Engaging and enchanting. To find a love that you thought lost. Abby and Max were neighbors growing up and shared a secret romance. Tragedy separated them until fate brought them back together. Can a love surrounded by secrets, misunderstandings, deception, and a scheming woman find a way to flourish or will it eventually wither away? The characters are heartfelt, entertaining and full of life. The story line is sad and joyous as well as exciting. I couldnt put it down. Cant wait for the next one.

The Duke I Once Knew was a light read . Its the first book I have read from Olivia Drake and although this one was little predictable I would still read her other novels . I received this ARC from NetGalley for and honest review. Opinions are my own.

The Duke I Once Knew was a fun historical romance. I will read more from Olivia Drake. Thanks St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

The book fell flat for me. I had a hard time getting into the characters and then finishing. As a result, I won’t be sharing a review on social media.

Abigail Linton’s future is taken out of her own hands as her older siblings are deciding her fate, given that her main role as caregiver to her elderly parents ended after they succumbed to influenza.

Against everyone’s wishes, she decides to become a governess to Lady Gwendolyn who is still 3 years away from making her debut in London. Then the notorious rake Duke of Rothwell turns up unexpectedly…

I enjoyed it so much I read it twice for the review. But I felt that the banter between the leads did not really move the story along or made it more suspenseful and exciting for the reader. Unable to comment much on the finer details since it was an uncorrected copy.

As the start of the series this is good, but the ending was to abrupt. I felt that it was rushed. Nevertheless, i wanna read who the next book will be.

3.5-3.75 Stars
A historical second-chance romance with an extremely likeable male lead and a pretty likeable female lead (although she constantly jumps to the wrong conclusion, but at least she corrects herself when she knows she's been mistaken). Some pretty interesting supporting characters too. This novel was the first work I've read by the author and I'll look for the next book in this new series. A quick and easy read for historical romance readers.

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Unlikely Duchesses #1, First in a new series and a new author for me as well and I was impressed. I loved Abby she is a loveable character what she does and how she finally takes her future into her own hands is admirable. After years of being in service to her family, not maliciously, she finally breaks free. She was a late in life baby her older siblings are all much older, when she got close to the age of coming out her mother suffered an accident and the family decided Abby would help take care of her and then as her parents got older she acted as nursemaid to them both. Now after a year of morning and both parents dead her siblings arguing over where Abby will be most beneficial. Abby feed up with not having a say so in her own future finally stand up and tells them she loves them all but no, and proceeds to take up the governess role at a neighbor's estate; even if that estate belongs to the one man she gave her heart to and then crushed after all he's never home.

Maxwell Bryce, the Duke of Rothwell had a horrible childhood the only light in his life was Abby whom he loved beyond measure but after his mother died they argued and then he was gone and none of his letters answered. Max closed off his heart and because a notorious rake. Max never wanted to return to his childhood home if he ever wanted to see his Aunt and sister they would come to him but due to circumstances beyond his control he's there now and then he finds out his Aunt hired a new governess without his approval and it's Abby.

Abby and Max have a lot of time to make up for and some misunderstandings to clear up. Once Max understands what happened he is determined not to let Abby slip through his fingers again so easily. Abby isn't so sure she's never had a season never been presented at court she doesn't think she would be good for him and throw in the fact that he brought a would be mistress who was angling for more and Abby has a whole lot of obstacles to overcome.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I didn't like Max at first but I warmed up to him the more he fell back in love with Abby he had some really sweet moments. The story was heartwarming and romantic and I definitely want to read the next books in the series.

For years, Abigail Linton devoted herself to caring for her parents and her siblings’ children. Now, eager to create a life of her own, Abby seizes upon a position as a governess on a neighboring estate. Unfortunately, her absentee employer is Maxwell Bryce, the Duke of Rothwell, the notorious rake who once broke her youthful heart. But since he hasn’t set foot on his estate for fifteen years, Abby assumes she’ll never have to lay eyes on him ever again. Then, from out of nowhere, Max appears. He is stunned to come face to face with the girl next door he fell for years ago—before he went away, and she stopped writing to him. . .even though Abby swears that he is the one who left her without a word. Could it be that this spirited, witty spinster has won Max’s heart all over again—and that they may have a second chance at love?
I didn’t like this book. Right from the beginning, I was really annoyed with all of the characters and how the story itself was. It just wasn’t for me.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Abby is so tired of her family making all her decisions for her that she decides to take on a job as governess. Her family is up in arms but she is done with them. She knows Maxwell Bryce is her boos but since he is never around she thinks it's safe for her.
When Maxwell decides to come back to his estate he never imagines to see the girl who broke his heart.

