The Reluctant Duchess

Lady Rowena Kinnaird may be the heiress to a Highland earldom, but she has never felt good enough—not for her father, not for the man she thought she’d marry, not for God. But after a shocking attack, she’s willing to be forever an outcast if it means escaping Loch Morar and the men who have jeopardized her life.

Brice Myerston, the Duke of Nottingham, has suddenly found himself in possession of a rare treasure his enemies are prepared to kill for. While Brice has never been one to shy away from manor-born ladies, the last thing he needs is the distraction of his neighbor, Lady Rowena, who finds herself in a desperate situation. But when the moody Earl of Lochabar tries to trap Brice into marrying Rowena, Brice finds he’s not as opposed to the idea as he expected to be.

Rowena wanted to escape the Highlands, but she’s reluctant to resort to marrying a notorious flirt just to gain his English home. And when she learns that Brice is mixed up in some kind of questionable business with a stolen treasure, she ’fears she’s about to end up directly in the path of everything she was trying to avoid.

My thoughts: This story is excellent! I wasn't so sure how I would like the direction it was heading in from the get go, but I love how the author wrote about beauty springing from tragedy and helping the reader to see some of the characters in a deeper way. I love the theme of religion and how folklore and curses fit in Christianity. Roseanna does a wonderful job of meshing Rowena's highland world to Brice's high society one. I appreciate the depth to this story and look forward to reading the next book in the series!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.