ARC Review: To Love a Duchess by Karen Ranney

Series:	All for Love #1
Pub. Date:	July 31, 2018
Publisher:	Avon
Length:	384 pgs
Source:	Publisher

To Love a Duchess is the first book in Karen Ranney's new series, All for Love. This first book is a flipped power dynamic, where our hero is a member of the commoner class, and our heroine is a grieving duchess. The story took a bit to draw me in, but I ended up liking it quite a bit by the end.

Adam Drummond is employed by the War Office, and has been sent on assignment to pose as a majordomo at the deceased Duke of Marsley's estate to try to find proof that the man was a traitor to country and comrade. He never expected to be feeling protective and intrigued by Marsley's grieving widow, deemed Marble Marsley by her staff. But the more Adam learned about our heroine, the stronger the attraction and feelings grew. Yet he still had to carry out his mission, which left him somewhat conflicted. Even though I am usually partial to the dark and dangerous dukes, I quite liked Adam. He was honorable, loyal to his country, and protective of those weaker than him. He was fair with the other service staff, and seemed to be well-liked by all. 

Suzanne Hackney Whitcomb, Duchess of Marsley, has been buried in grief for quite some time. She has been letting others, including her maid, push her around and dictate nearly every facet of her life. I had a very hard time with this heroine at first. I felt like she had no back bone and couldn't believe she willingly drank the tonic that her maid kept pushing on her. But I started to cut Suzanne some slack and she did snap out of it and start taking up for herself by the end. I appreciated that once she started to come out of her fog, she didn't turn into a fickle heroine, or one that ran when things came to light. 

The relationship between Adam and Suzanne was more sweet than steamy. He took care of her when she was fragile, and made her realize that she couldn't let grief overtake her life. Their coming together seemed natural, despite the class difference and issues they would have faced during that time period. I will be interested to see what types of couple and class pairings we have in the future with this series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Avon.

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