A very sweet romance. ( )

***ARC review from St Martin’s Press*** Thank you to both

Yes this an Arc but all opinions are my own.

What do you get if you cross a notorious rake and a scandalous lady?

You get an interesting historical romance filled with twists and turns. The story follows Hawk a Duke who in his youth with two other Dukes wrote 12 scandalous ladies in their first season requesting a secret meeting and signing it from a secret admirer. Each had four ladies too woo. All 12 ladies showed and where disgraced for a short period. Now the dukes are older and their sisters are due have their 1st season. So his sister Adele does not fall into the hands of a lord or other gentleman trying to get revenge for his mistake, he decides to arrange his sister marriage before the start of the season. He decides on a young man who is a relative of an Earl as a suitable choice. But he does not expect to encounter the scandalous sister Loretta instead. Loretta is not allowed into society due to not going though with an arrangement marriage by her uncle on the day of the wedding. So she is banished to the countryside which suits her fine until she meets Hawk. The story unfolds from here.

I am glad that this story not only shows the rich of the recency period but also the poor in London’s underbelly.

If you love historical romances give this a go. I will definitely picking up more novels by the author ( )

This is the first time I've read a book by Amelia Grey but it won't be the last. In this book, Hawk, the Duke of Hawksthorn is trying to arrange a marriage for his sister before her first season. As a young man, he and some friends had played a trick on the young girls in their first season (giving them the title the Rakes of St James). Now that his sister is ready to come out he doesn't want anyone to take their revenge out on her. He has selected Mr Paxton Quick. When he travels to the Quick's home he meets Miss Loretta Quick (Paxton's sister). She left a man at the altar years earlier and her uncle, the Earl has banished her to a old country house where she is being punished by never being allowed to leave,
While the initial visit is to arrange a marriage between Paxton and Hawk's sister Lady Adele, it is Hawk and Loretta Quick who fall passionately in love. He will do anything to have her and make her his, even helping a street urchin who managed to find himself sick and lost in the country.
The dialogue is witty, the characters are strong and independent and the chemistry is amazing. Ms Grey has done a wonderful job of creating a Happily Ever After for all concerned.
I received an advanced copy of this book. ( )

Full review posted at Reader's Edyn on 020420

Loretta Quick is basically living a life of exile. Having fled from an arranged marriage, leaving her intended at the altar, her Uncle has sent her to the country to live. Assuming the solitude will eventually send her begging a way back into society, he waits. But Loretta knows full well the ramifications of the decision she made and has found peace with her solitary life she is confined to. Her brother, Paxton, spends some time with her and overall, things could be much worse than they are. Given her intense disapproval of arranged marriages, when the shockingly handsome, utterly delicious Duke of Hawsthorne shows up at her door seeking a betrothal contract between her brother and his sister, she must maintain her ground. An arranged marriage will NOT be happening as long as she draws breath. Unfortunately, no one else seems to be siding with her views and the Duke is determined to make this match prior to the start of the season. He isn’t accustomed to losing. Rather than having to convince the intended parties, Loretta is the one needing convincing, swayed toward the idea that the marriage could be a good thing for all involved. There is also the small detail that if Paxton marries Hawk’s sister, she has many more chances to see Hawk. She can’t have him, but nothing can stop her from enjoying him.

Sloane Knox, the Duke of Hawksthorne has just come through a season with one of his best friends, the Duke of Griffin, and Griffin's twin sister’s debut. He saw everything Griffin went through and helped to protect his sisters. Now that his own sister’s debut is upon him, he refuses to go through the same debacle. Determined to make a match for her prior to the first ball of the season, he sets out to convince Paxton Quick to marry his sister; except he ends up facing off with the enticing and steadfast Loretta Quick. She’s trouble for him and he knows it, but that doesn’t stop him from devising ways to not only ensure the betrothal is made, but also steal time alone with Loretta. The betrothal ends up being easier work than anticipated, the impossible challenge becoming finding a way to make Loretta his. Challenge accepted. If only he can figure out how to break through that foolish vow she made and convince her that she isn’t shirking her responsibility by following a path to happiness and the dreams she never dared to hope possible.

I’m sorry – I just realized that Hawk has a name. I am shocked because I never found a name for Griffin in the first book, other than his title. I don’t recall Hawk’s name ever being mentioned other than the first line in the book. Throughout the book he is never once called by it – always by his title or simply, Hawk. Dang if I wouldn’t have preferred Loretta to call him by his first name. How in blazes did I miss that? In any case … Finally! We are given several glimpses into the relatively unknown – continually mentioned in the first book of the series – elusive until now … A Proper Gentleman’s Guide to Wooing the Perfect Lady. The book that created The Rakes of St. James themselves. Each chapter includes a rule from the book, which is quite amusing and somehow relates to the events of each chapter. I found this element to the plot quite a fun addition and consistent with the first book of the series; foretastes of noteworthy advice peppered throughout each book’s entirety.

This book is basically the first book retold - in the sense that you have a single Duke trying to live down a possible threat to his sister from a foolish act carried out during his rakish youthful years, never envisioning THAT bet would have drawn such attention and plagued him into his adult years. Certainly not that it could ever affect his sister in any way. In an effort to avoid possible retribution, Hawk endeavors to make a match for his sister prior to the beginning of the season and ends up walking right into a head-strong woman who challenges him at every turn and fires his blood like no other. Familiar, yes? I think I may have written those exact words in the previous review. There are some differences in the characters and their back stories, but ultimately everything is quite similar from Book 1 to Book 2. I still enjoyed my time with these characters and was pleased to revisit with characters introduced in the previous installment. The attraction between Loretta and Hawk was palpable and kept me engaged. Knowing how things played out in the first story, I knew what to expect with this one, which also followed the same path. While the intimacy is somewhat descriptive, I’d describe it as quite tame to what I have come across in more recent reads. Despite being a part of a series, I found that there was enough back story provided that someone could successfully read this story without becoming lost in the absence of knowledge from the preceding novel.

I suppose overall, I am a bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong. I still very much enjoyed reading the book and getting to know the characters, but I felt that it was too similar to the first story. There wasn’t enough difference to really set book 1 apart from book 2. I am hoping such is not the case with the final book in the series as I plan to read that one next. This book is a great regency romance and those who enjoy HR are sure to find it enjoyable. However, they may also find it a bit redundant if they have read the series in order. Quite a pity given the high expectation I carried over from the first installment. So take it for what it’s worth. I don’t think anyone would be unhappy with this book, but disappointment could be inevitable given the parallel plot. I in no way am turned off from this author based on this revelation and plan to seek out other of her works to see what I think outside of this series as it is the only one I can currently speak to. I hope for better news with Rath’s story as I am looking forward to his HEA immensely.

Kindle ARC version provided by publisher/St. Martin’s in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Why are we at our best, when we are acting at our worst? Perhaps it's the thrill of the challenge. A knee jerk reaction to insecurity. Or maybe, we long to be accepted for who we really are and not who others want us to be. My favorite characters are ones that challenge my mind while conversing with my heart. Those are the one's that leave a lasting impressing on the soul. To the Duke With Love is what a love story should be. Not perfect, but true. Sloane and Loretta believe that they are unworthy of love, but long to help the people they care about find happiness. Ms. Grey has penned an insightful tale of sacrifice, love and happy endings. It takes a while to get there, but the trek is worth the wait.
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