The Reluctant Duchess by Jane Goodger is the story of The Brides of St. Ives Series. This is the story of Rebecca Kane and Oliver Sterling, the Eleventh duke of Kendal. I have read the previous books but feel you could make this a standalone book if you wish to do so.
Rebecca lives in St. Ives where it is very nice although her father has a gambling problem so money is always tight but she is as happy as she can be in the situation. Then one day she is called into her father's office to learn that she is to be used in Marriage to pay off her father's debits. Oliver's mother left him when he was little because his father wouldn't send him away. Oliver and his father of course became close but then one day when he was very young he died. Mr. Winter step in to take care of him but in truth he just kept him isolated and engaged in keeping him with doubts about himself. Now in their present day, Oliver is very much isolated and thinks himself a monster but when he sees a portrait of Rebecca he wants her for his wife. Of course things are done by proxy and Rebecca is kept in the dark literally when she gets to Oliver. But Rebecca goes forward with solving the mystery that is Oliver and his situation.

The Reluctant Duchess by Jane Goodger
The Brides of St. Ives #

Rebecca Caine has two options...marry the Duke of Kendall or send her father to debtors prison. Loving her father and family she opts to marry a man she has never seen and head days away from home to live with and make a life with a stranger. Is the man abnormal? A freak? Disfigured? A Monster? She is not sure and his wanting it dark when they are together is definitely unsettling. The rumors are rife and unpleasant but also rather unbelievable so she goes about learning the truth, getting to know Oliver and eventually falling in love with him and he with her. That said, they have a lot of hurdles to overcome with evil people causing trouble, a trip to London and time with the ton that is unsettling, and a long ago mystery that is finally solved, too.

Did I like the book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing – Lyrical Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

I enjoyed “The Reluctant Duchess”. The characters were just different enough to be interesting and the romantic relationship between Rebecca and Oliver was endearing. It was really no mystery who the wrongdoer was in the story, it was a surprise at how bad a guy he was in the end which made it interesting. 4 stars.

If you like gothic melodrama then this could be for you. It wasn’t really my cup of tea, I thought the relationship between the H and h came together too quickly and the villain was extra evil, but it isn’t a bad story and if you liked Rebecca, then here is your retelling.

'The Reluctant Duchess' was an intriguing read for me, full of excesses. The main characters were exceptional, the villain particularly loathsome, the story gothically engaging and the sexual aspects over the top, both 'in and out of the marriage bed'. But, again, the story was intriguing, and will probably stay with me for good or for ill. It is doubtful that I would read another in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

1879 Horncliffe Manor My first historical romances were gothic, so I was excited about this book due to the premise. I can honestly say this one pulled me in from the first page!
Oliver Sterling, eleventh Duke of Kendal, could not stop looking at the beautiful young woman in the picture. "Who is she?" he asked, turning to look at his guardian. Philip Winters, the man who raised him, gave a dismissive shrug. "I have no idea Your Grace. But I can find out. Shall I have her delivered?" Oh my I knew right then, this was going to be interesting!
Well Winters actually did deliver the young lady, after finding her in her village and wagering with her father so that he had him at his mercy. The prize was Rebecca, the oldest of four daughters of a squire if she did not marry the duke by proxy, her whole family would be destitute. It seemed she had no choice...
Can you just imagine? Rebecca and her friend figured out Mr. Winters set out to manipulate her father and that made it all the worse. But a Duke wanting to marry a commoner? What was wrong with him?
This is an engaging story of a man believing himself a monster, not having hardly any human contact except for his guardian, that finds someone by chance. A caring, compassionate soul, Rebecca was fated to come together with Oliver and help bring him to the light.
Mystery, suspense, strong emotions and unexpected happings kept me enthralled until the end. I have read several books by this author and she has quickly become one I want to continue reading over and over! I cannot wait until the next in this series!

An old story, but told with feeling and passion, Jane Goodger updates the Beauty and the Beast in this story of an isolated duke and a young girl sold into marriage to remove her father's debts. Aside from the love story, there is the mystery of Oliver's "affliction" and the slow emergence of him from the isolation forced upon him by a guardian who is not the protector he claims to be. The best books make us imagine ourselves in a situation -- what it might be like, for example, to grow up dependent on one person as Oliver is, or to be sold off to pay debts, as Rebecca was. This is a melancholy yet ultimately hopeful love story with the message — once more — of the redemptive power of true love. (I received an ARC on NetGalley. Opinions mine.)

