Bound by duty, and freed by love, Alice and Victor discover that the heart can heal even the deepest scars.
Victor Lonsdale, Duke of Loxwood, carries the burden of his title and a haunting scar—a poignant reminder of a harrowing accident. This blemish has driven him to a life of seclusion, subjecting him to whispers in London's elite ballrooms. Yet, destiny intervenes; a dire situation compels him into marriage to salvage his dwindling dukedom, uniting him with the captivating Miss Alice Fairbourne.
Distinguished by her passion for art, Miss Alice Fairbourne frequently feels hemmed in by societal norms. As the eldest daughter of a prominent viscount, her destiny appeared preordained. Yet, her alliance with the enigmatic Duke of Loxwood brings forth unforeseen complexities. To her surprise, she feels she may have encountered the one gentleman who genuinely understands her.
As their arranged marriage unfolds, Alice discerns that beneath Victor's aloof demeanor lies a heart yearning for deeper connections. Meanwhile, Victor struggles to see beyond his scars and confront the shadows of his past. A love once deemed impossible begins to blossom between them. United by their shared passion for art, Alice endeavors to penetrate the depths of Victor's guarded heart, discovering a spirit matching her intensity. Simultaneously, Victor finds in Alice a vivacity and fervor that challenge his long-held beliefs about love and redemption. Can Victor overcome his past insecurities to embrace Alice fully, or will he risk losing her forever?
* If you enjoy fascinating characters in the Regency and Victorian era, "The Disfigured Duke of Loxwood" is a novel that suits you. This enchanting regency romance is 60,000 words long, offering a captivating read without tricky twists or suspenseful cliffhangers. The story guarantees a sweet and satisfying happily ever after.
Wow. This book was incredibly boring. I found the dialogue to be stiff, unnatural (I doubt even people in the 1800s(?) spoke like that) and repetitive (i.e. near constant mention of scar, AND of family asking MMC how he was doing). People kept saying the same thing over and over again. And it wasn't too interesting the first time, so.... (clucking tongue).
The MMC, Victor...I felt for him--really, I did. He was disfigured. He had the stress of having to support his whole family and find a way to get things out of the red and back into the black. It was a huge responsibility. (I did wonder a few times why, if they were so broke, they keep attending the seasons in London, in which the WHOLE family participated. How they could afford the younger brother's tuition. However, I remedied that by turning my brain off so it would work.) Going back to Victor, he was definitely more a beta type hero. Even in his circumstances, he was a DUKE. I wanted...okay...needed him to man up more.
The H and h enter a MOC. For some reason it's a rush, and it's done by special license. Things go pretty well then MMC start trippin'; pushing the h away. But he comes to senses fairly quickly. I guess that was the author's way to add a bit of drama/conflict to the story. Heh.
I believe this is my first book by this author. I do not plan to continue with the series.
I enjoyed this clean story but did find some of the sentence structure odd. Duke Victor had been scarred in an accident, when he saved his brother's life. He needed a wealthy bride to save his Dukedom from ruin, due to his father's debts. He met Lady Alice and was attracted to her. She did not show any fear of his scarred face. They married but, despite their mutual attraction, Victor was nervous that Alice could not really love him. I did find his hesitation annoying at times. I liked the way their friends supported their moments of in decision.
A truly beautiful story of looking beyond what you first see. The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" is exceptionally true in this story of Alice and Victor. Their joining is poignant, moving and brought me to tears as I fully immersed myself into their story. Both had so much to overcome externally and internally. Yet Alice's love of art gives her insight into what others fail to see. Extremely well written, engaging and moving along at a decent pace. This story has lessons we can all learn in our daily lives even today.
The hero has a scarred face due to an accident while saving his brother’s life. He is very self conscious about it. Then he finds out his father left them destitute due to gambling and he has to find a way to support his estate and his mother, sister and brother. He has to marry wealth. The heroine is an artist who can see beyond the surface. They are attracted to each other, but the hero never feels worthy. A marriage is arranged and then the relationship has to start to grow. It was a moving story about self worth and seeing beyond the physical.
An interesting story of how a past accident can heavily impact the future! Victor is haunted by an accident that happened when saving his brother’s life, leaves him with a scarred face and whispers, pointing and being avoided. He needs money to save his estate and future of his family. Only way , marriage of convenience, and as he’s a Duke, offers for Alice, who accepts to avoid another man! Lots of hurt feelings before the end of the story!
I agree with others...it's sadly a stiff read. Just felt plodding along and then the end felt really rushed. Never got a sense of what they looked like and they played his scar up in an unnecessarilymover dramatic way considering it seems to just be a single scar down one side of face yet they go on and on about it being a disfigurement. There's no details to support it being so significant.
The story itself was very good. There was a little repetitive throughout the book. I skipped over those parts. I feel the author could have added how the Victor invested the money showing his financial success instead of so much of the storyline being about his insecurities. Alice’s money could only go so far without investments.
Good bones, but it needed a good editor. Repetition, wrong names used in certain places, words like “quite” when the author meant “quiet”. Love the cover design! Wish the author would’ve spent funds on an editor to make the entire publication more professional. Couldn’t finish it.
Because of necessity the Duke has to marry & chooses Alice. But her passion is Art & she begins to fall in love with the Duke. He has other ideas as he’s still haunted from the accident. But Alice will not give up on him. And he has one realization.
This is a beautiful written story of how acceptance, kindness and love can heal a heart. The characters you will immediately find believable and will follow this interesting journey to the end.