This book kicks off a new series, The Strongs of Shadowcrest, and it looks to be a delightful series! Thanks to the debts Sophie's father dug himself into, Sophie never had a come out and was forced to marry an older man, Josiah Grant, an owner of a leading shipping line, who agreed to pay her father's debts. Josiah taught Sophie the ins and outs of running a shipping business. Now a widow, she is able to confidently run the business. James has lived his life at sea. He was once a former captain of Josiah's and is back now, and finds himself the new Duke of Seaton. Society dictates that he marry a simpering miss, but he is captivated and attracted to the very capable and intelligent Sophie, who is the subject of various gossip. James cares for none of that, he only knows that he is completely drawn to the intriguing Sophie. She is equally drawn to him, but when she learns he is a duke, that complicates things. These two no doubt have some obstacles to overcome before they can settle into their HEA.
A great start to a new series! Looking forward to reading more!
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing and am voluntarily leaving my review.

The Duke’s Unexpected Love. My fellow readers. Two people from the same world collide together in the most epic historical romance story. Sophie Grants’s is fantastic. This woman commanding persona is amazing.
The knowledgeable skills set from running a company and the ends and outs of building transportation ships was terrifically written. No wonder James is attracted to her. James is not a bad character himself. Captain to a number of roudy to navigate the seas during piracy is risking taking in its self. As I said before.
The writer did a wonderful job with providing factual information regarding the shipping industry and building shipping vessels. The romance between Sophia and James I thought was a slow build, but that was ok. I was excited and anticipating James return home. Be still my heart it was a get the tissues moment. These scenes between James and is family was profound and very sentimental.
Things happen for a reason and James has found his. I love the writing and everything about the book. I give this book two snaps and a twist. Until next time fellow readers. Read on!
#TheDukesUnexpectedLove
#NetGally
#AlexaAston
#DragonBlade
#Goodreads
#Bookbub

This was a very different romance! I really liked this!
The Duke: Kidnapped as a boy, he never knew he was a Duke after that, until he came back and someone found him!
The Unexpected Love: A women kicked out of the ton because her dad made her marry a business man!
This is enemies-to-lovers with some family problems, a very bad Uncle.
She knew so much more about the ton then he knew.
HEA by the end!
I liked this because of the unusual set-up and empowered woman.

Me and Alexa Aston books always get along, and this was no exception. It was not a new favorite but that might be because I got into a huge reading slump and had to stop mid way and not read this book as fast as I wanted to. I really loved the way the hero talked about our heroine and the way he cared about his family.
I also must say I loved seeing Dinah fall in love

"The Duke's Unexpected Love" by Alexa Aston is a charming historical romance that delivers a delightful twist on the classic love story. The novel introduces us to James Jones, a man who returns home after years at sea to discover he is the heir to a dukedom. Sophie Grant, on the other hand, is a widow running her own company, thanks to her late husband's guidance.
The chemistry between James and Sophie is palpable, and their unconventional backgrounds make their romance all the more intriguing. Aston skillfully portrays their evolving relationship, highlighting their individual strengths and vulnerabilities. Sophie's journey from a shy, sheltered woman to a confident and independent businesswoman is particularly well-developed.
While the plot may follow some familiar tropes, Aston's engaging writing style and the depth of the characters elevate the story. "The Duke's Unexpected Love" is a heartwarming tale of love, self-discovery, and second chances that is sure to captivate fans of historical romance.

