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Brides of Convenience #1
The Cruel Duke
Everyone calls him a monster…
To salvage his reputation, Duke Edwin must do something he never thought he reenter society and claim a bride.
Joanna would do anything to help her sister. Even marry the Cruel Duke in her stead…
This marriage of convenience seems doomed from the start. Until Edwin tastes Joanna’s lips for the first time, and his frozen heart comes to life…
*If you like a realistic yet steamy depiction of the Regency and Victorian era, then The Cruel Duke is the novel for you.
An enchanting regency romance of 80,000 words (around 400 pages), written by Sally Vixen and published by Cobalt Fairy.
No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a strong happily ever after.
Get "The Cruel Duke" today to discover Sally's splendid new story!
To salvage his reputation, Duke Edwin must do something he never thought he reenter society and claim a bride.
Joanna would do anything to help her sister. Even marry the Cruel Duke in her stead…
This marriage of convenience seems doomed from the start. Until Edwin tastes Joanna’s lips for the first time, and his frozen heart comes to life…
*If you like a realistic yet steamy depiction of the Regency and Victorian era, then The Cruel Duke is the novel for you.
An enchanting regency romance of 80,000 words (around 400 pages), written by Sally Vixen and published by Cobalt Fairy.
No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a strong happily ever after.
Get "The Cruel Duke" today to discover Sally's splendid new story!
366 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 23, 2023
863 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
December 23, 2023
This kind of book is the worst kind to rate, the kind that has potential.
There were some really solid things in this book that made me want to enjoy it but the execution was abysmal.
The pacing of this book was so off. It begins with the reader thrust right into the action, meeting every main character at once and confronted with both the set up for the arranged marriage and the mystery of the hero and his potential murderous past.
Right away the main conflict is presented and the mains are placed as adversaries. Then everything after became excruciatingly slow moving and uninteresting. But occasionally we are given these creepy, gothic scenes with the dangers of a crumbling manor house, the heroine being ‘accidentally’ locked in a room and her ball dress being destroyed with no obvious culprit, but then this is followed by more nothing and almost Disney Princess-like moments with the heroine. She waters a stray flower she sees in the crumbling paving stones with puddles that she scoops by hand. She rides an untameable stallion but he responds to only her because of her kindness. The servants call her by her first name and thank her for ‘bringing joy to this dark and dreary manor’. I was begging the author for more creepy, dark, spooky moments while I cringed and gagged at the saccharine sweet ones.
This was such an odd book that needed to either be the sweet, sticky, Disney beauty and the beast story, or the dark gothic creep fest. As is it was just boring because it didn’t do either well. This is disappointing because there were moments where I was so hopeful for this.
So I can’t recommend this as a dark gothic, or as a sweet fairy tale, because I think readers who might like one, won’t enjoy the other. All told this was just a very slow moving historical romance with a tortured Duke and a not like other girls heroine, and there are so many of those in existence that the world did not need this one.
3 stars for the potential and because the hero blushed.
There were some really solid things in this book that made me want to enjoy it but the execution was abysmal.
The pacing of this book was so off. It begins with the reader thrust right into the action, meeting every main character at once and confronted with both the set up for the arranged marriage and the mystery of the hero and his potential murderous past.
Right away the main conflict is presented and the mains are placed as adversaries. Then everything after became excruciatingly slow moving and uninteresting. But occasionally we are given these creepy, gothic scenes with the dangers of a crumbling manor house, the heroine being ‘accidentally’ locked in a room and her ball dress being destroyed with no obvious culprit, but then this is followed by more nothing and almost Disney Princess-like moments with the heroine. She waters a stray flower she sees in the crumbling paving stones with puddles that she scoops by hand. She rides an untameable stallion but he responds to only her because of her kindness. The servants call her by her first name and thank her for ‘bringing joy to this dark and dreary manor’. I was begging the author for more creepy, dark, spooky moments while I cringed and gagged at the saccharine sweet ones.
This was such an odd book that needed to either be the sweet, sticky, Disney beauty and the beast story, or the dark gothic creep fest. As is it was just boring because it didn’t do either well. This is disappointing because there were moments where I was so hopeful for this.
So I can’t recommend this as a dark gothic, or as a sweet fairy tale, because I think readers who might like one, won’t enjoy the other. All told this was just a very slow moving historical romance with a tortured Duke and a not like other girls heroine, and there are so many of those in existence that the world did not need this one.
3 stars for the potential and because the hero blushed.
