Ughhh! I am all for the broody/moody, rough upbringing type of hero but seriously? Simon Greene, Duke of Crestwood , took this a little bit too far that I didn't know if I wanted to smack him on his head or give him a big hug! I get that you stole the fiancée of one of your best friends but you're suppose to be so in love with the fiancée yet you keep hurting her?? Double Ugghh!

But! How I adore Margaret Rylon , sister of the Duke of Abernathe (The Daring Duke) - she is one strong lady.. I guess my favorite part of this book was when she stood up to the mother of Simon ( the dowager duchess) - now that for me showed her true character and how she loved Simon so much she was willing to stand up to his own mother and defend him even when he himself did nothing. Somehow I've been reading books wherein the heroines are way stronger than the heros.... hmmmm... and I'm loving it!

This ARC was provided by NetGalley, The Passionate Pen and Ms. Jess Michaels.

This is the second book in this series and I very much enjoyed it. Margaret "Meg" Rylon is promised to another and has been since she was 16. Her brother James the Duke of Abernathy wanted to secure her future and chose one of his best friends Graham as her betrothed. The only problem is he didn't consider asking Meg. Megs heart was set on another her brothers other best friend Simon the Duke of Crestwood. Simon loved Meg also but they never talked or addressed their feelings for one another. The years passed and still Meg and Graham did not set a date. James pushes the issue and sets a date for Graham and Meg leaving Simon no choice but to leave and escape the heartbreak of losing Meg to his best friend. He has to much honor to step in and take what he truly wants or the scandal it would cause. But can he truly walk away from Meg and watch as another man takes what should be his?

Light, cute, and a great Summer read for pool days! I thought this book was pretty great!

A must read! I loved Simon and Meg. They had chemistry right from the start. Just the right amount of romance and angst.

Her Favorite Duke

Book 2 of Jess Michael’s The 1797 Club features Margaret Rylon, sister to the Duke of Abernathe and Simon Greene, another duke in the club. Although the main characters of Book 2 were introduced in book 1, the second story can be read as a standalone. The poignant storyline contains a not-what-it-seems scandal, a guilt-ridden duke, broken friendships and a hasty wedding before love conquers all. Too much time is spent on Simon (the guilt-ridden duke) and his self-recriminations. Interactions between the two main characters include some pretty good dialog and several steamy scenes. It is still a decent read.

Having been a fan of Jess Michaels for quite a while, not to mention it has one of my favorite plot lines...forbidden love. Needless to say, I was excited to jump into this story! I only regret I have yet to read the other books in the series. I'll have to get on that.

So back to this story...The tale opens with the reader learning how our heroine Margaret is secretly pining for one of her brothers closest friends. Simon (soon to be Duke of Crestwood) shares the same feelings. But unfortunately, Simon is still young, and seeing as Margaret is still only 16....neither has made their feelings known.

Tsk tsk.

Margaret quickly finds out that her brother has arranged for her to marry his best friend. No, no, not our hero Simon, but his OTHER best friend. Who also happens to be Simon's friend as well.

Well damn. Talk about a sucky situation.

And so the years pass. The engagement moves forth and both Simon and Margaret suffer in silence. Neither wanting to hurt anyone's feelings should they make their own feelings known.

Now at this point in the story I was hooked. The torture. The angst. The drama of it all. I felt for these characters so much. Just make a move, damn it. And let me tell you, Jess Michaels really knows how to make you think this is it. This is the moment. Fireworks! But no. She lets us readers pine just a bit longer...

Soon enough Simon and Margaret find themselves stuck in a storm and need to find shelter. Cliche? Perhaps. But Michaels delivers it well enough. And besides, at that point I didn't give a fig how they found the right time to make their feelings known, just so long as they did.

At any rate we readers get our satisfaction. Simon and Margaret all but sing their feelings. However, everyone finds out these two were alone in a cabin seeking shelter. Barely clothed, mind you ;) Tensions are high, the engagement is called off, people are fuming and suddenly Margaret and Simon are to be married!

Yes!!!

No....

Simon can't seem to deal with the guilt that is plaguing him. Guilt over hurting his friend. Feeling as if he didn't deserve Margaret. This is the part of the story where I was a little disappointed. I felt Simons angst was dragging on. Yes, I understood it. You hurt your friend. But seriously man, you got her. You've wanted her forever. Snap out of it.

