A rebellious heiress.
A duke in dire straits.
An anonymous midnight tryst.
To escape the shackles of marriage, Nellie Young purposely ruined her reputation a long time ago. Now she dedicates herself to hedonistic pleasures only, like kissing a handsome stranger in the ocean under the moonlight…
To save his estate, the proper Duke of Lockwood must marry the perfect bride–wealthy, with an unblemished reputation. While in New York he’s the perfect gentleman, and no one knows he’s suppressing his darkest desires. The last thing he needs is another scandal.
Except Nellie sees through Lockwood’s charade, straight to the real man underneath. This uptight duke is far more than he lets on, and she can’t resist him. Their secret affair turns scorching, far more than either expected. And when his beautiful rebel finds an unconventional cause, Lockwood has to decide if he’s willing to sacrifice everything to keep her.
I didn’t read the previous books in the series, and could follow along, but the other women figure strongly and I suspect both characters in this book have some good character build up in the previous books.
Giving the Duke a heart condition added an interesting element since so many romance endings are about settling into a long happy forever, while in this both know their time may be limited.
I liked Eleanor’s advocacy for women’s rights and wish it weren’t so timely 120 years later 😒
Some of the pacing towards the beginning felt a mite slow, though it helped that the book started with a racy swimming scene so you knew they had chemistry if they could get over themselves.
I expected a different ending but liked the actual ending better than my guess.
