Sometimes life can seem too perfect. About to marry the Merrick, Duke of Moore, Isolde felt they had been made for each other and she had found that special love. But fate... No a wicked "friend" compromised the duke and made Isolde think he had been unfaithful. Now he had to marry the witch and it broke her heart.
A story of betrayal, disloyalty, heartache, intense longing and finally love beyond reason. Once I started I could not stop and as all of Tamara Gill's writing, she captured my imagination and my emotions to the point my heart was pounding for this couple..
Do not miss this amazing tale that will have you thinking about it long after the last page is turned!

Having read one of her scot novels I wanted to try another one in a different region. The escape to the era is done very well with the characters doing the transport. Funny thing though you still get to go to Scotland but with a different view. Isolde and Merrick have a rocky start but take us on ups and downs that keep us glued to their turmoils. A different kind of suspense is portrayed here thanks to the rules that they had. Emotions will run high at times with us soaking it all up. Drama of the times are like a era ago soap opera with you wanting to slap some one, but fits so well. Well written and leaves you satisfied.

This is a book that I so wish I could have liked more. This is an author that I have enjoyed multiple times before, so I was quite excited to read this book. Unfortunately, I found it depressing, annoying and simply very frustrating. I refuse to go into details and spoil the book for those that will enjoy it. I had big issues with many of the story elements and character actions and reactions. As a historical romance I never anticipated having to suspend my belief of reality at practically the title page and then continue to deny what is well known fact throughout the whole book. As for the characters, well Isolde, in my opinion deserved better and Merrick was a spineless dud. Not really my cup of tea but to each his own. I do look forward to the next book from this series as I did like book one a lot.

I read this book in 2017 as an advance review before it was available. And it was a great read then and it was just as good the second time around. The love story between Isolde and Merrick survived over a 5 year separation. The story line was very well written and causes the reader to wish them a happy ending together. Highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed.

Delilah has had a bad childhood. She has a mother who is selfish and demanding, but a brother who loves her. She is to become betrothed to someone she doesn't love, Clarence is heir to a dukedom and will do very well for a husband per her mother. Thomas, the Duke of Huntley, is Delilah's best friend. He has been in love with her for as long as he can remember. Delilah has no idea. She goes to see someone about a love potion, hoping that once she gives it to Clarence, he will love her, There was a mistake and the potion goes into Thomas's eyes. Oh, what a mess or is it. She refuses to speak to Thomas after she uses the potion on him as she thinks that is the only reason he loves her. Will she convince Thomas that it is only the potion or believe him when he tells her he loves her? She has fallen in love with Thomas, now what? What will happen to her ghastly mother? I loved this story and Thomas and Delilah. This book rocks. I received this book from Net Galley and Entangled Publishing for a honest review. The opinions are my own.

Sometimes you just need to read a story like this, full of love, betrayal, romance and friendship which just makes you feel good. I read this within 24 hours and loved it. Lady Isolde and Merrick, Duke of Moore are to be married the next day. But Merrick is caught in bed that night with Isolde’s best friend, Leonora. Leonora tricked Merrick into think she was Isolde. You won’t regret reading the story that follows! I want to read more by Tamara Gill.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was really disappointed with this book, it really didn’t engage me. It started ok, and set the two main protagonists up well, and then fell apart for me really quickly.

The book opens on the eve before the wedding of Merrick, Duke of Moore to Isolde Worthingham, the second daughter of the Duke of Renworth.

They are in love and excited to be wed. Merrick unknowingly drinks adulterated wine, and when a woman slips into his bed, he thinks he is dreaming about making love to Isolde, and doesn’t realise it is Isolde’s best friend Leonora, who has plotted to trap him into marriage. She is discovered in his bed, and threatens to spread awful rumours about both dukes unless Merrick marries her.

This part is so unbelievable, and really was where my main problem with the book was. Why would her best friend betray Isolde so badly, also in the Regency, it was very hard to slander a Duke if you were a woman, as the default was to defer to men, and aristocrats.

Also Merrick did not control or check Leonora at all. I would have thought a man who had been entrapped into marriage would stand up to his wife and at least ensure she acted with discretion.

I wasn’t a fan of the writing either, it was often a little clumsy. There was little depth to the characterisations, and it was difficult to feel invested in Merrick and Isolde or that you really knew the characters.

Merrick particularly came over as weak and ineffectual, succumbing to marriage toLenora, letting her run wild, and potentially lose their child, and so on.

I struggled to finish this.

I received an Arc of this book in return for an honest review.

Also published on Goodreads

I really enjoyed Isolde and Merrick's story! Can you imagine your best friend stealing your intended right before your wedding? Oh, Boy! Isolde isolates herself in Scotland, only to decided 5 yrs later that she does want to marry. But of course, she must see Merrick and his wife while doing so. Can these two find their way back to each other? This was a great addition to the To Marry a Rogue series!

