ty

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. I would give this title 3 1/4 stars if I was able to give partial stars. I enjoyed this book and the writing style, but I found something that I couldn't quite put my finger on in the romance a little lacking. After a year of courting, Lady Isolde Worthingham and Merrick, the Duke of Moore are to be married the next day when she unexpectedly finds him in bed with her best friend, Lenora. Merrick, unsure of exactly how he ended up in bed with Lenora, soon finds himself unhappily wed to the scheming witch. Isolde exiles herself to one of her family's estates in Scotland for the next five years before deciding to try and make a comfortable marriage without involving her heart. Merrick is still married to Lenora and the two have a son with another child on the way; the marriage is unhappy, and Lenora has not improved with time. Isolde and Merrick have several challenges to overcome to find their way back to each other. I liked both characters, but because they spend much of the book apart, I didn't feel the romance between the two was as strong as I wanted it to be. That said, I did enjoy the book overall and will look for the next title by this author.

The book starts off with a heartbreaking story and it just reels you in wanting to know more. The author has spun a beautiful and poignant story that keeps us rooting for Merrick, the Duke of Moore and Isolde to reach that happily ever after through their trials and tribulations.

* I received this ARC from netgalley and the publisher for an honest review*

Without a Season, Lady Isolde Worthingham captured the Duke of Moore’s heart at a country dance. But on the eve of her wedding, a scandal that rocked the ton and sent her fleeing to Scotland alone and unwed, leaves her perfectly planned future in a tangle of disgrace and heartbreak.

Merrick Mountshaw, the Duke of Moore, loathes the pitiful existence he portrays to the ton. With a scandalous wife he never wanted, who flaunts her many indiscretions, life is a never-ending parade of hell. When the one woman he loved and lost returns to London, he knows he can no longer live without her.

But vows and past hurts are not easily forgotten. Love may not win against the ton when a too proper lord and lady play by the rules.

Isolde and Merrick are so excited to get married. He saw her on the dance floor at a country dance a year ago and knew that she was the one for him. He wants nothing more than to get married to Isolde and start their life together. Unfortunately Isolde’s friend is a jealous bitch and finds a way to drug Merrick and make sure that Isolde finds her in his bed. The little bitch then goes on to force Isolde and her family to watcher her marry Merrick the next day while Isolde’s heart breaking.

Five years have passed and Isolde, who has been living in Scotland at a family property, decides that it’s time to face life again. She knows that she may run into Merrick and her bitch of a friend who’s now his wife, but she decides that she wants to get married and have a family. She knows that she can never love a man like she loves (yes, she still loves him) Merrick but she can be comfortable with a man and will be happy to have children.

Isolde doesn’t plan on having such strong feelings about seeing Merrick again but she’s determined to ignore her feelings and move on. Many men are interested in Isolde, including Merrick’s best friend. Merrick and Isolde obviously still love each other very much and both were betrayed horribly but as much as they love each other how can they ever be together when he’s still married to the evil bitch duchess.

This was a great story of love and betrayal. The sadness and angst was heart-wrenching and I totally understood the pain that both Isolde and Merrick felt. We only got to see Isolde and Merrick as a couple for a very short time at the beginning of the book before it all went to shit but in that short amount of time the author did a great job of showing us how much the couple loved each other. It was so sad to see them separated.

Merrick was a great character. I really liked him. He had been wronged so badly but despite that he was a great father to his son. His wife was, of course, an evil witch but he couldn’t leave her because she threatened to spread rumors about their son. He wouldn’t allow that to happen so he stayed miserable. I had to give him props for his love for his child and putting him first. He was a strong man and I really liked him.

Isolde was pretty damned strong as well. To have to live with the betrayal of her best friend and then the man she loved. Not fun. Despite it all she wasn’t too, too bitter and I liked her a lot as well.

Overall the book was really good and one I recommend. If you don’t like highly angsty books then you might not like this one but if you do then this will be right up your alley.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on The Book Binge.
http://bookbinge.com/

It's a very emotional read. The story is amazing and the characters are all well-written. It's a must read for historical fiction fans.