TITLE: The Duke Trap
THE SYNOPSIS
One determined debutante. One despised duke. One brilliant plan.
Leonora Holt never expected that her two younger sisters would find love before her. Lately she’s grown disconcertingly accustomed to her brother’s sighs and hints that she needs to marry. How can she find anyone when one dreadful man, the Duke of Dartmouth, is intent on reminding all the ton of her mother’s scandal?
Sebastian, the Duke of Dartmouth, knows he should probably forget how the Holt family destroyed the last years of his father’s life. At one point, he even considered Leonora Holt his best friend. Of course, that had been when he was ten, and he’s achieved far more wisdom since then. He’s also gained a secret, but that’s something he has no intention of ever revealing.
Leonora is determined to trap Sebastian. If his reputation is maligned, perhaps he will halt disparaging her family.
Fortunately, she has the perfect plan, one that absolutely does not involve falling in love with the duke herself.
THE REVIEW
This second book in the Determined Debutantes series was better than the first. Lenora and Sebastian were childhood friends, best friends, until her father tricked Sebastian’s father in a card game. Ever since then, the two families have been feuding. In the first book, Sebastian is responsible for bringing the nude paintings of Lenora’s mother to light, damaging their reputations, so Lenora decides she will ruin him as well. She tries to have an actress trick him into a compromising position, but it’s very anticlimactic when they met at a ball and Sebastian recognizes the actress. I was hoping for more drama surrounding the incident, but she just left.
Then, what felt random, Sebastian decides to invite Lenora’s family to a house party! And, at the house party, a gentleman proposes to Lenora after a day of knowing her and, when she turns him down, he leaves humiliated. I know this was a short book, but I felt like there was a lot of stuff crammed into a short amount of time, feeling rushed and not believable.
TROPES
Historical Romance, Regency Era, House Party, Alpha Hero, Musician Hero, Titled Hero, Virgin Heroine, Childhood Crush, Enemies to Lovers, Revenge Trope, Three Star, Two Flame
HistoricalRomance, RegencyEra, HouseParty, AlphaHero, MusicianHero, TitledHero, VirginHeroine, ChildhoodCrush, EnemiestoLovers, RevengeTrope, ThreeStar, TwoFlame
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