Isolde was eighteen and she met Merrick- the Duke of Moore- at a dance it was almost like love at first sight . After a year Merrick and Isolde were to marry. Then Isolde was awaken and there was a note under her door the eve of her wedding and it told her to go to Merrick’s room to see the kind of man he really was. Isolde had a jealous best friend named Lenora. Isolde met her father in the hall and they found Merrick in bed with Lenora. Merrick had gotten drunk and was dreaming of his soon to be wife but Lenora had set him up she had came in the dark and seduced Merrick. . Merrick was ordered to marry Lenora and that is what he did. Isolde left for her Scottish estates. Five years later Isolde decides it is time to go back to London she misses her family and she wants to find a husband and family of her own she doesn’t require love this time. Merrick and Isolde run into each other shortly after she returns and they both try to act like they didn’t have a past together yet in reality they still loved each other. Merrick’s best friend is interested in marry Isolde and they do become engaged. However Isolde learned Merrick was not happily married as she had believed and Lenora was making a fool of him.
I really couldn’t get into this story. First it was hard for me to believe that a powerful Duke could be ordered to marry someone especially someone as vile as Lenora. Many of the ton were known form affairs and not forced to marry. I didn’t like Lenora at all just skimmed over her parts.But why would Isolde be so selfish to take Merrick from his son and especially with another child on the way Merrick didn’t have to have anything sexually to do with Lenora after the first night or at the very least after he had an heir. Also why did Isolde still love Merrick after what she believed that he had done. Anyway i couldn’t connect with the characters especially Isolde or the story itself.

A Betrayal of Epic Proportions....A Love That Knows No Bounds!

On the eve of her wedding Lady Isolde Worthingham had her dreams and heart shattered, betrayed by her fiancé and best friend. Never in her life did she ever think of witnessing the man that was her destiny marry her best friend!
Humiliated and broken she flees to Scotland.

Merrick Mountshaw the Duke of Moore saw the love of his life slip away the moment he was shackled to the harpy that destroyed his life. The only bright light of that unfortunate night is his son. He strives for some happiness, until he comes across Isolde and the love he thought died comes crashing back with a vengeance. He can't let her make a match not when he wants her for himself. Is there hope for Isolde and Merrick? Can Isolde ever forgive Merrick for the hurt he caused?

The reader will get an exquisite surprise in this love story full of anguish and betrayal. The love that they share is so strong that even though they both tried to do the right thing to live separate lives, the pull is uncontrollable. Despite everything Merrick acquires the backbone he was tragically missing in the beginning and redeems himself.
Definitely a roller coaster ride of emotions the end result is truly what the reader has been craving for from the beginning "A Second Chance at Love"

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest voluntary opinions .

This is the first book by Tamara Gill I have read, although it is the second in the series. This is a story of betrayal in the worst way, but what is the whole story? When true love is betrayed does it die, never to be revived again? Or will circumstances allow it to blossom once again. Isolde and Merrick's story is such a story. I generally prefer more intrigue, danger, and a really nasty villain in the books I read. However, this is a nice love story with a little bit of intrigue. It was worth the time it took me to read it. I do have the first and third books in this series and am looking forward to reading them.

I felt a rang of emotions whilst reading this book, one being hatred for one of the characters. The pain that she put our couple through was agonising and I couldn't wait for her comeuppance. An emotional read. but we'll worth it.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley.

Nope, nope, nope. What a frustrating book. Not my thing at all. Thanks to the Publisher for the review copy though.

Second book in the To Marry a Rogue series and I loved it as much as the first! Merrick and Isolde (loveee the names) are young lovers whose dream life takes an unexpected turn! The book is full of the Ton, balls, scandal, a nasty villain or two (Tamara's villains are dark dark creatures-I love it- She really does a good job showing the dark side of humanity), strong women, and love. I was so rooting for Merrick and Isolde and felt they faced at time insurmountable odds!
Cannot recommend enough for historical romance fans! It is not your run of the mill romance but it complex and at times dark- which I thought was fantastic!

3.5 Stars

When Merrick Mountshaw, the Duke of Moore first set eyes on Isolde Worthingham, he was smitten. After they were introduced and became acquainted, he fell in love, and knew almost immediately that he wanted to marry her. Isolde is the daughter of a duke, and only eighteen years old, but she falls hard for Merrick as well. They become engaged, and their love and camaraderie grows stronger every day. It's now the night before the wedding, and Isolde is awakened to find a note under her door, advising her to check Merrick's room if she wants to see the true character of her future husband. As she heads down the hall, now joined by her father, they enter Merrick's room to find him in bed with Letty, Isolde's lifelong "best friend."

In the ensuing chaos, Merrick is horrified to realize what he has done. He came to bed, pleasantly intoxicated, thinking of his bride-to-be, and drifting off to dream of her. The viper, Letty, came in to his room in total darkness, and seduced him, letting him believe it was Isolde, and that he was, in fact, dreaming of her. The sequence of events which happens next doesn't ring true for me. Isolde's father immediately announces that the wedding is off, and after barely listening to the still-bemused Merrick's attempts at explanation, decrees that Merrick will wed Letty tomorrow in Isolde's place. This was to avoid blackmail that Letty casually threw in to the mix. Not only that, but Isolde was forced to attend the ceremony that was supposed to have been hers.

