I loved the opening scene of Mallory's romance and, even what followed, Aunt Minerva, the temporary move to London and even their hostess, Mrs. Borcaster? The opening scene, however, with its surprise meeting, the drunken man-servant, Garrick's confession to Pru. And Pru herself, intrepid spinster, were wonderful. And then, they weren't: Sarah's insistence on meeting with Garrick, yes, as he protests out of concern for her, seemed stupid. And what promised to be two interesting characters I wanted to know better turned into an intrigue plot. Even their first kiss, though well executed, seemed to come out of the blue. In other words, plot took over from what I enjoy in a romance: getting to know the hero and heroine as they get to know each other. The narrative started to feel contrived, ways of keeping these two together, understandable Mallory needed some glue, but the foundation, character, wasn't there.

I liked this book a lot and really liked the lead heroine, the hero grew on me throughout the book which is a good way for us to all fall in love!

Terrific book with a very unusual beginning. The book opens as Pru reminisces about how she became her aunt's companion. Tall and shy, her Season in London did not go well. After hearing herself described as "dull as her name," Pru offered to become Aunt Minerva's companion, allowing her younger, prettier, and livelier sisters to make suitable matches. In the four years since then, Pru has been happy with her aunt and working in various charitable organizations. On this night, she is up late reading when she hears a sound from the kitchen and discovers a handsome and inebriated man at her kitchen table.

Garrick, Duke of Harland, has spent the day drinking, working up the courage to fulfill his obligation to propose to a lady promised to him since they were children. Garrick has spent the last ten years out of the country after a scandalous duel sent him fleeing to the continent. His mother told him to stay away, even after his father's death, but recently called him home. Garrick is so drunk that he mistakes Pru's house for one a few doors down, run by a woman of questionable virtue.

I liked the first encounter between Pru and Garrick. Pru is understandably shocked and wary at first, but her caring nature emerges once she realizes he is no threat. I loved watching her fix him food, encourage him to eat, and listen to his troubles. Having someone listen to him makes a huge difference, and he finally leaves her kitchen in a better frame of mind. But this is not the end of their acquaintance.

They meet again a few months later in London. Pru and her aunt are staying with a friend, and Pru is again facing societal events that she dislikes. Garrick went to London after his erstwhile fiancée rejected him, but the rumor mill claims that he jilted her, labeling him a rogue. Other unsavory rumors are circulating about him, and Pru is told to keep away from him. But those rumors contradict what she knows of him, and her sense of fairness is outraged. When she overhears the person spreading the rumors, she insists on telling Garrick about it. The perpetrator is no surprise to him, but he plans to leave London until it all dies down. Unfortunately for his plans, Pru is determined to fight those rumors, and Garrick feels he must remain in London to protect her from herself.

I enjoyed seeing Pru's investigative attempts as she tried to find a way to clear Garrick's name. She unearths some helpful information, but Garrick is determined to keep her out of scandal's way. With the time they spend together, it's no surprise that the connection they felt at their first meeting grows stronger. Though Pru has fallen hard for Garrick, she is convinced she is too far below him for anything to come of it. Meanwhile, Garrick realizes he wants Pru in his life, but his attempts to make her see that are awkward at best.

When Garrick's attempt to follow up on some of Pru's information results in him being badly beaten, Pru is the one who steps in to nurse him. She has no care for her reputation, only that Garrick recovers. I ached for her fears for him and her belief that he only wanted her out of gratitude. It takes some interference from an unexpected source for Pru to believe him when he tells her of his feelings.

The story behind the rumors about Garrick is one of jealousy and revenge, with his misspent youth coming back to haunt him. I loved Pru's instinctive distrust of that couple when she met them and her determination to foil their plans. There were also further rumors about his actions on the continent, fed from the same source. I was unsurprised by the truth, as it was a far better fit for Garrick's personality. Pru's actions put her in danger, and that confrontation kept me glued to the pages until it was resolved.

