What's a Duke Got to Do With It

by Christina Britton

Overview

In this emotional tale of acceptance and healing, a woman unlucky in life and love has a second chance at romance when she runs into a dashing Duke from her past.

The last thing Katrina Denby expected to find in her garden is the body of the man who ruined her three seasons ago. No matter that his death is a tragic accident, the rumors are enough to kill any woman’s prospects. With two scandals now hounding her, the best she can hope for is a hasty marriage of convenience—until her first love shows up in her drawing room, reminding her of all the reasons why she wanted a love match. If only he weren’t already engaged. . .

Sebastian Thorne, Duke of Ramsleigh, knows what he has to do to save the dukedom from the crushing debts and scandal his father left: marry and marry well. He’s picked the lady, too—a baron’s daughter who is pleasant, if a little boring. But seeing Katrina again makes him want to throw all those perfectly laid plans out the window. The first chance he had with her, he chose his duty over his heart. Doing so again might prove utterly impossible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538710425
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	07/11/2023
Series:	Synneful Spinsters , #2
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	218,296
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 6.60(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Christina Britton developed a passion for writing romance novels shortly after buying her first at the impressionable age of thirteen. Though for several years she put brush instead of pen to paper, she has returned to her first love and is now writing full time. She spends her days dreaming of corsets and cravats and noblemen with tortured souls.

She lives with her husband and two children in the San Francisco Bay Area.

To learn more, visit:
ChristinaBritton.com
Twitter @CBrittonAuthor
Facebook.com/ChristinaBrittonAuthor

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/15/2023

Worthy characters get a second chance in Britton’s masterful second Synneful Spinsters Regency (after Some Dukes Have All the Luck). Katrina Denby’s hopes for more than flirtation with the rakishly charming Sebastian Thorne, Duke of Ramsleigh, are dashed when she is accosted by the amorous Lord Landon, ruining her reputation. The scandal forces her into exile on the Isle of Synne, where, four years later, she works as a companion to the prickly Lady Tesh. Katrina’s life is again interrupted when Lord Landon pursues her once more—only to fall to his death while trying to climb through her bedroom window. Though her friends stand behind her, others hold her responsible for Landon’s death and treat her as an outcast. Things become even more complicated when Sebastian (who is just as dashing as ever) arrives on the Isle as part of an elaborate plan to marry an heiress and save his dukedom—only to be distracted by his lingering love for Katrina. Britton creates high stakes and deep emotion by demonstrating the dangers and constraints of women’s day-to-day lives at the turn of the 19th century and then soothes aching hearts with a swoonworthy love story. Readers won’t want to put this down. Agent: Kim Lionetti, BookEnds Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Readers won’t want to put this down."—Publishers Weekly

"This fast-paced Regency romance features both a sweet love story and steamy love scenes, and a compelling cast of charismatic characters rounds out the engaging and alluring narrative."—Library Journal

"A charming and thoughtful regency romance."—Kirkus

“The endearing, complex characters provide a firm foundation for this emotional tale of acceptance and healing.”—Publishers Weekly on Some Dukes Have All the Luck

"With its bookish heroine, brooding hero and smoking love scenes, Some Dukes Have All the Luck is sigh-worthy fare."

—BookPage on Some Dukes Have All the Luck

"For readers who like to feel all the emotions of a story."—Library Journal on Some Dukes Have All the Luck

From the Publisher

05/01/2023

Gone are the days when Katrina Denby and Sebastian Thorne were society darlings, a seemingly perfect pair on their way to happily ever after. Though time has seen Katrina reduced to a life of service, and Sebastian raised to the title of duke, they both now know the repercussions of shame and scandal and feel a need to atone for the errors of others. Seeking advantageous marriage matches to save their fortunes and reputations, they are reunited by fate, which rekindles their passion. Will obligation force them to overlook their feelings, or can they see past their circumstances to find the truth of their desires? In the second installment of her "Synneful Spinsters" saga (following Some Dukes Have All the Luck), Britton returns readers to the Isle of Synne and its formidable inhabitants. This fast-paced Regency romance features both a sweet love story and steamy love scenes, and a compelling cast of charismatic characters rounds out the engaging and alluring narrative. VERDICT This novel will appeal to readers seeking a well-developed and heartwarming historical romance about reputation, responsibility, and redemption. Recommended for fans of Sabrina Jeffries, Lenora Bell, and Anne Gracie.—Lauren Hackert

Library Journal

2023-04-24
One lord flattens her life and the next one restores it.

Katrina Denby’s life has been ruined twice by the same man. Four seasons ago, Lord Landon tried to climb into her window, despite her complete lack of interest in him. Now, he’s tracked her down to the sleepy seaside resort on the Isle of Synne to do it again, and the problem is that, this time, he's fallen out of the window and died. Even though she’s been living quietly with her beloved dog, Mouse, as a companion to a dowager viscountess, her already-tenuous reputation is suddenly in tatters. She’s accepted the fact that at this point, she just needs to marry any man who’ll have her to avoid being completely shunned, but that changes when she learns that Sebastian, Duke of Ramsleigh, is in town. Both are shocked to see each other again, as their flirtations were on the verge of becoming more serious just before Lord Landon ruined her season. Unfortunately, Sebastian has had a rough few years as well and is now practically engaged, desperate to marry an heiress to save his bankrupt dukedom. He’s only on Synne at his future father-in-law’s request, charged with helping his soon-to-be fiancee’s brother, but both he and Katrina quickly forget the depths of their despair when they feel the flame they were stoking four years ago flare back into life. Though their chemistry is instantly obvious to everyone they know, there are real obstacles between them, so their connection is the driving force of the plot, giving the story an almost naïve sweetness through some difficult circumstances and a few steamy moments. Katrina and Sebastian are easy to root for, and the small-town setting provides a Regency backdrop that shows life at the beach could be as cruel as society in London—readers are advised to check the content warnings at the start of the book. Though the ending is almost unbelievably tidy, devoted historical romance readers will enjoy another trip to the Isle of Synne.

A charming and thoughtful Regency romance.

Kirkus Reviews