The Day of the Duchess

Scandal & Scoundrel #3

by Sarah MacLean

The one woman he will never forget…
Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, has lived the last three years in self-imposed solitude, paying the price for a mistake he can never reverse and a love he lost forever. The dukedom does not wait, however, and Haven requires an heir, which means he must find himself a wife by summer’s end. There is only one problem—he already has one.

The one man she will never forgive…
After years in exile, Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, returns to London with a single goal—to reclaim the life she left and find happiness, unencumbered by the man who broke her heart. Haven offers her a deal; Sera can have her freedom, just as soon as she finds her replacement…which requires her to spend the summer in close quarters with the husband she does not want, but somehow cannot resist.

A love that neither can deny…
The duke has a single summer to woo his wife and convince her that, despite their broken past, he can give her forever, making every day The Day of the Duchess.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Second Chance, Regency, Fiction

387 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 27, 2017

About the author

New York Times, Washington Post & USA Today bestseller Sarah MacLean is the author of historical romance novels. Translated into more than twenty-five languages, the books that make up “The MacLeaniverse” are beloved by readers worldwide.

In addition to her novels, Sarah is a leading advocate for the romance genre, speaking widely on its place as a feminist text and a cultural bellwether. A columnist for the New York Times, the Washington Post and Bustle, she is the co-host of the weekly romance podcast, Fated Mates. A Rhode Island native, Sarah now lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Sarah MacLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, I like this book, or I wouldn't have let you all read it.

BUT...that said, I will tell you that this book put me through the ringer. I don't think I've ever written two characters who better deserved a happily ever after...from each other. I don't want to spoil what's to come, but here are the answers to some of the questions people have been asking about The Day of the Duchess!

1) YES, you will see more of the Dangerous Daughters/Talbot Sisters/Soiled Ss. Lots more of them. You will see them in carriages and at country houses and in places that you can visit yourself in the real world.

2) NO, you will not see Alec & Lily from A Scot in the Dark. They are too busy doing it in Scotland. But YES, of course, you will see King & Sophie from The Rogue Not Taken -- it would be tough to ignore them, as Sera & Haven's story begins there for so many of us. (Aside: You will also see some of the boys from The Fallen Angel!)

3) You will get the whole backstory for Sera & Haven here. I promise. I wouldn't dare leave you hanging on that front.

4) There is an American, too.

For more, you can read the first chapter of the book at my website! Thank you, as ever, for reading!

[chan ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

it’s hard when you like the writing and angst in a story but it doesn’t deliver… i appreciate the hero’s depth of pining but like… you let her leave for 3 years you prolly could have done more

[Bubu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Warning: spoilers ahead and (sorry!) wall of text inc.


Seraphina Bevingstoke, Duchess of Haven, makes a dramatic entrance in Parliament, petitioning for divorce. Two years and seven months after vanishing from her husband's country estate; after being told she's barren after a stillborn child; after witnessing her husband's infidelity; after being subjected to his disdain for trapping him into marriage; after actually trapping him into marriage; after falling in love with him almost instantly. This is Sera and Malcolm's history, chronologically backwards, when the book starts. She wants out of a loveless union, setting herself and Malcolm free to move forward from a marriage doomed from the very beginning. She has plans and hopes for the future in which she can finally make peace with her past.

Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, has of course other plans. He's never stopped loving his wife, even when he thought her to be nothing more than a title huntress. In the past two years and seven months, he's been searching her all over Europe and even as far as America but - seemingly - to no avail. Now that she's back in England, he will do anything to keep her, to convince her to give him one more chance, to give their marriage one more chance. See, the moment they lost their child and Sera nearly died, his eyes were opened. Damn the lies (she kind of did but not really), he will grovel and fight for her, and they will live happily ever after. Too bad, then, that Sera takes off and won't be seen for another two years and seven months.

Finally he has the chance to make it all better, to win her back. But how? Well, how about blackmailing her into finding him a new wife in exchange for the divorce? At his country estate, of course, to bring them in close proximity, and thus giving him the chance to woo his wife. He invites four prospective candidates, including their clichée-ridden mamas and one papa. Sera will help him choose the right one. But Sera will not be easily deterred from her plans and brings her infamous sisters as moral support and a wall between herself and Malcolm along with her; also known as The Dangerous Daughters, The Spoiled S's. Cue the eye rolling right here at the amount of times this was mentioned, lest we forget how much the Talbot sisters couldn't give a fig about society's opinion, how headstrong and independent they are and yet, how happy they are with their lives. Oh, and I shouldn't forget another secondary character who will be paired with the remaining Talbot sister, Seline I believe, it was. The American Caleb Calhoun, taken right from the book of clichées titled 'A stereotypical American in England 101'.

Sarah MacLean's new book, The Day of the Duchess, is a decent Contemporary Historical Romance, I suppose. No really, change the time setting and you may as well read a contemporary, wouldn't make much of a difference. Now, I can overlook the historical setting being used as a mere wallpaper and I can enjoy those books. I call them fairy tales. Not, however, when the premise of a story is as serious as it is here. Nope, not buying it. But I will get to it later.

I'll leave the express-delivery style of the divorce proceedings aside, as, according to the author, it was apparently possible if both husband and wife worked together to grease the right hands. Although, it grated a little, knowing she herself couldn't have petitioned for it. She would have needed a solicitor. But hey, details, right?

I would also like to point out that I truly appreciate the author's attempt to create a heroine who shows the will and determination to take back control of her life, in a time where wives were nothing more than their husbands' property, no less. I'm not being sarcastic, either, and anyone who knows of my preferences in romances will know that nothing gets me quicker to DNF'ing a book than a weak heroine. So, I mean it. I do appreciate it. There have always been feminists in history; otherwise we wouldn't be where we are now.

But why make a mockery of it by setting up a completely contrived plot twist and give it such a contemporary tone that I ended up rubbing my eyes at some of the dialogues. This was especially the case whenever the heroine's sisters and the suitesses came into play. The contrived plot twist being that the heroine will have her divorce granted if she finds the hero a new wife, by the way.

Now, one might say 'You knew it from the get-go. It was already in the blurb', and one wouldn't be wrong, either. But I was curious about the execution, not to mention the infamous first chapter and one of the very few interesting moments of book one, The Rogue Not Taken.

If Sarah MacLean had been truly daring, though, she would have chosen the hard way. She would have made Malcolm insist on his rights as a husband and force Sera and Malcolm into close proximity without coming up with the ridiculous idea of her finding him a new wife. This is the most extreme setup I can think of the top of my head and I'm sure there are other, less extreme setups, by the way. But I guess that would have been too much 19th Century reality and less 21st century gender role expectations. As mentioned above, I can enjoy the books that ignore historical backgrounds and societal rules, but only when they're lighthearted, fairy-tale-like stories.

Another reason why I found this setup annoying was that it took valuable page time away from Sera and Malcolm. And that I found most disappointing because if the premise is as serious as it is here, I'm not really interested in the character traits of the secondary characters. I guess the sisters and the suitesses were meant as a comic relief but I found them neither funny nor supportive of the plot. There's only one scene in the carriage towards the end where the sisters left a mark.

Now, let's get to the nitty gritty of The Day of the Duchess: A marriage in shambles, lies, infidelity.

I have to stop with this book here for a moment and go to another. Not Quite a Husband. Again, one might say 'totally different book' and, again, one wouldn't be wrong. But the premise is the same. A disintegrated marriage due to stupid, childish mistakes and misunderstandings, based on the fact that human nature is generally flawed. So, I went back to the moment in Not Quite a Husband where Leo's infidelity is revealed. The scene ends with Leo saying the following: 'I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry that I did—in such a despicable way, no less. Forgive me.'

Of course one 'I'm sorry' won't be enough, and Sherry Thomas made gut-punchingly sure that it wasn't. To her defense, neither does Sarah MacLean. But, and here is the big, big, big, big but, I waited and waited and waited for Malcolm to say these words for what seemed to be forever.

One scene in particular left me utterly frustrated and I guess that was also the point where my disappointment started. It's the second encounter between Sera and Malcolm after she's returned. It's told entirely from Malcolm's point of view, probably to force Malcolm to see the changes in his wife. And I applaud Sera for packing a few hefty punches.

“I shan’t be cuckolded,” he said.
Her spine straightened. “If only I had been able to say the same.”
Shame came, hot and unpleasant.

