Duke of Renown
by Alexa Aston

Andrew was brought back from the battlefield
as his elder brother died in an accident making him Duke of windham. His younger half brother wants the money/estate to clear his debts and tries to kill him. Phoebe finds him and thinks he's a smuggler not a duke. She is a Dowager Countess who has gone to Cornwall after the death of her husband and son. Although there is an attraction between them Phoebe thinks romance is impossible as to the difference in their social standing.

A reasonably well written story but it tended to drag and by the end I was really losing interest.

Duke of Renown (Dukes of Distinction #1). By Alexa Aston. 2021. Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. (ARC eBook).

Andrew Graham returns from the battlefield to fulfill his duties as the Duke of Windham, but treachery befalls him. Injured, Andrew finds himself under the care of a kind and lovely widow in a quaint cottage in the country. Duke of Renown is a sweet story and provides the introduction to several dukes from a group of friends that will be followed through the series. While I thought the plot dragged at a few places, overall Andrew and Phoebe’s romance was enjoyable.

3.5 stars. The concept is great: A widowed countess finds an injured man on the beach outside of her cottage and nurses him back to health, all the while not knowing that he is a duke. Having both of them dance around each other and slowly let their walls down was so satisfying and the side characters made it all the more enjoyable.

The book does go on for a bit too long - there were a good 50 or so pages that could have been cut in my opinion. Still had a good time overall.

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing en e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

This book started out kind of strong but quickly sunk so low that I wasn’t sure I wanted to finish it. The first half of the book was interesting...but the second half dragged. There was nothing in the second half that was interesting. It was so drawn out that I started skipping pages.

Thanks to the publishers, the author and Netgalley for an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When Phoebe's husband and child die in a tragic accident on the same day she suffers a miscarriage, she thinks she will never be happy again. Some time later, while having a restorative holiday in Cornwall, she encounters a man barely alive on the beach who she assumes is a smuggler.
Turns out the man she nurses back to health is a missing Duke. Andrew finds himself drawn to his rescuing angel who introduces herself as Mrs Smith. She gives no hint of her real aristocratic identity and he doesn't admit to his title so they enter into an affair based on false pretences. Complications ensue but of course there is a happy ending.
Though the dialogue is stilted at times this is an easy read with some steamy scenes to keep the reader hooked.

The first of the series.

Andrew has just recently become the Duke of Windham after his elder brother died in a carriage accident, so he hasn't been brought up to expect to be the duke and served several years at war instead. He has a younger half brother who gets ideas and Andrew ends up recovering from a shooting in Phoebe's little cottage. Phoebe is a dowager countess (although she was accidentally referred to as dowager duchess at one point of this book) who lost her husband and son in a carriage accident. (This author seems to have a thing about carriage accidents but coincidentally this carriage accident happens to be the same incident in which Elise's husband from Duke of Disrepute perished.) They are both incognito during their stay at her cottage. Andrew thinks she's widowed Mrs. Smith and Phoebe thinks he's a smuggler. He quite likes the idea that she likes him for himself, and not because of his title.

I have just read Duke of Disrepute recently and I didn't care for that book very much, so I was a bit surprised to love Duke of Renown from the same series as much as I did.
This one is better paced, the plot is a good blend of romance and a dash of danger, the writing flows better, and the characters feel more real in their emotions. What backstory there is feels more to the point than the meandering melodrama in Duke of Disrepute. And what's not to love about a duke in disguise?

I received a review copy from Netgalley and I'm leaving a honest, voluntary review.

Phoebe's husband and their son died in an accident one day as well as her unborn child. After spending some times with her sister, she moved in a village to get away from her title and spend some alone time. Andrew who was in the army received the news of his father in his deathbed and the death of his brother. He had no choice but to claim his title as the Duke. But his jealous money hungry half-brother tried to kill him for the title. Andrew ended up in Phoebe's house as she saved him. Both unknown of each others real identity, started to have feelings for each other but circumstances made them apart one day. But they found their way to each other. Andrew's half-brother tried to cause trouble but ended up dead. And Andrew and Phoebe finally had their happy married life.
I actually liked this book. No unnecessary drama between the main characters. Doesn't give much of a historical vibe though.

