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Duke of Danby: Halliday Sisters #1
Twice Upon a Time
***Previously featured in A Summons from the Duke
Since her father’s untimely death, Felicity Halliday has relied on the medical knowledge learned at his side to treat London’s most disreputable in order to support her family. Life has been hard, but everything changes the night she is snatched from an alley behind a theatre, tossed into a nobleman’s carriage, and receives an offer she cannot afford to refuse.
When Julian Beckford’s foolish cousin decides to engage an actress to play his wife over the holidays at Danby Castle, he becomes an unwilling party to the lady’s abduction. Along their journey to Yorkshire, Julian makes a stunning discovery about his cousin's pretend wife....and finds it’s possible to love Twice Upon a Time.
Since her father’s untimely death, Felicity Halliday has relied on the medical knowledge learned at his side to treat London’s most disreputable in order to support her family. Life has been hard, but everything changes the night she is snatched from an alley behind a theatre, tossed into a nobleman’s carriage, and receives an offer she cannot afford to refuse.
When Julian Beckford’s foolish cousin decides to engage an actress to play his wife over the holidays at Danby Castle, he becomes an unwilling party to the lady’s abduction. Along their journey to Yorkshire, Julian makes a stunning discovery about his cousin's pretend wife....and finds it’s possible to love Twice Upon a Time.
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First published August 29, 2013
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120 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Grace
47 books261 followersHistorical romance author Samantha Grace discovered the appeal of a great love story when she was just a young girl, thanks to Disney's Robin Hood. She didn't care that Robin Hood and Maid Marian were cartoon animals. It was her first happily-ever-after experience and she didn't want the warm fuzzies to end. Now Samantha enjoys creating her own happy-endings for characters that spring from her imagination. Publisher's Weekly describes her stories as "fresh and romantic" with subtle humor and charm. Samantha describes romance writing as the best job ever.
Part-time medical social worker, moonlighting author, and pilates nut, she enjoys a happy and hectic life with her real life hero and two kids in the Midwest.
FREE READ:
A Beau Monde Bachelor Christmas (extended epilogue)
Join newlywed couples Lord and Lady Norwick, Jake and Amelia Hillary, Daniel and Lisette Hillary, and Isaac and Serafine Tucker for their first Christmas together.
Bibi, the Countess of Norwick, would love to give her husband the one thing he really wants for Christmas: a ceasefire between her and his intractable sister. Facing Lady Troll during the holidays without reinforcements, however, would be foolish, and Bibi is no fool. She calls upon her dearest friends, Amelia and Jake Hillary, and a few more familiar faces to spend Christmas in Kent to help make the season a little brighter. Unfortunately, her guests are distracted by their own challenges this holiday season, and Bibi must find a way to connect with her sister-in-law without their help if she hopes to make Jasper's Christmas wishes come true.
To access A Beau Monde Bachelor Christmas, sign up for Samantha's newsletter group. www.samanthagraceauthor.com.
Part-time medical social worker, moonlighting author, and pilates nut, she enjoys a happy and hectic life with her real life hero and two kids in the Midwest.
FREE READ:
A Beau Monde Bachelor Christmas (extended epilogue)
Join newlywed couples Lord and Lady Norwick, Jake and Amelia Hillary, Daniel and Lisette Hillary, and Isaac and Serafine Tucker for their first Christmas together.
Bibi, the Countess of Norwick, would love to give her husband the one thing he really wants for Christmas: a ceasefire between her and his intractable sister. Facing Lady Troll during the holidays without reinforcements, however, would be foolish, and Bibi is no fool. She calls upon her dearest friends, Amelia and Jake Hillary, and a few more familiar faces to spend Christmas in Kent to help make the season a little brighter. Unfortunately, her guests are distracted by their own challenges this holiday season, and Bibi must find a way to connect with her sister-in-law without their help if she hopes to make Jasper's Christmas wishes come true.
To access A Beau Monde Bachelor Christmas, sign up for Samantha's newsletter group. www.samanthagraceauthor.com.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 20, 2016
I am truly enjoying these stories about the Duke and his family. He pretends severe illness if needed to bring everyone together, and outside friends as well. He is more interested in match making than anything else. The chance to avoid marriage gives one of the grandchildren to hire an actress to play his wife. His cousin goes along with the,scheme, but they soon discover they have much more than they bargained for, and she is not an actress. I adored this fun story about which of the cousins would find love.
February 1, 2024
A quick, nice story. I liked that the hero and heroine had a prior connection but would have enjoyed seeing them interact more but it was a pretty short story. It was also a little disappointing that the Duke of Danby was barely in this story.
July 10, 2025
Liked the leading Female and Male characters but felt the story was disjointed, secondary characters were an after thought.
October 26, 2019
If you like far-fetched HEA's this will be the book for you. Girl is literally grabbed of the street and becomes the fiance to a rich peer who is clearly gay. That could have been very interesting! Instead the peer's cousin falls for the girl and realizes he knows her from years ago. All of a sudden it's okay for the cousin to consider marriage to her once he remembers who the girl is. She's still poor and title-less but that's okay now and everyone approves. I rolled my eyes and the end. That was a couple of hours I can't get back.
October 15, 2015
A summons from their grandfather, the Duke of Danby, is never a pleasant thing. Although Julian Beckford has missed the last several years while living in India. However, his cousin has been subject to each summons (a summons that implies the Duke is in failing health) & is determined to give the old man what he wants by hiring an actress to be his fiancée & enlists Julian’s help in picking the right actress. Something Julian is less than thrilled about.
