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A Whole New Duke

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The Dark Duke, they call him.

And he certainly matches up to his name. From his looks to his constantly furrowed brow, Miss Beatrice Edgerton is under no illusions as to the status of their arranged marriage.

It will be very much one of convenience. With him conveniently providing the title her family so desperately wants and her family bringing in plenty of money for his dilapidated home. She is simply grateful he is younger than her first husband.

Lord Morton, Duke of Hartwich, is only a little perturbed by the vibrant Beatrice. After all, he sets her straight from the very first day of their marriage—this is one of mutual benefit. In one way only. She can expect no affection or romance from him.

Because, frankly, he is incapable of such things. Being a one-legged duke with a slightly dark past brings enough challenges without him having to worry about a wife too. His days of concern for anyone are long gone.

Unfortunately, It is not only the duke’s dark demeanor she has to deal with. Someone is trying to cause trouble for them but they cannot fathom who or why.

Grace is determined to make the best of the situation, even whilst spending Christmas with the duke alone in the eerie Hartwich Hall. Why, perhaps she might even be able to change the duke’s mind about their relationship.

Especially after they share a fiery kiss…or three…

If you love Regency romances with a little heat, a brooding hero, an arranged marriage, and a dash of intrigue, be sure to get this festive read in time for Christmas!

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2019

772 people are currently reading
377 people want to read

About the author

Samantha Holt

309 books701 followers
Samantha Holt resides in Warwickshire, England, with her twin girls, having followed her soldier husband around the UK for nearly 10 years. Growing up in Hampshire, she was inspired by the authors Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell, both of whom lived and wrote only miles from her home town.

Samantha loves the romance genre and has been devouring romantic literature for as long as she can remember. History is another passion of hers and she loves to combine her love for history and romance into exciting and passionate tales.

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5 stars
267 (36%)
4 stars
263 (35%)
3 stars
165 (22%)
2 stars
37 (5%)
1 star
8 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
Profile Image for Luana ☆.
733 reviews159 followers
February 23, 2022
Well, this is my first book by this author and I thought her writing style very simple. An easy and fast book, a nice plot with interesting characters but there was no depth. Even the mystery felt shallow.

This book felt more like a novella than a full complete story.
Profile Image for Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb".
1,440 reviews17 followers
November 19, 2019
Adam the Duke of Hartwich leg was amputated when he was 7 yrs. old. A small cut on his leg that got infected. It would have cost him his young life had the leg not been removed. Now he is 30 and has take a wife, but he is ashamed for her to see his amputated leg. So he puts off consummating the marriage.

Beatrice/Bea Edgerton is a very young widow and now the wife of a man she doesn't know. She had not met with him until the wedding. Because Adam is very snarly and harsh when he speaks to her she believes he just hates her. Also, as she puts it. "Why he won't even take his due" and consummate the marriage.

Bea gradually breaks down Adam's resistance to her. Someone steals a prize horse from Adams stables and then attacks Bea. This gives the story a mystery edge to it. It was a enjoyable story. I really like the relationship between Pip/Phillipa and Adam. Pip is Bea's young sister.
Profile Image for Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves.
1,462 reviews18 followers
July 21, 2020
Nice and sweet at places, but also tepid.
The h is a sweet perpetually hopeful one, even after a short marriage to a much older man. Her family, of new money, wanted to advance through her. So, now a marriage to a desperate duke -the Dark duke.
He's a grumpy surly man with no close family or friend and has plenty of angst in his life not least of which is a loss of a leg when he was seven. Strangely, he does not have a 'bad parents' excuse. They just died a long time ago - on Christmas. Thus, some Grinchy behavior.
He's determined to keep his distance in the moc. But the h is as tenacious as a terrier. At least this H had a valid sounding excuse for keeping away from the marital bed. He's truly scared of her reaction to his 'ugly stump'. I could buy that.
A silly, unnecessary (but also necessary as filler and a climax) suspense/thief angle is added.

