Her secret will save a legacy…The daughter of a famed architect, Rebecca Lambert has been raised among the nobility yet understands the circumstances of her birth. As a common woman, she will never be able to pursue her passion and become an architect as well — at least, not under her own name. When her father slowly begins to lose his sensibilities and falls into debt, Rebecca becomes far … becomes far more than a secretary, but rather the designer. No one, however, can ever learn the truth.
He is duke only in name…
No one was pleased when Valentine St. Vincent was shockingly named the Duke of Wyndham — least of all Valentine himself. He made a career and a name for himself through the use of his fists, but all it led to was his brother’s death. Now determined to become the man his family always wanted him by fulfilling his brother’s destiny, Valentine is caught between two identities.
A relationship that can never be…
When Valentine hires Rebecca’s father, she must complete the work commissioned to them. But as she spends more and more time at Wyndham House and the Duke’s country manor, she finds herself hopelessly falling for a man she can never have. For the Duke of Wyndham must marry a woman of the ton for her dowry and respectability — two things Rebecca can never provide.
Will Rebecca and Val resign themselves to the lives chosen for them, or those they were born to live?
For readers over 18 due to some steamy scenes.
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Enjoyed the uniqueness of the story. The H’s mother was a major “B”. I just wished the H got his back bone sooner where his mother was concerned.
My heart ached for both the h/H and for different reasons. The h was doing all the work her father was known for because he was getting Alzheimer’s. Of course, she couldn’t get the credit because of the times women were only to keep house. The H was trying to live up to the expectations of his deceased father. He wasn’t groomed to be a Duke and felt like a fish out of water. It was exciting to see how they each found their voice and lived lives that made them happy.
There is lovemaking, outside of marriage, heat level 4 out of 5 if that. The romance builds slowly and I did feel a connection to this couple. The secondary character’s were also enjoyable and I can’t wait to read their stories (hopefully).
No cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA, romance builds slowly, tad of spice and interesting story line. I can’t improve on the blurb, just recommending this story and author.
I received an advanced copy and all opinions are my own and voluntarily given. (ljb).
A wonderful start to the series
This is a wonderfully written start to what promises to be a great series. The plot is full of emotional interludes, and characters that are crafted with great determination, to achieve their goals and happiness. This is a brilliant book for anybody who loves steamy historical romances.
Great Premise But Lacks Intensity
I was excited to read this book after reading the cover, and it had a strong start. However, the characters lacked emotional depth and seemed to just go through the motions of their circumstances. Rebecca cared for her father but didn’t display much affection toward him. Valentine’s duke versus pugilist identity didn’t play as large a role as I thought. There were a few scenes concerning his fighting, but nothing really came of it. Overall, I liked the story. It just didn’t have as much depth as I had hoped.
I love historical romance novels, but this one is more creative and was very interesting to read. Definitely a 5 star.
I loved this book from beginning to end. I felt the scenario was realistic, bitter-sweet yet heart-warming. The characters were very rounded out and you established an affinity with them immediately.
Although not a deeply developed story, it was entertaining, while still putting a nice women’s rights in an era where few existed spin on it. Interesting to consider how many women did big works that were ultimately attributed to men in those days.
Devoid of all sexual overplay
Had to drop it down a star due to the hero’s total overreaction to create the major conflict at the end.
Slow. Dull. Did not finish.
Rebecca, daughter of a famed architect, grew up among the nobility yet understands the circumstances of her birth. As a common woman, she will never be able to pursue her passion and become an architect, at least not under her own name. When her father slowly begins to lose his sensibilities and falls into debt, Rebecca becomes far more than a secretary; she is the designer. No one can ever learn the truth. No one was pleased when Valentine St. Vincent was shockingly named the Duke of Wyndham. He made a career and a name for himself with his fists, but all it lead to was his brother’s death. Determined to become the man his family always wanted by fulfilling his brother’s destiny, Valentine has two identities. Valentine hires Rebecca’s father, and she must complete the work commissioned to them. As she spends more time as Wyndham House and the Duke’s country manor, she finds herself hopelessly falling for a man she can never have. The Duke must marry a woman of the ton, for her dowry and respectability, two things Rebecca can never provide. – Rebecca is kind and talented. Valentine has much to overcome. Valentine’s sister is likeable, but his mother expects too much too fast. This is a decent read.
I thought this book shared quite well the roles of women in 1800’s
Cleverly written about characters that can fulfill their destiny in a rigid social society. Lost fortunes, horrible parenting, women repressed woven into a wonderfully tale about folks with the courage to resist
Good story but tooooooooo much yukky sex.
Strong women characters. Enjoyed the book.
Enjoyed very much, hard to put down.
enjoyable read (Mills & Boone).
An Unconventional Match
Miss Rebecca Lambert and Valentine St. Vincent, Duke of Wyndham each have a secret that could cause a scandal and damage their reputations.
I tried to like Designs on a Duke by Ellie St. Clair, but sadly I just never connected with the characters or the story. Instead I ended up skimming the boring details as well as the redundant thoughts and angst. I tried to like Val and Rebecca, but again their characters just fell flat. I actually liked his sister and her friends more than any of the other personalities. I did like the epilogue at the end, which was sweet and grin-worthy.
All in all, this was just an okay read.
Content 411: Although there is no swearing, there are two minimally described sexually intimate scenes.
Designs on a Duke (The Bluestockings Scandals, #1) – Ellie St. Clair
Ellie Sinclair has given us a sweet story about an unexpected Duke and the daughter of an architect. Valentine St. Clair was never meant to become the Duke of Wyndham and Rebecca Lambert is busy trying to keep her father’s business afloat while hiding a secret from his clients.
There is an immediate reaction by both Val and Rebecca to each other and those feelings grow throughout the story. One of the things that becomes evident quickly is Val (since he was not raised to ever have the title) has to worry about a way of finding money and bringing the estates and the Dukedom back up to snuff after the previous Duke had let it all go to pot and Rebecca knows so much more about life and business than most young ladies in the 1820’s.
As the story unfolds we learn what Val has chosen to do to raise immediate funds, how Rebecca works in an almost stealth mode to keep her fathers secret quiet and how much trust plays an issue for each character.
I particularly took great enjoyment as more Bluestockings were introduced during the story and I see great promise for a series that gives each of them the partner they need and yet will allow us to keep in touch with all of them as the series grows.
This was a refreshing read!
Loved the turns of the plot and the interactions of the characters in this story. Very entertaining and will keep you engaged. They both find out love is more important then wealth.
A wonderful new release from one of my favorite authors