#Review: THE DUKE OF RENOWN by Alexa Aston

 

  3 of 5 stars

Phoebe Smythe, Countess of Borwick, has suffered greatly in her young life not only losing her husband and son in a carriage accident, but also miscarrying her unborn child at the shocking news. Grief stricken she rents a small seaside cottage in Cornwall to heal her soul. When she discovers a wounded stranger on the beach, she nurses him back to health while losing her heart to the handsome man. Who was he? She is called away to help nurse her pregnant sister before he can tell her and she knows that she'll never love again.

This was a sweet story, but I feel like I read almost the whole book just by the blurb. There was too much information about the plot and could definitely be tightened up to keep the reader guessing if Phoebe and Andrew ever find each other again. I really felt such sorrow for Phoebe. The book opens with a heart wrenching chapter that pulls the reader in. Andrew was a dashing hero who realizes that he'd found his future duchess and then loses her without ever knowing her name. I felt the middle of the book dragged a bit and there wasn't a twist in the love story until near the end. I had already figured out what was about to happen early on in the book so it was not a surprise when it finally happened. I've read and enjoyed other Ms. Aston's books and look forward to reading about the other duke's stories.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.