July 7, 2023
Your everyday normal historical romance but then...
This was a good romance. A hermit duke and an outspoken heroine go into a marriage in name only but discover love. She has a tart sense of humor and I enjoyed her attitude. There is one scene where they are dining and he tucks his napkin into his cravat and you realize that he is going to be a great hero. It is very sweet and I definitely enjoyed it. It read smoothly, I stayed interested too. Like what was the deal with the Father?? Sadly I found out. I liked his Aunt and her companion. Until the dreaded OW drama that came totally out of left field.
Spoiler below
The one thing I did like was the disgust he felt at the OWs advances. Lol. He took a bath in scalding water to make himself feel clean again! I laughed so hard. Its usually the heroine that would do something like that not the big virile hero. It was so cute. He truly did love the heroine and he went after her even though he had the 'plague'. Loved the epilogue too. just a very cute story. I will read her again for sure.
This was a good romance. A hermit duke and an outspoken heroine go into a marriage in name only but discover love. She has a tart sense of humor and I enjoyed her attitude. There is one scene where they are dining and he tucks his napkin into his cravat and you realize that he is going to be a great hero. It is very sweet and I definitely enjoyed it. It read smoothly, I stayed interested too. Like what was the deal with the Father?? Sadly I found out. I liked his Aunt and her companion. Until the dreaded OW drama that came totally out of left field.
Spoiler below
The one thing I did like was the disgust he felt at the OWs advances. Lol. He took a bath in scalding water to make himself feel clean again! I laughed so hard. Its usually the heroine that would do something like that not the big virile hero. It was so cute. He truly did love the heroine and he went after her even though he had the 'plague'. Loved the epilogue too. just a very cute story. I will read her again for sure.
August 18, 2023
3.6 stars
The very distingushing element of this book is the quality of the writing. I was really surprised by the beauty of the prose that SV infused in her story. The tone was perfect for a Historical Romance and in many parts, there was poesy and intelligence in the delicate manner things were expressed. For instance, Chapter 10 comes to mind, where SV successfully brought the reader into a dream the H was having; the elegant way the words and ideas seem easily to flow on page really striked me.
The romance itself was quite simple, sweet and charming. Although sometimes unconventional in her interventions, Joanna was quietly valiant in the way she sought to melt Edwin's barriers. And I liked the way Edwin, despite his tragic backstory and his initial cold demeanor, gradually allowed himself to be charmed by the warmth of his wife.
What held me back to love this book was the slow pace in which the plot unravelled itself. It got better in the second half, but the beginning dragged too much, highlighting along the way how the plot lacked enough storylines to carry all these pages. Also, though I liked the story of the tender romance that bloomed between Joanna and Edwin, I am still puzzled on why Edwin wanted so hard a marriage of convenience to get back into society and restore his manor, when his final aim was to not leave a legacy to avenge his brother. It seemed contradictory and was never explained. However, because I was pleasantly surprised by the pen of SV, I am rounding my GR stars up. I will likely read more from this author.
P.S. The cover is daintily beautiful, just like the romance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2024
This book really captured the essence of married nookie lol. Duke is not so much cruel as emotionally stifled. Wannabe OW gets way too much attention. I tried hard to get into this story because it had cool horse names. But alas i ended up skimming for plot conclusion.
July 23, 2023
I need to stop reading these and get outside
July 19, 2023
It started out promising but Joanna was just too saintly to be true and it devolved into mush at the end.
January 2, 2026
DNF at 62%. I liked how it started off and honestly was expecting a perfect slow burn grumpy hero romance here. Not the case :/ The character development took a turn that left me uninterested. The MMC ends up being much more bland. I thought perhaps he was on the spectrum at first, or at least unemotional and rigid. I thought the FMC would slowly have to chip away at him to get to the good stuff. Sadly, he's none of those things, and he folds like a damn lawn chair almost immediately. The title of this book is VERY misleading. There's nothing "cruel" here unless the title is supposed to be referencing his father. And I wasn't buying the tortured hero schtick this turned into. IMO, he came off more of a wet blanket and very beta. I'm not sure how old he's supposed to be, but seemed like a New Adult type age with all the angsty trappings to go along with it. I completely lost interest.
****And this is a bit of a spoiler, but the "I won't have sex with my wife because I want my father's line to die with me" isn't done well here. Why bother to marry for money if you don't care about prolonging your family's legacy??? Makes no damn sense in this story.
