A Duchess a Day
by Charis Michaels
Awakened by a Kiss - Book 1
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Reviewed by PJ
An heiress with a plan…Lady Helena Lark has spent years trying to escape her wedding to the vain and boring Duke of Lusk. She’s evaded, refused, even run away. When her family’s patience runs out, they pack her off to London to walk down the aisle. But Helena has another idea: find a more suitable bride to take her place, even if she must look for a replacement duchess every day.
A bodyguard with a job to do…
Declan Shaw, better known as “The Huntsman,” is a mercenary who can pick and choose his clientele. After his last job, escorting a young noblewoman to France, landed him in jail under false accusations, he wants nothing to do with aristocrats or women. But the law isn’t done with him, and if he agrees to babysit a duke’s errant fiancé, the payout could make his legal troubles go away.
A most unexpected alliance…
When their worlds collide, Declan realizes that containing his new client is only slightly harder than keeping his hands off her. Helena senses an ally in her handsome new bodyguard and solicits his help. Together they must escape the forces that oppose them and fight for the fairy-tale love they desire.
PJ's Thoughts:
I adored this book! It's smart, witty, endearing, adventurous, sensual, heart-tugging, funny, feel-good, and all those other adjectives that check my happy reader boxes. Once I began reading I couldn't put it down; I didn't want to put it down.
Helena is one of my favorite romance heroines this year. I admired her determination, reveled in her deliciously devious mind, cheered her on as she continued to fight against the miserable fate everyone else thought she should be delighted to accept, and melted with her as her heart recognized its mate in the least acceptable person possible.
And that brings us to Declan. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. His struggle was real and had my heart aching for him, even as I couldn't help but laugh at the predicaments Helena landed them in, sigh at the growing passion between them, and wonder how in the world they were going to find a way out of the entanglement in which they were caught. He was a perfect "Huntsman" who tickled my fancy and captured my heart.
The pace never slowed in this addictive, grown-up fairy tale that had me laughing, sighing, and shedding a few tears for good measure. I love romances inspired by fairy tales and using a secondary character who never got a happy ending as the hero of a new story is such an intriguing premise. Add in the cast of supporting characters, the very clever duchesses-a-day, a loathsome, string-pulling villain, and a surprising savior, and you have a top-notch historical romance that filled me with joy and has me eagerly anticipating more Awakened by a Kiss stories from Charis Michaels.
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What's your favorite fairy tale?
Do you have a favorite romance inspired by a fairy tale?
Have you read Charis Michaels yet? (If not, A Duchess a Day is a great place to begin!)
One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, November 18 will receive a print copy of A Duchess a Day.
*Must be 18
*U.S. addresses only
