Miss Amelia Beckwith should be over the moon with happiness when the Earl of Lincoln proposes. Unfortunately, the handsome earl is not who he appears to be in public. She is desperate to escape Lincoln’s cruelty and has only one option left to leave the nightmare behind—RUN.Racing back to his estate during a horrific thunderstorm, James Harlow, the Duke of Warwick, spots a young woman walking … walking along the road when a bolt of lightning startles her. She tumbles down the ravine and lays like a broken doll at the bottom. Warwick rescues her and with the help of his staff, and nurses her back to health. There’s only one problem—the woman who has captivated his heart has lost her memory and cannot tell him who she is or where she comes from. Can he find out the identity of this delicate beauty before fate steps in and ruins everything he loves?
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This is a sweet story. Sort of an arranged marriage story combined with the princess and the pea theme. That might sound like I’m making light but I’m not. I enjoyed the author’s crafting of her characters and even though it might be a theme often told, this one kept my interest. That’s saying a lot because romance is not my favorite genre. This story’s a little different. Makes you want things to turn out your way.
This is Book 4 of a series titled “Age of Innocence”. All have good reviews.
What happens when you don’t remember yourself?
James Edward Harlow, the Duke of Warwick, rescues a young woman who has fallen into a ravine and hit her head. She can remember anything, not even who she is.
As the young lady recovers in the duke’s home, she is called Lady Clara. The duke and she fall in love.
Can a duke marry a penniless nobody?
Read to find out what happens when Lady Clara’s past catches up with her. Will the duke remain steadfast?
I received a free ARC.
3.5 out of 5 stars
The Duke’s Forbidden Love by Debra Elizabeth details the plight of Miss Amelia Beckwith, who is suddenly being strongly encouraged to accept the hand of the Earl of Lincoln. When she realizes he has a cruel sadistic side, she flees, only to become victim to an accident that takes her memory but lands her in the care of the reclusive widowed Earl of Warwick. Their instant connection is disturbing to each of them, but for vastly different reasons.
This historical romance is part of the ‘Age of Innocence’ series and gives a glimpse of some of the drawbacks to the rigid system of courtship among the aristocracy. One can’t help but feel sorry for the heroine and root for her to find a way out of her conundrum. The story felt a little compressed to me, with the shift from the shocking opening scene to the plight of Amelia, then the quick romance, but I figure part of that is due to the limitations conferred by this being a novella. Many of the elements that I love about historicals are present—fancy balls, the aristocracy, beautiful clothing and jewels—but I would have liked a little more substance to some of the events.
Although I was able to read this as a stand-alone, I suspect that some of my questions are due to me not being familiar with the series, since I’ve discovered that one of the characters I wanted more background on had his own time in the spotlight in a previous book. Perhaps it would be helpful to read the other books in the series to appreciate the nuances of this one
Those in search of a quick, light historical romance tale should give this story a try.
A copy of this title was provided for review
The Duke’s Forbidden Love is the fourth book in the Age of Innocence series. I haven’t read any of the previous books and I don’t think this had a negative impact upon my enjoyment of the series.
Amelia finds herself in the position of having to marry a man she fears and does the unthinkable. She runs away. When she has an accident in a storm, she is found by James Warwick who looks after her until she recovers. Their feelings grow for each other during this time, even though ‘Clara’ can no longer remember who she is or what she was doing.
This was a very genteel book, with flirting and passion being declared in a way that is only proper! It felt more like a novella, with the pacing of the story being quite fast. Although Lady Clara was nice enough to the staff, I would have liked to have seen her make a bit more of an effort with regards to Dolly.
If you like Historical Romances that read true to the time, then I can recommend this book.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!
This was a quick read. Amelia was a sweet young woman who did some desperate. This brought her into James’ world and pulled him from his own darkness. James was kind and protective of Amelia from the moment he found her. The secondary characters added a sense of love and family to the story. I felt it could have used a tad more emotion, but overall, I enjoyed this story.
I received a copy of this book through Goddess Fish Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.
This book tells the tale of a sweet, beautiful historical romance that kept me glued to the pages from page one!!!
It was truly a lovely, whimsical, delightful, enjoyable read!!
This is the fourth book I’ve read from the talented writer, Debra Elizabeth. A few years ago, I had the privilege of reading her book, “Dare to Love a Spy,” which is Book Three in the Age of Innocence Books Series and I totally loved it, so I was very excited to read her latest work, “The Duke’s Forbidden Love,” which is Book Four in the same book series.
This book was a quick, fast paced story that truly captured the historical romance genre essence. That is one thing that I truly love about Debra Elizabeth’s writing! Her extensive amount of detail and research applied to her work shows not only the respect she has for her writing, but also her dedication to the genre.
Debra Elizabeth has a way of transporting the reader into the story and experiencing every scene with the characters!!
I really liked the main characters Miss Amelia Beckwith aka Lady Clara and James Harlow, the Duke of Warwick aka Warwick. They both were genuine, honest, likable characters. I liked that they both had their own baggage and flaws which truly made them relatable and easy to connect with.
I really appreciated that the author didn’t rush their romance story line as a new widower and someone just out of a relationship – even if she doesn’t know it lol would have been tacky and unrealistic to have fallen in love within minutes of meeting. Instead, thankfully, the author took her time building up their love arc making it more believable and enjoyable.
I liked that this story had a sweet and innocent story line with a concluding HEA that left this reader satisfied.
This book is a true love story that proves you often find love when you are least looking for it.
There are some predictable scenes. However, there are still a few very unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!
This book is book four in Age of Innocence Book Series. It can be read as a standalone. Although I have previously read book three in this series before reading this book, it is highly unlikely that one would get lost or confused while reading this book. However, there are character and story line overlaps so it may be more enjoyable to start with book one to get the full benefits of this book series!
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it! I think all historical romance readers will like this book too – and this book series! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**
The Duke’s Forbidden Love is the fourth installment from the Age of Innocence series by Debra Elizabeth. I have not read the other books in the series and felt like this one could be read as a stand alone. I thought it was pretty good. I liked the characters, the setting and the sweet romance.
I am giving The Duke’s Forbidden Love four stars. I would recommend it for readers who enjoy historical romance. I am looking forward to reading the other book from the Age of Innocence series in the near future.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.