The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White

Back Cover: Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she's never felt good enough - not for her father, not for the man she thought she'd marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she's willing to be forever an outcast if it means escaping those threatening her life.

Brice Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, yet the last thing he needs in the distraction of the newly introduced Lady Rowena. He has enough on his plate having recently come into possession or a rare treasure for which many would kill, yet those around him seem intent on pairing him with this desperate but beguiling girl.

Rowena is reluctant to marry this notorious flirt. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in some kind of questionable business with a stolen treasure, she fears she'll end up in more danger than she fled.


Review:

My synopsis (slight spoiler alert):

Lady Rowena grew up dodging her father's fists and watched her beloved mother bare the brunt of his harsh treatment. Now a grown woman, she stands at the edge of a praecipe herself and no longer wonders why her mother chose to jump from the rocky cliff instead of facing the rest of her lifetime in the icy clutches of The Kinnaird.

As heiress, she should have been gowned in lovely dresses and showered in luxuries like her other nobly born friends, but that is not the life of a Kinnaird woman. Her father and fiancé have made no secret of her worthlessness or the fact that they can do to her whatever they seem fit or desire.

Bruised, ravaged, and hurting in places she can tell no one about, Lady Rowena knows she has to get away. The only question left in her mind is how?

Meanwhile, Brice Myerston, Duke of Nottingham, has suffered his own string of tragedies. Only through his intensely close relationship with God has he managed to stand the passing of his father, the loss of a dear friend, and now the ownership of what some would call a cursed treasure. Despite being completely consumed with the treasure and the treacheries it has brought into his life, Brice does not fail to notice the bruises on the wrists of young Lady Rowena nor her frightened eyes. When he is manipulated into taking the terrified girl as his wife, Brice barely hesitates. Clearly, to leave her in the highlands would assure her death as certainly as if he took a gun and shot her himself.

Other points:

I really enjoyed this book. I particularly appreciated the relationship that developed slowly between Brice and Lady Rowena. Yes, this is a romance novel, but it is nice to read a story where love happens naturally and it makes sense. Their love for each other is well earned and their story is far from perfect - they argue, they disagree, and they have to face some very difficult decisions. But in this, their relationship is way more realistic than many you would find in the pages of a novel. I approve.

I also really liked the close relationship Brice has with the Lord. His open communication and obedience to Him is wonderful. In addition, the way Brice mirrors the love of the Lord towards his wife is beautiful. He acts honorably and in a way that a Godly man should.

This book was certainly a pleasure to read and I look forward to more works by Roseanna White. The only part of this novel I did not appreciate was the back cover. I found the description there not at all accurate or a good portrayal of the content inside - but the book itself was wonderful (and that's what counts!)

Thank-you so much to Graf Martin Communications for a copy of this book!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc." in exchange for my honest opinion.