Another great book that’s what I have to say in the beginning but it’s probably my usual statement to any Jess Michaels book, isn’t it? But this one is different, it has a few darker elements.
“The Other Duke” is the first part of a new series and if you like romance books with a good plot and a good deal of sex and pleasure, you’ll love it!
This one is the story of young Seraphina who is about to marry Cyril who “unfortunately” is killed in a carriage accident together with a prostitute. Seraphina and Cyril were betrothed when she was only a child and she never liked him. Her father wanted a good title for his daughter and all her life Seraphina had to deal with the fact that the most important thing for her parents was this marriage.
Because of Cyril’s death the wedding contract, the estate and title are inherited by Raphael Flynn, a notorious rouge. When he finds out that he is not member of the upper 10 000 because of the title, he isn’t really thrilled nor is he about the woman he has to marry. But when he sees her for the first time, he already knows that he can make it work.
Seraphina on the other hand has a plan. She tells him very quickly that she cannot do anything against this marriage but that she doesn’t want to share a home or bed with him, she wants her freedom. She will give him sons and daughters but they would live in separate households.
I asked myself for quite some time why she wants this. From the beginning you know that Rafe is maybe a rouge but that he takes this marriage seriously but the reader finds out and that’s the point why I cannot give it 5 stars – she opens up too quickly with all of it. Within a week he knows every detail of the abuse and sexual assault.
I work with kids and young adults and I know how long it can take to overcome both of them and it happens to quickly in my opinion. Sexual assault usually takes years to come over and to find pleasure within a week after the abusers death or even a month is unrealistic in my opinion. I think – and it’s my personal opinion – that it takes weeks or months to slowly open up – slowly is the word here – and she more or less tells him most of it within their wedding night. I’d like it better if the developments would have been slower, if it would have taken months for him to see the problems she has with intimacy. I know those chapters would have been very hard to write but on the other side Rafe and Seraphina didn’t know each other more than a week when they got married.
You get my point? I loved the story. I loved the main characters and his family – I think that Annabelle will be a great lead in the next novel because she’s unique. Oh and the hot and steamy sex scenes – YAY! I think it was funny when Seraphina told him that they already did it so often “this” way. And I even liked the side plot with Cyril’s mother Hester a lot. Just the development around this one topic happened to quickly.
Rating: 4 stars
Buck is reading .... 