Will they be able to unmask the forces in league against him…

I remember having been intrigued by Gideon’s history when he was introduced in The Ashmead Heirs series. What a tragedy he survived to become the successful man he is now.
I do not know why but this book made me think of two Charles Perrault’s tales : Riquet with the Tuft and the Fairies.
Gideon as Riquet, and Mia from The Fairies story, the second daughter, less appreciated than her eldest sister.
Gideon has been put in a difficult position by his half brother, assigned to take care of the dukedom holdings when everyone has believed all the lies and gossips carried out for years.
Impeded but not crippled by his twisted spine, he has found ways to move and act close to normalcy. But going back to his sire’s main estate is like stepping back into the worse years of his life.
Everyone is suspicious, arrogant and full of poison. They mock him when they are no better and let their venomous tongue spread falsehoods like a rampant fire with no thought of the harm they are doing, even enjoying the results. I really disliked the inhabitants of this area, they were few to wish to rescue from their wrong doings.
When he is only here to see no harm is done to the estate so by extension its tenants.
Mia is the poor orphan relative, as long as she had her use, she was appreciated but now she has come to understand she has reached the end of her uncle’s generosity, a husband would be much welcomed by her kin as he would remove her from their care.
Her uncle and her cousin are not evil people, more on the selfish and self centered side, interested in what she could offer but not beyond that.

So while she is wary of Gideon at first, she understands quickly the hearsay she has been told are all fabrication as he proves her again and again he is clever, kind, the very opposite of the monster he is portrayed by the rumormongers.
Why Gideon finds an unexpected ally in Mia, she is not scared nor repulsed by him, even more she sees his worth and believes him.

A lovely tale of two people who are brought together by having to fight a mob, folktales and greediness in unison, each seing the other’s value when everyone overlooked or ignored them.
5 stars

Now I am quite curious about Phillip’s own upcoming adventure.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 sweet lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Gideon Kendrick grew up as the despised illegitimate son of the Duke of Glenmoor. Exiled to the mines by his father, he has not only survived but thrived and prospered but is now a mine owner. Estranged from his family until his younger brother Phillip, the new duke visited. When Phillip disappears, leaving behind a letter asking his brother to care for his affairs, Gideon can’t refuse. Armed with authority making him the duke in all but name, he returns to the scene of his worst memories, facing vicious rumours and his family’s past. He also finds Fenton a grasping would-be heir, Marshall a steward with secrets, and Mia a woman who stirs in him a desire he thought buried with his beloved wife. Mia Selwyn lives in the shadows, an unwanted poor relation in the house of her viscount uncle. When her cousin Selina 's hoydenish attempt to meet the supposed heir sees her drenched, ill, and in need of nursing, Mia is sent to care for her.
The first book in a new series but we met Gideon in a previous series, his stepmother Madelyn’s story & I was thrilled he’s had his HEA, I only hope Philip has his. A well written story with wonderful characters & a story that pulled at my heart strings. I loved Gideon a strong self made man even though he had a physical deformity but I loathed how he was treated & was totally routing for him to be recognised for the honest, hardworking gentleman he was. I also loved the downtrodden Mia & loved that she found her prince. I loved that she saw the real Gideon from the start. There were also a few mysteries for Gideon to unravel before he could finally go home. I was engrossed in the book & read until the not so wee hours to finish it as I couldn’t sleep until Gideon was redeemed in every ones eyes
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Gideon Kendrick has lived in the shadow of being the despised bastard son of the Duke of Glenmoor. Despite his exile to the mines by his father, he has become successful. Yet when his younger brother, the new duke, disappears, Gideon finds himself thrust into managing the estate. Armed with authority making him the duke in all but name, he returns to the scene of his worst memories, facing vicious rumours and his family’s past. He has to confront a would be heir plus a steward who does his best to undermine him. Yet when he meets Mia Selwyn, the niece of his neighbour, he is soon captivated. Despite finding themselves having to marry, their marriage becomes both their salvation. Together, they resolve to uncover the truth behind the estate’s problems and the mystery of Gideon’s family background.
Gideon and Mia’s story is a sweet romance, with no hidden agenda. Whilst there is plenty of mystery and danger surrounding them, their love for each other is apparent without any misconception behind their romance. An enjoyable read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book started out slow, but ended up having me hooked. I enjoyed Mia and Gideon’s love story, and the mystery aspect really added to the story.

The Duke in Name only wants the Duke in All but Name to be the Duke but will settle for leaving his title to his nephew. There are multiple mysteries to unpack here, and finding which characters can be trusted. Emblezzlers, thieves, bullies and sheeples make for interesting read as well as the progress to HEA.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

Lovely, if a little long, story of an imperfect hero and the woman he marries for propriety's sake and quickly comes to love.

