In Love, But Worlds Apart

She is a duchess; he is a sea captain. He does not even know his origins. Does their love stand a chance? In this steamy historical romance, Dinah and Drake cannot be together unless they defy convention. Dinah worries about her daughters. Will her involvement with the captain interfere with their chances of finding good matches?

Drake finally became a sea captain, a dream he had had for as long as he could remember. Being with Dinah meant he would leave her for months at a time. He also felt he was not worthy of a duchess. Neither did he want to interfere with her daughter's chances of making good matches. There were solutions, but Drake had his pride. Could love beat the odds? For the answers, you would want to read this story. I recommend it to those who like steamy historical romance with two people from different social classes.

I was so looking forward to Dinah's story! She had been a dutiful wife and mother the last two decades and it's time for her to find a good man who loves her. Drake is the perfect man for her. Bonus points for getting to see most of her girls again. Another great book by Alexa Aston!!
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

I keep coming back to the Strongs hoping that the books will get better. This one was (maybe?) better than the last but still not up to what I know Aston can do. "The Captain and the Duke" is a novella length book of the romance between Dinah, Dowager Duchess of Seaton, and Captain Drake Andrews. The two meet, flirt, spend some (chaste) time in a carriage and then think about each other a lot while he is off to sea for a year. He returns and the duo start a relationship that is supposed to be strictly physical - even though both already have feelings for the other before anything physical happens. There is a third-act separation - class differences, natch - that is fairly easily resolved to clear the way for a HEA.

This book was just kind of cringey and filled with stilted dialogue. The conversation in which Dinah and Drake decide to embark on a physical relationship came a little bit out of nowhere. And while I like that Aston had Drake be honest about the women he was with during his time away, the sheer numbers of those women were brought up multiple times. Drake went from attraction to OMG, I'm in love so fast my head spun. And the third-separation was based on miscommunication which I really dislike.

Anyway. The spice was decent and I do like a romance with characters who are a little bit older. 2 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

The Captain and the Duchess by Alexa Aston is the next in her series, the Strongs of Shadowcrest. Diana Strong, the Dowager Duchess of Seaton, has a good life between her four daughters and two nieces. She was especially fond of her step-son, James, who had returned from his life as a sea captain and reclaimed the dukedom from his nefarious uncle, ending her virtual imprisonment. Now life was as it should be, until one day when Captain Andrews appeared at her door. He had been the duke’s best friend all those years at sea. He arrived with the message that James, the duke, had been injured in a fire the night before and needed her. He had ridden all night to fetch her. She agreed to accompany him back to Town, but only after he had eaten, bathed, and rested. And thus began a love affair that could never be anything: a duchess and a sea captain, a commoner.

Diana was nothing if not realistic. She knew her place as a woman and as a duchess and not matter how much she liked this man, it could go nowhere. Captain Andrews, Drake, was just as realistic and he knew how difficult it would be to give up the sea. But, they vowed to enjoy whatever time they had. The characters were likable, the plot was good, and the conclusion was all that one could hope for. The trope of commoner and ton is always a good one. One can always count on Alexa Aston for a good read.

I was invited to read The Captain and the Duchess by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #AlexaAston #TheCaptainAndTheDuchess

Dinah Strong and Captain Andrews have met before but only a brief acquaintance. As Dinahs Daughters encourage her to find true love she navigate the rough waters of the season. Captain Andrew’s return is duely noted and even welcomed. However he can not get over the class breach. Different classes do not mix.
This took a couple of turns I was not expecting but I am glad it ended the way it did. the were steamy scenes but nothing that took away font he original story. it was a wonderful break for the day.
I received a complementary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion I have given is my own. I am disclosing this according to the guidelines.

Dinah Strong, the Dowager Duchess of Seaton, longs for passion and love. She hesitates for another marriage, but considers a lover. The first man in her thoughts is Captain Drake Andrew. Drake can't stop thinking about his attraction to Dinah. Would she consider being his lover? Both know their different stations in Polite Society make it impossible to marry. However, having your best friend, a duke, on your side and you're offered an unexpected opportunity, gives him hope. A favorite trope of an older couple beating the odds. Descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Dinah Strong did her duty, marrying a much older man who withheld any affection for Dinah. Dinah gave birth to four girls, successfuly raising them along with her two nieces. Dinah has been enjoying the ton activities in London, but no one man has caught her attention. Dinah's wish is to experience a relationship with a man who sends her senses tingling.
Drake Andrews is Captain of a sea vessel belonging to her sister-in-law. Sprarks fly and increase in intensity when Dinah and Drake meet again.
Characters are fabulous! This is a romantic tory about independent women and the men who support them. Don't miss this aweome series!