I really, really, really loved this story! Such an amazing read that involves a duke who has been in seclusion for years, a young miss who suddenly finds herself married to said duke, the duke's "guardian" who will stop at nothing to get his way and a lot of twists, turns, mystery and suspense. Amidst all of that is the love and passion that Oliver and Rebecca share!

My heart ached for Oliver and what he went through all his life due to his "condition". Ostracized by people and feared because of horrible gossip, he lives in seclusion and darkness. When he sees a painting of Rebecca, he knows she's the one for him and orders his guardian to find her and bring her to him, even marrying her by proxy.

Rebecca makes a very strong and calm heroine and I absolutely love her reaction when she realizes what Oliver's "condition" is:) She is exactly what he needed and she helps him have a life again and accepted by the ton. The only problem is, she's not accepted because she's just a country girl that had no title until she married Oliver! Someone is out to cause them problems and they must find out who it is before it's too late!!!

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I am writing a fair and honest review in return for this ARC. Kind of a beauty and the beast story but with some VERY interesting differences. When is a beast not a beast? Read this very well written tale to find out!. Nicely done.

It has been a while that I have read a Jane Goodger book and I was happy to get this one. It was a fairly different story line and I enjoyed it. So we meet Rebecca who is informed by her father that she is to marry the Duke of Kendal by proxy of Mr. Winters. Rebecca is adamant that she will not do it but if she does not get married her family will lose everything, her father will go to debtors prison and her sisters would be destitute. She reluctantly agrees and when the Duke (Oliver) goes to her room to make the marriage official she informs him that is not going to happen and the reason. Oliver didn't agree with the way that Mr. Winters handled it but he didn't see away around it. Rebecca gives in but she wants to get to know Oliver better and she wants to see him since he only comes at night and the staff is deftly afraid of him. When she does she doesn't understand why? As these two fall in love they are bombarded with issues and an evil person pulling the strings..enjoy!

** 3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 **

Oliver Sterling became the eleventh Duke of Kendal at the age of six. His mother took one look at him when he was born and demanded his father remove him from the house. When the father refused, his mother left – and died five years later. After his mother left, Oliver then had five wonderful years with a father who loved him and was proud of him – regardless of Oliver’s ‘affliction’. When Oliver’s father suddenly died at the breakfast table – right in front of Oliver – Mr. Winter (a distant family relation) became Oliver’s guardian.

Mr. Winter was extremely ‘protective’ of Oliver and kept him totally isolated from other people because of his ‘affliction’. The staff was slowly replaced until there was no one who knew Oliver when his father was alive. Mr. Winter runs the dukedom and Oliver becomes more and more isolated. The servants fear Oliver because they think he is a monster – they won’t even look at him and run from him if they do happen to see him.

Oliver becomes a very sad and lonely man who has no clue about the world and allows Mr. Winter to shield him from everything and everyone. Oliver has all of the material comforts, but none of the human comforts. Then, Oliver sees a portrait of a lovely, red-haired young woman and he is mesmerized by her. The more he looks at the portrait, the more he is mesmerized. So, he tells Mr. Winter that he wants her as his bride and to make arrangements for a marriage by proxy and then to bring his bride to him.

Rebecca Kane loves St. Ives. The village is small, near the beautiful, blue sea and the weather is never too cold. She’s never even seen snow. She has a small cadre of close friends and all is right in her world. Well, it is mostly right in her world. The father they all love is a squire (not an aristocrat), and he loves to gamble. Since they are not rich, their finances are usually precarious.

Rebecca isn’t concerned when she is called into her father’s study one morning – until she gets there and notices that there is another man present and her father will hardly look at her. Then, her father says the words that drop the bottom out of her world. He has lost a great deal of money to Mr. Winter and the only way to keep a roof over the heads of her sisters and her mother – and to keep him out of debtor’s prison – is for Rebecca to marry the Duke of Kendal. NO! But, of course, she has to in order to keep her family safe.

I thought this book had a very unique storyline and I liked it. Can you picture how naïve and dependent someone would be if they were raised in a total vacuum, got only the information provided to them from someone with an agenda, and were constantly told they were a monster because of their ‘affliction’? That is Oliver – and I loved watching him grow and realize that the larger world wouldn’t all view him as a monster. This book is as much about Oliver growing into the man his father would have been proud to call son as it is about the romance between Oliver and Rebecca.