Gideon is, so he has always been told, the illegitimate son of a duke. Stricken with scoliosis, his father banishes him when he is young while spreading rumors of Gideon's behavior towards his stepmother. All think he is dead, while he is in fact making a fortune and a life of his own. Dragged back to the ducal estate by his recently rediscovered brother's decision to go traveling and leave Gideon in charge (though Phillip, the brother, does not bother to tell anyone but Gideon and Phillip's solicitor of these arrangements), Gideon is treated badly by servants and neighbors alike, Except for Mia, the poor relation of a local viscount, who is able to see beyond the rumors.

Mia ends up spending several days, including unsupervised alone time, with Gideon during a flu epidemic during which she is at his house caring for her cousin. This compromises her and leads to their marriage. A note that the flu epidemic just sort of ends without note. One page people are dying, the next page it is never mentioned again. A bit odd. The rest of the book details how their relationship grows in light of external drama.

Mia is a great FMC. Smart and strong, but still acting within the bounds of the world in which she lives. She cares for her family - more than they deserve - and is excellent at reading people and giving them what they need. Gideon has not been ruined by the adversity in his life and he is a loving father and also devoted to his family. Else he would not have come when his brother called.

The secondary characters are well written and add but do not distract from the story. A solid 4 stars. I will be watching for the next installment in this new series.

Thank you to Dragonblade and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

I liked the characters very much. Mia is a strong, intelligent poor relation that needs a break in life. Gideon is not your typical hero that also needs a break. I first met Gideon in his step mother's book The Defiant Daughter, The Ashmead Heirs #2. After reading that I wanted a book for both of her step sons. This book is a little long feeling at times, but interesting all the same. It had twist and turns and an unexpected ending. I now look forward to his bother Phillip's book.

5 stars

An excellent read. The characters are interesting, the mystery intriguing and the romance well described.
Gideon has a disability and has been poorly treated by his father, punished and sent down a mine to die. His brother, the duke, learning more about Gideon's birth has absconded and asked Gideon to look after the estate in the interim. This is painful as Gieon is returning to the one place he hates with just one friend to help him.
Gideon almost runs Mia over so their initial meeting isn't particularily positive plus she hears all the bad gossip about him. Mia is also hard done by and treated as the poor relative. Perhaps because of this she is more likely to make her mind up about a person instead of listening to the sleaze put out by others. The passion takes place behind closed doors but this doesn't distract from the romance and HEA..

It's the start of a series so I'm very keen to see where it goes next. Heartily recommend.

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

I loved, loved, loved this book! It has so many layers to it and I loved that the romance part came about so naturally. The drama in the story came from outside events rather than the relationship. This is really a story about two people who truly understand one another and fell in love with who the other person was.

Mia Selwyn, poor niece of the Viscount she lives with. Gideon Kendrick, illegitimate son of a Duke who was presumed dead and is surrounded by rumours. Two unwanted souls who end up married for the sake of propriety.

It’s the marriage of convenience trope, although both are immediately struck by the other on first meeting. Lots of obstacles thrown in to the romance before the happy ending. And I do love a happy ending.

I wasn’t so keen on the writing style, the grammar and sentence structure at times made the meaning unclear. For example: was the tween the doctor ogled at 20 year old Mia that we were told about or some other unseen staff member. But overall an enjoyable enough read.

I loved, loved, loved this book! It has so many layers to it and I loved that the romance part came about so naturally. The drama in the story came from outside events rather than the relationship. This is really a story about two people who truly understand one another and fell in love with who the other person was. I also really liked that this love story wasn't about Mia saving him and bringing light back into his life. My only complaint with Mia is that she insists on being a good person and forgiving those who have wronged her and treated her poorly. I was so waiting for the moment when she would really lay into her uncle and cousins for how they treated her. One of my favorite parts in this book was the way Mia won over the servants (most of them anyway). You knew Gideon's children would love her once they got used to the idea that he had gotten remarried. I think part of what made me like him so much was the fact that he saw Mia's value pretty early on when so many others overlooked and attempted to diminish her. The mysteries throughout the story added just the right amount of drama and intrigue. Although, would it have killed Phillip to talk with someone at the house to let them know he would be traveling and was putting his brother in charge of things while he was gone? Seems like that would have saved Gideon a lot of hassle. I'm not sure if the series will include connected characters, but I'm really hoping we get some future look-ins on MIa and Gideon - and maybe have Phillip get his own story. Either way, if book 2 is even half as good as this one it will definitely be worth checking out!