The Duke I Once Knew by Olivia Drake is a charming read. The emotional rollercoaster ride was what really made me love this book. The feelings between the characters and the ones the characters created-hooked me right into their world. Abby was a young woman in love with her friend next-door. He too loved her just as much. They had an argument right before his father took him away. There's more to the now, Duke's family history than Abby can imagine.

Her first love, Max, is back and things between are complicated. Things went wrong for them then...will it always be like that or can they patch things up? Their young love blossoms once more. Neither one can deny their attraction or love has faded. Irresistible charm, lust, love, and new beginnings are explored here. Friendship once turned into something more, something real, never died.

Here, Olivia Drake sucked me into this juicy detailed story. I laughed, I cried, and I fell in love right along with Abby and Max. Readers will find a good dose of humor and heat splashed upon these pages. Overall, I recommend this historical romance to all.

The Duke I Once Knew will delight readers who are fans of historical romance novels that are light, entertaining, and simply about two people falling in love. There's no deep angst, dark deadly secrets, or hardline stance of any kind. Just good story-telling. Sometimes that's what I'm looking for. And it's all right.

Abby and Max reunite after fifteen years and the return of their love for each other is utterly believable and quite obviously inevitable. The forces that are trying to keep them apart (misunderstanding about the lost letters, Lady Elise, Max's poor example of a father) are addressed one by one and in a timely manner.

I love reading an older heroine in Abby. There are so few of them in historical romance that when I find one, I gravitate towards it right away. It was fine for me to read teenagers when I was younger, but not when I'm middle-aged and can't relate. I also love her taking control of her own life and not letting herself be pushed around anymore. And when she and Max had their intimacy, she proved her strong will once more.

I also loved that the characters are flawed, but still sympathetic. Especially Max. It makes the book as close to reality as it could get.

If I have minor complaints (villainess with no redeeming factor, some repetition in the PoVs, so many named characters some of whom never got fully developed), they're overshadowed by the positives.

Last book of the year!! Unfortunately due to the ups and downs and turns of the holidays (and possibly because of my new addiction to the TV series "Bones"), this book took me FOREVER to finish. On the plus side, I did finish it before its publication date! 

I adore rekindled love stories, so this book hit the spot. The main character Abbey was relatable in her desire to finally do something for her self, as opposed to those around her. Max, the duke of this tale, seemingly held onto his grudge for quite a while, but he was a very redeemable protagonist. 

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to historical romance lovers.

Rating: 4/5

An epic sweet romance that made me swoon moment after moment as these two fell in love.

An interesting, fresh plot with solid historical romance underpinnings - I enjoyed it very much. Abigail was stubborn and independent, but also very sweet and caring. I love second chance love stories, and this one didn't disappoint.

If you're a fan of sweet over sultry then this is the book for you. Although there was only a touch of forbidden moments in this book it was incredibly sweet. It had its fair share of frustration in it too, which is inevitable when you're dealing with Regency Romance! :D

The characters were lovely enough, I did crave more from them but it didn't ruin the book for me. The pace of the book moved along quickly and the small mystery of "but where..." that is hidden in the story was enough to keep me latched on to that question too!

Overall, it was a sweet read and perfect to finish up on Christmas Eve!

3.5 Savvy Crowns from me.

I don't know how I was able to continue reading the book after the first 30%. The story begins with the heroine been treated horribly by her siblings. The whole vibe I was getting when I was reading that scene was that Abby was a burden and each sibling had his own life to live. Abby had some attitude and self esteem which was good, but she didn't get a guy who was good enough for her and made me think that he actually cared for her. Wanna know why? Because we are first introduced to Max when he is in the library kissing another woman whom he plans to have as his mistress. Isn't that the best way to introduce your "hero" in a historical romance novel? After that, we got reminded a few times that Max was busy sowing his oats while the heroine was living a boring, virginal life. The book got slightly better after that, but I didn't like how the wanna-be mistress was around the whole time. She is there for like 85% of the story.

