The Duke’s Loveless Bargain

Marriage and Duty #2

by Dorothy Sheldon

A beast of a man. A woman taught to be silent.

He rules from the shadows cold, ruthless, untouchable. A Duke shaped by cruelty, haunted by words he could never master.

She moves through society a picture of grace, unseen and unheard. A lady trained to be perfect, yet never enough.

When fate binds them together, their scars collide.

Silence. Tension. A battle neither can afford to lose.

But in the quiet, something stirs. A spark. A question.

Can love find a way through the walls they've built or will the past drag them both into the dark?

* If you like historical romance with strong characters and a touch of redemption, "The Duke’s Loveless Bargain" is for you. It’s a heartfelt story of love, hope, and marriage of convinience trope that will captivate you.No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a strong happily ever after.

Also available free with Kindle Unlimited.

Genres: Romance

166 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 21, 2025

Reviews

[Rose Seals · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written, full of drama, love, society, understanding, villains, abuse, dyslexia, debts, suspense, intrigue and twists. Jasper is now the Duke but has had a hard time of it as a child due to the fact he could not read. Both his father and tutors used physical abuse on him but he still is unable to read. Jasper finally shuts himself off from most but only keeps a few close to him. Margaret is a young lady whose mother has a mean streak and keeps telling her that she is not as good as her sister. She doesn't have her beauty so when her mother needs money she uses Margaret as payment. Jasper and Margaret have made an agreement to a marriage of convenience that they both feel will serve them best. He later finds that he will have to protect her sister from any harm. Together they build a good life together and find all the love and kindness they never had. Curl up and enjoy this sweet story. Would recommend strongly to everyone.
I received this story and leave this unbiased honest review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy all of the books this author has written but this one is probably my favorite. It had a different feel about it. It wasn’t all about parties, dresses, scoundrels and gentlemen clubs. It was about two sisters and their horrible mother with an addition of a duke. The sisters had a great bond and even with a horrible mother trying to dictate how they live, the older sister Margaret, stood her ground. After marrying the Duke, Jesper, she still helped to keep her sister safe. I really enjoyed every bit of this story. It had some mystery to it and I couldn’t put it down. It was a great read.

[Shelby Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marriage for the wrong reason!

An interesting story of a young Duke who is berated and physically punished because of his difficulty in reading and writing. Perhaps today he could be dislectic Margaret is the oldest daughter, father dead and mother has decided she will marry her youngest daughter, Marigold is a very pretty seventeen, when Duke Ja#per comes to propose marriage, he chooses Margaret ! But that doesn’t end our story, there is a vile older man set on marrying Marigold, can they protect her?

[Bernie A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating story from the very beginning, and a book that you can’t put down. Jasper Demeridge can’t read at 12 years old of age. Both his father and his teacher whip his hands with a switch till they are raw and swollen, and often beat him with a cane. To him the letters of words are all scrambled. As the Duke of Stonehaven he’s not looked upon kindly. You follow him as he takes on a wife, and protects her younger sister from an evil man. Such a great uplifting story.

[JANET Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Sweet Story

This story was sweet and really uncomplicated but, for me, it lacked any real feeling. The premise was good but the author could have done more with it. There were a few grammatical errors and the language did not always fit the period. Other than that, I enjoyed reading this story...always wanting just a little more.

[Karen Huebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true love ending!

As life has a way of throwing rocks inourbpaths, so did the heroes of this book. As they struggle to begin their impromptu marriage yet they save her sister from a sinister marriage!

[Maryellyn Krantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Grows

Market and Goldie lived with a mother who was addicted to gambling and trying to use her daughters to pay her debts. Jasper was a godsend for Margaret as he helped her battle, her mother and they found love.

[Reann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice read. I found it to be interesting how the male lead character slowly changed throughout the story. I really appreciated how his growth was realistic. I think it added to the believability of the characters and plot.

[Pamela Barbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes a bargain can become more than you bargained for. I think you will enjoy this story as you see how kindness, respect, honor and patience can change the whole picture. The names got a mixed up a time or two, but overall a very enjoyable story.

[Nancy T Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Mother/Her Daughters/Deceit

Debts & more debts pertain to a family & one way out is an arranged
Marriage- but a mystery man stands in the way of another & many secrets are discovered & uncovered.
But true love awaits for the Duke.

[Dorothy Ledbetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the story

I loved this book. It is filled with intrigue and warmth as a love story should. I liked that there was no bad language or sexul content! Good for you, Dorothy Sheldon. Good Book!

[Vicky Braund · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear......

[LaRae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating story with two broken souls coming together with unexpected results! Great story!

[Argie Eggleston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Wonderful read with continue suspense through out the book. It was great how sadness turned in to smiles leading to happily ever after.

[martha e paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

MEPaul

Wonderful book loved it. I don't believe I would like living in this time period. Definitely not with a mother like this.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rolled my eyes through this whole novel. It's not poorly written, it's just that the characters are all idiots. Every single time they could make a good choice, they chose wrong.

[Danielle Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐️⭐⭐⭐

This starts off with a rather cold and unemotional man who needs to marry and he marries a woman whose father has died and left their family destitute. To convince the woman to marry him, he offers marriage and writes off the debts owed to him and pays off the rest of her father's debts. As the story unfolds, we find that the Duke has closed off his emotions, and wants to live a reclusive life. His choice of sister is his own because he does feel he could not abide a seventeen year old girl. He wants Margaret because she is quiet and more mature. Margaret does everything she can to protect her younger sister. As Jasper exposes his secrets; I find a story of mysterious intrigue, evil machinations and the ignorant abuse of children who aren’t the typical normal. It’s a story of how love will heal the most damaged of hearts and lets a bonded love conquer evil at its very heart.