I love a fake identity trope- either one where the guy knows it’s her or doesn’t have a clue at all- I eat it all with the biggest spoon and no gaping breaths in between. They are always endearing renditions in their own right
Better than that is a scandal done well especially in Historical Romances. Couples who love each other despite the backlash it may bring and that are willing to withstand the tides of opposition against them? Peak Romance.
The guy was a romantic on this book. He was the one dreaming of love, asking himself if she were the one he had been looking for. A refreshing change of pace and rather lovely. It is usual to see men being the pragmatic half of couples, I liked that it was not the case here and will be actively seeking more books with this particular characterization (would like to add this particular man had a sort of diary of ✨deeds✨ as a bucket list and some of it was saved solely for his Duchess a.k.a one true love).
The heroine was a delight. Strong, naive and determined but not to the point that stopped her form seeking what she wanted and speaking her mind.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Favorite quotes (SPOILERS AHEAD):
“A choked sob escaped her lips. How foolishly hopeful she had been. She stood there, hating the fact tears coursed down her cheeks. She pressed trembling fingers to her lips, drawing forth on the anger, preferring it to the stabbing pain in her heart. “The insufferable pig! That snake…blackguard…baboon!”
A low voice drawled from the darkened corner to her left, “Come now, I am sure you can do better than that.”
Pippa screamed.”
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“For the first time in his life, the question had stirred, and it was for a woman his mother and family would never approve for him. He smiled, genuinely wondering.
Is it you Miss Pippa Cavanaugh?”
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“I will choose my own duchess,” he repeated firmly. “And I hope you’ll love her as I do, once I find her.”
She dealt him an arrested stare. “Love?”
Her aghast tone implied his mother thought him an idiot. Christopher smiled without humor. “Love, admiration, respect, friendship. The things I would like to have with the lady I would ask to be my wife.”
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“He cursed silently. She had seemed so proud and beautiful that night in the library, so clever and brave the night she’d broken into his home. She did not deserve to be a mistress because her father had proven himself to be a dishonorable cad. It was either he ignored her or strolled close enough to her flame to find out if she had the character worth fighting for—kindness, loyalty, faithfulness.
Is it you…?
And everything in him said yes, and he wanted to explore that. Because if it was her, he did not want their ships to pass each other. ”
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“Christopher wasn’t a man who believed in pure chance, but nor did he dismiss its possibilities. Things were either carefully plotted and executed, or they existed beyond his capability of control and simply had to happen. He believed in the tangibility of science and the whimsy of fate.”
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“An odd recognition blossomed through his heart. He was a man of experience, but he'd never felt like this before…ever, and he doubted he could ever feel this way again. The desire befuddled him.”
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“She does not see me as a duke, but as a man," he murmured. "I do not think she cares if I am wealthy or a pauper, but it does seem to matter to her that I am kind.”
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"What kind of person am I to love someone who has hurt my mother and me so horribly. How can I still care for him? How can I be so weak?”
Pippa took several sips of her bourbon.
“It takes courage to love someone who has hurt you before. The weakness would be bitterness and a cold, unforgiving heart. It is easier to be angry. It takes an unfathomable character to love and forgive. Do not think you are weak for still loving your father, Pippa. Never that. I only see a strength to be admired.”
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“I've been waiting for you, Pippa,” Christopher said with all sobriety, and his silver gaze steady on hers. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
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“I know it, but I cannot halt the cravings in my heart.” Trembling and scarcely able to breathe, she touched her lips to his.
“No…this is fate…destiny.” It was his turn to place a kiss atop her nose.”
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“Trust me,” he murmured along her jaw. “I would not ever willingly hurt you.”
She wanted to believe in his words so much her throat ached. “Why not?”
He cupped her cheeks, tipping her face up toward his. “Because you are already precious.”
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“Anticipation built along with a craving that surpassed even the need to be in her body. He wanted her to trust him and to love him.
“Christopher?”
“Do you love me?”
She jolted and then stilled. Pippa stared at him for an impossibly long time. He realized he was holding his breath as he awaited her answer.
“I fear I do,” she said softly, yet her voice still quivered with uncertainty.
“Let it not be a fear because you own my heart, Pippa. Let me own yours too.”
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“You deserve to be loved for the man you are, not your title.”
Like I do, lingered in the air, and he wondered why she did not say the words he longed to hear.”
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“A piercing pain clutched her heart in a fierce grip, and then her heart shattered into a thousand pieces when he turned and walked away without another word. Pippa stood frozen, watching him go, sensing their understanding was at an end. “I’ll not chase you,” she whispered fiercely, recalling her mamma abandoning her pride to run after her husband. “I’ll not chase you!”
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“Their marriage would start on a rocky foundation, and if he wanted the forever type of love he dreamed with her, they would have to work on trusting each other more.”
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“But you do love her?”
“Desperately,” he said with frankness. And I am a damn fool. He shouldn’t have buried his head in the sand here, working out his damn feelings by himself. Trust started with communication, and from the beginning, he should have allowed his anger to cool and returned to her immediately. Instead, he had been holed up in Derbyshire for almost a damn week.”
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“Powerful emotions darkened his eyes. “Please, do not. There is nothing I would change about you, Pippa. Nothing.” Then he closed his eyes. “Forgive me for being an ass. I should have stayed. Ignored the pride and hurt and stayed. I will never walk away again when we have a disagreement. I want our marriage to be based on trust, honesty, and communication.”
She smiled. “Mayhap I should have chased you just a little bit. You are worth everything.”
“Marry me, Pippa,” he said. “Be my duchess, my lover, and my friend. I love you.”
It felt as if sunshine burst in her heart. “Yes.”