Dinah‘s Love Story

Dinah and Drake’s story is an enjoyable read. It has a nice plot with a class disparity trope, endearing main and supporting characters, and some steam.
I liked that Dinah and Drake are a mature couple, both having their dreams, desires and duties. And it was fun to see other members of the Strong family again and to experience their loving bonds.

Although this installment is part of the „Strongs of Shadowcrest“ series, it can also be read as a standalone.

After years in an arranged marriage to an older man, Dinah Strong, the Dowager Duchess of Seaton, is finally free to enjoy her life. She longs for love and passion, something she was denied in her marriage to the Duke. So she travels to London to look for a husband or lover. But she cannot forget Sea Captain Drake Andrews, the friend of her stepson and now Duke James, ever since she saw him for the first time.
When Drake visits her during a shore leave, he rekindles her passion and she asks him to show her sensual passion.

Drake grew up orphaned as a street urchin before finding work on a ship and meeting James Strong, who became like a brother to him. Now, after many years at sea, he has his first assignment as a captain.
He also feels a strong attraction to Dinah and is only too willing to introduce her to physical love. But he realises that nothing more can come of it because they are worlds apart. He doesn't want to give up seafaring, and anything more serious between them would ruin Dinah's girls socially...

If you love historical romance novels with mature couples and where love transcends class differences, you will enjoy this book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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

This is book 4 of the Strongs of Shadowcrest, and focuses on the second chance at love story of the Dowager Duchess, Dinah Strong. She was married off as a young girl of 17 to the much older former Duke of Seaton, the father of the current Duke. It was a marriage of convenience, as the widowed Duke wanted a young, healthy second wife to bear him a spare. There was no love, nor even affection, and not even any regard, after she bore him daughters, but no second male, especially when James, his only son goes missing. Dinah, despite the lonely disappointment of her marriage, was a loyal and dutiful wife, and loving mother to her 4 daughters, and had more than enough love to share with her baby nieces, abandoned to her care after the death of their own mother, and abandoned by their father, Augustus, the scheming younger brother of the duke.

Now out of mourning, Dinah has decided that she would seek happiness for herself, while organizing the come outs of her daughters and nieces. After seeing the examples of loving relationships that two of her daughters, and stepson have managed to snag, Dinah is determined that if she were to wed again, it would be for love and passion. But so far, despite the attentions of many suiters and enjoying the fun of the Season, Dinah has yet to make that connection with any man in Society.

But she does remember one man she had that spark and attraction to, recently, and that is Drake Andrews, close friend of her stepson James, and captain of one of the ships belonging to the shipping line of her stepdaughter in law, Sophie.

Drake is a well-read, dynamic, handsome man who has finally achieved his ambition of captaining a ship. He is popular with women throughout the ports, but admits to himself that lately only one woman seems to consume his thoughts and that is Dinah. However, he knows that he is far below her in status, being an orphan of unknown origins, and raised poor on the streets of London before being scooped up to work on a ship. On his return to London though, he endeavours to reintroduce himself to Dinah in the hopes of any kind of relationship, at least until his next ocean voyage.

Dinah and Drake embark on an affair, with no intention of any lasting relationship, to explore their attraction and for Dinah to learn passion. They are careful, knowing that their relationship would be a scandal in the Ton, considering their differences in status, and that could reflect poorly on the remaining unwed girls and how they are received by Society.

But what Dinah and Drake cannot help is their growing feelings for each other as they fall in love. But despite their feelings, neither can see how to overcome Societal prejudices and barriers to be together. However, the Strongs are already an unconventional family, with a Duke and Duchess who are proud of their achievements and devoted and loyal to their family. So James and Sophie are determined to help Drake and Dinah be together. Unfortunately Drake misinterprets their actions and his pride also becomes a barrier is he presumes their efforts to bring him and Dinah together as meddling and not a reflection of his abilities, and experience, and what he has legitimately achieved as captain.

The story of Dinah and her disappointing marriage to the Duke, and what she had sacrificed to be a dutiful daughter, then a loyal, dutiful wife was so sad and lonely. It was quite satisfying that this kind, loving woman was able to find passion and love, so I quite enjoyed this story, and it fit in nicely with the series.

