Tabitha Blackmore is a woman who knows what she wants. A life of her own, one free from her hostile stepmother and gold-digging stepsister, and the ability to profit from her own talent. Working out of the shop her father began, Tabitha creates some of the most noteworthy hats and accessories in London, and looks forward to the day she can attend millinery school in Paris and break free of her … Paris and break free of her current life. An opportunity arises to outfit and protect the Duchess of Stowe, leading to a chance meeting with her son, the Duke.
Nicholas Fairchild is a duke in name but not at heart.
As his mother returns to society following her mourning period for his father, Nicholas dreads his responsibility to entertain vapid, fortune-seeking socialites and, eventually, find a wife. He happens upon Tabitha, who is everything he would have hoped for but nothing that he would have ever expected.
He’s a duke who holds honesty above all; she’s a commoner hiding her true identity. Can they find their happily ever after at the masquerade, or will what separates them be too much to overcome when the final chime sounds at midnight?
The Duke She Wished For is a 30,000-word romance with no cliffhangers, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily ever after! For readers 18+ due to some steamy love scenes.
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This is an enchanting Cinderella story with an evil stepmother and –sister, a dashing prince…well, duke, but that’ll work, too…and a hard-working, ever kind and helpful heroine who speaks her mind and follows her dreams. Witty, charming and utterly compelling, this is the perfect story for the dreamer in all of us!
This book is similar to the story of Cinderela in that there is a put-upon sweet girl, Tabitha Fairchild, whose step-mother and step-sister devalue her and make her work long hours when her father, Sir Nicholas Fairchild, dies and the business he owned, a women’s hat shop, is taken over by his selfish second wife and her equally selfish daughter. The fun begins when the The Duke of Stowe enters the picture. This is a very entertaining story and one that I enjoyed reading very much.
A wonderful series starter
This is a wonderful story to start the series. This steamy plot is one where the main characters have a rather convoluted journey, that sees them ignoring social dictates to reach for their dreams.
A Cinderella tale that was easy and enjoyable to read
“The Duke She Wished For”
Happy Ever After Book 1
by Ellie St. Clair (2017)
The cover is wonderful. This is a cinderella type story. Father dies. Stepmother makes her work in their hat shop and stepsister get treated like a queen. Everythng changes when Tabitha is commissioned to make several hats for the Duchess of Stowe. And then she is asked to protect the Duchess from some of the mean spirited ton members. The Duchess is coming out after her year of morning. Her son, Nicholas the duke is coming back from Paris and meets Tabitha at the ball. He is drawn to her openness and honesty but does not know who she really is. Fun Story. I was surprised though by the sex scene at the end. It seemed out of character for Tabitha to act that way. I enjoyed the story otherwise. Happy Reading! ReadingGenie
I enjoyed this short story of a handsome Duke, Nicholas Fairchild who has become completely bored with the Ton’s insipid young misses but has found himself very interested in a merchant’s daughter, Tabitha Blackwood, who designs a very successful line of hats and accessories.
This was a fun twist on the classic Cinderella story – including the wicked step mother and only 1 gold digging step sister. After Tabitha disappears, will Nicholas be able to find her – can they over come the many obstacles placed in front of them?
aa well written story with great characters, a little twist on the old regency romances. I throughly enjoyed the book and have read many of these and always love to find a new author that I am appreciate as well as this.
I never really got into it.
Love Ellie’s books.
I docked through as it didn’t capture my interest.
A very good book. I can relate to Tabitha! A poor girl berated in life by the ones who are supposed to love her.
Loved the fact that the heroine was talented in her own right. Literallly a case of this being the reason she survived and went through her tough phase. sensitive hero; sensitive mum, he had too. These are the kind of books that make you want to read the rest of the series
Enjoyed emensly
It was a great read!
Loved it! A little different from a Cinderella story.
It was a wonderful twist on an old story. I enjoyed the characters and thought how the author put her own stamp and voice to the premise.
Boring
(Sigh) A happy romance. Sort of like Ciderella with a twist. It is a quick read and thoroughly enjoyable. This is an emotional read. I dare say happiness was one of them, empathy and nervousness. Our heroine Tabitha Blackmore is the daughter of Baronet Elias Blackmore. He was owner of Blackmore Milliner Shop. The shop produced the latest fashions of hats for the elite of the ton. Tabitha was seven when her mother died and her father taught her all he knew as she grew up. When she was twelve, her father remarried Baroness Ellora Denner and she brought her daughter Frances. Ellora had no love for Tabitha and this made Tabitha sad for she thought she was gaining a family and a sister. Ellora doted on her daughter Frances and gave her everything she wished for. Three years after Elias and Ellora married he died. Tabitha was now seventeen and put into servitude like an indentured servant in her own home. She continued to work at the hat shop. She was extremely talented. Ellora worked her to the bone. Little did Tabitha know that her life would change forever when meeting Mr. McEwan. This in turn introduced her to Mrs. McEwan, the Duchess of Stowe and her son Nicholas the Duke of Stowe. A wonderful romance.
The Duke She Wished For is a delightful, Cinderella type romantic read. Likable characters. Horrid stepmother and stepsister. Growing romance between the downtrodden heroine and the handsome duke. Misassumptions. Truth revealed. Mildly steamy. Fun read. Worthy of 3 1/2 – 4 stars.
Ellie St. Clair
The Duke She Wished For
This is my first read by Ellie St. Clair and I’m definitely adding her to my preferred authors list. “The Duke She Wished For” is a fun and witty short story with the classic Cinderella storyline between a Baronet’s daughter who is a Milner and a Duke! The story is well written with charismatic characters you stick with and cheer on up to the “Happily Ever After!”, and it was a very “HAPPILY EVER AFTER, indeed. Yes, Im Jealous!