This is the first book of a new series, Disgraceful Duchesses and also my first experience reading something by this author. Catherine and Sebastian met years ago at her engagement ball and he left a lasting impression on her. Now she is widowed and has a son and is travelling home for his birthday and gets caught in a snowstorm and is forced to take shelter at an inn. Sebastian is also traveling and ends up seeking shelter in the same inn as Catherine. The attraction and chemistry is still very strong between them as it was all those years ago and they inevitably succumb to their desires. As the storm rages on outside, so do their passions when they are with one another. But once the storm clears, they need to decide where they go from here. Was this just a temporary affair, or could they have something more between them?
A wild and sweet story filled with passion and romance made this a fun and captivating read. The characters were well-developed and I enjoyed seeing them together. I look forward to con6rhis series!
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the arc.

This was a 4.0 star book for me. This was my first Sara Bennett book, and I enjoyed it. This story centered on the romance between Catherine, the young Dowager Duchess of Wellesley, and Sebastian, Viscount Albury. Catherine is a widow and a young mother whose husband was jealous and controlling. So controlling that his will stated that she and their son, and current Duke, was never to leave the Duke's estate, if she were to get any financial support. But then she meets Sebastian at a roadside inn during a severe snowstorm. Catherine and Sebastian met initially years ago, before she was married, and this is a second chance romance for both of them.

This was a fun story, very sexy, and a fun group of side characters who are also stuck in the inn due to the snow storm. It was a quick read, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Is It Love, or Can It Be Seduction?

Catherine married a cruel man who was still trying to control her from the grave. When she had the opportunity to have an affair, she jumped at the chance. She had met Sebastian right before she got married, but she never forgot him. It turned out that he had not forgotten her either. Sebastian was a rake. He wanted an affair without hearts getting involved. What happened when love struck them, willing or not? Catherine could not leave the estate or get remarried, or her son would lose his inheritance. Could she defy her late husband? What about Sebastian? He wanted nothing to do with love. His past haunted him and was still controlling how he lived. Could he mend his ways? For the answers, you would want to read this lovely story. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. It was my first book by this author, and I look forward to reading more.

A sexy romp while stranded in a snowstorm. Catherine, Dowager Duchess of Wellesley was married to a man old enough to be her grandfather! At age nineteen, her mother keen to see her daughters marry well above their station based on their looks alone snags the match of the season when Catherine is set to wed the Duke of Wellesley.

The marriage is in no way a good one as she is held captive by her husband who lives with his unmarried sister. Even from the grave, he is determined to keep Catherine chained to the home, not allowing his sole heir, five-year-old Jack to inherit anything of his vast estates if they so much as leave the estate or Catherine gets married before Jack reaches twenty-one.

While trapped at the inn during a snowstorm, Catherine meets Sebastian, Viscount Albury, whom she met years ago while at a ball following her betrothal to the duke. The chemistry is still there and Catherine wanting to experience real passion before she dies a slow death locked away in the Wellesley's mansion, takes Seb up on his offer. The two enjoy a wild romp over the next few days before the weather starts to clear up.

Finally, they can leave the inn and Catherine is keen to hurry home to be with Jack for his sixth birthday. Seb and Catherine have time to finally confess their attraction is more than just physical and that they both want more.

Lovely story that came to a sweet end. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publishers and submit my voluntary review.

Sebastian, Viscount Albury and Catherine, Dowager Duchess of Wellesley met before she married her horrendous husband, who continues to punish her beyond the grave. A storm when both are traveling to their northern estates, which sit in the same neighborhood, allows them to reconnect. Their story is all you would want in a romance, but in addition, you get to meet the other people trapped at the same in and they are delightful!

For Catherine, married to the Duke of Winstanton at nineteen, was a miserable existence. Even after his death, he is controlling her through their son. For ten years, Catherine has dreamed of one man she met briefly during her engagement at a ball. Returning to Winstanton Castle for her son's birthday, a snow storm forces her to stay at the White Rose inn. She literally falls into the arms of another person seeking shelter from the storm. The man she's never forgotten, the man of her dreams, Sebastian, Viscount Albury. An opportunity that's mutual to share a bed, but it's not just a brief affair during a storm. It's a chance for a different life. Very likeable characters with their ups and downs and hoping for a happily ever after.
Descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Catherine is now a widow. She was married at 19 to much older, cold, uncaring, manipulative man. She meets a man she was introduced to years ago at an inn where they are both stuck in because of a snowstorm. They decide to have an affair. It seemed pretty rushed but I'm glad they both eventually caught feelings for each other. I'm also glad Sebastian turned out to be a good man and is nothing at all like that horrid man she was married to before. The initial encounter seemed pretty rushed but I'm glad it didn't stay that way and became more meaningful as time went on.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Catherine is a Duchess who marries a much older man who marries her to add her to his collection of beautiful items. When Catherine's husband passes away, his will seeks to totally control her life, and that of their son.
Sebastian, Viscount Albury, encounters Catheine at an inn when they are trapped by the snowy weather. She remembers meeting him around the time she married, and wondered what it would be like having someone young and energetic as a lover.
I enjoyed the secondary characters, the romance of the story, and loved the ending.