****And this is a bit of a spoiler, but the "I won't have sex with my wife because I want my father's line to die with me" isn't done well here. Why bother to marry for money if you don't care about prolonging your family's legacy??? Makes no damn sense in this story.
March 20, 2024
2.5 Stars
I was expecting something a bit different with the title lol. Maybe I’ll try another one.
I was expecting something a bit different with the title lol. Maybe I’ll try another one.
December 12, 2023
I mean.... mehh. It was a good story, but how the characters were developed left me feeling lukewarm...
I am used to reading from Julie Garwood, Judith McNaught, Lisa Kleypas, and more recently, Elisa Braden, Kerrigan Byrne, just to name a few. I decided to take a chance on this author because the book was reviewed as an authentic depiction of both the Regency and Victorian era. Alas, I should have known better because those two periods did not coexist! (Obviously!).
The book read as a Beauty and the Beast take, with the added plot twists with the family drama of the father and bother. However, I still don't know how the girlfriend of the brother met her demise.
The reasons as to why Edwin did what he did were brushed off and mentioned in passing. How exactly his father had been mean to him was never mentioned, but it was alluded that he was mean, cheated on the mother, made her unhappy, and ultimately caused her death. Instead of using ten chapters, building suspense around Edwin, and the immediate and sudden desire for his wife, I would have liked an in-depth description of his childhood so I could have understood him better.
Also, women of these two time periods (take your pick), did not, and were not under any circumstances allowed to speak to their father/husband in such ways without facing harsh consequences. So that was a bit unrealistic, though I think the author was trying for the female characters to be feminists?
And lastly, the whole Jane trying to seduce him. I saw it coming a mile away, and it was just clumpsy. It irritated me more than the end of Whitney, My Love 🙄, for kinda sorta the same circumstances. Is the kind of situation that is fixed with a simple conversation. And it makes you wonder if the characters regressed in age and are all of a sudden 12 years old!
Anyway, good start? It's a good story. It just needed more in some parts and way less in others.
I am used to reading from Julie Garwood, Judith McNaught, Lisa Kleypas, and more recently, Elisa Braden, Kerrigan Byrne, just to name a few. I decided to take a chance on this author because the book was reviewed as an authentic depiction of both the Regency and Victorian era. Alas, I should have known better because those two periods did not coexist! (Obviously!).
The book read as a Beauty and the Beast take, with the added plot twists with the family drama of the father and bother. However, I still don't know how the girlfriend of the brother met her demise.
The reasons as to why Edwin did what he did were brushed off and mentioned in passing. How exactly his father had been mean to him was never mentioned, but it was alluded that he was mean, cheated on the mother, made her unhappy, and ultimately caused her death. Instead of using ten chapters, building suspense around Edwin, and the immediate and sudden desire for his wife, I would have liked an in-depth description of his childhood so I could have understood him better.
Also, women of these two time periods (take your pick), did not, and were not under any circumstances allowed to speak to their father/husband in such ways without facing harsh consequences. So that was a bit unrealistic, though I think the author was trying for the female characters to be feminists?
And lastly, the whole Jane trying to seduce him. I saw it coming a mile away, and it was just clumpsy. It irritated me more than the end of Whitney, My Love 🙄, for kinda sorta the same circumstances. Is the kind of situation that is fixed with a simple conversation. And it makes you wonder if the characters regressed in age and are all of a sudden 12 years old!
Anyway, good start? It's a good story. It just needed more in some parts and way less in others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2026
I'm conflicted about how to review this book. To be perfectly honest, I enjoyed the story while reading it. However, after finishing the book I came across several sites and forums that said Cobalt Fairy (the publishing company) and their authors utilize AI to create their books. Which is incredibly disheartening to hear if true.
So yes, I really enjoyed the book. But I'm not a fan of non-human authors and being misled about the nature of the content I read.
So yes, I really enjoyed the book. But I'm not a fan of non-human authors and being misled about the nature of the content I read.
September 5, 2023
This was good mostly but incredibly too long for the lack of conflict.
April 7, 2024
A nice easy historical fiction with a Snow White type heroine and a broody Duke who apparently never learnt to socialise as a kid due to his rough childhood and beyond. I thought it was fine and like i said an easy read if you’re not wanting anything too complex, especially as the conflicts are resolved disappointingly quick.
August 25, 2023
Slow-paced Regency romance. Lovely heroine and grumpy but sweet Hero. The first half is a bit boring, but the second half turns it all around.