Isolde's grief and desire to avoid society led her to live at a secluded Scottish estate for the next five years. Now, at age twenty-three, she decides it's time to rejoin the living. Above all else, she desires children of her own, so she'll travel to town to try to find a husband. Love not required. Almost as soon as she arrives in town, she encounters Merrick and his young son. After all this time, their love hasn't died, and they feel the pain of their broken romance. Letty succeeded in her quest to become a duchess, and now is leading a debauched life, and making a fool of Merrick. While Isolde feels pain and regret, she is still determined to move ahead, and find a husband. Eventually she becomes engaged to one of Merrick's best friends.

I have such mixed feelings about ONLY A DUKE WILL DO. The premise of a love match being halted on the eve of the wedding greatly enticed me, as I love a second chance romance. Yet, I couldn't quite believe that a powerful duke could be brought down by a scheming villainess, and then browbeaten and humiliated by her after their marriage. The character of Letty was so vile, that I really couldn't stomach reading about her. The part of the book after Isolde returns to London was so painful to read, that it seemed to me to drag on forever. Perhaps my strong reaction is a testament to Tamara Gill's skillful writing, as I was definitely affected by this story. If you enjoy a dark romance, where the protagonists are tortured as they struggle on their way to happily ever after, ONLY A DUKE WILL DO fits the bill.

The love match of the season finds Lady Isolde Worthingham and Merrick, the Duke of Moore are to be married the next day but a scandal that tore them apart happened the night before the wedding. Isolde unexpectedly finds him in bed with her best friend, Lenora. Merrick has no idea how Lenora ended up in his bed and Lady Isolde and her father have no time to hear excuses for something totally inexcusable to happen on the eve of the wedding. Merrick is forced to wed Leonora and for the next 5 years lives a miserable existence and Isolde ran away to Scotland. The one bright spot is his son William who was conceived in his one mistake. Lady Isolde has decided it’s time to go back to London and start living again, she yearns for a husband and family of her own. This story is heart breaking to see two people so in love being torn apart by a viscous scheming Lenora and it keeps you reading to find out if a happily ever after is still possible for Merrick and Isolde. Merrick knows he can no longer live without Isolde, but can and will she forgive him, grab her happiness and love him and his son.
I received an ARC copy from Net Galley and this is my honest review and opinion.

I love second chances love stories.

The plot is great, very poignant. The evil friend who, deceiving the hero, who in turn is to be married to the heroine, whom he loves very much, manages to snatch him from her (I hope is clear enough), is a wonderful turning point in a romance. It makes everything that comes after quite sweetly suffered...which generally means also that the happy ending is much more powerful.

I'm all shivering for this type of love stories; if written by a masterful author they are always a winning.


Now. I adored that the hero is so much in love with the heroine and that he doesn't really hide it. I adored that there's a child. I adored that the evil friend/wife is actually evil. I adored the general craving.

I tried to identify the reason why I did not have the feelings I had while reading The Highwayman or The Duke Perfect Wife or Again the Magic (oh my good Lord) and I belive it is the passion. If that between the protagonists of Only a Duke will Do had been stronger, as a reader's perception, and not only as written words, I would have added this to my favourite HR shelf right away.

Nevertheless this is a must read so you really must.

Merrick's and Isolde's story was fun and unique. This lovely couple met and fell in love,- riding high on their romance through the night before the marriage. Her best friend steals him from her in a twist of trickery and harsh betrayal from Isolde's best friend, thwarting both the bride and the groom's hope for a happy life. Her groom is forced to marry the traitorous friend-despite his best efforts to explain the horrible incident as the betrayal to both of them that it truly was.

Five years later, Isolde returns. She decides that she is not willing to live her life on the shelf and wants a family of her own. But the moment that she sees the man who still holds her heart, her mind begins an epic battle with her heart, in her own attempt to live her life in the only way she sees that she can. She wants to find husband that will be acceptable, realizing love will never be part of her consideration again.

This story gripped me from chapter one, and I read it without stopping. Yes...there is a happily ever after, but the road to happiness is frought with disappointment and pain. The story makes you laugh, cry, wring your hands...and keeps the book in front of you until its finished!

Highly recommend. Four stars for this one!


The story gripped me from the beginning - their plight one of harsh betrayal.

Great Historical Read. Isolde and Merrick were to be married when a scandal ruined everything. Now five years later Isolde returns from Scotland in hopes of finding a husband and having a family. Can Merrick in his unhappy marriage stay away? Fast paced with lots of emotion. I loved it!

Lady Isolde Worthingham is really looking forward to her marriage to the man she loves with all her heart.
Merrick Mountshaw the Duke of Moore makes a dreadful error on the eve of his wedding. One that will tear open the heart of the woman he loves.
This story has many surprises, some that made me cry and some that really shocked me. There seems no way it can have a happy ending. The author has given us good and honourable characters in very difficult circumstances. You will need tissues. A lovely emotional read.