Thanks to Ms Aston, the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent beginning of a new series. The young son of a duke is kidnapped, beaten and pressed into service on a privateer ship. Having lost most of his memories of the past, he works his way up from the bottom to captain of his own ship knowing only his first name is James. Docking the ship in London, he meets Mrs. Sophie Grant, owner of Neptune Shipping and his ship. Now a widow, she is very attracted to the handsome captain and thinks of an affair. He is attracted to her, but his past forces him into the role he was born to play. He is the owner of Strong Shipping and a duke. James is determined to make Sophie his duchess. Sometimes something you want the most, can be the hardest to get. Once again Aston has a strong woman at the helm. Open bedroom door.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Sophie Grant is not your usual woman of the time period. She owns and runs a very successful shipping company she took over when her much older husband died. Most of the marriage was her deceased husband training her to take over the company. Sophie is definitely an independent woman, but one oddity came out of her marriage. They never consummated their marriage. Her husband felt he was too old, and was not interested in it any longer. Now, she has begun to wonder what it's like to have intimate relations with a man, and is thinking to have an affair.
James Jones happens to be a very successful captain of one of her ships she owns. Little does he know, or remember, he is the son of a duke. He was taken as an 8 year old to be a cabin boy. He had been beaten so badly, he no longer had memories of his previous life. All he knows is his life at sea. However, a chance encounter leads him to find out his previous life, and how this will affect the rest of his life.
Both James and Sophie are very attracted to one another. He wants her to fall in love with him as Captain Jones, not as the heir to a dukedom.
This book is filled with lack of communication between the two. Some of it is quite understandable, most is not.
I had series problems reading it. The novel took me over a week to finish, which hardly every happens. I wasn't invested in the characters or their story, and did not feel any connection either.. Maybe if the story had been longer, there may have been some depth to their characters, and add to the story. The conversations felt stilted and forced. He told her he was in love with her almost immediately. It was not a love at first sight. It just came out of nowhere.
Her fear of marriage was legitimate. During the time period, a woman would lose everything she owns because all would end up belonging to the husband. I won't give any spoilers, but I found their solution to the problem was odd.
James' family also happened to own a shipping company that was in direct competition to hers. Why bother even mention that part since there wasn't much reference to that? The villains could have been sabotaging a completely different business. Again, this isn't a spoiler. It is in the beginning of the book.
She was the daughter of a viscount, and he was the heir to a dukedom. Several times it was mentioned there would be issues reentering society for the two. Yet, not once did they even meet anyone connected to the ton besides his stepmother.
I did like James and Sophie a lot, just not as a couple. He was very, very sweet once he realized she had never had any relations with a man, I liked that she was a stubborn, strong woman, who had no problems taking care of things herself. Again, I did not feel any connection to their love story. Maybe if more time had been spent developing the characters and their past, I would have enjoyed this more.
There is some heat in the intimate scenes. After the first time, it was almost closed door for the rest of the novel.
The author has written quite a few novels. I may check those out, but I can honestly say that I have no interest in continuing this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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

This is a first book in a new series by Alexa Aston, whose books I enjoy reading very much. This series seems to revolve around a family, and this story is about James Strong, the son of the family, and heir to the Duke of Seaton. At the beginning of the story, we meet James as a young boy, about to leave for school. You get a sense of his family through his eyes at the time, and find out that his mother had passed and he has a step mother and half siblings. His father owns a shipping business and his tutor takes him to the docks to explore a bit, and while there, he is violently taken and forced to work on a ship.

Years past, and because of what happens, James Strong has lost his memories of being heir to a duke and his family, and has built a new identity as James Jones, growing up at sea and building a talent for sailing, and leadership, and eventually becoming a young captain for one of the ships for Josiah Grant, a self-made wealthy commoner who runs a large shipping concern, with his young wife, Sophie.

Sophie, a daughter to a profligate viscount, was wed by Grant, but he took more of a fatherly mentor role to her, and theirs was a chaste marriage that was built on friendship and respect. Josiah saw the strength and intelligence in the shy, gently born Sophie, and mentored her to become his heir and to manage their ships and business, in his stead. Sophie, having never been presented, and now rejected by Society for marrying below her status, and engaging in trade, is grateful to Josiah for giving her the independence and strength to succeed, and on his death, is determined to continue the business as his legacy. She continues with their plans to build a new ship, with the hopes that Captain Jones will be the new captain for it. To keep control of her independence and Josiah's legacy, Sophie has no plans to remarry. But she is also very lonely, with no family or friends, and curious. She decides she would like to experience intimacy, choosing the attractive James to proposition for an affair, since they seem to like each other very much. If she manages to get pregnant as well, all the better for an heir for the business.