December 18, 2023
needs work
I had to dnf this. I tried but I just couldn’t get into the dukes point of view he comes across as weird and awkward instead of the mysterious and sexy cruel I think the author may have been aiming for. Book definitely has potential and Joanna’s pov comes across nicely
I had to dnf this. I tried but I just couldn’t get into the dukes point of view he comes across as weird and awkward instead of the mysterious and sexy cruel I think the author may have been aiming for. Book definitely has potential and Joanna’s pov comes across nicely
April 12, 2024
More charming than I expected. Some flowery writing, but it was alright! The characters were sweet.
June 28, 2023
Edwin and Joanna
A marriage of conveniences that was not all that convent is the baseline of this story. Our hero needs a wife but he has some serious rumors plaguing him. The heroine wants to save her young sister so she enters into the marriage instead of her sister. There are some interesting twists in this charmer and very engaging. I spent a rather late night when I stayed up to read this book. I am so glad I am retired because the next day was a wash out. I am happy to recommend this book it is well done and it is an excellent story.
A marriage of conveniences that was not all that convent is the baseline of this story. Our hero needs a wife but he has some serious rumors plaguing him. The heroine wants to save her young sister so she enters into the marriage instead of her sister. There are some interesting twists in this charmer and very engaging. I spent a rather late night when I stayed up to read this book. I am so glad I am retired because the next day was a wash out. I am happy to recommend this book it is well done and it is an excellent story.
July 18, 2023
Another Beauty and the Beast Version
Joana Swinton loved her family very much, especially her younger sister Nancy and her mother. Her father the Marquess of Tillington was less lovable, but she was a dutiful daughter. The Marquess plans to marry his youngest daughter Nancy to the rumored murdering Duke of Bruxton.
Joanna loves her little sister enough that she offers to marry the Duke, and makes many discoveries good and bad. The bad news is that the Duke’s family manor is a crumbling monstrosity. The good news is that Edwin may not be as horrible as he is rumored to be.
This was a wonderfully well written and fun story and I loved it from beginning to end.
Joana Swinton loved her family very much, especially her younger sister Nancy and her mother. Her father the Marquess of Tillington was less lovable, but she was a dutiful daughter. The Marquess plans to marry his youngest daughter Nancy to the rumored murdering Duke of Bruxton.
Joanna loves her little sister enough that she offers to marry the Duke, and makes many discoveries good and bad. The bad news is that the Duke’s family manor is a crumbling monstrosity. The good news is that Edwin may not be as horrible as he is rumored to be.
This was a wonderfully well written and fun story and I loved it from beginning to end.
August 24, 2023
Why is the cover model blond?
October 10, 2023
DNF at 86%. This is the furthest I've gotten into a book before dropping. The big drama is one of the worst I've ever read, relative to the quality of the rest of the book. A horrible anticlimax and a character who acts in a way no person or character would ever act. It was a 5/5 until a misunderstanding ruins all the nice plotting and MMC's inner conflict we had beforehand; that was natural or at least somewhat realistic but the big drama makes you forget about subtlety. The antagonist, without getting caught or any reasoning to do so, confesses all their misdeeds and the FMC forgives them like what they did isn't a big deal. FMC comes across as a total Mary Sue. I've read characters get stronger backlash and punishment from dropping a plate while antagonist tries almost successfully to ruin the MCs' marriage. What they do is absolutely despicable. MMC also just shrugs off this character's wildly inappropriate behavior. With this stupid plot point, both the main characters come across as total pushovers. It's not admirable to be indulgent to wicked psychos who scheme to threaten your marriage; it is just spineless and idiotic. A huge fumble in what was otherwise an enjoyable book. Too bad.
June 12, 2024
2.5/3 Stars
“Is this why you are in such a hurry to marry, so that your bride does not freeze to death from the coldness of your demeanor before you reach the altar? Or, mayhap, would it kill you to humor your bride before the wedding? Do you suffer an apoplexy every time you partake in a friendly conversation? Does the warmth of polite etiquette cover you in a stinging, itching rash?”
So, this was the second book I've read by this author. I wasn't expecting much as the first book I read left a big impression of what to expect from their writing. And while there were still the same styles and nuances that bugged me before they weren't as pronounced as they were in the other book I read. To be honest, this book surprised the hell out of me with how well it was written in comparison and how enjoyable the actual story was.
Particularly I really enjoyed the FMC Joanna. She had such a confident air about her that was hard not to admire. I really enjoyed her dry wit and ability to use humor to make life more enjoyable. I really enjoyed her approach to her unwanted marriage and her inner strength to face it all and find a way to be happy in her new life.