I was disappointed in myself because somewhere along the lines I forgot to read book 3, so had to go back and find that, and backtrack a bit. But that in no way impeded in the ability to read and enjoy this story on it's own. There were a few tiny holes in the overarching storyline of the Strong family, but not significantly impacting Dinah and Drake's story.

4 stars out of 5

This was a quick satisfying read. Our heroine is a widow and wants to find marriage for love this time around. Our Captain and Duchess have undeniable chemistry. They believe because of their social classes they can’t be together but of course they figure things out and we get our happily ever after in the end.

This is part of a series of historical romances centered around a family, so you will meet characters from the other books in each one. The heroine in this one is the mother who has brought up a lot of girls. She must protect all of them, and ignore her own desires. Our hero is a humble seaman with no family, who has at last been awarded his first ship to captain. He knows the beautiful Duchess is far above his reach, but perhaps he can help her.
A saucy tale full of adventures and surprises. I love this family. They have faced a lot of challenges and come out of them stronger and closer together. I personally think that the books are better when read in order, but that's not necessary to enjoy each one.
Great fun.

Drake Andrews has returned to London after his first voyage as captain. He intends to visit James, his childhood friend and shipmate, and Sophie, James’s duchess and Drake’s employer. He also means to visit Dinah. The attraction between them has not lessened in his absence. Their reunion begins with a bold request from Dinah. Can these two people from such different backgrounds find happiness? They don’t think so, then unexpected events provide the possibility of a different path. This is an entertaining story about two people who have fended for themselves while they nurture those around them. Both are bold and intelligent. The couple is surrounded by family and friends who, like me, root for them. There is a bit of angst and drama, lots of fun, a steamy romance (Dinah and Drake deserve it), and an awesome epilogue.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Regency-era novels are not my go-to romance. (Ironically, 'cause I love period dramas and classic books set in this period).
I'm not sure why; maybe some of the issues are that I have not gotten fully immersed in it to get a good taste. So, looking for something different, I requested this book on Netgalley.

The synopsis looked compelling: The Captain and the Duchess by Alexa Aston is a regency romance novella following the secret romance between a seaman and a widow who can't help but fall in love with each other, even when society would frown upon their relationship.
I like pirates, so my logic was: Pirates are hot, and they are seamen; so Captains, as they are seamen themselves, are also hot. You may find some issues with this logic of mine, and deep down I knew Captains don't equal hot pirates. But I take a leap of faith. And I don't think I was so wrong, even if my rating may not reflect this.

When I finished this book, I was totally empty: No thoughts. Neither positive nor negative. I didn't know what I would discuss in this text, and even now I'm discovering how I perceived this novella.
Other reviewers seem to be quite happy with their reading experience so far, but I also notice they may have read the previous novels. I feel that it's the key of my lack of clarity: I'm not the targeted audience. This is my first book of the series and by this author.

When first I got into this book I had completely different expectations: First and foremost, I thought it was a full-length novel, instead of a novella. As anyone can guess, my expectations could hardly match the product itself, as it was something different.
The other thing I got wrong was that their connection runs deeper than I thought at first: Their journey begins as secondary characters in previous novels . It's not just some background for their romance to develop as I envisioned.
I feel like I get all the vibes wrong; what makes it harder to share my thoughts and be fair with the text we discuss. It feels like seeing a movie that is almost all the way through and then complaining it didn't make sense.

It was a well-structured story and Alexa Aston's art shone through it. The plot was right to the point and the writing style matched the historical setting. It was an easy read, though sometimes it came through overdramatic and heavy since it tended to use old-fashioned expressions and terms. Some dialogs came, also, quite off.
I will never forget the moment she asks flirtatiously if he has space for dinner, and he proceeds to tell her he was a hungry orphan once.

"I only hope you will have room for dinner", she teased.
"I was always hungry as a boy," he shared. "I only have a vague impression of my parents and have no idea what they did to earn their living. I do remember there never being enough to eat"
I shouldn't find that interaction THAT funny but... Are you guys having the same conversation? That's such a random comment and SO DRAMATIC. I kinda love it (and I may be referring to this scene from now on like the annoying VIXEN I am.

It also tended to unnecessarily do some kind of info-dumping about the previous books of the series, and I felt that made space for this romance to develop even narrower. It created a sentiment of unimportance to the plot. As their story was less compared to others.

