To the Duke, With Love

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. Enjoyed the story of Hawk and Loretta and how they came to find love when least expected. The book is well written and holds your interest. I would highly recommend this book and the previous ones in this series.

This is the second installment in The Rakes of St. James series by Amelia Grey. The second rake in the series is the Duke of Hawksthorn, “Hawk”. His sister Adele is getting to ready to make her debut this Season. But with the scandal sheet fueling the gossip mongers, all over London, about the scandal from his past, he is desperate to have his sister’s betrothal settled before the season starts.
So, Hawk sets out to visit Mammoth House and Paxton Quick to arrange a betrothal between him and his sister Adele. But after a long and terrible journey, Hawk finds that Paxton is not at home . But as luck would have it, Hawk must deal with the unexpected, intriguing, as well as beautiful, and shapely, Loretta Quick. His immediate attraction to her beauty, and her infuriating, wit and intelligence, makes it hard for him to concentrate on the important issue before him.
Loretta Quick is Paxton’s sister, who has been confined to Mammoth House as punishment for refusing to go through with an arranged marriage. And with everything that Loretta has been through, she definitely wants her brother to marry for love . What unfolds is a delightful combination of romance and stolen moments as Hawk tries to change Lorettas’ mind regarding her situation, as well as the feelings they have for each other.
I was immediately hooked. Their immediate attraction and sizzling awareness, between these two characters jumps off the page. I loved and admired Loretta. She is such a strong, relatable character. She's honest and forthright, not afraid to say what's on her mind, but still respectful. You can't help but cheer her on because she's been dealt a pretty crappy hand in life but never complains about it. Reformed rake, Hawk, is a swoon worthy hero and easy to fall in love with. His tenacity and determination to get exactly what he wants is sexy and it's easy to understand why Loretta is immediately attracted to him. What I loved most about his character is his sense of honor and his intense loyalty to his sister as well to his strong feelings for Loretta.
Loretta and Hawk find that whether they are together or apart, all they can think of is the other, and the more they spend time together and get to know each other, the more they want each other. I also really enjoyed getting a different side to this era. Instead of reading about Balls and gowns we were given a glimpse of some real life issues dealing with poverty and child labor. Amelia Grey really developed complex characters that added dimension to the story. Even the secondary characters were well developed. Their little story within the book will definitely tug at your heartstrings. We also get to briefly catch up with the other rakes of St. James and I'm really looking forward to Raths’ story next. I also loved that there was even romance outside the story of our main characters and I love that Overall, this was a really heartwarming, sweet read and I can't wait to see what Amelia Grey gives us next.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 Stars! This was a good book, not great, but still, good. A lot of what happened seemed to be very unlikely to ever actually happen & the main characters seemed to fall in love super fast. I did enjoy reading this book though. I liked how it was a mix of romance & the other, darker side of life. Usually in romance books, it’s always about the super wealthy & privileged & I liked how this had a bit of the opposite side of life in it, even if it wasn’t how the main characters lived. This is the 2nd book in the trilogy but can be read as a standalone.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!*