Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★

Maximilian St. James, notorious rake and gambler has to clean up his act and take a wife for the chance at a dukedom. He picks the sweet and amiable Cathy Tate for his bride, the deal is quickly struck with her father, but when Cathy elopes, with the help of her sister, he’s faced with a dilemma. Accept the offer of the fiery Bianca Tate in Cathy’s absence or find another woman to marry. Expecting it would just be a marriage of convenience Max agrees, but quickly finds that his spirited bride is a smart and capable businesswoman to be admired. Can he convince her that their business-like marriage end up filled with love and unimaginable passion?

If you’re looking for a historical that is relatively light-hearted, look no further. If you’re looking for a historical with a calm and gentle rakish hero that doesn’t exhibit the normal alpha characteristics of other heroes in the genre. Look no further. If you want a smart and fiery heroine and a slow burn patient romance. You get the idea.

I forgot how recommended this book, but it was well worth it. I’m going to be picking up more from this author because this was thoroughly entertaining. It fell just short of five stars for me because something was missing, I can’t really put my finger on what exactly though it’s no fault of the story. In spite of that, it was a satisfying read. I really loved how devoted Max was to Bianca and making sure that she would be the one who came to him, not the other way around. I feel this choice gave her more agency as a heroine than other romances where the hero is throwing himself at the heroine at every turn. There were glances and banter, which was really nice to see, but everything remained respectful.

Can’t wait to continue on with the series and look into more of Caroline Linden’s works.