**********

[About the prospective candidates, he says]
“I should like them to have proof that I have not mistreated you.”
“Mistreatment is not only external.”
Guilt slammed through him, punctuated by the memory of the sound of the carriage door slamming shut as he sent her away.

These are only two examples of how Sera won't let him forget. And all the while, we hear his inner monologue of how ashamed he is of his actions, how guilty he feels, how sorry he is. But he doesn't say it. He doesn't say it here, and he doesn't say it for quite a while.

Let's leave the serial cheaters who simply won't stay monogamous aside. I know they exist but they don't play a role here. There's this saying 'Cheating is a choice, not a mistake.' I don't agree with it. Yes, it's a choice but it's also a mistake. No person is perfect. Not every decision is the right one. And sometimes we do something that we know is wrong, and do it anyway. Human nature generally flawed, that's what it is. I am one of the lucky ones who have, as far as I know, never been cheated on. That doesn't mean that I haven't seen the devastation infidelity leaves in its wake; in friends and family; on the cheated and on the cheater. I've seen it often enough to know that the first thing you do, after hurting your loved one as deeply and thoroughly as that, is go on your knees and beg for forgiveness. If you want a tiny chance of mending your relationship, you apologise. Straight away. And you pray to all the deities in the world that you will be forgiven eventually. And you work on it.

But you do not stay quiet, as Malcolm does. I would like to point out again that I didn't find Malcolm to be an unlikable character. When you're in his head, you can feel the shame and guilt he feels, but he's not given a voice which makes it hard to believe that Sera would forgive him. Especially after we see how much Sera has changed. How much stronger she is now, how much more determined she is.

What The Day of the Duchess offers is a lot of distraction from the main problem, and when I read the scene where they all play a game of lawn bowl together, I nearly DNF'ed it. See, in Not Quite a Husband, the author set up her characters in a situation where they had to face the demons of their past, and oh my, did it hurt, tearing me into a million pieces, only to put me back together by the end of the story.

When Sera and Malcolm do have some alone-time, it's poignant and difficult but I never had this feeling of urgency I had with Byrony and Leo. Sera and Malcolm's struggle to overcome their past was insufficient and, ultimately, poorly executed. The pacing was off, too. The middle sagged, what with all the sisters-and-suitees shenanigans; the story barely flowing. On the contrary, it felt quite disjointed. Neither do I need to be told nor shown over and over again, how independent and strong the Talbot sisters are, to see how much stronger Sera has become.

That said, why on earth Sera would go back to her husband's country estate, heavily pregnant, after her husband had cheated on her, to seek his forgiveness (?!?) will forever stay with me as one of the big mysteries of this book. Yes, she'd trapped him into the marriage, but then he should have made himself clearer. He had already made his mind up and wanted to marry her. She didn't deserve the public humiliation she received from Malcolm after their wedding. No one does. The author gives an explanation but it was - again - insufficient and she never managed to make me understand this particular, and very important, part of her book.

Those were inconsistencies within the story that left me confused. It made no sense. Even when I tried to explain it by saying 'human nature generally flawed', it still didn't make sense that Sera would go seek his forgiveness.

At the end, I felt truly sad at a great opportunity missed. The saving grace of this book was Seraphina. Malcolm sadly remained a somewhat silent character, despite his declarations of love and his grand gestures. Grand gestures mean nothing if the little actions are missing. The ones that are not meant to be seen, at least not straight away, but are so much more powerful when they come out. Go read Leo's letters in case of his death in Not Quite a Husband and you'll know what I mean.

As a last note: If you want to read newer Historical Romances with kick ass heroines who circumvent societal rules to live the lives they want for themselves, I'd suggest The Governess Affair, The Heiress Effect or The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan. How about anything by Cecilia Grant? Alternatively, there is always Meredith Duran's Luck Be a Lady. to name only one. Did I mention Sherry Thomas? Actually, there are quite a few examples where authors successfully wrote heroines with so much spine that you'll get an inkling of what women had to go through to get where we are now. The difference to the ham-fisted attempts of The Day of the Duchess? Heroines who are not easily likable, less grand gestures and fairy-tale-like endings, but ultimately a much more emotionally satisfying outcome.

For true fairy tales, I'll still go to Tessa Dare.

[boogenhagen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I varied on this between being okay and since the writing was coherent, being almost likable.

Unfortunately I just couldn't get to the likable part. This is the fourth or fifth SMac I have tried and she is just not my cuppa.

Part of it is me, I was reading Historical's back in the 70's. You know those ones I mean, and for all the drama, slaps, beatings and rapes, one thing those writers took to heart was time period accuracy.

The h's may have been shared, abused, passed around like parcels or cheated on multiple times and stuck in a forced marriage and sold to a harem. But the details surrounding the time period the book was set in were accurate and those writers did some serious research about the customs and behaviors of the day. I can truthfully say I learned more about English history from Sheila Bishop, Sharon Kay Penman, Anne Herries and Joan Wolf that I ever did in actual history class.

That is why when I open an ostensibly historical Georgian/Regency semi Victorian period romance and get hit with the h standing in the House of Lords of the British Parliament to petition for a divorce, I damn near slammed the book closed and asked for a refund.

In 1836 women couldn't petition Parliament - PERIOD - only solicitors could petition on a woman's behalf. Divorce was a long and involved and complicated process that took three court cases, gobs of money and YEARS of time, and it was certainly not a pop into the House of Lords and make a request type of situation.

In fact the first Parlimentary divorce EVER granted to a woman was in 1801 and there were only FOUR women ever granted a decree in history before the Matrimonial Causes act of 1857. There were only 320 divorces granted between 1700 and 1857 period. A woman could only sue for divorce in the cases of incestuous adultery ( husband sleeps with a sister or close relation,) adultery and intolerable physical cruelty (husband sleeps around and beats you comatose) or fraud/bigamy (husband lies about who he is or is already married.)

But I heard good things about this book, so I kept reading. I just went into Regency Cos Play with window dressing mode. I can live with that, wallpaper historical's can be entertaining too.

Except the cheating H's idear of engineering a reconciliation is to fall back on the very real law at the time that said a husband had complete control of his wife and this particular cheating husband wants to woo his wife back. So he commands her back to his country estate for a visit - well fine I thought, they have to get together some way.

Then the real kicker - the estranged wife is to help him select his next wife in a Regency Cos Play Bachlorette competition - someone better double check the Ducal rose bushes for perfect blooms here.

Is it me? Am I really, really out of touch? Cause I am not exactly seeing how having your deeply wanted reconciliation with your spouse is going to be enhanced by having to 'date' four other women that all come to stay with you and then telling your wife she needs to choose her replacement.

To be fair, the H was very sorry for what he did -- have sex with another woman while the pregger and rejected h walked in on it. The three page list of adjectives describing his remorse convinced me of that. But I wasn't exactly seeing a lot true trying to fix the situation. ( Like maybe, sending the replacement lady crew off and asking the h to give the marriage a second go)

There was a grand gesture declamatory speech in the House of Lords at the end as well, right before the H voted for divorce and ended the marriage, but I am not buying a lifetime of happiness by declamation either.

The h was pretty feisty for the period too. She did sorta trap the H, (who was perfectly content to keep a well bred debutante as a bit on the side,) into marriage cause he only ever wanted a clandestine affair and she had a reputation and sister's to protect.

During that time period, an upper class lady HAD to get married if she got caught in the semblance of a close embrace or she was instantly demoted to the prostitute arena and likely her close family with her. And these two were banging like bunnies when they got interrupted- which was way, way beyond the sensibilities of the era. The H fiercely resented that, so he kicked the h to the curb after her family forced the marriage and then he cheated where she would find him.

Again that isn't the most unknown of tropes for that time period. But the juxtaposition of playing both ends against the middle - the modern feminist h dressed in Regency Cos Play and the reliance of classic Regency/Victorian era rules the H uses to drive the plot were just too jarring. I kept getting thrown out of the story, cause one minute we are in 1836 England and the next we are on the set of the Bachelor with some Big Brother thrown in.

I wasn't buying it and I did not really enjoy it. I guess they got an HEA, they ended up married and breeding by the end and seemed satisfied they got what they wanted. I just did not care by that point, the whole thing was too trite and to plot manipulated to make any emotional connection or investment worth it.

I think I am just not cut out for this author, and I am sure there is a Mary Balogh or Jo Beverly calling my name on my shelf. I do believe I will go find it.

