⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? For the most part, yes.  A newly-minted duke from America and a disinherited lady that grew up in France meet in England in this sweet, uplifting romance.

Dressmaker Miss Lily Martin knows too well the sordid dealings of London’s corrupt underbelly. She should have known borrowing from one of the city’s most reviled moneylenders was risky. Horribly so. Now the loan has come due – and there’s nothing standing between Miss Lily and her darling sister’s ruin. Until a dashing American with flashing, defiant eyes intervenes… Ship captain James Blakefield may be the new Duke of Ashbridge, but he’s only in London for six weeks to secure his estate before returning to America, and far from the watchful eye of the ton. He’ll be damned if he’ll attend another society event where eligible ladies fling themselves at his title. But when he discovers Miss Lily’s desperate predicament, James realizes he might have the perfect arrangement. By assuming the legal guardianship of Lily’s sister, he can keep them both safe and ensure someone cares for the estate. But it means having Lily under the same roof for the next six weeks. No chaperones. No betrothal. As their undeniable attraction charges the very air between them, both propriety and restraint are threatened. But scandal is the least of their concerns when James’s secret threatens to pull everything apart at the seams…

MY THOUGHTS

I appreciated Lily’s pragmatic approach to James’s proposal, but also how she acknowledged her feelings towards him and her desire to explore it. The romance between them developed slowly and I enjoyed their interactions.

But… These two drove me crazy. James showed Lily repeatedly that he would support her in all her efforts, and let her be who she wanted to be. But at the moment of conflict, she forgot all that and fell back into her old habits of protecting herself. Both of them professed to have reasons for doubting love and was very opposed to falling in love, but I found their reasons inconsistent and conveniently added to contribute to the argument they had. At times Lily remembered her parents’ love for each other with fondness and then later she described it as something that was destructive instead? Abandonment issues made sense for both of them and the story was set up to take excellent advantage of that. I don’t think it needed the additional element of “I don’t believe in love”. It is undeniable that Lily had trust issues as well and I completely understand her desire to protect herself and her sister.

I liked the ending and Lily’s grand gesture. The story was easy to read and flowed well. And the fact that James was from America and Lily grew up in France added an interesting layer.

I can recommend this if you like steamy historical romance. This is book two in the series, but it stands well on its own.

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: Once Upon a Wallflower
Tropes: Marriage of Convenience, Slow Burn, Opposites Attract