James, while visiting a pub while at dock, is recognized by a drunkard to be the missing Strong heir. The drunkard was his tutor, whose life was ruined and fell into drinking, when the duke punished him for losing his charge that day on the docks many years ago. James returns to his home to prove his identity and memories of his past start to return. He also faces his ailing father, and his family. He is forced to give up his life at sea as he finds himself having to take the reins and manage his family, including ousting a thieving uncle and cousin, who expected to inherit thinking James was dead, and have been exploiting their position and thieving from the dukedom while James' father was incapacitated.

James hides his new status, of being aristocracy and the heir to a dukedom, as well as owner of Strong Shipping, Sophie's chief business rival, from Sophie, unsure of where they stand, because he finds himself very attached to her, and wants to make her his duchess. Under the guise of being just Captain James Jones, he travels with Sophie to the shipyard, to deliver his old ship for repair and inspect the new ship being built.

Sophie discovers his identity and runs away, not wanting to deal with her confusion and emotions. What she does know though is that she is no longer part of Society and will not wed again because Josiah's legacy would then belong to her husband, and could be lost. James, not understanding the laws of ownership and property as they relate to women, or Society rules because of his years at sea, is at a lost of how to convince the woman he has come to love to wed him and be his duchess.
On top of that, he has to deal with the death of his father and becoming the head of his newly found family, and all their quirks and issues, as well as the drama of his thieving, conniving uncle and cousin, who seek their revenge.

I very much enjoyed this story. I quite enjoyed the story of Sophie and her relationship with Josiah, which fostered her into becoming a confident, powerful, independent woman, who is lonely because she is neither fish nor fowl in relation to other women of the middle class or Society. I liked James and his relationship with his first mate, and his adult relationships that were developing with his sisters and cousins, and step mother, especially in contrast to the beginning of the story. He is not a typical aristocrat in that he was forced to grow up away from society, and I liked that his opinion and attraction to Sophie was not coloured by the typical prejudices Society would have about Sophie.

Seeing how the various Strong siblings/family are in this story makes me curious to see how their stories play out as well and this is a good starter story for the series.

4.75 stars out of 5

An Unconventional Duke and a Remarkable Widow

Kidnapped as a young boy, beaten unconscious, and taken to sea, James forgot who he was for many years. Then, an encounter at a tavern changed his life. In an instant, he went from a sea captain to a duke’s heir. Not everyone was happy the long-lost heir was found, and villainy and treachery ensued.

Sophie has recently lost her husband. She owns the shipping company where James is a sea captain. She is lonely, and having never experienced physical love, she decides to have an affair with him. James does not share his newly found very big secret about his family with Sophie. Not only is he about to become a duke, but he also owns a shipping company, in direct competition with hers. What happens when she discovers the truth? Can she forgive the deception and become his duchess? Will the duke get his lady despite these seemingly insurmountable obstacles?

I enjoyed this story very much. It kept me turning the pages. I recommend it to those who like historical romance with suspense.

cosa puoi voler di più da una storia romantica ?che sia divertente James e Sophia mi sono entrati subito nel cuore soprattutto perchè sono divertenti,complessi ma anche assolutamente unici e intrigano con il loro modo di essere .Non vedo l ora di leggere sugli altri personaggi ...Da leggere .Un ottimo vero inizio per una serie che avrà molto da dire .
Ringrazio Netgalley per la copia gratuita .i pensieri della recensione sono miei

5 stars

Great start to a new series. James, as a small boy, was shanghied and made to work as a cabin boy on a merchant ship owned by the heroine. James is actually the heir to a dukedom. On his return to England he starts to remember especially when he spots a drunkard who was his old Tutor. At the same time he has just met Sophie the widow of a ship owner. He decides she is the woman for him and at the same time, having had a platonic marriage, Sophie realises she wants to experience lovemaking and have a child. We meet James's Step mother, two sets of step sisters, his cousin, Theo and his female cousins. His friend, IMO is being lined up for Dinah..I'll have to wait and see. There were some historical quirks, such as what happened to a year of mourning after the father's death. I think are ignored as James is going to be his own man and not fall in with the dictats of society.

