Great story with reunited childhood loves but with obstacles in the way, lost letters, family that means well but not, a widow in need of money that will stop at nothing to gain a Duke, broken hearts and one rogue rake that has his flings thrown in his face by the one girl he destroyed when she was 15, but the biggest obstacle is their love that they still have for each other while she hides hers, he try’s to smash it because he won’t ever get married or have children (fears his father engraved into Max’s head)

They fell in love when she was 15 and he 16, but tragically something happen and his father split them apart in more way then one. Now Abby is 29 almost 30 a spinster and is a unpaid servent to her much older siblings (like her oldest brother is 60 and the second youngest or 5 is 7 years older then Abby) since she became the caretaker of her sickly parents and after they past her siblings say her as the maiden aunt that will be there to sooth her many nieces and nephews and to be pushed from one sister house to her brothers house when they need her ‘servitude’. That made her want to become her pawn person and have a job, even might get her a husband and then children is that happens, but she finally stood up for her self in front of her beloved family. She knew taking the job as Gwen governess might cause problems but Abby was hoping that her long lost love a rakehell, playboy/ rouge will never find out that Abby is there in his country home. But an unexpected case of the measles, a prizefighter and future mistress in the make will bring the rake Max Bryce Rothwell to the only place close enough to protect is investment in the boxer, and hopefully entice a widow to his bed as a mistress but the she wants titled and money). First time in 15 year Since Abby sees Max in the library with his mouth on the widow’s lips and his hand up her skirt, Abby know the stories she heard but comparing the boy she knew to the man she watching will force her broken heart to become encased in unbreakable stone, if she to stay out of her family’s bouncing maid she will have to push her love for the boy she knew to the back of her mind to keep her job as governess and not to let memories to make her a fool for Max ever again.

Abigail "Abby" Linton is tired of not being in control of her own person. Her family never takes into consideration what she wants or how she feels. Abby is ready for a life of her own. That is how she finds herself taking a position as a governess at a neighboring estate. Abby should have known her position was too good to be true.

Maxwell "Max" Bryce, the Duke of Rothwell, is beyond shocked when he arrives to find his first love is working in his employ, and as his sister's new governess no less. Max wants to fire her, but gives her until he finds a replacement before she has to leave. In the meantime, how is he going to avoid her?! Being around Abby brings old feelings to the surface. It isn't long before the past comes to a head, and suddenly Max isn't so sure he wants to let Abby go after all. Can they make it work the second time around?

THE DUKE I ONCE KNEW is the first in author Olivia Drake's exciting new UNLIKELY DUCHESSES series. I felt an instant connection to both the hero and heroine, Max and Abby. Second chance love stories are some of my favorites and theirs did not let me down. Although either is loath to admit it, they have never stopped loving one another. Something so small has held them back from each other for years. I wanted to cry at all the years they missed being together. Luckily for them, fate smiles upon them and reunites them. Their path isn't easy, but they are strong enough to get where they need to be. THE DUKE I ONCE KNEW is a very raw, gritty and powerful love story. Ms. Drake's UNLIKELY DUCHESSES series is sure to captivate.

Really enjoyed this book. Was a bit predictable but still very enjoyable. Characters and story were interesting. Have already preordered for my store

This was a fantastic read that I couldn't put down. I enjoyed the story of Abby & Max & how they reenter each other's lives after being romantically involved as teenagers. I highly suggest reading this book to find out how they reconnect & what becomes of them when they do.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review. An adorable second chance romance that while somewhat unbelievable, it still entices the reader enough to ignore it so the characters can connect.

Oh how i enjoyed this story! Abby is almost 30, a woman who never stopped loving the boy next door. Max, now a duke, has become a rake...love is not for him! I won't spoil ghe story. Suffice it to say there are some great secondary characters i hope we hear from later, and a wonderful HEA...after a while!

Abby and Max are two people who fell in love long ago, only to be re-united and have the impression each betrayed the other. Ms. Drake does a good job of making sure that they both remember the history between them and rekindling their romance. This book is a fun read that will leave you wanting to turn the page for more.

