Book Review: Duke Seeks Bride by Christy Carlyle

About the Book:

Title: Duke Seeks Bride

Author: Christy Carlyle

Series: Love on Holiday #3

Page Length: 368

Publication Date: Aug. 22, 2023

Publisher: Avon

Synopsis: In the swoon-worthy finale of her Love on Holiday series, Christy Carlyle takes readers to the breathtaking coast of Ireland where a pretty, young duchess’s secretary agrees to impersonate her mistress to help a future duke appease his fortune-hunting family…until he falls for her, instead.

Miss Aurelia Graves has never had a holiday. She is much too busy as the personal secretary to the Duchess of Waverly. But the Duke of Ballycannon Castle in Connemara, Ireland, has invited the duchess to visit—and as the duchess cannot travel, she has insisted Aurelia go in her stead.

Except when Lia arrives, everyone mistakes her for the duchess—and it’s clear the family who owns crumbling Ballycannon were hoping to match the widowed duchess with Alexander Fennessy, future Duke of Pierpont. But when Alex learns the truth of Lia’s identity, he has an…unusual request. He’ll happily show her hospitality if she’ll agree to let others think she’s the duchess for a fortnight, while also making it clear she has absolutely no interest in marrying him.

There’s just one problem: as time runs out on their arrangement and Alex increasingly fears he must in fact marry an heiress to save his family’s fortunes, he finds that his heart now belongs to Miss Lia Graves…and he can’t bring himself to let her go.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:

This is the third and final book in the Love on Holiday series, and it’s as entertaining as the first two. The story follows Evie, a secretary to a wealthy duchess, and Alex, the new Duke of Pierpont. With a marriage stipulation in his father’s will, Alex must find a wife within just a few short months. And since he has a floundering estate, Alex needs to marry someone wealthy, which is why his aunt invites the Duchess of Waverly to spend time with them in Ireland. However, the duchess is unable to make the trip and sends Evie in her stead.

I really liked Evie. She is an independent, hard-working woman who is confident in her capabilities. It’s easy to see why Alex falls so quickly for her, and I love how his family does too. And Alex is pretty fabulous too. He’s so torn between his duty toward his family and his inherited lands and his love for Evie. Evie also struggles with her feelings since she knows her social standing is not on par with his, and she is also providing for a sibling. It’s interesting to see how the pair deals with the obstacles in their way.

Evie and Alex have a wonderful romance that begins with a memorable meet cute in London and carries to Ireland. Even though Alex knows he must marry someone of wealth, he can’t help the feelings he has for Evie. I wouldn’t say they have an insta-love romance, but there’s definitely a strong connection and attraction from the start.

I enjoyed this story. It’s a quick, low-stakes, and entertaining historical romance with great protagonists, and an interesting cast of secondary characters. Special thanks to Avon for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.