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Affairs of Honor #2
To Wed a Beastly Duke
"You can learn to live with loneliness. Until someone shows you what it feels like to be seen."
They call him “The Beast of Thornedale”, scarred, silent, unreachable. Haunted by the loss of his sister and burdened by a family curse, Julian Thorne has built walls no one dares breach. A marriage of convenience is simply another take a bride, secure the line, feel nothing.
Lady Martha Fairchild never imagined her life would end in a cold chapel, traded like a debt to a man she’s never met. But for her family’s survival, she agrees to the match, expecting nothing but isolation in a crumbling, windswept castle.
What she doesn’t expect is the man beneath the silence. A duke who plays music when no one listens. A protector who hides his tenderness like a wound. A broken soul who looks at her as though he can’t believe she’s real.
In a house full of secrets and shadows, can two wounded hearts find warmth in the very place they feared would destroy them?
To "Wed a Beastly Duke" is a historical romance with a slow-burn love story, emotional healing, and absolutely no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
It’s a tender, character-driven Regency/Victorian tale about courage, patience, and the woman brave enough to wait for the thaw.
Perfect for readers who love brooding dukes, quiet strength, and deeply emotional historical romance.
Available now, read free on Kindle Unlimited!
They call him “The Beast of Thornedale”, scarred, silent, unreachable. Haunted by the loss of his sister and burdened by a family curse, Julian Thorne has built walls no one dares breach. A marriage of convenience is simply another take a bride, secure the line, feel nothing.
Lady Martha Fairchild never imagined her life would end in a cold chapel, traded like a debt to a man she’s never met. But for her family’s survival, she agrees to the match, expecting nothing but isolation in a crumbling, windswept castle.
What she doesn’t expect is the man beneath the silence. A duke who plays music when no one listens. A protector who hides his tenderness like a wound. A broken soul who looks at her as though he can’t believe she’s real.
In a house full of secrets and shadows, can two wounded hearts find warmth in the very place they feared would destroy them?
To "Wed a Beastly Duke" is a historical romance with a slow-burn love story, emotional healing, and absolutely no cheating, no cliffhanger, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
It’s a tender, character-driven Regency/Victorian tale about courage, patience, and the woman brave enough to wait for the thaw.
Perfect for readers who love brooding dukes, quiet strength, and deeply emotional historical romance.
Available now, read free on Kindle Unlimited!
- GenresHistorical Romance
174 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 16, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 20, 2025
Gothic Non-Romance
Julian Thorne married the lovely Martha to settle her father’s gaming debts and fulfill his obligation to marry.
The story was the Beast (Julian) with the scar on his face from an accident, and a dark attitude from the accidental death of his sister while they were together, made him what gossips called the Beast and they also thought he was cursed.
Martha has an angelic singing voice and Julian feels drawn to her, but because he feels guilty about his sister’s death he refuses to allow himself to be happy. Yes, totally ridiculous, but the major premise of the entire story.
The villain was easy to guess, almost from the start, mostly because the author explains everything to death. This story had great possibilities but fell short. Two stars for close, but no cigar.
Julian Thorne married the lovely Martha to settle her father’s gaming debts and fulfill his obligation to marry.
The story was the Beast (Julian) with the scar on his face from an accident, and a dark attitude from the accidental death of his sister while they were together, made him what gossips called the Beast and they also thought he was cursed.
Martha has an angelic singing voice and Julian feels drawn to her, but because he feels guilty about his sister’s death he refuses to allow himself to be happy. Yes, totally ridiculous, but the major premise of the entire story.
The villain was easy to guess, almost from the start, mostly because the author explains everything to death. This story had great possibilities but fell short. Two stars for close, but no cigar.
August 25, 2026
Julia Thorne! How can some of your books be so wonderful and others be so frustrating? If Martha is determined to win the Duke over and help him overcome his traumatic past, then why does she leave him alone so often at social events, where he inevitably struggles and overhears horrible remarks about himself. I am so tired of it! Also, too many of her books have the words “breaking down walls” which I do believe is a more modern term. I’m tired of hearing it in almost every book, even the ones that are very good. This book is making me so angry. I can barely finish reading it. I understand the concept of building suspense and having people miscommunicate and such to prolong the plot. However, I find it a weakness if it is overdone, and the readers gets so frustrated, they don’t want to continue!
Yes, I plan to finish this book but I wanted to note this frustration now while I am feeling it.
Ugh. I just finished it. There is an annoying loose end that is really frustrating me. Edward, I think, said, “We must find out who did this to the Duchess “ xxxxxx I’m not telling what happened so I don’t spoil the story)
Martha is supposedly standing nearby and doesn’t speak up. She knows exactly who did it. Also, it never comes up again and the rest of the story that the people who did it got punished! Their identity was known!