I enjoyed this first in a new series. Max and Abby were teenagers in love until Max’s mother died and his father took him from his country home. They vowed to write and wed but the letters they each wrote were never received and they assumed the other had moved on.

Fifteen years later, Abby has never had a season or married due to her parents’ illness and her family treats her more like a servant. She decides to build her own life and becomes governess to Max’s sister. She’s stunned when he shows up after all these years.

The romance is sweet and I enjoyed all the characters we are introduced too. I look forward to more books in this series.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

***ARC was provided to me for a fair and honest review***

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Heroine (Abby): 4/5 She is turning thirty and wants to have a life that isn’t under her siblings roofs’ and will do anything to do so, even work as a governess at the home of her childhood boyfriend

Hero (Max): 4/5 He has left behind his country estate and childhood girlfriend for the lavishes of London, but when a prizefight calls him back to his estate he must face the past.

Plot: 3/5 Abby wants to get out of her family’s houses and experience the world. She applies to work at the Duke of Rothwell’s estate as governess for the Duke’s younger sister. Though Abby and Max, the duke, shared a childhood romance Abby is sure that Max lost interest long ago when he moved to London and earned a reputation as a rogue. Now he’s come home to his country estate and Abby hopes she can keep her feelings to herself, but can Max?

Personal Review: The lake scene? So good. Really steamy. Loved it.

Typically I love to read ‘lord of the house falls for his charge’s governess’ stories, and this one was really good at times. I just found it difficult to get into the story and the romance doesn’t really pick up until fifty percent of the way in. The last thirty five-ish percent was really paced well and was a breeze to get through with some fun action.

Max and Abby made a good paring and have great chemistry, I just wish they started not hating the other slightly sooner in the story.

I felt bad for Abby whenever she was dealing with her family, they treat her like a servant, which yes is part of the plot, but we never got character growth from them. I wished the story continued on just a bit to reveal how the family reacts to Abby having the highest social standing of the siblings.

I enjoyed how independent the heroine of this story was. I like a story that has a backstory for the main characters. I did find that the plot felt a bit rushed.

Well written and flows nice. I really enjoyed this book. I was glued to the pages. Enjoyed reading how Max and Abbie rekindle their romance.

The Story in 4 Sentences or Less: Abigail Linton and Maxwell Bryce, the Duke of Rothwell were childhood sweethearts until a family tragedy took Max away, Abby’s letters to him went unanswered, and both of them ended up broken hearted. Fifteen years later Abby is done devoting herself to caring for her siblings’ children and catering to their needs so she takes a position as a governess on a neighboring estate, to Max’s young sister and convinces herself that since he hasn’t set foot on the estate since that fateful day she has nothing to worry about. Until Max does show up and while both he and Abby are convinced that the other broke their heart, it doesn’t take long to figure out that their letters to each other never arrived at their intended destinations. But fifteen years has changed them both and there may not be enough affection between them for a second chance.




Like It? Hate it? Love it? Why? Honestly, I got bored and frustrated with this book. For many reasons. Don’t get me wrong, in theory the set up was a good, if common one. Titled lord falls for untitled girl, they make plans to marry but fate (or scheming relatives) separate the young lovers leading them to believe the other spurned them. I don’t mind the theme but I had a problem with the characters, their connection, and their romance.

Let’s start with Max, the duke and “hero” of the story. He’s a skirt chaser, a libertine of the worst sort and that usually doesn’t bother me BUT Max just came off as sleazy at times and it usually was when he interacting with Abby. Overall he wasn’t someone I could fall for. Too arrogant, no humility at the end, just a man playing power games when he should have been growing up and growing into his feelings for Abby.

Then there’s Abby. I didn’t like her either. She was dull, a bit of a nag, and always disapproving about something. Those were the three traits that she exhibited throughout the story. Her inner monologue about Max grated on my nerves because that’s all she did when she wasn’t nagging or being disapproving. And for a governess she spent a lot of time away from her charge. She was almost always conveniently running into him, getting caught thinking about him, or letting it slip to others that she had an interest in him. She was predictable and like I said, dull.

