How The Duke Met His Match (Mills & Boon Historical)

A story of personal developmentEmma was reluctantly being compromised at a ball and Alex stepped in to assist her which ended in him declaring that they were engaged in order to save her reputation. The main issue was that he only wanted a marriage in name only given that he lost his first wife in childbirth and is still grieving her deathI liked both Emma and Alex although at times they did both frustrate me with some of their actions. There is a lot of focus on their emotions and Alex’s conflict between his late wife’s memory and his growing feelings towards Emma and whilst I understood the need for this, at times it did become a bit much and it was hard to get to know Alex as a character because of everything else that he os dealing with. Emma doesn’t have as may obvious complications but I found it harder to bond with her as well given that the different points of view meant that we didn’t always spend that much time with her and when we did, huge portions were missed or treated more as anecdotes which I did struggle with at timesEven with all of this though, I did still enjoy this book and was very quickly pulled into the story and I did forget about my cup of tea a few times as I was so engrossed in the storyI would recommend this book to those who enjoy a historical romance full of emotions and character development which will catch your attention from the very first pageThank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book

Sophia Williams has written a fantastic Mills & Boon Regency debut that I couldn't put down. I loved both the main characters and really liked the alternating points of view. The dialogue was witty and sparkling. All of the plot was completely believable as happening in the Regency period but none of it seemed stuffy or old-fashioned. The writing was engaging and just downright enjoyable. I loved the fact that Emma was such a strong woman. I can't recommend this book enough.

I really wanted to like this one. The story appeared interesting and it started well, but then started getting repetitive and a bit dull.The whole book just appeared to be Alex's angst and fear on not wanting to betray his dead wife and not want to love again. Emma on the other hand seemed perpetually(on the outside anyway) cheerful and feisty, determined to put a brave face on falling in love with her new husband and not having her feelings ( or so she thinks) reciprocated. Her having a small amound of Indian heritage was also completely wasted, which was a shame, it just seemed to be mentioned at random moments and didn't add anything to the story.The main problem for me was the way they spoke seemed very modern, even though I think the author did research this period. A disappointing read for me I'm afraid.

This was a well written, intense and absorbing romance. The characters were great, even though they were too good to be true. The plot was predictable, but the quality of narrative kept your interest .

Fabulous Regency romance from this new author - great historical details and perfect amount of steam. I absolutely adored it!!

.3.5 starsI know this is a new author but it didn't really work for me. I got confused in the scene when they were leaving after the wedding to go to Somerset were they travelling in a curricle (2 wheel) or a chaise (2 wheel) or a carriage(4 wheel). In two days whilst changing the carriage horses but the Duke's horse didn't seem to get much of a rest. Our heroine was supposed to be reading, probably not practical in a curricle and very dusty. The kittens were a bit twee and I got fed up with the will they won't they. The Duke got stuck in helping a coach out of a ditch and it didn't really seem to be realistic of the character or of theperiod. I didn't get why her father wanted her to wed an aristocrat and then if she didn't the money was forfeit. Wouldn't the cousin running the business be a bit upset about that. A bit was made of the Indian grandmother and then everthing seemed to fizzle out. Sometime the heroine was fiesty and IMO just plain rude and sarcastic. It's a shame because it sounded a reasonable premise.I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This Regency romance is Sophia Williams debut novel. Heiress Emma is though to be about to become victim to a rogue ruining her reputation and claiming her wealth. Duke of Harwell, Alexander, steps in and claims to be her fiancé. He is not thrilled to do this as he has already been married once. His wife died and he is scared to love again but will do so to protect the young heiress.They enter into a marriage of convenience with the agreement that they both remain independent. They travel to his estate and meet Alex’s young sons. Slowly despite Alex playing hot and cold and Emma excusing his behaviour a friendship then romance slowly develops. Will they be able to create a perfect family or will past experience thwart their HEA.I don’t really enjoy historical romances as romances but I do enjoy reading them (as long as they are well researched and understand the social prejudices and strictures that restricted the lives of upper class women during the Regency period) as historical novels. I found this book did incorporate and understand the problems women faced despite being rich and the fact that they could face ruin if their virtue or honour was questioned so much do that in order to protect themselves they were prepared to enter marriages of convenience. Both Alex and Emma have strong characters and I like how the author develops them over time as they interact with the boys and between themselves.

Loved this gorgeous regency romance!