Though I enjoyed her Medieval Runaway Wives series, this book at first did not feel like it was written by the same author, mainly in the opening chapters (first 10%) where we are separately introduced to the main characters. Despite knowing ahead of time, thanks to the synopsis, the sad start this book was going to be based on, I couldn't help detect a subtle, out of place, sing songy, mechanical vibe. It had me concerned it would persist. Here's to hoping it was just the advanced reader copy I read and finally editing occurred.

Finding out the heroine one night took advantage of her inattentive, non-affectionate, drunken state at the time, two decades older than her hubby in order for her to get pregnant a second time felt off, as well. She was classier than that, folks, so didn't deserve to be scripted that way. Yeah, the reference is made she'd been made aware older men often had problems as they aged performing the deed. Maybe I'm being nit picky, but that reveal felt inappropriate and distasteful to me personally. I'd rather it just been a happy coincidence after years of wanting a second child it finally happened. I just didn't need that visual of her being sneaky and creepy in my head, if you know what I mean.

When the hero's character was next cast upon the pages, the script stayed in the robotic stage for a wee bit longer. I felt some inconsequential elements were thrown in briefly delaying the story line, because they could have just been referenced. Therefore, I was really inclined to give up early on. From the strange title and not particularly appealing cover, I had a sinking feeling this book was just not going to measure up. Guilt nagged at me though to finish it to the end. So after putting it down a couple of times, I did accomplish just that.

Fortunately, after what I just pointed out, the writing and characters did start to come to life and hold my interest, mainly starting with the hero getting injured. This main couple were super sweet and fell into life and love naturally together. As the cover implies, very graphic steam kicks in later, too. My favorite aspect was seeing the hero morph into a determined, very much in love man who would not be swayed.

Though I still think it rather odd to name this series of duke buddies "renown, disrepute, charm, arrogance, and honor", they likely are exceptional good chaps beneath their London society perceived labels and reputations. I'm sure they will eventually one by one be matched with perfect for them ladies of the Ton. Here's to hoping one or two will be bonny Scottish lasses. I would like that verra much, indeed. (wink)

Title: Duke of Renown, Series: Dukes of Distinction (Book 1), Author: Alexa Aston, Pages: 333, pub date: 2/9/21, stand-alone but part of a series, very graphic smex scenes, determined in love hero, fated to be together main couple, widow heroine, tragic loss past heroine, perfect for each other MC.

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not compensated in any form for this review. There is no affiliation between this reviewer and the author/publisher/or any PR firm.)

Overall I found the story to be quite entertaining. The first book I've read by this author and look forward to many more. Good romance and characters move the story along quite quickly.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Andrew Graham never expected to be called back from the battlefield early during the Napoleonic War, but with his elder brother dead, and his father on his death bed, he's about to go from plain old Captain Graham, to His Grace, the Duke of Windham. Taking time to learn about his new role, he realises that his younger, half-brother, Francis, is in debt, and has no intention of doing nay hard work or stopping his whoring or gambling. This all comes to a head when Francis shots Andrew, and knocks him over a cliff in Cornwall, hoping to be named Duke himself and have full control of the ducal finances. Andrew is still alive, but struggling, when he's found in the surf by Phoebe Smythe, Dowager Countess of Borwick. Phoebe has retreated to Cornwall following the deaths of her husband and five year old son, and her own miscarriage, and is happy being the unknown 'Mrs Smith', living alone in a seaside cottage, when she finds a man injured on the beach. Believing him to be a smuggler, what with his clothes and his gunshot wound, she hides him at home, and nurses him back to health, falling for him in the process. Just when Andrew was about to reveal that he was in fact a duke, and not a lowly smuggler, and also proposing to Phoebe, she flees Cornwall, to return to her pregnant sister during her confinement. Both haven't forgotten the time they spent together in Cornwall, and think they won't be able to find each other again, when they come across each other at a Society ball. Phoebe knows she wants to remarry, and hopefully have more children, and never expects that Andrew would be a suitable choice. But, will the actions of Francis come back to haunt them, and will Phoebe and Andrew be able to gave a happy ending once and for all?

