The Duke's Magnificent Bastard

Thorn Wick, the Duke of Althorn’s bastard son raised in Barbados until he came to England three years ago after his father learned of his existence, still fights for acceptance in his father’s world as a renowned Argamak Turk horse trainer. Just when he starts to believe in fairy tales, another obstacle looms to thwart his plans: on a dangerous mission to Barbados, Thorn is stunned when secrets are revealed about his mother. There is an uprising on the island & Thorn needs to get away.
Alicia Montgomery, ward of the duke, is in love with Thorn & has been since he arrived in England. Strong willed and adventurous, she determines she can convince him to admit his feelings. But the reality of loving Thorn too much almost destroys her
The author takes you on rollercoaster of emotions throughout the book, It is a long book & pace does lag a little at times but overall the pace is good & at times the pages turned really fast especially he time spent in Barbados. A couple of things didn’t gel with me, Hampshire is too far from London for Alicia to commute in the early nineteenth century, also strange that the Duke & his family didn’t have interaction with the local village not even attending church services & surely a fourteen year old Marquis would have been away at school.
However I enjoyed the book, the main characters are well portrayed & the plot kept me reading & wanting to finish the book

The Duke’s Magnificent Bastard by Sandra Masters
The Duke Series #4

I felt this to be more of a fairytale than a true historical romance. Why? Well, I can’t imagine Alicia chasing Thorn and being so blatant in her desire for him at that point in time and with her being higher class than he was. And, the idea that he might be given a “title” when not really eligible seems a bit iffy and unlikely except in a fairytale. I have a feeling that if I had read the previous books in the series I would understand the characters and storyline a bit better. This was not my favorite historical romance but it did have romance, a trip to Barbados, an uprising, information about what happened to Thorn’s mother, a horse race, and a HEA for Alicia and Thorn.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wild Rose Press, Inc. for the copy of this book. This is my honest review.

3 Stars

Overall a good historical romance. Interesting plot kept me hooked. Good writing.

Thorn Wick was born a bastard and grew up with his native mother in Barbados. After his mothers death, he's brought to England to live with his father who is a Duke. He's been living with his father for three years and that's where the story picks up. Thorn is a masterful trainer of Argamak Turk horses. He's also in love with Dukes ward, Alicia Montgomery. Thorn and Alicia have a very close relationship from the beginning of the story and it's clear that they're both very much in love with each other. Due to various circumstances and the fact that Thorn is a bastard, his and Alicia's love is tested several times. He's given the prestigious honor of hosting an international horse race with his father for the King. This dominates most of the story and we get to learn a lot about Argamak Turk horses and see how Thorn and Alicia overcome obstacles of their time and circumstance. I really enjoyed how their relationship developed. They're much anticipated happily ever after didn't disappoint. I most enjoyed Thorn's relationship with his father, the Duke. He treated Thorn no differently than his other son and it was refreshing to see during this time period considering many men didn't even recognize their illegitimate children. The writing was just OK. I felt at times the story contained too much unnecessary dialogue and the sentences in the dialogue were very choppy. At times, I was confused as to who was speaking and who was being spoken to. I also thought some of the conversations were unrealistic and overdone. I really wanted to love this story and I feel like with some editing it can be really good. The romance is there and there's even a little suspense in this beginning but overall this just fell flat.

A definite buy buy buy buy buy book! I am so thrilled to have read this novel. It is such a great read! I was impressed by the story. It was not all about sex. BUT it has love, life, laughter, joy, sorrow. It has crime and most of all heart! The author does a great job with all the characters and shows truly gifted talent in the tale. I so enjoyed it that I had a very difficult time taking a break to do my own work. Each time I returned to my reading, I was engrossed immediately in the story as well as being totally unaware of anything around me! So if you want a great read look no further!
I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna Swedenmom

This story showcases the severe social prejudices between legitimate and illegitimate children as well as white vs. dark-skinned people. I cannot believe that a man so close and bare before a naked woman has enough self-control to not to indulge himself. Also felt like some of the mores were too modern in thought. There are times that the story gets weighted down in unnecessary details, but overall a good book.

The story begins with Alicia Montgomery, pledging her love for Thorn Wick, who is the Duke of Althorn’s bastard, whilst she is the ward of the duke. Thorn has been raised in Barbados but only arrived in England, three years prior when his father discovered him. Alicia has loved Thorn since she met him and constantly tries to win him over. Thorn realises that his situation almost certainly means that he can never be with Alicia despite their feelings for each other.
Whilst this was a romance filled with adventure and mystery, I did think that it would have been better to have read earlier books in the series. I was a bit surprised by the intensity of the romance in the first chapter and this may have made more sense, if the background behind Alicia and Thorn's relationship had been developed or revealed before the interactions at the beginning.

I received an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I voluntarily read a copy of this book through Netgalley. The story revolves around Thorn who has lived in Barbados until three years ago when his father learns of his birth and brings him to England to live in his home. Thorn’s father is a Duke and has acknowledged him as his son but because he is illegitimate he can not be his father’s heir. The story also revolves around Alicia who is the Duke’s ward and happens to be in love with Thorn. Society at that time does not consider Thorn to be an equal and therefore not able to marry her. The book has a HEA but there are a lot of ups and downs before this happens. It is a good read but drags in a few places that could have been omitted, overall I would recommend the book.

The story was interesting to start. Thorn of course was my favorite character Alicia was more of a wild card and I didn’t know how to take her at times. The book had its adventures, dangers, secrets, and in the end love. Not a bad book just depends on your taste.