As a couple I had a big issue with Max and Abby. Supposedly he was in love with her when he was young and as an adult still feels something for her but he LOVED to toss his position of power over her as her employer, ordering her around, constantly reminding her that she was in his employ, etc. I really felt the imbalance of power here and the fact that Max used it to his advantage was a turn off. It was like Abby couldn’t be an equal to him mentally or emotionally, not even behind closed doors. He treated her like a servant in front of his friends and the woman he was intending on making his mistress, and that didn’t change even as his feelings for her did. He never really courted Abby once he realized he wanted a future with her, there was no romance between them, no re-connecting emotionally just… Nothing. I didn’t feel that these two were hopelessly, desperately in love with each other. I didn’t even see the kindness and gentleness that Abby claimed Max had in him. He was tolerant at best and childish at worst. They both were.

And don’t get me started on Abby’s manipulative and abusive family that basically saw her as an unpaid servant and babysitter. That type of “family” is right up there with “elective root canal” and “nope.” Naturally she never stood up to them, made excuses for them, and forgave them because “they are family.” Blech.


Click It or Skip It? Skip It. I’m not opposed to reading this author’s work again but this one just didn’t work for me at all. I didn’t connect with the characters and they never convinced me that they were in love.

I was given an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

This was such a sweet story, a pleasure of a romance-made me so happy on a cold gloomy day.
One of her best

First time read by Olivia Drake. The “Duke I Once Knew” was a very nice read that had me turning pages at certain parts of the story. The pacing of the story was very good, and I thought the HEA could have been done a bit better than what was presented in the story. I did feel that the author rushed the ending a bit to get there but I was glad to see the MC’s finding that they still loved one another.

Abigail “Abby” Linton, approaching her 30th birthday is finding herself slowly becoming the spinster that her family see her as and this was due to devoting herself to care for her parents (now recently deceased) with no assistance from her much older siblings. Yet she also has dedicated her life to assisting her older siblings with their housekeeping, children and other things because they see her as nothing more than a pawn to do their bidding. Because of their own shellfish needs, Abby has never had the life that she should have had when she was younger, but they could care less. She finds herself at the family estate having to listen to her bickering siblings try to determine where Abby should live and why her services to them is needed the most. Unfortunate for them, she decides to try to find her own way in life and takes on the position of governess to the sister of an absent Duke…Maxwell Bryce, her first love in the estate neighboring her family.

Maxwell Bryce, now the Duke of Rothwell, at age 15 years found friendship, romance with promises towards Abby when they use to meet by the lake to discuss everything. They secretly pledged devotion and love towards one another each time they met. However, on the day of his mother’s funeral, his father decides to take him and his infant sister to London. Max finding comfort in Abby’s arms was seeking more from her that day, but she never relented her virginity to him. He went away angry, hurt and in the process caused her emotional heartbreak. To patch things between them, they sent several letters but neither receive them. Believing that Abby did not care anymore for him, Max remained in London which accumulated to a 15-year absence from his estate.

After getting comfortable in her role as governess, Abby is surprised to see Max back at his estate and with what she believes is his now mistress. For Max, after seeing Abby he finds himself not wanting to leave his estate ever again. One problem, he must find a way to get rid of the want-to-be Duchess who interferes with his intentions of rekindling his love for Abby.

The MCs in the story were okay and adaptable although I did become irritated with Abby because of her tendency to jump to conclusions and voicing her opinions without thinking first. She had no problem confronting Max when he did something wrong, but never did the same with her family whenever they tried to take advantage of her kindness or had her acting as a servant. I too thought Max was a bit condescending at times and was lacking towards his affections for his sister. He in some ways did the same as Abby’s family when he took advantage of her position as governess because he wanted to devote himself to his prize fighter. Although there were some rough edges in the story, I thought it was well written and presented. I did enjoy the characters and the story ending in a HEA.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4- Stars

I struggled a bit reading this. I it was very stiff and formal for me. I know it was historical, but Abby was such an uptight prude I had a hard time believing she was 30. I like my heroine a bit more feisty. And her family was filled with self centered jerks. Max was all right but I felt like he could use some starch to his spine!