5 stars

I enjoyed this story. The Duchess is returning home to her son. She sees the viscount. a rake that she first saw when she was about to wed her elderly husband. There was a bit of a Gunnings sister vibe. They agree to have an affair whilst they are stuck in an inn waiting for the weather to lift. The Rake thinks that our heroine is guided by money but she came from a very poor background so the money isn't her main driver, it's her son Jack.

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

My heart went out to Catherine in this bitter-sweet novel as she struggled firstly under the harsh hand of her husband whilst he was still alive, and then discovers that he still controls her life from the grave. She is caught between a rock and a hard place when she finds that she is free from the man who used her as an object, but her future is bleak if she wants to keep her beloved son. A chance meeting with Sebastian whom she had met a decade earlier gives her a few wonderful days in which she can revel in happiness as a woman, but unfortunately, the reality of her situation intrudes, thereby breaking her heart. Sometimes choices have to be made and they are never easy, but when Catherine finds that her son is as much a victim as herself, the choice becomes easy. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, a copy of which I received as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Umm, yes please!! This was soo good! Plot was entertaining and kept thing’s moving along nicely. A little spice here and there was nice too. All in all, a great book.

A lovely little novella. Pick this up if you like:
- Forced proximity
- Widow x Rake
- Second chance romance (sort of)
- MMCs with daddy issues

Catherine, Dowager Duchess of Wellesley, is on her way home from visiting her family to her bleak castle in the North of England, when she becomes trapped in a snowbound inn. The lonely widow of an old husband, her hopes of finding a man who can show her the sort of passion she longs for, are fading. That is until she discovers the gentleman she met ten years ago, and has been dreaming of ever since, is sharing her captivity. Sebastian, Viscount Albury, has received a note saying his estranged father ill & asking that he returns home. He too becomes trapped at the White Rose Inn.
A new author to me & a new series & I loved it. Quite a quick read but it delivered with strong characters & an emotional story. My heart bled for both Catherine & Seb, she’d become a trophy (literally) wife to an elderly Duke who manipulated her even from the grave, Seb was guilt ridden over his mother’s death & his father’s estrangement. I loved how two lonely hearts came together first for pleasure but it quickly deepened but would they have the courage to open their hearts & admit their feelings? Well that would be telling! I look forward to the rest of the series
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

She's a widow.

I liked Catherine, a widow with a young son, whose dead husband is still controlling her. At an inn, she finally can get a bit of freedom and gets some.

Sebastian is shallow and a rake (YAWN, please, for the love of...NO more rakes!). Catherine deserves much better than a rake with zero relationship experience.
One and done, fine, but nothing more. And he probably has an STI.

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ If you want a spicy short novel with an actual plot, you have found the right book! Sara Bennett did a great job writing a cohesive story even though it is a shorter book. This historical fiction keeps you on your toes.

Plot: Nine and twenty year Dowager Duchess Catherine gets stuck in a winter storm with a rake she has been dreaming of for ten years. Her deceased husband made sure she never marries again, but is a night of passion off the table?

I absolutely adored this book. I enjoyed the characters and the romance was lovely. I cannot wait to continue with this series and see what next in store for these wonderful characters.

Heart Wrenching Love Story:
My first time reading anything by this author and she had me captured right from the beginning.
A wonderful emotionally passionate heartfelt gripping story of two people who just wanted to be loved.
Both Catherine and Sebastian were intriguing people with each one of them having a heart wrenching previous life.
They meet again about 10 years from the first sparkling eye-catching meeting that would unexpectedly bring them together with such passion the pages were smoldering so heavy I had to turn the pages so fast just to keep them from igniting.
The side characters were wonderful and added so much to the story. 
The ending was exciting, fast paced, heartwarming and made this a very likeable story
I enjoyed the entire story without skimming at all and look forward to more from this author.
📣Special Mention: Benny the darling little boy who added much to the sweet side of the story.
📖Mature Reader🌶🌶🌶

I would like to thank netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the setting and the characters. Nice to see some character growth.

Catherine is a Duchess who was married to an older controlling man. Her life was not improved when he died because he set controlling rules on her and their son Jack.
She encounters Sebastian at an inn where they are trapped by the weather. She remembers meeting him from her earlier life and decides to take fate into her own hands by allowing her own seduction.
Sebastian’s heart is closed off but he is more than willing to make love to the Duchess and walk away.
Some steamy love scenes, added bonus of another romance in the story.
Easy read, some twists add to the relationship difficulties.

Catherine has been married to an old man for years. Suddenly she's a widow with a young son. However her horrible husband has set out a will that has her tied to remaining his duchess. While traveling she becomes stuck at a inn and meets Sebastian. What takes place is engaging, steamy, fun and oh so freeing. But will it be enough to last her life or will she break free of the restrictions of the will. This is the first in a series, about three sisters. Enjoyable, evenly paced with a mixture of detail, self reflection and dialogue.