The Duchess of Belcraven committed a folly, and bore her husband another man’s child. But Lucien was a third son, so all was patched over.
Then the two older boys drowned, leaving disaster.
Now, over twenty years later, the duke learns he has a legitimate daughter—Beth Armitage, a child of his blood — and he compels Lucien and Beth to marry.
Lucien, now the arrogant ducal heir, is devastated … ducal heir, is devastated to learn he is not his father’s child and that the only way to his fortune is through his unwilling bride: an independent schoolteacher raised in the principles of the Rights of Women.
Can there be any common ground?
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This is one of my favourite Company of Rogues’ books. I love the plot concept, and both hero and heroine are convincing in their rolls and in their misunderstandings. And lovely to see what happens between the Belcravens.
A little bit of romance, some intrigue, and a whole lot of aggression, with boundaries being crossed left and right, made this book uncomfortable to read. When the Duke of Belcraven puts two young people in an impossible position, forcing them to wed, both Lucien and Beth reveal their true colors. Fortunately, compromises are reached, but it is …
I couldn’t understand, at first, why Lucien’s personality had changed from the first book in the series. Lucien and Beth had been manipulated by the duke into following his will. Also, I couldn’t understand Beth’s attitude towards Lucien as he was in the same situation. Why would you try to alienate someone you would be spending the rest of your …
I have a love-hate relationship with the story.
It is a sheer miracle that this union even had a chance to work. There is a wife who has lived with a mistake feeling as if she is punished day after day. A man who finds that the mistake he made now comes back to haunt him and two young people caught up in their parent’s follies. Now if that all was …
Both Beth and Lucien travel a significant personal transformation as they make their way forward since it is a forced marriage for both of them. Beth starts as a prickly educated feminist (for the time) and tries to force Lucien to call off the wedding only to have it backfire on her. Then she travels the path of broadening her perspective and …
First book I read by this author, so I did not know what to expect from these Rogues. Both Lucien and Elizabeth’s characters caught my attention with their impetuousness, abrupt mood swings, and lack of insight into the consequences of their actions. Certainly, different from what I expected. The story was interesting, intriguing and with detailed …
I was glued to my kindle throughout this book with a good storyline and well detailed characters that kept my attention until the turn of the very last page!
My second in the series and I am loving them. Christmas Angel next.
“An Unwilling Bride” (nook) is another great story by Jo Beverley. Her words flow together to create a vivid picture of London in early 1815 and some of the devastation of the war with Napoleon. A compelling love story.
The story of Beth and Lucien is classic No Beverly that I appreciate more as I reread periodically.Beth is forced to marriage by the Duke of Belcraven,a threatening the livelihood of both Beth and her friend and mentor, Lucien is forced to the marriage by the threat of inheriting the entailed properties and title of the Belcraven dukedom, with no …
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Enjoyed the whole series company of Rogues
I love Jo Beverley, but Beth, the heroine, is one of my favorite romance characters. An unapologetic bluestockig forced into a marriage of convenience, she gives as good as she gets. Witty, entertaining with characters you can care about.
I own all of her books, excellent writer.
I think Lucien is my favorite Rogue!
Parts of this book are very difficult. The path to HEA is very atypical. The strength of both main characters is severely tested. It is a wonderful start of one of the best series in the historical romance genre. A definite must-read.
Easy to read, no bad language and I cared about the characters
I read one of the later books in this series first then went and started at the beginning. I thoroughly enjoy the characters and how they interact throughout all the books
Always enjoy books from No Beverley.
Delightful book from Jo Beverly.