And while the heroine was probably my favorite character I cannot say I didn't enjoy the hero Edwin. I did. I found him fascinating but also very relatable in his desire to keep himself away from the cruelty of society. He had such a good heart but was so careful and unsure about opening himself up to those who cared about him.
And so watching Edwin and Joanna navigate their new marriage was rather amusing. Especially since Joanna talked at him endlessly and joked with him despite his own lack of humor or expression. She essentially melted the ice he had allowed to encase him as protection.
If one thing I loved most was how protective Joanna became of her husband.
“He is not as he seemed when we first met him, Mama. He is… kind and thoughtful and protective and so very dear to me that I do not think I could ever bear to be without him. There is no darkness in him, Mama, except the shadows that his past has cast over him.” She took a breath, her heart aching. “I… cherish him, and wish he knew how beloved he was.”
This was a BIG slow burn type of romance. They didn't share their first kiss until perhaps the 57% mark, and didn't consummate their marriage until 67% ish. So, slow burn yes but also kind of rushed into everything once the door was cracked open 😆
The biggest complaints I had about this story was once they became intimate and grew closer emotionally both began calling one another "my love" - which tbh I have nothing against. What I DO have a problem with was the immediate over usage of the endearment. Particularly in their first sex scene and how Joanna continued to shout "Oh! ... Oh, yes my love! My love!" throughout the entire thing. And then Edwin joined in although Joanna was the main user. And boy was that eye roll inducing and tiresome. Really showed the lack of imagination there from the author which was rather amusing considering how flowery the actual scene was written tbh. 🙄🤷🏻♀️🤣
Least I forget the immediate follow up to their consummation was having a delirious feverish Joanna see Edwin kissing Jane, his aunt's companion. All a huge misunderstanding, of course, especially with Jane chasing after him the moment his wife was sick and yet...we get the cliched dramatics of Joanna running away because she now believes she's just like her mother. That her husband cheated. 🙄
And worse was we don't even contemplate that Joanna herself had been sick with fever for an entire week and had stumbled to his library in the middle of the night where she saw this all but yet ran away before the truth of what actually occured was revealed. But do we mention that Joanna was weak from illness and was an idiot for immediately running away? No! Do we acknowledge that it took literally days of riding on the road, in directions that Joanna herself admitted on her first trip to her new home she had no idea how to navigate herself and had no idea where they actually were? No! And yet we're to believe she miraculously makes it home in what eight or so hours?.... 🤦🏻♀️ Talk about dropping the ball with the details.
I was truly so annoyed by all of this taking place. Joanna was a LOVELY character and I believed in her. This just ruined everything for me because she was so dumb to immediately run away. Let's just believe everything we see, because naturally we run away before you hear you husband berate and scold the hussy for coming onto him because he loves his wife! No, let's just doubt the husband you claimed to love so much. Real mature. That totally proved how much you loved him when you doubted him and ran the second the two of them had a real martial issue.
Quite literally my least favorite overreaction that occurs in many books, but most especially historicals.
So yeah...anyway! Regardless of the little bits that made me roll my eyes and sigh in disappointment with their appearance I did enjoy this book. Atleast until 75% ish or thereabouts. Then I skimmed like a champ because I was so frustrated by the quick turn of events that changed the entire trajectory of the ending of the story. Disappointed was an understatement. 😩
But for a while there it WAS a cute little romance that was more entertaining than I expected. Except the last 25-20% which I'll happily erase from my brain.
PS: Newsflash stop saying your books are steamy. As an experienced steamy romance and smut reader I can wholeheartedly say they are definitely not. It's not worth the promise if you don't deliver.
“Is this why you are in such a hurry to marry, so that your bride does not freeze to death from the coldness of your demeanor before you reach the altar? Or, mayhap, would it kill you to humor your bride before the wedding? Do you suffer an apoplexy every time you partake in a friendly conversation? Does the warmth of polite etiquette cover you in a stinging, itching rash?”
So, this was the second book I've read by this author. I wasn't expecting much as the first book I read left a big impression of what to expect from their writing. And while there were still the same styles and nuances that bugged me before they weren't as pronounced as they were in the other book I read. To be honest, this book surprised the hell out of me with how well it was written in comparison and how enjoyable the actual story was.
