This was my first book by this author and I will be coming back for more. I loved James and Cecilia's story. I never wanted this book to end. I do feel this book ended without much resolution or the conflict was resolved too quickly. I've given this book a lower rating because of the lackluster ending but the overall book was good.

This was a book made me laugh out loud , want to shake the Duke, and make want to read again. For a man that likes order and what one could say is a little OCD, inheriting a dukedom that is room to room chaos is a nightmare. James and Cecilia have grown up together and have been thru a lot together. So when he proposes a marriage of convenience she is insulted because she knows he just needs her to fix the mess that is the dukedom that he doesn't want to deal with. So when a prince tries to woo Cecilia the real fun begins. I won't give too much away but I would definitely recommend this book.

I thought James acted more like a spoiled child than a grown man. Cecelia had worked on her dad's house and took care of James's trust. His uncle, the Duke had died. He wanted to see the townhouse
and how much work it would entail. It was in total disarray. Rooms were crammed with things. Cecelia felt this was a mare's mess and it was his to clean up. Her father and her aunt didn't want to do anything unless it pertains to them personally. She took care of the house, the bills, ordering menus, etc.
I really loved it but it just abruptly ended, no more said. Are we going to find out more about them? I was very surprised at the ending. It was written and entertaining but that ending.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

James Cantrell, the new Duke of Tereford, has inherited a dukedom that is drowning. James's uncle was kind of special not in the good way. which is why James was never taught how to be a duke. Cecelia has alway ran James money and things along the line under her father's name until he came of age. James askes Cecelia to marry him thinking she'll do the same thing for him as she's always done take care of his estates for him. She denies him so he desides he's going to court her but there is also a prince who wants to bed her so they both compete for her hand. James in the long run gets her for his.

Great book all around. Good characters interesting plot and very enjoyable. Well paced and truly a worthwhile read.

I enjoyed Cecilia's strength and the fact that James had to wake up to what was right in front of him. This is a good regency and a good addition to larger public library collections.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Jane Ashford’s newest Regency Romance looks to be the start of a new series. The Duke Who Loved Me is a pleasant romance, but more enjoyable for its side characters, the four young debutantes who are befriended by the heroine, than for the courting couple.

Miss Cecelia Vainsmede is an organized young woman, beautiful and intelligent, who has been managing the financial affairs of James Cantrell, the new Duke of Tereford since he was an orphaned lad of fifteen and she was the nine-year-old daughter of his trustee. As the man was a disinterested guardian, and James needed guidance, Cecelia stepped in to fill the void. She mediated between the two men for ten years, until James reached his majority. They have been frenemies all along. However, in recent years, Cecelia has fallen for James and wishes he would see her differently.

James Cantrell has just inherited the dukedom from a great uncle whom he never really knew. The man was a recluse. When James enters the London townhouse, he learns the man was also a hoarder. The mess is unmanageable. At least, for him. James is fairly good-hearted, but his only concerns are trivial ones: his own comfort and presenting himself to the ton as a handsome, fashionable sportsman. He prides himself on his boxing ability. He’s self-centered and, frankly, not too bright. It isn’t entirely clear what Cecelia sees in him, except for his good looks, their long acquaintance, and the fact that he has been kind to her sometimes in the past.

Cecelia is no longer a debutante. In fact, she’s in danger of ending up “on the shelf.” She’s had proposals in the past, but turned them down, waiting for love. Waiting for James. Things change abruptly when he inherits the new estate and is suddenly weighted down with responsibilities he doesn’t want. It dawns on him that, seeing as he needs a wife and hates that all the ambitious mothers are pushing daughters at him, he can kill two birds with one stone by marrying Cecelia and having her take over the management of his problems. He proposes about as romantically as that and is stunned when she refuses.

Cecelia decides to move on. A handsome, charming-if-somewhat-oily German prince is visiting London. He begins to pay particular attention to Cecelia. This awakes all of James’ competitive spirit and he tries to court her more earnestly. Things go disastrously awry.

James has a need for a very steep growth curve and, for the most part, the novel succeeds in growing him into a worthy husband for Cecelia. Still, it seemed the poor heroine deserved better than either of her two suitors.

The commentary provided by Cecelia’s four new friends, who have embarked on their first Season and don’t like what they find, adds insight and some humor to the story. I like this author and will likely continue with the series, even though this book was not a favorite.

This book actually started out really great, but I found that I didn't love how the romance progressed or how the book ended. Everything felt very unfinished and unresolved, which is unfortunate because I felt like there was a lot of potential here!