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

“The Duke’s Unexpected Love” is the kickoff to Alexa Aston’s new series “The Strongs of Shadowcrest.” Aston is generally an author I enjoy and I love a good family series. But this book fell short of my expectations in a few ways.

Here, MMC James, heir to the Duke of Seaton, is kidnapped into service as a sailor as a small boy. He works his way up from cabin boy to captain, largely forgetting his pre-ship bound life. FMC Sophie is the daughter of a viscount sold into marriage with a shipping magnate much older than herself. Her husband has no interest in bedding her but does want to teach her all aspects of his business, with the goal of her taking over when he dies. Which he does. James is the captain for one of Sophie’s company’s ships.

An unexpected encounter with a person from his past leads James to find and remember his past, just in time to inherit the dukedom. Meanwhile, he has also come into contact with Sophie, who wants him to captain a new ship being built for her line. James wants Sophie immediately and decides he wants to marry her shortly thereafter. She, meanwhile, wants him but does not want to lose everything her husband built by marrying again. James is determined to convince her to be his duchess.

So what fell short? The story lacks oopmh, for lack of a better term. Close to 50% of the book is spent establishing the characters;, mainly James’, backstory. The romance seems almost secondary. All of Sophie’s concerns about marrying James disappear much more quickly than one would expect, especially considering the Duke of Seaton also owns the chief competitor to Sophie’s shipping company, and neither of them plans to sell or merge. How is that monopoly going to work exactly? James supposedly lacks knowledge over basic information about Britain, yet he is supposedly also incredibly well-read, having educated himself throughout his years on the ship. The reader hears much about how the ton has and will disapprove of Sophie, but none of that conflict is on page before or after their relationship becomes common knowledge. There are two moments that are supposed to be suspenseful, but just aren’t given their quick resolutions.

On the other hand, the interactions between James and his family are lovely and his sisters and step-mother are well-positioned to have enjoyable stories of their own. Sophie is both incredibly intelligent and yet charmingly naive. There is attraction between James and Sophie and the stream, while minimal, is good.

2.5 stars rounded to 3. Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonsblade for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I love Alexa Aston's stories, and know I will sit down and read one of her books through in one day, and I did with this one. I can't wait to meet more of the Strongs after reading James and Sophie's love story.
Both characters had unusual events happen to them that greatly impacted their lives.
James was kidnapped as a boy of 8 to become a cabin boy and grew up sailing the world and eventually becoming Captain of his own ship.
Sophie was sold in marriage by her father to Josiah Grant, a much older man. Josiah taught Sophie about his business, and Sophie was running the company before Josiah passed away.
Two strong characters that life had shaped into two successful individuals that gave us an amazing love story!
I received an ARC from Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley.

The Duke’s Unexpected Love by Alexa Aston is the start of a new family series and looks to be pretty good. James Strong was a precocious eight-year-old who wanted to please his father. In that vein, his tutor had taken him to the family business to introduce him to what would someday be his. His father was not involved as it was demeaning for a duke to dirty his hands with business. James loved it that day, offering to help where ever he could; his last errand was delivering some papers two block away and returning with papers he was given. He never made it back; he was shanghaied by a monster and spent the next almost twenty years on various ships. His first day, he made a life-long friend, in a man called Drake. Sophie Grant had been sold into marriage to a man over three times her age. He had gently explained that he was no longer interesting in a physical relationship but they had had a marriage of affection and education. He taught her everything he knew about his business, Neptune Shipping. She had become the wealthiest woman in England, after he unexpectedly passed away. James Jones returned one day as a captain of a Neptune ship and met his new boss. He was immediately attracted. The same day, a drunk accosted him, identifying him as James Strong, the heir to the Duke of Seaton. Things started happening fast.

