The Duke's Regret

5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
This was so delightful and I’m going to have to read the rest of these books now. This author is new to me and I loved this story! It is a stand alone and I would call this a second chance romance. Loved, loved, loved the characters in this one. This is some of the best regency romance I’ve ever read. 

Things I loved: 
* Jeffery! ❤️
* The romance. 
* May fest
* HEA

If you want something done well then this author is one you have to try. Trust me, it was good! 

This was a NETGALLEY gift and all opinions are my own and I’ve given an honest review. Happy Reading!

The Duke’s Regret by Catherine Kullmann.  BooksGoSocial, 2019. Duchess of Gracechurch #3.
Fans of good historical romances will remember nine masked muses who danced into a masquerade ball given to honour Wellington; these were Flora’s Fillies, young wives with distant husbands, featured in Kullmann’s The Murmur of Masks (#1, 2016, 366 p.) and Perception and Illusion (#2, 2017, 350 p.).  

This shorter book, the third of the trilogy, is about Jeffrey and Flora, Duke and Duchess of Gracechurch, about seventeen years after their arranged marriage at age 22 and 16.   

The Duke’s Regret, an engaging snapshot of a wealthy Regency era family at their country estate, is well written and positive with appealing characters developed consistently.  The story begins with Jeffrey’s epiphany. After years of benign neglect, he realizes he wants to become part of his family.  We come to understand Jeffrey’s distance and Flora’s strength and resilience and develop a fondness for their three wonderful children. It is a book to enjoy.

We are re-introduced to the Malvin family and there is an excerpt to the first in the Malvin series at the end of this book, which I look forward to reading.  But what about the other six dancing muses? Why just a trilogy?  

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Duke’s Regret for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable book to read. It had two main characters. Jeffery and his wife who he has neglected over the years.. There is plenty of facts about life and how the rich lived to keep me reading to the end. It was not a soppy romance which I enjoyed reading.

I picked up the book after reading the blurb, but I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. 

With fabulous characters and a wonderfully written plot, this book manages to charm its way into the readers heart. 
Filled with heartwarming moments and insights, this book was a delightful read.

The Duke of Gracechurch meets a friend and in spending some time with him he realizes he has missed out in his relationship with his family. He  has been married for 18 years and hardly knows his wife or children. Can he mend his relationship with them? He decides to make the effort. His wife is a little hesitant but the children are very open to him as soon as he makes the effort. Can he regain the family and have a happy life?

A light, and short, enjoyable Regency romance. The author clearly has researched the social mores of the period and writes well about these. The main characters are also well described and they develop nicely thank you. NetGalley's description was accurate - Duke and Duchess essentially live separate lives after an enforced marriage when he was 22 and she 17., and when he already had an established mistress. Eighteen or so years on, their eldest son about to go up to Oxford and a meeting with a man desolate after the loss of his eldest son makes the Duke review his own family situation. He determines to become a good father and husband and the book takes the reader through his trials, attempts and final success. It is the final part of a trilogy apparently. Whilst I enjoyed this story I'm not sure that I want to go back to the  previous two assuming that they just flesh out those first eighteen years of marriage.  I would suggest that readers read the three in sequence to get the most from the story. Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Jeffrey, Duke of  Gracechurch starts to reflect about his life after his mistress of many years has died. He agreed 17 years ago to marry his wife Flora to save the family fortune. Now he recognizes that he not only neglected his wife but also his children. He regrets this and vows to make amends. However, his wife Flora has made herself comfortable and is accustomed to his absences. Now the duke has to demonstrate to his wife that he wants to change and he is in a novel situation that it is not at all clear how his wife will react.
 It is a lovely, slowly developing romance, where the reader sees the dukes intentions as well as Flora’s side. I enjoyed this different romance and would recommend it.

Really enjoyed this book. It kept me interested all the way through. I would definitely recommend to a fellow reader. I like the cover as well.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a delight to read that I’m going to have to read the rest of the books in the series.

I'm definitely going to look for more from this author.

This was the first book about Gracechurch that I have read. And I loved it! So many romance stories are about young ladies and gentlemen and first love. This is a story of a mature couple, a man who chooses to look for love with his own wife. Now, I want to find other books about this family.