Oh my God, I've never felt this confused because of a romance.
It was like both characters didn't know what to do about each other. One second they were deeply heart by the past and the other's role in their misery, and the next they were bantering and flirting.
The book needed way more time with the editor, the pace and sequence needed a lot more work.
The side characters were either too good or too evil, they lacked depth and layers which made them feel kind of cartoon-ish.
The writing was the saving grace, it flowed effortlessly and was easy to follow.
Sadly, this one was a miss for me.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Her Enterprising Duchess. My fellow readers. I really enjoyed this story of self reflection and a second chance at love. Oliver and Simon really didn’t expect what they were getting when they returned home and locked eyes with Thea. The story is a drawn out.
I would have liked for Oliver’s and Thea’s relationship picked not early in the book, but perhaps after the fifth or sixth chapter. Perhaps just the start of the romance taking root. Give the readers some entertainment that they are looking for from the books Synopsis. Maybe add just a tad more drama to the book. Yes the mothers are doing a phenomenal job, but maybe Oliver could have been more jealous of Drake with maddening internal questions.
Or offer up Thea with her beaus who come knocking at her door. I enjoyed reading the story of friendship and reconciliations among Oliver and Thea. The story touched on past issues, remorse, asking for forgiveness and new friendships. I love the different cultures, factual information, dialogue and culture history. All these are threaded through Thea and Damon’s beautiful romance.
I give this book two snaps and a twist. Until next time my fellow readers. Read on! I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. #HerEnterprisingDuchess #PeriMaxwell #Netgally #Goodreads #Bookbub

Romance, Secrets, and Scandal

Thea and Oliver were caught in their families' web of lies and deceit. The lies separated them for years. Could they rekindle what they once had? There was a mountain of deceptions through which they must sift, and Thea must tell Oliver a truth that would see her world and his unravel. Could she do it? This story kept me turning the pages to get at the secrets that kept these two lovers apart. A greedy sister, two deceptive mothers, and too many people buried with secrets left the two lovers without the support they needed for far too long. Could they find the strength to fight the vipers that lurked? I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to those who like historical romance with secrets and scandal. There might even be unexpected suspense when you're not looking.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I was not disappointed. I look forward to more of the same!
This book is rife with heartache, misunderstanding and strife. A wonderful second chance historical romance with engaging characters and an back story loaded with dislike and false information.
Thank you Peri Maxwell, Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook and this is my freely given opinion.

This was a historical romance about second chances between two people separated by social differences, and the prejudices and mechanisms of their families.

Oliver Hawkins is the second son of a duke. He is not a man who seems enamored of his social status, and left England 6 years prior to make his own fortune and way in Canada. He had planned on sending for the love of his life so they could marry and forge a life together. But his heart was broken when she did not join him and he found out that she had married another, staying behind in England. He went on a downward spiral, only managing to climb out of it when another woman helped to give him hope and a new love. He married her, and developed a successful business with her family. But then tragedy strikes again, and she died birthing their son. Oliver learns to move on again, with his brother in law, learning to be a single father, while running their enterprise.

His world is thrown in chaos again when he finds out he has to return to England, after the sudden death of his brother, making him the duke's heir, and to help his father with issues with the estate.
He travels back to England with his son, to take up a life he never wanted, and hoping to avoid his past. He is haunted alternately by his past love for Thea, and the ghost of his beloved wife.

Thea Smith, the daughter of a vicar, has fought hard to gain her independence and the respect of the community. She successfully runs the local in and works to help the community around her, but hides her success and industry, allowing others to think she works for another. She has learned over the years that she is a strong independent woman, and has worked hard for that independence and does not want to give it up. But to get to that point, she suffered a lot of losses and heart ache, and is determined to help others so they do not suffer as she did. It is believed that she is a widow, having lost her seafaring husband shortly after wedding him. But that is a lie she guards very closely to maintain her stature in her community. She was forced to give up her love, Oliver, when he left her to go to Canada years prior. Because of lies fostered by others, she believed that he turned his back on her after sailing away, and married another in Canada, a more acceptable bride.

When she and Oliver face each other again, they have a vast divide of years, secrets, lies, and misunderstandings to overcome, and family who still work to keep them apart. But despite their bitterness over the past, they still cannot deny that their past love and desire for each other, especially as time peels away the layers of the lies and secrets.

This was a novel full of heart ache and emotional turmoil, between Oliver and his personal conflict over missing his wife, and the guilt he felt still loving Thea, and the bitterness he has over what he perceived to be Thea's betrayal. Then there was all of Thea's own guilt over her secrets and lies, and her desire to help Oliver meet his goals to revive his family fortunes so he can find happiness, which he thinks will be back in Canada. They are also pulled apart by their various conniving, bitter family members who seek to keep them apart and use Thea and Oliver and their situation for their own selfish gains.

Their HEA was a very hard won battle with some very steep ups and downs - it really packed some emotional punch for me. They both suffered grievous losses and heartache before finding their way back together and to finally be the family they wanted to be; which was not the families (at least in terms of maternal and sibling relationships from what I read) they grew up with. Their story was one that really tore at my heart.

