A Duke By Scot

TITLE: A Duke By Scot

SERIES: MacGalloways #1

AUTHOR: Amy Jarecki

RATING: 

STEAM: 

THE SYNOPSIS

It is one thing to defy convention…but quite another to completely thwart it in the pursuit of insatiable desire.

His Grace, Martin MacGalloway, has well-earned the reputation as the most celebrated rake on the entire isle of Britain. But upon his father’s sudden death, he heads for Scotland where he finds his inheritance in a shambles, his sisters without prospects, and his brothers relying on his patronship—and he’s not about to conquer his problems alone.

Penniless, Lady Julia St. Vincent has no choice but to dress as a man and accept a position as steward to the Duke of Dunscaby. But when she meets His Grace, she’s not expecting him to be dashing, charming, or utterly enchanting. And the more time she spends with the duke, the more difficult it is to ignore the flickers of passion smoldering in her heart.

Martin instantly develops a fondness for the wee man. While they work together to rebuild the Dunscaby dynasty, they travel to London where Martin takes it upon himself to introduce his sheltered steward to the world of manly pursuits. Julia falls from one mortifyingly compromising situation to another as she pines for a duke she can never have…until an old friend invites her to a masque. And there, it takes but one kiss for Martin to stop at nothing in his pursuit of the mysterious woman who has captured his very soul.

THE REVIEW

Lady Julie St Vincent has to do something to pay her fathers gambling debts and repair their crumbling estate, so she decides to pose as man and go to Scotland to work for the Duke of Dunscaby as a steward. 

Martin, Duke of Dunscaby has recently inherited the Dukedom and suddenly, so he is trying to adjust from a bachelor life to his new overwhelming duties. He has three sisters, four brothers and his mother to look after! 

Everything was going relatively smooth until they run into each other at a masquerade  ball and Martin becomes infatuated with Lady Julia. The closer they become, the harder it is for Julia to walk away, which is what would be safest, so when, inevitably, Martin finds out about her deception, they are both devastated! But, thank the destined happily-ever-after, they are so smitten that they work their way back to each other.

This was a slow starter and it took me a while to get into the book. I’d be reading and something exciting would happen (like Martin falling into a frozen lake) and I’d think ‘yes, this is where it gets interesting’ but then it would be resolved and I’d be left waiting for the next event hoping that would reveal Julia’s identity and they can start the romance! 

TROPES

Historical Romance, Regency Era, Country Life, Gamma Hero, Pugilist/Fighter Hero, Titled Hero, Bluestocking Heroine, Dresses as Male, Virgin Heroine, Slow Burn, Hidden Identity, Secrets & Lies, Cinderella Trope, Four Star, Two Flame

HistoricalRomance, RegencyEra, CountryLife, GammaHero, Pugilist/FighterHero, TitledHero, BluestockingHeroine, DressesasMale, VirginHeroine, SlowBurn, HiddenIdentity, SecretsandLies, CinderellaTrope, FourStar, TwoFlame