From New York Times Bestselling Author Karen Ranney comes the first book in a royally romantic and deeply emotional new series about taking risks and allowing the power to love satisfy the questions of the heart . . .Undercover as a majordomo, spy Adam Drummond has infiltrated Marsley House with one purpose only—to plunder its mysteries and gather proof that the late Duke of Marsley was an … Duke of Marsley was an unforgivable traitor to his country. At the same time, Adam is drawn to a more beguiling puzzle: the young and still-grieving duchess—a beauty with impenetrable secrets of her own. For Drummond, uncovering them without exposing his masquerade will require the most challenging and tender moves of his career.
That a servant can arouse such passion in her is too shocking for Suzanne Whitcomb, Duchess of Marsley, to consider. Yet nothing quickens her pulse like Drummond’s touch. It’s been two years since the duke lost his life in a tragic accident—and even longer since she’s been treated like a woman. But when Drummond’s real mission is revealed, and the truth behind Suzanne’s grief comes to light, every secret conspired to tear them apart is nothing compared to the love that can hold them together.
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This is a lovely read that is emotional and compelling. It is well paced, well plotted, and well written. The characters are fully three-dimensional and very likable and relatable. It is also very sad and melancholy in its telling of grief, despair, and loss.
Suzanne Whitcomb, the Duchess of Marsley, is merely existing. There is no joy, no happiness, no goodness – just nothing left in her life. All that mattered in her life died two years ago in a terrible accident. She just complies with everything now – her father orders her to attend a function and act as hostess – she does it – no questions, no arguments. Her disagreeable maid orders her to take her potion – she takes it – even though it makes her feel strange and her mind feels fuzzy.
Adam Drummond is a spy – a member of the Silent Service. He joined the army when he was just a small boy and he was grateful to have done it. He’d been born and raised in a tenement in Glasgow, so the army providing food, safety and warmth were more than he’d ever had. He’d become a decorated hero and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He’d also lost his wife six years ago in a terrible, terrible attack. He’d left the army and joined a new part of the War Department called the Silent Service.
Adam’s latest assignment was different than any he’d had before. He was undercover as the majordomo at the home of a duke that the War Office had reason to believe was a traitor. It was Adam’s task to find the proof and he was determined to complete his mission successfully because he thoroughly despised that particular duke and he was sure that the War Office was correct in believing the duke to be a traitor. It didn’t matter that the duke was now dead. What mattered was finding justice for all those deaths that he was sure the duke had caused.
What Adam doesn’t count on is the very sad, grieving duchess. How can such a lovely creature be so mournful over such a dastardly man? She seems haunted – and sometimes she doesn’t seem to be totally there. Does she drink? As the weeks move on and they have more and more interactions, he learns her story and is more and more attracted to her. He knows, of course, that a boy born in a Glasgow tenement cannot have a duchess. However, the attraction is mutual and as the case comes to an end – he can hardly say goodbye.
I love how he actually listens to her, to her opinions and then believes her. I also love how she comes to trust him and always feels safe around him. Their journey into love and an HEA is a lovely thing.
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.
To Love a Duchess: An All for Love Novel by Karen Ranney is an interesting and entertaining Regency Romance. The writing style was steady paced, interesting, intense at times and flowed seamlessly. Emotional and compelling. Well developed characters, who were engaging, with twists and turns, danger, secrets, suspense, determination,
intrigue with a HEA. A romantic tale of sacrifice, and finding love
I was compelled to keep turning pages to find out the answers. Great read by Karen Ranney.
I received a complimentary copy, however, all opinions are my own.
Rating: 4.5
Great book! I gave it 4 stars because the pace is a little slow until you get to about the middle of the book. Then it starts to really become interesting and hard to put down. I specifically enjoyed the fact that it becomes a love story between a dutchess and a commoner. Would definitely recommend.
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Good book with a different kind of romantic pairing. In this case, we have a commoner hero and titled heroine. Suzanne is the Duchess of Marsley. Her husband had died two years earlier, and since then she has just been going through the motions of daily life. When her father orders her to act as hostess for him, she does it, no questions asked. When her maid gives her a “tonic,” she takes it. She goes through her days feeling detached from everything around her. Then an encounter with her majordomo shakes her out of her apathy.
