Captured by the cruel Duke Dally Vixen
Book 5 of the Duke Wars series. This is an action-packed, fast-paced tale of Amelia and her two younger sisters, Marjory and Nancy. They are illegitimate, orphaned daughters of a viscount, who are struggling to get by after their half-brother evicted them from their home. Amelia works as a seamstress, and adolescent sister Marjory sells bits of gossip to the papers. Whilst Marjory is investigating a potential lead, she and Amelia end up climbing through the window into a storeroom, only to end up being caught by the owner of the building. They both flee, but the owner catches Amelia and, rather than hand her over to the constables, he takes her back to the building and locks her in the attic. Amelia is later discovered by the owner’s grandmother, and it is agreed that Amelia will “work off her crime” by being the grandmother’s companion for three months. The owner is Stephen, a Duke in title and means, but not in society due to a very traumatic event in his history, leading him to socially isolate and engage under a pseudonym. Stephen is also seeking revenge for historical events and discovers Amelia has a connection to the perpetrator of the grievous historical events, so believes he may be able to take advantage of that connection. However, Stephen’s grandmother has other ideas and can see an attraction between Stephen and Amelia, which both are trying to resist. Grandmother is a delightful character and playfully schemes to get them closer together, with the help of the youngest sister, Nancy. Grandmother’s schemes lead to a compromising scenario, leaving no choice but an arranged marriage to escape the scandal. However, this is not where it ends - there is more scheming by others to bring further unhappiness. Amelia is placed at considerable risk. Stephen has to decide what he wants - revenge or Amelia! This is a very easy-to-read page-turner, with themes including illegitimacy, revenge, trauma, class divide, and many secrets plus the spicy romance. There are lots of wonderful supporting characters, particularly with grandmother, the two sisters, Dust the cat, and Tiny the dog. Amelia and Stephen also have great character growth throughout. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read.
This book was generously provided to me by the author, and I freely offer this review.