This book was such a quick and enjoyable read. Once I had started it, I didn't want to put it down - it was beautiful written, and so lyrically described, it was as if I was in Cornwall with Andrew and Phoebe. Both the main characters have suffered in the past. While pregnant, Phoebe lost her husband and son in a carriage accident, and miscarried when she heard the news. She moved in with her sister and brother-in-law, who were so supportive, but when her sister, Letty, announced her own pregnancy, Phoebe needed some alone time to process it all. She found solace in her solitude in Cornwall, and though she never expected to find love again, with Andrew, she was able to envision a future full of happiness, and children. Andrew, for his part, lost men on the Peninsula, and likely expected to die himself. He never thought his father and older brother would predecease him, and he would inherit, but when he did, he tried to do everything he could to help, though his brother had other plans. Okay, so both Phoebe and Andrew lied about their identities to one another, but it was more withholding information, rather than an outright lie. Both expected the other would treat them differently if they discovered their true position in society, but were more than pleasantly surprised to learn they were perfect for each other, at least in the eyes of the ton, when they reconnected the Season after their time in Cornwall. I was so pleased with the ending, and hopefully we'll see more of Andrew and Phoebe in the other books in the series, all following friends of Andrew's.

The Widow and the Duke

Phoebe went to an isolated cottage to heal. She had no idea that she would rescue a man near death and fall in love with a man she thought was a smuggler.

Andrew was a captain in the army. He had no idea he would become a duke. He faced death many times on the battlefield, but a bullet wound nearly ended his life at home. It was not a stranger’s hand that nearly killed him, but the hand of his half-brother.

Two damaged people meet in an isolated cottage and fall in love, but they do not know one another’s identity. Would fate be kind to them? The story starts on a sad note, but it takes you on a journey of healing and discovery. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to those who like historical romance with suspense.

This is a great start to what should be a thoroughly enjoyable series. Phoebe and Andrew were the perfect couple to start with - they aren't fighting their attraction or swearing off love and marriage so are less cynical than some of the men who I am assuming will make up the rest of the series.

The beginning of the story broke my heart and I think that Phoebe was given enough time to start to be ready to move on again. I liked that she went away to grieve for all that she lost without cutting herself off from her sister. There were several times that I was worried the story was going to go in a direction that added drama for lack of anything better to do. So many stories would have had Andrew getting amnesia after his near death experience or Phoebe cutting him off when she discovered who he really was. Instead of using those common plot devices, this author kept the characters in as realistic a situation as any romance novel does. I appreciated that circumstance leading to the separation of Phoebe and Andrew wasn't a misunderstanding or feelings of betrayal, and just as simple as her being called away to help her sister. Their reunion was so sweet and I was glad Phoebe recognized that she hadn't been completely open and honest with him during their time together so she couldn't really be mad at him for doing the same.

Overall, a really great story with a wonderful couple a the center. There was no point in this story that I wasn't rooting for them. Very much looking forward to book 2!

This story starts out so very sad. I love the true emotions we get from Phoebe, and how she decides what the rest of her life will be. Andrew is very much like Phoebe in that circumstances change his life too. I won't spoil this very wonderful story by telling you anything that happens. I found it to be so uplifting, so kind, so caring, and a little mischievous. There is a villain, but he isn't in control of the entire story like some are. I highly recommend this story, I think you'll love it too.

Alexa Aston has written another wonderful story that grabs your attention literally from the first page (oh that heartbreaking Chapter 1) and holds your attention throughout the story. Alexa is one of my favorite authors and this story is a good example of why she is such a favorite. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
I was so glad to see Phoebe and Andrew get their HEA after everything they went through.

Duke of Renown is such a sweet read! Phoebe Smythe tucks herself away in a cottage in Cornwall as she grieves a miscarriage and the death of her son. When she stumbles across a man washed up on the shore, she takes him in and tends to his wounds. Little does she know that the man she assumes is a smuggler is actually a duke in disguise. I loved the bond between Phoebe and Andrew, and how their love brought each other back to life after so much loss and suffering.