This was a great book with many opportunities for things to go wrong, however things tend to go they way they should.


** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review**

OMG! This is what historical romance is all about! If you are not into historical romances, then I strongly suggest that you read “The Duke I Once Knew” by Olivia Drake. It might be set during the Regency period, but it still resonates to contemporary settings.

Why, you ask? First, the heroine is 30 years old. A spinster during that era, but today, 30 is when most women think of getting married.

Second, the hero is sort of a jerk. He is a Duke, which in contemporary romances can be a tech billionaire, a successful athlete or a Wall Street whiz kid.

It’s a romantic comedy. “The Duke I Once Knew” can easily be translated into one Hallmark Channel’s romances. It’s not Downton Abbey but the elements are all there. After all, it’s rom-com, Regency style.

I can go on with my praises, but it all boils down to one thing. Read the book! It’s hilarious… it’s fun… and most of all, something you will enjoy, though you might not be a historical romance fun.

“The Duke I Once Knew” is Rated T for Teens.

This wasn’t a new story, of young love lost by misunderstandings and an unforeseen second chance 15 years later, but something about it kept me thoroughly entertained. The redeemed rake trope is probably my least favorite in the historical romance genre, but the authors character choices make it work for me here. He brings his intended mistress to his home but he hasn’t slept with her yet so is she his mistress? And somehow this makes it okay with me for him to re-fall in love with our heroine. I don’t know... but I’ll take it. Not sure if Olivia Drake becomes an auto-buy author, but I’ll probably check out the next in this series. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

the thing about the duke i once knew is that if only the hero weren't such a gross horndog when we first met him, i might like him better. because honestly, he's not that bad, but first impressions are hard to beat and when we first see the main characters interacting abigail has just heard max finger some random widow in his library. this doesn't scream romance.

and on the one hand she writes it off as this is just max being max and not the guy i fell in love with who must have really only wanted in my pants and became a jerk when i said no. but like, isn't that terrible? it's also weird to me that abigail is fed all these stories of him being this gross libertine. like why would she want anything to do with this guy.

in the here and now we don't see much evidence of this. and the reasons they were kept apart also make no real sense. his dad didn't want him to find love, because his mom was probably manic depressive? i don't know. these things didn't work for me.

but, but, but, max and abby when they are alone and flirty and sweet together, are kind of amazing. the attraction is pretty clear from the get-go, and they have such great chemistry. so in the end, i have mixed feelings. if i ignore the way we're introduced to the hero, it's all good. but every time i remember that library scene and how it was played for laughs that just didn't come, i cringe. but if that kind of thing doesn't bother you, then this is all good.

sometimes i think i must be getting old and prudish, because i don't remember these things bothering me so much before. but i also think that in some ways #metoo and #timesup have changed my perception of this kind of behavior. there's an underlying misogyny that i find hard to tolerate, even if it's true to the time period.

**the duke i once knew will publish on december 31, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press in exchange for my honest review.

In The Duke I Once Knew, Olivia Drake has crafted a unique story for the genre that fully fits in with all of the loveliness romance fans expect, but with a few fresh situations and characters thrown in.

I grew to appreciate Abby. A girl who has spent her life as a patient, family oriented helper is not going to flip to a die-hard feminist before her time, no matter how much my brain wants her to tell her siblings to stick it where the sun don’t shine.

Elise is, hands down, one of the best written female villains I’ve read in my beloved escapist genre. I absolutely LOVED hating this woman. She may have been my favorite character, not because I liked her, but because I was seriously invested in wanting to read an epilogue about how awful the rest of her life was.