[Geri Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Tell me, Seraphina. If there were no one—no sisters or god or goddess to protect, no American, no aristocracy to watch and judge? What would you do if I pursued you?”

The Day of the Duchess is one of those books that makes me go, “This is the reason why I read romance!” Does it have a healthy dose of angst? Yes, it does. It also has one of the best grovels I’ve read in a while. The satisfying ending was worth every single heartache I, and the characters, went through. And every emotional moment in this book was earned.

Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, is back from exile with a single mission: get a divorce from her estranged husband, Malcolm Bevingstoke. The Duke however won't let her go without a fight. He has regretted his actions in the past and is willing to do anything to win his wife back. But he has to contend with a lot of obstacles before he can even begin to fix what he broke years ago. So he concocted a crazy plan. Ask Sera to accompany him on his estate to help him choose her replacement and then she'll get her divorce.

It’s a crazy plan from a man who’s desperate to win back his wife and atone for his sins in the past. What he didn't know is Seraphina is desperate, too. But for different reasons. And it's something that I totally could relate to. It's something that we take for granted now but was totally not an option for women back then. And this is important to the story and to Sera's character arc and it made me understand her motivation and sympathize with her.

“I have dreamed of you here. Look up. Look at us. Look at how beautiful you are. Watch how I worship you.”

The tension between them was unmistakable. These are two people who clearly still love each other desperately but are so desperately broken that they can't see beyond their own pain. Sarah MacLean did a phenomenal job at writing both of these characters at their darkest moments. They both made mistakes. Malcolm's transgression would have been a deal breaker for me if not for the fact that the author was able to convince me that he truly regretted his actions. And some of his actions were not immediately known to Sera. She didn't know what he's done to make it up to her after she left.

And that's one of the beauty of this book. I went through it knowing that these two are still desperately in love and that they deserved each other. I want them to work out their issues because them not being together would be a tragedy. But man, did they have to work for it.

But she remembered every note, every word, as though it were a prayer. And perhaps it was. Perhaps she could exorcise the past with it.

I mentioned above how much the satisfying ending was so earned. And this is the reason why. Both characters had to find a common ground first before they could even move on.

I don't blame Sera for not trusting Malcolm at his word. What she went through was heart-wrenching. At the same time, as much as I hated what Malcolm did, it was impossible not to be moved by how genuinely sorry he was for the past. And he suffered as well. I loved, LOVED how their relationship evolved.

“I shall have to be happy with finding you in the stars, at night.”

Apart from Sera and Malcolm, the Day of the Duchess are full of interesting characters. Of course, Sera's sisters, the Soiled S's are by the far the most interesting ones. But there were characters here who really stood out as well. Caleb and the ladies that were supposed to vie for the title of the next Duchess of Haven were charming and wonderful. I'm so looking forward to reading Caleb's book. I won't tell you his potential partner. You'd have to read this book to find out. But man, that's going to be another angsty one for sure.

Overall, I LOVED this book. The romance was just top-notch. And the grovel...*swoon* It took me quite a bit of time to recover after I finished it because it was that good. Well done, Ms. MacLean. Well done!




ARC provided by Avon in exchange for an honest review.

[StMargarets · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, dear. I saw this at the library and I thought I should break my historical romance drought with something juicy and angsty and controversial.

Let's put it this way - it did not rain in my historical romance desert.

This was the strangest book in tone and in world-building. The characters talked and thought like 2017. They acted like a horny insta-lust couple who had been steeped in a modern sex positive philosophy. That glibness contrasted greatly with the very real danger of ruin and a dangerous pregnancy. The hero's reaction to being forced to marry was ridiculous. As was his revenge. As were her expectations for marriage in that day and age. The hero was supposed to be an all powerful Duke, but he wasted all of his time on mind games.

I didn't believe the heroine walked into the House of Lords and demanded a divorce so she could run a pub. I didn't believe the Bachelor-type reality show the hero conjured up in the last half. Good lord - this isn't a historical - this is an alternate universe. Things didn't work that way then. They don't work that way *now.*

The flashbacks and time shifts were annoying. We go from the angst fest of the heroine almost dying to a flashback of their flirty banter when they first met. The characters said in their thoughts how much they loved each other, blah, blah, blah - but they sure didn't show it. The Merope story seemed a stretch for these characters. I can see what the author was trying to do and points for including a similar story to highlight this couple's situation- but that sweeping story had a poor imitation in these unlikable characters.

The big gesture of the hero at the end was the prefect bookend to the beginning where the heroine made a spectacle of herself. What ever happened to the stiff upper lip? What about emotions conveyed with the slightest lift of an eyebrow or the slight quiver in a voice? These are historical romance delights - the nuance - the staying within the lines while creating something new and unique. Exploration of public vs private, desire vs. duty, role vs. identity is a longstanding tradition in romantic literature. This story didn't explore any of those tensions because those tensions barely existed in this universe.

By the end, I was exhausted by both of them and I didn't care if they got together or not. They seemed to enjoy their drama so much, I don't know if they'll be happy without more reindeer games to play.

[Lacey (laceybooklovers) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

AAHHHHH I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK!!!!! This might honestly be my new all-time favorite book of Sarah MacLean’s (and if you know me, you know how much I loved One Good Earl Deserves a Lover). The angst had me in TEARS. I LOVED it. THIS is exactly the kind of book I want when I read a second chance romance (aka has a groveling hero who is unrelenting in his pursuit to win back the one and only love of his life). As soon as I finished The Day of the Duchess, I knew it would be one of the best books I’d read all year. I wholeheartedly loved every bit of this wonderful book, and I encourage all historical romance lovers and second chance romance lovers to read this book!

Home required more than river and rolling hills. Home required her. And so he would do this summer what he had done every moment he’d been away from London for the past two years and seven months, exactly. He would search for her.

For the past three years, Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, has been searching endlessly for his runaway wife. We experience the pain and agony he’s been going through the past few years missing his wife – the woman he loves and hates. Sarah MacLean writes his anguish so well – I could FEEL exactly how he was feeling, and it was literally hurting my heart. I love some good angst, and the author gives it to us in huge doses. Then, finally, Malcolm’s wife reappears back in London, demanding a divorce… and all he can think about is having her back in his life forever.

The only woman he’d ever loved. The only woman he’d ever hated.
The same, and somehow entirely different.

Here, Sarah MacLean intertwines Sera and Malcolm’s love stories that take place both in the past and the present. We get the background of how they met and fell in love… before everything fell apart, before Malcolm hated Sera, before Sera ran away. Their past is heartbreaking and full of pain – I nearly had tears in my eyes because I felt like I was experiencing every bit of their pain alongside them.

Love is not enough.
There had been a time when it would have been. When he had been all she’d ever wished for. All she’d ever needed. But he’d been too blind to see that everything she’d done had been for him. For their family. For their future. And by the time he’d understood, she’d already been fixed to the firmament.

And then, I ACTUALLY cried as Malcolm was trying to win back his wife and love of his life. His desperation to earn Sera’s forgiveness and love again had my heart hurting, but I loved every second of the hurt. His path toward redemption is a bit wonky – having Sera find a replacement wife for him, all the while trying to get her to love him again – but he is definitely not letting her go again, because he never stopped loving her. I love a good grovel, and Sarah MacLean gave me everything I never knew I wanted in a groveling hero. I honestly didn’t think Malcolm would be redeemable after what happened in The Rogue Not Taken, but all I can say after having read this is that Malcolm is 100% redeemed in my eyes and I absolutely loved him and Sera together.

“I shall have you. I shall love you. And I shall grow old in your arms.”

This is probably my all-time favorite redeeming love story. I’m such a sucker for second chance romances but they’re never done quite the way I want them to. Luckily, Sarah MacLean surpassed all my expectations in a second chance romance with this beautiful, powerful love story. Everyone needs to experience the wonder that is this book!

