Someday My Duke Will Come

 

Someday My Duke Will Come (Island of Synne 2)-Christina Britton

Forever

Release Date: January 12, 2021

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Lady Clara Ashford had no intention of ever getting married. A rogue took advantage of her innocence when she was young, and she's spent her whole life trying to make sure no one finds out. But now that her sister is engaged, Clara's well-meaning aunt has set her sights on Clara. Desperate to avoid the matchmaking schemes, Clara's not sure what to do -- until her neighbor, the new Duke of Reigate, shows up on her doorstep in need of her help.

Quincy Nesbitt reluctantly accepted the dukedom after his brother's death, but he'll be damned if he accepts his brother's fiancée as well. The only polite way to decline is to become engaged to someone else -- quickly. Lady Clara has the right connections and happens to need him as much as he needs her. But he soon discovers she's also witty and selfless, and if he's not careful, he just might lose his heart.

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This was a book that had all my emotions invested in it: full of humor, heartache, tenderness, romantic love, and love for family. From the beginning you are invested in Clara, a woman who has devoted herself to being useful to her family because a secret from her past means she believes she cannot have a husband and family of her own. Her little sister is engaged and Clara is dealing with some up-coming empty nest panic- who is she when she doesn't have a sister to care for? She's so used to emotionally isolating herself from everyone, including her family, that she seems to have convinced herself that she has no worth outside of what she can do for others.  

Quincy lost his father when he was young, and ran away from home (and England) rather than deal with his cold and cruel mother.  Returning to England to visit friends, he decides to visit home and get some closure- only to discover his three older brothers are dead and he has inherited the dukedom he never expected or wanted! Taking over the estates means abandoning dreams of travel to try to repair the damage done by his brothers but worse, it means living near his mother.  Quincy may play the devil-may-care charmer to the outside world, but he is a man who cares about doing what is right, even if it means sacrificing his own dreams.

The fake engagement between Clara and Quincy is the answer to both their problems- but of course it becomes far too real since both already had feelings for the other.  I enjoyed seeing how they supported each other in difficult times, always providing what the other needed to solve whatever problem there was, even if that problem was their own emotional turmoil.  They really are a perfect partnership and I was cheering all the way for them to finally realize it.

This was the first Christina Britton book I read, but I will definitely be reading others by her. The second in a series, but I didn't feel like I was lost for not having read the first book already. Though now I will certainly go back and find it.  "Someday My Duke Will Come" is a lovely story of friendship and partnership, discovering yourself and how sometimes another can see you better than you yourself can- and they can help you discover the best in yourself.  Well-written and emotionally captivating, a great read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review