I really liked Diana Quincy's writing and I'm glad to see that this story about an Anglo-Arab woman is an #ownvoices one, but unfortunately this just didn't work for me. I never connected to either character and Hunt was kind of jerk the whole time and he never totally redeemed himself (when he leaves her in the woods! I would've never spoken to him again!). There was also a lot going on in the story - Leela and Hunt's forbidden feelings, their back-and-forth relationship, Leela's terrible in-laws and all the trouble surrounding property and her place in the family, her publishing dreams. It was almost too much to be able to do justice to each part.

Also, I was initially delighted to read a historical where the heroine assumed she was infertile and said more than once that she had no desire to be a mother only to be disappointed with yet another child-and-another-baby-on-the-way epilogue.

3.5 Stars

Her Night With the Duke is the first in a new series by Diana Quincy. This book is about Lady Delilah Chambers who is on her way and gets stranded in an inn during a bad storm. When she’s attacked by some ruffians a handsome stranger comes to her aid and they spend a night in each other’s arms. Leela thinks it will all be a fond memory until the man she slept with is presented as the future husband of her beloved step-daughter. Her one night of indiscretion is now hard to forget as it stares her in the eye from across the table. What’s a dowager to do?

This is my first book by Quincy and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. At first, I didn’t want to read it because some of the forbidden-ness of their love affair just didn’t seem like my cup of tea. I usually prefer to have less angst around the question of being together, but their first night at the inn was hot enough to make up for that worry. I especially loved that this push and pull happened at a house party, where you know anything can happen ;).

Leela is an independent intelligent biracial woman holding her own in regency England. She’s befriended her step-daughter, Victoria since they were close in age and is truly hurting inside as she realizes how much she’s attracted to Victoria’s fiance. Quincy does an excellent job of creating Leela’s character, she discusses the sense of being “other” and having to give up her Arabian culture just to fit in. On top of being biracial, she was also a young bride that failed to produce any heirs. Life in the ton has not been kind to Leela, but she’s persevered.

My issues start with the character of Hunt. He felt like a cardboard cut-out of any old Duke. He was replaceable and forgettable and I had the hardest time believing that any woman would want him for more than his title. The best I can say for Hunt was that he was a very generous lover to Leela. My other issue is that Leela’s character did a lot of rather idiotic things to avoid love and marriage with Hunt. Even when he wants to throw over Victoria for Leela because of his feelings she puts up a fight. These roadblocks seemed contrived and easily settled with an honest conversation, which is why they really began to bother me. Victoria was a good friend to Leela, and I have no doubt that if the truth of her night with Hunt was shared earlier the girl would have been more than happy to call off the wedding for her friend.

However, this book still did have a lot going for it and I enjoyed reading it much more than some other historicals that were on my TBR. I think I’ll definitely be picking up more from this author and I would recommend her to people that enjoy the work of authors like Joanna Shupe, Courtney Milan, or Cat Sebastian.

~ Lindsey

I’m on a bit of a roll with reading great recently released historical romances from new (to me) authors, and I am loving it! I adored Her Night with the Duke. I don’t read a ton of “forbidden” romances and I really wasn’t sure how the forbidden aspect of this one would work for me, but it was so so good.

If you’re looking for a unique historical romance with angst, a forbidden coupling, and diverse representation, Her Night with the Duke should be on your TBR!

Leela is a Dowager countess, previously married at 17 she now travels the world as she writes a well known travel guide (under a pseudonym). I adore Leela so much she’s honestly a badass, she loves adventure and has zero desire to re-marry. Hunt is a duke on his way to marry for convenience. Y’all know I love a good “there’s only one bed” forced proximity moment and the beginning of this book is right up my alley. Leela and Hunt meet at an inn on a stormy night and are forced to share a room. Their chemistry is immediate and sooo good!

Leela is half Arab and struggles to find where she feels she belongs. I loved her decision to learn about that side of her ethnicity. This is the first historical romance with a heroine that is completely bare, and I loved how she explained her decision to sugar to Hunt. Also his reaction to discovering that was delightful

Following their hookup in the inn, I could NOT put this book down. I knew the realization that Hunt was to be engaged to Leela’s step-daughter was coming and the tension leading up to that was so good!! I loved the pacing and angst in this book so much. I won’t give away too much, but there are so many fantastic moments in this story. And there’s grovel! I mean, who doesn’t love a good groveling hero??