The Duke I Once Knew is the first book in Olivia Drake’s Unlikely Duchesses series of Regency-era historical romances. I’ve read one of Drake’s other books, so I was looking forward to reading this one.

Abby is the youngest sibling in a fairly large family. She is also significantly younger than everyone else, and so she has spent her youth taking care of her nieces and nephews. As the story begins, her siblings are fighting over who needs Abby’s help more. In a fit of pique, Abby decides that she is not going with any of them and that she will accept a governess position at the ducal estate next door (so to speak).

Abby is fine with taking the job because she does not expect to see the duke- Max- because he has not been in residence for over a decade. But of course, he arrives with a whole entourage of people, and Abby is forced to confront her past.

When Abby was fifteen and the duke was sixteen, they shared a tender little romance. It ended abruptly when Abby resisted Max’s physical advances, and he said that if she won’t comfort him, he’d find someone who would. And then he walked out of her life and literally never came back to the ducal seat.

Apparently, he wrote to her, but when she didn’t respond, he assumed that he’d offended her and never actually went home to follow up with her and apologize in person. He spent the next decade being a Super Rake. The missing letters are a Big Issue, and one of the things that kept me reading was the hope that the resolution would be satisfying. It was not.

In fact, he’s so rakish that he’s shown up at his house with the lady he wants to make his mistress. Of course, once he sees Abby, all that changes, and the Almost Mistress is none too happy about that. And I can’t say that I blame her. Yes, she’s catty and awful and does unforgiveable things, but Max definitely sends mixed signals throughout the book.

I wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t get beyond Max’s callous behavior. Yes, he was only a boy, but he had ample time to make amends for someone he supposedly cared about very much. And even now, he invites a woman to his house for the sole purpose of making her his mistress, and then he drops her like a hot potato when something better comes along.

The Duke I Once Knew is a decidedly average book. There are some funny moments, but characterization is fairly superficial, and I didn’t find the chemistry to be believable. Abby was nice, for the most part, and she deserves better than a duke with flimsy excuses.


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Fifteen years have passed since Abby saw the Duke of Rothwell, and when she took the governess position at his estate, she never dreamed she would see him again. He had left her life, broke his promise, and never returned. She is tired of being at her family's beck and call and wants finally to do something for herself, so she takes the position as governess to his younger sister.  She is in for a world of surprise when not only does she see him again but she gets trapped in his library while he has an assignation with his mistress. How embarrassing when he finds her trying to crawl out of the room undetected.

He never wanted to return to his childhood home, and he certainly never wanted to see the girl he thinks spurned him when he moved away. He has lived a wild life in the 15 years since leaving, and as he is trying to seduce a woman into becoming his next mistress, what he doesn’t expect to find is the girl he once loved and wanted to marry in his employ without his knowledge sneaking around his library.

The chemistry between the two was great from the start and their back story added an interesting plot element as they try to come to terms with the fact that his father worked to keep them apart all those years ago.  I enjoyed their story a lot and the plot and conflict worked steadily to keep the story going from start to finish.  There were not a lot of slow moments and I liked the villain being the woman who wanted him for herself. Enjoyable all around and a beautiful love story.

This delightful and charming second-chance Regency romance is so beautifully written, I felt I had gone back in time and was right in the middle of all that was happening. I really liked Abigail Linton and her dynamic with the other characters especially her childhood sweetheart Maxwell Bryce, the Duke of Rothwell and notorious rake who she hasn't see in fifteen years. Fans of well-crafted Regency romance should plan to read this heartwarming romance. I received an advance reader copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my voluntary and unbiased review.

This is a second chance historical romance, when one becomes a "spinster" at thirty. It's quite acceptable to be married before the age of twenty.

Abby and Max were childhood friends and sweethearts. Unfortunately, Max and his sister were whisked off to London when he was only fifteen.