If I had one (oh so small) critique: it took me way too long to care about The Duke, Max. Maybe this was be design, otherwise the character of Elise would be completely ineffective. But I loved Abby, and I kept half looking in the wings for when another possibility might kick in.

Final note, for those of you who, like me, live in fear of a cringeworthy sexy scene: have no fears with this author. Emotive description seems to be Ms. Drake’s forte. Very well done,

The premise of this book really had me from the start. I love second chances and was really intrigued when two young people fall in love, get separated, then he becomes a Duke while she is a governess! While the plot originally drew me in, I stayed for the characters and the romance that forms between them. Lovely HEA and would recommend! Can't wait to read more from this author!

I really liked this historical read! Abby was devoted to caring for her parents and her siblings’ children but now she is ready to move forward with her own life. She takes a position as governess on a neighboring estate belonging to the man who once broke her heart. He hadn’t been to the estate in 15 years what will happen when Max returns? Great chemistry and an entertaining story.

Abigail Linton fell in love and got her heart utterly broken at a very young age. Since then she has devoted all her time to taking care of her parents and hew nieces and nephews. With her 30th birth year approaching, she is dangerously close to becoming a spinster and that cannot happen.

She decided to change her own life and takes up the job of a governess of the sister of the Duke of Rothwell who just so happens to be the man who scorned her.

But she can manage because he's never home so she'll never have to see his face again.Then he arrives unexpectedly and everything falls to chaos.

Can Max and Abigail reconcile and move forward from a painful past? Or was their love doomed from the start.

I think I am lowkey in love.

Abigail was an easy character to like. Her character might come off as submissive or naive but I actually thought she was pretty strong and a genuinely good person. I love that she knew how to stand up for herself and then see it through. Whatever she did it was out of the goodness of her heart not because she gave absolute permission to use her. I just adore her.

I didn't really like Max as much as I wanted to. I think I wanted to see more of his love, his desperation and hie yearning for Abigail. He was pretty amazing and I do love a broody, jilted hero but I know it could have been so much more.

This story was really fresh and I didn't know historical second chance romances could be so delicious. I am still getting schooled and this story was just the perfect addiction to my new found love for Historical Romances.

The first book in Olivia Drake’s new series is also the first book I’ve read of this author. I’m a sucker for a second chance romance so reading this blurb had me immediately hitting my request for review button.

This is mostly a sweet, at times frustrating, romance with a pleasant heroine and a hero who I neither loved nor hated. I found Max kind of meh.

When the book opens readers are introduced to Abby and her awful family. I mean for real, they are terrible. She loves them, but after spending her whole life taking care of her parents, and then after their deaths bouncing around from sibling to sibling serving in various capacities within their homes. In a moment of strength she announces that she won’t be passed around anymore and intends to go to work at the neighboring estate as a governess.

The neighboring estate happens to be the home of the Duke of Rothwell, who Abby knows quite well as they were once young and in love. Then Max’s mother died and his father moved him to London and the two lost all contact. Abby had heard of his reputation as a ladies man through the years, and has no desire to actually see him again, but she looks forward to getting away from her family and spending time working as a governess to Max’s younger sister.

Then something happens that forces Max to change his plans and bring his entourage to his childhood home.

While this was a pretty fast read, I can’t say that I was totally in love with either character or enthralled with their relationship with each other. Abby comes across as rather immature at times and I kind of wanted her to stand up to her family a bit more. Max spends most of the book thinking with his penis and allowing his questionable companions to have the run of his estate even while his sister was in residence. He is a cold, at times condescending, man and I just never felt like he fully morphed into the loving partner Abby needed. Their relationship took forever (it felt like anyway) to move along, but their chemistry felt off and I wasn’t fully on board for their HEA.

I may try the next book in the series, or I may try another book on this author’s backlist. I haven’t decided yet.