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/2c6SMpz
Amazon Hardcover: http://amzn.to/2sWqadO
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2bFfkOe
Audible: http://amzn.to/2sWivwh

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[♥ℳelody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this in May. 😬



All jokes aside, it's not entirely the book's fault. I've been in a serious reading slump for a good part of this year, life and other things got in the way and binging Turkish dramas also added to that distraction. But yeah, this wasn't bad or terrible. I didn't love it but I would say it was decent. I've had this on my shelf for ages and kept putting it off since I had a falling out with SM's writing. This wasn't as laborious as her usual offerings go but I definitely got the "modern" tone & themes that kept trying to push it's way through the dialogue and characterizations. With Sera of course and the whole Singing Sparrow arc which I personally couldn't care less about (owning a tavern to sing in? Really? So cheese). With her sisters too. They are all scandalous riots, they are the Historical Kardashians. Got that loud and clear. And also the young debutantes who were vying to be Sera's "replacement" Duchess. I could already tell half way in those 3 girls were gonna get their own spin offs. And let me guess they did right? Given how much touting, cooing, fussing and praising Sera was doing over them. They are revolutionary girls, men watch out! These girls are so "ahead of their time" and whatnot. We get it. But honestly? Dial it back. I felt that was the most heavy handed thing out of everything TBH, it came off trying too hard. I've never seen a hero and heroine do so much work in propping and flattering secondary characters this way but hey whatever works for some I guess. I liked Mal and the flashbacks were helpful fill-ins to their sordid history. Sera was fine, she had some annoying WTF moments that made me itch to slap her but I appreciated how stalwart and independent she was from the very beginning. Not shy nor a brazen flirt, just confident in her own skin. The epilogue was adorable I have to say and a nice cherry on top of this couple's much earned HEA. Something I really wish all authors would do by the way. Are epilogues falling out of fashion now or something? Please romance authors, don't throw out your epilogues! They are very much needed to frame your endings IMO.

And shout out to the surprise secondary maybe? couple in this, Sesily and Caleb. They were fun! I really thought they would get a happy ending in this too but it seems SM has promised a novella for them which seems to be a pipe dream at the moment since it was promised a release for winter 2018. 😐 Welp in any case, I hope these 2 do get a story for what it's worth since I found brash American Caleb Calhoun and the most dangerous of the "Spoiled S's" Sesily charming together. I may no longer follow SM's work but I will definitely give those two's story a whirl.

[Astrid - The Bookish Sweet Tooth · Rating 4 out of 5]

✮✮✮4.5 STARS✮✮✮

Review @ Vanilla & Spice Books



It's been a while since I read my last Historical Romance and I really missed it. The gallantry of men, the noble ladies, the unconventional heroines, the beautiful words and poetry in the story-telling, they all contribute to my love for this genre. Sarah Maclean has always been one of my favorites so it was a pleasure and an honor to receive an advanced reading copy for The Day of The Duchess.






Malcom Marcus Bevinstoke, Duke of Haven, feels the weight of every single day since his wife left him. Or he told her to leave. Two years and seven months ago. He has been searching for her since, yearning for the woman he fell in love with all those years ago. To no avail.

Home required more than river and rolling hills. Home required her. And so he would do this summer what he had done every moment he’d been away from London for the past two years and seven months, exactly. He would search for her.

Malcom's search comes to an end when she crashes back into his life and the last parliamentary session in the summer. And what she demands is outrageous as it is painful. A divorce.

Two years and seven months ago Sera almost died giving birth to daughter who didn't survive. Devastated over the loss of a possible future with the man she ever loved and grieving for the child that didn't live she accepted his callous mother's offer to disappear from his life in exchange for a hefty sum, at the same time freeing him from a barren wife. From the woman who trapped him into marriage.

She has come back to give them both what she thinks is best. Freedom for her to run her tavern and for him to take a new wife and produce heirs. She didn't anticipate Malcolm's opposition - he offers her to agree to a divorce if she spends the summer with him finding him a new wife.





The story is told jumping back and forth between past and present. Sarah Maclean leads us through the history of these two characters with skill and we get to know both hero and heroine very well.

“Would you like to know why I kept the name?”
“Yes.” More than anything.
“Because doves mate for life, and I knew there would never be another for me.”

Malcolm is a proud aristocrat whose parents were in the same situation Seraphina put him when she trapped him into marriage - only that there was no need for her to do it. He was hers the minute they met. Being the product of a loveless marriage he didn't want that for himself so obviously and understandably, he was immensely hurt by Sera's betrayal.
Malcolm is an amazing character, his remorse and love for his wife is tangible in every word. I fell in love with him right away.

“I remember, Sera. I remember the taste of you, like sunshine and peace. I remember the feel of you, heat and silk. I remember the way you gasped, stealing my breath for yourself. Stealing me. The way you offered yourself as prize. Making me believe in you. In us. Before I fell and you triumphed.”

Sera is one of the scandalous Dangerous Daughters. She never cared about not being fully accepted by society but she fell in love with the Duke and when he didn't ask her to marry him for months she agreed to her mother's suggestion to force his hand. Completely unnecessary. The reason for him not asking her right away were really sweet I thought.



The book is surprisingly angsty and while I'm a sucker for the tightness in my chest when a book is really emotional I thought at some point that it went on a little bit too long. I was so ready for Malcolm's and Sera's Happily Ever After but the heroine was obstinately holding on to her belief that a divorce would be the best for both of them. It was a little bit frustrating, admittedly. Mistakes were made on both sides but both of them have paid a huge price for them - it was time to wrap the story up. The last couple of chapters and the epilogue made up for that though - so beautifully written.

“I love you,” he whispered like a prayer.
A kiss.
“I need you.”
Another.
“Stay.”

Sarah Maclean's prose is beautiful and lyrical. I marked so many passages in this story that made my heart sing and tighten with emotion. She is a master storyteller with a poignant writing style who captures the atmosphere of the Victorian age. I also adored Sera's sisters, who were hilarious and standing loyally by her side. I am very much looking forward to Caleb's and Sesily's story!

Now I need to catch up with the other books in this series - I missed Historical Romance so much!

“No, Angel. The sorrow is mine. The regret. I never told you how much I loved you. I never showed you how I ached to know you.

The Day of the Duchess is book 3 in the Scandal & Scoundrel series and can be read as a standalone.

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely, poignant, passionate, romantic, beautiful, second chance love story!

[Mei · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually don’t hear music when I read a book, but while reading this one...


You all remember this one? ;-)

I really love Ms. MacLean books… usually… not so much this series…

The premises for an excellent story are all here: we have the weird sisters (Soiled S’s, Dangerous Daughters, etc.) which names all start with S: Seraphina, Sophie, Secily…., we have the cheating husband, the scorned wife, the lost child, the matchmaking mamas…

Still I didn’t find the mix all that exiting. I liked better the secondary characters than the main ones!

I also found the inserting of “fun” bunter in a serious situation jarring. Sometimes it made me actually cringe. I know that it should show how the sisters (or other characters) are supportive (or calculating, or whatever…), but they’re actually out of place and downright rude!

What to say about the so-called hero? Call him an idiot is the least! I was supposed to see him as redeemed?! Eh???

No, no, no! No way! He was as stupid here as when he was legs up in the pond! What an idiocy is that to ask Sera to find him the substitute wife???!!!

Yeah, you’re so clever, Mal!!! As clever as you were when you made her discover you kissing another woman!!!

And Sera? She’s juvenile and immature. Just out of spite she would cut her own leg! She hides behind anyone and everything, but first of all she hides from herself!! *shaking head*

I didn’t feel any romance here. I saw two suborn fools doing everything in their power to ruin each other’s life! … while having *just this once* passionate encounters every 10 pages! But *just this once*!!! Oh, c’mon!!!!


… just to finish as started...

Ah, the 2 stars are all for the cat!

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've given this a B+ at AAR, so 4.5 stars.

Sarah MacLean concludes her Scandal and Scoundrels series with The Day of the Duchess, the book many of us have been eagerly anticipating since Sophie, youngest of the scandalous Talbot sisters, pushed Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, into an ornamental fish pond in book one, The Rogue Not Taken. Sophie’s actions were prompted when she caught her eldest sister’s husband in flagrante delicto with another woman in front of half the ton – including the pregnant duchess herself, and I suspect we were all cheering Sophie on for her defence of her sister and calling Haven all kinds of bastard for cheating on his wife.

But in spite of that, I was eager to read the story behind a marriage that had obviously disintegrated and descended into bitterness and betrayal and fervently hoped that the author would write it for us. Bringing an estranged couple together when they have so much baggage between them is a difficult task to accomplish without glossing over the events that tore them apart, or spending so much time wallowing that the HEA doesn’t ring true, but Ms. MacLean has done it with considerable aplomb. It’s an angsty book, the emotions are raw and messy; and although I do have a few reservations, this is, for the most part, the story I wanted it to be.

