The Duke's Bargain
Ruined
by scandal, Georgiana bargains with a duke to regain her place in
Society. But their pretend friendship sparks real love, risking
reputations, duty, and unexpected happily-ever-afters.
Eight months after a stolen kiss ruined her reputation, Miss Georgiana Wood is a recluse, cast out of Society without any hope of ever finding a suitable match. Longing for redemption, she never expects her salvation to arrive in the form of a handsome, temperamental duke.
After a failed bargain left the Duke of Marlow without a promised wife and heir, he must face courtship a final time. He plans to entice his future bride with a priceless family heirloom—one now in the possession of Miss Wood, who agrees to return it if he takes her on three outings in London during the Season to restore her reputation.
As the pair navigate Society’s expectations and whispered gossip, Marlow soon sees a new side to Georgiana—an ally and friend. Her wit and courage, grace and allure far exceed that of the eligible ladies he intended to court, and soon, he’d do almost anything to secure her happiness.
As Marlow wrestles with duty and desire, Georgiana begins to hope that she could be loved not despite her past, but because of who she truly is. When hearts are tested, truth and secrets revealed, will love be enough to risk it all?
Eight months after a stolen kiss ruined her reputation, Miss Georgiana Wood is a recluse, cast out of Society without any hope of ever finding a suitable match. Longing for redemption, she never expects her salvation to arrive in the form of a handsome, temperamental duke.
After a failed bargain left the Duke of Marlow without a promised wife and heir, he must face courtship a final time. He plans to entice his future bride with a priceless family heirloom—one now in the possession of Miss Wood, who agrees to return it if he takes her on three outings in London during the Season to restore her reputation.
As the pair navigate Society’s expectations and whispered gossip, Marlow soon sees a new side to Georgiana—an ally and friend. Her wit and courage, grace and allure far exceed that of the eligible ladies he intended to court, and soon, he’d do almost anything to secure her happiness.
As Marlow wrestles with duty and desire, Georgiana begins to hope that she could be loved not despite her past, but because of who she truly is. When hearts are tested, truth and secrets revealed, will love be enough to risk it all?
My Review: 8/10
I should have known better than to try to "just
read a chapter" of a Megan Walker book before bed. 40% of the way
through the book and a LOT of lost sleep... but I couldn't really regret
my choices because it's so good.
I did not remember the relationships and events of previous books (all of which I read when they came out) at all. It still worked as a standalone novel, but the characters (namely Georgiana) might have felt different if I had read them recently.
*Minor Spoilers*
That said, I liked that Georgiana was a different kind of character. Early on she thrills at the "verbal sparring" double talk of the ton and is enlivened by the challenge of being successful in society. This makes her seem like the perfect choice for a Duke's wife, refreshingly unique compared to the majority of heroines I read about in clean historical fiction (usually, they might be bluestockings and unnaturally modern, but they're always sweet, kind, genuine, etc.) and highly entertaining to read about.
She seemed to morph into someone else however. Someone who is wearied by everything the ton is and is really just a girl who loves to read in haystacks. Um. I wish she had stayed consistent.
Georgiana's morality came into question sometimes. This wasn't surprising and I wouldn't have minded if she had just owned what it was instead of dressing it up as something else (ie. "wining" an ex/innocent. She could be unapologetic about being cruel given that her loyalty was to Marlow. But I wouldn't call that being a good friend. A real friend brings out the best in you, inspires you to be better and rise higher. Doesn't sink you by association with pettiness and humiliation. This kind of thing would absolutely have been talked about in regards to Marlow's feelings and reputation, and I thought he wanted to preserve appearances...), or at least if other characters called her on it. It seemed like her explanation was accepted as reasonable or even touching. -_-
There were so many good one liners and so many sweet moments - I wish I could share all my highlights.
Mistakes are made, but they're always addressed super quickly and not given the time to develop into Big Misunderstandings which I APPRECIATED SO MUCH!
There were a few times when I felt like attitudes or situations did not fit the time period at all (like the Duchess telling her son to follow his heart. Erm, I feel like this would almost NEVER happen. That's a very modern and a very American attitude. People always want to point back to Jane Austen, but Mr. Darcy was just a Mr. and even he struggled with duty over his feelings and what was not an advantageous alliance. If you're dealing with the Ton, you're in a whole different ball game). But luckily for me, it did not affect my enjoyment of the story too much.
I can't wait to read more by Megan Walker.
I did not remember the relationships and events of previous books (all of which I read when they came out) at all. It still worked as a standalone novel, but the characters (namely Georgiana) might have felt different if I had read them recently.
*Minor Spoilers*
That said, I liked that Georgiana was a different kind of character. Early on she thrills at the "verbal sparring" double talk of the ton and is enlivened by the challenge of being successful in society. This makes her seem like the perfect choice for a Duke's wife, refreshingly unique compared to the majority of heroines I read about in clean historical fiction (usually, they might be bluestockings and unnaturally modern, but they're always sweet, kind, genuine, etc.) and highly entertaining to read about.
She seemed to morph into someone else however. Someone who is wearied by everything the ton is and is really just a girl who loves to read in haystacks. Um. I wish she had stayed consistent.
Georgiana's morality came into question sometimes. This wasn't surprising and I wouldn't have minded if she had just owned what it was instead of dressing it up as something else (ie. "wining" an ex/innocent. She could be unapologetic about being cruel given that her loyalty was to Marlow. But I wouldn't call that being a good friend. A real friend brings out the best in you, inspires you to be better and rise higher. Doesn't sink you by association with pettiness and humiliation. This kind of thing would absolutely have been talked about in regards to Marlow's feelings and reputation, and I thought he wanted to preserve appearances...), or at least if other characters called her on it. It seemed like her explanation was accepted as reasonable or even touching. -_-
There were so many good one liners and so many sweet moments - I wish I could share all my highlights.
Mistakes are made, but they're always addressed super quickly and not given the time to develop into Big Misunderstandings which I APPRECIATED SO MUCH!
There were a few times when I felt like attitudes or situations did not fit the time period at all (like the Duchess telling her son to follow his heart. Erm, I feel like this would almost NEVER happen. That's a very modern and a very American attitude. People always want to point back to Jane Austen, but Mr. Darcy was just a Mr. and even he struggled with duty over his feelings and what was not an advantageous alliance. If you're dealing with the Ton, you're in a whole different ball game). But luckily for me, it did not affect my enjoyment of the story too much.
I can't wait to read more by Megan Walker.
