An Officer and a Scotsman
Captain Andrew St. James always knew he came from a noble family, but his branch grew far from the wealth and status. Nothing shocks him more than learning that he now stands as heir presumptive to his distant cousin the Duke of Carlyle. There is much for Drew to learn and adjust to—but first he goes home to Edinburgh, to tell his mother and three sisters of their startling good fortune.
A Lady and a Temptress
Ilsa Ramsay yearns for some adventure and fun, not another husband. When she discovers the handsome soldier who sweeps her off her feet for a rollicking dance is her friend’s brother, soon to be an English duke, she tells herself he’s not for her, no matter how tempting he is. But one impulsive kiss, then another, and another… says otherwise.
An Irresistible Attraction
Drew means to marry a respectable, dignified Englishwoman—a very proper future duchess. The spirited Ilsa is none of that. Still, when she’s caught in a dangerous scandal, he leaps to her aid without hesitation. And neither family duty nor future obligation can make them ignore what’s in both their hearts.
Release Date: Jun 29, 2021
Series: Desperately Seeking Duke
Book: 2
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon
Price: $4.99
Captain Andrew St. James may be a distant relative to the Duke of Carlyle, but he has never expected to inherit the title until one day he gets the news that after some unfortunate accidents he is now the heir to the dukedom.
After receiving this astounding news, Drew goes home to inform his family of their new elevation in status. On the first night home, Drew is drawn to a beautiful and vibrant stranger, Ilsa Ramsay, whose unexpected kiss ignites a passion in him that he has never experienced before. Drew only comes to find out that she is his sister, Agnes’s, best friend, and a widow. She is completely unfit to be his duchess. If only he could get her out of his mind.
“Fate.” The duchess looked at Ilsa. “This is your explanation, I suppose. An affair of the heart.’
“No,” said Ilsa calmly. She had shown no sign of being intimidated or cowed. “It was more than that. It was the meeting of two souls meant to be together, and all efforts to deny it were in vain.”
Heartwarming. Entertaining. Special. Those are what I would use to describe this book. I think Linden did a fabulous job bringing these characters to life. Are they characters that you have seen before? Probably. It is just something about the way Linden crafted these characters that made their relationship seem so effortless. I felt like I was watching them grow into each other’s best friend during the course of the story. The other thing that was so exceptional about this book is that there was never any doubt from either one of these characters that when they got into an intimate relationship that they would end up together.
There were no dramatic internal monologues about how the hero did not believe in love or want to get married. Drew wanted Ilsa and he was going to make her his wife because he loved her fire and her spirit. Nothing was going to get in the way of that. I never had any doubts about this couple or believing it was true love. However, there were some outside forces that were really pushing them apart. This story had a shocking end. I never expected it. It was a page turner and a delightful read all the way through.
Fans of Tessa Dare’s humorous historicals or Vivienne Lorret’s fun-loving characters may want to check this one out.
~ Michelle
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