📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ A Duke of One's Own by Emma Orchard

Boldwood
22 April 2024

Thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Summer, 1816. A notorious rebel is about to meet her match...

Lady Georgiana Pendlebury is no stranger to breaking the rules of polite society. But when a so-called ‘friend’ invites her to a clandestine party, Georgiana is shocked to discover the event is more scandalous than even she could have imagined. So when a mysterious stranger offers help, she accepts, not realising their encounter will turn her life upside down.

Later that summer, Georgiana is invited to attend a house party at an infamous castle in Yorkshire. The gathering is a loosely veiled effort to arrange a marriage for the Duke of Northriding, who desperately needs an heir. Duke Gabriel Mauleverer has a terrible reputation as a rake, and Georgiana is happy to be a guest purely for the entertainment, but upon arrival, she is shocked to discover that the Duke is none other than the stranger who rescued her weeks earlier.

As the other ladies vie for the Duke’s attention, Georgiana is desperate to avoid their shocking secret getting out. But she finds herself caught, unable to avoid Gabriel’s gaze. Are they a threat to each other? Or could they be the answer to each other’s greatest desires?

My Review..

Lady Georgiana Pendlebury isn't your usual Regency miss, she enjoys a rather unconventional lifestyle which inevitably leads her into trouble. Her meeting, one night, with a mysterious stranger changes the course of both their lives and brings unexpected results. Whilst the Silver Duke has his own rather louche lifestyle, he can't get this beautiful stranger out of his mind and when he meets her again, sparks fly in more ways than one.

This is a lively, and rather spicy, romp through the vagaries of Regency society where there is never a dull moment as we observe as aged roués gather in the jaded decadence of a London salon, to the starkness of a Yorkshire castle where prospective brides are paraded in front of Gabriel Mauleverer, Duke of Northriding, as he attempts to pick out his future wife.  I raced through the story in a couple of afternoons, there's a nice amount of intrigue to keep interest, and lots of sparky passion between the lead characters and whilst the peripheral characters add interest this really is Georgie and Gabriel's story. 

A Duke of One's Own has a hint of a modern day Georgette Heyer, the narrative is authentic, no modernisms to spoil the flow, and whilst it is unashamedly sexy, it is also super duper romantic.

About the Author

Emma Orchard was born in Salford. She studied English Literature at the Universities of Edinburgh and York, before working behind the scenes in publishing and television for many years. Her first job was at Mills & Boon, where she met her husband in a classic enemies-to-lovers romance. She now lives in North London.

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