#Review: IF THE DUKE DARES by Darcy Burke

 

4 of 5 stars

Acton Loxley, Duke of Wellesbourne, has decided it's time for him to marry. He is traveling to meet a potential bride, Persephone Barclay, but he meets an intriguing young woman at an inn on the way, who claims to be a widow. When Persephone's parents show up at the ducal estate without their daughter, they tell Acton she's ill and will join them in a day or two. When he sees her miniature, he realizes she's the woman poses as a widow back at the inn. Now, he's intrigued as to why she would run away and not even want to meet him. He's a duke, after all!

Miss Persephone Barclay didn't want to be forced to marry, especially not to a rake like Wellesbourne so she runs away from her parents to escape that fate. Unfortunately, the duke soon tracks her down and promises to protect her while she travels to see her Aunt Lucinda in Bath. Along the way, her feelings about him begin to change, but she's vowed she will never marry a rake and keeps him at arm's length.

This was a sweet story and I did love the banter between Acton and Persephone. The limits that Acton goes to trying to convince Persey that he's a changed man are delightful as he bumbles his way toward his goal. I loved Persey. She was witty, fearless, and independent, and I enjoyed that immensely. Persey's sister, Pandora, and Aunt Lucinda, along with Acton's mother and sisters, round out the story nicely.  Unfortunately, the fact that Persey's parents didn't face any comeuppance for their awful behavior of their daughters was a real detriment for me. Thus, the loss of a star to 4 stars.

I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of over sixty captivating, compelling historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. Her novels have been translated into five languages and are also available as audio books. Join her Reader Club at https://www.darcyburke.com/join.

 

A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming, teacher husband, artist daughter, and writer (yes!) son. They’re a crazy cat family with two Bengal cats, a small, fame-seeking cat named after a fruit, a rescue Maine Coon with attitude to spare, an adorable former stray who wandered onto their deck and into their hearts, and two bonded boys who used to belong to (separate) neighbors but chose them instead. You can find Darcy in her comfy writing chair, folding laundry (which she loves), or enjoying game night with the family. 

Visit Darcy online at http://www.darcyburke.com and follow her social media: 

Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/darcyburkefans, 

Instagram at http://www.instagram/darcyburkeauthor

Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/darcyburkewrite.

 

If the Duke Dares website link: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares

 

Buy links:

 

Amazon: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-Amz

Apple: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-App

Barnes & Noble: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-BN

Google Play: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-GP

Kobo: https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-Kobo

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