his one surprised me. It came out of nowhere and I LOVED it. While I’ve read just about every regency trope out there (and then again and again – there are only so many tropes in 19th century London), this was actually something NEW.
The Plot:
Mrs. Juno Langton is a refinement tutor who never fails at her job. But when her newest pupil is an attendee at a house party where she hopes to be matched with a grouchy and rigid duke, she realizes she’s jumped into a whole new ballgame.
The Duke of Warrington hates socializing and definitely doesn’t want to waste time with the Marriage Mart, so he’s struggling to find a wife. He HATES Mrs. Juno Langton with a passion, probably because she is sunny and cheerful, but she’s determined to break his shell.
The Good Stuff:
This is one of those ones where the duke SHOULD end up with the perfect bride (Marina, Juno’s charge), but you slowly realize that he’s so much better with someone who is his opposite. Little by little, you see Warrington crack. And God, was that satisfying! Because it turns out that he’s actually a decent person underneath, someone who is DESERVING of a lovely wife like Juno.
There’s a great cast of characters in this one. From Lady Cosford, the upbeat hostess, to the duke’s mother (who secretly wants him to find twue love) to the MCs themselves. Sadly, some of them treat Juno badly, but I felt that this only reinforced how lovely the hero is: he did NOT stand for that. And HIS treatment of her was entirely dashing.
Even though you have an IDEA of where the plot is going, Burke keeps you on your toes and you’ll need to read to the very end. I couldn’t put this one down! It’s engaging and lighthearted, taking all of the typical regency tropes and throwing them on their head. Plus, it has sexy meetups in isolated places. One you get through the slow burn, it gets pretty steamy and wow is the steam well-written. Really: The Rigid Duke has it all!
*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