Particularly I really enjoyed the FMC Joanna. She had such a confident air about her that was hard not to admire. I really enjoyed her dry wit and ability to use humor to make life more enjoyable. I really enjoyed her approach to her unwanted marriage and her inner strength to face it all and find a way to be happy in her new life.
And while the heroine was probably my favorite character I cannot say I didn't enjoy the hero Edwin. I did. I found him fascinating but also very relatable in his desire to keep himself away from the cruelty of society. He had such a good heart but was so careful and unsure about opening himself up to those who cared about him.
And so watching Edwin and Joanna navigate their new marriage was rather amusing. Especially since Joanna talked at him endlessly and joked with him despite his own lack of humor or expression. She essentially melted the ice he had allowed to encase him as protection.
If one thing I loved most was how protective Joanna became of her husband.
“He is not as he seemed when we first met him, Mama. He is… kind and thoughtful and protective and so very dear to me that I do not think I could ever bear to be without him. There is no darkness in him, Mama, except the shadows that his past has cast over him.” She took a breath, her heart aching. “I… cherish him, and wish he knew how beloved he was.”
This was a BIG slow burn type of romance. They didn't share their first kiss until perhaps the 57% mark, and didn't consummate their marriage until 67% ish. So, slow burn yes but also kind of rushed into everything once the door was cracked open 😆
The biggest complaints I had about this story was once they became intimate and grew closer emotionally both began calling one another "my love" - which tbh I have nothing against. What I DO have a problem with was the immediate over usage of the endearment. Particularly in their first sex scene and how Joanna continued to shout "Oh! ... Oh, yes my love! My love!" throughout the entire thing. And then Edwin joined in although Joanna was the main user. And boy was that eye roll inducing and tiresome. Really showed the lack of imagination there from the author which was rather amusing considering how flowery the actual scene was written tbh. 🙄🤷🏻♀️🤣
Least I forget the immediate follow up to their consummation was having a delirious feverish Joanna see Edwin kissing Jane, his aunt's companion. All a huge misunderstanding, of course, especially with Jane chasing after him the moment his wife was sick and yet...we get the cliched dramatics of Joanna running away because she now believes she's just like her mother. That her husband cheated. 🙄
And worse was we don't even contemplate that Joanna herself had been sick with fever for an entire week and had stumbled to his library in the middle of the night where she saw this all but yet ran away before the truth of what actually occured was revealed. But do we mention that Joanna was weak from illness and was an idiot for immediately running away? No! Do we acknowledge that it took literally days of riding on the road, in directions that Joanna herself admitted on her first trip to her new home she had no idea how to navigate herself and had no idea where they actually were? No! And yet we're to believe she miraculously makes it home in what eight or so hours?.... 🤦🏻♀️ Talk about dropping the ball with the details.
I was truly so annoyed by all of this taking place. Joanna was a LOVELY character and I believed in her. This just ruined everything for me because she was so dumb to immediately run away. Let's just believe everything we see, because naturally we run away before you hear you husband berate and scold the hussy for coming onto him because he loves his wife! No, let's just doubt the husband you claimed to love so much. Real mature. That totally proved how much you loved him when you doubted him and ran the second the two of them had a real martial issue.
Quite literally my least favorite overreaction that occurs in many books, but most especially historicals.
So yeah...anyway! Regardless of the little bits that made me roll my eyes and sigh in disappointment with their appearance I did enjoy this book. Atleast until 75% ish or thereabouts. Then I skimmed like a champ because I was so frustrated by the quick turn of events that changed the entire trajectory of the ending of the story. Disappointed was an understatement. 😩
But for a while there it WAS a cute little romance that was more entertaining than I expected. Except the last 25-20% which I'll happily erase from my brain.
PS: Newsflash stop saying your books are steamy. As an experienced steamy romance and smut reader I can wholeheartedly say they are definitely not. It's not worth the promise if you don't deliver.
July 20, 2023
The beginning of this I really enjoyed it, up until they attended the ball.
Immediately after the relationship seemed to speed ahead with repetitive endearments to one one another. It just seemed a 180 all of a sudden and so much happened that it come across as rushed.
I did want to know what happened at the end and who destroyed Joanne's dress but I ended up speed reading to the end.
Immediately after the relationship seemed to speed ahead with repetitive endearments to one one another. It just seemed a 180 all of a sudden and so much happened that it come across as rushed.