It was a short, fast story. No more. I didn't connect with it because I do not know this relationship, not for lack of context; that was provided, but for lack of exposure to this character connection and dynamics. There's a lack of tension with the conflict that keeps the couple apart because everyone seems so happy about it when they discover it, and the solution is tossed their way so easily at the end... I couldn't get into it.

I think this could be an enjoyable reading to the fans of the series, that I would say are the targeted audience, and it would be a sweet and light reading experience for them. My experience, at the end of the day, was affected by my misconception and not being in touch with The Strong of Shadowcrest series.
I didn't have such a bad experience, I would like to clarify, and I may even read another book of the series to get a better idea of everything going on in this novella!

I really wanted to enjoy this book, as everything pointed to it being a great read. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it; it feel like a lot of telling and not showing. I actually did like the characters of Drake and Dinah, but things just moved too quickly in the beginning for me to find it believable. I might look into other books by the author and see if this one was just a dud for me.

A very moving, passionate and deliciously steamy romance!

She’s a widowed duchess who raised six young women, he’s a dashing sea captain on leave in London before he sets sail again. They’ve met before - her stepson is his best friend - and ever since that first introduction they stayed on each other’s mind.
Because of class difference and occupation, they both know a future together is impossible and that heartbreak lays ahead, but resisting their attraction for each other is futile and after all, it’s better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all…
But then circumstances change, and opportunity presents itself. Will they be brave enough to seize it?

This may not be my favourite story in the series so far - the previous book is a tough one to beat in my opinion - but it’s an incredibly beautiful one, and I’ve grown very fond of this unique family!
It’s refreshing to read about real, considerate and responsible grown-ups for once. Open and honest communication, an impossible inner struggle, and those heartbreaking moments when that happy ending seems almost out of reach. Simply wonderful!

Somehow I know I’ll never be disappointed when I start an Alexa Aston series. There’s something about her style - compelling plots that are never unnecessarily complicated, the way she never loses focus of the main couple and yet beautifully weaves their story into the bigger picture. I love it!
If you’re looking for something different, I’d highly recommend reading this marvellous series!

3.5

Dina Strong had never had the kind of loving marriage she yearned for her daughters. Enter Captain Drake Andrews, the Vesta's captain and James's best buddy (James being her stepson). He and Dinah are clearly attracted to one another, and due to independent circumstances, they fall in love right away.

This novel was delightful, inventive, and spicy! Even though the couple's happy ending came with some challenges, I still found the trip to be enjoyable. However, I did feel like their romance was more of an instant love, due to sexual tension, so if you don't enjoy that, I would say it is not for you!

Without a doubt, I'll investigate the remaining volumes in this series. The Captain and the Duchess is the fourth book in the strongs of the Shadowcrest, but can be read as a standalone!

This book is ideal if you ever need a quick, fast-paced historical romance!

Thank you Netgalley and Alexa Aston for allowing me to read and review this book!

A fun and quick reading novella, I enjoyed The Captain and Duchess and was able to read as a standalone (I haven’t read most of the titles in this series).

Dowager Duchess Dinah was married against her feelings to a man twenty five years her senior. A mother of four by the time she was 21, life seemed miserable for this woman, her daughters, and the two nieces she was raising. Dinah is still a younger woman (35ish) and after years of channeling her love solely to her daughter and nieces, she’s ready to learn about romance and passion. And who better with than a handsome captain who is close friends with her stepson? Bonus points for the two being instantly attracted to one another after an earlier one time meeting.

Both MC’s are likeable and I read this happily.



Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

They finally get their story...

Dinah, the dowager duchess, who raised her four daughters along side her nieces, met Drake, a newly minted captain, when her stepson returned from years at sea and took over the dukedom and title. Dinah and Drake hit it off and their story was set up in book one.

Drake calls on Dinah as soon as he returns after his first captaincy voyage.
Spicy as they fight societal conventions. Hey, Dinah really did deserve some fun and spice with a healthy man, after being a martyr to wed a much older man and then churn out all those girls, then step aside when his son came home.
Recommend.

Dina Strong had never known a love-filled marriage as she wanted for her girls. Enter Captain Drake Andrews, best friend of her stepson James and captain of the Vesta. He and Dinah have an obvious attraction to each other and they quickly fall in love through circumstances of their own.

This book was spicy, lovely, and imaginative! I enjoyed the journey to the couple’s happy ending, even if it got a little bumpy along the way. I will definitely be looking into the other books in this series.

Thank you, NetGalley and the team behind this book, for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novella. All thoughts and opinions are my own.