* Received a copy for review*.
Best friends younger sister regency style. This is definitely a clean romance. I loved that she had a secret identity and a supportive brother but it really became a side plot. It is a very easy story to read. Low angst. Few issues. Very comfortable.

This book was okay—not great, but not horrible. I really liked the hero and heroine; I liked their personalities and their values. It is always nice to see a male lead who not only isn’t intimidated by the female lead’s intelligence, but who actively values it. A male lead who is an academic is also rare. What drove me nuts about this book is that I felt like the author was constantly dropping hints about something ominous happening or a big plot point, and none of those things were ever realized. The big “secret” ended up being revealed in such a ho-hum way. Why exactly was her brother so opposed to them marrying? Who knows. The secret shouldn’t have figured into that at all, and the other plausible reasons are also discounted. There were many other dropped threads in this book that drove me nuts. I’m not saying everything has to be wrapped up with a big bow—that’s lame—but the number of plot points introduced than dropped is too much: the whole backstory with the male lead, his mom, and his brother; the female lead’s relationship with her brother and the rest of her (deceased) family; the matter of their untimely deaths; whatever additional secrets her brother clearly had; and of course the secret itself. It’s too much.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Arc copy kindly provided by NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. While there were parts I did like about it, the two main characters had great communication, I was just mostly bored. This is a very chaste romance with two academic type main characters. They had a lot of philosophical conversations that they sure loved about each other, but I just wasn't into.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and this is my freely given opinion.

This is the second novel of the Cambridge Brotherhood, a series that is about second sons who inherited their titles after a tragic incident that took the lives of their elder brothers; a housefire that occurred during a bachelor celebration before the marriage of one of their numbers.

Rowles misses being a professor at Cambridge and had inherited his dukedom after losing his beloved brother in that fire. He is finding the responsibilities weighing quite heavily on him; not just the expected responsibilities, but also the fact that his mother is quite ill and is becoming more difficult to care for. She sounds to be suffering some kind of mental illness, and requires round the clock supervision and sedation. Seeing her illness and deterioration is wearing on Rowles and he carries the added burdens of the social stigma and gossip about him and his family, because her illness a topic of Ton gossip, and the personal fears of if he and his offspring will be affected with the illness as well.

Lady Joan is making her debut in society, with the assistance of her Earl brother. Morgan is anxious because he wants her to make a successful match, and to do so, she must keep her special skills a secret from the particularly judgemental members of the Ton. Joan has learned from their father how to interpret forgeries and read behaviour and she as anonymously aided the government in their spywork, through Morgan. She takes pride in this and uses her skill to surreptitiously read her suitors.

Rowles helps his friend Morgan and Joan with her come out, and as he and Joan spend time together, they find themselves attracted to each other, with Rowles appreciating her perceptiveness and intelligence. Morgan is not so approving of the relationship, especially as he is very protective of Joan and their family secrets and it becomes a volatile element in his friendship with Rowles.

This started out as a very interesting story for me. The family situation with Rowles and his conflict between his love for his mother and her illness were interesting and made me sympathize with what he was going through, especially after losing his brother, losing his career which he loved, to take on the dukedom. Joan was an interesting character too and I liked how her family appeared to foster her intelligence and her skills. Her dynamic with her brother was interesting, but Morgan seemed to be quite overprotective and a bit volatile about her entertaining suitors. I could not quite understand his objections to Rowles showing an interest in courting her. If the issue was not his mother's illness and the possibility of it being an inheritable illness, then what is the issue, considering he would know Rowles better than the other suitors? Rowles did not have any overtly objectionable marks against him as a mate otherwise, right?

Anyways, I found that the story became a bit slow in the middle with a bit of back and forth of whether Rowles would court her or not, and Joan wondering if he is even really interested in her. Morgan seemed to take a lot of the focus of the story, with his relationship with Rowles and his rather ambivalent and hot headed responses to Rowles developing an interest in his sister. It was a very slow build to the relationship between Joan and Rowles, and while it was sweet, I found it rather tepid overall. It started out strong for me with interesting characters in Joan, Rowles, Morgan, and an interesting family dynamics. But slowed down with a bland, tepid finish.

3 stars out of 5.

I couldn't get into this book. It started out great but all the debating throughout the book just wasn't for me. I skipped over quite a bit of it.

Dearest Duke loved it so much. I wanted to read this book. It was a good read and I really enjoyed this from the beginning to the end of it. Will read more and liked it very much.

What a sweet romance! Rowles and Joan were perfect for each other. I loved that they felt that the other complimented them and were glad to share their secrets

“Sometimes demons were better left buried, rather than faced and set free”
“Try not, succeed not”
I really liked this regency romance book!!
It felt like a great women’s fiction book, especially considering the character of Joan, and her being inspired by historical figure of Joan of Arc, and her believes and the relationships she has both with her brother and Rowles.
The romance was very good, one I really enjoyed. This time without spice not the usual banter we all very love but nonetheless not less good.
I very much believe that every thoughts and opinion they discussed about is worth of notice and attention and I really liked how the author explored all those very important and relevant issues during a time that was everything but open-minded.
The mystery as a subplot in this story was enjoyable but it never overshadowed the main love story and I’m glad this was the case.
And I particularly loved the very intimate and sad scenes both Rowles had to face, considering his mother’s mental state.
I’m very glad I had the chance to read this book!!
“Was she fascinated by the duke? Or was this what it felt like when one fell in love?”
“The unrestrained laughter of a lady is a beautiful thing indeed”

Professor Rowles Haywind has just been named the Duke of Westmore after the tragic death of his brother and he is also helping his mother with her mental health after the death of his brother. He’s too busy to think of romance yet when he reconnects with his friend’s younger sister, Lady Joan Morgan, he can’t but feel like she truly sees him. Joan is about to debut but she’s hiding a secret, she’s been secretly helping the War Office because of her uncanny ability to read people. Rowles is afraid he might be afflicted with his mother’s mental illness and he’s been trying to hide her illness, yet is he strong enough to open himself up to love? Unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me, I found myself getting bored and not really connecting with the characters after the first few chapter. The romance just didn’t really feel there and I just didn’t really feel like there was any chemistry between the two. The book kinda of drags and there really isn’t any major conflicts or villains. Overall, this one just didn’t grab my attention unfortunately.