4.25 stars out of 5

4 1/2*STARS*
In six years, a lot of lies and secrets have separated Oliver Hawkins and Thea Smith. With the death of his brother and father, Oliver inherited the title he never wanted, but he still wants the woman he left behind when he sailed to Canada. Returning to England doesn't make him happy, except for seeing Thea again. Thea's fear of Oliver discovering the truth is compounded by the hatred of his mother for her and her mother's hatred for him. Mix in a sister who has made the situation worse with greed. At four, his son Simon has a lot to do with breaking through Thea's barriers. The boy needs a mother and Oliver wants her for his wife, his duchess. Heat level 2.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

This is the first book I have read by Peri Maxwell, and I can't wait to read more by this author!
Wow! Talk about unsupportive and evil Mothers! Notice I used a plural. Peri Maxwell you gave us a story with hidden lies, selfish and absorbed characters, happiness, mystery, sadness, laughter, and more twists than I can name.
I loved Peter and Thea's characters, and their journey to a HEA. Please keep writing more books like this.

I always love a good second chance romance and although I did enjoy this, I still found it a bit lacking. I liked Thea from the beginning but didn't full come around on Oliver until late in the novel. For a man who was so angry with Thea over their past he did seem to go out of his way to cross her path. And when he threw in her face that he had found a woman he loved and married her I wanted to smack him. I also didn't like his comment later in the novel that he wouldn't change anything from the past - I understood the sentiment, he loved his son and wouldn't want him to not exist - it just showed that he really didn't understand everything Thea had to go through after he left. A little residual regret that he hadn't taken Thea with him from the beginning or that he wished their son had survived would have been nice. Oliver also had a habit of being very patronizing with Thea, he seemed to forget that she survived for a long time by herself and without anyone to support her for a lot of that time. I realize that those complaints make it sound like I didn't like the book at all, but I did. Thea getting the life with Oliver that she had dreamed of as a young woman was worth all the parts I didn't like as much. Her scenes with Simon are so sweet. Her family was pretty much the worst so it was nice to see her get a chance to be a part of a loving family.

This is the first book I have read by Peri Maxwell, and it certainly is deserving of praise for being well-written, with an intriguing plot and romance to tug at the heartstrings. I felt all the pain experienced by Oliver and Thea and wish that they had been brave enough to face the truth at an earlier stage of their lives. Thea's mother was bad enough, but Oliver's mother was pure evil and it is a wonder that they didn't create more chaos and damage than they had already caused. Returning to England to deal with the mess left by his irresponsible brother, Oliver comes face to face with Thea on his first day home. He quickly comes to the conclusion that not everything is as it seems, but nothing prepared him for the secrets that Thea has been hiding. Nevertheless, both Oliver and Thea discover that the feelings they had for each other in their youth have only intensified, but before they can reach for happiness and a future together, they have to deal with the past and duplicitous family members. The novel is a standalone and fortunately comes to a happy conclusion, a copy of which I received as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

What a nice story! It left me feeling so good. This review may contain spoilers.
This was a story about a heroine who was the daughter of a vicar. She and the local duke's second son grew up as best friends. The duke's second son is the hero. At about 19, the son moved to Canda to try to make his fortune. He left the heroine, but missed her all the time. He received a letter from her mother stating that she married and moved away. Heart broken, the hero met and fell in love with his neighbor's daughter. They married and had a son. Sadly, she passed away during child birth. The hero raised his son and kept his with him at all times. His father, the duke, comes to visit and asks the second son to come home and help him. The hero arrives to hear that his older brother hs passed away and he is now his father's heir. As he travels home, he and his 4 year old son stop at a local inn. There he meets the heroine again. She is the manager of the inn and supports her mother. The hero returns to find his father suffering from an apoplexy and the estate in financial ruin. Since he was able to build a lumber mill in Cabad, he plans to build one in England to save his estates and the village. But the hero does not know the life the heroine has lived. He only knows that she is a widow and works at the inn. He doesn't know any of the secrets that took place while he was gone.
I liked this story, because not only did it describe how strong women had to be at those times, it also described how a smart woman would be able to overcome the laws and rules that kept them poor. This story was an eye opener to me. It dealt with how someone could love another to the point they would give up every happiness for the other person. This story definitely is 5 stars and I recommend reading.

This is my first Peri Maxwell romance and I loved it! It is unusual for a romance to be almost 400 pages these days; so, I was curious if it could hold my attention for that many pages. It definitely did! Just when you think Thea and Oliver may be able to marry and move forward something happens to cause more anguish. Not only are they dealing with separation, they have all those around them who want to control their lives. But, they, also, have those around them who are supportive.

