A hot historical romance from USA TODAY Bestselling Author Jess Michaels For years Serafina McPhee has been engaged to marry the heir to the Duke of Hartholm and for almost as long, she has been struggling to find a way out of that engagement. When he suddenly dies, she does not mourn but thrills at the idea that she will be free. Unfortunately, best laid plans go awry when the next in line for … when the next in line for the title, her intended’s cousin, Raphael “Rafe” Flynn is forced to take over the engagement. But Serafina knows Rafe’s reputation as a libertine and wants nothing to do with him, either, even if he is devastatingly handsome.
She proposes an arrangement: she will agree to the marriage and provide Rafe with his heir and spare. Once she has done her duty, he will let her go. Rafe is intrigued both by her beauty and by her utter disgust with the idea of being his bride. Women normally fall at his feet, not cringe away from him. However, since their arranged marriage is not something he can escape, he agrees to her terms.
But when he finds out on their wedding night the truth about her torture at the hands of his predecessor, he finds himself driven not just to fulfill his bargain with his new bride, but to introduce her to desire. While they move closer together, surrendering to wicked pleasures, dangerous emotions may violate every agreement they’ve made.
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The Other Duke by Jess Michaels is a fantastic historical romance. Ms. Michaels has given us a well-written book. The characters are phenomenal, perfect for this story. Serafina is relieved to learn the duke she was to marry has been killed in an accident and horrified in the next moment to learn she is to marry his cousin, the new duke. Rafe didn’t want to be a duke and he certainly didn’t want to be married. Serafina and Rafe’s story is loaded with drama, sizzle, action and humor. I enjoyed reading The Other Duke and look forward to reading more from Jess Michaels soon. The Other Duke is book 1 of The Notorious Flynns Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Am a fan of Jess Michaels books. Have read many of her earlier works. That being said The Other Duke although a good book was not an enjoyable story for me.
This story was too dark for my taste.
I enjoyed reading the story of Serafina (Sera) McPhee and Raphael (Rafe) Flynn. Serafina had been betrothed for many years to the Duke of Hartholm and was soon to wed him when he was killed in a carriage accident under scandalous circumstances. By the terms set out in the betrothal/marriage contract, Sera must marry whoever is the Duke of Hartholm. As the closest male relative to the deceased Duke, Rafe assumes the title. This is a very emotionally charged story of the two and how they learn to accept one another’s shortcomings. IMO, I did bond more with Rafe’s character and how he handled acquiring a title that he never wanted. Sera was harder to accept as she had a colder personality, but having suffered abuse from her former fiance it is understandable why she acted and responded the way she did.
The Other Duke, which is Book 1 in the Notorious Flynns series, had drama, loads of sizzle, charming secondary characters, a truly reprehensible character, one deranged character, and a lovely romance between the two main characters.
This was my first exposure to Jess Michaels as an author. I received this novella as a gift copy from her and submit this voluntary and unbiased review.
Overall, I enjoyed this twist on “marriage of convenience” – neither of them actually want it, but circumstances force them into it. The love story felt organic, and the sex scenes were pivotal to character development (which is not always the case). I do think it should come with a trigger warning, because there’s a fair amount of sexual assault discussed in the book, which made it much darker than it otherwise would have been for me.
Serafina is bound by the marriage contract to marry the of Duke Hartholm. Engaged for many years, all she wants is to find a way out. When he dies she thinks she’s free, but the contract says she marries the Duke of Hartholm, whoever he may be.
Rafe Flynn wasn’t expecting a title nor a bride, but within days of the previous Duke’s death, Rate finds himself married. Drawn to Serafina, he gradually finds out her horrible secrets. Can he convince her to take a chance on love? An emotional rollercoaster that kept me up all night.
Oh what a great start to a series. I simply loved this book!
The characters are well thought out and each one has a well defined role to play.
Serafina finds herself in an unusual situation when her fiance dies – much to her delight – but now, according to the wording of the agreement between their fathers, she must marry ‘the Duke’ who is now the cousin, Rafe – which she does and this delightful story unfolds.
I really enjoyed this book. It held my attention throughout and I am very pleased to be able to recommend it..