I did want to know what happened at the end and who destroyed Joanne's dress but I ended up speed reading to the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2023
MR
I think I must have been reading a different book to all the other reviewers I thought it was rubbish....I read the sample I thought ok it might be worth a go I'm just glad I didn't pay much for it and will be avoiding this author from now on
I think I must have been reading a different book to all the other reviewers I thought it was rubbish....I read the sample I thought ok it might be worth a go I'm just glad I didn't pay much for it and will be avoiding this author from now on
April 18, 2024
Average
The author spent too much time regurgitating the characters’ angst and emotional turmoil. I skimmed through quite a bit but didn’t feel I’d missed out on anything. Worth a read.
The author spent too much time regurgitating the characters’ angst and emotional turmoil. I skimmed through quite a bit but didn’t feel I’d missed out on anything. Worth a read.
September 18, 2023
So I was craving a Pride and Prejudice type of book with some spice and boy did this book deliver. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE P&P as much as the next guy, but it is a bit lacking now that my tastes have evolved into trashy romance novels.
This book was everything I was looking for and I picked it completely at random. Very seldom do I get so lucky lol. It had the spice. It had the romance. It had the grumpy/sunshine dynamic. What more could I ask for?
I particularity enjoyed the certain level of mysteriousness that this book contained. What was the truth about Edwin's past? Who ruined the dress? My two absolute favorite genres are romance and mysteries, so when the two collide I am in absolute bliss.
I also want to compliment the language of this book. It was a wonderful balance between previous uses of the English language and modern times. In other words, this book was still easy to understand whilst maintaining the overall tone of the storyline.
In short, if I am craving another spicy historical romance in the future, I will not hesitate to explore more of this author's work.
This book was everything I was looking for and I picked it completely at random. Very seldom do I get so lucky lol. It had the spice. It had the romance. It had the grumpy/sunshine dynamic. What more could I ask for?
I particularity enjoyed the certain level of mysteriousness that this book contained. What was the truth about Edwin's past? Who ruined the dress? My two absolute favorite genres are romance and mysteries, so when the two collide I am in absolute bliss.
I also want to compliment the language of this book. It was a wonderful balance between previous uses of the English language and modern times. In other words, this book was still easy to understand whilst maintaining the overall tone of the storyline.
In short, if I am craving another spicy historical romance in the future, I will not hesitate to explore more of this author's work.
December 21, 2024
Good story, but..
Vixon's stories are very good, actually. Different just enough to make reading an adventure. I also appreciate that she doesn't use contractions, which I find jarring in other authors' tales of that time period. The dialogue is also appropriate. But I'm caught on snags of poor grammar! Being used to authors like Austen and the Brontes, I find my mind going to the proper possessive before a gerund only to be snagged by "him", or " her" instead. It should be, "His being caught in a trap...", not "he" or "him". Also, there is a consistent ignoring of the rule that states that after an "is" verb, the pronoun used after is as before: For example, "It was he.", not " him"! I also felt the need for more commas, as a sentence didn't make sense until I had gone back at least twice to figure out the proper meaning.
This grammar issue isn't just with this author and she isn't the worst. Don't these writers have editors? Mayne it's they who should be going back to grade school, to learn proper English grammar.
Vixon's stories are very good, actually. Different just enough to make reading an adventure. I also appreciate that she doesn't use contractions, which I find jarring in other authors' tales of that time period. The dialogue is also appropriate. But I'm caught on snags of poor grammar! Being used to authors like Austen and the Brontes, I find my mind going to the proper possessive before a gerund only to be snagged by "him", or " her" instead. It should be, "His being caught in a trap...", not "he" or "him". Also, there is a consistent ignoring of the rule that states that after an "is" verb, the pronoun used after is as before: For example, "It was he.", not " him"! I also felt the need for more commas, as a sentence didn't make sense until I had gone back at least twice to figure out the proper meaning.
This grammar issue isn't just with this author and she isn't the worst. Don't these writers have editors? Mayne it's they who should be going back to grade school, to learn proper English grammar.
June 27, 2023
A Good Story
I enjoyed this story. Duke Edwin was considered to be a cruel man and the gossip columns had many tales about him. Were they true? When Edwin arrived at Joanna's home demanding that he should marry her sister, it was clear to Joanna that her sister, Nancy, was terrified. Their father was keen on the match despite Nancy's fears. Joanna offered herself in place of Nancy and Edwin coldly accepted. They married and moved to Edwin's dilapidated home. They agreed it would be a marriage of convenience and lived in separate rooms. Edwin was very cold towards Joanna but gradually she gained his trust. She started to improve the gardens and gradually changed the house. Edwin slowly realised that he should put his past fears behind him. The story continued with problems caused by someone they trusted. Would this cause their marriage to break before it has really started? Read on and enjoy.