Alas, I do not want to ruin anything by telling what happens. But, did I enjoy the story? Absolutely. Did I want to shake some sense into Simon? Without a doubt. But his guilty conscience is also what made him such a lovable hero.

My rating: 4 stars

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this! The first book was well done and made my mouth water for the forbidden romance between Meg and Simon. But ultimately, it didn't live up to the build-up it created. For one thing, the backstory we finally get about how Meg came to be betrothed to Graham makes this whole scenario a bit ridiculous. It also makes James look like a moron. He is oblivious to the misery Meg is in, and for a guy who is supposed to be so devoted to his sister, this seemed really odd. Also, Simon was way too wishy-washy. Poor Meg was like a yoyo being drawn in and then pushed away each time he got an attack of the conscience. I tend to highlight on my Kindle parts in red that I don't like and blue the parts that I do like. I have to say - it was basically all red.

I will definitely give this series another shot when Graham gets his book, but this one was a bust for me.

Book 2 in the 1797 Club is a worthy successor. It was clear in Book 1 that Meg and Simon were going to have to resolve their obvious obsession with each other. But Meg’s engagement to mutual friend Graham is a major obstacle to them both. One night together ensures that they will be married, but can they find their way to an honest loving relationship despite their having betrayed Graham?

Bring on Graham’s story, please!

A great read. Full of hot and steamy tension. A real page turner! I read it in one sitting. I also enjoyed the sneak peak to the next book. Great series to read.

Simon and Meg, and their supposed doomed love, was a nice reading and a good second installment to this new series, so I'm looking forward to read Graham's one, because he was on the other side of love.

Simon e Meg ed il loro amore condannato, mi hanno fornito una breve e piacevole lettura, inoltre come secondo volume di questa serie ha retto alle aspettative; ora aspetto di leggere la storia di Graham, che invece stava dall'altra parte.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

The story would be a 5 star but Simon's woe is me/ I deserve their hate/Meg deserves more than me/ etc. etc. etc. I haven't read any of J. Michael's before and I will be looking forward to more, but even if this is the second of the series I fell right in and was pulled along with the all the emotions that kept popping up. Meg to me was a silent but strong women after her heart's been crushed a few times, she balled up and the hurt made her even stronger. Simon on the other hand was strong-ish in the beginning but his character was always the peacemaker and when the conflict happened he when more sulking childlike until something happens and he has to find his manhood and take back what he always wanted.

There is NO CHEATING, HEA and told from both sides. If you read Meg's brother James and Emma's story then you will read a lot about them since they play a big part in this story.

This story broke my heart. Simon suffers from what I can only imagine a lot of people in the past and present deal with – never good enough. Meg has also gone through this but decides that pulling herself up is the only way to live and she tries to help Simon but he resists. Finally, Simon sees the way with Meg’s patience and love. I love how Ms. Michaels’ writes strong women characters who never say never. As in all of Ms. Michaels’ books, families are an integral part of the story. Great story!

Meg and Simon have been in love with each other for years and it is by time that they get their turn at a passionate romance. Because Meg is or was engaged to one of her brother's closest friends she didn't have a chance to try something with her brother's other close friend, Simon. When a storm hits, lines are crossed and a scandal is boiling over so what else is there to do but wed. However, Simon feels to much guilt at betraying his friend's engagement to the woman he loves that he can't enjoy his marriage to Meg. They are so close to happiness but there is so much distance between them that is it a wonder if they will ever be truly together. This book has so much emotion and love. There is so much inner struggle for these two but it is all worth it in the end. It was a lovely read and I can't wait to see what is in store for ex-fiancé Graham.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. Loved the book. This is a story of rwo people who have cared or each other and later developed unto something stronger. Meg's brother arranges her marriage to one of his best friends Graham without Meg's knowledge. Over the years neither Meg nor Simon say anything. An unfortunate incident requires Meg and Simon to marry. As much as Simon wants Meg guilt over what happened could destroy their marriage. The love scenes are delicious and the book will not disappoint. I highly recommend this book.

I love a good historical romance and Ms. Michaels never fails to deliver that. Great plot. Loved the romance and the characters.