Another thing that was used four times in the very short extended epilogue was the word giggling or giggle. It’s fine to have children giggle, but I had noticed earlier in the book that several times the author had grown women described as giggling, even at strange times. Now it would be OK if one woman had the habit of giggling. However, this term was used to describe at least three different women and in the extended epilogue described both children and two different women. That is poor writing to repeat the same word so many times in the epilogue. It is also poor writing to describe women as giggling if it wasn’t a habit they had of doing. I’m sorry, but this book had a lot more annoying things going on and, they ruined this book for me. I expect more. Looking back, one of my favorite books by Julia Thorne was nothing like this, and it makes me wonder if this is her writing and someone else wrote my favorite book of hers, or if this is someone else writing and my favorite book was written by her. I guess I will never know, but I surely do see a difference!
Yes, I plan to finish this book but I wanted to note this frustration now while I am feeling it.
Ugh. I just finished it. There is an annoying loose end that is really frustrating me. Edward, I think, said, “We must find out who did this to the Duchess “ xxxxxx I’m not telling what happened so I don’t spoil the story)
Martha is supposedly standing nearby and doesn’t speak up. She knows exactly who did it. Also, it never comes up again and the rest of the story that the people who did it got punished! Their identity was known!
Another thing that was used four times in the very short extended epilogue was the word giggling or giggle. It’s fine to have children giggle, but I had noticed earlier in the book that several times the author had grown women described as giggling, even at strange times. Now it would be OK if one woman had the habit of giggling. However, this term was used to describe at least three different women and in the extended epilogue described both children and two different women. That is poor writing to repeat the same word so many times in the epilogue. It is also poor writing to describe women as giggling if it wasn’t a habit they had of doing. I’m sorry, but this book had a lot more annoying things going on and, they ruined this book for me. I expect more. Looking back, one of my favorite books by Julia Thorne was nothing like this, and it makes me wonder if this is her writing and someone else wrote my favorite book of hers, or if this is someone else writing and my favorite book was written by her. I guess I will never know, but I surely do see a difference!
October 16, 2026
Frankly, I am tired of reading about a "beastly" male in Regency novels. It is demeaning and inaccurate.
Julian Thorne, Duke of Thornedale, agrees to marry Lady Martha Fairchild because her father owes the Duke a large sum of money. They marry, and the strangest thing happens -- the parents leave Sarah, Martha's younger sister, with Martha. That was bizarre.
The book moves slowly because Julian is stuck in the mindset that he doesn't deserve happiness since his sister died. The action picks up at the end, when the villain shows his true colors.
Affairs of Honor
︎ 1. To Wed an Icy Duke (2025)
*** 2. To Wed a Beastly Duke (2025)︎
3. To Wed a Notorious Beast (2025)
4. To Wed a Scandalous Beast (2025)
5. To Wed a Shadow Duke (2026)
︎ 6. To Wed a Rakish Duke (2026
Julian Thorne, Duke of Thornedale, agrees to marry Lady Martha Fairchild because her father owes the Duke a large sum of money. They marry, and the strangest thing happens -- the parents leave Sarah, Martha's younger sister, with Martha. That was bizarre.
The book moves slowly because Julian is stuck in the mindset that he doesn't deserve happiness since his sister died. The action picks up at the end, when the villain shows his true colors.
Affairs of Honor
︎ 1. To Wed an Icy Duke (2025)
*** 2. To Wed a Beastly Duke (2025)︎
3. To Wed a Notorious Beast (2025)
4. To Wed a Scandalous Beast (2025)
5. To Wed a Shadow Duke (2026)
︎ 6. To Wed a Rakish Duke (2026
July 10, 2026
very slow plot
I couldn’t finish this book. Got about 70 percent in and had to stop because it was dragging on. There was so little communication between the married main characters and too little spark. The plot ending regarding the bad guy was also predictable (I read the recap). I do like these kinds of stories (slow burn transactional marriage as strangers with the grumpy duke etc) and wasn’t expecting some different plot but I usually like to feel the attraction growing, the spark, the longing. But this one was just too slow and stagnant for me.
I couldn’t finish this book. Got about 70 percent in and had to stop because it was dragging on. There was so little communication between the married main characters and too little spark. The plot ending regarding the bad guy was also predictable (I read the recap). I do like these kinds of stories (slow burn transactional marriage as strangers with the grumpy duke etc) and wasn’t expecting some different plot but I usually like to feel the attraction growing, the spark, the longing. But this one was just too slow and stagnant for me.
August 29, 2025
Check out your friends!
