Widowed Nicolas Westfall, the Duke of Stapleton, cannot prevent the upcoming debut for his youngest daughter no matter how much he wishes her eventual marriage wouldn’t leave him all alone. Convinced to host a Christmas Ball to prepare her for the season, he’s aware he’s considered a catch on the marriage mart too, but Nicolas is drawn to companion Gillian Thorpe instead.
Gillian was hired to … hired to prepare the duke’s daughter for her first season, but its not easy when the girl hasn’t the least interest in the men and the widowed father makes her knees weak when he laughs with her. Gillian respects and admires (perhaps too frequently) the Duke of Stapleton and when she’s lured into a mistletoe kiss with him, will she be able to stop at one or even want to?
A steamy regency romance.
Saints and Sinners Series:
Book 1: The Duke and I (Nicolas and Gillian)
Book 2: A Gentleman’s Vow (Gideon and Jessica)
Book 3: An Earl of Her Own (Adam and Rebecca)
Book 4: The Lady Tamed
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Widowed Nicolas Westfall, the Duke of Stapleton, cannot prevent the upcoming debut of his youngest daughter Jessica no matter how much he wishes her eventual marriage wouldn’t leave him all alone. Gillian Thorpe was hired as a companion to prepare Jessica for her first season, but it’s not easy when the girl hasn’t the least interest in the men and its the widowed father makes her knees weak when he laughs with her. Nicolas abhors Christmas nonsense, but he’s hosting a Christmas house party so that his youngest daughter can experience mixing with adults before her society debut the following year. Nicholas keeps finding mistletoe & then there’s his daughter’s companion Gillian who he can’t get out of his thoughts
I read this short story as part of the Hot Winter Nights anthology & loved it then, it’s now been expanded. An enthralling, sizzling story of finding love a second time around, I especially liked that Nicolas is a grandfather & Gillian is also mature, their attraction has gradually grown over the nine months Gillian has worked for the Duke. It’s amazing what mistletoe can do
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
3.5 stars – rounded up because this was an ARC and will probably (hopefully) be corrected before release.
Nicolas Westfall, the Duke of Stapleton is a widower with several grown children, his youngest daughter Jessica is almost ready to make her come out and he needs someone to guide her. Enter Gillian Thorpe.
Gillian is a widow and has just lost her position as a governess when she meets Nic. She agrees to be Jessica’s companion and will help prepare her for her upcoming season. She and Nic get on very well together and keep their relationship strictly professional for almost nine months, then a kiss under the mistletoe opens the flood gates and their relationship takes a steamy turn!
Nic is falling hard for Gillian and decides to ask her to marry him once all his houseguests leave. Gillian is also falling for Nic, but he has made no promises or spoken of a future, so when Nic’s eldest daughter Rebecca says that Nic is going to marry and Gillian is no longer needed, she has no reason to believe it is not true and agrees to take another job.
I thought this was a very sweet story of second chance love, it was well paced for a novella and very steamy without being gratuitous, the characters were likable (except his daughter Rebecca) and the ending was very sweet and satisfying. There were a lot of typos, title errors and an inconsistent timeline – but they didn’t really ruin the story for me, but they were distracting if you are a detail oriented reader (and I am). But overall it was a nice short book and I will be looking forward to the next installment.
A charming story of how love develops over time for Nicolas and Gillian. It’s not a traditional second chance romance but it is a second chance for them. They are both likeable characters and honestly I could have read more about them. I read this as part of an anthology but re-read this expanded version. Great even the second time around.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
This was a fun ‘master and servant’ romance featuring a duke who falls in love with his daughter’s companion. There’s some Christmas mischief too involving mistletoe. The novella length was perfect for a Friday evening read. Enjoyable!
I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to reading the next in the series.
The Duke and I by Heather Boyd is the first book in the Saints and Sinners series. This is the story of Nicolas Westfall, the Duke of Stapleton and Gillian Thorpe.
Nicolas who is a widower is that is working to bringing his daughter out to the town. Gillian is companion and is working to help the Duke with getting his daughter ready. But the daughter isn’t cooperating since she doesn’t wish to really do it. But Nicolas and Gillian is having a hard time with their attraction and when a kiss under the mistletoe happens things become more series.
Great, easy, quick read!
When a father hosts a week-long Christmas party to prepare his daughter for her come out season, it could only be a success, right? Nicholas Westfall, the Duke of Stapleton only wanted his daughter Jessica be happy, and with the aid of her paid companion, Widow Gillian Thorpe he was trying! When an unexpected meeting under the mistletoe brings Nicholas and Gillian together, what could be better? His daughter loves Gillian and he is finding out how much he is attracted to her. A sizzling attraction and some mischief make this story a must read!
Usually the lady is young looking for a husband; this however, is opposite. I liked it.
A romantic story of a headstrong young lady getting read for her first season. Her father hires a companion to handle her however the father fall for the companion. A heady romance follows but his older daughter tries to change everything around.
With a few twists and turns,all ends as it should. There is another in the series that I look forward to reading.
Ah….to have lived in that time! What wonderfully romantic men!!
reading now… will let you know. 🙂
Characters’ behavior is too 20th century to be believable.
Loved this book 1 of the series so much I got the rest!
I liked that these were two people falling in love. No mysteries or evil antagonists. A happy story.
Heather Boyd’s THE DUKE and I, is a short novel and the first of a series. Nicolas, a widow, needs to find a companion to teach his youngest daughter how to act during her first season. Spoiler Alert: Mistletoe plays an integral role in matchmaking.
From the first page to the last you will be spellbound as The Duke and I unfolds beautifully. Heather Boyd has given readers a book that is well-written, filled it with great cast of characters that come off the pages and pull you into this emotional ride that keeps you involved until the very end, steamy passion, witty dialogue and with an enjoyable plot that bring this read together perfectly! Ahhh…the game of love can be a bit trying for The Duke of Stapleton, Nicolas Westfall and Gillian Thorpe, a companion to the Dukes daughter, Jessica as they find themselves drawn to one another during a house party during a Christmas Holiday. A kiss under mistletoe will ignite their passions that will lead to a happy ever after for them.
Emotions develop rather quickly but then I suppose that is the nature of the genre. This one had some sweet characters in it though. Gillian is very smart and resourceful – even though she was left stranded at a hostel on the road by her former employer she turns lemons into ,lemonade and joins the Duke of Stapleton’s household. I loved how much of a Father Nicholas is to his youngest daughter Jessica. Over all a very sweet read.
An okay read, nothing unexpected. A tried and true story per pattern. Meh.
Nothing exceptional!
Good story but tooooo much yukky sex.