The Duke of Hearts by Jess Michaels Series: The 1797 Club #7
Published by The Passionate Pen on May 22nd, 2018
Genres: Historical, Romance
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley
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Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndale, once loved a woman, but she died in a tragic accident he felt responsible for. Since then, he’s been playing pretend that he isn’t broken inside, even as he’s seen as London’s most sought after bachelor. He decides to drown his sorrows at the notorious Donville Masquerade where he encounters an alluring stranger who he spends the night with.
Mrs. Isabel Hayes was married once to a man who did not inspire passion and she’s been curious ever since. She has no intention of taking a lover at the Donville Masquerade, but to watch the activities there, just as she has been for weeks. But once the masked stranger pursues her, she is swept away.
Soon Isabel recognizes her lover for who he really is and realizes a terrible truth. She is the cousin of the woman he once loved and lost, and her family blames him for what happened. Driven by the passion they’ve shared, but also repelled by the stories she’s heard, Isabel continues the affair, trying to find the truth. But once Matthew realizes her identity, will he pursue her for what they’ve built, or only because she reminds him of what he lost? And will he survive to share a life with her at all?
I received The Duke of Hearts for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Also in this series: The Daring Duke, Her Favorite Duke, The Broken Duke, The Silent Duke (The 1797 Club, #4), The Duke of Nothing, The Undercover DukeWe’ve all been told of Matthew’s heartbreak in the previous novels in the series. I was so excited to learn that Matthew was finally going to get his chance at love. If you’re not up to date on his past, Matthew’s fiancee died some time before this series began. I was surprised to learn it wasn’t that long before. I knew it would take a special circumstance to bring love back to his doorstep.
Mrs. Isabel Hayes was forced into an arranged marriage once and fears she will be forced again soon. Her one escape is becoming a voyeur at a Donville Masquerade. One night she is brought into the pageantry without her consent, but a masked stranger saves her. It takes some time but once she realizes the man who brought forth a desire like no other is her late cousin’s betrothed, she has already fallen too hard. Isabel’s uncle and current benefactor blames Matthew for her cousin’s death. How could she fall in love with such a man? Because she knew long before meeting the man that he had nothing to do with her cousin’s demise.
This novel stands out from the rest of the series for more than one reason. I loved the idea of the masquerade! While our ladies in this series haven’t been angels, Isabel is the first to know their is some pleasure to be had even with the wrong partner. I loved that Isabel is a widow who takes it upon herself to find her own bliss if only for a few moments from behind a mask. The thought that Matthew found her because his friend forced him to go was as charming as it is sinful.
I could go on for hours about my love of this novel, but I would hate to spoil the experience for you. If you’ve loved this series so far, you will be enraptured by this Duke of Hearts. If you are any kind of romance enthusiast, one click this novel now. I guarantee you won’t be sorry.
The 1797 Club Series
The Daring Duke – James Rylon, Duke of Abernathe
Read my review HERE!
Her Favorite Duke – Simon Greene, Duke of Crestwood
Read my review HERE!
The Broken Duke – Graham Everly, Duke of Northfields
Read my review HERE!
The Silent Duke – Ewan Hoffstead, Duke of Donburrow
Read my review HERE!
The Duke of Nothing – Baldwin Undercross, Duke of Sheffield
Read my review HERE!
The Undercover Duke – Lucas Vincent, Duke of Willowy
Read my review HERE!
The Duke of Hearts – Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndall – May 2018
The Duke Who Lied – Hugh Margolis, Duke of Brighthollow – August 2018
The Duke of Desire – Robert Smithton, Duke of Roseford – October 2018
The Last Duke – Christopher Collins, Duke of Kingsacre – November 2018
For more info on the series, go http://www.1797club.com and join the club!
About Jess Michaels
USA Today Bestselling author Jess Michaels likes geeky stuff, Vanilla Coke Zero, anything coconut, cheese, fluffy cats, smooth cats, any cats, many dogs and people who care about the welfare of their fellow humans. She watches too much daytime court shows, but just enough Once Upon a Time (CaptainSwan FOR LIFE). She is lucky enough to be married to her favorite person in the world and live in a beautiful home on a golf course lake in Northern Arizona.
When she’s not obsessively checking her steps on Fitbit or trying out new flavors of Greek yogurt, she writes erotic historical romances with smoking hot alpha males and sassy ladies who do anything but wait to get what they want. She has written for numerous publishers and is now fully indie and loving every moment of it (well, almost every moment).
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