This was a great book by a talented author. She writes such a beautiful story of two people who were meant to be. The characters are real with thoughts and feelings of their own.
British Army Major Anthony Erasmus Hildebrand Bartlett, 7th Marquess of Rockingham is wounded in spirit as well as body. Losing his arm in war along with his brothers has made him seeing and hearing things that aren't there. He sometimes acts that the battle is still in his mind and his father can't understand him. Anthony is also suppose to marry his late brother's finance too. He doesn't want that either.
Lady Arabella is suppose to marry Anthony, but she doesn't really want to marry him or anyone. She only wants to be her own woman . She is very beautiful and also smart. She and Anthony make plans to pretend they will marry. Arabella feels a tenderness towards the him, and wants to help if she can.
As I said, these two people are in in the hands of fate and love is the key.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

3 Stars because... I don't know...

So. I was amped about the PTSD focused plot, and all boded well when I started out. The dynamic of the forced arranged marriage turned passionate love match fit so well amidst the endless adversity the hero faces since all but his fellow army chums understand how he suffers . I adored that Anthony and Arabella rapidly fall in love and thought their respective character descriptions made sense. Anthony is damaged and, despite reservations about marriage and…um…the value of women, he quickly realizes he needs someone that he can lean on as he recovers and then to have by his side throughout his life. Arabella meets those qualifications because she instantly becomes devoted to him and helping him piece himself together. In turn, his need for her soothes Arabella’s independent feminist streak. So, I will echo other reviewers that the main characters are extremely likable and their relationship is endearing, particularly because they are loyal and committed to each other from the start. I also loved that they were openly affectionate with one another and kissy.
Were there breaks from character description? Yes. Were they plenty? No, only a few from each character. Did I think that the story was carefully developed, plotted, paced? Yes. I 100% did. If a reader can get behind the writing style, I think that some would not only adore this but think it is near perfection.

For me, I think every scene served a purpose and was lovely if you just ignored the execution of every conversation, inner monologue, and.. moment?… which is to say the issues I had with this book were plenty.
Another reviewer observed that this story relied too much on ‘telling’, that quickly becomes boring. I would go one step further and say the prose, generally, was trying far too hard to act as a device for the world building. Trying to emulate 19th century English is a feat and one I would never advise, because we cannot replicate the cadence or syntax we get from Regency writers. The past is, as they say, a foreign country. Think of all the times someone tries to replicate a foreign culture in film and they almost always fail. If you have not lived it, I just don't think you can create it. As a result, the vernacular, the dialogue… it felt like a clunky imitation rather than what I think the intention was: to make us feel closer to the period. A few writers that do this come to mind that are extremely effective at this approach, Lucinda Brant, Mary Balogh, and probably Stella Riley (though perhaps more her 17th century historical fictions). And probably Mimi Matthews. The trick is in choosing some slang and affectations we see in the historical or literary record from the period and then just write what feels right. Here? It just felt like I was reading a thesaurus-ed group of robots having conversations and arguments. It didn’t meld for me, to the point I wanted to skimmmmmmmm. I didn’t, FYI. It didn’t help that I felt as though the tone of voice was ambivalent verging on apathetic. It’s well and fine to use flowery words, but like my colleagues tell me when I write an academic paper—it more often than not alienates the reader, and should therefore be avoided. But as that other reviewer aptly points out… it’s not just about telling but showing too. And I felt there was a disconnect here, almost as if Devlin was on autopilot. There were other issues, like the way the Mad Matchmakers treat the female characters, how they talk about them… It left me feeling icky. And then for all that steam leading up to the ‘bride gift’ of Arabella’s virginity and then they get all shy and, sorry, prudish? It did not make sense. It's such a shame because this is bursting with potential and intrigue and angst... I wanted to love it. I know I could have loved it.

Right, I won’t wax on. I think that this needed an edit where someone went through and pointed all the superfluous wordage. That might have helped… But, in my opinion, it didn’t feel as though Devlin felt comfortable in her own writing voice. I am a little curious about the rest of the series… So I might return for the next installment. Opening salvoes to new series often stumble, so I am hopeful this only suffering from First In The Series Syndrome. But then, this may simply be a taste thing—this could be exactly what many readers want, so why not give it a go? That’s me trying to be impartial. Sigh.

Thanks to Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley for this ARC. I read and reviewed this of my own volition and all opinions are honest and my own.

2.5 stars.
A historical romance novel featuring a wounded warrior and a determined heroine, “The Accidental Duke”, by Barbara Devlin (Dragonblade Publishing), is full of adventures, and introduces a group of friends, former soldiers broken but not defeated.
The main characters were likable and their easy relationship sweet. I liked how loyal to each other they were right from the beginning.
The wounded hero, sporting severe physical and mental scars, is interesting, although the emphasis is more on the psychological effects of war, with the description of several PTSD episodes that sometimes were a bit distracting.
The story relies too much on telling, with an excess of dialogue that can become boring.

Wow! This is a promising start to a new series. This story was fascinating. I truly had a hard time putting the book down and stayed up too late because I had to finish it. Anthony and Arabella were captivating characters. The characters remained consistent throughout the book. Barbara Devlin did an amazing job on describing the thoughts and feelings of the characters. This book is full of emotional and mental healing, love, and loyalty. I look forward to more books in this series. No doubt they will all be as great as this one.


Thanks to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for an opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review.