I found it mighty strange that even after an infusion of the 'new money', they lived barely above the poverty line - for a duke. And had no visible tenants whose lot they had to improve. No poor farmers to dole out largesse to. The housekeeper takes up all the maid-ly duties throughout the book. Even after the stealing and thefts, no magistrate or constable is contacted and the duke himself takes up sentry duty in the stable at night? The local people treat them like pariah. It is a strange way for a duke of the realm to be treated as.
I think the author should have settled for a baron or a baronet.
Profile Image for Janet.
5,200 reviews65 followers
November 7, 2019
Beatrice Edgerton is under no illusions as to the status of her arranged marriage. It will be very much one of convenience. With him conveniently providing the title her family so desperately wants and her family bringing in plenty of money for his dilapidated home. She is simply grateful he is younger than her first husband. After all, he sets her straight from the very first day of their marriage--this is one of mutual benefit. She can expect no affection or romance from him.
Adam Morton, Duke of Hartwich, is known as the Dark Duke being a one-legged duke with a slightly dark past brings enough challenges without him having to worry about a wife too.
The author is a must read for me so I expected to really like the book but I think this is one of her best books, I read it in a sitting, finishing it well into the nigh, I was drawn in from page one when Bea was getting ready to marry Adam without having met him to the last. A lovely read of Adam emerging from the darkness, thrown in was a mystery surrounding the tattooed man. I loved both Adam & Bea. He was bad tempered, moody & gradually fell hard. She was a breath of fresh air at Hartwich captivating everyone. They were like chalk & cheese but once they’d kissed their attraction grew in leaps & bounds. I loved their story
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
2,452 reviews27 followers
November 10, 2019
4.5 stars
Bea was a lovely woman, she was also inquisitive and asked questions before she realised what she was saying. She was also determined to make the lost of her marriage. Adam, the Duke of Hartwich was the opposite of Bea, he was grumpy and had a temper, especially when he was experiencing pain with his leg. They had a number of things to work through before a happy ending could be thought possible. There is also an element of danger that causes Bea and Adam to assess their feelings for each other. This was an entertaining read that moved along at a good pace. I received a copy via Booksprout and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Lana Birky.
1,706 reviews22 followers
November 7, 2019
Adam Morton, Duke of Hartwich has had more than his share of losses in his life; the loss of his leg when he was only 7 yrs. old, the loss of his cousin, & the loss of hid parents at Christmastime. All of these things have made him a tough, hard, serious, recluse - the village near him have nicknamed him the Dark Duke. He now needed to find a wife of convenience to give him an heir to continue the dukedom.

Miss Beatrice Edgerton is being pushed in to a marriage to the Duke of Hartwich which will bring her family the respectability & inclusion in to society that her Mother so desperately craved. A contract was drawn up between the duke & Bea's father whereas he would give the duke money to help restore his dukedom & in exchange Adam would marry Bea.

After the wedding & Bea getting settled in her new dilapidated home, Adam informs her that she should never expect affection or romance from the marriage. But, Bea will not settle for that & the battle begins between them along with some villainous mysteries to solve. This was a fun, romantic story & with some suspense added in to round it out. Adam & Bea were both so endearing & you wished for the darkness to lift from Adam & hoped that Bea would not give up on him. The secondary characters were so lovable; especially the stern housekeeper, Mrs. Howard & Bea's vivacious little sister, Pip & they really added some humor to the story.

I was gifted the Advanced Reader Copy of this book & all opinions are my own & have been voluntarily given.

Profile Image for Brenda.
3,507 reviews47 followers
November 6, 2019
The Dark Duke is what most people call him.
He certainly matches up to his name, from his looks to his constant frowning countenance Miss Beatrice Edgerton is under no illusions as to the status of their arranged marriage.
It will be very much one of convenience for him at least. He has conveniently provided the title her family so desperately wants and her family bringing in plenty of money for his dilapidated home.
The man is fortunately younger than her first husband and although he wants nothing to do with her in the marriage bed Beatrice can not help but be intrigued. She most definitely wants more than a marriage in name only although that is what she seems to have received.
I loved this book. It is perhaps the best one I have read recently by Samantha Holt. Once I started it I couldn't put it down. It contains a blossoming love and a bit of danger.
I gave this book a well deserved 4.5 of 5.0 stars. The plot and character development is very well done.
I received a Digital ARC via Booksprout and am leaving a voluntary review.
Profile Image for Pam  Bereznak.
1,830 reviews137 followers
January 12, 2024
So I was looking around Amazon for books to read and saw a Samantha Holt book I hadn't read yet. I decided to download it. I was just going to add to my current reads here on Goodreads and it wasn't coming up in the search. I googled how to add a book and saw some Q&A that said you could always search the book by the ISBN or ASIN Number. So that is what I did and this book came up. After reading the book description this is the same book that has now been renamed to "The Duke for Christmas". No wander I couldn't find it.

Anyway, I read this in 2020.

It was a cute read!
Profile Image for Laila Viking.
4,090 reviews30 followers
November 18, 2019
As romantic as a story can be. A very well written regency romance that has a bit of everything in it. A grumpy Duke, a lady that sees him for the first time at the alter. Characters are well described and defined. I like their chemistry and how their relationship/marriage develops through the story. He almost defrosts page by page.
Absolutely a story that I can recommend - but Samatha Holts always are.
Profile Image for Space Cowgirl.
4,133 reviews144 followers
November 11, 2019
Learning to Love💘

The loss of a leg doesn't mean the loss of his humanity.
His Grace, Adam Morton🐺🍆⛲, Duke of Hartwich, lost part of his leg due to infection, after an accident as a child. It has made him taciturn and morose, angry at times. And it is quite painful much of the time.
Other losses of family members by accidents💀 through the years have caused him to retreat from society and keep to his remote estate in the moors.