The main female lead is Cecilia and I thought she was a great character. She was relatable, which is always important and also very responsible and organized from having to run her father's estate. James, our male lead, was a decent character... but not my favorite. He got on my nerves a bit at some points, but I found his pragmatic attitude humorous at other points. The two together had ups and downs. In the beginning, I wasn't sure I liked the idea of the two of them together. In fact, I didn't know that was the direction the book was going to take at first. But then the idea grew on me. Especially when the German prince entered the book and it seemed like there was going to be a bit of a war for Cecelia's affections. But the interactions between the three ended up being a bit lackluster, in my opinion.

And then the book just... ended. It was really odd. The reconciliation happened so abruptly that I thought for sure I had missed something. Unfortunately when an ending is disappointing, it tends to overshadow the good parts of a book. I tried not to let that happen, and will admit that there was quite a bit I enjoyed. But overall, this wasn't my favorite regency romance.

I’ve read many of Jane Ashford’s books and especially enjoyed The Duke’s Sons series. The Duke Who Loved Me is well written with an interesting plot but did not quite reach the level of some of her previously published works for me. In this book, James Cantrell’s uncle has died, making him the new Duke of Tereford. The dukedom is a mess—literally and figuratively—and James is uninterested in changing his ways to deal with his new responsibilities. He knows Cecelia as the daughter of his former guardian. Cecelia eventually acted as a go-between with her father and James during the guardianship since the two did not get along at all.
Based on his past experience with Cecelia, James believes she likes to solve problems and tries to get her interested in helping him bring some order to the dukedom. When she declines this golden opportunity, he determines that his problem would be solved if he married her. Not surprisingly, she is underwhelmed when he shares this idea.

James takes far too long to realize how self-centered and hurtful his words and actions were. There were a number of times when it seemed like he would have an eye-opening experience but then either his behavior would remain the same or he would fail to acknowledge his past errors. Cecelia was more likable but incredibly patient throughout James’ slow realization process. I agree with others who felt the ending was too abrupt. It might have been a more compelling story, if there was more about how the relationship between James and Cecilia developed and matured once they were married.

In addition, the four friends of Cecelia seemed like an unnecessary distraction to me. Although their presence may indicate a link to future books focusing on each of them (in addition to the one already published about Ada, A Duke Too Far), these young women didn’t seem essential to the story. A solid Regency but not quite up to the standards of some of Jane Ashford’s earlier works.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and #NetGalley for an advance copy of the book.

I rarely rate a book a 5, but in this instance that is the only rating to give it. Jane Ashford has done a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life. Cecelia and James have known each other since they were children; but when James discovers he needs a wife, the only option for him is Cecelia. Now he just has to figure a way to get her on board.

This book has everything required in a romance. Chemistry between the characters shoots off the page and readers will not be disappointed.

Mini Review: I really enjoyed reading this book! I loved the authors writing, and I know I'll be checking out more of her books in the future. I liked the sense of humor in the book! Cecelia was a great lead, and I liked James, even though he was an idiot and insensitive with how he treated Cecelia for most of the book. The side characters were great, and I'm happy to see the next book is about Harriet! Overall, I would definitely recommend reading it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This book frustrated me immensely. While there were many aspects of it that I enjoyed, the alleged hero was absolutely infuriating for most of the book, and the central relationship really did not work for me.

My full review will appear on Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.

I enjoyed the start of this nee series quite a bit. I like a good friends-to-lovers story, and the characters were appealing. But the book simply stopped! Not a fan of the abrupt ending.

Oh James, our hero, is in trouble. He has inherited a dukedom and really doesn't want to do any of the work required.--not even reading the mail. It's full of problems and pressure. Why not marry Cecelia? She's been the go-to all these years--smart and pretty. Why hire someone when he can just marry her? She should be thrilled right? Folks... you know he's going down right? Cecilia has had a long-time crush on him, but this lack of personal interest is just too much. A marriage of convenience to someone she actually has feelings for would be torture. In-coming! A Prince enters the scene determined to have Cecilia. He appreciates her for more than her organizational skills. So, James is going to have to dig deeper.... step up or step out. Loved watching him grow as a character. Loved this story!

I am a New fan of Jane ashford books. The characters are Great, they are easy to fall. In love with. I absolutely adored the female chemistry in this book, they were not going to let People step ON them. It was humoristic written. I highly reconnebd this book. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

I love Jane Ashford books, and this one did not disappoint.
James and Cecelia spent a major part of their childhood in the same home, helping each other (or mostly Cecelia helping James.). When James inherits his late uncles title and estate, he comes to realize the place is in shambles, and he is overwhelmed with how to start clearing things up. Simultaneously, Cecelia finds herself in an uncomfortable position in society. The relationship and eventually marriage between the two is an up and down one, with a few unexpected revelations.
I enjoyed this book, the characters were great, especially Jane. I was a little disappointed in the ending, seemed abrupt. Would have liked a little more.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an E-ARC of this book for free, but this in no way affected my opinion of it.
I was enjoying the book up until 65-70% of it. I really liked the heroine, I thought that the hero was a little too self-centered but I was thinking that by the end of the story, his ways of thinking and acting were going to change, and they did, but not enough. That's why the ending fell super flat for me - they didn't solve anything and we're supposed to believe that they'll be okay for the rest of their lives. Also, revise the typing before releasing the book - I found some minor errors in the latter part of the book.
Overall, it was an interesting story but I think that it could be better resolved if the conflict between the couple was discussed around the 60% mark and really solved by the end of it.

A lovely story for James and Cecelia, and the characters stayed true to themselves but grew, especially James, to demonstrate that we can change and see the beauty that was around us all the time. It had humor, with James' inheritance as not only the duke but the "house of chaos" and how through his pride and embarrassment turned it around into a blessing. Throughout the story you always saw, through Cecelia's eyes, how kind and loving he was to her, even though it seemed she was the one who looked out for him with his trust. She, being such a take-control and able to get things done person, was always someone everyone looked to and depended on, but sometimes forgot that she needed someone to lean on too. Her character demonstrated such love, kindness, and strength that it really helped James and others to shine as well. I thought the other story line of having the family living in the stables come to be part of James' "family" and how they helped him as well, especially Ned. A lovely story, just wishing there was an epilogue, as it seems the story kind of abruptly ended. Otherwise, I really loved the book. Liked James' grandmamama as well, a spirited, seemingly prickly person, who was very perceptive and was instrumental in things working out as they did. Really a great story and great characters, with joy, sadness, difficulties, love, fun, and humor.

Thank you @netgalley for an ARC of The Duke Who Loved me for an honest review. The new Duke of Tereford and inherits a mess and does not know what to do. The Dukedom Is a hoarder nightmare and does not want to do what needs to be done, especially helping family members in need by not reading multiple letters asking for help. He then decides it is a good idea to marry Cecilia Vainsmede, who has been a liaison between James and her father and knows a lot about what James needs to do in the coming months. He thinks it will be a perfect marriage of convenience, but little does James know Cecilia has had feelings for him and is insulted by the proposal.
Not until a Prince from German comes to town and begins to pursue Cecilia does James start to come to terms with his feeling. This was a great read. I love the characters and how the romance builds between them. The story takes some interesting twists and turns.

THE DUKE WHO LOVED ME - Jane Ashford
The Duke's Estates - Book 1
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ASIN: B08LQXG8YV
ISBN-10: 1-72821-725-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-72821-725-3
August 24, 2021
Historical Romance

London, England

James Cantrell is the new Duke of Tereford. His great uncle died, leaving him the title. He never let James visit him, despite his requests. What he didn't know was that the previous duke was a hoarder. At Tereford House in London, when James enters, the only servant there tells him where the keys are and leaves. Every room is filled with old furniture and other stuff, some of it possibly valuable. While he is there Cecelia Vainsmede, his best-known acquaintance enters and looks at the debacle.

Cecelia has known James since she was nine and he was fifteen. Upon James' father's death, her father had become James' trustee until he turned twenty-five. Since her father was introverted and more interested in his own endeavors, it left Cecelia as the intermediary between the two men and as the straightener of all James' messes. She tells him this time, since the trusteeship ended three years ago, he must clean up the mess.

The entanglement between James and Cecelia has a fifteen-year-long tenure, most of it quarrelsome. Yet James decides she would be an ideal wife—only he must convince Cecelia, an independent and critical thinker who sees him as self-centered. She knows he only wants her for his convenience. When he learns the truth about his own feelings, will it be too late to convince her? His actions have created a great deal of interest in the ton over Cecelia. She has someone else interested in her. Who will she choose? THE DUKE WHO LOVED ME is a different take on a Regency Romance, but it keeps the historical view while displaying a strong woman character in a subtle and engaging story.