⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. A charming and delightful romance between an author desperate to keep her secret and the duke that couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Dorian Whitaker, Duke of Holland, needs an heir after his so-called “fairytale marriage” ended in disaster. When the intriguing bookseller he’s hired to liquidate his late wife’s library finds love letters revealing an affair, he is drawn into a mystery alongside a lady whose sharp intellect dazzles him and dares him to imagine a new adventure outside the gilded cage of the Ton. If anyone found out Caroline Danvers writes erotic novels under a pen name, she’d face utter ruin. Except her latest hero inspiration is none other than the Duke of Holland, a man with the power to destroy her family’s bookshop. And yet the real man proves to be so much more than the character she created. Even as they expose the dark secrets of his past, she knows he can never discover her own. But the more time they spend together, the more tempting it is to rewrite their ending and turn fantasy into reality.

MY THOUGHTS

The fact that Caro was an author of lurid novels made her even more interesting and the best parts were when she modeled her heroes after Dorian and other people started to notice. Caro’s cousins were hilarious and so supportive without asking questions. But frivolity aside, this book had plenty of depth uncovering the truth about Dorian’s marriage and Caro walking a fine line concealing her author identity.

This book was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed the light-hearted writing style, witty dialogue, and there was plenty of sizzling chemistry between Caro and Dorian. I can highly recommend it if you like steamy historical romance.

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
Published: August 20, 2024
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: Book 1 of Bluestocking Booksellers