Fredericka Hale needs a husband, and fast. She’s been caring for her deceased sister’s three young children, and now a childless cousin has petitioned the court for custody. Fredericka is powerless to stop her, but having a husband might sway the ruling. The last thing Fredericka wants is a hurried-up marriage to a man she doesn’t know—much less love, but she’ll do it for the children. So when the handsome Duke of Wyatthaven shows up with a proposal, she accepts. He’ll help her, and in return, they’ll lead separate lives. But distance cannot keep them from their powerful attraction.
At the top of his game in London, the Duke of Wyatthaven has no interest in marriage. However, if Wyatt doesn’t marry by week’s end, he’ll lose a sizable inheritance from his grandmother. When Wyatt’s solicitor finds Miss Fredericka Hale, Wyatt considers this little hiccup solved. Miss Hale is lovely, and intelligent. Most importantly, she prefers country life to London, so he’s free to continue his life as usual. But when circumstances force Fredericka and the children to show up at the duke’s door, Wyatt can’t deny he’s always been under her spell. Will the duke give up his bachelor lifestyle and give into the fiery passion growing between them?
Release Date: Mar 28, 2023
Series: Say I Do
Book: 1
Heat Level: Warm
Publisher: Macmillan
Imprint: St. Martin’s Press
Price: $8.99
“In reality, the duke’s proposal sounded so cold. An impersonal business arrangement. Not even the pretense that it was anything more. Nothing like she imagined it would be should she ever have anyone offer for her hand. But really, what had she ever imagined about courting, romance, and marriage other than a young girl’s fancy to think about a young man who loved poetry as much as she did.”
Fredericka Hale needs a husband, and she needs one fast to prevent her cousin from taking guardianship of her nieces and nephew. She has been interviewing candidates when the Duke of Wyatthaven unexpectedly shows up at her home asking for her hand in marriage. He is also in dire need of a wife and believes that Fredericka is the answer to all his problems.
I will preface this review by saying that there is domestic violence mentioned in this book, it is not on page, but it is a part of the storyline. Fredericka gains guardianship of her young nieces and nephew when her sister and brother-in-law pass away, and for this reason, I do admire her. She takes on something very difficult in the name of love, and I know many of us would do the same. However, that is the only thing that I enjoyed in this book. Fredericka comes off exceedingly proper all the time, even to the point of being cold. I wonder if this is a type that Amelia Grey likes to write because some of her other heroines are the same. She scolds her nieces and nephews every chance she gets, and there really aren’t any fun interactions between them. It felt unnatural and not the way I expect an aunt to act.
Now, onto Wyatt. He was rude to Fredericka on multiple occasions. They could not communicate with each other without having a communication breakdown that devolved into an argument, and then it’s never solved with actual communication but with kisses. These two stubborn characters never let down their walls or tried to put any amount of effort into their relationship, and then at the end, we are supposed to believe they love each other. In my opinion, this book has some red flags. We should not normalize an unhealthy relationship with our partner, and that’s exactly what this book does.
If you’re a fan of lower-steam authors like Ella Quinn and Lisa Berne, this may work better for you than it did for me.
~ Michelle
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