A bride wasn’t in his plans . . .The last thing Marcus, the Duke of Autenberry, expects to see after sleeping off a night’s drunken shenanigans is a woman being auctioned in the village square. Before he can think about the ramifications, he buys her, thinking he’s winning the girl her freedom. Instead, he discovers he’s bought a wife. A duke wasn’t in hers . . .Alyse Bell is almost rid of the … . .
Alyse Bell is almost rid of the shackles that bound her in a name-only marriage, but the day her friend promised to purchase her in a wife auction, he vanishes, leaving her to face a mob of unsavory bachelors intent on owning her body and soul. But the appearance of a wicked, wealthy stranger changes her path forever.
The road to ruin . . .
Marcus doesn’t know what to do with the impertinent chit who clearly isn’t duchess material! Insisting their marriage isn’t legitimate, they leave for his estate in Scotland, hoping to devise a plan to get rid of each other. However, on a journey fraught with misadventure, their attraction grows and Marcus realizes he’ll do anything to keep this fiery woman for his own.
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You’ll root for Marcus and Alyse along their journey and cheer when they admit all they want is each other and succumb to a love they both wanted but neither saw coming.
After reading in fact the next book in this series, which I loved, I remembered I had this one sitting on my kindle shelves.
This was a very different read, like a road movie with two people who by the end of their journey have moved, have change from whom they were at the beginning of their trip.
Alyse thought a new life awaited her once this day and her martienne in name will be over, alas her friend didn’t show up and she is left facing an ugly and disparaging crowd and an uncertain future.
Marcus is running, running from his life, tittle, family. This is how he finds himself among a small town populace which is cheering about a bride auction. Even he, a high born man can’t stand to face such an archaic practice.
Alyse didn’t change a lot during their ride, she is deeply who she is, just her feelings concerning a certain lord evolved to something deeper but she sees her as too unsuitable for blue blood.
Marcus is haughty as they come, which is rather expected for a nobility. But even if he is flawed, he takes Alyse under his protection and does what must be even if it is rather selfish way. At first, he appears cold and icy but the more he interacts with Alyse, the more he moves to come to accept his feelings and his errors.
I might have loved to read more about Marcus tumult, how he came to see Alyse as a desirable woman, as first he thought just save a poor farm girl from a dreadful fate.
4.5 stars for this enjoyable and entertaining read.
Road Trip Romance Perfection!
Alyse is at her lowest point when Marcus steps up to save her. Now they are going to travel across Scotland, in the winter, to escape their past…or perhaps start fresh!
This one has all the road trip must haves: perfectly timed rescue, terrible transportation, only one bed (multiple times with proper there’s only one bed shenanigans), help from kind strangers that leads to some self discovery and new feelings, and of course an abduction!
This series is so amazing and I’m really excited for Clara’s story next!
I picked up this book because of the title. It was an entertaining read and the heroine, Alyse, is resilient and pragmatic while dealing with a terrible betrayal by a friend while Marcus is a decent sort of fellow who just doesn’t know what he wants. It was not a page-turner, but it was sweet and the characters likeable.
This is an entertaining, well-written, steamy, historical romance novel. It has likable, engaging characters, a bride auction, a heart-warming romance, and a happily ever after ending.
It is an excellent addition to Ms. Jordan’s outstanding “Rogue Files” series. Each novel can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.
I bought this after I heard Sophie Jordan speak and fell in love with the concept of the story. It didn’t disappoint. Now I’m thinking I may have to go back and read the earlier books in the series.
It has an interesting plot of a Duke in disguise by circumstances, and a commoner of strong morals, disposition, and education. A fairytale Cinderella like story, it has scenarios of humor, the palpable pull of emotions from being impoverished, and splendid crashes of passion. I would have liked more description of the female Alyse as it didn’t feel as balanced with the extensive description of the duke. Also, the description of Alyse at times seemed incongruous. In my opinion, we see the physical Duke through Alyses’ eyes well, but not vice versa. Also at one point the Duke was said to have dark eyes, but yet his eyes were blue. Still, I bought into the characters and really enjoyed the story.
In the beginning with Alyse up for auction and Marcus in a disgusting jail for a horrid backwards reasoning, I didn’t know if I’d be able to go on. I almost decided not to and mark it as a DNF. However, I’m so glad I did not. This is an amazing story of two broken souls thrown together and slowly falling in love. Alyse has the inner strength of 10,000 men, with everything from the loss of her father at 15, marrying an elderly man so there was someone to care for her immediately after his death, and her childhood sweetheart abandoning her, she still hasn’t lost faith in love. Marcus’ entire world imploded and he still managed to do good by saving Alyse from a horrible fate. Underneath it all he’s just a giant, alpha teddy bear that will steal your heart.
If you enjoy a unique historical romance wit the road paved to redemption and love then I highly recommend reading The Duke Buys a Bride!
A Duke comes to the aid of a young woman being sold at a village auction, not knowing that he bought himself a wife. As the journey to Scotland progresses, so does their attraction. Will Marcus really make her his wife? A very erotic romance with a few lol moments.
After the way things left off with Marcus in The Scandal of It All, I was more than a little eager to get my hands on his book to see just how this man will redeem himself. While a lot of his behavior shows him to be almost a spoiled and entitled brat at times, still waters run deep, and you just know there’s something underneath the appearance that he initially gives off.
