Review: A Duke in Disguise

A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is only the second book I've read by Cat Sebastian, but I've already become a fan of her writing. I loved "A Duke in Disguise," a refreshingly different take on historical romance. Verity and Ash were such likeable, well-developed characters and I really appreciated the fact that they managed to stay true to themselves despite the many changes that took place over the course of the story. Not only that, both Ash and Verity were clear on what they wanted and were willing to accept in terms of a relationship, and they actually communicated those desires and expectations to each other. One of my pet peeves in a romance is when the main characters fail to communicate honestly with their partner, and it was truly delightful to read about a couple who, despite the many challenges they faced, managed to avoid that trap and work together to build a relationship that allowed them both to be happy.

I also enjoyed this book's unique setting away from the typical ballrooms and other trappings of upper class Regency society. It was interesting to get a sense of what life might have been like for families like Verity's, who weren't wealthy and actually had to worry about things like how to make four mutton chops feed eight people when there were unexpected dinner guests or how to stretch a stew so it would last for two meals instead of one. The courtroom scenes were also interesting and different, though the timeline for Ash's court case was probably unrealistic (which, to be fair, is acknowledged and explained in the Author's Note).

Finally, it was good to catch up with Mrs. Allenby and her daughter Amelia, who appeared as secondary characters in the first book of this series as well. I really hope there are plans for Amelia to get her own book in the future!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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