A reluctant bride desperate to save her family…
…but can she save the heart of this jaded Duke?
Kitty’s family is on the brink of financial ruin, and her hand in marriage is their most valuable asset.
The spirited tomboy would rather care for her horses than tend to a husband—even if her betrothed is a dashing Duke.
But to save her family, Kitty accepts the dull life of a Duchess, and the … the societal expectations that will surely crush her soul.
Her handsome fiancé, with his extravagant stables and shared love of horses, takes her by surprise. And so does the attraction she feels with every whispered word and flammable touch.
This once reluctant bride soon yearns for more than a marriage of convenience.
James Seymour, Duke of Somerset, is resigned to his fate… he will marry for duty, rather than love.
Since the crushing blow of his parents’ deaths, guilt has driven James’s every decision. A quiet loveless marriage is all he deserves.
But his fiancé is no simpering society Miss. With a sharp wit and an even sharper tongue, she has him bewitched and bewildered.
Kitty’s joy for life pulls him out of the cold, dark shadows of regret, ready to embrace life again.
But James’s stubborn streak turns Kitty’s passion to anger. And the engagement is broken—along with his heart.
James is determined to win back the only woman he’s ever loved… before it’s too late. Can Kitty forgive James and give him a second chance?
Author note: This is a much more traditional and sweeter Regency than the ‘Spares’ series.
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This is my first time reading something by Ms. Miers and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. I will definitely be looking for more of her books in the future. This is a very well-written, sweet, and entertaining story and I found myself immersed until the very end. It had good character definition with endearing and sweet characters you can’t help but love. The storyline was interesting and captured my attention from the start. Kitty is a free-spirited young lady who would rather care for her horses than deal with society but she agrees to do her duty to her family and marry James, the Duke of Somerset, to help get her family out of financial difficulties. James had a bad experience in the past and as a result has become a cold, haughty man. As the two spend time together, they start developing feelings for each other, however, a disagreement and misunderstandings make their path bumpy. The storyline had me enchanted from the first page and there were some nice plot twists to keep you guessing. This is a very well-written story that just comes to life as you read it. I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to the next one!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A marriage of convenience. That is convenient for the soon to be bride’s family who needed the money!
Kitty is pretty outspoken and James, the Duke of Seymour is wealthy, so a match made in heaven? Luckily they do find a mutual interest in the love of horses and they seem drawn to each other. That is until a terrible misunderstanding pulls them apart and Kitty finds herself sought after by an old friend. Can these two come back together and be happy? An Enjoyable read!
The relationship between Kitty and the Duke was fraught with difficulties!
by sewsummore
To save her family fortunes, Kitty agrees to a marriage of convenience with a man she does not love. She found him to be a cold, haughty man but agrees to the marriage for her parent’s sake. The Duke has no interest in love and only seeks to marry for an heir to the Dukedom. Kitty is an outspoken young woman who has no desire for society and would rather spend her time with her beloved horses. They spend time together, and things are progressing nicely until a disagreement between them causes Kitty to break off the engagement. It is only after the Duke realizes what he has lost. I found this book an engaging read. The relationship between Kitty and the Duke was fraught with difficulties due to their very different personalities but, despite this, they had fallen in love and it was up to the Duke to get his love back. This story ends happily but not before they both suffer the pains of lost love.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Kitty’s family is in financial straights and marrying her off is the only way to save them. She’s more hellion than ladylike, preferring horses to societal men and women. Marriage isn’t on the horizon, at least not willingly.
James, however, is the opposite. To produce an heir, he needs to marry. A marriage of convenience is the best solution: her family is saved from destitution, he has an heir to carry on the family name. But Kitty isn’t what he’s expecting. The loveless marriage he’d resigned himself to no longer holds any appeal now that he has her in his life.
Or does he? A misunderstanding nearly costs them what they’d surprisingly found and unknowingly longed for: acceptance and unconditional love in a lifelong partner.
One part I couldn’t get behind: I understand that a woman was just a bargaining chip back then, I couldn’t bring myself to wholly accept Kitty’s turnaround engagement to her childhood friend after breaking off her engagement with James. Emotions ran high, yes, but what Kitty felt for James was more than superficial at this point.
