ARC Review: A Duchess a Day by Charis Michaels

About the Book:

Title: A Duchess a Day

Author: Charis Michaels

Series: Awakened by a Kiss (Book 1)

Page Length: 384

Publication Date: Nov. 10, 2020

Publisher: Avon

Synopsis: An heiress with a plan…

Lady Helena Lark has spent years trying to escape her wedding to the vain and boring Duke of Lusk. She’s evaded, refused, even run away. When her family’s patience runs out, they pack her off to London to walk down the aisle. But Helena has another idea: find a more suitable bride to take her place, even if she must look for a replacement duchess every day.

A bodyguard with a job to do…

Declan Shaw, better known as “The Huntsman,” is a mercenary who can pick and choose his clientele. After his last job, escorting a young noblewoman to France, landed him in jail under false accusations, he wants nothing to do with aristocrats or women. But the law isn’t done with him, and if he agrees to babysit a duke’s errant fiancé, the payout could make his legal troubles go away.

A most unexpected alliance…

When their worlds collide, Declan realizes that containing his new client is only slightly harder than keeping his hands off her. Helena senses an ally in her handsome new bodyguard and solicits his help. Together they must escape the forces that oppose them and fight for the fairy-tale love they desire.

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LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

My Review:

A Duchess a Day is a fun, smart, and romantic love story. The novel focuses on Declan Shaw and Lady Helena Lark, a mercenary and an heiress. Declan is a mercenary wrongly imprisoned for murder. When he has the opportunity to be released with the agreement to serve as an heiresses bodyguard, Declan reluctantly takes the offer. Helena is an heiress who has been trying to break her engagement to a disinterested, inebriated, and philandering fiancee for five years.

An unwilling participant in an arranged marriage, Helena refuses to be a pawn in her parents’ greedy schemes, especially when her marriage will result in the destruction of the land that she holds dear. Helena determines, with Declan’s help, to find other suitable women to entice her betrothed and, hopefully, break the engagement. However, neither Helena nor Declan planned to develop feelings for each other, especially considering the impossible positions they are both in. How can they be together when life threatens to tear them apart?

I loved Helena and Declan’s story. They are so different, yet they complement each other well. Declan is tough, while Helena is naive. He is experienced, and she is innocent. However, both are passionate, strong, and stubborn, and they both have a quick wit, which adds to their fantastic chemistry. They also seem to understand each other well. As both characters are misunderstood and used, Helena and Declan are drawn to one another. I loved how their relationship blossomed.

Unfortunately, Declan doesn’t feel like he is good enough for Helena. She is an heiress, and he is a mercenary. He has the threat of prison looming over him, and he has three family members to care for. He doesn’t want to burden her with his problems. Helena, in turn, feels invisible and helpless and has no one to turn to. She hates the vapid, materialistic society that her parents have forced her to be a part of and wishes to return to her quieter life at her apple orchard. Declan is the first person to really see her, understand her, and support her. The pair brings out the best in each other, and their characters are dynamically developed.

A Duchess a Day is a witty and swoon-worthy historical romance with dynamic protagonists and a well-paced plot. Readers who enjoy feisty main characters and a HEA will love this story! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Avon for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.