The first few chapters alternate between the present and the past, as we’re shown the events that culminate in the long-absent Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, striding into the male bastion that is the House of Lords and demanding a divorce. Her husband is as shocked to see her as everyone else; he hasn’t seen or heard from her in the two years and seven months since she left him, and it’s very clear when we see in him in the opening scene that he has felt her absence every hour of every day of every one of those years and months.

Haven and Sera met three years earlier and were both immediately smitten. I’m not calling it insta-love; it’s more like a coup de foudre, a lightning strike that affects both of them deeply and draws them together, and is based on far more than simple, physical attraction. Over the ensuing weeks, Sera and Haven see each other quite often; so often, in fact, as to draw the attention of the gossips. With none of their meetings taking place in public and Haven not even having made the attempt to meet her family, Sera is swayed by the seeds of doubt that her mother plants in her mind. When Lady Talbot suggests that Sera engineers a situation that will make sure of Haven once and for all, Sera, who is confident in her heart that Haven does want to marry her, and is just as sure that he is everything she wants, agrees to a secret tryst with him. When they are found in an extremely compromising position by her mother – and his – Sera can’t deny her part in the scheme, but instead of it leading to something both of them want, it’s the beginning of the end. Haven is deeply in love with Sera and had every intention of proposing to her, but now he’s in the middle of his worst nightmare; being forced to wed a woman who doesn’t want him for himself but for his title.

You can read the rest of this review at All About Romance .

[Joanna Shupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING. I cried twice in the opening thirty pages. The HEA is so incredibly hard-fought and powerful. I don't think there's ever been a reunion romance better written than this. I started the book hating Haven so much, and by the end I adored him. I immediately started re-reading it, I loved TDOTD that much.

[Kiki]

From what I gathered from the other reviews is that he ACTUALLY cheated on his pregnant wife and got caught redhanded! So I wouldn't count if he lived the rest of his life on his knees grovelling and kissing her feet as redemption.
Nothing short of him becoming a monk with vow of lifelong celibacy after giving the heroine the freedom to choose someone ELSE to marry would be redeeming.
Let alone a short celibate period AFTER having his fill of fooling around and getting caught.

Also note to self, boogie confirmed hero's a scum, heroine, not so much.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[NMmomof4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Overall Opinion: I truly wish there was a way that I could turn off my expectations! As much as I try not to do it to myself, I have done it yet again. I admit that I had read some spoilers, so I was prepared for a total heartbreak. But, nope, didn't get there. I felt like the angst and drama was all due to our mcs and their inability to actually freakin' communicate with each other! It wasn't outside factors -- it was them making things hard for themselves, when a little bit of talking and listening might've prevented it all! If you follow my reviews, you know that drama caused my miscommunication is one of my pet peeves -- so this wasn't a winner just because of that alone for me. I also wanted to shake (or smack 😜) both of he mcs at times. They both were running rampant with assumptions (H in the past and h in the present) and making total a$ses out of themselves! Other readers loved this, so it very well could be a just me thing...

Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Sera and Malcolm's story. They meet one night when Sera overhears Malcolm's bitter monologue to a friend about being pursued merely for his title as Duke. They connect instantly and start a love affair. The story begins about three years later when Sera arrives in parliament requesting a divorce after being missing for so long. Malcom comes up with an idea to have her help him find her successor in order for him to go along with the divorce, but really he is hoping to win her back by spending time together. There is some heavy baggage they have to work through, some funny moments, and a few sexy times...and they get a HEA ending.

POV: This alternated between focusing on Sera and Malcom in 3rd person narrative.

Overall Pace of Story: Alright. I felt like it was slow at times, but that could be because I really wanted to shake the mcs. It does contain flashbacks, and I thought the author incorporated them well to where they flowed well with the present. I think I would've liked a little more flashbacks tbh though, because I think it would've helped me fully understand what all happened and feel their instant connection.

Instalove: Kind of. When they first met, they were instantly connected and later refer to it as love. Because of the way the story is told, it didn't feel like the "instalove" that bothers me.

H rating: 3 stars. Malcom. I appreciated his grovel and woo, but his past attitude and behavior made it hard to like him fully.

h rating: 3 stars. Sera. I liked her, but then her pushing away and martyr-like attitude got old really quick.

Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed -- for me at least. Other reviewers claimed to have cried a good bit in this.

Push/Pull: Yes Both the h and H pursue and push away. In the past the H pushed away and the h pursued, and in the present the h pushed away and the H pursued.

Heat level: Low. They have some tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story, and I felt like it wasn't all that descriptive.

Descriptive sex: Yes

OW/OM drama: Yes See cheating spoiler below. The h returns to London with a male American friend, and this causes some jealousy for the H (the h and this OM are just friends).

Sex scene with OW or OM: No

Cheating: Yes The H finds out that (after he shunned the h) the h was found to be pregnant with his child and didn't tell him, he then decides to exact revenge on her and finds a woman to sleep with. This isn't on page, but it is implied that the h found the H and OW together.

Separation: Yes They are separated for about three years. The h had no other partners, and I felt like it was implied that the H hadn't been with anyone other than the OW that the h saw (see cheating spoiler).

Possible Triggers: Yes Cheating (off page) and miscarriage (on page)

Closure: This had a cute epilogue wth what I would call a HEA ending they're married again with children

Safety: This one should be either Safe with exception or Not Safe for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences.

- Does have cheating
- Does Not have a descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
- Does have both the h and H pushing away
- Does have a ~3 year separation between the h and H
- Does Not have abuse
- Does have a HEA ending

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't fathom how Sarah MacLean was going to redeem her most unredeemable hero. In fact, he may be the most unredeemable Regency hero I've ever read. I mean...the guy publicly cheated on his wife. He humiliated her and her family. He's the scum of the ton....right?

In the other Scandal and Scoundrel stories, I hated Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven. When I saw that this story was to be his and Seraphina's...well, I was skeptical. Romances had to end in a happily-ever-after, and how could it be possible that MacLean could make me - the reader who grew to despise this hero - believe that he could ever be forgiven? Forget Seraphina. I needed to fall in love with someone who had committed the worst sin in a marriage!!

Phew. Hold on to your hats, folks, because you are in for a wild ride.

Seraphina is amazing. Awesome, wonderful, strong, soft, kind, and unforgiving. She not only admits her own mistakes, she owns them. And she has the common sense to realize that no matter what she does - divorce her high-ranking husband, or remain in hiding - she's damned in the eyes of London society. But she's gotten to a place where she is indifferent to the opinions of those that do not matter. Her bond with her sisters is strong, and their family love is so devoted...well, it gave me all the feels. 

Malcolm is...ugh. Arrogant, high-handed, rude. But he's also ben searching for his wife for three years. And not searching for her so that he can get her to sign divorce papers; no, he's searching for her so he can apologize and make amends. 

Okay, I think. I'll buy into that for now.

As the story progresses, Seraphina and Malcolm begin to reconnect through Malcolm's constant need to prove that he's a changed man. Everything he does is done with the intent of winning Seraphina back.  He knows she doesn't love him anymore, and he knows that she has no desire for his title or money, so he has to be a lot more creative in his ways of wooing her than he's ever had to do. And the things he does...I can't spoil it. I can't. It's just so subtly and wonderfully done that I'd be robbing you of the experience, seeing it for yourself.

This might just be MacLean's best work yet. And she's one of the best out there already.

Five stars.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.*

[Izy · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILER FREE!! Also a mess but then again when are they not when I have too many feelings.

I LOVEEEDD THIS SO MUCH!!!

What's it about:  Seraphina, Duchess of Haven left her husband Malcom the Duke of Haven two years, seven months ago. She left without a trace and Malcom has spent this time searching for her, hating himself. Sera after losing the man she loved and then the only thing that connected him to her left her family and went to America. While Malcom spent the last years going over the past again and again. Sera was thinking of the future and she's back in England, asking Malcom for a divorce. Malcom doesn't want a divorce he wants his wife back so he decides to woo her back by asking her to pick her successor (really Malcom?! the man was desperate though).

"Past is prologue, Angel. I think of it every day" ~ Malcom, Duke of Haven. 