At Thirty years old now, Adam🐺🍆⛲ realizes He needs to get married👰, both for an heir and an infusion of 💰money. He marries Beatrice💃💋, a wealthy young widow, only two years after the death of her old, wealthy husband. She is only twenty one!

Adam🐺🍆⛲ feels like less than a man and he doesn't think she will be able to stand the sight of his stump. So he puts off consummation of their marriage and treats Bea💃💋 badly much of the time.

Reality is, Adam🐺🍆⛲ adores Bea💃💋 and wants to be the man💕 for her but he feels inadequate. So he lashes out both in anger and sulkiness. The marriage👰 was arranged, so Bea💃💋 doesn't know him or understand his outbursts.

ARC Received from Booksprout🌱
I also got this ebook with KU.

This is an ADULT Recency Romance💕, and mystery. This is an interesting look at a man set in his ways, who must contend with his young obstinate wife👰, who just wants to 💘Love him as he is.
2,354 reviews14 followers
December 30, 2019
I have all these books that I read and never got to review because was either working or reading..Anywho I love Samantha there has probably been no books of hers that I have not liked and this just adds to the category of I liked. we meet Beatrice Edgerton who is about to marry The Duke of Hartwich and she is not all that happy about it since she hears how he has a bad temper and a really dark past however her family wants a title he needs the money that will come with her. The Dark Duke as he is called lost a leg when he was young and he is embarrassed about it and does not want his new wife to see it so he feels that he wont consummate the marriage that they can just live like that, however Beatrice is not all that happy with that decision and wonders why he doesn't want her. Adam just figured out that Beatrice is not going to be the quiet wife he was wanting, instead she wakes his body up with feelings he had never had, but he thinks why would she want him? so grab a copy and enjoy how they came to know each other.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
295 reviews2 followers
November 10, 2019
A Marriage of Convenience with Lord Morton, Duke of Hartwich, and Miss Beatrice Egerton as the main characters. This was a lovely story with character that give the reader a hard won love story as both characters are determined to have their way. Adam the hero of this story has suffered many tragedies with the loss of his leg at the age of seven and along with the death of his cousin he is only marrying because of financial troubles while offering Beatrice the title her family so desires. Beatrice has been married before to an older man who died not long after the marriage and was left with money but little else. So begins the marriage of convenience with Adam wanting no changes in his life and Beatrice wanting a real marriage. A battle of wills begins. I just loved this book as it made me want to see the out come go a happy loving marriage for both of them. Thank you Samantha Holt for a lovely book I look forward to the next lovely story. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Carole Burant.
1,278 reviews37 followers
November 5, 2019
A marriage of convenience....I can't even imagine what it was like having to marry a stranger and all because of money and/or title! That is how Beatrice finds herself married to the "Dark Duke" but she is young and full of hope that she can make her marriage work, even though Adam tries everything to resist her. Just as they start to grow closer to each other, someone is out to cause trouble and danger abounds.

My heart went out to Adam, having cut himself off from having any kind of relationship just because he's only got one leg and is terrified of showing his stump in case he's rejected. He doesn't bargain for Beatrice, though, as she tries to break the ice that has encased his heart for years. I loved Beatrice, so full of life and determined in her ways.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and it has become one of my favorite books by Samantha Holt. I received an ARC of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
177 reviews2 followers
November 12, 2019
Lovely read

I am a big fan of Samantha Holt I’ve enjoyed many of her books. A Whole New Duke makes number forty one and I have yet to be disappointed. A Whole New Duke was a sweet story of how an arranged marriage can lead to love. Bea was no stranger to an arranged but having been married to a much older, cold and distant man she still had not experienced a true loving marriage. And if the groom, Adam, Lord Morton had his way she wouldn’t. He never intended to marry but fully intended to keep Bea at arms length. Thank goodness Bea saw beyond his Dark Duke facade. She was just what he needed. Her sister Pip was such a delightful character I would love to read her story. Throw in a little mystery and a little spice and you got a read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Sissy's Romance Book Review .
8,992 reviews16 followers
December 1, 2019
A Whole New Duke by Samantha Holt is the story of Beatrice Edgerton and Adam Morton, Duke of Hartwich. Beatrice's family is marrying her off again into a marriage of convenience where they will get the Title in their family and Adam will get the money he needs for his home/title. But Adam makes it clear that Beatrice will getting no affection because he has none to give. Adam has lost his family and at a very early age his leg so all this has harden his heart. Beatrice is the total opposite of Adam and with her around he starts to loosen his tight hold on his heart.
Ms. Holt is a favorite author of mine so I really enjoyed this book.