Still, this was a good story. A nice nudge in the historical romance direction for me since it’s been a while since I’ve read one. Kitty and James are compliments of each other who figure out what compromise is, and its benefits, before it’s too late. The future they thought they deserved or wanted was definitely not what either needed. Instead, the future that lay before them is now open with possibilities to experience life differently and to love indefinitely.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The first book in The Seymour Siblings series a well written story that held my interest throughout. James Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Kitty Dunne’s story has misunderstandings, an arranged marriage, a horse called Lord Windsor, and romance. I enjoyed seeing this story come together. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An arranged marriage finds hope, then sours, then finds true love. I adored the h she is a formidable young woman. She is honest, true to herself and speaks her mind. She adores all many of God’s creatures but especially horses. She has a kinship with them. The H realized his duty to marry and provide an heir for his dukedom. He agreed to the arranged marriage sight unseen of his betrothed. Neither were exactly thrilled about the arrangement. The H wished he never had to marry and the h wanted to marry for love. The H had a bad experience in the past and the result was he cut off his emotions and swore to never be vulnerable with a woman again. I would have given this a five-star rating but there was a very important loose thread that was not addressed. The h had a childhood friend whom she adored and thought maybe she would marry one day. He appears in her life ten years later only to be rejected by the h. When the H came back to reconcile with the h the childhood friend vowed revenge. Yet nothing happened. Other that, I truly enjoyed reading this story. I do recommend it.
Fiona Miers always writes such marvelous historical romances! The reader can always be assured to be engrossed by the storyline and get to feel the emotions of the characters as each scene is played out. Kitty and James make multiple blunders on the road to their HEA but they do get there eventually and all becomes right with the world once again…at least in that time period, anyway. Not as spicy as her earlier historicals but Ms. Miers still gives us a fabulous reading experience with this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
To resolve financial difficulties that would put her family in poverty, Kitty Dunne is offered in marriage to James Seymour, Duke of Somerset, by her father. Kitty is an independent woman who speaks her mind and prefers the company of horses to the social society types. She meets the Duke who feels that after his parents’ death, all he deserves is a loveless marriage. But spending time with the sharp-witted woman who expresses her opinions whether he wants them or not, he is brought out of his cold regret and is ready to rejoin life.
When there is an issue over one of the horses, Kitty and the Duke break off the engagement and she becomes betrothed to someone else. Realizing he could lose her from his life, the Duke acknowledges his true feelings and is determined to get her back. Will he be able to change her mind? Will she forgive his stubbornness? Will they find a HEA with each other at last?
It’s so nice to see a woman from this time period who can get away with speaking her mind. Even so, there were several things that didn’t seem expected in the story. However, I enjoyed it. Grab your copy and see whether they figure out how they both feel and what they are willing to do about it.
This is a short but sweet with a little spice romance between James, the Duke of Somerset and Lady Kitty. Her family is desperate for cash because her fathers partner stole money from their business so her father arranges a marriage with James who is very wealthy. She is not happy about the arrangement but when she meets James she is changing her mind and James who has been hurt in the past is also beginning to feel more for Kitty but a misunderstanding causes them to part ways and an old friend of Kitty’s who is cruel is waiting for Kitty so he can force a marriage with him. Will James and Kitty reconcile or will she be forced to marry another?
ONE SPECTACULAR WHIRLWIND!!!
Delightful! Fiona takes the load off this enticing wonder, spinning such an enticing, beautifully composed work of art with an enchanting storyline and gripping plot, wrapping this baby together seamlessly. A tumultuous whirlwind of surprising circumstances and quirky mishaps, propels those churning emotions into play, blasting this little gem into a tailspin with an life-altering culmination. Satisfaction is an understatement, this baby comes packing a punch that’s sure to please, putting our characters through their paces, catapulting this baby to staggering heights. Braided, coiled and interwoven, exposing the explosive ups and agonizing downs, grounding in it’s strength and awe inspiring in it’s depth. A multitude of formidable trials and challenging tribulations, noting the compelling twists and wicked turns, tempting our characters in ways they could have never envisioned. The characters, banter, dialogue, interactions, electrifying atmosphere along with relatable qualities and individual traits, blend and flow, transforming into genuinely charismatic personalities. The scenes are written with such realism, impressive talent and unique insight, blasts this sparkling jewel to life, making the storyline pop. Remarkable job Fiona, thanks for sharing this treasure with us.
Lies can bring such heartache.
How hard it would be to know that the only asset your family had was you and only because you could marry well. That is what Kitty is facing where on the other hand James is marrying because it is his duty nothing more. What James finds is not a dull lady but one with a fire inside her and boy does he mess up. Now the question is can he win her hand? I loved James’s sister Lizzie I admire Kitty because even with the family on the brink of bankruptcy she does what she feels is right and James well with a little help from other characters he becomes splendid then there is Edward well he is a bit of a jerk. This was a fun and entertaining book that I gladly recommend. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
Loved the fact that James the Duke of Somerset and Lady Kitty at first sight did not particularly like each other. After all it was to be an arranged marriage of convenience. Although after a short time together they didn’t want to be away from each other even though they weren’t sure why. Shortly after a disagreement they decided to separate. Awhile after they separated they each figured out that they had fallen in love at first sight and were trying how to tell each other.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.