This book was enjoyable. I love storylines where the Duke in question has unruly children and someone must step in and save them — and then he falls for her. Gets me every time. I loved how Tessa stands her ground when her newfound family tries to sweep her off her feet without consulting her for what she wants. I loved that the Duke in question would much rather be sailing the world on scientific expeditions or writing a book about said expeditions. While bluestocking women are everywhere in historical romance, it’s a much rarer thing for the man to be scholarly. There was even a bit of a mystery.
So, with all of that, I should have loved it. But… I didn’t. I enjoyed it, but I skimmed parts. this was 100% due to the writing style which was a little clumsier and less eloquent than I prefer. Also while I normally skim or skip the sex scenes, I did so here because the way they were written made me cringe. The mystery also was wrapped up a tad too quickly, and the story in general could have stood to be longer.
I would definitely recommend it to people who don’t care about writing style, but it’s definitely a make or break issue for me.
*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an e-arc for review.
Whimsical Dragonette 