I enjoyed this story. Duke Edwin was considered to be a cruel man and the gossip columns had many tales about him. Were they true? When Edwin arrived at Joanna's home demanding that he should marry her sister, it was clear to Joanna that her sister, Nancy, was terrified. Their father was keen on the match despite Nancy's fears. Joanna offered herself in place of Nancy and Edwin coldly accepted. They married and moved to Edwin's dilapidated home. They agreed it would be a marriage of convenience and lived in separate rooms. Edwin was very cold towards Joanna but gradually she gained his trust. She started to improve the gardens and gradually changed the house. Edwin slowly realised that he should put his past fears behind him. The story continued with problems caused by someone they trusted. Would this cause their marriage to break before it has really started? Read on and enjoy.
July 1, 2023
Duke Edwin is surrounded by rumours and the kind that can truly tarnish ones existence. People believe he is a murderer, the man who killed his brother and father.
He wants to return to society, he needs a wife, and her dowry. Not only does he have financial problems but he needs to appear the proper gentleman with a proper wife.
Luck is on Edwin's side, he meets the Marquess of Tillington who just happens to have two daughters he wants to marry off and they come with a large dowry.
Edwin chooses the youngest daughter but Joanna steps in and offers herself up. She chooses to "save" her sister from having to marry Edwin.
This was a good story and well written. The characters are delightful, strong, and have depth. Its a page turner that has a plot filled with love, growth of character, overcoming the past, and happy ever after.
I am part of the ARC. All opinions are unbiased and my own
He wants to return to society, he needs a wife, and her dowry. Not only does he have financial problems but he needs to appear the proper gentleman with a proper wife.
Luck is on Edwin's side, he meets the Marquess of Tillington who just happens to have two daughters he wants to marry off and they come with a large dowry.
Edwin chooses the youngest daughter but Joanna steps in and offers herself up. She chooses to "save" her sister from having to marry Edwin.
This was a good story and well written. The characters are delightful, strong, and have depth. Its a page turner that has a plot filled with love, growth of character, overcoming the past, and happy ever after.
I am part of the ARC. All opinions are unbiased and my own
October 1, 2023
Sweet!!!!!! Spicy!!!!!!!!!!!! Suspenseful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And Laugh Out Loud Good!
Sweet Joannna Swinton has a heart of gold! Her sister, Nancy, has always dreamed of a marriage based on love. So when their sleazy and super selfish father, turns Nancy over to Edwin, the Duke (of Something???), in an arranged marriage, Joanna volunteers to take her beloved sister's place.
Edwin needs a "proper" bride to restore his ruined reputation. I hate that Edwin has to jump through hoops for these same people who decimated his reputation based on unfounded rumors.
Both Joanna and Edwin paid the price for their horrible fathers who should have never been parents in the first place!
August 27, 2023
More of a novel than is customary. Usually these romance novels are so short they can be classified as novellas. This actually has a plot, twists in the plot and a conclusion! Well done. It is the story of a duke with his reputation in tatters from a series of family tragedies. He decided to marry a lady who has a reputation above reproach and a dowry to help get his funds back on solid footing. His father had left his coffers empty and had lived lavishly while his estate crumbled around him. Joanna was four and twenty and quickly looking at becoming a spinster. She had been rumored to have been too selective in her choice of a husband. When the duke announced his plan to wed her younger sister, she stepped forward and spared her sister a loveless marriage.
October 31, 2023
Happiness
Great story and written very well. Contains all the suspense and drama you need to find in a love story. Also contains moments that describe that there was never love in the marriages while the children were growing up. The heroine received love from her mother but the mother didn’t receive any from her husband. But she still grew up hoping that love existed. The hero grew up with love from an older brother but none from his father and because his mother did during the birthing of him, never received love from his father. So he grew up believing that he didn’t deserve love in his life. But some how they found each other that led to true love and their happily ever after.
Great story and written very well. Contains all the suspense and drama you need to find in a love story. Also contains moments that describe that there was never love in the marriages while the children were growing up. The heroine received love from her mother but the mother didn’t receive any from her husband. But she still grew up hoping that love existed. The hero grew up with love from an older brother but none from his father and because his mother did during the birthing of him, never received love from his father. So he grew up believing that he didn’t deserve love in his life. But some how they found each other that led to true love and their happily ever after.
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