... a puzzler!

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Her Favorite Duke (The 1797 Club #2)  by Jess Michaels


                           

The beginning of this episode of The 1797 Club has promise, although it raised questions. Engaged to the wrong Duke at a young age by her brother James to one of his best friends, Meg had to endure seven years of an engagement that had not one jot of romance. Her heart has always been Simon's. Simon returned the feelings silently. They are however the best of friends. When they are caught out overnight in a storm their life changes. Now is the time to seize the moment. After all Meg is compromised and Simon must step up to the plate. Which he does but instead of being relieved Simon mopes around feeling guilty for have betrayed a brother Duke. The beginning had promise, the last part dragged out a bit. The resolution was predictable. The puzzle? Why wait seven years, why punish yourself when you've gained the prize--the woman you've always loved, why try to destroy that by decrying the what is now? The answers are complicated but too slow in the coming.
Themes of love, betrayal and honor (alongside those steamy love scenes that hallmark Michael's novels) underpin all, but there's not enough oomph in the overall story to really grab your interest.

A NetGalley ARC

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