Her Night with the Duke was a five star read for me and I can’t wait for the next book in the series

Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy is the first novel I have read by this writer. I was amazed with her writing style and characterization. The dialogue between characters was fun and intense. I wasn't sure whether to expect the worst or best situations sometimes. The pages were full of action-packed scenes and a bubbling romance that was about to blow out of portion pretty quickly. It was all very entertaining.

Inside, I met a typical Duke. Tall, handsome, and very strong in his ways, Duke Elliot was fun to follow. He was caught unaware by a mystery woman. This woman will turn his carefully planned world upside down and inside out before long. In fact, all it took was one amazing night.

Enters Lady Leela. She is half foreigner and half of a local citizen. Her mother was a foreigner and her father was a Marquess. Therefore, she was of a high class but forced to marry a man her father recommended. Her father died and she married the man. This man brought forth a higher title to her name, as well as luxury and comfort. But the marriage wasn't perfect. The young son of this man hated Leela from the beginning. The young daughter took to Leela quickly. They instantly formed a bonding that won't break despite the young man's attempts.

Leela and Duke Elliot meet. It was a night of fate. One filled with passion and a night neither would forget. Then, it turns out that when they meet up again as fate would have it, they're both in for a shock of a lifetime. Society during this time, can be cruel. Leela and the Duke have rules that must be followed or else scandals occur and people they care about can be damaged by their decisions.

Risks can be taken, but how long can either of them survive without the other? Overall, I was hooked. This was a fiery tale. A strong female heroine paired with a Duke determined to follow her to the end of the earth was good. Diana Quincy is a master with storytelling. Her world of fiction was vivid, sensual, and exciting. I did not want to leave.

Leela & Hunt meet at an inn one stormy night, and when they find themselves sharing the last available room, they agree to spend one passionate night together.
Even though they try to go their separate ways, the next day they’re reconnected at a house party and discover that Hunt is soon to be betrothed to Leela’s stepdaughter.
•••
As the daughter and sister of a marquess, Leela is by no means working class or struggling, but I do always love reading about a historical heroine that has a career and/or is trying to find her own way in the world. [Leela is spending her window-hood traveling, and she’s anonymously sharing her adventures in a bestselling travelogue that the ton can’t stop talking about.] And since Leela’s mother was the daughter of not only a merchant but an Arab merchant, Leela must struggle with having a connection to multiple worlds, but not fully belonging to any one of them. She’s strong and independent and fiercely loyal to her stepdaughter (which makes things a lil angsty and complicated between her & Hunt).

Overall, I enjoyed the characters of both Hunt & Leela. While Hunt loved how unconventional Leela was as a woman, accepting her as a potential duchess was difficult for him. It took him a while to come around and deal with his insecurities with her as a partner but also with himself as duke, and I felt that was very appropriate and true to his character.

I do wish their eventually HEA hadn't been so drawn out. The back and forth of them being together and then abandoning each other caused more frustration than just some good ole angst. I also wish the villain of the story - who not only constantly snubbed Leela (publicly) and cheated her, but also attacked her - had not been so easily forgiven (not just by Leela but by Hunt and her stepdaughter who Leela had always been so supportive of). Finally, I loved the vivid imagery used to described the Arabic food and smells, but I wish we had more scenes of Leela interacting with her mother's family or traveling, which would have better supported her character's frequent use of Arabic words and new preference for Arabic foods, customs, and some clothing.
•••
eARC provided by Avon Books for an honest review.

Historical romance is always filled with women who are trying to do hard things in a time when they shouldn't. I think that Leela is the best example of this that I have seen yet. She didn't want a man. She didn't want status. She simply wanted to do life her way on her terms with the people she loved. She was determined to make that happen whether the world agreed or not. I liked her strength and her willingness to grow. I loved their happy ending. This was a page turning non-stop adventure for me.

This was the first romance I've read by this author, and I enjoyed it so much!

Lady Delilah Chambers is a widow, who has been traveling on her own and successfully writing about her adventures. She's the daughter of a Marquess, and the widow of an Earl, but her mother was the daughter of an Arab cotton merchant. Neither Leela's mother, brother, nor herself, ever quite fit into English society. At least not well enough to avoid the wagging tongues. She's on her way back to her late husband's estate for the first time in 2 years, at the request of her stepdaughter, Tori. Due to bad weather, she stops at an inn, and is forced to protect herself from some rabble, when a man comes to her defense. They share a magical night together, then they each go their own way. But, she's shocked to find out the next day that the man she spent the night with is not only a Duke, he is about to become betrothed to her stepdaughter!

