Forever and a Duke
Christy Carlyle
Historical Regency
A roguish duke seeks to escape the demons of his past via a marriage of convenience with his friend’s bluestocking sister and gets far more than he bargained for.
Miss Lily Bridewell—stubborn, intelligent, and fiercely protective of those she loves—is determined to keep the misfortunes that have befallen her family from affecting her sisters’ futures. When the heir to their father’s title and estate ousts them from their family home, Lily’s desperation drives her into the arms of the one man she fears she cannot trust—especially with her heart.
Griffin Knightley, Duke of Edgerton, vowed to mend his rakehell ways when he inherited a dukedom. But he falls back into old habits one fateful night that leads to tragedy—the death of his best friend. Guilt haunts him even as he tries to become a respectable nobleman, and when his late friend’s sisters lose their home, he sees it as his duty to assist them. A marriage of convenience with the eldest would solve two dilemmas—his need for a duchess and the Bridewell sisters’ need for a home.
A simple agreement. A practical transaction. But attraction to his strong-willed bluestocking bride makes it impossible for Griffin to be the cool, levelheaded duke he’s determined to be, and Lily won’t settle for anything less than his heart.
Uncaged Review: This story starts off rather terrifyingly. Well, in October 1890, Griffen Kingsley, the newly minted Duke of Edgerton, was out with his best friend, Leo Bridewell. Both were drunk. Leo got into it with another man who insulted a woman and Leo’s only recourse was to challenge him to a duel which, unfortunately, also killed him. 11 years later in 1891, Lilly Bridewell, sister of Leo, is about to lose everything she holds dear, including her home, unless she marries her own cousin. Lilly, while burying her and her sister’s most prized possessions, Griffen, falls in the hole and sprains his ankle. Griffen promised Leo while he lay dying to protect his sister, and he immediately proposed to Lilly, claiming it was a practical arrangement. Pretty soon the marriage becomes so much more, but can Lilly convince Griffen of that?
This is the start of a new series that I was really looking forward to and an author that I haven’t read in a while, nor do I regret reading her stories either. Even though the story started off with a death, there was a warning about it too. There were quite a few spelling errors that did take me out of the tale at times, but I still continued on. I don’t think the book was badly done because there was enough angst, tragedy, family and love that really tied it well together. The characters were beautifully drawn out with distinct personalities that, of course, I do want to read more about the other sisters. The past history of Griffen and Lilly obviously had a lot more which I would have loved to read about that it would have been nice to see that. I am eager to read more from Ms. Christy Carlyle and look forward to the next Bridewell sister book! Reviewed by Roslynn Ernst
4 Stars
