Tuesday, 9 February 2021

A Debt of Dishonor: Lillian Marek

 

Author: Lillian Marek

Publish Date: February 11th, 2021

Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Source: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Kate Russell is furious.

It was bad enough that her father had let her grow up in virtual poverty, but now, her dissolute brother wants to use her as payment for his debts. She runs away, determined to make her way so that she will never again be at the mercy of powerful men.

Then she encounters the Duke of Ashleigh.

He has overcome the shame of his parents’ scandalous lives and has a well-deserved reputation for honorable behavior. Then he encounters Kate, the niece of an old friend. There is some mystery about her background.

She is not the sort of well-bred lady of impeccable reputation that he plans to marry someday, but he can’t get her out of his mind.


Penelope's Review

Bestill my historical romance loving heart. This was such a great book. Great characters, great storyline, great author!

So let's start with the plot! The main character, Kate, is sold to a man by her brother as a way of paying outstanding debts. She runs away to live with an aunt where she meets an assortment of characters, including our main male lead - the Duke of Ashleigh. This book was fast-paced and every page was exciting! I loved all of the twists and turns it took, and actually ended up finishing it within a day of starting! I really enjoyed Lillian Marek's writing style. It was elegant, true to the time period, and had enough flair to set it apart from other books of its kind. The only thing I can say about the writing of the book is that it switched to different characters' point of view at times. Had it just been between the two main characters, this would have been completely normal and expected but there were times when it jumped to a supporting characters' point of view which I found a bit odd. Not that it wasn't interesting to see what was going on in their heads, but this happened in the middle of chapters and was sometimes a bit confusing. This obviously didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book that much, however! 

As for the characters themselves, Kate was a firecracker! I loved her spunk and attitude, especially when conversing with the duke. Their conversations had me laughing and rooting for them right from the start! Kate was definitely a strong, independent woman who knew what she wanted from life and was prepared to do whatever was necessary to make it happen. I loved her resilience and ability to cope with whatever was thrown at her with ease and a fiery grace. The Duke of Ashleigh AKA Peter, was equally as enjoyable. Yes, he could be a bit controlling at times but it was very obvious that he had nothing but good intentions. I loved how he was with Kate, and his very admirable sense of duty to his family name. And the supporting characters were great as well! Lady Talmadge and her daughter, the Mertons, Aunt Franny, etc. They were all great and well-placed in the story.

Overall, I found this book to be quite enjoyable and very tastefully written. I look forward to reading more by Lillian Marek in the future.

Rating: 4/5 Devils!





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