Abby Linton’s thirtieth birthday is rapidly approaching. Up until the previous year, she spent her time caring for her elderly parents, who have since passed away. Now her four much older siblings are arguing over which of their homes she will live in, and conveniently help with the raising of their children. Abby has learned that a governess is needed for Gwendolyn, the young sister of the neighboring Duke of Rothwell. Anxious for a taste of life on her own, Abby shocks her family by applying for the position. Gwendolyn’s aunt hires Abby, who moves into Rothwell Court, confident that she’ll never run into Maxwell, the duke. Unknown to everyone, Abby and Max were teenage sweethearts, who spent all their time together in their secret glade. When Max’s mother died, his father removed the family to London, never to return. Max vowed to wed Abby as soon as he came of age, but she never heard any word from him since the day he left fifteen years ago.

Max has avoided returning to Rothwell Court, choosing to stay in town except for the brief visit for his father’s funeral. The place brings back disturbing memories of his volatile childhood, and of the betrayal of his first young love. In the intervening years, Max has taken his father’s advice to heart and has determined never to love or marry. He has earned his rakish reputation with his many liaisons. Currently he is pursuing Elise, a delectable young widow, who is determined to become his duchess, while Max is just as determined to make her his mistress. When the plans he and his friends have made for some revelry are forced to change, the group unexpectedly ends up at Max’s country home, Rothwell Court.

Max and Abby are stunned to see each other for the first time in fifteen years, both being overcome by feelings of hurt and betrayal, as well as the echoes of that first young love. Max finds it hard to believe that Abby has never married, and is working as a governess, while Abby is shocked that even Max, with his libertine reputation, would bring his mistress to his home with his young sister in residence. Their meetings are decidedly cool, though Max quickly comes to see that he has made a serious mistake by bringing Elise to his home, and he decides to postpone his seduction until they return to town.

My very favorite thing about this story is that Max and Abby discover fairly soon that neither one of them betrayed or forgot the other. They discover that someone did know about their secret romance, and made sure that they were kept apart, though they don’t immediately find out who. Discovering that their years of feeling that they were just dismissed from each other’s mind does cause a thawing in their relationship now, but it seems that they have grown too far apart for any type of reconciliation.

THE DUKE I ONCE KNEW is a perfect title for this novel, as Abby can’t seem to find any trace of the young boy she loved in this rakish stranger. Max is truly a good man, who loves his sister and his aunt. He is dutiful, charming, and kind, just determined never to be hurt as his father was. I love how he started to fall for Abby all over again – there’s a particular scene where he remembers her birthday that is just heartwarming. It hurts him that Abby, who once could hold her own on horseback, is now afraid of them. I love his intelligence and his caring nature.
Abby was happy to care for her parents, though that meant she never had a season of her own. Her amiability led her siblings to believe she had no backbone, and would be content to shuffle from home to home. I relished how Abby decided to take charge of her own life, and made the decision to experience passion, then was strong enough to not accept anything less than a full commitment of fidelity. She is the epitome of a woman who embodies kindness and empathy, while at the same time isn’t weak or scheming or shrewish. I adore Abby as a heroine.

THE DUKE I ONCE KNEW was a fantastic read for me. I love second chance at love stories, in particular where the hero and heroine aren’t snarling enemies. I did regret that Abby and Max had to be parted for so long, but their reunion ended up being passionate and so sweet. I truly couldn’t put this well written book down once I started it, and I was left with a happy heart and a smile. I highly recommend THE DUKE I ONCE KNEW to those who enjoy historical romances with well developed characters, genuine romance, and a second chance at love.

Abby and Max meet at the age of 15 and 16 and share a summer romance in a secret glade that no one knows about. They become each other's first love.
It all comes crashing to an end when Max's mother dies after giving birth. His father the Duke, is heartbroken and takes Max and his new daughter to London never to return.
Max and Abby write to each other but unbeknownst to them their letters are intercepted, never to be received.
It is now 15 years later. Max, now the Duke, is a hard, uncaring rake. The only person he cares for is his sister Gwen.
Abby, a spinster, has taken care of her parents for years. Now that they have passed, she decides to take a job as a governess. A governess to Gwen, Max's sister.
When Max is forced to visit his ancestral home, he is surprised to find Abby there.
The sparks immediately fly.
There are some very touching scenes.
It wasn't a riveting story. But it was a very pleasant and enjoyable story.