A Duke Worth Fighting For by Christina Britton Book Review

 

Title: A Duke Worth Fighting For
Author: Christina Britton
Publish Date: August 24th, 2021
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing - Forever
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review!

A fake relationship becomes the real thing in this Regency romance from the bestselling author Publishers Weekly calls "irresistible."

To protect the dukedom from an incompetent and greedy cousin, Daniel Hayle, Duke of Carlisle, has promised to find a bride in London this season. But the idea of facing ballrooms and card parties is as intimidating as any battlefield in France, including the fight at Waterloo that left him terribly scarred. Perhaps a month on the Isle of Synne can provide him with the practice necessary to find a wife who can tolerate him enough to give him an heir.

Margery Kitteridge has been mourning her husband for four years, and while she's not ready to consider marriage again, she does miss intimacy with a partner. When Daniel asks for help navigating Synne's social scene, and they accidentally kiss, she realizes he's the perfect person with whom to have an affair. As they begin to confide in one another, Daniel discovers that he's unexpectedly connected to Margery's late husband, and she will have to decide if she can let her old love go for the promise of a new one.

Penelope's Review

This is such a sweet story! I'm so glad I was able to read this book, it's my first by this author and I am looking forward to her others! While this is technically the third in a series, you can definitely read it as a standalone. I didn't feel like I was missing any major information from not having read the first two. That being said, I am very excited to backtrack and catch up! 

A Duke Worth Fighting For follows Margery and Daniel as they both try to move forward from past trauma. Margery is a widow who still grieves the loss of her husband. She plans to stay true to her heart and the memory of her husband by never re-marrying. Daniel is injured from his time fighting in the war and is now battling his own internal demons because of it. 

When Daniel and his mother visit the Isle of Synne, he meets Margery and they quickly form a business arrangement. Daniel will pay Margery to introduce him to eligible women on the island so that he might find a bride before leaving for London. As time goes by, Margery and Daniel form a deeper connection. It was so heart-warming to watch these two get closer and fall in love. I was really impressed with how their journey was written. The author seems to be very talented at gradually building things up, without anything feeling forced. I was really impressed with her unique writing style. The only thing I would say is that sometimes it felt like things were moving maybe just a tad too slow. But the overall storyline more than made up for this.

These two characters in particular were just perfectly imperfect. I loved them, I loved their flaws, I loved their relationship. It was just a joy to read. I also liked the unexpected twist that comes up near the end. It added just the right amount of surprise. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to trying other books by this author. I'm curious to see where she will be taking this series next (if this series plans to continue).

Rating: 4/5 Devils!