Waking Up With the Duke

<b>Warning: This review is filled with spoilers, profanities, and graphic threats of violence against a specific character that would make Hannibal proud.</b> If you still want read on, go ahead, but don't say I didn't warn you. This won't be pretty, because I'm writing this while I'm mad as hell. In fact, here's a preview of what's to come:<br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1420704663ra/13253869.gif" width="400" height="200" alt="description" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>I respect Lorraine Heath's storytelling abilities very much. So much so, in fact, that <b>I always take a risk with her, <u>even if the premise of her stories would normally warrant me running for the hills</u></b>. And this is one of such stories. I mean, <i>hello, a woman getting knocked up by another man because her own husband couldn't give her a child?</i> My normal reaction to that would be a big "fuck, no" because I'm probably the greatest stickler for morality you could ever meet in life, and I just cannot—cannot—tolerate infidelity. And violence against women, manipulation, and the hero loving the heroine and another woman at the same time (ugh).<br><br>All themes I have encountered in Lorraine Heath's works. But they didn't end up as 1 or 2-star books, which says a lot, believe me. In fact, I ended up liking or even loving them. Why? Because her writing is nothing if not brilliant, and her characters are normally very compelling. They have many dimensions to them, and there's always something about them that manages to redeem whatever mistake they've made in the story.<br><br><b>But that's not the case with this.</b><br><br><b> <u>Because there is no way I could ever forgive Walfort, that lying, deceiving, manipulative, unrepentant motherfucker.</u> </b> If he didn't die at the end the book, I would have killed that bastard myself. No, I wouldn't have finished him off quickly—I'm not that kind. Instead, I would have tortured him slowly—flayed his skin as he looked on, tore his limbs one by one—and then I would laugh, laugh so hard, as he'd lie there, begging me to end his agony. But of course, I would let him bleed to death, because he deserved nothing less. Yes, I hate him that much.<br><br>Okay, before you brand me as a psychotic SOB, let me give you a brief run-through of what happened. You see, Walfort was the heroine's husband, the same husband who persuaded her to let his best friend, Ainsley, impregnate her. Walfort here suffered an accident that prevented him from doing that particular job. And he blamed Ainsley for it, and used that reason to blackmail him into doing the deed with his wife.<br><br>Yeah, amazing, right? And as if that wasn't disgusting enough, you'll find out later that he actually lied to Ainsley. Yes, you read that right: <b> <u>he fucking lied to his best friend to manipulate him</u> </b>. And when Ainsley confonted him, you would think that he would at least be sorry, especially since he was about to die at that time, but no. The fucker, as I said, was an unrepentant piece of shit.<br><blockquote>“Why would you let me believe all these years that my reckless handling of the horses resulted in the accident?”<br>“Because, my friend, guilt is a very valuable currency, and I needed to ensure you watched over my jewels.”<br>“I would have watched over them regardless,” he said.<br>“I had to ensure it, old boy.”</blockquote><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1450591278ra/17447179.gif" width="400" height="200" alt="description" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>You see? No remorse at all. And to make matters worse, he had another family while married to the heroine. <b><u>He was actually fucking his mistress while the heroine was pregnant the first time, with his child</u> (but she later on miscarried)</b>. Seriously, fuck you. Fuck you to hell, Walfort. Fuck. You.<br><br>My hatred for Walfort affected my feelings for Ainsley, sadly, because Ainsley knew about his other children and didn't tell the heroine. Sure, I get it, it was out of loyalty for his best friend, but what the fuck, you would think that his love for the woman would override that. She deserved to know the truth, damn it. She deserved to have a shred of dignity left after her sham of a marriage to that pig sapped everything from her.<br><br>I'm sorry, but yes, my hatred for a particular character overshadowed everything else in the book. As with all my reviews, I'm just being honest about my feelings. <b>This book made me feel like shit, and I just can't lie about that.</b>

As much as I love Regency Romance novels, most of them have two things in common that I could really live without: A young innocent, virginal heroine... and a long, long wait for a sexual payoff. The first, I find unrelatable and get somewhat irritated that an insipid 19 year-old is the "woman" I'm supposed to rooting for. The second generally makes me impatient and frustrated. <br /><br />It would be easy to say I was crazy about this book because it features a grown woman with a sexual history --and because we get to the action quickly. But it wouldn't do the book justice. There was even more to fall in love with.<br /><br />Jayne is a loyal and loving wife to Walfort. Three years ago, her husband was in a carriage accident that left him paralyzed. She's been taking care of him ever since. In addition to the obvious hardship of his care, she also lost the baby she was carrying due to the stress of his near-death experience. And she has no chance to have another, since the accident robbed him of the ability to make love.<br /><br />Walfort decides his wife deserves a baby, and he gets it in his head to ask his best friend Ainsley to get the job done. Ainsley is notorious rake and he still feels guilty that he escaped the carriage accident unscathed, when Walfort was so badly injured. Jayne is appalled by the idea. Not only is she a woman utterly devoted to her husband, but she blames Ainsley for the accident and hates his guts. But Ainsley uses his exceptional charms to change her mind --and soon she is at his county estate for a month of, er, family planning.<br /><br />Jayne is a really great lead. She is a good woman, who is struggling to deal with the terrible hand life has dealt her. And we see her slowly come alive under Ainsley's care. The romance is both sexy and quite lovely. The first half of the book flies by.<br /><br />It's not hard to figure out there is only one way for our characters to have a happy ending. And as the inevitable happens, the book does lose a little bit of steam. It takes Jayne a little too long to come around. Yes, her misgivings are well-within character, but by this point, I'm ready to get back to all the romance and sex that was so great at the beginning. And, of course, we do get there.<br /><br />At no time did I ever find fault with Jayne for falling in love with Ainsley. If anything, as the book progressed, I find her husband to be more and more of a slimy toad, unworthy of his wife. There's a lot of heartache and heartbreak on these pages, but it makes a happy ending so much sweeter when we get there.<br /><br />This was a good one. 4 1/2 stars.