Adam is a former soldier who now works for the War Department’s Silent Service. His current assignment is to go undercover to Marsley House as the majordomo. This gives him the opportunity to search the house for evidence that the late duke was a traitor to his country. Everything was going smoothly, if slowly, until the duchess returned to London from her country home. He doesn’t expect to be intrigued by and protective of the lovely widow.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Adam and Suzanne. It began with a bang, as Adam stopped her from what he thought was a suicide attempt. There were sparks of attraction from the start. Those sparks lit the fire in Suzanne that helped her break out of the daze she had been in. Both Adam and Suzanne are intrigued by the other and find it impossible to stay away. I loved Adam’s protectiveness and how he took care of her when she was hurting. His sympathy and understanding when he found out the reason for the depth of her grief was one more thing that helped Suzanne break out of her fog. I loved seeing him support her as she began to take back control of her life. Suzanne was just as intrigued by Adam and found herself taking every chance she could to spend time with him. The feelings between them grew stronger the more time they spent together. I loved the fact that Adam told Suzanne the truth about why he was there and then listened to what she had to say afterward. I ached for him as he walked away at the end, believing that there was no chance for a future with Suzanne. I loved seeing her go after what she wanted, in spite of the obstacles before her. I hope we see more of them in later books.
The mystery of the missing journal and the guilt or innocence of the late duke was very interesting. With Adam’s experiences in India and his knowledge of the duke’s activities, Adam was convinced of the duke’s guilt. This case was personal for him and gave him extra motivation to complete it. There were times when I felt that it blinded Adam to other possibilities. That changed as he got to know Suzanne, and questions were raised in his mind. There were some interesting twists and turns that came out once Adam and Suzanne began to work together to find the truth. The revelations at the end had some unexpected elements as well as confirming a couple of my suspicions.
Karen always delivers with her imperfect characters and twisted plots. The villains are always evil and you fear for the heroine. Loved this book.
What I liked was that the hero was not an aristocrat, instead a spy for the Crown’s Secret Service. A nice change from usual Regency
This might be my most favorite Karen Ranney book yet. It’s highly emotional, intriguing, and captured my attention from page one. I’m rather in love with Adam.
After all, a lowly boy from Glasgow can never have a duchess. Right?
I loved this story, I inhaled this story. It was an emotional heart-breaker from the start. The depth of emotions these two lived with was so incredible that I worried neither would ever open up to the other but when they did, the journey to falling in love and their eventual HEA was worth the perils.
Tragedy, history, secrets, along with twists and turns, danger, suspense, and the determination of these two extraordinary characters, Suzanne and Adam, create a compelling, page turning experience that makes the ending all the sweeter. This is now my favorite Karen Ranney read. She poured so much heart and sorrow into these two lovers that their attraction was a must or they would surely have been swallowed by their own deep sadness. Plus, Adam is now very high on my book boyfriend list.
I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a read where they become so wholly engrossed in the emotions of a story and the love lost then newly gained that they will sit down with a full box of tissues and not stop reading until they get their HEA. This is one of those reads. I can’t wait to see what the rest of trilogy brings us. Huzzah, Karen.
***print copy provided by author and in return, I am sharing an honest and unscripted review in appreciation.
To Love a Duchess Karen Ranney is the first book in the All for Love series. This is the story of Adam Drummond and Suzanne Whitcomb, Duchess of Marsley.
Adam went into the military at a very young age but now in his later life he is working for the War Department in the Silent Service department which has him being a Spy. This has lead him to go undercover to prove that the deceased Duke of Marsley was a traitor. But when he meets the grieving widow Suzanne he is intrigued and attracted to her.
Suzanne is just going through the motions and doesn’t really care about much since her lost. If not for the family and servants she would not be doing anything. But then she meets Adam and he sparks feelings in her that she thought were buried deep….but she doesn’t know his true identity.
Really enjoyed this emotional, exciting and hard to put down read!
“Are you a spy Drummond?” as she put her hands on his chest to push him away. When I see a new book by Karen Ranney, I automatically know it will be a great story. I have read everything by her and have bookmarked almost every one as a to be read again. She expertly combines her historical knowledge with an emotional tale that is compelling and powerful in this heartfelt romance. The heroine, widow Suzanne Whitcomb, Duchess of Marsley seems to be going through the motions of life, her past sorrow is so deep since the loss of her son she walks around like a ghost. Adam Drummond has come to Marsley House, her home, disguised as a majordomo to find proof her deceased husband was a traitor to his country.
Adam cannot figure out why Suzanne is still grieving after two years that her rotten husband has passed. But he starts to find out the depths of her grief due to the loss of her son and feels a protectiveness of her. As the two start spending time together, there is a almost magical attraction.
I could not put this book down once I started and am still thinking about it long after I turned the last page. Cannot wait for more in this series!!