The Duke Wins a Bride
Inconvenient Brides series
by Nina Jarrett
Blurb:
Her betrothed cheated on her. The duke offers to save her. Can a marriage of convenience turn into true love?
In this steamy historical romance, a sheltered baron’s daughter and a celebrated duke agree on a marriage of convenience, but he has a secret that may ruin it all.
She is desperate to escape …
When Miss Annabel Ridley learns her betrothed has been unfaithful, she knows she must cancel the wedding. The problem is no one else seems to agree with her, least of all her father. With her wedding day approaching, she must find a way to escape her doomed marriage. She seeks out the Duke of Halmesbury to request he intercede with her rakish betrothed to break it off before the wedding day.
He is ready to try again …
Widower Philip Markham has decided it is time to search for a new wife. He hopes to find a bold bride to avoid the mistakes of his past. Fate seems to be favoring him when he finds a captivating young woman in his study begging for his help to disengage from a despised figure from his past. He astonishes her with a proposal of his own—a marriage of convenience to suit them both. If she accepts, he resolves to never reveal the truth of his past lest it ruin their chances of possibly finding love.
The Duke Wins a Bride is the delightful first book in the Inconvenient Brides series of steamy Regency romance books. If you like worthy heroes, strong heroines, fast-paced plots, and enduring connections, then you’ll adore Nina Jarrett’s charming novel. Can be read as a standalone book.
Purchase Links
https://ninajarrett.com/products/the-duke-wins-a-bride-ebook
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3HLDyWP
B&N https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-duke-wins-a-bride-nina-jarrett/1141457900?ean=2940167337572
*****
Review:
Overall I liked The Duke Wins a Bride. The characters are interesting, with Philip’s issue with his dead wife and Annabel’s family dynamic. (I’m assuming that there will be more of Annabel’s brother – or at least I hope so. He’s got the potential for a story of his own and I’d love to see more of what he’s been through.) They struggle with their baggage complicating their relationship as they work to get to know each other better. Just when it feels like they are taking steps forward, miscommunication or a past hurt rears its head and they lose a little ground.
Which means, of course, there is a lot of angst in this book. I, and Philip, love how spunky Annabel is. She’s willing to take chances and fight for what she wants. But she’s also very young and struggles with moments of self doubt thanks to her father and brother. It leads to a lot of ups and downs – literally one chapter will end with her feelings of optimism and the next will start with doubts. (There are also a few times when she seems a bit … forward for a new, young bride in a historical romance. It leads to some quite steamy scenes but seems a little off for the time period.)
Philip also struggles, especially with how he views his relationship with women. His last wife’s actions have him second guessing a lot of his interactions with Annabel, creating more ups and downs for them individually and as a couple.
The Duke Wins a Bride won’t be for everyone but I enjoyed it. It’s got a good blend of spiciness and drama, with a satisfying HEA (and hopefully at least two follow up stories).
Heads up – the writing is a little flowery, which I think is a little more acceptable in historical romances than contemporary ones, but it is a bit heavy handed here and there. I don’t mind it but I know that it does bother some. Also, apparently but I don’t know enough to confirm, there are anachronisms but … again, don’t know enough so it didn’t bother me.
*****
Author Info:
Regency writer, retired Inc. 500 sales coach, former director of a drug rehabilitation center, and Amazon bestselling author of the Inconvenient Brides series.
Nina started writing her own stories in elementary school but quickly grew distracted when she finished school and moved on to non-profit work with recovering drug addicts. There she worked with people from every walk of life, from privileged neighborhoods to the shantytowns of urban and rural South Africa.
One day, she met a real-life romantic hero. She instantly married her fellow bibliophile and moved to the USA, where she enjoyed a career as a sales coaching executive at an Inc 500 company. She currently lives with her husband on the Florida Gulf Coast.
Nina believes in kindness and the indomitable power of the human spirit. She is fascinated by the amazing, funny people she has met across the world who dared to change their lives. She likes to tell mischievous tales of life-changing decisions and character transformations while drinking excellent coffee and avoiding cookies.
Social Media Links –
https://twitter.com/regencyscribe
https://www.instagram.com/ninajarrettwrites
https://www.facebook.com/ninajarrettwrites
https://www.tiktok.com/@regencywriter
https://www.youtube.com/@Regencyromancewriter
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/regencyromancewriter/
*****