I think – maybe – the author was trying to infuse a gothic feel into the story with the ‘afflicted’ hero, the old, brooding house, the air of fear, etc. but it didn’t quite get there for me. I guess it was more beauty and the beast – without the caring, supportive cast. Oliver and Rebecca were truly all on their own. I liked that the ton was willing to give Oliver a chance because they liked and admired his father, but I also thought that they accepted him a bit too readily. I guess I think that if I suddenly met the son of someone I had liked and admired – 20 years later – I would welcome him and give him a chance, but I wouldn’t immediately become his best friend.

Another thing that I didn’t get was a well-liked, well-respected man like Oliver’s father would leave his young son in the total care of someone like Mr. Winter. Oliver should have had a group of trustee’s named as well as a guardian. So – boo for Oliver’s father.

At any rate, I enjoyed the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Reluctant Duchess is an interesting tale of good versus evil, beauty and the beast. Rebecca is just the person Oliver needs in his life of darkness. You know there is something not quite right about Oliver, but you get the sense quickly that his problems are caused by Winters. Oliver remembers eating meals with his father and Winters when young, but that just sort of stopped and he became more reclusive after his father’s death. Trying to find clues as to Oliver’s ‘deformity’ kept me glued to the book. I was surprised when it was finally told.

The proxy marriage to Rebecca was far from what she wanted for her life, but she did not let it get her down. Her strength of character lead her to stand up for herself and for the servants, even when it put her against her husband or against Winters. She realized quickly neither man was what he seemed. Winters was much worse than he appeared, but you do not find out the full strength of his perfidy until late in the book.

Rebecca was all that you like as a St. Ives bride. The unusual aspect of beauty and the beast is told from a delightful perspective. The building relationship between Rebecca and Oliver is so very charming. He just wants/needs a friend. She has accepted her place in order to save her family and makes the best of it. Their conversations between their adjoining doors is touching and relevant to their friendship. Once she realizes what who/what he is, she becomes his encourager. He loves her all the more for it.

This book is so very different from the previous books in the series, and just as interesting and delightful as the others.

Oliver Sterling, eleventh duke of Kendal, lives in seclusion in his massive home, Horncliffe Manor in the north of England. His only company is his guardian, Mr. Winters. One day, Oliver sees a beautiful young woman in a painting titled “St. Ives Girl.” Captivated, he asks Mr. Winters to find her, marry her by proxy, and bring her back as his bride. Rebecca Kane is shocked that her squire father has agreed to marry her off to a duke in exchange for payment of his gambling debts. But with no option, she submits. When Rebecca arrives at Horncliffe she learns that no one is allowed to look at the Duke & the rumours about him are less than complimentary. Though they remain in darkness, she detects nothing odd about him.
This is the fourth book in the series & easily stands on its own. My first reaction was ‘oh no not another Beauty & the Beast story’ but the more I read the more I realised that although it was broadly this trope it was so much more. This is the first time I've read a book with any character having this condition. I enjoyed the book & the more I read the more engrossed I became & by the second half of the book the pages flew by. Strong characters, I liked both Oliver & Rebecca & thoroughly disliked Philip. I liked how the relationship between Oliver & Rebecca developed & the strength they found in each other. The road to their HEA wasn't straightforward with a villain intent of thwarting them but it was entertaining.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This book had me captivated from the start, trying to understand the supposed deformity of Oliver Sterling, the eleventh Duke of Kendal. He has lived as a recluse since the death of his father, and believes his mother left him soon after seeing him. His only companion has been a distant relative, Mr Winters, who all the staff fear. When Oliver views a portrait of Rebecca Kane, he asks Winters to find her, and to marry her by proxy. Rebecca feels forced into the marriage due to her father’s gambling debt but on arriving at Horncliffe Manor, is puzzled by the stories of her husband. She soon meets him, in a darkened room, but finds him gentle and caring in his manner. Soon she is intrigued, and so begins the desire to unravel the mystery that is Oliver.
This is quite an original story with several twists making for a very enjoyable read. Rebecca is definitely a strong character, yet it was interesting that at the start, it was Rebecca’s strength that aided Oliver, but halfway through when they are in London together, it is Oliver’s strength that Rebecca relies upon. Both characters, and their love for each other, was very sweet whilst Winter’s character definitely added to the mystery between Horncliffe Manor. Highly recommended!
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Reluctant Duchess By Jane Goodger is another book in the St Ives Series. While it is the fourth book in the series, the book can easily be read as a stand alone. I have only recently found this author and am enjoying reading her books and this series.

