When Alistair Haralson unexpectedly inherits a dukedom, he is determined to restore it to its former glory. After being deprived of control of his family fortune by his father’s second wife his prospects are bleak until Miss Margaret Blackthorn makes him an intriguing offer—her industrially acquired fortune in return for a marriage of convenience. Can Alistair afford to ignore her invitation? … And, will they both get far more than they bargained for as they work together to survive their enemies and find unexpected happiness?
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The Duke of Debt is Book 3 of Kate Pearce’s Millcastle series. Even though characters from prior stories are involved in this story as well, it stands perfectly fine on its own.
This story drew me in right from the start and I finished it very quickly. Having met Margaret in previous stories, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I came to adore her character and loved her strong-willed, independent nature. She certainly kept Alistair on his toes, in a good way!
Alistair’s character was certainly a historical male figure. There were several times throughout where he was not my favorite but I loved how Margaret, her sister and his sister got him “back on track”.
Kate’s stories are always different. This one is a marriage of convenience, not my usual favorite type of story but it’s so much more. It’s about being honest with each other and that marriage is teamwork.
Margaret Blackthorne is the heiress. In the second book she is Adam Blackthorne’s hard working sister who kept the family together. Adam is now a very wealthy mill owner having 3 profitable mills. He’s now able to give his two sisters a substantial dowry. Margaret is having difficulty adjusting to being a lady of means and finding purpose, keeping busy. She’s used to managing things and being productive. Becoming a lady in society means she’ll be pretty useless and she can’t abide being bored.
Enter Alistair Haralson who is the penniless Marquess of Hellion, His father did not trust or accept him and gave everything to the control of his second wife. Alistair unexpectedly finds himself inheriting the title of Duke when his cousin dies in an drunken accident. His grandfather and cousin has stripped the estates of anything of value in their drunken debauchery and he’s left to take care of unpaid debts and provide for his estate retainers. His only option is to marry money and quickly. When Margaret approaches him with the offer of a marriage of convenience he accepts knowing she’ll help manage things and is good with money given her past with her managing her family. I really liked how clever and smart Margaret was. She has a shrewd mind that Alister appreciates and keeps forgetting about. That gets him in trouble, he forgets to trust her. She on the other hand keeps thinking she has to prove herself to him and doesn’t tell him everything. They both forget that if they work as a team they can overcome all the challenges life places before them.
I voluntarily read and reviewed tan advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was such a sweet story. I’m always reminded when I read that so many problems could be avoided or solved if we just talked to the other person.
Alistair inherited the title of Marquess upon the death of his father. He didn’t inherit much else, except for responsibilities and no funds to pay for them. His stepmother convinced his father and manipulated the will so that the money would go to her.
Alistair receives word that his grandfather, the duke, is dying. He has allowed the dukedom to fall into ruin and is not a nice man. Alistair goes to see him. Alistair’s cousin, the first-born male grandchild, is set to inherit the dukedom. Farrell is a disgusting man who drinks and gambles too much and has wasted away most of the funds that were left. When Farrell dies accidentally, Alistair inherits the dukedom. Now he has more properties in ruin and still no money to fix them. He is desperate for a solution.
Margaret is the daughter of a mill owner. He gambled away the familiy’s money and then killed himself. Adam, Margaret’s brother, leaving Margaret’s brother, restores the mill to profitability while the rest of the family works to help him. Margaret is now a commoner with a huge amount of money. She wants a husband and suggests a marriage of convenience to Alistair where he uses her money to help restore the dukedom.
There are obstacles at every turn but Margaret and Alistair try their best to overcome them. But will they be able to triumph over them?
This is the third in the historical romance Millcastle series. This book had me from page one, I had a hard time putting it down. The characters are well developed and the pace of the story is wonderful. It was an interesting look at royalty and the financial troubles that can become a family when they are not paying attention. Though this book is in a series, I feel it can be read as a stand alone story.
I highly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. This series is lighter than Kate Pearce’s other historicals, but still has all the banter, fantastic character development, and engaging plot line that I’ve come to expect from her. I haven’t read the previous 2 books in the Millcastle series, and I didn’t feel lost. However I now know I need to go read them!
Alistair is unexpectedly handed a Dukedom, one he was never supposed to inherit. To his great surprise, the entire enterprise is in terrible condition. His grandfather neglected all aspects, Alistair knows if he wants to be able to provide for his family and those dependent on him, he needs to find a wealthy wife. Margaret is getting to be past her marrying prime, is overly opinionated, and not at all what a comely gentleman would look for in a diminutive wife.
“I was attracted to you from the moment you looked down your rather haughty nose at me and pretended that you’d completely forgotten my existence.”
What begins as a marriage of necessity, develops through pages into a marriage that was truly meant to be.
THE DUKE OF DEBT for Kate Pearce is book Three in the Millcastle Series. This is the story of Margaret Blackthorn and Alistair Haralson. I have read the previous books but feel you can make this a standalone book if you wish to do so.
Alistair has inherited a title but sadly nothing else to support and restore it. Margaret brother has restored their Mill to be very profitable which has granted her the money to be more productive. But her single status stops her from actually doing anything do to society. So a deal between Alistair and Margaret is made to be a marriage of continence which will give him the money to make improvements and Margaret the freedom to do things too. Of course nothing is easy and then their feeling start to engage more.
Enjoyed this book.
When Alistair Haralson unexpectedly inherits a penniless dukedom, he is determined to restore it to its former glory. After being deprived of control of his family fortune by his father’s second wife Frederica his prospects are bleak until Miss Margaret Blackthorn makes him an intriguing offer—her industrially acquired fortune in return for a marriage of convenience.
This is the third book in the series & could be read on its own but characters from previous books do appear & are linked to the characters in this book, which I personally love. I loved Alistair from the start even though I did want to shake him at times. Margaret had seemed to be a managing, passionless woman in the previous books but she came into her own in this book & first impressions were definitely deceptive. I love the author’s books & she’s a must read for me as she never disappoints – this book is no exception, strong characters & a well written well paced story that drew me in from the start & held me engrossed until the last page. I particularly loved how the relationship between Alastair & Margaret grew & developed, there were obstacles in the way to their HEA & I thoroughly enjoyed how they finally saw the light & worked together
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
This is a well written historical romance in the time when the world when beginning to become more industrialized. Alistair inherits a Dukedom with no money to restore it members of his family used every penny for their own wants. Enter Margret the rich women looking for a marriage of convince. Her family’s money is not from the aristocracy but from a mill. She needs him and he needs her but can a marriage of convenience become much more? This is the first book I have read in this series and I definitely enjoyed it Kate Pearce did an excellent job with this story.
I don’t normally read Victorian novels, but I have truly enjoyed Kate Pearce’s Millcastle series.
I did love Margaret’s straightforward approach to life. She was honest and outspoken without being condescending. She was also very intelligent. I was also glad Alastair accepted her for her strength, honesty, and intelligence. I liked both of these characters. They had a strong chemistry that seemed to come from them both liking and being intrigued by one another.
I thought the story was well developed, engaging, interesting, with a touch of suspense. I won’t say there was mystery involved because I could tell right away who was responsible for all the misdeeds that occurred. I can honestly say that knowing the culprits took absolutely nothing away from the story.
I hope there will be another installment of the Millcastle series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed the Advanced Reader Copy.