Aidan St. Andrew, the Duke of Ablewood has lived a sheltered and lonely life since the death of his brutally evil father that scarred and almost killed him. He lives and works at his country estate with his family in a solitary existence, away from society and the dictates of the ton. Afraid of hearing the gossip people say about his scarred face, Aidan stays on his estate, working and staying as … as far from people as necessary. They say he is cursed and Aidan is starting to believe it. Until one stormy day, he stumbles upon a woman in the woods. She is wet, cold and muddy, yet she is the most beautiful woman Aidan has ever seen. Will Aidan care about the dictates of society because of her status as a commoner? Or will he claim her for his own?
Rhiannon Forester has lived a quiet life in London with her parents. Until the fateful accident that took her mother, and crippled Rhia for life. She has fought hard to live a normal life, to walk again, albeit with a severe limp, and after the death of her father, has decided to live a solitary life in Scotland. Away from the loss and sad memories of her only family. On the road, Rhiannon has troubles and is found trapped in a storm by the most handsome man she has ever encountered. Will she follow her heart when she finds out who Aidan really is? Or will she run when hard times come for them?
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I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it, either. It was sort of just “there”.
I did love Aidan and when I love a hero, it carries me all through the story. It was no different in this case. He was horribly scarred, a victim of child abuse by his twisted, diabolical father. This is a warning if you’re sensitive to such things. There are some graphic scenes of Aidan’s father abusing him and Aidan’s mother. It’s important to the story and not thrown in there for shock value.
As Aidan comes into the dukedom, he is feared; called a monster. Nobody in the village will talk to him and the people say mean things to him and about him. Unlike other dukes, he works. He mucks stalls, does dishes, helps clean, etc. He’s not above any of that and he is kind to what little help he has, unlike his father was to the servants, who basically ran for their lives. Nobody wanted to give Aidan a chance, but he still had his twin brother, Cole, his twin sisters, and his mother living in the same house and they had a strong bond. He didn’t want anybody to call him, “Your Grace”, preferring everyone call him Aidan. He was strong, caring, sensitive, and chivalrous.
Rihannon…not sure what to think of her. She had a disability that left her with a severe limp that left her unable to tackle stairs at times and made her fall a lot. I liked that she saw Aidan for who he was rather than some scarred, demented beast. I got tired of her giggling (little girls giggle) when he’d carry her. I don’t know. I liked her, but she annoyed me at the same time. I guess the jury is still out on her. I want to mention something, though. If she’s got a limp and falls a lot, how did she dance with Aidan? I get that he helped her, but how? I wish there’d been more description with that particular scene.
And the antagonists (Katarina, her mother, and Braddock) were screaming off the pages. They were the perfect characters you love to hate. They were conniving, wicked, greedy, and self-centered. They were out to take the dukedom from Aidan and were determined to get it no matter what it took. But Braddock revealed a mystery that might be resolved in a future novel. It wasn’t in this one.
As far as romance goes, it took a long time to get to the first kiss. Like 45% of the way into the book. There wasn’t a lot of tension up to that point, but at the same time, I could feel it coming on. The love scenes were okay, but didn’t jump off the pages at me. I felt that getting toward the end, they were contrived and gratuitous. It would’ve been okay to have a closed door or a fade-to-black at these points. It’s pertinent that both Aidan and Riahannon are virgins.
There’s always some fact in fiction and this is a pet peeve of mine. Historical inaccuracies, even if it is fiction. There’s a scene where a handgun was used. It fired two shots and had bullets. The story takes place in 1812. I did some research and discovered that guns like this didn’t exist and bullets weren’t invented until 1826. A little googling would’ve done well in this case.
This isn’t a bad book. It really isn’t. I liked it for the most part. I think with some editing to get rid of the commas that are put in the wrong place and commas that need to be added and eliminating the repeat of the character’s name in the same paragraph, it’d be an easier read. But if that stuff doesn’t bother you, you’re good to go. The story is good. The characters are likable or detested, whichever you need them to be, which is a good thing because the whole book is character-driven.
Ms. Stevensen is a new author for me and this is her first book she has published. All I can say is “welcome to the book world” and I can’t wait for the next book. From the first page, this story took me back to the days of the ton in London where there were Lords and Ladies, Dukes and Duchess’s. Ms. Stevensen wrote a beautiful story of Aidan, who survived a cruel and brutal father. Scared, he rarely went into London because no one wanted to look at him. Rhiannon survived a horrible carriage crash that killed her mother and severely injured her and her father. While she recovered, he father slowly lost his zest for life. When Aidan rescues Rhiannon during a storm, he takes her to his home where he lives with his mother, sisters and brother. He’s drawn to her but doesn’t think she will feel the same way because of his scars. Surprise!!! She sees right past them! I loved the interaction between the two and how his family was drawn to her also. Without saying too much more, the feelings they feel for each other are threatened when other family members, who aren’t nice, show up. There were times I wanted to reach through the book and just slap these two ladies silly. I got mad and upset, laughed out loud and cried. All the feels are in this book. And just when you think they are going to get their HEA, another threat pops up!! Will the family survive? Will Aidan and Rhiannon ever get married? And while the story does have a happy ending, I am left wanting Cole’s story!!! I NEED to read his story and see what he finds out! Just go get the book.
Luna’s List is pleased to review
The Duke Who Loved Me
By: Rachelle Stevensen
A gripping plot line filled with relatable characters, death, betrayl, disappointment and a difficult journey to true love! I was hooked before I even finished Chapter one. A whirlwind journey as Rhiannon and Aidan fight to get what they finally deserve- each other.
A heartwarming romance with truly good characters.
Aidan and Rhia are absolutely made for each other, each having overcome horrendous circumstances in their pasts yet maintaining their innate goodness and faith in mankind. The story starts slowly with an extended prologue that establishes just what Aidan’s family life consists of, then it really picks up when Rhia and Aiden finally meet.
Though a bit verbose at times and not as tightly edited as it could have been, this story still captivates and weaves a thrilling romance alongside an intricate mystery surrounding Aidan’s family that is quite unique. Set up as an interconnected standalone in a developing series, this book gives us both Aidan and Rhia’s HEA as well as a lead-off into the next book that will explore some of the mystery’s loose ends.
I recommend this book for historical romance readers, and look forward to reading the next in the series. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.