An interesting story, but got a little long winded and repeated the same thing at times. Duke Julian has a lot of tragedy in his life, fell from horse, cut his face severely. Had a long recovery, as infection set in, then his father became ill, and died, then beloved sister Charity is thorn from her horse into the ocean and dies. Then Martha’s father gets in finical problems, so she marries the “Beastly Duke” and out story begins!
An interesting story, but got a little long winded and repeated the same thing at times. Duke Julian has a lot of tragedy in his life, fell from horse, cut his face severely. Had a long recovery, as infection set in, then his father became ill, and died, then beloved sister Charity is thorn from her horse into the ocean and dies. Then Martha’s father gets in finical problems, so she marries the “Beastly Duke” and out story begins!
September 1, 2025
A Marriage Sight unseen …
Lady Martha has married & her husband, the Duke, has had many problems in his life. His life long friend, Alistair, has been by his side forever but lately thoughts are returning…Lord Edward & Lady Sarah are devoted friends but something is missing from the Duke’s perspective. And is it love at last? And then something happens..
Lady Martha has married & her husband, the Duke, has had many problems in his life. His life long friend, Alistair, has been by his side forever but lately thoughts are returning…Lord Edward & Lady Sarah are devoted friends but something is missing from the Duke’s perspective. And is it love at last? And then something happens..
September 2, 2025
Cute slowburn
Its a sweet story that keeps you coming back for more. I loved how the characters grew and evolved. I also enjoyed how some characters gave me bad vibes subtly, not making the twist too obvious but also not making it too outlandish.
All and all a adorable story that will have you kicking your feet over their cute interactions.
Its a sweet story that keeps you coming back for more. I loved how the characters grew and evolved. I also enjoyed how some characters gave me bad vibes subtly, not making the twist too obvious but also not making it too outlandish.
All and all a adorable story that will have you kicking your feet over their cute interactions.
July 27, 2026
Not Ms. Thorne’s best
Both the characters Julian and Martha were pathetic. The supposed love they felt for each other in the end was so contrived and a bit far-fetched given the inherent characteristics of both Julian and Martha. This must be Ms. Thorne’s earlier work, as the writing was too repetitive and boring.
Both the characters Julian and Martha were pathetic. The supposed love they felt for each other in the end was so contrived and a bit far-fetched given the inherent characteristics of both Julian and Martha. This must be Ms. Thorne’s earlier work, as the writing was too repetitive and boring.
October 13, 2026
Rather a predictable romance
He is a traumatized duke, called The Beast. She marries him to settle her father’s debt. The beginning rocky but slowly build a relationship. But a friend seeking revenge almost ruins it all. She lacks depth and is just a flimsy character. More his story than hers.
He is a traumatized duke, called The Beast. She marries him to settle her father’s debt. The beginning rocky but slowly build a relationship. But a friend seeking revenge almost ruins it all. She lacks depth and is just a flimsy character. More his story than hers.
August 18, 2025
This story left me speechless. The gradual and detailed portrayal of Julian's psyche and its subtle nuances is unlike anything I have experienced in historical romance books before. Bravo! It was amazing from beginning to end.
December 14, 2025
friend or foe
Grief takes many forms, but when a supposed friend uses it to create discord and misconceptions, it’s unspeakable. The author wrote the villain and his victim exceptionally well. The climactic ending sealed the story.
Grief takes many forms, but when a supposed friend uses it to create discord and misconceptions, it’s unspeakable. The author wrote the villain and his victim exceptionally well. The climactic ending sealed the story.
January 17, 2026
To Wed a Beastly Duke
Good story, kind of slow but the story had me guessing who the villain was. I wasn't really impressed with Martha she seemed rather timid. Julian was scared and just didn't believe in himself!!
Good story, kind of slow but the story had me guessing who the villain was. I wasn't really impressed with Martha she seemed rather timid. Julian was scared and just didn't believe in himself!!
June 8, 2026
Repetitive
Story could have been a novella like book 1 in the series with the same results. I made it thru but couldn't wait to be at the end. Also character names were driving me crazy because they were too similar to book 1 but it was not a continuation of the same family.
Story could have been a novella like book 1 in the series with the same results. I made it thru but couldn't wait to be at the end. Also character names were driving me crazy because they were too similar to book 1 but it was not a continuation of the same family.
September 17, 2025
Easy to spot villain with the rest of the characters pretty unremarkable, but the added mystery points were interesting.
May 21, 2026
Granna
Wonderful book!! It was so sweet and mysterious. I loved every minute of it. I would definitely recommend this book!!!
Wonderful book!! It was so sweet and mysterious. I loved every minute of it. I would definitely recommend this book!!!
September 6, 2026
another favorite
This was a great story. Definitely one of my favorites. I am enjoying that this is an entire series about different Dukes.
This was a great story. Definitely one of my favorites. I am enjoying that this is an entire series about different Dukes.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews