2.5 stars round up to 3

My first book by this author.

It was a nice, but seemed more like two smaller stories running simultaneously. They occasionally overlapped, but with the exception of the passionate scenes. We had Crawford trying to come to terms with taking on his new role as Earl and his mother demanding that he find a wife. Then we had Sadie hiding from her guardian and trying to stay alive. There wasn't much meat to the wife hunt or to Sadie hiding. Sadie had several people with clout that could have aided her in getting out of her guardian's clutches, but that was never utilized. It bothered me that they talked to themselves when that could have just been an inner dialogue.

The end, while dramatic, was a bit anticlimactic. There was no wrap up showing Sadie taking her rightful place in society. There was no wrap up of the fire or Crawford and the shipping company. Again, lots of holes, ones that needed to filled to make the story come together. It felt like the author was trying to mash two stories into one.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.

The third story in the Castleburys. Crawford the newly titled Earl of Castlebury and heiress to an ancient dukedom, Sadie Crisp who is in hiding as a dock worker's story. There is drama, danger, suspense, twists, turns, secrets and romance. I found the story to be well worth reading with very good characters. I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was a fun short read with some adventure thrown in to add to the romance. I really liked both Crawford & Sadie the chemistry between them was wonderful. My only complaint was that it wasn't long enough with the ending feeling a little rushed. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Dockside Duchess by Jennifer Seasons is the story of a romance between a newly-minted earl and a runaway duchess. Both have business on the docks: he, as the owner of a major shipping company and she, as a dockworker. No, dockworkers are not normally female. She is hiding from her cousin and guardian who wishes to see her dead so he can inherit. No one except Crawford seems to realize that this person with whom they are working is female. Crawford is working hard to bring himself up to speed as his father had ill-prepared him to run this business. Sadie is simply trying to stay alive. It is a conundrum.

Sadie is a fabulous character: well-written and straightforward. She is clever and bright and is adjusting to life on the docks before Crawford enters the picture. There is not a clear plot, except to save her from her cousin. But, it is a romance, so… It was a comfortable read, enjoyable and easy to read. It was a clever plot and enjoyable. It left one feeling light and happy. Thanks, Jennifer for a lovely story!

I was invited to read Dockside Duchess by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #JenniferSeasons #DocksideDuchess

Sadle Crisp, aristocrat in hiding and on the run from her guardian Archibald, fearing her life and now having to fear she may be discovered after the Earl of Castlebury, Crawford, sees through her disguise as a dockworker. The chemistry between Sadie and Crawford is off the chain steam and the story only gets hotter the longer they are in each other company. I love the premise of the story and the author's writing style. She allows you into the mind of both the H and h and makes you feel its ok to talk to yourself. Dockside Duchess is well written with strong secondary characters and a developed plot which flows freely as the relationship between Sadie and Crawford grows more serious.. Ms. Seasons is a new author for me but she will definitely be on autobuy going forward.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Dockside Duchess is a fun romp through 19th century London, with a fun opening premise and an interesting cast of characters. Seasons' pacing breezes along, and the first half or so of the book was intriguing and--at the risk of being repetitive--FUN. I think that sense of liveliness and adventure is missing in so many historical romances, and I was glad to see it here.

However, around the 60% mark, the book began to fall apart as the plot slowed down. Seasons' writing, which never felt as mature or polished as I'd have liked, began to get more egregious. Belabored descriptions and clunky dialogue started to grate. If you don't mind the idea of characters having whole conversations with themselves out loud and no one caring--well, perhaps you'll find more mileage with it. The side characters (I'm sure main characters in the rest of the series, which, in full disclosure, I have not read) butted in more and more; old plot points from what I believe must be other books were referenced more often. And the plot itself--well, Seasons made some authorial plot choices that for me, weakened the story quite a bit.

None of these things on their own (or even in a group of 2-3 of them) would have sunk the book, but the weight of them certainly did not help.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone .

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶🌶/5

Tropes:
-historical fiction
-insta-lust
-hidden identity
-workplace romance

Favourite Quote:
“I’m not a bloody stone, I feel things.”
“You’re a selkie, that’s what you are. Come to spellbind me.”
“I want you. Insatiably. Always.”
And because she was a Titan of a human, a mighty warrior with the fiercest heart, all wrapped in a small package.

Review:

I really wanted to love this one more. It was the first historical fiction book I’ve read in a while and while I loved the beginning of this one, between the MCs, the side characters, and tropes which all sounded incredibly promising to me, the plot was way too fast paced. Her identity was hidden for what felt like a millisecond and the conflict occurred and resolved on the same page. I loved the steam and chemistry but I wished this book was way longer to add to the storyline. I love insta-love/insta-connection but they didn’t have very long to build their relationship before the book was over. This was my first book that I’ve read written by this author and in this series and I loved the writing style and way she was able to describe the scenes. I will definitely give her other books a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We definitely get a very unusual Duchess in this historical romance. Our heroine is in hiding from a murderous relative. There is no way he would think of looking for her where she is.
Our hero is a newly minted Earl under intense pressure from his mother to marry. He's far too busy just trying to get his head around all his new responsibilities.
There is a lot of danger and a few giggles in this steamy book. The characters both have a habit of talking to themselves. It is part of a series with links to the same family, but each book can be read on it's own.
Our author is very descriptive, so you can easily picture the story she paints.
Great fun.

This book had a great premise, but something was missing. It had the handsome Earl, the Duchess in distress and the evil cousin. Crawford the earl needed money and Sadie had plenty, however, there were some serious complications. Her cousin was trying to kill her so he could steal the family fortune. Sadie was in hiding and working on the docks as a man. Conveniently, Crawford was the owner of a shipping company! He soon realized that she was a female but the sparks didn't start flying until about halfway through the book. I honestly felt that the steamy scenes were a bit too long and I found myself skipping through them. I enjoyed Sadie's German landlady, she was so cute. I also got a kick out of the shark-infested waters of the Thames. Who knew?!
The end of the book was very exciting. The villain gets what he deserves and Sadie and Crawford get their happy ending.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

I enjoyed this fast-paced suspenseful romance as Crawford strains to pick up the pieces of his inheritance after the death of his father. The relationship between Crawford and Sadie is both entertaining and heartwarming, especially when he realizes that the cheeky lad is a woman in disguise. After a night of terror, the novel comes to a lovely conclusion and the perpetrator of a vicious crime receives his just deserts. I received a copy of this novel as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Dockside Duchess fit nicely into the "cruise easy read" category for me. Found it an engaging read, although at points found myself getting lost as to who was who, and didn't understand how you could be someone's best friend but not be known by that best friend's sibling. Liked the Sadie character and would read another tale if she was the protagonist.

The third book in the Castlebury's series gives us an insight into the new Earl, Crawford. Nicely written, the story takes us to the docks of London. Trying to continue the family business he encounters Sadie. The fireworks begin. Overall it was a good story, nice having past characters show up. What I didn't care for is it seemed to be a bit choppy. A chapter would end suddenly and then the next page was the beginning of a new place, situation, etc. Ex: Sadie discovered her cousin was a Revivalists but didn't do anything about it. That said, I can't wait to read about the next sibling as I truly enjoy this author.

Jennifer Seasons has become one of my favorite authors I've discovered off NetGalley. Her books are so charming, clever, and exploding with chemistry. My only complaint is that they're too short! I know I'm being greedy but I could read 500 pages of her characters instead of the measly 168 I was allotted. I've really enjoyed learning about the Castelburys and the hijinks the adult children seem to get themselves intertwined. I'm especially excited for the youngest sister to get her happy ending hopefully in the next volume. Dockside Duchess was a fun romp, but it was way too brief. Our couple barely had any time together and I struggled to see how they fell in love so quickly. I understand expediency is common in romance novels, but they described the docks in greater detail than their courtship!

Dockside Duchess had a great premise and I wish it was further explored. Our heroine Sadie was a duchess in dire straits who was working undercover as a man on the English docks. I love reading about women in disguise and when they're ultimately revealed is always so juicy. It tickled me to no end when the hero suspected her gender because of her shapely hips and derriere. Hey, there's no way a street urchin has a body that criminal. Sadie and Crawford were excellent foils with opposite personalities, but again, I wish there was more time devoted to their courtship. Sadie was a stellar employee and Crawford was lucky to have him working for his company, birthing hips or not.

Dockside Duchess was a unique historical romance, but I'm too greedy to be satisfied with less than 200 pages of Jennifer Seasons. She's a phenomenal author and I would gladly read more if she extended the length of her novels. I don't know if the baby sister will be the final book in the Castlebury series. If that's the case, I will continue to read the future publications of this author. Just say the word and you can find me by the docks with my trousers covering my feminine shape, exactly like Sadie.

Insta-lust hindered by class-difference because of hidden identity, this is a fun and adventurous workplace romance with interesting characters, good tension and chemistry, delicious steam, and action-packed with a quality villain and a nice big mess for the heroine.

Sadie & Crawford
She’s a duchess in her own right with a greedy sleezy distant cousin guardian who wants her dead. For her own safety she fled her home, disappeared and is now working on the docks disguised as a young man. Always looking over her shoulder is exhausting, and the fact that her new boss is rather distracting does not help!
He’s an earl new to his title and responsibilities with a pushy mama who wants him married with an heir and a spare. Along with all the rest, he inherited his father’s shipping company, and of course, he spots this little odd - but strangely attractive - duck immediately on his docks…

⭐⭐⭐✨
First of all, this, book 3, was the first I’ve read in this series and my first by this author, so I’m going by first impressions when I say I liked the style and this was an entertaining read. It works very well as a standalone and I’m curious about the earlier books.

But, this story starts off slow, gains momentum in the middle and then races towards its grand finale - quite literally a blaze of glory. I really enjoyed the plot and the build-up, but all of that gets lost in the speedy rush towards the end. The end itself was good though.
So, all in all, this was a great story and a good read and, given the chance, I will read more books by this author, but I believe it could have been better.

Sadie is a duchess hiding as a dockworker, Crawford just inherited an Earldom and a shipping company. They met on the docks & fell in lust, then love. This is the third book in the series and reading books 1 and 2 would have helped tremendously, because I was getting lost in all the characters. I also felt like the book needed better transitions; they seemed very abrupt.

The newly titled Earl of Castlebury, Crawford is under a lot of stress. New title responsibilities, pressure from his mother to find a suitable wife, his late father’s shipping empire to run. Heiress to an ancient dukedom, Sadie Crisp is in hiding from her Cousin Archibald, who wants her dead rather than married, so that he can keep her fortune for himself. Disguised as a young male deal porter at the docklands, all is smooth sailing until the new owner of the Castlebury’s shipyard appears
The third book in the series & I’m thoroughly enjoying the siblings finding love. I really liked both Crawford & Sadie & loved the chemistry between them. This was a quick read & I would have liked for it to be longer not only for further character development but also for the story to have more depth. I also felt the ending was rushed but so saying it was a page turning romance
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I am very excited to be reading this book! My full review to follow.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

She hiding in plain sight. He was an older brother trying to fulfill his responsibilities. This is the first time I have given a 2 star review for this author. I felt that this book was all bedroom and steam and no substance. There was hardly any plot and nothing for anyone to go on. It is too bad because the first two books I was really enjoying.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.

"Dockside Duchess" is an enjoyable tale with mystery, love and intrigue. Sadie is a strong resourceful woman who has been able to keep herself safe, but she knows one day she may not be successful. Crawford assumes the Earls duties with the death of his father and constantly questions if he is good enough. I rate it a 4 as I wanted more - especially as the danger increases in their lives, but it is still an enjoyable story.

People aren’t always who or what they appear to be and that would describe Sadie. The story has everything that makes for good reading: a Duchess in hiding, a cousin who wants her dead, a new love found with Crawford and some very interesting secondary characters. It’s a great love story that is worth reading
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.