Elliot Townsend, Duke of Huntington, is set to marry a nice, quiet lady that will fit into his perfect, rule-following life. His older brother was a wastrel, and a drunk, and he died in a boating accident a few years before, leaving Elliot with the title. There's a string of similar characters in his family tree, and he refuses to be like them. One night of passion in a roadside inn won't change that, even if he feels changed inside afterward. He doesn't expect to ever see the woman again, and is shocked when the next day he meets her, as his soon-to-be-intended's stepmother! How can they keep their attraction to each other under wraps? How can he go through with his meticulously crafted plans when they now feel like a trap?

Hunt and Leela had blazing hot chemistry from their first interaction, and I loved watching their verbal sparring. Their banter was spirited and fun, and watching them fall in love was so many things at once: lovely, painful, worrisome, magical, and scandalous. Mostly, it felt so real. You really felt the conflict in their characters for the feelings they felt, and how following their hearts didn't seem possible. They each had different reasons for fighting their feelings, but of course there was never any chance that they wouldn't fall madly in love, even when they thought that might not be enough.

The side characters here were a mixed bag. Leela's stepson was such a disgusting pig, and I hated everything about him. Leela's stepdaughter Tori was a delight, and watching her come in to her own was quite something. I really admired her outlook on the world, and how she fought for what she wanted, regardless of the consequences. Both Leela and Hunt should've taken a lesson from her sooner! Hunt's best friend, Viscount Griffin, was a VERY intriguing character, and I hope to see his story in a future book!

These characters really put themselves through the ringer and sometimes it was a struggle watching them do it. They were on a constant push-and-pull with each other and it was hurting my heart to watch them struggle. They both had to come to terms with some truths about themselves, and decide what they were willing, and NOT willing, to live with. I appreciated their open dialogue along the way. For the most part, there weren't a lot of misunderstandings between them, because of their honesty with each other, and I appreciated that so much. These were two people, broken in different ways, who ended up being the perfect fit for each other, once they got out of their own way. I enjoyed this story, and I would definitely read more in this series!

Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy is the first in the Clandestine Affairs series. An exotic, headstrong female and an uptight Duke share an encounter that changes all the rules.

I have enjoyed previous historical romances by Diana Quincy and delighted in discovering a new series with Avon Romance. Passion, twists and a forbidden romance swept me away.

Lady Delilah Chambers is forced to seek shelter at a country inn during a rainstorm. When there are no rooms left, Elliot Townsend, Duke of Huntington gives up his suite. Leela (Delilah) offers to let him dine with her. This results in a night of passion.

Hunt (Duke Huntington) is traveling to meet the young woman he intends to marry to fulfill his ducal duties. Leela is returning to the homestead of her late husband after travels. Things take a twist when the intended young bride turns out to be her stepdaughter.

I loved Lady Delilah. She is the daughter of the Mad Marquess. They considered him mad for marrying Delilah’s mother, the Arab woman of a shopkeeper. Delilah embraced her father’s traditions and married an Earl. Only after she became the dowager did she find happiness. She has spent her time traveling and writing. She is feisty, loves her step-daughter and has a plan, or at least she thought she did.

The Duke or Hunt walks the straight and narrow, avoiding scandal and trying to be proper before the ton. All to repair the damage to the family name wrought by his older brother.

I was a little concerned about the forbidden romance, particularly because it involved Delilah’s family. However, Quincy developed an addictive storyline with passion, intrigue and a touch of suspense. There were characters I loathed and others I adored, including Victoria, Delilah’s stepdaughter, who appeared meek and ended up surprising me.

Headstrong, passionate characters, and a feisty heroine who isn’t intimated kept me up into reading into the wee hours. I love that Delilah didn’t settle and spoke her mind. We saw tremendous growth in Hunt, and his actions made my heart burst.

Fans of unique, headstrong female characters will delight in this forbidden romance. I am excited to see what the next book in the Clandestine Affairs series brings!

3.5 stars

When I was pitched this book, I really liked the synopsis and was excited at the idea of new to me author writing an Own Voices historical romance.

I really liked Leela. She's smart and driven and (mostly) knows what she wants out of life. Hunt is sort of boring. He's very concerned about scandal and it seemed that was the pinnacle of his personality. Together they did have decent chemistry and conversation, but a lot of their relationship growth was telling, not showing. I enjoyed Leela's relationship with Tori and there were some really sweet scenes between them.

