Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Review - - The Day of the Duchess


The Day of the Duchess
By Sarah MacLean
Scandal & Scoundrel, Book III
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Reviewed by PJ







After reading The Rogue Not Taken, my feelings for the Duke of Haven were solid. He was an ass, pure and simple. Like the Talbot sisters, my loathing of him knew no bounds. I was ready for Sera to move on and find happiness with someone else. It was obvious Haven did not deserve her. Sarah MacLean, the creator of these characters, had other plans. Of course she did. You see, she already knew the rest of the story, those parts that had yet to be revealed to those of us reading the books. She knew that relationships are not black and white, that there are many shades of grey in between. She knew mistakes had been made by both parties, knew the mitigating factors, the heartbreak suffered, the grief that pushed a woman to run, and the prideful arrogance of a man who had not yet outgrown the prejudices formed at the altar of his parents' mistakes.

Sometimes love is not enough to make a marriage thrive. Sometimes, a strong relationship needs to be forged in heartache, grief, distance, and second chances. For the past three and a half years, Malcolm, Duke of Haven has searched for his missing wife, knowing full well that it was his actions that caused her to run and praying she will give him a second chance. For that same amount of time, Sera, Duchess of Haven, has been growing stronger, bolder, and creating a new life that brings her joy and purpose - a life that cannot co-exist with the title of duchess. When she finally returns to London, it's not the reconciliation for which Mal yearns on her agenda but a very public request for a divorce. Older, wiser, and determined to fight for a second chance, Mal offers a ridiculous condition: choose his next wife and Sera can have her divorce. Of course, he has no intention of marrying anyone else and plans to use the time to woo Sera but she has a few tricks up her sleeve as well. Will Mal win back her love? Will Sera win her freedom? Or, will they both learn lessons that are much more important, bringing them all they desire...together?

The Day of the Duchess is one of my favorite books of 2017. I laughed, cried, cheered, sighed, and could not put this book down as I traveled this journey with Sera, Mal, the prospective brides, an American newcomer, and, of course, Sera's irrepressible sisters. Sera and Mal are flawed, complex characters who won my heart and I assure you that after reading MacLean's The Rogue Not Taken, I was absolutely certain "won my heart" and "Duke of Haven" would never co-exist in the same sentence! The vivid secondary cast adds a richness to the story, moving the plot forward while generating excitement for future books without detracting from the main couple in this one. 

If you enjoy historical romance rich with humor, deep emotion, complex characters, and hard-earned happy endings, I highly recommend Sarah MacLean's The Day of the Duchess


7 comments:

  1. Great review! Adding this to my list.

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  2. I'm so ready to read this. Sarah's books are the ""bees knees".

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  3. I'm really looking forward to reading this book! Since divorce was so very scandalous during that time period, I'll bet the story will be great especially "seasoned" with humor. I enjoyed your review. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Oh, definitely sounds like a great read to me!

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  5. This one is on my Kindle, calling my name. I planned to start it this evening, but your review has me wondering if I can wait that long. :)

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  6. Lovely review, I fell the same as you about the book. I kinda hated Heaven in book 1, but I deeeeeeeep down I hoped he'd grovel and make everything right :)

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