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Professor Rowles Haywind has become the Duke of Westmore after the tragic death of his brother and is coping with his mother’s mental health after her loss. He reconnects with Lady Joan Morgan, his friend’s sister, but she is secretly helping the War Office because of her uncanny ability to read people.

There wasn’t enough plot or character growth here to keep my attention. The 1815 setting didn’t come alive either. A lot of introspection and not enough action to balance it out. There was unnecessary stage direction and descriptions that slowed things down. The ending fell flat, almost as if it was unfinished.

On a side note, I’m tired of the “my family member has a mental illness and I’m afraid I might have one too/I won’t have children because they might be like them” trope. We don’t need this shameful attitude toward mental health.

Nothing in the categories or description said this was a Christian romance, but there are undertones here that I wasn’t expecting.

Meh, I don’t know what to say about this one. It had many secrets, which isn’t something I enjoy. The ending felt rushed and unfinished.

This book has it all.; Intrigue and romance. Rowles is Joan’s brother’s best friend. Joan is in her first season. Rowles is busy trying to hide his mother’s worsening mental illness. He falls in love with and can’t stay away from Joan.

The heroine is strong and smart and assists her brother with government work. The hero was not supposed to become a Duke but to be a professor. They’re trying to navigate life. They each have secrets. They can’t stay away from each other.

The book kept me reading until the end. I look forward to more books in the series.

I appreciated the attention the author gives to mental health and aging parents. Hose a real life problems that I am sure were very difficult to maneuver in this point in history.
That being said, this story just drags. Both hero and heroine are highly intelligent and enjoy debating each other, but there is really no fire between them.

Sadly a DNF for me,

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC to read and review.

This was my first book by this author. I liked it but didn't love it - I am torn on whether I would pick up another book from Ms. Vayden.

The story revolves around MMC Rowles Haywind, a second son who became a duke upon the death of his older, more beloved, older brother. The FMC is Lady Joan Morgan, younger sister of Rowles' good friend, Morgan. Rowles never wanted to be a duke; he loved his life as a professor of divinity at Cambridge. He is also conflicted over how best to care for his mother, who seems to be suffering from what we now know to be dementia. She has gained some notoriety in the ton for her illness and Rowles is unsure about bringing a wife and children into a family line with his mother's illness.

This all changes, of course, when Rowles meets Joan. Joan is a remarkably intelligent and incredibly intuitive debutante, being taken through her initial Season by her brother since all others in the family have passed. Rowles and Joan dance, she shares some of perceptive thoughts with him, and the story proceeds from there.

There wasn't a villain in this story, the romance between the main characters has to overcome Rowles' fears and Joan's brother's reluctance to allow the pair to court. The main surprise of the story was fairly obvious from the first hint laid. From about the 60% mark, once Rowles and Joan become engaged, the book drags a bit. It felt like it could have been much shorter. Like others have observed, this is a clean romance with religious (here meaning Christian) themes throughout. I like steam and am not religious, so these elements were negatives for me. I felt like a number of questions remained unanswered and the book just left me a bit wanting at the end. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book. All of the opinions herein are my own.

i had previously never read anything by this author so i am very glad that i found her! i have been on a historical romance kick since bridgerton and tbis helped satisfy my appetite

My Dearest Duke by Kristen Vayden

Rowles Haywind has recently become the Duke of Westmore on his brothers death. He has shied away from the spotlight of his titled family and lives his life as a professor at Cambridge. Now that has all changed and he has now inherited the dukedom and must maintain the family secret of a mother with a severe mental illness which he now worries will be inherited by him and future children he may have. He meets Lady Joan Morgan at a ball being the sister of his best friend and they have an instant connection with her insight she reassured him he will not be affected. Lady Joan is also a character of secrets.

This is a story of many characters secrets. Although it’s a bit slow and the end seems a tad unfinished. It is overall an ok read

Story was nice but The Christian themes weren’t my cup of tea. Maybe I missed the tag? Closed door romances are fine with me, but I couldn’t finish with the religious themes.

I struggled with this book. I wanted to love it because I loved so many aspects of it- mental health, a woman’s role in society, and a mystery. Overall it felt like the author was trying to bring too many different plot points into the book and didn’t fully explain all of them. I wished the ton was featured more and we heard something more from them about Rowles’s mother. I also wish the mystery from the work Joan and her brother do was expanded on a lot more. The one thing I was never in doubt about was the love the two main love interests felt towards each other. *also there were three grammar errors I found throughout the book.

A duke with a sick mother and his best friend’s intuitive sister fall in love. There is loss, secrets, and love.

The story was a little difficult to read for me. Sometimes I felt it moved on to the next thing before I realized and I felt a little lost. I did enjoy the main characters and the dialogue was written well for the intended era.

In the end it felt a little unfinished, there was one story line that didn’t seem to be completed, maybe that’s for a book #2? I’m not sure. It was pretty modest, in regards to steaminess which makes sense with the Christian undertones.

It was a good story, but not exceptionally memorable. Rowles and Joan were interesting, well developed characters.