I received this book for free from St. Martin's Paperbacks in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Duke I Once Knew by Olivia Drake Also in this series: Forever My Duke
Series: Unlikely Duchesses #1
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on December 31, 2018
Genres: Historical Romance, Regency Era
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ISBN: 1250174376
First love is always the sweetest.
For years, Abigail Linton devoted herself to caring for her aging parents and the children of her siblings. Now, eager to make her own life, she takes a position as governess on the neighboring estate. It shouldn’t matter that her absentee employer is Maxwell Bryce, the Duke of Rothwell, the infamous rake who once broke her youthful heart. Surely he’s forgotten her, for he hasn’t set foot on his estate for fifteen years. At least, that is, until he arrives unexpectedly.
Max is incensed to meet his sister’s new governess. But why does Abby appear just as displeased to see him when it was she who’d rejected him all those years ago? Why is he so drawn to the independent spinster she has become? And why is there a sparkle in her beautiful blue eyes that suggests they might have a second chance at love?
The Duke I Once Knew is the first book in the newest series by Olivia Drake. I just love this author because I always know that I can easily get into her books. I was very curious to see how she would handle this book here though. And it was such a great book to read here. I was really fascinated with seeing how this book evolved. It does have some enemies to lovers qualities, but its more over a misunderstanding between Max and Abigail. They fell in love when they were teenagers, but then Max was sent off to school and his father deliberately seperated them because he knew that Max was falling in love and wanted to give him distance.
And now its been many years, both Max and Abigail are older in their early thirties, and when Max comes home, Abigail has taken a position as a governess for Max’s sister. We see though that both of them had tried to communicate with each other but somehow the letters never reached their intended destination. We see Max and Abigail reconnect with each other and seeing them get over their past assumptions and hurts and be honest with each other is truly refreshing. I loved seeing them find each other again and the love that has always been there between them. What I really admired about the complexities about their relationship especially since we have other factors involved. With all the distractions that could cause some contention between Max and Abigail we see that they have something vibrant and real that rises above all the negative moments that they have to face and seeing them come together in this book was simply an adventure and a fun filled journey to join them on!!! A true pleasure to read in every way!!
About Olivia Drake
Shortly after graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism, Olivia Drake sold her first novel two weeks after sending it to a publisher. She now lives in Texas in a cozy cottage with a feisty cat, a loving husband, and two wonderful daughters who still come back whenever they want a home-cooked meal.
Many of you already know Olivia as Barbara Dawson Smith, author of 24 historical romance novels. She is a New York Times bestseller and winner of numerous honors, including the Golden Heart Award and the coveted Rita Award for excellence in the historical romance genre.
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