Plot wise, it was okay. I did enjoy the angsty and longing filled glances across the room, but I could have done without some of the repetitive scenes of push and pull. It felt like they were having the same argument over and over again, with Leela explaining her thoughts and feelings and Hunt just taking her to bed without actually hearing them. I loved how much he had to grovel, but I definitely wanted more of a growth arc for Hunt.

Overall, it was a great introduction to this author and I'm definitely interested in other books by her.

FYI: a scene with drunken, unwanted groping on the page

**Huge thanks to Avon for providing the arc free of charge**

I loved this Own Voices romance about an Anglo-Arab woman just trying to be independent and provide emotional support to her step-daughter who is about to become engaged... to a Duke no less! Leela is a Countess and a widow, which should allow her some freedoms and respect in Society. Unfortunately, the ton doesn’t see things that way since her mother’s family is from the Levant (Middle East) and, perhaps worst of all, the merchant class. It doesn’t matter than her father was 100% English and a Marquess, no one can get past her “foreign” looks. Also, her late husband was much older than her, so much so that his son, the current Earl, is three years older than her. The only one in Society that cares for her and loves her is Victoria (“Tori”), her step-daughter, who is very shy and eight years younger than Leela. On her way to the house party to meet Tori’s Duke, Leela stops at an Inn for the night due to bad weather and ends up sharing a dining parlor with a man named Elliot. They end up sharing a passionate night together and Leela figures she will never see the handsome young man again.

Of course, he ends up being the same Duke that Tori is about to become engaged to. By the way, I laughed out loud at Leela’s physical reaction to realizing the Duke and Elliot are one and the same. Leela is torn in two - should she encourage this match for the good of Tori? Or should she stop it for herself?

Although this story contained insta-lust turning into insta-love, at least as far as the Duke is concerned, it also had so many great scenes of what an “outsider” must feel like in “proper” English Society and how difficult it was for a woman, regardless of how high her rank was. Leela desperately doesn’t want to be dependent on any man and wants the freedom to travel and get to know her mother’s family better. I wasn’t sure how the Duke and Leela would possibly end up together so there is a good amount of tension in the story as well.

Probably the only thing I didn’t like was both Leela and the Duke, at different times, seemingly changing their mind about each other towards the end of the book to add additional tension. And, at the very end, I felt that the Duke made many more sacrifices in his lifestyle than Leela did. I tend to prefer stories where both characters learn and change and grow.

Elliot has one more night of freedom before he becomes betrothed to a woman he's never met and he's spending it in a seedy bar soaked in rain. He didn't expect anything exciting to come from the night, or for that excitement to come in the form of a beautiful woman wielding a knife. When Elliot offers to share his room with Delilah his mind is blown away by the stunning woman who takes his breath away. They agree on one night and while Delilah sleeps Elliot steals away in the night.

When Delilah heard her step-daughter was getting married, she knew she needed to come home from her travels. Spending time in the house of her late-husband isn't what she'd consider a good time, but she'd do anything for her step-daughter. When she comes face-to-face with her future husband Leela doesn't know what to feel except shock.

I loved Leela and Hunt. Leela struggled with their relationship, wanting the best for Hunt and her step-daughter despite her own happiness. Having a mixed heritage, Leela knows she can never be with Hunt the way he deserves so she tries to help him get together with her step-daughter. I loved Leela and her selflessness. She had so much love and curiosity of the world and enjoyed being able to spend her life away from "society."

Hunt fell for Leela quickly but he struggled with what he thought he wanted and with what he needed. He knew he needed to restore his family name after his brother left it in all but ruin. I really enjoyed seeing the more racist aspects of the "society" and how that mindset of "different and other" hasn't really changed all that much.

I'm not sure what didn't exactly click for me with this story, but while I enjoyed the book, it wasn't anything I could see myself re-reading. It didn't have a "couldn't put downness" and I couldn't really fall in love with the characters the way I would have liked. I was rooting for them, but I didn't love or connect with them the way I certainly could have. Despite that, Her Night with the Duke was a fun read and gave an interesting look into society.

Rating: 3.5

So I received this book as an advanced reader copy. It does not have an impact on my view of the book.

With that being said...this book was great. It was written well and entertaining. I loved it.

Classic historical romance with the spice and heat that I love. Rich in detail, love, and passion!!! Interesting and highly developed storyline with wonderful supporting characters make this a great story that leaves you craving so much more.

