Signet Select
Featuring: Duke of Ellsworth; Lady Ivy Fenwick
352 pages ISBN: 0451470133 EAN: 9780451470133 Kindle: B00LMGK5QK Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List
Ivy Fenwick has just made her debut, and it's been a
success. She has even met a handsome, masked stranger
who flirts with her and steals a kiss. Her future is
looking very rosy, but in less than a day, the situation
changes drastically. Ivy's father is accused of cheating
at cards, and is killed in a duel, bringing ruin and
disgrace to his family. James Merrit, the kiss stealing
stranger, leaves the next day to go off to war, never
knowing who Ivy was, or what happened to her.
Five years have passed. In that time, Ivy and her three
sisters have been struggling to pay off the remaining
debts of their father, while barely holding on to their
crumbling family manor in the country. James has
returned from war, and has become the Duke of Ellsworth.
He is heading to his country home, pondering his future,
which includes a new mistress who will soon join him.
Much to his surprise, he finds that his brother's two
children are in residence. They were deposited with him
because his brother is still off fighting, while his
sister-in-law abandoned them to indulge in another
affair, something she has apparently been doing on a
regular basis. James decides his own liaison will have
to wait, and he'll need to hire a governess for the
children. At the same time, Ivy has faced the fact that
she needs to find employment, and applies for the
governess job, and is hired.
James had an ulterior motive in hiring Ivy. He
recognizes her as the young lady he kissed five years
ago, and he also knows that she owns the crumbling manor
that he would like to own. What James doesn't count on
is falling under Ivy's spell. She moves into his
household, bringing some stability to the abandoned
children, and some sunshine into James' life. James
sees the opportunity for seduction, and tells his almost-
mistress not to show up. Of course, she does, and thus
begins the romp. Rumors of a treasure in the Fenwick
home bring a sleazy poet from London who pretends to
court Ivy, while really searching her home.
FORBIDDEN TO LOVE THE DUKE is a light and entertaining
story with a cast of quirky and (mostly) likeable
characters. Ivy is delightful - I love that she made no
false claims of not being good enough because of her
family history. Once James realized that he was feeling
more than just simple lust, he didn't hesitate to admit
his feelings to Ivy. I love that! The mystery of the
treasure, the fake suitor, the would-be-mistress, and
Ivy's three wonderful sisters made this book an enjoyable
and satisfying read. The romance left me smiling, and I
recommend this book, and look forward to the upcoming
stories in the Fenwick Sisters Affairs series.
Hailed for her “wicked wit and exquisite sensuality”
(Booklist), Jillian Hunter, the New York
Times
bestselling author of the Boscastle Affairs novels and the
Bridal Pleasures novels returns with the Fenwick Sisters
Affairs, her ravishing new series of four sisters bound by
fortune, romance, and scandal....
Lady Ivy Fenwick is desperate. Since her father’s fatal
duel, she and her sisters have sold off every valuable
possession to make ends meet. With the manor stripped
bare,
Ivy has one last resort: Apply as governess to the Duke of
Ellsworth’s wards.
James should have known better than to hire the desirable
lady who had fallen on hard times—and who tempts him at
every turn. As her employer, he tries valiantly to remain
noble and not let a kiss they shared as strangers years
ago
entice him. Yet the more he learns of Ivy’s secrets, the
more he wants her. And when another suitor proves
aggressive, James is confronted with a challenge:
Surrender
Ivy or fight for the woman he’s come to love against all
odds, knowing that it takes a scoundrel to trump a
scoundrel.
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