From Duke Till Dawn

This was a sweet, enjoyable, romantic book. The hero and heroine complimented each other quite well, and I like that this story told a different side of England; the more rough and seedier side. I still felt like there was something missing....but, over all a great book.

The chance to read another series by Eva Leigh was too good to pass up: her ability to create characters and situations that explore the vastness of London society, and not just the tonne makes her a favorite of mine. In this story, we are introduced to two very different characters who are light years apart in birth. The Duke of Greyland (Alex) was born to the title, and takes that responsibility very seriously. Perhaps a bit too seriously as after his one divergence from the straight and narrow led to his being relieved of a large sum of money, a beautiful woman and his heart. Now, he’s reserved and guarded, having firmly lodged a stick up his backside. His friends, however, are convinced he is retreating from heartbreak and have come together to jolly him out of it with a trip to the newly opened gaming hell. Cassandra Blake was raised in poverty, spent time in debtor’s prison before her father’s death, and learned to survive by her wits and the careful tutelage of a man who taught her the confidence game. Successful and even a bit angry at those who have everything without seeming to notice or care for those who have less, she’s been successful and mostly unidentified until now. For Greyland spots her, the ‘widow’ he’d lost his heart to that night – and the game is on. Particularly when Cassandra has a run of bad luck and a clever twist that brings her to the place of mark, not trickster. Oh this was fun – surprisingly difficult to like Alex wholeheartedly at first as he was SO uptight, but as he allows himself to recognize his feelings, and starts to share with Cassandra, he demands that you embrace him…. After all, he is just wanting love. And Cassandra: while the whole scamming people to survive was uncomfortable, as her history unfolded combined with the fact that she is a woman in a time when options are severely limited, she becomes sympathetic. Especially after she is placed in the place of her marks, and realizes just how dispiriting and destructive her cons had been. With a touch of mystery tossed in as Cassandra’s mentor steps up to threaten, and a surprisingly dirty talking hero once this slow burn romance starts to spark, I couldn’t help but enjoy the book. If you want something just a bit different, with a heroine that you can’t help but enjoy and appreciate despite her past, this is the book for you. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.