Another lovely story in the Landing a Lord series. A bit of angst but not too much. Charles and Ellen are just lovely people. Ellen has sworn off men being a widow with a horrific dead husband and Charles is the fellow who loved her all of this time. When he tells Ellen he plans to woo her you would think she had developed a malady. But his wooing won her over (even after a misunderstanding) and they live happily ever after.

I found this book very engaging. It is a beautifully written story that really tugs at your heart. Although it is a fairly light read, there is a lot of emotional depth to the characters and the plot. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter and couldn’t put it down. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this talented author!

I read all books of this series, with the first one being the most interesting and entertaining one both in terms of plot and writing style. I think the author felt the urge to give a story to two very secondary characters of the third book, but unfortunately lacked ideas for a more structured development. It all revolves around a nobleman and a noble woman who were close friends when they were children, had a fall out when he estranged her because he preferred to play with his peers than be ensnared by his parents' scheme to wed the girl when they would be older (unsurprisingly enough for a 12-years old). When he comes to his senses it's too late, the hellion of his childhood has grown into a lovely woman, but she's betrothed to a man who will abuse her and cheat on her during their fortunately not excessively long marriage, giving him a second chance with the love of his life.

I could not perceive a real emotional tension between the two and I'm afraid this book did not live up to my expectations. It is however a pleasant read for a few hours escapism.

I actually liked the start of this story but it fell flat pretty fast because literally nothing was happening. Plus, I could have skipped chapter 11 completely with no loss. Dnf after jumping to 78% and still not being impressed. Wish author had started with her a year into her marriage and cover her interactions with husband and his subsequent death but to wait 10 years just seems wasteful and unnecessary in a romance novel. Thanks for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ellen and Charles were childhood best friends, until Charles turned 12 and decided that his best friend shouldn't be a girl. She grows up and falls in love. When she announces her betrothal, Charles has disparaging things to say. Hurt over what he said to her, Ellen gets back at Charles by saying horrible things about him amongst the ton. After many years in a horrible marriage, Ellen is now a widow. She is shocked when Charles approaches her and tells her he plans to court her. She doesn't believe him and thinks that he is just trying to get back at her for all the things she said about him.

Charles gave up Ellen as a best friend after learning that his and her parents had plans to marry the two when they grew up. He wasn't ready to hear anything like that. When he hears that she is about to marry, he is hurt and lashes out. He hears the rumors that Ellen starts, but knows that he deserves her censure and does nothing about them. He realized years ago, that Ellen was the woman for him. Now that she is out of mourning, he is not going to let anything get in his way of earning her love.

I loved Ellen and Charles story!! I loved watching Charles break down the barriers that Ellen had erected around her heart. I also loved all the bantering between them. Since they had known each other for so many years, even thought there were separated for many of those years, they fell right back into old patterns. This was a great addition o the Landing a Lord series!!

As a widow of an abusive husband, Ellen does not trust many men. She especially does not trust her former childhood friend Charles, the Duke of Castlefield, who rejected her friendship as a young girl. I enjoyed this enemies to lovers book. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

As the fourth book in the series, The Unsuitable Duke, is a standalone book. However, characters from previous books make their appearance, but this is done with seamlessness, and well-integrated into this book. Ellen Laughton has forgiven her friend, the sister of the Duke of Castlefield, when she believed she was having an affair with her husband. However, Ellen is less reluctant to forgive Castlefield, her childhood friend. Her resentment has stemmed from his withdrawal from her, when it became apparent that his parents were hoping that they would one day marry. Instead, Ellen was left to marry an abusive man, with Charles realising too late, that he felt strongly for her.
It is always enjoyable to read stories of friends to lovers, and this book is no exception. Ellen is a strong female character, who was never accepting of her husband’s abuse, choosing instead to retaliate with her own measure of defence, aided by her brother’s instructions. Charles was such a strong presence in this story and his resilience and persistence, despite Ellen’s rejection, was very honourable, and made him such a hero! A lovely story overall, with many great secondary characters.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Unsuitable Duke was an enjoyable book. It was a fast read that felt a bit more like a novella. Ellen has recently been released from a horrific marriage when she becomes reacquainted with a childhood friend, Charles. The two have had a long history of animosity towards one another and are working to figure out whether they can become friends (or more) again. I enjoyed the childhood friends to lovers theme and liked how the heroine took it upon herself to learn to fight back against an abusive husband. I did, however, find the whole premise of why Ellen and Charles were arguing to fall a bit flat. The idea that someone would hold such a long grudge from a seemingly minor incident in childhood to the point of wanting retribution as an adult just didn't make sense to me. Ellen just seemed a bit immature in that regard. I also wanted to feel more of the tension between the two and felt like the story could have been a bit more developed there. That being said, I found that I wanted to keep reading and did really like the book. I would give it 3 to 3 1/2 stars.

This copy was an ARC provided to me by NetGalley and the opinions are my own.

Disclaimer: I'm a sucker for romances which follow the line of childhood friends who later in life discover their romantic love for each other AND who have entertaining family members.
That said, I enjoyed reading this. However, Ellen did annoy me. She was too distrusting of Charles, all because he "rejected" her when he was 12 and preferred to play and go on adventures with her brother. I found that rather immature for a woman 32 years of age. Her distrust is also repeatedly mentioned, which gets redundant.
As far as Charles goes, sigh...
I read an ARC I received via NetGalley; the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.