She had learned to accept only the love she thought she deserved…Until she met him..Lucille Lockridge, daughter of the late Earl of Huxley, could not be any more different than her sister. She has learned to keep her head down, like a shell ready to be crushed at the first harsh remark of society. Now, a married woman, she must slowly start to realize that the man next to her, a man she never … realize that the man next to her, a man she never truly trusted, may have her best interest at heart after all…
Reginald Barrington, the Duke of Crowan, has spent all his life trying to escape a world of crimes and high society. Lucille has always been the one thing that kept his heart warm, but winning her trust may prove to be the hardest thing he has done is his life.
Right when she starts feeling her heart warming towards the Duke, a mysterious twist of fate comes to shake her life to its core once again. Now, Lucille may have to fight harder than ever to believe in her strength if she wants to save her loved ones and her marriage from the threat that lurks in the shadows…
Can she race against time to defend her life and honor with the help of her loving husband? Or will shame return once more to crush her in its waves?
*If you like engaging characters, heart- wrenching twists and turns, and lots of romance, then you’ll love “A Loving Duke for the Shy Duchess!”
Buy “A Loving Duke for the Shy Duchess” and unlock the exciting story of Grace today!more
This story is what happens to the sister “Lucille” from the story “Melting a Duke’s Winter Heart”. It seem Lucille accepts an arrange marriage with Duke Crowan to get out of her father’s house. She spends months avoiding her husband out of fear of his reputation. One night after a dinner gone wrong, neither of them can sleep. Reginald finds his wife in the library. She asks him what’s wrong and he lays his head in her lap. She allows him this and it changes something in her. From there Reginald and her begin to build a friendship based on respect. What Reginald has unleashed is a veritable tiger. This story continues months after where Sarah’s story ends, but we find that Lucille is actually more courageous than her sister, Sarah. Sometimes all a person really needs is the freedom to be themselves.
Lucille Lockridge, daughter of the late Earl of Huxley, who was a cruel and evil man, could not be any more different than her sister Sarah. The previous book was about Sarah. This one is about quiet shy Lucille who is in an arranged marriage with Reginald Duke of Crowan. Unbeknownst to her he is madly in love with her. He carefully tries to bring her out of her shell and teach her how to speak her mind. Reginald is a member of the House of Lords and a keeper of secrets. She his wife’s father is murdered and her friend is blackmailed they work together to find the culprits. I really loved this book. I especially liked that the previous family members were brought into this book! I also loved the original plot. I loved how gentle Reginald was with Lucille while trying to coax her out of her shell. I highly recommend this book and this series!
Another fantastic Lockridge sister book. When the book opens, Lucille Lockridge has been married to Reginald Barrington, the Duke of Crowan, for six months. Yet they are no closer to being a happily married couple than they were when they married. Thanks to her horrible father, Lucille is a frightened little girl that doesn’t believe she deserves love much less that she will find it with her new husband.
Reginald, on the other hand, deeply loves Lucille and has since their first brief meeting years ago. He has been giving her space since they got married, hoping that she will learn to trust him and possibly turn to him when a death rocks her family.
The Earl of Huxley has died in a fall from his balcony. Edmund Lockridge heard the Earl arguing with someone prior to his death so it is being investigated as a homicide. Meanwhile, there is someone new blackmailing members of high society. Could that have anything to do with the Earl’s death or are they separate incidences.
And someone tried to murder Reginald. It is while Lucille is helping care for Reginald’s wound that Lucille finally turns to her husband, telling him the abuse she, and her sister, suffered at his hand. He is trying to help Lucille recover from the abuse with an ingenious plan to help her gain more confidence in herself.
Then Lucille discovers that a friend of her and Sarah’s is being blackmailed. Lucille tries to help the friend. But will that lead to putting Lucille in the crosshairs of the blackmailer (& murderer?) Will Reginald be able to protect his new wife? You need to read this very intense book to find out.
I received an ARC of this ebook to read and give an honest review. In addition, I purchased a copy of the final ebook from Amazon. I highly recommend this book. Now I have to wait, patiently for the third book in this trilogy. And some people are saying that is what is happening next year.
