My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid | Book Review

My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid
Series: Sinful Wallflowers #1
Published by Entangled Amara on December 31, 2019
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance
Pages: 375
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
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Miss Katherine Danvers is a desperate wallflower. Her family is on the brink of financial ruin, and it is up her to save her mother and sisters from a life of indignities. So she transforms herself into the incomparable Kitty Danvers, the fiancée of the enigmatic and reclusive Alexander Masters, Duke of Thornton—once dubbed the mad, bad, and dangerous catch of the Season.

Ten years ago, society and the woman Alexander Masters loved called him a monster, after a tragic accident left him scarred and confined to a wheelchair. His heart exists in cold, lonely exile, until he learns he has a fiancée—a deceptive, clever, and utterly intriguing woman he's never met. Miss Danvers will now learn the consequences of engaging herself to the beast, for Alexander is determined to make her his. Soon, they are involved in a chase, a clash of wills, and though he once vowed to never love again, he burns for the enchanting Miss Danvers. And denying his heart may cost him an exquisite love that happens only once in a lifetime.

I’ve been on the hunt for more historical romance series to love since I discovered (and devoured) Lisa Kleypas’s books last year. So naturally, I went to Twitter and asked the romancelandia masses what I should do. Someone recommended Stacy Reid’s Sinful Wallflowers series, and since they’re on Kindle Unlimited I decided to give it a shot! My Darling Duke was a very fun book, and I’m definitely interested in continuing on with this series. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Beauty and the Beast storyline! I love B&B retellings, so this was a major bonus for me. I think my favorite part of the entire book was Alexander’s meddling staff. They were more like family to him, and I loved eavesdropping on their gossip, whisperings, and orchestrations. They reminded me so much of Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, and Cogsworth.

2. I loved the premise of the book. Kitty proclaiming to the entire ton that she’s engaged to the beastly recluse who nobody has seen in years was a unique spin I haven’t read before. I enjoyed watching her try to figure out how to pull this off, especially once Alexander found out he’s engaged to someone he’s never met. It was such a lighthearted, fun way to force these two characters together.

3. I liked Kitty a lot. She’s brave, loyal to her family, and takes matters into her own hands to secure their future. She has absolutely no options for getting married, so she makes up an entire story and convinces everyone that it’s true! She becomes so popular and her sisters become highly sought after ladies. It’s unfortunate that life in these times was minimized to a huge popularity contest, but that’s how it was! Her making a mockery of it delighted me more than I expected it would. She’s funny and has a great head on her shoulders, too. I love how accepting she is of Alexander during a time when people who used wheelchairs were looked down upon or even feared by society. She is not at all concerned about what his accident means for a potential future and family with him, she just loves him. She never sees him as a beast, and that’s how it should be. She also calls him on his crap when he’s being frustrating, which I always applaud.

4. Alexander put me through many emotions. I loved reading about his relationship with his sister, Penny, and how kind he is to his staff. But he can also be very grouchy and self-deprecating. I empathize with him, though. His accident has left him in chronic pain and unable to be intimate with a woman, so of course he feels inadequate and unworthy of Kitty. He wants her to have the husband she deserves and he feels like he’s not good enough. I get it. Maybe I just have a problem with men who think they know what’s best for women better than women do. His constant “I want you, but you shouldn’t want me so bye” attitude was frustrating, but I suppose it’s a pretty realistic attitude to have especially when his previous bride-to-be left him because of his accident. I enjoyed watching him find confidence in himself by finally being loved for who he is. He no longer has to be ashamed of what he sees as weaknesses, but he struggles with breaking the habit of feeling ashamed. The pain he deals with, both physical and emotional, made me so sad for him. His thoughts about Kitty and his proclamations to her are very romantic, and the depth of his feelings for her had me swooning. So, lots of feelings with this guy!

5. The first part of the book was my favorite. I loved the build-up to Kitty’s and Alexander’s first meeting. The book slows down once she moves into his castle, something he insists upon for a little while if she wants him to keep up the ruse of their engagement. He wants a friend. I can see readers growing bored waiting for things to happen,.

6. The romance is a slow-burn, push and pull, high angst kind of romance. Because of Alexander’s injury, he and Kitty spend a lot of time talking instead of in the bedroom. They spend time rowing in the lake, picnicking in the trees, discussing his collection of treasures from around the world, and sitting by the fire. Kitty reads a lot. I really enjoyed their conversations and watching them go from strangers to friends to lovers. I enjoyed the moments of companionable silence. I found their conversations surrounding his injuries and how they have impacted him and how he’s altered his hopes for a future to be poignant and well done. The third-act break-up that inevitably always happens in romance novels was heartbreaking, and the angst felt so real. I could have done with more groveling, though. I love a good grovel. My biggest issue with their romance is pretty spoilery, so if you’re interested in reading my thoughts, continue. If not, jump below the spoiler warning to avoid it!

SPOILER BELOW!

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Alexander’s accident has left him impotent, but Kitty is so desirable to him that all of a sudden he finds himself getting turned on just by being around her, something that hasn’t happened with other women or even if he takes matters into his own hands (literally). And then they’re magically able to have sex multiple times a week and have the family they always dreamed of, the end. This didn’t feel realistic to me, and I wish the author had taken the opportunity to show that happily ever after looks different for many people. I would have loved an epilogue that was filled with ways they made a life together that didn’t involve sex and babies.

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NO MORE SPOILERS!

7. This book has great supporting characters. I mentioned Alexander’s staff before, but I really liked the other ladies in the Sinful Wallflowers club as well. I’m interested in reading their love stories! And I liked Kitty’s sisters, too.

All in all, I’m glad I read My Darling Duke! I enjoyed the unconventional way Alexander and Kitty met, the threads of Beauty and the Beast woven throughout, and the heartwarming cast of secondary characters. I was not completely satisfied with the romance, but it scratched an itch and I’m interested in reading the next book in the series. I hear it’s better than this one!