A pretend proposal
For the unconventional heiress
When American heiress Violet Wilkins crosses paths with William, Duke of Charteris, she has extremely low expectations of the “Duke of Bore.” But when this seemingly stuffy aristocrat offers her escape from a dreadful arranged marriage, she leaps at the chance! To her surprise, the arresting Charles whisks Vi into an exhilarating make-believe romance. And as she gets to know the man behind the title, she can’t help wanting more…
My Thoughts
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is the second instalment in the Dollar Duchess series, and this time we follow the story of Violet. She is a rather unlikely Duchess, who finds herself – alongside her sister Lily – having to face the prospect of marriage despite her being somewhat unsure if that is even the life she wishes to lead.
Her father certainly has different ideas though, and Violet finds herself being tied in to a marriage that is certainly more for the benefit of the family and their business than it is for her finding love. Violet finds herself turning to William – the Duke of Bore for guidance on the matter, someone who is fast becoming a close confidant of hers, and before long they strike up an agreement that will benefit them both.
William has a rather stuffy reputation to shake off, and Violet is the perfect person to help him do so. When they come to the arrangement of embarking on a fake engagement to save Violet from the arranged marriage her family have lined up for her, they both expect it to be nothing more than a bit of fun, but as they spend more time with one another, they come to realise that they may in fact be a perfect match after all.
Both Violet and William are vibrant characters that you love the moment you meet them. The friendship they initially share is an absolute joy to follow, and makes the perfect groundwork for te blossoming romance that begins to build between them as the story moves forward. The author pays a great amount of detail to the era in which the book is set, truly giving you a feel as to how the characters would have lived and the ways in which their lives were often mapped out before them.
The storyline was wonderfully paced and kept me engrossed throughout, and with each passing chapter I found myself becoming more invested in Violet’s happiness and her living the life she so desperately longs for. Wonderfully written and full of drama, this is a fabulous book that I would happily recommend to others.
You can purchase a copy of this book by following the links below
US – https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Dukes-Fianc%C3%A9e-Victorian-Historical-ebook/dp/B08WK59LL1
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Playing-Dukes-Fianc%C3%A9e-Victorian-Historical-ebook/dp/B08WK59LL1
About the Author
Amanda wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen–a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject…)
She’s never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times BOOKReviews Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in Santa Fe with a Poodle, a cat, a wonderful husband, and a very and far too many books and royal memorabilia collections.
When not writing or reading, she loves taking dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network–even though she doesn’t cook.
Amanda also writes as Laurel McKee for Grand Central Publishing, the Elizabethan Mystery Series as Amanda Carmack, and the Manor Cat Mystery Series as Eliza Casey.
Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/amandamccabebooks/
*Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources, Harlequin Books and Amanda McCabe for providing me with a gifted copy of this book in return for my honest review. All thoughts are entirely my own and not influenced in any way.*
Victoria Wilks 