‘A Duke in the Night’ Meets His Match [REVIEW]

London nights are full of dangerous possibilities. (Photo courtesy Canva)

A titled rogue. A stalwart headmistress. When their paths cross once again, will an old attraction catch fire, or will their personal differences impede romance? Find out in Kelly Bowen’s A Duke in the Night.

Forever

August Faulkner may be an important businessman. He may also be nobility. But even his title as the twelfth Duke of Holloway can not hide what a rascal he truly is. For despite his considerable wealth, he’s scorned for his shrewd aptitude for commerce and his penchant for the company of pretty women. Not that he cares what other people think about him. He’s rather proud of his reputation as an unrepentant cad. Yet if August is a rake, then Clara Hayward must be a saint.

As headmistress of the Haverhall School for Young Ladies, Clara is the epitome of decorum. In fact, she safeguards her reputation even more than August does his. Still, when they run into each other after a scandalous waltz ten years before, she feels something powerful stir within her that she would just as soon forget: undeniable attraction. She knows he’s dangerous, and that the only thing he’s after is her family’s business, and yet her heart has its own ideas, and she can’t help but risk everything on the very man who can destroy her.

Although I am not one who reads historical novels as a rule, Kelly Bowen captures the essence of the Regency era in A Duke In the Night. Bowen writes characters who are enigmatic and flawed, including that of Clara, a woman whose laser focus and astute determination spoke to me on many levels. She is not one who is easily fooled or swayed to do something she feels is unethical. In fact, Clara judiciously weighs the pros and cons of helping young poor women become independent and strong, rather than just a piece of property to be married off to a “good” husband.

Due to her unmitigated zeal and belief in true equality, Clara forges a path most women do not conceive of at the time by opening the Haverhall School for Young Ladies. Characters like this really captivate my imagination and thereby interest me in reading a genre I am not normally drawn to. Also, Clara’s drive, wit and spunky attitude propel the story forward and keep me reading until the last page is turned. If you like novels by Amanda Quick and Sabrina Jeffries, you’re going to love Kelly Bowen. Don’t miss her Devils of Dover series or A Duke in the Night. 

Kelly Bowen
(Photo by Jody Sie)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelly Bowen grew up in Manitoba, Canada, and earned a master of science degree in veterinary physiology and endocrinology from the University of Manitoba.

But it was Kelly’s infatuation with history and a weakness for a good love story that led her down the path to historical romance. When she is not writing, she seizes every opportunity to explore ruins and battlefields.

Currently Kelly lives in Winnipeg with her husband and two boys, all of whom are wonderfully patient with the writing process. Except, that is, when they need a goalie for street hockey.

Learn more at KellyBowen.net, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

A DUKE IN THE NIGHT
By Kelly Bowen
336 pp. Forever. $7.99

Purchase A Duke in the Night at one of these online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, and Powell’s.