⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. See love blossom between two unlikely people in this slow-burning romance that made me think of My Fair Lady and Pretty Woman.

Evie Harlow runs a quaint little bookshop in London, which is the biggest adventure an unmarried woman with no prospects could hope for. Until Maximillian Shaw, Duke of Westbourne, saunters into her shop with a proposition: to win a bet with his friends, he’ll turn her into the diamond of the season. The duke might be devilishly attractive, but Evie has no intention of accepting his ludicrous offer. When disaster strikes her shop, however, she’s left with little choice but to let herself be whisked into his high-society world.

Always happy to help a lady in distress, Max thinks he’s saving Evie from her dull spinster’s life. He’ll help her find a husband and congratulate himself on a job well done. But as shy Evie becomes the shining star he always knew she could be, she somehow steals his heart. And when her reputation is threatened, can Max convince her to choose a glittering, aristocratic life with him over the cozy comfort of her bookshop?

MY THOUGHTS

I just loved Max and Evie. Max’s arrogance initially was truly breathtaking, the way he made the bet and then waltzed into Evie’s store and basically told her he can save her from herself. And every interaction thereafter showed his confidence, except when he became vulnerable to Evie and started comparing her to his first wife. Evie was solidly living in her comfort zone. I loved her cheekiness when dealing with Max. She had to face down her own insecurities and self-doubt when she started to see herself the way Max saw her.

Between the exquisite sexual tension slowly building and building and wondering what Rory was up to, I was one huge bundle of nerves and expectations. The ending made me sigh. I wish there was more, I would’ve loved to see Evie be the duchess, and put her own quirky stamp on it.

I can highly recommend this if you like a steamy historical romance where a Duke convinces a working-class woman to take a chance on him. This is the first book in a new series and I’m already looking forward to the next one. See what other readers are saying on Goodreads.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Historical Romance
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: Scandal at the Savoy
Tropes: Opposites Attract, Winning a Wager, Class Difference, Slow Burn