I absolutely loved this book! The subject matter, the narration, the dialogue; it was all wonderful! A very compelling read!.

What a fun book to read. I love historical romances and this one was definitely top of my list for the year. I just loved the main characters interactions and they way the whole thing unfolded. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading books.

I thought the the story line was a wonderful one for the characters. I did notice a few Christian notations throughout the book, seeing how this is a historical romance novel with a Duke, the Christian insights clashed with the intimacy of the book. I was also at odds with the age of Joan. I understand the age of young ladies was pretty low back then, but trying to visualize a young lady who hasn’t matured yet, a nineteen year old girl was a little hard to visualize in an romantic interlude.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and publisher, Sourcebooks, Casablanca. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 3/5 Stars
Publishing: November 8, 2022
Series: The Cambridge Brotherhood #2

This is a first time ready by Kristin Vayden, new author to this reader. “My Dearest Duke” is an enjoyable and lighthearted read. There are some religious undertones to this story that made it a more interesting story for this reader.

This story begins with Rowles Haywind, a professor at Cambridge who suddenly comes into the title of duke due to the death of his brother from a house fire. He does not relish the title and also has to contend with his mother, who is now mentally ill from the strain of the loss. Because of her mental illness, he believes he may turn out like her and his future heirs will inherit this disability. He is introduced to Lady Joan Morgan by her brother at a ball. Joan has her own secrets…secrets that could cause scandal and ruin. However, it only took one waltz to upend the duke’s curiosity with how well she assessed his personal character and now he is intrigued by this woman.

This was a lovely story that deals with grief and healing. Both characters are very likeable individuals who have their own battles to overcome. Loved their slow kindle to full love relationship. As mentioned, there are some Christian themes. Are there steamy moments in this story…not really, just kisses and behind closed door intimacy. Although I was not anticipating this story to be this good by the description, this was a well-written story that had a very nice plot. Transition of this story flowed quite well, and I really enjoyed this story.