I really enjoyed this one - not only was the premise fun (a woman who has a one-night stand with her stepdaughter's intended - whoops!) the heroine was also refreshingly different from the typical regency protagonist. She was the daughter of an Arab merchant, she was a writer who chronicled her travels through the Middle East, she was a widow, she was a bit older and obviously intelligent. Though the whole "sleeping with the stepdaughter's fiancé" sounds messy, the situation was handled really well. Highly recommend!

This was my first Diana Quincy novel, I really enjoyed her writing style and I will definitely be checking out her other books. I loved how strong Leela was and that she was willing to pursue adventure/travel, writing travel books, and not conforming to what her peers expect.

Lady Delilah Chambers is forced to stop at a countryside inn after a heavy rainstorm makes it impossible to travel.
When a group of drunk locals begin to give her trouble a handsome stranger comes to her rescue. Or at least tries to. He offers her protection for the night and before the night is over they decide to give in to their attraction.

The next day after arriving at the home she once shared with her husband, her stepdaughter asks the Leela to tell her what she thinks of the duke she intends to marry. Imagine her shock when she comes face to face with the handsome man from the night before.

Elliott Townsend, Duke of Huntington, has not been able to shake to memories from the night before, and now the woman is standing before him.

Leela and Elliott try to keep their distance from each other. But it's hard to ignore the passion they feel.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for this providing this ARC

I hadn’t read a new-to-me author in a while, so when Avon pitched Diana Quincy to me and I saw a friend of mine love Her Night with the Duke, I had to give it a try. And I’m so glad I did – I loved this forbidden historical romance! I honestly haven’t read enough forbidden romances that are also historical, so this was a great change of pace. The Duke hero, Elliot, has a woman in mind to marry for duty, but he ends up falling for her stepmother instead. SPICY!

Elliot and Leela meet one night rainy night at an inn and feel a connection right from the start. They share a passionate night together before they find out who they are to each other when Elliot shows up at Leela’s home, and that a relationship between them would be impossible. Elliot wants to throw everything away to be with Leela, but Leela, who is dear friends with her stepdaughter, refuses to hurt Victoria. There is so much push and pull, with a good dose of angst – all of it was so well-written. I was hurting for Elliot and Leela and wishing for a way for them to be together.

I love how unique the heroine’s character is. Leela is a Dowager countess who married an older count when she was very young, young enough to be closer in age to her stepdaughter and stepson than her late husband. She’s half Arab, half English, and feels like she’s never really belonged to either part of her family. She does explore more of her mother’s roots as she travels around the world to gain experience for her writing.

I’m now a big fan of Diana Quincy – the author wrote such a swoony hero in Elliot, who falls deep and hard for Leela. The forbidden aspect was set up and executed well. I can’t wait to read more in the Clandestine Affairs series and am so looking forward to Elliot’s Viscount friend, Griffin’s story next!

I look forward to new Diana Quincy stories. This book was a fast read that grabs your attention and won’t let you go for a moment. I love that the heroine is not the typical English miss. She is a go-getter and knows what she wants and what she does not want. Enter the duke. He is kind of staid and stodgy but he yearns for Leela and they explode off the page at the beginning of the story. Then comes reality. Leela only wants what is best for her stepdaughter and sacrifices her own joy so that Tori can obtain it. But things do not always work out. Hunt is diligent and compelling in his arguments but still Leela won’t give. Not everything works out how we like it but it does work out for the best and these two definitely should be together. Ahh, happy endings are so joyous and this was specially lovely.

Okay, so who is next, Viscount Griffin?

A chance encounter at an inn due to bad weather pulls two people into a one night stand that causes steamy scenes and drama down the road. Of course I was ready to devour this! Please and thank you!

Hunt has his life ordered and planned so as to be exactly opposite of his brother. He’s in his way to a house party hosted by his future brother in law. He meets Leela at the inn while she’s passing through as well and spends an unforgettable and passionate night that is very unlike his ordered life. Leela is attempting to get to her stepdaughter and of course it happens to be the same location that Hunt is going. Drama ensues and more steamy scenes.

I’m a bit torn on how I feel about this story though. It was a trope I love but I couldn’t connect with the characters. The relationship was too on and off for me.

A one night chance encounter turns Hunt’s world upside down and causes him to rethink his current decision to marry. Until his one night stand turns out to be the stepmother of his intended and then things gets interesting. Leela wasn’t expecting her one night encounter to ever appear again but fate had other ideas. This is a great love story, even though it had many bumps in the road, but in the end they realized they belonged together. I enjoyed the story and the Leela’s character was portrayed as a strong and resourceful lady. This is an excellent story and worth reading. I would highly recommend this book,
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.