Thoughts/Feelings:
I honestly wasn't expecting much from Malcom, I know it's sad since he's the hero but after his behaviour in the first book of this series Rogue Not Taken. I had pretty much written him off and read this only because I wanted to see Sera get her happy ending so I was very surprised (in a good way) that he turned out to be more than expected and that he had loved Sera from the start (how can anyone not fall in love with Sera though?? She's amazing) and his behaviour while heartbreaking and disappointing came from a place of betrayal and it was understandable (I'm not absolving him from what he did but I did understand the why of it). I already loved Sera and this book made me love her even more, she took what was offered and become stronger and more independent. Now the only thing standing between her and the future she wants is Malcom.

As though years had never passed, and they were here, in love, once more. ~Seraphina, Duchess of Haven

I really loved them both. They were adorable, heartbreaking, frustrating and so much in love. I have so many favourite scenes/lines from this book. Their relationship wasn't easy, it was messy and heartbreaking but also beautiful. They were prefect for each other from they the moment they had met and I loved it that Malcom realised from that moment that she would be his duchess. Falling in love was easier than dealing with the aftermath of said love when Malcom who thought Sera had loved him for the man he was instead of his title and feels betrayed when he finds that might not have been the case while Seraphina pays a huge price for finally asking something/someone for herself and ends up losing what she had with Malcom. Their reunion was also extremely satisfying, I loved the underwater scene and gahh it just made so happy to see them happy and I loved it when they finally got back together and that epilogue man heart eyes for days!!  

He'd ached for her years. She filled him, stifled him, stole his breath, marking his chest with her lilting, sad song, as surely as if she'd extracted a blade and carved it herself, drawing blood like a siren. ~ Malcom, Duke of Haven. 

We get to see flashbacks of how they fell in love and how everything went wrong and it's was very heartbreaking. I cried a lot while reading this (and while re-reading it!!) We get to see both their sides of the events that followed and why they made the decisions they did. I think that's what it made it so great because you see how much they had loved each other (and still did). Malcom is so desperate, he hadn't realised before she got hurt that it didn't matter what had happened he couldn't loose her and still loved her but it was too late for Sera, who decides to leave. I loved that we saw Malcom trying to woo her again (even though his plan needed a lot of work) apologising for his mistakes and his behaviour. It makes me immensely happy to see good grovel done by men who wronged their significant others. I loved it that Seraphina didn't back down but gave as good as she got and I really loved her. She loved so much, her family, her husband, her child and when it all came crashing down she decides to what she wants which was singing. Instead of doing what she had done in the past living her life and behaving a certain way for her family and then later for her husband.

"I am yours....Shepherd, duke, rat catcher...whatever you wish"~ Seraphina, Duchess of Haven.  

My feelings for Sera in one gif:

It was also great seeing Seraphina's sisters, their antics are as always hilarious and they are just a bunch of lovely, unique to the time period women who you can't help but love and I can't wait to read ''the American" and Sesily's story!

This is coming from her person who hates reading about a cheating in any way I usually avoid those book like the plague so for me to love this book so much was a welcome surprise and I don't regret giving this one a shot at all.

Wrapping it up, I went into this just caring for Sera because I wasn't a fan of Malcom at all but Sarah MacLean did an excellent job at redeeming him and making their relationship work. I ended up really loving both of them together and was immensely happy that they got their HEA. <3 <3 <3 A favourite of 2017 for sure!!! It's a fantastic story of second chance love filled with passion, love, heart break and it's beautifully written! 

I don't use gifs much at all in my reviews but here are a few describing how I felt during this book:


*Quotes taken from ARC version, they might be different in print.

AFTER READING!
I LOVEEEDD THIS SO MUCH!!!
I went into this just caring for Sera because I wasn't a fan of Malcom at all but Sarah Maclean did an excellent job at redeeming him and making their relationship work. I ended up really loving both of them together and was immensely happy that they got their HEA. <3 <3 <3 A favourite of 2017 for sure!!
Full review near release date.
ARC was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

BEFORE READING
how soon do you think I can somehow get my hands on this book....I needs it!
On one hand if Haven did go around cheating then I'm not sure I want to read this because I hate nothing more than married heroes who cheat, on the other hand it's Sera's story.

ARC was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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[Bev · Rating 2 out of 5]

The marriage in trouble trope is my catnip - I relish and salivate at the angst, the pain, the denial, the DRAMA, the grovel, the forgiveness and the hard-fought road to their HEA, then throw in some cheating and I'm all over it like a rash! Here the cheating was so lightly and briefly glossed over I blinked and missed it! I didn't get any of the angst, drama, gut wrenching knots in my stomach feels that I'd hoped for.

Edited 13/7/17 - I went and read the prologue of the first book and got the how he cheated, and still firmly believe THEIR story, THEIR problems and HIS cheating should have been in THIS book, it's about them after all! Yes he cheated - and this scene at the very least should have been in THIS book with THEIR thoughts and feelings when it happened, instead of getting it from the bloody sister's POV in HER book. This is such a huge and pivotal part of their story, their 3 year break up and subsequent divorce that I'm sat here is total disbelief that it was so lightly glossed over. Ridiculous!

So it's safe to say that this didn't quite play out like I had envisioned. I got really frustrated with the flashbacks that didn't actually tell or show me much about what happened. HUGE things that caused their separation were hinted at and glossed over when I was desperate for it to be fleshed out a heck of a lot more. Possibly this all happened in the previous books (uh yes it did - crazy right? See my edit above), but as I haven't read them I wouldn't know. Less time with the sub characters and silly shenanigans like bloody lawn bowls and setting up prospective new duchesses (stupid!) and more time Mal and Sera actually talking about their problems would have definitely been a much better reading experience. It started off well but then started to drag and go round and round in circles without actually getting anywhere.

[Roma Cordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotionally riveting from beginning to end.

[Pepa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reseña completa: https://masromance.blogspot.com/2019/...

No puedo darle más que 2. Sí, algo contradictorio porque ha sido una lectura entretenida, hay algunas escenas de lo más divertidas. Pero poco más, un eterno tema que se alarga y alarga y para mí no lo ha solucionado
Lo tenía difícil, lo que hizo el duque fue duro, insensible, egoísta e imperdonalbe.
Ella tampoco actuó bien, al menos con su familia.
el motivo por el que vuelve no me ha convencido, lo que prentendía hacer tampoco me ha convencido y me ha faltado la GRANDISIMA conversación que se ha quedado en nada.
Pese a que el duque en este libro es un encanto, creo que le falta mucha profundidad en todo, los temas que toca son demasiado complejos y complicados como para darlos por resueltos de una forma tan fácil.
Lo mejor, el final que admito que ha sido precioso y espectacular
Dejando de lado que la novela plantea un tema casi inverosímil, pero bueno.

[Moras Dela Paz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. Heart. I got this book because a friend recommended it. I read it without reading the first two books of the series so I was going into it without any knowledge whatsoever about Sera and Mal. And boy was I blindsided! This book made me cry so much that I had a headache, I’m probably a little dehydrated too.

I will definitely pick up the rest of the series, it made that big of an impression to me.

Shoutout to Alexis✨ for recommending this book, thanks doll!

[Viri · Rating 2 out of 5]

***2.5 AY AJAAAAAA Stars***

Por el momento no voy a hacer reseña. Mi hermana AMÓ este libro locamente con locura y si lee como lo destrozo con mi súper verborrea me dejará de hablar jajajajajajaja

So... mejor cuando esté más tranquila porque ahora mismo tengo ganas de sangre y no por el prota que es INCREIIIIIIIBLE... Sino por ella que es INSOPORTABLEMENTE *I Di O Te A*

Baisss

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit, I did not want to like this one, let alone love it. But I did, I loved it!

Haven and Sera's story is heart-achingly complicated and only a master storyteller like Sarah MacLean could pull their redemption romance off. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. And then I cried some more because that Epilogue is perfection.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody can make me bawl though the last two chapters of a romance like Sarah MacLean. Which is what I proceeded to do because holy cats does it get heartfelt. Romances where one of the couple has to overcome cheating are always hard for me and, while I would have appreciated a cricket ball to the goolies for Haven, there are massive amounts of groveling, self-flagellation, and relationship rebuilding to make this one another fantastic entry in SM's body of work.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go set up the pup tent bc I'm camped outside Sarah's house until I get a book with Sesily's HEA.

[Seda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yazarı daha fazla sevemem dediğim anda, Sarah bu kitabı yazmış.😍😍

Bir Çapkını Baştan Çıkarmanın Dokuz Yolu’ndan sonra -Gabriel ve Calpurnia’nın yeri her zaman başka olacak- eeeen sevdiğim kitabı bu oldu. Kitabın erkek karakteri pislik, korkak, şerefsiz Haven Dükü olmasına rağmen hem de. Adam, sinir krizi geçirdiğim, bütün kitap boyunca nefret kustuğum Kibir Dükü Simon’ı mumla arattı. Bunun yanında yazar, Seraphina’yı öyle güzel yazmıştı ki resmen kadın karakterine aşık oldum. Haven Dükü’ne yaptıklarının ve söylediklerinin bedelini fazlasıyla ödetti, sürüm sürüm süründürdü. Çoooook mutluyum. Zira ilk kitabın başından beri, deli gibi bu kitabı okumak ve Malcolm pisliğinin süründüğünü görmek istiyordum.🥳🥳🤩🤩


Bu kitapla bir kez daha tescillendi ki Sarah Maclean, benim için açık ara Historical Kraliçe’sidir. Özellikle yazdığı kadın karakterler benim için bulunmaz nimet gibi.😍😍😍

[Lady Gabriella of Awesomeness (SLOW) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 "Doves mate for life' Stars



“She laughed then, hollow and so different from her earlier happiness that he felt the sound like a blow. “I am to believe that?”
“I don’t expect you to,” he said. “But it is the truth.”
“That is the problem with truth; so often you must rely on faith to embrace it.”
“And you’ve no faith in me.” He regretted the words the moment they were out, wishing immediately that he could take them back. He did not want her to answer. The silence that stretched out between them in the wake of the words was clear enough without her answer. Not to mention unsurprising.
And then she said, so soft that it almost seemed she was speaking to someone else, “God knows I want to.”



This book broke my heart ! Absolutely fantastic read ! The angst,the drama,the love ! I couldn't have imagined this read better !

Would defiantly recommend to readers searching for an angsty HR read with a married couple and a reunion romance kind of situation...

[Natasha is a Book Junkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in the mood for a super ANGSTY read, the kind of story that twists your heart into knots and makes you fight back the tears, and there are a few themes/tropes that always get to me—broken marriages, unrequited love, and babies. The main characters are married but haven’t seen each other for three years, after the heroine lost a baby and ran away from a husband she believed didn’t want her anyway. Now she is back and asking for a divorce. But little does she know that the hero has been searching for her all over the world ever since she left him, tortured over a mistake he cannot take back, and desperately in love with her. And not only does he not want a divorce—he wants his wife back. Simply unputdownable!

[*The Angry Reader* · Rating 2 out of 5]

I made it to 74% and cannot summon the will to finish. At first I loved it. I so wanted drama - and this book has it in spades. And then it became exhausting. And now, when I’m worn out, there’s no rejuvenation of the spirit to be found between these pages. So I’m moving on.

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings: Cheating (MMC cheats on FMC), miscarriage, slut-shaming (if women have sex, they are labelled as “ruined”), grief and loss depiction, death of infant, stillborn, death of parent, verbal abuse

A HUGE THANK YOU TO ravioLee for recommending this, I was looking for a satisfying grovel book and she convinced me to read this. I read the first two books patiently even though I just wanted to skip to this book. And if you haven’t read the first two books, you can honestly skip them, but I would recommend reading The Rogue Not Taken, the first book, before reading this since you actually see how scummy Malcolm is. The second book was honestly useless in this series since it was a friend of King, the main character in the first book, the couple isn’t even in this book but they’re mentioned that’s it. The first and third books focus on the Dangerous Daughters, who are all bloody amazing.


Malcolm and Sera have been in a broken marriage, they fell in love but after Malcolm feels betrayed, he decides to make Sera’s life a living hell. Once Sera almost dies, Malcolm vows to make it up to his wife, but the next day, she disappeared. Two years and 7 months later, Sera shows up again and asks for a divorce, wishing for her freedom. Malcolm doesn’t want to divorce Sera, so he comes up with a plan to make her choose his next future wife so that he can somehow win her back during that time.


This book was so painfully angsty, it hurt to read about the shit Sera went through. Realistically, if I went through the things she went through, I don’t think I could ever take Malcolm back. The things he did were just too cruel, he does so much shit. Sera lost so much and it just hurts to see her hit rock bottom. This book isn’t historically accurate IMO, so avoid this if that bothers you and this book deals with some pretty heavy topics. In the first book, Malcolm cheats on Sera, it’s in the first coupla chapters so just a heads up. I hate cheating but for some reason, in this book, the way the conflict was handled didn’t bother me too much. I loved this book so much, I think I’ll reread it someday and it is definitely going on my satisfying grovel list.


Now for spoilers


So we already know that Malcolm cheated on Sera in the first book and I didn’t know how this guy would redeem himself. I knew that Sera disappeared for a period of time because I read reviews before reading this. But the fact that Malcolm searched for her for almost 3 years had me surprised. I thought Sera just appeared and then he would be thinking about how much he loved her. But he loved her and never forgot her, any time he wasn’t working, he was looking for her, in different countries. He was desperate to have her back on his side and desperate to beg for forgiveness. I was surprised that the divorce scene happened right away, Sera just walked in like a badass, and she was so mysterious, I wanted to know what happened to her.


Sera was different from what I expected, she was so damn strong, especially after everything she went through. I was surprised at how she made so many jokes, she was so sarcastic, I loved her more than Sophie. I loved seeing her push Malcolm and their interactions. I loved seeing how much Malcolm regretted everything and how desperately he wanted to fix everything. He was such an asshole, he did such shitty things for the stupidest reasons. All of this conflict could have been avoided if they communicated, but they were never willing to listen to each other, in the past or the present. Like STOP INTERRUPTING EACH OTHER AND LISTEN BRUH. I liked how the story alternated from past to present, showing us glimpses of the fucked up things Malcolm did while showing us how he is tryna make it up to Sera. We skipped over the cheating scene and it is assumed that he cheats and we know he does cuz of the first book, I think it was skipped over cuz it woulda made us hate him even more if it were on-page. I was surprised to see Sera have a best friend from America, Caleb was so sweet I adored him. And his chemistry with Sesily was insane, I cannot wait to read their book, I immediately checked if they had a book together and THEY DO, so yea Imma read it. The fact that Caleb helped Sera when she hit rock bottom and stuck around to help her was so sweet, I appreciated that they had a platonic relationship and that it wasn’t gonna be a stupid love triangle. I loved how he was there for moral support along with THE DANGEROUS DAUGHTERS. I loved how everyone had Sera’s back when she needed them, I loved how we saw so much of the Dangerous Daughters in this because they’re all bloody amazing. I loved that Sera owned her own tavern and it made sense for her to want a divorce after everything she went through.


When we find out that Sera had a miscarriage and she was so close to dying, I felt so bad for her, I cried. Malcolm was so determined to fix everything, I wonder what would have happened if his mother didn’t meddle. His mother pissed me off, but Malcolm cheated on Sera while she was pregnant. It is such a fucked up thing to do, cheating is already messed up, but to do it while she’s pregnant? What the fuck my guy? And his stupidass reasoning was “She didn’t tell me she was pregnant so Imma punish her by purposefully cheating and having her walk-in while she is pregnant with my child. Lemme cause her some stress after all my shitty treatment to her.” Cheating is never okay, but that was his reason? I can’t man. I thought that he thought she cheated so he revenge cheated, which is still stupid, but Malcolm’s reasoning was just so stupid. So when the mother told Sera to leave, I don’t blame Sera for wanting to, the mother was messed up though. She was in a similar position to Sera when she married her husband but she was cold-hearted. Malcolm sitting there feeling sorry for himself because Sera left him was stupid, like can you blame her? You drove her away. You cheated on her while she was pregnant. You never listened to her when she tried to explain why the marriage trap thing happened. You made her fucking beg on her bloody knees and still didn’t give her what she wanted. You ignored her, treated her like shit, and insulted her constantly. You were so damn cruel to her and you expect her to sit around waiting for you like your puppet? Hell no.


Malcolm and Sera’s initial meeting was so instalovey I was surprised, they literally just meet and they’re already making out. It’s so funny, Malcolm talks about how bad marriage and women are or something and then he sees Sera and he’s like “What was I saying again?”


When Malcolm got all jealous of Caleb, it was funny. I loved that Sera was able to find something that made her happy since she went through so much shit. When Malcolm would touch Sera, I honestly wanted her to push him away and smack him. Even when things got sexual, I was like don’t give in girl, this guy isn’t worth it. When he told her to find him his future wife, I found it interesting, this was like the Bachelorette with a twist, the wife picking out her replacement. I loved that Sera brought her sisters with her, I loved how they had a cat and they gave it to Malcolm and one of the sisters barfed on his boots. I loved seeing Sophie happily married, she’s pregnant!! King even wrote a threatening note to Malcolm and I adored it, I LOVE THEM. And when Sophie returned home and King couldn’t stop himself from kissing her and they had that cute reunion, ugh I love them. Seeing Sophie help Sera in this was just heartwarming, I got so teary-eyed. Sophie even brings up how Sera helped her in the last book and gave the same advice to Sera in this which had me bawling my eyes out.


Seeing Malcolm struggle to win Sera over felt really satisfying. I LOVE LOVE LOVE when the girl makes the guy WORK for forgiveness. I hate when the girl accepts the guy right away. The conflicted emotions, the angst, the steam, it was all perfect. I also LOVE when Sera would repeat all the shit Malcolm said to her in the past, he was a cruel bastard. The stuff he said, my god was he so brutal. It makes the guy realize that the shit he says sticks with people and makes him realize even more that he fucked up. Seeing him try so hard to make Sera understand that he loves her was nice. I loved how Sera would actually try and teach all the girls how to be the Duchess. I loved how Malcolm didn’t really interact with the girls and only focused on Sera, and how it was obvious to everyone. The parents of the girls were so damn rude, I loved Felicity and Lilith, I think they have their own books? Or Felicity does, so Imma read that as well someday. I loved how honest they were and how in the end, they helped Malcolm and gave him advice. They literally have a conversation about Malcolm and Sera infront of Malcolm lol. It was so funny how Malcolm confessed he loved Sera and Sera just noped away from him. And when the Dangerous Daughters threw stones at him, man was it satisfying. I really liked how Malcolm realized he didn’t only have to make it up to Sera, he had to make it up to her family as well, especially Sophie. I will never get over my love for Sophie after she pushed Malcolm into the pond in the first book, seeing their interactions were hilarious. I just wanna be part of the Dangerous Daughters, they’re always laughing and don’t care what others think, just living life, I love them. Seeing Malcolm and Sera go to their child’s tombstone and Sera breaking down had me sobbing. When they had sex, I was surprised there was a lot more left to the story, and that’s when Sera left. She wrote that letter to Felicity and I was crying, her short note to Malcolm had me sobbing, I was so emotional. I loved how Sophie called Sera out for not being honest with them and saying that she should open up. I loved all the sisters, they’re all bloody amazing, this series should’ve been called the Dangerous Daughters, and each book should’ve been about a sister, they’re all so funny and entertaining I would’ve loved that.


I liked how all of the sisters made theories about what Malcolm planned to do. I get that he was pissed that Sera trapped him into the marriage or whatever, but he didn’t even listen to her. If he truly loved her, he should’ve given her a chance to explain herself. I got why Sera did it, she was in a position where she was in love and wanted to marry him, but she was also caught in scandals because of him along with her sisters. But she could’ve told him that instead of manipulating the situation. Malcolm should’ve just told Sera he was planning on marrying her instead of keeping her wondering, especially since her family was dealing with scandals because of it. They all got stupid nicknames from the public because of it. And his treatment towards her because of this whole misunderstanding was so fucked up. I loved how he made a stage for Sera and I was surprised that he was so close to finding Sera but Caleb stopped him. Malcolm telling Sera all of his feelings, in the end, admitting every mistake including the cheating was pretty satisfying. His reasoning for the cheating was fucking stupid, I don’t think I would personally forgive him, but for the sake of Sarah and Malcolm, I just wanted them to be happy. He even disowned his mom and sent her away after finding out that she told Sera to leave. I was surprised even his mother didn’t know where Sera was. And how Sera’s sisters didn’t tell her that Malcolm was looking for her the entire time. Seeing Caleb be supportive but an asshole to Sesily was interesting, I wanna see their story, their POV randomly in the middle was weird but I loved it.


Malcolm’s final gesture at the end of the book had me crying. He even helped in the tavern when those two aggressive guys showed up. The girls laughing about the wigs the guys have to wear lol. King jumping up the second everyone insults Sophie in the court scene my god, I love King. I didn’t think the divorce would actually happen, in a way, Malcolm forced Sera to stick around and technically trapped her into the marriage. So seeing him willing to let go after he found out she had a tavern and a future had me crying. Seeing him say that whole speech and accepting the divorce to happen while also persuading others to side with Sera broke my heart but also mended it. But again bro, he should’ve waited and heard what she had to say lol cuz now they gotta get married again, but it’s fine. When they immediately made up and Sera told him how she felt and they were gonna get married again, I was laughing. These guys wasted the whole day focusing on this divorce for them to get married minutes after it’s over lol. Everyone is gonna be pissed with their engagement announcement but I loved how it ended. And I assumed Sera was infertile but she had three kids at the end which was so sweet, I was really happy for Malcolm and Sera. Honestly Malcolm did so much, he really messed up, but in this book, I just loved how everything was handled. I despise cheating but I don’t know why it didn’t bother me too much here, I liked the way it was handled. And I was glad there weren’t others I think. I hope that Sesily will also get her happy ending along with the others, I love all the Dangerous Daughters, I’m definitely rereading this at some point, it’s gonna be on my top favourite grovels for sure.



That is all, stay safe folks

[Mirjana **DTR - Down to Read** · Rating 2 out of 5]

***2.5 Stars***

They never said the things that were important.

That right there folks should be the tagline for this book!

Avert your eyes...unpopular opinion forthcoming.

Good grief is this book exhausting. It's 1/3 feels and 2/3 the hero and heroine talking in circles and playing cat and mouse. And way too much internal monologue!

Told in both past and present, you're given the story of two stubborn people who can't see beyond their own feelings to have a conversation.

The book goes back and forth in its storytelling. As you're cocooned in a ball of emotion in the present, you're then taken back to a moment in the past to show where the feelings are coming from. You don't know the whole story until more than halfway through the book. The reader doesn't get their past to connect to first so we understand the depth of feelings in the present. Not my favorite way to tell a story.

If you like your angst to be all about miscommunication and then a lack of communication...this is the book for you! But this isn't my cup of tea.

Sera and Marcus frustrated me to the point where I wanted to cause my book physical harm.

Marcus is the product of a social climbing mother who tricked his father into marriage and then conceived him to put a punctuation on the deception. So naturally, our duke has some mommy, daddy, and love issues. It's hard for him to believe that anyone would want him for HIM and not his title.

Sera is not what those in London would see as a proper aristocrat. When she begins a relationship and falls in love with Marcus, she lets her mother's chirping lead her astray. She's told that because the duke has not asked her father for her hand in marriage, he must not want their relationship public and he will end up ruining Sera's reputation.

A plan is hatched, reluctantly. On the day that Marcus has decided he's going to tell Sera he wants to ask her father for marriage, she sets him up to have witnesses catch them together forcing him to have to marry her.

They both make so many mistakes at the beginning of their relationship.

Revenge, betrayal, anger, heartbreaking loss and grief follow. Sera runs away.

The reader spends a majority of this book in an endless loop of "woe is me" internal monologue. Both of these characters were too stubborn to open their mouths and have a conversation to discuss what happened, where things went wrong, how they were feeling, and what they truly want.

The repetitiveness of constantly rehashing each other's mistakes was frustrating.

And the moment things got too real and feelings got too deep, Sera would run away. But of course, not before she got a nice orgasm out of it.

And don't even get me started on her whole martyr decision towards the end...or Marcus's ridiculous Spiderman grand gesture.

Also, the whole "finding a new wife" plot was really thin and scenes were sprinkled in when needed. Marcus may have used those girls and come up with the ridiculous idea of Sera finding him a new wife, but Sera used them, too.

If Sera and Marcus were able to open their mouths and talk to each other, this book would have been the beautifully emotional romance I was looking for. All the components were there. Instead, what I mostly felt was frustration and annoyance.

I'm really bummed because this is my first Sarah MacLean book, and is a favorite amongst most of my friends, but it really hasn't given me the best first impression.

**Content warning: Loss of a child