Profile Image for Tammy.
9,119 reviews49 followers
November 13, 2019
I liked this historical read! Beatrice is being forced into an arranged marriage; Adam is only marrying for money. Adam has been through a lot and has walls built around him. What will happen when sparks begin to fly and Beatrice begins breaking through his walls. Entertaining read with lots of drama and emotion. A good read!
Profile Image for JenReviews4U.
475 reviews
September 23, 2023
Really enjoyed this sweet, learn to love each other, arranged marriage story. Beatrice comes from new money and Adam, Duke of Hartwich has no money. So when an arranged marriage is arranged between them, they both know their future can never include love, or can it? Slowly Bea and Adam come together finding out that not even rumors can stop what the heart wants. But living with a one legged, brooding duke isn't the half of Bea's problems when they find out that someone is out to cause trouble for them both.

The mystery and the blossoming friendship is what keeps this story interesting. It was so nice to have Bea not be cowed but any of Adam's tantrums just because he can't deal with his feelings. Both characters are great in this one, lots of chemistry, and I just thought it was a very well written, heartwarming story.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Margaret.
3,222 reviews33 followers
January 22, 2021
The Dark Duke

Beatrice once more finds herself married. A title in her family in exchange for her families' money.
The Duke wants a marriage of convenience. Beatrice sees it as a marriage of inconvenience to him. Granted her new husband is younger than the first and very handsome. He growls and scolds and never has a nice word to say. Beatrice is effervescent, friendly, curious and determined to bring a smile to her husband's face. Breaking down his walls is her daily challenge, until danger shows up at their door. Beatrice carries the story with her sunny personality. Nobody can say "NO," to Beatrice. A few LOL moments.
379 reviews
November 8, 2021
Heartwarming and Intriguing

Loved this book. I loved the storyline … our heroine is forced to marry a forbidding and reclusive duke nick-named « the dark Duke ». His grim and surly nature is repelling at first but as time goes on, they become friends and eventually more. But the story contains intrigue and suspense as some unknown person is
trying to harm them. The characters are well developed, likeable and easy to embrace. The dialogue is well written and enjoyable.
Definitely recommended.
Profile Image for Inga Lady Of Bookland.
286 reviews71 followers
January 17, 2021
It was an entertaining read and I enjoyed it. Part of the story took place during Christmas, however, I wouldn't say it was a Christmas read because there just was no holiday atmosphere. There was some suspense, a little bit of steam and some fun banter, but I still wanted a little bit more from the romance and the ending of the book, so I guess I will give it 3.5-3.75 stars as I still liked A Hole New Duke.
92 reviews
August 19, 2020
Excellent

I enjoyed this story so much. Samantha Holt is another of my favorite authors and this book was no exception to the other works. It was my favorite type, the marriage of convenience that gradually turns into one of love and it doesn't wait until the last chapter to have that happily ever after. You see it happening gradually from the very beginning.
510 reviews3 followers
November 6, 2020
Being unexpected gets unexpected

Nothing like being told on your wedding night that there will be no romance then being ignored for weeks. Bear may have been trained to run a large household, after her father became wealthy, but she wasn't born to nobility & buried in tradition. Being herself eventually won over the staff & then her husband.
Profile Image for Laura.
1,300 reviews
December 21, 2020
A Whole New Duke: Adam and Bea

3.5 - 3.75 stars
Started slow, but got more interesting about halfway through. Liked the grumpy duke/sunshine girl dynamic between the leads, especially since Bea wasn't silly or trite. Would have preferred more steam, more sexual tension, more sexy detail.
434 reviews24 followers
January 1, 2022
Beatrice was going to marry Adam Morton, who was the Duke. It took them three days after the wedding to arrive Hartwich Hall in which Bea was going to have a drawing room to decorate. Ms. Holt has written an entertaining book which shows the trials and tribulations of Adam's and Bea's marriage. I recommend that you read it and I could not put it down...

Profile Image for Angela Harriman.
456 reviews1 follower
January 4, 2021
Not up to standard

I am disappointed. The story had a good premise, characters are pretty good but there was just something missing. A few minor mistakes and one continuity problem that sunk my interest. Could have been so much better.
Profile Image for Cecilia Rodriguez.
4,450 reviews57 followers
December 4, 2019
Miss Beatrice Edgerton is a young widow who agrees to an arranged marriage.
Lord Adam Morton is the reclusive Duke of Hartwich.
Adam is an amputee(leg), and is sensitive about his physical disability.
The only snag is the "villain", who is unnecessary.
307 reviews
Read
December 23, 2020
Stubborn Duke

It was supposed to be a simple marriage of convience,but the Duke did not expect to find love with his new duchess
Profile Image for Candy.
890 reviews3 followers
December 9, 2021
Not a bad story just a little predictable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews

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