After finding out his stepmother is in love with one of his best friends, he leaves everything behind and leaves his home. Waking up after a blackout bender in a town he doesn’t remember arriving in isn’t exactly in his plans. But then again, neither is rescuing a women from being sold like cattle for marriage in the town square. He can’t resist purchasing her when he sees the look of abject horror on her face. But he never intends to truly hold up his end of the deal and be anyone’s husband; merely purchase her freedom.
Alyse Bell has been stuck in a name-only “marriage” for years after the passing of her father when she was way too young. As his last deed before his passing, he arranged her contract with the man she’s been living with in name only. She’s essentially been his care-taker and nanny. The deal has always been that he will then sell at a wife auction to be purchased by her best friend. Only her friend is nowhere to be found when she needs him the most, leaving her to the mercy of the fates.
Marcus and Alyse are certainly an odd pair. Marcus refuses to acknowledge any chemistry between them. He runs hot and cold at the best of times, though his direct setting seems to be on cold. He passes off their “contract” as her being his housekeeper and nothing more, while fighting their connection at every turn. Admittedly, as much as I was looking forward to this book, it felt a little lackluster for me. Yes, the chemistry was there, but I also found the pacing to work against it. I enjoyed Alyse’s spark and backbone, but Marcus left me feeling underwhelmed. I wanted to love him, but sadly I just didn’t. His turnaround was too little too late for me, and while still satisfying, I couldn’t help feeling like I needed more from this story to bring it to a 4 star read.
I still enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it either. It was that middle of the road sort of feeling that had me feeling both satisfied…and not. I liked that we got a bit of closure with Marcus and his stepmother at the end, though I would have loved more of that as well.
Really enjoyed this road trip romp of a love story between Alyse and Marcus, the third in Sophie’s The Rogue Files series. Great character growth for Marcus, who was a bit of an arse in the first two books. Still arrogant throughout this book, but humbled by his love for the endearing Alyse. His care for her was so sweet. Her strength and grit makes her such an admirable heroine.
An enchanting story full of unexpected twist and turns. Up on the auction block to be sold off as a wife, Alyse Bell expects her friend to rescue her. Unfortunately he does not show up but Marcus Weatherton, the Duke of Autenberry does. Marcus, just waking up from a night of imbibing too much and sees Alyse being auctioned off and in a moment of valor, buys her. Little does he know in saving her from the other men around, he has bought a wife. With Alyse having no were to go, Marcus takes her home to treat her as his housekeeper. Sound interesting? Well, it is that and more. As the two interact and get to know each other, a lot of emotions come into play. Can Marcus come to love Alyse and she him? Be prepared to fall in love with these two well written characters and for the wonderful prose that pulls the story together. There is a good backstory for each of them that explains a lot. Although part of a series, this can be read as a standalone.
Alyse is trapped in a name only marriage for the past seven years. Her father had her marry his much older friend as protection when she just fifteen years old and he passed away. She’s been working her butt off being the caretaker of his estate, and nanny to his children. She had a deal in place for her life long friend to purchase her in a wife auction when her current husband sells her. Only her friend is MIA when the auction takes place.
Marcus awakens after a drunken bender in a town he doesn’t remember being in. Having issues with the love of his best friend and his stepmother, Marcus had gotten out of London and away from all the gossip! On his way out of town, he witnesses an auction of a girl. He thinks he is purchasing her to give her freedom, but then finds out she is now his wife. Only he vows the marriage isn’t real. He then offers her employment and they head towards his home in the North.
Marcus and Alyse were quite the usual pairing! Marcus wavered back and forth with Alyse. He tries to only see her as an employee, but he has difficulty doing that. The chemistry seemed to be there, but he certainly never wanted to acknowledge it or even give in to his feelings. Because of this, I felt the story never flowed properly. All the back n forth got to be a bit annoying. I liked Alyse and she definitely owned her feelings. She had been through so much at such an early age that I felt truly sorry for her predicament. Marcus was all over the place so I never really got him. I guess I just wanted him to own his actions and go with his feelings. Sadly, he didn’t really do that till it was almost too late.
The blurb drew me in and I liked the book, but I didn’t love it. I think I just wished for a bit more.
Alyse Bell was frantic: due to unforeseeable circumstances, she finds herself at a wife auction, and her friend Yardley, who was supposed to buy her – and her freedom – never showed up. She can hardly breathe, imagining her future husband will be one of the drooling men in front of her. Marcus Weatherton, the Duke of Autenberry, had imbibed a bit too much and ended up in gaol. The morning after, the masses gathered on the town market place slow him down; they are watching women being auctioned off. Marcus might not be perfect, but this makes his blood boil. He will buy Alyse and save her from those men, who remind him too much of his father, then send her off on her merry way. Which is nowhere, because Alyse has no one to go to, and no money to go to London, where she hopes to be free at last.
I could not resist the premise– wife auctions were once a real thing – and I am thrilled that THE DUKE BUYS A BRIDE lives up to its potential. Sophie Jordan works her magic, and weaves a grand romance around those two wonderful characters faced with an impossible situation. The story was nothing like I expected, a few plot twists (happily) stunned me, and I was positively elated that Marcus was such a gentleman, in spite of his cool demeanour. Alyse might have been in distress, far from being weak, she looked at the situation calmly, and did nothing rash. The romance builds slowly, and when Alyse and Marcus finally come together, their passion unleashes an inferno.
While characters from the two previous books appear and/or are mentioned, THE DUKE BUYS A BRIDE can easily be read as a standalone. Sometimes it’s small details that contribute to make a story irresistible, and here it’s a mule, and it made me love Alyse even more. There are books that you savour and devour, and THE DUKE BUYS A BRIDE is one of those!