Review: The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White

The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White

Book Description:

Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she has never felt good enough—not for her father, not for the man she thought she’d marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she’s willing to be forever an outcast if it means escaping Loch Morar and the men who have jeopardized her life.

Brice Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has suddenly found himself in possession of a rare treasure his enemies are prepared to kill for. While Brice has never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, the last thing he needs is the distraction of his neighbor, Lady Rowena, who finds herself in a desperate situation. But when the moody Earl of Lochabar tries to trap Brice into marrying Rowena, Brice finds he’s not as opposed to the idea as he expected to be.

Rowena wanted to escape the Highlands, but she’s reluctant to resort to marrying a notorious flirt just to gain his English home. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in some kind of questionable business with a stolen treasure, she fears she’s about to end up directly in the path of everything she was trying to avoid.

Review:

I'm torn on this one. It held my attention, but it also had quite a few soap opera moments that took attention from Brice and Rowena (although it all came back to them). I'm not sure how else the story would have been told, but the chapters from the bad guys perspective weren't my favorite.

Brice's faith seemed so unusual for a Duke (can't say I remember reading any books about Dukes that included more than just attending church), but it really helped him and Rowena to get through their trials.

I would have loved for the epilogue to have gone further into the future, but I enjoyed the happy ending.

This is a tough book in that in includes talk of rape, other physical abuse, along with violence. It wasn't overly graphic, but it is a major part of the story.

Some of the Scottish words were hard to read/understand. The stopped holding me up after awhile though.

This is a story about love and honor and the faith that worked to make a new family.

Title: The Reluctant Duchess
Author: Roseanna M. White
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Published: April 2016
ISBN: 0764213512
Source: I received an eCopy from via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Purchase: Amazon | Kindle