ABOUT THE BOOK

As far as William Easton―the Duke of Blackheath―is concerned, love can go to the devil. Why would a man need passion when he has wealth, a stately home, and work to occupy his mind? But no one warned the duke that a fiery and frustratingly strong-willed activist like Lady Beatrice Haven can also be a stunning, dark-haired siren who tempts a man’s mind, body, and soul.

Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath, even if he does claim to be forward-thinking. After all, dukes―even gorgeous ones―are the enemy. So why does she feel such enjoyment from their heated exchanges?

But everything changes when Beatrice finds herself suddenly without fortune, a husband, or even a home. Now her future depends on the very man who sets her blood boiling. Because in order to protect his esteemed rival, the Duke of Blackheath has asked for Beatrice’s hand, inviting his once-enemy into his home…and his bed.

MY REVIEW

I love Eva Devon’s passionate and stubborn characters.  Throw in a marriage of convenience and there is bound to be some interesting agreements and promises meant to be broken.

The truth was Beatrice had grown to hate dukes. All dukes. Yes, all dukes were the very devil because they represented the thing she loathed with all her passion—the upholding of laws that kept her so wholly without rights.

Lady Beatrice is a very vocal activist for women’s rights in a time when women are treated like property. It’s this very reason that she swears never to marry. To get her message across she must find a parliamentarian who will support her cause and, unfortunately, it is her future arrogant and dismissive brother-in-law who she seeks out. However, she finds him more amiable to her cause and her person than she once thought. 

Those letters… By God, they were the stuff of philosophers and held such sincere desire for justice that he had been awed. He had savored every word. Every turn of phrase. Every resplendent, skewering argument. Lady Beatrice Haven was a wonder. He had immediately liked her and liked her well. And so? He had avoided her at all costs.

William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath, is a well-respected orator in parliament and doesn’t believe in love until a feisty, outspoken activist catches his attention. She is soon to be his sister-in-law and he feels an obligation to help her in her endeavors, but he has a secret. He has an intense admiration for her, but he would never confess it to anyone. And he never figured he would have to change his single status in order to help her unfortunate demise.

I loved Will and Beatrice’s intellectually-stimulating verbal sparring about the issues facing women and the poor in their time. But I adored how they slowly fell for each other with their misgivings about love and marriage. Beatrice is a strong female character who is in tune with what she wants and is not afraid to go against the norm. She’s also not afraid to tell Will how she really feels when their life appears to be falling apart. Will is truly a good man and he really listens to Beatrice and respects her. Will’s abandonment of his mother is a major milestone in his life which is the motive behind his support of women’s rights and also his refusal to let himself love someone. It’s lovely to find out how much Will and Beatrice have in common and becoming friends is a natural progression. The boxing lessons are a great addition. But it’s when Beatrice’s financial woes lead them to a marriage of convenience and new feelings which changes their circumstances and causes havoc in their relationship. Don’t worry, there is definitely a happy ever after with a grand gesture to remember.

What I loved most in this book was the band of brothers. Will’s brothers Ben and Kit are a splendid support system for both Will and Beatrice. Their relationship with Beatrice is so heartwarming and their devotion to their brother is touching. 

I highly recommend this delightful historical romance filled with humor and lovely characters. I hope to read a future book about Will’s brother, Ben, who stole the show for me in this book.

Thank you to Ms. Devon for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today bestselling author, Eva Devon, was raised on literary fiction, but quite accidentally and thankfully, she was introduced to romance one Christmas by Johanna Lindsey’s Mallory Novella, The Present. A romance addict was born. She devoured every single Lindsey novel within a few months and moved on to contemporary and paranormal with gusto. Now, she loves to write her own roguish dukes, alpha males and the heroines who tame them. She loves to hear from her readers.

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