This title was the Duke I Once Knew and after reading I wondered why she would want to know him again. So we meet Abby who is a doormat and allows her family to do whatever, she in an act of rebellion (yeah shocked me) decides to work as a governess and ends up working for her long lost love's family. At a young age Abby fell in love with Max and promises were made but unfortunately they broke up after some miscommunications and shade from others. Max goes on to become a manwhore literally after professing his love, like really quickly (yeah that's love) anyhoo he comes home years later and discovers that the woman whom he had loved and did him wrong is now working for him and his family and he comes with a mistress in tow. More misunderstanding, judgements all over and honestly I didn't care for any of them, not Abby, not Max and not her family. I wont continue with the rest of the series.

I enjoyed this book but I did have some issues with it. I love a second chance romance but they have to be done well. This one wasn’t horrendous but it also wasn’t the best.
The mistake that’s often made is that authors seem to forget that the reader wants the love story, not just the ending.
I didn’t feel that these two would have fallen in love with each other if it weren’t for their past. There were no moments of bonding, no compromises between them and not really a lot if chemistry. If it hadn’t been s second chancevromance then it would have been placed in the DNF pile for not having any genuine connection between the hero and heroine.
Individually I liked the characters but I just didn’t feel that they were meant to be.
2.5 stars.

Don't we all love a good 'what might have been' story?

This is the story of Abby, youngest daughter of aged parents of the landed gentry, and Max, a duke with a reputation for being a notorious libertine. Abby and Max had a brief but intense clandestine relationship 15 years prior to the events of this book, but have not had any contact since. Abby has become a spinster essentially by default, as she missed out on her chance at a London season because she had to be the one of all of her siblings to stay home and care for her aging parents. Meanwhile Max has lived the life of the typical London rake and has not returned to his childhood home, Rothwell Court, other than to bury his father, and chooses to spend all his time in London or at another of his estates, leaving his sister, Gwen, behind at the Court with his spinster aunt. When Gwen's governess leaves her position suddenly, Abby approaches his aunt for the position in a bid to escape her siblings, who all quarrel over who should have Abby live with them as essentially an unpaid servant. Abby loves her family but wants to finally claim some independence for herself. This works fine until Max and his party of friends, two London rakes, two widows, and a prizefighter descend unexpectedly on the Court for a week and Max is infuriated to find Abby there. As the two inevitably run into each other whilst living under the same roof, it becomes apparent that both were mistaken about the circumstances of their separation all those years ago. After all this time, both have grown up and are much changed. Will they have their second chance at love or will time, jealous lovers, and old grudges keep them apart for good?

Final thoughts: The extent to which Abby's siblings utterly failed her was just appalling. They believed her to be happy as a spinster, despite the fact that it was a role she was thrust into, largely because of them taking advantage of her and using her as a caretaker for their parents and their own children. Even after their parents' deaths none of the siblings asked Abby what she wanted to do with her life; they were all just awful and selfish.

I enjoyed the fact that Abby just wanted to make her own decisions and that she didn't pine insipidly after the hero all the time.

I felt like the ending was a bit rushed; I would've liked to see an epilogue or something to wrap things up more completely. While we get our happy ending, in my opinion everything could've been expounded on a bit more to make it more satisfying. That said, I really enjoyed this one and would highly recommend it!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Who doesn't love a duke. I know I do. The latest by Olivia Drake did not disappoint on dukes or plot. I loved this book front cover to cover and fell in love with the characters along the way. I will definitely be buying this one when it hits shelves and will be recommending it to friends along the way

I love romances and I read so many of them. This one stood out to me because the story was a little bit different and there wasn't hurdle after hurdle to be together. The writing style wasn't what I am used to. Not my favorite but it was still good and the story made up for it!