This story starts with not one, but two tragedies. Phoebe has come to Falmouth Cottage to work through her grief and begin to recover. Andrew, the new Duke of Windham due to the tragic loss of his father and brother, has come to Falmouth to visit one of his estates. They “meet” when Mrs. Smith finds a man she believes to be a smuggler washed up on the beach below the cottage. In the time they spend together, they fall in love. Wonderful, or it would have been if she hadn’t disappeared when he went for a stroll on the beach. When the two of them meet again in London during the season, their true identities come to light. Will this be the opportunity for them to find happiness together?

This captivating story is full of emotion, tragedy, danger, and recovery. The characters are amazing. Phoebe is a wonderful person. She is strong, loving, caring, and wants a large loving and happy family. Andrew is the best of men. He is honorable, responsible, understanding, and devoted to doing what is right. These qualities shine through with his treatment of Robbie and Bagwell, men wounded in the war. With Phoebe, he is gentle and comforting. Their courtship is endearing. Aunt Helen, Letty, Burton, and even the Bad Dukes are charming. Last, and least is Andrew’s greedy murderous half-brother Francis. His comeuppance is waiting for him. (Enough said.) The story is gripping and entertaining, and the epilogue is beautiful, a great start to the series. I thoroughly enjoyed Phoebe and Andrew’s story and look forward to the other Dukes.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

I almost lost interest in the book. I say almost because after picking it up again the third time to finish what I started, I found myself embroiled in everything that was happening in the book. I enjoyed the characters so much. i could be friends with. This was a very enjoyable read!

The tragic death of the Countess of Borwick, Phoebe Smythe’s, husband and small son is the setting of Alexa Aston’s first book in the series of “The Dukes of Distinction.” Unable to handle her grief for her five-year-old son; she loses her unborn child the same day. Phoebe rents a small cottage by the sea, trying to regain her life. She is under an assumed name, has no servants, hoping that living alone will reduce the pain she is living with. Captain Andrew Graham, a second son, thought he would never become the Duke. Off he went to fight Napoleon and returns home after his brother dies. The plot is wonderfully full of adventure, a smuggler found wounded on the beach and a wonderful cat that steals your heart. I can not wait for the next book in the series, hoping it will keep me from putting the book down as this one did.

What a heart wrenching story when Lady Phoebe Smythe, Countess of Borwick, loses her husband and beloved son in a terrible accident and then she suffers a tragic miscarriage. She finds a Captain Andrew Graham, whom she thinks is a smuggler, washed up on shore and nurses him back to health from a gunshot wound. The two become close, but she knows if she’s going to remarry to have more children she needs to return to society. Andrew has recently inherited the tile Duke of Windham and he soon realizes he’s fallen in love with Mrs. Smith whom he thinks is a middle-class widow. He decides to tell her who he really is when she disappears from his life before he can ask her to marry him. A captivating story of two people meeting and falling love are separated by misunderstandings. Can love grow between a broken hearted young woman and a soldier who never should have inherited and became a duke? I have voluntarily read and reviewed the excellent book.

Phoebe Smythe, Countess of Borwick, retreats to a cottage in an isolated area of Cornwall, after the death of her husband and son, and her subsequent miscarriage. On one of her walks along the beach, she finds a smuggler, who appears to have been washed ashore, suffering from a gunshot wound. Unable to move him, she cares for him as best she can. However, the man she believes is a smuggler, is actually the Duke of Windham. Having returned home from the Napoleonic Wars, Captain Andrew Graham finds himself taking on the dukedom, after the death of his father and older brother. He soon discovers that his half-brother has amassed many debts. When he refuses to extend him any more money, his half-brother shoots him and pushes over a cliff. When he awakens and finds himself in the care of a woman, calling herself, Mrs Smith, Andrew begins to feel that he has met his future wife. However, the path does not run smoothly, when they are parted without knowing the true identity of each other.
Both Andrew and Phoebe are two likeable characters, who despite their own tragedies, seem determined to care for others and not drown in their own sorrow. I enjoyed the uncertainty of their romance, particularly with neither knowing the other. And yet, how they find each other again, was well described and detailed.
This was a great start to what will be an interesting new series. There are several friends of Andrew’s who have made an appearance in this book and their future chance at romance, will surely make for an interesting read.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.