Second chance romances have a sweet spot in my heart. And, this one did not disappoint. There is a lot of silent conversation about memories, bad decisions, bad advice and hurt to go around that might have kept them completely apart. With this book, read to the end and you will continue to cheer Thea and Oliver as they struggle to get to their HEA. It’s worth your time!

p.s. I tweaked my Amazon review just a bit; hope it helps. (Not sure how someone can review a book in which they only read 40%)

This is my first Peri Maxwell romance and it was a doozy. A second chance romance where they were separated by their mother's duplicity, circumstances, and fear conspired to keep them apart. Thea is a strong woman, having found her independence through hardship. Both she and Oliver have experienced tragedy and must work hard to over come the duplicity that separated them 6 years ago and find their HEA. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was the first historical fiction that I've picked up, and I'm disappointed to say it didn't grip me. I DNFed it 40% in as I was not feeling anything between the characters, I didn't know them at all, and I didn't feel like the plot was moving forwards. I didn't have anything enthralling me to keep reading. This would have benefitted a lot from having some flashbacks or two timelines (even just from Oliver learning about why he and Thea aren't together and how he felt meeting Julia, or why Thea married her husband and what happened to him at sea). Disappointed with the lack of connection I felt with this book and the characters

DNF at 44%

While reading this one, I kept expecting it to pick up. I figured that at some point, I was going to start caring about the characters. Sadly, that wasn't what happened. I never grew to care about them. They were bland, unremarkable, and incredibly forgettable.

I think the main problem with this stems from a lack of chemistry between the characters. Even if there wasn't a friendly bond between them, I could've been satisfied with some sexual tension at bare minimum. There was none. Despite being told the characters were childhood friends and in love with each other, it doesn't feel like that. They feel like two incredibly distant acquaintances with super stilted interactions.

I also had issues with the pacing. It was sooooo slow. No historical romance should be almost 400 pages. Especially one with as little conflict as this. There was nothing going on. I read way more herb picking scenes than I've ever wanted to read.

After finishing a great historical romance a few days ago, I was really looking forward to this one. Sadly, it wasn't anything to look forward to.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

***Major trigger warning for child death***

I have not read many Peri Maxwell books, but this one makes me eager to check out their back catalog. Maxwell put together a lovely second-chance romance, where two people learn to let go of the past and look towards the future.

Widower Oliver Hawkins has returned to England from Canada and reluctantly taken his (unexpected) place as the Duke of Rushford. Upon arriving back on his home estate, he runs into the woman he loved before leaving, whom he thought loved him, too, and whom he thought would join him in Canada after he left 6 years earlier. Thea Smith did love Oliver and planned to join him - until duplicity, circumstance, and fear conspired to keep them apart. Over time, both separately endured tragedy and experienced joy, and now must figure out if this time they can overcome those who would steer them wrong.

Maxwell does a good job of respecting Oliver's first wife and his occasionally conflicted feelings about his love for her as Thea comes back into his life (having never left his heart). Julia was not a throwaway or a convenience for Oliver, he cared for her deeply and mourned and mourns her death. She also does a masterful job of conveying the other elements of grief in the story. I cried multiple times while reading this book, and it takes a lot for me to tear up. Thea is a strong woman, having found her independence through hardship, and I loved seeing the enterprising women that create a backdrop for this story and likely the whole series. As a couple, they just work, even when Thea is convinced they don't.

Loved it. Any book that can touch my emotions this much is a 5 star read. Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are entirely my own.

Their tragedy started when they were torn apart by scheming mothers. Their redemption started when they started to find their way back to each other, except for more scheming and not only by their respective mothers but also a greedy sibling. A lovely story about two very strong and admirable people who are bound together by their love that time and distance can not sever their ties. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

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

Mothers from hell!

A story of second chance romance, with plenty of characters to dislike and love. After six years Lord Oliver Hawkins has returned from Canada along with his son Simon, to help his father, the Duke of Rushford, start a timber mill and sort out his affairs.
His brother Garrett has died leaving accounts unpaid all around the place. His witch of a mother mourns his brother, despises Oliver and tries to control his life. Oliver is having none of that!
But Oliver’s father unexpectedly dies and Oliver is left with battling debts and a dukedom he doesn’t want.
Thea Fowler, now Smith, was the girl he left behind, who was to join him. He never sent for her and Thea was on her own. Her time of travail when she was deserted by Oliver are hinted at as being harsh and unyielding. But now Thea owns the local Inn, a successful venture, although all think she only works there. Her sorrow and betrayal by the man she loved is immense. Thea supports her bitter mother but doesn’t live with her. She has secretly been part of a female lending group who foster loans to the deserving and support charity works.
Oliver is a successful lumber merchant in Canada and he intends to continue his father’s plan to start a mill on or near their property, judiciously thinning out some of the old forest, and providing employment for the local men. Except someone destroys the building he was going to use and now he has to find somewhere else. Not an easy task.
Meanwhile he feels the old attraction to Thea, whom he’s known since they were children.
An enjoyable story but the angst swirling around the two main characters is immense.

A Dragonblade ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Peri Maxwell’s writing is a pure joy to read -- it’s engaging, romantic, witty, intriguing and positive. Reading one of her books always leaves me with a smile on my face and a warm, happy feeling in my heart. And this book is no exception to this rule.