Fate Gave Me a Duke

Amanda Mariel

Feb 2021 · Fated for a Rogue Book 3 · Brook Ridge Press

About this ebook

Amidst the enchanting Yuletide festivities, the Duke of Cleburne, Giles Fortescue, renowned for his roguish charm, finds his artfully constructed façade slipping through unexpected circumstances in the hallowed library's shadows. Mistaking one lady for another in a clandestine rendezvous, his carefully cultivated guise begins to unravel, plunging him into a labyrinth of unforeseen complexities that threaten to shatter his carefully honed reputation, leaving him ensnared by the ominous specter of societal censure.

Lady Juliet Gale's world is transformed when the devilishly alluring duke’s impetuous kiss propels her into a realm of unprecedented excitement and trepidation. As their passions entwine and boundaries blur, Juliet's moment of daring abandon leads to a transgression with consequences that reverberate far beyond the stolen embrace. As Yuletide joy collides with societal strictures, she must confront the price of her recklessness, navigating a path fraught with judgment and censure.

Amid the flickering candlelight and ornate decorations, the fates of Giles and Juliet converge. Will they surrender to the inexorable pull of destiny, allowing love to bloom amidst the frosty air of the holiday season, or will they muster the strength to defy convention and carve their own path, redefining their lives and love against the backdrop of a Regency Christmas?

In Fate Gave Me a Duke, the Yule log's glow illuminates not only festive celebrations, but the enduring struggle between honorable actions and untamed desires.

Ratings and reviews

Half Regency Erotica — I have read a fair number of books by this author, and I usually enjoy them. I found this one a bit peculiar and not quite to my taste. In the first half of the story, the hero accidentally compromises the heroine, thinking she is a willing widow meeting him for an assignation, not an innocent maiden who just happens to be in the dark library. For a man who is definitely a rogue, he changed his spots rather quickly—and not quite believably—pledging to be ever-faithful once he decided they would wed. They marry near the halfway point of the book. The rest of the book feels like Regency erotica—definitely not my cup of tea. It seems like all the last half details are their intimate moments. I never got a sense of them growing as a couple or individually; I didn’t really pick up on any genuine conflict or tension. The book needed to be longer to do justice to the characters and plot. I also thought the cover was all wrong. That is certainly NOT a Regency dress! Ladies didn’t have bare-backed dresses… though some NON ladies might! All in all, I found this to be a disappointing read from an author I usually like. — I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

Scandals, rakes, and desire... Add in Christmas and you get a seductive happily ever after. I love stories of a man not looking for love, but traps himself in the ever binding bonds of marriage. This story is cute. Predictable in many points, but definitely endearing. When the seduction happened, the details were fantastic. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The story starts out where a rake is forced to propose to the debutante he was caught scandalously kissing in the library. Other than Juliet’s worries that Giles might cheat on her after that incident their relationship is companionable and more about kissing and sexual relations. Except for all the steamy moments especially when they kept getting caught in scandalous positions it could have been described as sweet.

About the author

USA Today Bestselling author Amanda Mariel dreams of days gone by when life moved at a slower pace. She enjoys taking pen to paper and exploring historical time periods through her imagination and the written word.