Scarred by a dark secret, Brandan Delamar, Duke of Westbury, must concede his misdeeds have finally caught up with him. With five younger sisters to support, he must marry for money.
Sunny and steadfast, Viola Beaton is no heiress. As music instructor to the duke’s sisters, she’s developed a genuine affection for the bright young ladies. Unfortunately, she’s also developed a forbidden passion for her wildly attractive employer.
It must be the way he inspires her to compose sonatas about moonlight and kisses. Or how his gaze smolders and lingers on her skin. Or because he makes her heart whisper impossible things.
When Westbury decrees that he’ll choose not only a bride, but grooms for his sisters, Viola can’t allow him to curtail their freedom. She strikes a bargain: if he allows his sisters to attend the Season, Viola will chaperone them and keep them safe from scandal.
Only…what if Viola and the duke are the ones most likely to cause a scandal?
Release Date: Sep 27, 2022
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon Books
Price: $5.99
A musical composer and a duke who’s the worst of them all… bring on the angst.
Bell’s latest in her Wallflowers vs. Rogues series is good, though left me craving more. I wanted to love our wicked Duke of Westbury, Brandon Delamar and the music instructor/wallflower Viola Beaton, but there was something that kept me from falling hard.
This book has all the right tropes, dukes, wallflowers, secrets, and potential scandals. From our heroine Viola and her desperate desire to keep her composer father’s illness a secret and provide for them both to our hero, Brandon, attempting to redeem his sisters by stopping his penchant for gambling and whoring. Except, there’s a few issues. One, Viola is employed by Brandon as a music instructor for his sisters. Two, Viola has somehow fallen into a deep fantasy about wishing Brandon would see her as a woman. Three, Brandon is infuriatingly attracted to Viola. Four, he needs to marry an heiress if he’s ever going to provide dowries and a solid future for his sisters.
What ensures is this dance between balls, musicales, ill-fated calls, and late-night rendezvous that certainly stoked passion and want. Deep down I felt disconnected from both Viola and Brandon. I wanted to smack Brandon around a lot. He’s the worst brother and his redemption is half-hearted at best. Even in ruin, he still pursues whatever he wants to the detriment of all around him. For once I am not enamored with the duke.
Viola is… adorable and ridiculous. Of the two main characters, I liked her more. She’s the one with the most to lose no matter what path she chooses, and I do love how the story resolves for her externally. She gets the most reward. In ways, she’s the true hero of this book.
Overall, if you’re looking for a quick escape Bell delivers. Though it’s easy to walk away from this one versus previous entries to the series. For readers who enjoy Sophia Jordan or Christi Caldwell.
~ Landra
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