Stuck at a country inn on a stormy night, Lady Delilah Chambers finds herself delivering a well-deserved set down to several rough men, aided by a handsome gentleman. She feels an instant connection with this man and the two spend the night together with no strings attached. A widow is allowed a few pleasures after all, and the man is gone before she wakes. But Leela faces the worst of surprises the next day when she’s introduced to her gentleman at a family house party, only to learn that he is a duke and on the cusp of becoming betrothed to her much-loved stepdaughter, Tori.

Elliot Townsend, the Duke of Huntington, wasn’t satisfied by one night with Leela and finds himself terrified by the feelings he’s already experiencing for her after such a short time, and haunted by the callous way he left her. But he’s in for a rude awakening when he learns just who Leela is.

Leela and Hunt endure the house party they’re attending, giving each other a wide berth. They both know the betrothal talks have gone too far and that to renege now would cause a scandal and ruin Tori. Leela would never do anything to injure Tori. Hunt craves order, abhors scandal, and has spent his life trying to live down the debauched reputation with which his later brother tainted the family name, but he finds his passion for Leela soon overriding his rational mind and his proper marriage seems like a bleak future.

This book wasn’t quite what I expected, but in a good way. I was super nervous reading this description because it sounded like it was dancing close to infidelity, which is a dealbreaker for me, but I don’t think that actually occurred here. I liked Leela but most especially Elliot. He had some excellent groveling and was very sincere in his feelings and earnest in their delivery. If anything, my issue was with Leela and her insistence on martyring herself, and thereby Elliot, even after obstacles between them were cleared. In fact, it almost seemed like she kept grasping for reasons not to be with Elliot even as he removed obstacles and made compromises for her. That said, Leela did recognize this reticence in herself and it made sense given her struggle to figure out where she belonged. Leela’s struggle with her mixed backgrounds and her decision to live for herself and her own happiness made it all the more endearing when things finally worked out for these two just as I was completely losing my patience with her. There was a lot of exhausting back and forth between Elliot and Leela and I kept finding myself just wanting to shake them both when they kept failing to get on the same page. These two were both set in their ways and resistant to change but they made each other better, although the constant angst did leave this one feeling a bit disjointed in places and threw off some of the pacing. Nonetheless, this was an original plot with good writing. This author was new to me and I liked her style and will be continuing this series.

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

3.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Her Night with the Duke has generated a fair amount of buzz in the romance community, and despite my general misgivings with trying new-to-me historical authors due to my complex feelings on the genre, not to mention my issues with most dukes, I decided to give it a chance. And I’m glad to say I was actually fairly charmed by this one.

A lot of that has to do with the heroine. Leela is wonderful, from her compassionately written Arabic background (a welcome sight after much talk about bad rep in current and upcoming historical releases, both ownvoices and not) to her independent spirit. I love that she has her own mind and is determined to do things for herself, not depending on men in her present circumstances, especially since she previously married fairly advantageously. I also loved how she fought back both against society who demeaned her for her background and those who tried to impose roadblocks against her pursuing her career aspirations to the fullest extent just because she was a woman.

And her relationship with her stepdaughter, Victoria, is another wonderful highlight. While this isn’t the first series to feature a fairly nice stepmother character, I don’t recall any at the moment that really focus on the bond of friendship between a stepmother and stepdaughter to this extent where it truly impacts the conflict in the same way it would in similar books where the two are sisters instead.

I did find Hunt a bit less interesting…he’s the standard duke who is determined to shirk passion for duty, but finds it difficult due to the tempting heroine. I did come to like him over time, and he wasn’t offensive to me the way some others of his ilk are in other books with the “uptight aristocratic hero/free spirited heroine” setup. However, his arc held few surprises for me in terms of his character development.

I also had mixed feelings about the pacing. In some ways I did like it, as it gave their relationship a unique trajectory, and didn’t prolong their angsting over one another through one event (ie man is betrothed to someone, but wants someone else), but around halfway through, it almost felt like the book was ending, because of what I had come to expect. So, on the one hand, I liked the unpredictability, but at the same time, it also felt a bit…odd…and as if their issues were a bit prolonged for the sake of it.

However, this is still a delightful book, and I can’t wait to read more of Diana Quincy’s work. And if you love historicals and are looking for a book that provides a fresh twist on some familiar tropes, you’ll love this one.