Review: My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid

“If you are looking for a beauty and the beast retelling, then you’ve landed on the right place. And Stacy Reid does it with flair!”
~ Under the Covers

Recommended Read!

If you are looking for a beauty and the beast retelling, then you’ve landed on the right place. And Stacy Reid does it with flair!

Our heroine’s family is at a low point and she takes matters into her own hands to turn the tide with society by spreading a lie that she is engaged to be married to a reclusive Duke. He’s never bothered disproving any of the gossip written about him in the newspaper so she didn’t think much of using a rumor that he has a fiancé to help her sister find a match. Except this time he decides to come back to town and meet this woman he’s supposed to be engaged to and they establish a fake relationship/engagement of convenience for some time.

But it’s not all flowers and balls in this story. The hero is not only scarred but he’s also bound to a wheelchair and declared medically impotent after an accident 10 years ago. I liked that the author has given the hero time to acclimate to his fate and if not accept it entirely, at least come to terms with it. Navigating those emotions while he’s falling in love and dealing with that internal struggle of feeling as if he’s not whole for the woman he wants, it was heartbreaking. And yes, he can be a bit extra grumpy (I mean, is there such a thing in books?) but I completely understood where those feelings where coming from. And I also loved the heroine and how their relationship developed.

As this was my first time reading anything by Ms. Reid, I was happy to find that I really liked her writing style. This was such a fast read even when it was emotional. The pacing could’ve been just a tad better but overall this was a great intro for me into the world of Stacy Reid’s historicals and I’ll definitely be back for more.