A Marriage of Convenience Historical Romance That Will Delight
Ne'er Duke Well
Regency Romance, Historical Romance, Regency Romantic Comedy
St. Martin's Griffin
July 23, 2024
ebook, paperback
352
In this steamy Regency romp, Lady Selina is determined to find the Duke of Stanhope the perfect wife—the only problem is she's starting to think that might be her.
Peter Kent—newly inherited Duke of Stanhope and recently of New Orleans, Louisiana—must become respectable. Between his radical politics and the time he interrupted a minor royal wedding with a flock of sheep—not his fault!—he’s developed a scandalous reputation at odds with his goal of becoming guardian to his half siblings. For help, he turns to the cleverest and most managing woman of his acquaintance, Lady Selina Ravenscroft.
Selina is society’s most proper debutante, save one tiny secret: she runs an erotic circulating library for women. When Peter asks for her help, she suggests courtship and marriage to a lady of unimpeachable reputation. (Which is to say, definitely not herself.)
But matchmaking doesn’t go according to plan. Peter’s siblings run rampant on Bond Street. Selina ends up in the Serpentine. And worst of all, the scorching chemistry between Peter and Selina proves impossible to resist. For the disreputable duke and his unpredictable matchmaker, falling in love just might be the ultimate scandal.
She wanted someone to look at her and see more than just the sister of a duke or the recipient of a substantial dowry. More than difficult and prickly and too opinionated and too much.
What is it about the marriage of convenience trope that has me in a chokehold when it comes to historical romance? I’m not sure I would be able to unravel that thought in a review much less therapy, but I know that when it comes to Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti, Selina and Peter’s hijinks that lead up to their nuptials were so comical and endearing that they won me over with their romance.
Ne’er Duke Well features Peter, the newly titled Duke that has the (mis)fortune of being raised in America, and now is tasked with taking the reins of a title in the peerage. What Peter is most concerned about is getting legal guardianship of his half siblings, but unfortunately the judge that will inevitably decide the fate of his half-brother and sister is less than enthused about Peter’s political opinions in Parliament.
He supposed he liked clever women. With ruthlessly efficient fingers. Eyes that danced and flashed by turns, eyes that soothed him and challenged him at once.
This is where Selina comes into play. Sister to Peter’s ally, and dare I say, friend in the ton, Selina nominates herself as coordinator in the scheme to get Peter in the judge’s good graces by way of marriage. That’s right, Peter needs a wife, but it’s definitely not Selina. Can you see where this is all going? You see, our heroine Selina has a delightfully scandalous secret. Obviously, her secret would ruin whomever she would marry, so naturally, marriage is off the table for her. It’s too bad that with every disastrous interaction with other eligible ladies of the season, Peter becomes more besotted with the forthright and witty Selina.
I do have to say that the shenanigans of Peter’s comical courting of the eligible ladies of the ton, and the inevitable realization that Selina is the one for him had my heart from the get—go. Once Peter and Selina accepted their courtship, feelings, and finally got married, their relationship took a backseat to the second half of the book which centered around the battle of guardianship of his half siblings. While equally important to the overall story, it did bring heavier tones to the plot which varied greatly from the light-heartedness of the first half.
He was good with words. He could tell her that she was extraordinary. He could tell her that when she walked into a room, all the candlelight gathered itself upon her face.
Overall, Ne’er Duke Well was such a fun read. I loved the inclusion of the different women in the ton, and I can’t wait to see if readers will get to know more of them. Alexandra Vasti always delivers on spice and this debut full-length novel is no different. I cannot wait to see what else Vasti has in store for readers in the years to come.
Jes is a self-proclaimed bookworm, who recently moved from the PNW back to the Midwest. When her nose isn’t in a book, she’s spending time with her husband, two kids, and her three fur babies, or exploring the globe. She also firmly believes that you should start the day with coffee, and end the day in bed with a good book.