Fast forward to fifteen years later, and Abby wants a change in her life. She loves her family dearly, but answers to every beck and call, and now they are talking about her as if she isn't there. She makes the decision of earning her own way. She applies for a governess position and now that she feels secure, Max reappears.

Max is the most eligible bachelor and the rake of London. He has to make a last minute change to stop at his Dukedom for the forthcoming week. He has brought his questionable entourage, including his mistress. Imagine his surprise on encountering the governess. It would appear that there has been a misunderstanding, but the old spark is still present. Will they clear up the misunderstanding or will Max continue to be the rogue that he is renowned for?

It's a well written historical romance. The two main characters are very well portrayed as are the secondary characters.

I was kindly issued with an eARC from Netgalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

A lovely second chance romance. You get a real sense of their youthful love for one another and how important they were to each other as teenagers. There is real substance to their story. I couldn't help but root for them to finally have their happy ever after when they found each other again as adults.
I loved the wicked side characters and the dilemmas that were created in attempts to thwart true love.

A good read. I loved it.

I loved Abby's need for independence. Max was self-absorbed in a way, but he realized how his life affected those around him. With plenty of misunderstandings and assumptions, I did not want to stop reading. My heart and emotions were pulled into this story. I highly recommend this story.

I received an ARC of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

The Duke I Once Knew is one of the best second chance romances you will read. The most hilarious scene takes place in the library with our rogue of a hero, Max, the Duke of Rothwell, trying to seduce his ‘would-be’ mistress for the first time. Our darling, innocent Abby is trying to get out of said library with out being noticed. Big OOPS!

Max and Abby were childhood friends and sweethearts. Ending their dreams is his mother’s death and father’s desire to get away from the home in which his wife died. Max and Abby both wrote letters to the other following their separation, but the letters never made it. Both believe the other forgot about them. Abby takes care of her aging parents, while Max lives the life of a libertine. Both trying to forget about the other thinking they will never meet again.

Fifteen years later, Abby is hired by Max’s aunt as governess to his little sister, Lady Gwendolyn. Really, nothing could go wrong if Max does not even know he has hired her. Yet, it does, such as Abby being in the library trying to hide while Max is seducing his new paramour. Max has returned home for the first time in fifteen years.

What follows is a mixture of love, jealousy, confusion, lack of trust, hurt and frustration to make a delightful weekend read. Max redeemed himself for the sweet HEA. The Unlikely Duchesses series is one you do not want to miss as this is a great beginning.

The Duke I Once Knew by Olivia Drake. Max, the Duke of Rothwell, and Abigail Linton, were once childhood sweethearts. Max left his home when his mother died and moved to London. He had made so many promises to Abby but never got in touch with her. He didn’t even respond to her letters. That was 15 years ago. Abby, ended up without even a season as she spent her life taking care of first her parents, then it seemed she took care of her brothers and sisters children. She had heard about Max being a notorious rake. When the governess for the Duke’s sister left suddenly, Abby applied for the position and was accepted without the Duke’s knowledge. She felt she was just being used by her family and no one asked her what she wanted. Upon starting the role, the Duke shows up with his friends and tells her she is done at the end of the week. Things might change when they find out that they had written to each other but someone had intercepted their letters. Do they have a second chance at love and can the Duke be faithful to a wife. I received an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

One of my favorite tropes, this is a second chance at love story, after 15 years have passed. Abigail has been taking care of her family it seems forever. First her elderly parents and then other family members and they always seemed to make her decisions for her. Determined to set out on her own, she takes a governess position on a estate nearby. What she did not expect was that the man who broke her heart many years ago, would come home after being absent since she had last set eyes on him. Max was really not happy when he saw who the governess was for his sister's children. His remembered she had pushed him away all those years ago.
But as the two meet again, it seems there are a lot of angst between them they may never be resolved. Can they now find those feelings they had once? I really enjoyed this tale and know you will too! The first in a new series I look forward to the next book!!

A second chance story that will warm your heart. Strong characters, great dialog and wonderfully-written situations make this story a great read. Rooting for Abby and Max was easy and I kept saying “just another minute and they will realize their destiny to be together”. When it comes it is beautiful and lovely. A wonderful story that was a pleasure to read.

Abigail (Abby) Linton has just attended the christening of her nephew, Freddie. His father, James, is a vicar and Abby’s brother. Her older brother, Clifford, inherited Linton Manor upon the deaths of their paren a year ago. During their long illnesses, Abby had been the one to take care of them. This meant she never had a chance to have a season. Now age 29, Abby is the youngest of five.

Clifford has just stated that Abby should remain in the family home and be a companion to his wife, Lucille. Then, the other siblings begin arguing that they need Abby’s help with their families. Tired of their squabbling, Abby says she will be the one to decide her future, not them. She has decided to apply for the position of governess to Lady Gwendolyn (Gwen) Bryce, age 15, at nearby Rothwell Court. The young girl is the sister of the very eligible Maxwell Bryce, the Duke of Rothwell, and a man with a wicked reputation. Having known Maxwell when she was growing up, they had shared a romance when she was just 15. Now, he is a man who enjoys being a bachelor, spending his time in London, and is not willing to give it all up and get married.

Abby gets the position and enjoys teaching Lady Gwen. When Maxwell unexpectedly shows up at Rothwell Court with his crass mistress-wanna-be in tow, sparks fly. Maxwell is sponsoring a prize fighter and wants him to train in private in his stables. He is surprised to see Abby there and she does not hesitate to tell him that bringing his rowdy friends and light skirt to his home is a bad idea, especially with his young sister living there.

Abby and Maxwell are thrown together a lot and Abby suffers insults of Maxwell’s lady friend. In addition, she has a difficult time trying to keep Lady Gwen and Abby’s cousin visiting her out of mischief. It is not easy. Is there still a spark between Abby and Maxwell? What happened to break up their relationship years earlier?

This story has a lot going for it and against it. I liked the story of Abby and Maxwell, but I was really surprised that Maxwell had brought his rowdy friends to Rothwell Court where his sister would be mingling with them. That was just very unwise. Some of the story is a bit far-fetched at times, but I think it has enough going for it to give it a 4-star rating.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a good paced read that was very enjoyable. Abigail Linton and Maxwell Bryce, now the Duke of Rothwell, had known each since they were teenagers but hadn’t seen each other for 15 years. Abigail was tired of her family deciding on her future and took herself off to become the governess for Max’s sister. I liked the fact that Abigail was not afraid of speaking her opinion to Max. Max had lead a dissolute life since leaving, but would seeing Abigail again make him change. Things didn’t run smoothly as there was a jealous rival to contend with and a mystery concerning their letters to solve. This story kept me engrossed until the end. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Charming! This is the first story that I have read by Olivia Drake and it will definitely not be the last. Well written, with likable characters this author’s eloquent descriptive, intrigued and charmed from the beginning to the end. Every scene, every word uttered, mesmerized, i was vested in their happiness and in their journey, in this second chance romance.

Abigail Linton is firmly on the shelf. About to turn thirty years old, she is ready for a change. After always doing what everyone else has always wanted or expected of her, she applies for the post of Governess to the Lady Gwendolyn Bryce At Rothwell Court.

Maxwell Bryce, the Duke Of Rothwell is the most eligible bachelor in England, as well as also being England’s most infamous libertine. It has been fifteen years since he has been home to Rothwell Court, where his younger sister resides with an aging Aunt, Lady Hester. But when he arrives unexpectedly with his soon to be mistress and his prize fighter, he finds himself coming face to face with his past.

Abigail Linton had been his first love and last, for she was the girl who had opened his eyes to the idiocy. of falling in love. She was the one he’d dreamed about for so long, the one against whom every other woman had been measured and found wanting. As they both are thrown together for a week they both discover that their feelings for each other, just might be to strong to resist. Will they find happiness or will the Duke leave her once again? Loved it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.