All Felicity Halliday wants is to keep her mother & sister together but since her father died it has been almost impossible to make ends meet. Hence, she has started treating the disreputable having learned medicine at her father’s knee which has her coming & going from the theater at late night hours. A time that has her pulled off the street into a waiting carriage with 2 gentleman.
Julian becomes more frustrated as his cousin’s plan gets out of hand when the chosen actress proves difficult to approach much less talk to. However, when things calm down his cousin is able to convince her that it will be monetarily beneficial. But like all his cousins plans there’s a lot of aspects that he hasn’t considered.
Felicity knows that the proper thing to do would be to turn down this offer but the amount of money offered would provide for her family for years. Not to mention it puts her in close proximity to Julian Beckford, someone she has loved from afar for many years after helping tend his ailing aunt. However, Julian doesn’t seem to recognize her. Will Julian eventually recognize her & if he does how will that effect the plan his cousin has?
Samantha Grace writes a lovely tale of past meeting present along with an entertaining & insightful trip from London to the Danby Castle.
All Felicity Halliday wants is to keep her mother & sister together but since her father died it has been almost impossible to make ends meet. Hence, she has started treating the disreputable having learned medicine at her father’s knee which has her coming & going from the theater at late night hours. A time that has her pulled off the street into a waiting carriage with 2 gentleman.
Julian becomes more frustrated as his cousin’s plan gets out of hand when the chosen actress proves difficult to approach much less talk to. However, when things calm down his cousin is able to convince her that it will be monetarily beneficial. But like all his cousins plans there’s a lot of aspects that he hasn’t considered.
Felicity knows that the proper thing to do would be to turn down this offer but the amount of money offered would provide for her family for years. Not to mention it puts her in close proximity to Julian Beckford, someone she has loved from afar for many years after helping tend his ailing aunt. However, Julian doesn’t seem to recognize her. Will Julian eventually recognize her & if he does how will that effect the plan his cousin has?
Samantha Grace writes a lovely tale of past meeting present along with an entertaining & insightful trip from London to the Danby Castle.
September 28, 2013
If you can suspend disbelief for a an hour or two this entertaining and witty novella with an unlikely plot is just the thing.
Spoiler:
Felicity Halliday is abducted from the back of a theater to which she has gone to tend an actress in her capacity of midwife. Her abductor: a rake in need of a pretend wife to appease his grandfather (the duke) who has been perstering him to settle down and secure his heir.
When Felicity assures her abductor she is not an actress, they are too deep into the journey and when the rake offers a sizable sum for her help she accepts, for with that large amount of money Felicity can lift her mother and sister out of poverty.
Julian Beckford, who has been swept up in his cousin Pen's mad schemes before had not known it was to be an abduction and is handily kicked in his chest for his participation by Felicity.
But Julian is drawn to the pretty mid-wife as she is to him, and when the dust clears and she can see his face clearly, it turns out she had admired him from afar for an age.
The rest is an enjoyable and romantic romp at the castle.
Spoiler:
Felicity Halliday is abducted from the back of a theater to which she has gone to tend an actress in her capacity of midwife. Her abductor: a rake in need of a pretend wife to appease his grandfather (the duke) who has been perstering him to settle down and secure his heir.
When Felicity assures her abductor she is not an actress, they are too deep into the journey and when the rake offers a sizable sum for her help she accepts, for with that large amount of money Felicity can lift her mother and sister out of poverty.
Julian Beckford, who has been swept up in his cousin Pen's mad schemes before had not known it was to be an abduction and is handily kicked in his chest for his participation by Felicity.
But Julian is drawn to the pretty mid-wife as she is to him, and when the dust clears and she can see his face clearly, it turns out she had admired him from afar for an age.
The rest is an enjoyable and romantic romp at the castle.
July 20, 2015
I read this as part of the collection of short Christmas novellas called "A Summons From Danby Castle." They are fun stories about the Duke of Danby's scheme to get his grandchildren married before Christmas.
When one of those wayward grandchildren thinks he can fool the duke by hiring an actress to pretend to be his fiancee, his cousin goes along for the ride and the fun begins. Mistaken identity, an acquaintance from the past, and a little wife swapping make this a story with some unusual turns.
When one of those wayward grandchildren thinks he can fool the duke by hiring an actress to pretend to be his fiancee, his cousin goes along for the ride and the fun begins. Mistaken identity, an acquaintance from the past, and a little wife swapping make this a story with some unusual turns.
July 5, 2020
Loved it!
Julian - 2nd son to a viscount and works for the foriegn office
Felicity- a midwife hired to be a fiancè
I enjoyed reading this fun intriguing story that is well written with charismatic characters and witty dialogue/storyline. Their story has a wonderful HEA
Julian - 2nd son to a viscount and works for the foriegn office
Felicity- a midwife hired to be a fiancè
I enjoyed reading this fun intriguing story that is well written with charismatic characters and witty dialogue/storyline. Their story has a wonderful HEA
November 4, 2013
escalated really quickly and very little real conflict but it was short and sweet
November 4, 2014
This was a short & sweet story!
March 13, 2016
Sweet story but too short. There was some untied loose ends where I expected some explanation that never came.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews