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To Defend a Damaged Duke (Regency Rossingley 2)
By Fearne Hill
NineStar Press, 2025
Five stars

If Jane Austen had produced truly scandalous characters; if Georgette Heyer had written romances that were naughty; that’s the gift that Fearne Hill has given us with this Regency Rossingley series.

The Earl of Rossingley appears significantly in this book, too, along with his mysterious neighbor and friend, Mr. Angel. His flamboyant (and happy) personality offers a strong contrast to the restrained, austere, and literally gray persona presented by the socially elusive Duke of Ashington.

The link between these two men is the equally mysterious Thomas L’Esquire, proprietor of Squires, a social club in the city (as well as a number of other successful business ventures). Readers will recognize him as Tommy Squire, West End actor and all-around bad boy, who helped Lord Rossingley in the first book in the series. This book takes Tommy’s story deep into the past, when he was just eighteen.

Gosh, Fearne Hill does faux-Regency story-telling very well. There are a few tiny missteps (like: the concept of a parallel universe is a notion born in my own lifetime); but she really gets it, and delivers this delicious period setting with great humor and style and emotional punch.

Benedict Fitzsimmons, the young duke, is an endearing person—but uptight and frightened in the same way that Lord Rossingley was at first. His life is both complicated and enriched by his big-hearted younger brother, Lord Francis, and his very slightly younger twin brother, Lord Lyndon.

The one thing that makes the young duke feel safe is his horses—and he is a famous horseman and unsurpassed expert on horseracing. Lord Rossingley becomes a catalyst and a friend, safe from the unimaginative gossipmongers of the London “ton” because of his teenaged sons and his large fortune. Nobody concerns themselves with the handsome Mr. Angel, whose estate abuts Rossingley, and who, with his long hair, gold earring, and dancing skills, is a source of much intrigued speculation from society.

Tommy Squires is a brilliant character—more Dickens than Austen, subtly too modern for even Georgette Heyer, and yet perfectly drawn and characterized. He is tough and fierce, but also desperate for the one thing he’s never had: love. And that’s what makes this book so marvelous on every single page.

Fearne Hill sets up a complicated and seemingly impossible situation while juggling all of the aspects of historical social fiction, from clothing to manners to the very English etiquette of balls and dinners. There is one critical scene in the book centered on social precedence when going in to dinner. It is both informative and hilarious

This two-book series is top-notch and so very well written. I can’t quite imagine if there will be a third Regency Rossingley, but I certainly hope so.