Book 3 of the Duke Hunt series
by Sophie Jordan, Pub date August 23, 2022.
4*s. Best Enjoyed when you need a proper scoundrel in your smithy.
Publisher’s Synopsis (Avon & Harper Voyager):
“A devil’s bargain burns the hottest….
For years, fiercely independent Gwen Cully has worked as the village blacksmith, keeping her family’s business going. But when a local rival threatens her livelihood, Gwen has nowhere to turn … until a devastatingly handsome fugitive takes shelter in her shop and sparks fly.
Unrepentant rogue Kellan Fox’s entire existence has been a dangerous game of deception that leads him into a fight for survival—and straight into the arms of a tall, fiery beauty. When Gwen protects him from an angry mob of villagers, Kellan sees the perfect solution to both their troubles. A marriage—in name only—that will last a single year.
Only a marriage of convenience can’t hide their searing attraction. It glows hotter than Gwen’s forge and reaches deep below the tempting mask Kellan wears for the world. With every sizzling glance and scorching kiss, Gwen surrenders more of herself to the molten passion she finds in Kellan’s strong embrace. But can she ever truly trust her heart to a scoundrel?”
My Review/Synopsis:
Yes! Another amazing book in the Duke Hunt series. Here we go:
Gwen Cully (I’ve been waiting for this one—I love Gwen!) is the village blacksmith. She’s spent her entire life living in the twilight gray between womanhood and men’s work, having learned the smithing trade from her father and uncle growing up. She’s talented and has been able to make a living until her uncle grew ill and she had to spend more of her time caring for him and less at the forge. It was the perfect opportunity for another family of smiths to waltz into town and begin taking her clients. With the unfortunate passing of her uncle, however, she is ready to start building her business up again. But can she? Or as her boorish rival and his neanderthal sons—who like to stare at her openly like they own her–taken all of her work (Seriously, dudes are gross. They drool and fight over who she ‘belongs to’. Then the father makes some very inappropriate overtures. It adds to the high-stakes feeling)?
Kellan Fox has been posing as the Duke’s son for a few months, causing the ladies of Stanhope to be all aflutter at his rakish good looks. Although he is the son of the ‘Duke’, the ‘Duke’ is his conman father (a true POS). One day, Kellan wakes up not only to the knowledge that the real Duke is on his way to take over his seat, but also that his father has left and absconded with some of the royal jewels, leaving Kellan to take the fall (See?). In his escape from a ragtag mob of villagers, he finds his way into hiding in Gwen’s smithy and begs her not to tell them he’s there. Although she tries, the villagers eventually drag him out (rudely trespassing in her space, btw). Gwen, seeing a mob of people who would rather met out punishment than true justice, yells the one thing no one is expecting—not even her. “I LOVE HIM!”
It has the desired affect and after a little bit of role playing, she is able to spare him—for now. However, the true duke has caught on and insists that he cannot wait for them to marry. Now Gwen’s reputation—and Kellan’s life—are on the line. They make a pact to marry for one year, just long enough to keep most of Gwen’s reputation intact and for the heat to be off of Kellan (yeah, ‘cuz that always works).
What Gwen and Kellan didn’t expect (really? You’re both hotties) was the sparks that would fly between them and the molten-metal heat that would sear them with every glance and touch. As Gwen’s defenses fall and Kellan’s true face begins to show through his mask, their declarations of love begin to seem less and less faked. However, can Gwen really trust Kellan? And can Kellan trust himself?
This one was tasty. They’re all really tasty, but this one felt especially so as it’s one of those almost enemies to lovers/one bed/found family/good boy raised bad/bad boy goes good romances. There’s a lot of depth to it. I really like the Duke Hunt series, and Gwen’s story is definitely high up there for me. She lives much differently than other women of her time, and she meets those challenges head-on. Plus, Kellan is totally into her Amazonian vibe and he’s also freakishly tall and handsome himself. And the spice is (3.5 fire emojis).
I would recommend the entire Duke Hunt series to anyone who loves a somewhat spicy historical romance. It’s honestly so great and I love me some Sophie Jordan!
Thank you to Sophie Jordan, NetGalley, and Avon Harper Voyager for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!
Always Lost in Words 