American raised heiress and half owner of a shipping line, Lady Marleigh accompanies her father to England for him to claim his newly inherited title as Earl. A distant cousin has spread accusations of treason against the new Earl, attempting to gain the title for himself. When this does not work, he sets his sights on Marleigh and her fortune.
Marleigh meets Andrew Crofton, Duke of Pangbourne, at a ball and he is immediately enthralled by Marleigh's self-confidant, brash, out-spoken demeanor, so different from the proper miss of the ton he meets in droves, all dull duplicates of each other, not a single original thought amongst them. But when he suggests to Marleigh, a relationship more than just friends she balks. She never intends to give up her independence to a man, she likes working and is good at her job. Andrew sets out to court her hoping to convince him of his sincerity in saying she can keep her money and her independence if she will only accept him.
I enjoyed this story, I did not like one part of it, but I will not dwell on that because that is just me and may be fine for everyone else. But Marleigh is a strong, brash talking Lady unlike any the ton has seen before!! She gains the attention of many of the young men of society. This story takes you from London to the English countryside, and has some elements of a thriller along with the romance when it comes to cousin Robert and his exploits. All in all it is a quick paced read that holds the reader's interest and moves along at a nice speed. Nothing too heavy in it, just fun!!
Thank you to Plum Products and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review voluntarily in return.

I was not able to put down this book once I read the first sentence. The story was charming and suspenseful. The characters were believable.

After both his elder brothers died mysteriously, William Barrett returned to England with his daughter to claim the title of Earl of Wylde. Being born a third son he made his fortune in America.
Capable, emancipated and very independent, Marleigh Barrett finds adjusting to English society rather uninteresting. She’s only here to get the family estate up and running. Instead she finds herself dispelling rumours and ducking fortune hunters.

Serving the Crown and the War Office in France, Andrew Crofton returned after the war and inherited the dukedom of Pangbourne. Hiding from the clingy ton mamas at a ball, he observes a young woman bravely fence off an overzealous suitor. Quickly assessing the one detail she missed, he makes sure the cad doesn’t get any ideas.
And thus the unlikely friendship between a very English duke and an outspoken American heiress begins. He’s immediately smitten, but she proves quite immune to his dukish charms. Or is she?

📚 Lots of funny banter, plenty of romance, land management, female empowerment, a misunderstanding, thievery, a kidnapping and a mad dash for Gretna Green. The gentlemen in this book are charming. The lady is maybe a bit much. But all in all it’s an entertaining and interesting book with a lot of side stories. I’m curious to see where they’ll go in the next books.
📚 American heiress/new duke, cultural differences, he falls first, friends to lovers