Genre: Romance, Historical, Regency
LGBTQ+ Category: Bi, Gay
Reviewer: Jay
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About The Book
Benedict Fitzsimmons, the reclusive fourteenth Duke of Ashington, nurses a secret desire for his own sex he’d much prefer nobody ever found out about. Indeed, having only ever given in to his urges as a youth—and with disastrous consequences—he never imagined they would. Preferring the company of his racehorses to people, Benedict spends most of his time working on estate matters, longing for a lost love he can never have.
When an anonymous letter threatening to expose Benedict lands in his lap, he’s shocked to the core. He doesn’t have any enemies; why would anyone want to destroy him? Terrified, and with his family’s impeccable reputation at stake, Benedict joins forces with loyal friend, the Earl of Rossingley, to track down the culprit.
Risen from poverty and with a sordid past he’d rather forget, Tommy Squire has a mind dedicated to growing his business ventures and a heart shaped from stone. When the man who once broke it in a life-changing betrayal requests Tommy’s help to avoid a scandal, he finds himself embroiled in a daring scheme to bring down a blackmailer. As their plot unfolds, Tommy realises it’s more than his former lover he’s endeavouring to protect, it’s his battered heart.
This second book in the Rossingley Regency romance series turns to friends of the fourteenth earl of Rossingley, Lando Duchamps-Avery, who once again has a hand in the shenanigans set in London’s wealthy Ton society. This book can be read as a standalone.
The Review
To Defend a Damaged Duke is set in the late Regency period, and the author makes sure the reader is aware of all the possible outcomes at that time of same sex relationships, from prison to social exclusion.
Benedict and Tommy had what seems to be a doomed love affair in their youth, and meet again much later, by which time Benedict has inherited a dukedom. Tommy forgives Benedict for his earlier abandonment, but then needs to help him defend himself from serious blackmail and other threats. He makes plans, with the help of various staunch friends, including Lord Rossingley of the series’ title.
There is plenty of action, family drama, and sex, both anticipated and explicit. It’s all quite beautifully written – I loved every moment of this story. Fans of Regency romance will be captivated by this book.
I, for one, am about to seek out the rest of the series.
The Reviewer
I’ve been doing book reviews on my website, crossposted or linked to various social media, for a few years. I read a number of genres but I really enjoy all kinds of speculative fiction so thought I’d like to share my views with you. I love sci fi and other speculative fiction because of the way it can, at its best, make us see ourselves in a new light. Quite apart from the exciting stories, of course! I used to be an English teacher, and I’m a writer (fantasy) so I can be quite critical about style etc. but I hope I can also appreciate properly some books that don’t appeal to me personally but might be simply perfect for others. I have, obviously, read widely, and continue to do so.