James had had a hard life but be had prevailed. Despite most of the men he saw, he grew to to honest, brave, and caring. His friendship with Drake had started the day he awoke in the hold and had grown ever stronger. Sophie Grant was a married virgin. She wanted to know what she was missing and she wanted a child to leave her vast wealth and holdings to. When she spied Captain Jones, she thought she had found her man. They were indeed a match. Both strong willed, talented, and ready to settle down. The great thing about romances is that the reader already knows the outcome so they can relax into the story. There were twists and turns, as always on the journey to true happiness, but Aston handled it well, as always. There were surprise characters, or at least their reactions and personalities were surprises. It was a terrific book. Thanks, again, Aston!

I was invited to read The Duke’s UnExpected Love by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #AlexaAston #TheDukesUnexpectedLove

Thank you NetGalley for such a good read. Sophie is married to Mr Grant who has taught her all about the shipping business. When he dies she runs the business by herself. she makes James her captain of the ship he was on. After her husband's death she finds she is attracted to him.
James as a boy of eight is taken to be a cabin boy and kidnapped after a beating. He soon forgets his past and takes to the sea. As he and his first mate are sitting in a tavern a man recognize him and tells him his father the Duke is very ill and about to die. He loves Sophie and wants to make her his Duchess but has to figure out how she can run her own company to marry him. He has much to learn about being a Duke but with the help of his large family and Sophie.

I really liked the pace of this book. Young James was snatched away at the docks and was forced to work at sea for years. Of course after years of abuse and forgetting his old life, when he is now the captain, he learns that he is the son of a Duke.

The romance is a bit complicated especially with the secret Dukedom.. Sophie's much older husband dies, leaving the shipping business to her. Poor Sophie had a marriage with zero intimacy so it is time to have some fun with her employee, James.

Hardworking characters that find love make them likeable. This was an easy book to just breeze through and enjoy. I hope the whole series is solid like this first book.

Thanks to Dragonblade and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

James Jones has spent his life at sea after being grabbed off the streets of London, he’s risen from cabin boy to captain but the a chance encounter with a drunken stranger leads James back to his family, where he discovers he is the heir to the dying Duke of Seaton. Sophie Grant, daughter of a viscount, married Josiah Grant, owner of one of the leading shipping lines in Great Britain as part of the arrangement to pay her father’s debts. Whilst having a white marriage with Josiah he taught her about his business & left it entirely to he in his will. James, a captain for one of Grant’s vessels, encounters the now-widowed Sophie and feels a connection with the efficient, intelligent woman.
The start of a new series & another book I couldn’t put down & read it straight through finishing it at silly o’clock. I loved both James & Sophie, he’s had his world rocked & is now set on a new course. She’s highly intelligent, practical & ripe for love. I loved the chemistry between them & how their relationship deepened & grew. James did keep a huge secret but I could understand why. I also loved Dinah & the other Strong siblings. There was some drama with disgruntled relatives & interesting tidbits of history including insurance & plaques.
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

A good premise with great characters...

I really was intrigued by the premise (a virgin widow and the sailor from a great family, who was pressed into service). I wasn't disappointed by Sophie and James. Sophie was treated with care by the man she was married to, but she's lonely since his passing.

James was once a member of the aristocrasy, but he was disappeared. Now, his memory is jogged and he is finding out who he really is. Sophie and James are a good match and you root for them.
Recommend.

A new series by this amazing author. The Strong series is going to be just that, Strong! All ready it has characters who have come through more than the average person of those times. The women are resilient, calm, practical, independent and ahead of their time. James, the main male is so honorable that he puts everyone else to shame! Then there are the friends and family members who make up this exciting group of people. Of course there is a villain or two, as evil lerks everywhere in life, but there is also joy, humor, steam, and so much more. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down until the very end. Now I'm impatiently waiting for book two. As always this author writes with great historical information, creativity and soul.

This historical romance give us a brand new series of "Strong" people. This book gives us a hero who is abducted as a boy, and the way his life has changed. Also a heroine who once was part of society but now runs a shipping company, very successfully.

The characters are wonderful and very colourful. There is a lot of excitement, danger and fun for all. Big changes are coming to all their lives.

I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

I loved it.