Oliver Sterling is a Duke who has been told he is a monster his whole life since his father died. He insists on darkness and has not left his house in years. Oliver is lonely and wants a wife. He directs his former guardian and all around helper to find him a specific woman he saw in a painting.

Rebecca Kane is horrified by what has just happened. She has been married by proxy to a duke that shs has never met. Traveling so far north away from her family and friends to a man and place she knows nothing about is scary. The house is like a gothic novel, dark and dingy with gargoyles.

Can Rebecca and Oliver manage to make their marriage work. There are so many obstacles, and people determined to see them fail. I loved the way Rebecca and Oliver were with each other. I love their determination and energy. I think this might be my favorite of all of the books in the St. Ives Series. The Reluctant Duchess by Jane Goodger is a great read.

This book started with a pretty unusual premise for a romance, a forced marriage of convenience/ by proxy for the eldest daughter of a gambler, and a reclusive, allegedly monstrous Duke, and Jane Goodger’s writing pulled me into the story almost immediately.

Oliver Sterling became a Duke when he was orphaned as a young boy, he has been mentored and brought up by his mysterious and slightly sinister Mr Winters. He has believed he is monstrous because of a physical condition he cannot help, and he hides himself away in his home, by using the secret passages built into the house for smuggling activity. He spends his days making miniature houses, and keeping himself isolated from others including his servants and tenants. His servants won’t even look at him. What he doesn’t know is that Mr Winter has fostered all the fears his servants and the tenants and villagers have about Oliver’s physical appearance, and is incredibly cruel in enforcing his will on the people Oliver is responsible for. The way Oliver has been made to feel about himself has meant he has withdrawn from his responsibilities and lets Mr Winters handle everything.

He sees a painting of Rebecca, and asks mr winters to mRry her by proxy and bring her to him. Mr winters does this by exploring Rebecca’s father’s gambling addiction. Rebecca is given no choice, she marries and travels to her husbands estate. She is apprehensive but determined to make the best of her situation, but she is sad at potentially never seeing her family again.

What does she find when she arrives - a husband who comes to her in the dark and startles her, he keeps his appearance hidden initially, and comes to her at night in the dark. He is gentle and kind to her, and Rebecca builds an emotional connection to him. When she does finally see him, she is not repulsed, and they come together and fall in love. What I loved about this book was Rebecca’s pragmatism and great good sense. She is kind and loving, but not martyrish, and works hard to try and support and lift Oliver up, and get him to see the truth of Mr Wintwrs, who turns out to be extremely sinister and nasty all round,

The sense of menace and threat is palpable in the story, and you feel anxious for Rebecca and Oliver all the way through. Mr winters is a very satisfying villain- as he is personally avaricious and vindictive, with lots of contempt for Rebecca’s status as minor gentry - he would rather Oliver take her as mistress. He has a grudge against Oliver that we don’t discover until near the end of the book, together with cruel and truly nefarious misdeeds. Jane Goodger writes him a satisfying comeuppance, and a lovely HEA for Rebecca and Oliver.

I loved the air of menace/suspense that permeated this book, and I loved the character of Jane, who makes the best of her situation and doesn’t shy away from doing the right thing, no matter the personal cost.

Recommended

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Also posted on Goodreads

Oliver Sterling, the Duke of Kendal, has spent his life in near total isolation at his mansion, Horncliffe Manor. An orphan almost since he can remember, his only remaining family member is his "keeper" Mr. Winters. Oliver has been convinced since childhood that he is a monster and lives apart from the world, surrounded by terrible rumors and fear and filled with loneliness. When he sees a painting of a beautiful woman, he instructs Mr. Winters to find her, marry her by proxy, and bring her back as his new duchess.

Rebecca Caine is the daughter of a mere squire with no such loft aspirations as marriage to a duke. She is shocked to learn that, due to her father's gambling debts, she must marry the Duke of Kendal or her family will lose everything. With no other option, Rebecca agrees, though she fears the new husband she's yet to actually see in the light, though he is astonishingly gentle with her. Even though she hasn't fully seen him, he seems perfectly ordinary to her and she wonders just what is going on in her new home. Between the unsettling noises in the manor and the odd behavior of the staff and villagers, Rebecca sets out to unravel the mysteries of her new home and the people in it.