It is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. She was abused so badly by her father she doesn’t trust her instincts and emotions. Just what she hears and is told. He is not what he has been accused of and gossiped about. Being married to each other the trust and closeness needs to come. But until she can learn to get rid of the abuse and let it go it won’t happen. Lots of excitement, twists and turns, hurt, anger, suspense, intrigue and so much more. I received a review copy and voluntarily review it.
Another great regency romance by Abby Ayles! The storyline was wonderfully written and the characters were written with such great detail and depth that I was totally enthralled as I turned each and every page until the very last page!
Lots of action, suspense, and mystery embedded into this regency romance. Wonderful characters and surprises await you as you read this book. If you love solving mysteries and regency romance, this book is for you. It keeps you at the edge of your seat as you try to figure out who is behind it all. I loved the fact that there were more than one mystery going on at the same time. Are you safe? Should you be involved in spying on powerful people? This author did a wonderful job of keeping to Regency Romance style and time period, while solving mysteries. I highly recommend this book! Happy Reading!
What a heart-breaking story between Lucille and Reginald. Lucille is now married to Reginald and is emotionally living as if Reginald is like her evil father. She was completed oppressed, suppressed, browbeaten, mocked, insulted, belittled and she became a frightened shell of a person because of her father. Reginald loved Lucille and it pained him to see her like this. Reginald was so kind as to not consummate the marriage until she was ready to come to him. Reginald was astute as a card shark. He could read people exceptionally well. He also knew how to get people to tell him their secrets with patience and without manipulation. Lucille of course had heard of his negative reputation as the keeper of secrets and he developed and she believed it. She really never took the time to get to know the man and treated him based on gossip. Reginald only used the information he gathered to promote and support positive legislation in the house of lords. He never resorted to blackmail and such. But he knew no matter what he said Lucille, she would treat him the same as she thought he was. He then had an epiphany that lead him to help Lucille break out of her frightened shell and hopefully built trust between them. Little did he know that would lead both of them down the road of enemies, blackmail, ransom, murder, kidnapping and plenty of terrifying danger. An excellent read. I highly recommend.
I loved this story… well written and developed plot…
This is the romance of Lucille and Reginald… not simple person but with complex personality and past…
A voyage toward the happiness… a different strength… an intense love…
I recommend this story to all that love Regency
Lucille and Reginald…married, but not happily.
This story is book two of a trilogy. This is Lucille’s story. She is the twin of Sarah. Both of them have been under the terrible thumb of their father their whole lives. Lucille is married to Reginald, it was part of a deal for her sister’s happiness. She is afraid of him, she feels he is the same as her father. Reginald has always loved her, can he make her believe that she can be sweet and wonderful herself and they can be happy? This book is full of intrigue, blackmail, strife and love. I can’t wait for book 3!
Villains. Villains. Villains! Sweet Lucille is surrounded by them. However will she manage? This is a murder mystery, a blackmail mystery and a tender romance all tied up with one enormous bow. Interesting characters and plots. I enjoyed it!
Incredibly entertaining!
This page turning story was fantastic! This story had multiple mysteries to solve. There was lots of intrigue throughout the story to keep you at the end of your seat! The characters were outstanding and written with great depth!
The love story was a bit different than most. The couple this time are already married! The husband, Reginald, loved his wife, Lucille, when he met her. Lucille had to take sometime and learn about her new husband. She didn’t know what she should think about the rumors she heard about him. She was trying to keep her distance from him, but he was persistent. However, she gets him, and others, involved in a very dangerous predicament! It’s great to see if she becomes involved into his type of life or if she rubs off on him!
Lucille is the shier of the identical twin daughters of the evil Earl of Lockridge and finds herself married to the secretive Lord Crowan, Reginald. If one expects marriage to end the exploits of her and her twin sister, Sarah, then they, like Lucille, have failed to see the strength she has. True to Abby Ayles’ other novels, this one has a great plot, interesting characters, villains, intrigue, twists and turns, danger and of course, romance. I recommend reading Melting a Duke’s Winter Heart first to better understand this story.