My One and Only Duke

August 20, 2018
Burrowes opens the Rogues to Riches series with a gentle, optimistic Regency morality tale, promoting the value of looking toward the future over becoming mired in revenge. Quinn Wentworth’s hard-earned money fails to protect him from being framed for murder, but he hopes to put some to good use by marrying Jane Winston, an impoverished, pregnant young widow: when he’s hanged, she’ll inherit his wealth. A last-minute royal reprieve leaves Quinn alive with a ducal title that provides responsibilities, more debt than assets, and a new reason to hate his noble rivals. Meanwhile, Jane is stunned to go from widow to duchess. Jane and Quinn face the challenge of building a marriage in truth, and their mutual fondness and fierce protectiveness are palpable as they work through their emotional scars. Witty and complex secondary characters, particularly Quinn’s gossip-loving manservant, Ned, and his cantankerous brother, Stephen (whose brilliant intelligence and physical disability are clear nods to Stephen Hawking), round out the novel’s appeal. This appealing volume also contains a lighthearted Christmas novella by Elizabeth Hoyt (Once upon a Maiden Lane).

September 15, 2018
Days away from being executed for a murder he didn't commit, wealthy banker Quinn Wentworth tries to do good. He helps feed others in prison and agrees to marry Jane, a pregnant widow, so that her future is secure. Then, at the last moment, he is saved by being identified as a duke. Jane is happy that the charming man she married is saved and that she can escape her angry preacher father. Quinn brings several prisoners out with him and improves their lives. Jane betters the Wentworth home and the lives of Quinn's three troubled siblings. Quinn wants revenge on the person who set him up, though he begins to listen to his wife's talk about forgiveness and moving on. Will these two find love? Burrowes offers a fun and provocative new premise, along with her trademark intelligent heroine and hero, as she kicks off the Rogues to Riches series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from October 15, 2018

Sentenced to be hanged on a trumped-up charge, wealthy banker Quinn Wentworth is startled when his rather elegant Newgate Prison cell is invaded by preacher's daughter Jane Winston; she only needs a place to wait while her father ministers to the inmates. Quinn soon figures out that Jane, widowed, pregnant, and totally dependent on her judgmental, impractical parent's whims, needs much more than that, so he offers her marriage and financial security, with both of them fully aware that he will be dead and she will be widowed within a week. When Quinn is discovered to be the heir to a dukedom and is literally snatched from the hangman's noose, their plans change in ways they could never have predicted. A self-made hero driven by justice and intent on revenge and a caring heroine determined to turn her hasty marriage into something more join forces to see that a truly despicable villain gets his just desserts. A well-developed supporting cast add color and enchantment--a smart, loyal guttersnipe and the hero's eccentric sisters are unforgettable--and the attention paid to social and women's issues of the time is sure to resonate with readers. VERDICT Skillfully crafted and exquisitely written (the classical allusions are delightful), Burrowes's latest is pure gold; a brilliant launch to a promising series. Burrowes (A Rogue of Her Own) lives in rural Maryland.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.