My favorite secondary characters were Garrick's friend, Jack, and his valet, Stow. Jack knows Garrick well and becomes a critical ally in clearing Garrick's name. I especially enjoyed seeing Jack and Pru stand together against Garrick's stubbornness, and I would love to see Jack get his own story. I loved how Stow immediately took to Pru and conspired with her to help Garrick. They made a terrific team when Garrick was injured.

The only thing that might have improved the book was an epilogue to show how they are doing later.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot.

Prudence and the tarnished duke...

Prudence Clifford is firmly on the shelf at 25, but happily living with her aunt and money isn't an issue. She finds fulfilment working with the infirm. Garrick, a duke with many regrets, a terrible sense of direction (he goes to the wrong house to play cards and dally with a widow) a terrible reputation and well and truly falling down drunk spills his woes to the non-judgemental Pru the night he meets her.

They have a division in class, Garrick's reputation goes from bad to worse (he got thrown over for another woman) and someone is trying to do serious damage to Garrick (he spends a good portion unconcious while Pru nurses him). Old lovers, a shady plot, and all the while, Pru stands by her man.
But I did like both Pru and Garrick and enjoyed this book,.
4.5 stars

I truly could not make it very far into the first chapter because the characters felt very flat and I was already very bored. Having the characters meet in the first chapter felt like a very bold choice because I think it takes away some of the fun and intrigue of how the characters will make their way to each other. It was also very dialogue-heavy, instead of what I prefer -- most of the thoughts coming from a character's POV. I requested this due to it being a historical romance, but I think it would end up being very run-of-the-mill.

After a disastrous London season, Prudence goes to stay with her aunt in Bath. An unlikely meeting with a duke convinces her to rehabilitate his roguish reputation. Will he ruin her instead?

This is a witty and entertaining book. I loved the meet cute, and the way Garrick played on Pru's name to warn her about the risks she's taking. Their playful relationship, in contrast to Pru's otherwise ordinary life, made this a fun and heartwarming read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

When Garrick, a drunken duke, mistakenly stumbles into her kitchen late one night Pru decides to feed him. Telling her his many troubles, Garrick feels very comfortable with Pru. When they see each other socially, Pru decides to ignore the nasty rumors about him. Unable to deny their mutual feelings, Pru defends him and remains loyal even though he is above her in class. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Harlequin for my honest review.

A pleasant, easy read perfect for downtime during a vacation. Thought both Pru and Garrick were great!

Sarah Mallory is a new-to-me author who has written many romances. What took me so long? This book is well written and the character development is spot on. Pru is a spinster and has no betrothal prospects in her future. She is content to be a companion to her aunt in Bath. When she and her aunt are invited to London for the season she is happy to go along and see the sights. Then she sees the duke again and she can't deny to herself that she has feelings for the man that the ton thinks is a rogue. He tries to discourage her but Pru is very stubborn and tries to save his tarnished reputation. This was a fun romantic read. I will definitely read more from this author.

Sarah Mallory's The Night She Met the Duke is a decent enough romance overrun by exclamation points. Multiple exclamation points per page, even per paragraph. So many, they distracted me from the story, interfering with my reading cadence.

Once one gets past the exclamation points (provided one can! See what I did there?), the story is, as I said, decent enough. Pru is acting as companion to a much loved aunt in Bath when Garrick, Duke of Hartland, stumbles drunkenly into her aunt's kitchen late one night. He shares secrets and she provides advice, and both feel they have made a connection, even as Garrick goes off to propose to the woman his family, and hers, have long expected him to wed.

Months later, Pru's aunt has been invited to the London season and Pru has accompanied her, and Pru and Garrick meet again. Garrick has a terrible reputation having almost killed a man in a duel and then crying off the engagement he left Pru to make (or so the gossips say). Pru, however, believes in him and acts as his defender even when he doesn't want her to do so. The duo fall for each other, leading to him proposing out of love without telling her he is in love, which in turn leads her to say no as she believes he asks only out of duty. The typical regency dance. Throw in a mean spirited ex-lover and her wicked husband, and the book proceeds from there.

3 stars. It might have been higher but for the exclamation points. Thank you to Harlequin and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.