Omg wonderful story about finding love and what your willing to do to hold onto it. Simon and Margaret have loved each other secretly for a decade. But for everyone's sake they keep it to themselves knowing nothing can come of it but Simon and Margaret are caught in a compromising position and are forced to act quickly. Together they will admit their feelings to each other and overcome obstacles.

I ended up giving this book 4-stars, but if I had had to rate it on the first half or even a little more, I would have ended up with 2.5 or 3 stars. So, if you are reading it – know that the characters – particularly the hero – do get better in the last third, but the story line is good throughout. It is very well written and keeps you moving right through.

For the first third of the book both the hero and the heroine annoyed me royally. Then she got better but he still didn’t get better for a good while. So – here is what bugged me.

Meg is the sister of James, Duke of Abernathe and the hero of the first book in the series. She is extremely close to James and they have a very open and loving relationship – he would do anything to make her happy. Meg also has a very, very loving, close and open relationship with James’ new wife. Yet, when James betroths Meg without even asking her, she doesn’t protest and say she is in love with someone else – because she doesn’t want to hurt James. Say what!!!!! James would be totally miserable if she married someone and loved someone else – especially since he’s so in love with his own wife. She is engaged for eight years and never says anything. I find it hard to believe someone would ruin the rest of their life just to avoid a short term pain for someone else.

Simon Greene, Duke of Crestwood is a member of the 1797 Club. The club was formed when an unusually large number of future dukes were at school and many of them had cruel, disinterested or uncaring families. They joined together to teach and help each other be better dukes and better people. They are like brothers – particularly Simon, Graham and James. Simon is in love with Meg and is shocked and hurt when James betroths Meg to Graham. Yet, Simon doesn’t say a word about caring for Meg – he doesn’t say anything to James and he doesn’t say anything to Graham. Wait – I thought they were very, very close.

Simon is portrayed as a peacemaker, but he really comes across as a spineless coward. He won’t stand up for himself nor will he fight for what he wants. That is what leads him to be caught in a compromising position with Meg and then they have to marry. So, he has hurt James, Graham and Meg because he was so spineless that he wouldn’t speak up. The, when he gets what he wants – he’s spineless again and wants to pay penance by not being happy. So again – he hurts Meg.

BTW – we do finally get a bit of an explanation for why he is a peacemaker – but still – the boy needed a backbone.

Meg has been in love with Simon since she was fifteen, but her brother betroths her to another without even asking. The groom doesn’t seem to be any more excited about the engagement than she is and they stay engaged for years. When they finally set the date for the wedding, Meg is caught in a compromising position with the man she’s loved all those years. Nothing happened, but in that time period – perception was everything.

Simon has to almost lose Meg before he finally gets it through his thick skull that some things are worth fighting for and that Meg is one of those things. It comes close, but they finally get their HEA.

I loved catching up with James and Emma and seeing their love blossoming (from the first book) and I look forward to Graham’s story in the next book. I didn’t care much for Graham in this book either – his reactions were just off the charts. Hopefully we’ll get a better for feel for the reason in his book.

"I requested and received this book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

Really enjoyed this second installment of the 1797 series, It's like brain candy. We knew this coupling was going to happen in the first book but I wasn't aware how it would play out,
I wasn't disappointed and I'm ready to read the third in the series.

A story of unrequited love, this is heartwrenching book was difficult to put down once I started reading it. I adored both the hero, Simon Greene, the Duke of Crestwood and the heroine, Lady Margaret Rylon. Their characters are complex, definitely not perfect but really well written. Simon's frustration about his circumstances and guilt over his betrayal are beautifully portrayed and really touch your heart. The sexual chemistry between Simon and Meg fairly scorches the pages and had been leading up to this book from the first novel, "The Daring Duke". I also enjoyed catching up on the secondary characters, James, Duke of Abernathy and Emma again in this book. My heart really went out to Graham but I am really excited for him to get his own story which is up next.

This is book two in the "A 1797 Club Novel" series and I would recommend reading it as part of the series for a deeper understanding of plot and characters.

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

4 Stars

Would have been 5 stars but the hero drove me mad when he kept pushing Meg away, but other than that really enjoyed the story & seeing future heroes.

*Arc received from the Author & Publisher in return for an honest review*

*Review posted on GoodReads*