Once Upon a Duke

Enjoyed this story . The witty dialogue was very good, and the couple was compelling and passionate. Though why the brother didn't consider a marriage to a Duke a political plus? The addition of the Sacred Order of Mortal Saints seemed silly, they were a spy agency without missions,. I can only assume this is part of a series. The epilogue was nice.

I enjoyed this book but felt the beginning kind of dragged on without much really happening, about half way through the drama started and then I couldn't put it down.

I enjoyed the story especially with the different style of writing. It is mainly conversation rather than filler descriptions. It is serious and sweet, scary and funny. The heroine is a strong, determined, self assured widow that doesn't want to remarry even though her brother, her guardian til she comes of age, is insistent that she will and to whom he chooses.

The hero is a Duke. He's laid back, nonchalant but at the same time he's protective and vulnerable. He's not ready to marry even though his mother keeps parading the debutants and is adamant that he'll never fall in love.

The secondary characters are a colorful group of people. The brother and his friends are nasty, cruel and politically motivated. The Duke's friends are entertaining, skilled and all have hero qualities.

The characters all of depth and secrets which the author skillfully shows layer by layer
. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Once Upon a Duke is a quick and steamy romance summer read. Sandra Masters did her historical research into early 1800s England and it shines in the details. Additional action, less dialogue, and a reduction to exposition would have made the book more engaging, but Serena and Geoffrey's journey to their HEA will keep you intrigued for hours.

In exchange for this ARC I am giving an honest review. Nice read with lots of action and good characters.

I enjoyed this book very much. Serena history with her late husband pulls at the heart. It will take someone strong and patient to help Serena heal and Geoffrey is just yhe man to do it.

There were times the book seem to come to a crawl, but in the end i felt it was good.

Definitely a buy book.
However, there were a few quirks that irritated. One would be at first the way it seemed to be forever before the story got going. Then all of a sudden the pace picked up. Now for the rest of the review.
I sincerely enjoyed the realistic way of writing this author has. The characters were believable and likable! After the pace picked up, this was a very hard book to stop reading for me. I enjoyed the plots and the way it was brought to a conclusion. So all in all I would say it is a good read and deserving of 4 stars. I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna