AAR

[Tinabelle]

The Art of Duke Hunting - Sophia Nash
Grade: A-

This review contains MILD SPOILERS.



I liked this 2nd entry in the Royal Entourage series much better than the first book, Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea. Usually, when there are a lot of big misunderstandings and failures to communicate that drive a plot, I get frustrated. It didn't bother me so much here because neither Esme nor Roman were in the "too stupid to live" category. Esme had no confidence in her ability to believe that someone like Roman could love her and Roman truly believed that he was cursed and could not risk caring about someone, have someone care about him, and then dieing prematurely. Their reasons for their actions and thinking made sense to me based on their pasts.

I really liked Esme a lot. Despite her lack of confidence, she was kind, generous, smart, and independent without being feisty. Roman hid his real self behind his public personna of "royal entourage rake." He carried guilt over the death of his brother and yet was a very kind, caring, intelligent person who wanted to do good for humanity. And I would go so far as to say he was a romantic at heart. They both suffered from the "saying one thing and thinking another" syndrome. He sincerely believed that letting Esme go was his sacrifice for giving her what she said she wanted. I enjoyed watching their friendship develop into a caring relationship. It made their love that much more poignant.

I loved that Roman finally admitted that Esme was the woman for him and that he wanted to build a life with her despite the curse or her professed desire to live an independent life. And when he overcame his fear of the sea and chased after Esme in Abshire's yacht, my heart just beat with joy. I really believed in their HEA.

This could be read as a stand-alone. There were enough hints of other stories to come and I am curious about what is going on between Verity and Abshire. And what is that feud with Canover and Abshire? Can't wait for the next book.
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