A steamy Christmas novella from a USA Today Bestselling Author!
A Scrooge of a Duke bound by duty, responsibility, and a vow to his grandfather…
A merry lady who entered into a marriage of convenience with her secret crush…
Can this unlikely pair find their happily ever after?
Eleanor Slade, the Duchess of Rothbury, was certain marrying her secret crush would be the start to a future filled with love. But her new husband is taking the definition of a marriage of convenience to another level. His focus on duty is legendary and apparently he doesn’t intend for a wife to change that, no matter how much she longs to.
Douglas Slade, the 9th Duke of Rothbury, was taught at his grandfather’s knee that honor and responsibility are all that matter. Especially after Douglas’s lovesick father attempted to bleed the estates dry to please his wife. Now that his family is gone, it’s up to Douglas to restore the duchy and care for those who depend on him. Never mind that Eleanor is everything a man could want in a wife—beautiful, intelligent, and so desirable. He only needs her money and an heir, not her love. But that lie is becoming more and more difficult to believe when her enchanting kisses warm his cold heart.
A house party at Christmas is Eleanor’s last hope. Can she convince Douglas that love will make them stronger and they’re better together?
Review:
This was just a lovely story! It’s the 11th in the series–which really doesn’t matter terribly much until the very end, when (possibly? Not 100% sure if they *all* come) every other series character shows up for a holiday party–but it truly does work fine as a standalone. By giving us a snippet of all the other characters’ stories, though, she definitely makes a case for binge reading the whole series, so be warned… 😉
Ms Williams did a wonderful job showing us the longing that both Eleanor and Douglas feel throughout this story–even if only Eleanor was able to admit to herself for most of it that there even was longing going on! (Douglas was a teensy bit repressed. Okay, he was A LOT repressed, the poor man.) Just when Eleanor–and the reader–begin to think that maybe, just maybe *now* things will be different, the author slams the door shut on that idea, crushing all of our hopes. No worries, though–there is an HEA, and it comes just in time. And it’s lovely…
I have read other books by Lana Williams, though nothing else in this series–yet!–but after this book? That will definitely change!
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.