This book had a great gothic feel of suspense throughout, even if some things were rather predictable. It put me much in mind of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, one of my all time favorites, with a villian a la Mrs. Danvers. I also really loved Oliver and Rebecca as a couple and how strong they became together through everything they had to deal with. This was my first read from this author but now I'll be checking out the rest of this series for sure.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oliver Sterling, Duke of Kendal is a recluse, a unique condition has kept him a virtual prisoner in his home, so when he sees a painting of a beautiful woman, he sends his “guardian” Philip Winters to find her and marry her proxy.

Rebecca Caine is summoned to her father’s study and informed that in order to save her family from financial ruin, she must marry the Duke of Kendal. Having no choice, she agrees, but takes an immediate dislike to Mr. Winters. When she arrives at the castle, she is surprised that the duke is not there to meet her, but later that night, he comes to her in the dark.

This was one of the most bizarre books I have ever read and I am still not sure if the author was trying to give the story a gothic twist or if it was supposed to be a twisted version of beauty and the beast or if it was a farce. I definitely didn’t love this book, but I can’t say that I hated it either, I am not exactly sure how I feel about it, which makes assigning a rating very hard – so, I am going to go middle of the road and give it 2.5 stars. The idea of the story is original, the characters are likeable and there is a very sweet HEA But, the twists and turns get out of hand and are at times completely over the top and there are several unbelievable scenarios as well as an “insta-love” feel to the story that was a bit off-putting. This is the fourth book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone title with no problems.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by Netgalley and the pulisher.

***3.5 stars***

I wrestled with this novel. From the description I anticipated beauty and the beast but this book was so much more.

Rebecca Caine is forced to marry an unseen duke in order to satisfy her father’s gambling debts. She is taken to the typical spooky Victorian Manor replete with gargoyles and hidden passages. Here Oliver Sterling, Duke of Kendal is a hidden recluse due to an affliction which has caused rumor and fear to abound. His ducal duties are carried out by the stern Mr. Winters.

I felt that the relationship between Rebecca and Oliver evolved very quickly after meeting one another. They did spend time together but I felt that the intimate relationship was rushed. I didn’t bond with these characters very much. I don’t know exactly why. The characters were not that dynamic in my opinion. But the villain was brilliantly portrayed and exuded evil.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and she is a new author to me. I will definitely read others in the series.

Rebecca Caine never planned to be a duchess. She never planned to have to be sold to settle her father’s gambling debts. She never expected that she would be brought far north of her St. Ives home and into a dark and foreboding estate, one in which the master, her own husband, was believed to be cursed and ghosts could be heard in the walls. She also never expected the passion she would experience with the man who hid himself in darkness.

Oliver Sterling, Duke of Kendal, was cursed with an affliction that pushed him into the dark, scurrying about the hidden passages in his own estate, and causing rumors and fear in the servants and nearby villagers alike, who were convinced that to look in the Cursed Duke’s face would turn them to stone. The only person who saw the Duke was his guardian and estate caretaker, Mr. Winters. His affliction made him a very lonely man, wishing only for a wife, a companion, when he sees a painting of a girl from St. Ives and requests that Mr. Winters find her, marry her in proxy, and bring him back to the estate. He only expected a wife in Rebecca. He never expected to find love, and he most definitely didn’t expect that this union would allow him the chance to walk in the light once again.

This was my first Jane Goodger book, but it will not be my last. I absolutely loved the rich atmosphere and the overall story. The undertones of Beauty & the Beast, one of my personal best-loved fairy tales, only further enhanced it. The characters are well thought out when needed. Rebecca is resilient, Oliver is empathetic, and Mr. Winters is someone you absolutely grow to hate for the part he has played and the other things that he’s done. Rebecca finds her feet under her rather quickly, which says something given that she’s been thrust into a new world and new, much more lofty social status than she ever could have imagined. I’ve always loved a good gothic tale, and this had plenty of that feel even if the cover itself is rather deceptive. It’s atmospheric, creepy at times, scary in others, and both heartbreaking and undeniably romantic. The very estate itself felt real, even with all of its hidden passages and dark chambers, and the reveal of Oliver’s affliction was very surprising and the build up to it kept this reader on her toes. This was an absolutely amazing read. I devoured it in one sitting. ENCORE!