I must confess that I had my doubts about this book from the moment I read the synopsis. I don't think I would have picked it up were I not familiar with this author, and particularly had I not read the prequels to this novel. Maybe that means it simply wasn't for me to begin with, but I did want to read Ainsly's story.<br /><br />Here's the premise: Jane's husband is paralyzed and can't get her pregnant. He wants her to have a child, so he convinces his cousin, the Duke of Ainsly, to do the deed for him. Jane reluctantly agrees, so the two go off to spend a month together, during which time they fall in love. <br /><br />I have never cared for a historical romance in which a married woman falls in love with someone else, and this was no exception. Inevitably, we spend the entire book waiting for the husband to die because that's the only thing that can happen. It's morbid. It's disturbing. And it is decidedly UNromantic. It doesn't even matter if the husband is a jerk. This guy...he was okay. Had his faults. But I certainly didn't want him to die. Meanwhile, all the scenes in which Jane and Ainsly come together were blackened by the knowledge of what had to happen for their HEA to come to pass, leaving me dead inside. <br /><br />To make a long story short: They weren't free to love one another. So I wasn't free to fall in love with the idea of them coming together.

<b>I love this book! Lorraine Heath proves yet again why she is one of my top favourite authors with this beautifully written and wonderfully romantic love story.</b><br><br>Ainsley really made this book for me. He’s such a wonderful hero; a tender, sweet, caring man. I love how he treats Jayne with such patience and sensitivity; how he is totally devoted to fulfilling her every desire; how he makes her feel treasured.<br><br><i>He wanted her to have happiness. He wanted to give her what Walfort could not, regardless of the cost to himself.</i><br><br>My heart went out to Jayne. She has lost everything but still shows strength and courage. She remains a devoted wife despite her husband’s lack of affection but longs for things she cannot have.<br><br><i>…she so desperately wanted to feel again. Pleasure, hope, possibilities, dreams, passion.</i><br><br>I love how Ms Heath shows the relationship between Ainsley and Jayne slowly changing over the course of the month they spend together. She makes their romance both believable and emotionally satisfying. Jayne’s feelings towards Ainsley don’t suddenly change overnight but, as they spend more time together, she comes to enjoy his company, to understand him, to respect him and ultimately fall in love with him.<br><br><i>She was capturing more glimpses into the man, and each one touched her heart.</i><br><br>Who wouldn’t fall in love with a man who treats you like the most precious woman in the world? <br><br>I have always admired Ms Heath’s writing. Highly evocative, deeply emotional and lushly sensual, she creates a real sense of mood and atmosphere whether it’s moments that are…<br><br><b> <i>romantic…</i> </b><br><br><i>“I love you, Jayne Seymour, future Duchess of Ainsley, with all my heart and soul.”</i><br><br>or<br><br><b> <i>poignant…</i> </b><br><br><i>Lowering his head, he placed a kiss on the spot where their child—for this moment in time it was <u>theirs</u>—grew.</i><br><br>or<br><br><b> <i> sensual…</i> </b><br><br><i>His talented hands roamed over every dip, peak, and valley. His mouth left hers, to journey along her flesh, trailing across her neck, teasing the delicate underside of her chin. Lower, to her shoulders. A nip here. A love bite there.</i><br><br>Walfort is a difficult character to define. I suppose you would have to call him the villain of the piece but his actions aren’t truly villainous and I’m glad that Ms Heath paints him in shades of grey rather than stark black. I certainly didn’t like him for all the pain he caused Jayne but neither could I truly hate him.<br> <br>In the previous books, I always had a soft spot for Ainsley’s mother Tess and her younger lover, Leo. Tess loves her sons and really wants to see them happy and Leo is such a sweetheart and it’s obvious he loves Tess to distraction. I was so pleased to see them finally get their Happy Ever After. <br><br><i>His arm came around her, holding her near. It took long moments for their breathing to return to normal, for their hearts to stop pounding. Content, she began drifting off to sleep. <br>“By the way, Tess . . .”<br> “Hmm?” <br>“The answer is yes. I’ll marry you.”</i><br><br><b>This is such a beautifully crafted and emotionally satisfying love story which really touches the heart. Highly recommended.</b><br><br><b>RATING : 5/5 Stars</b><br><br><b>SENSUALITY RATING : HOT</b><br><br>London's Greatest Lovers series (click on book for more details)<br><br><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/7713862.Passions_of_a_Wicked_Earl__London_s_Greatest_Lovers___1_" title="Passions of a Wicked Earl (London's Greatest Lovers, #1) by Lorraine Heath" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1295828689s/7713862.jpg" alt="Passions of a Wicked Earl (London's Greatest Lovers, #1) by Lorraine Heath" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/7713857.Pleasures_of_a_Notorious_Gentleman__London_s_Greatest_Lovers___2_" title="Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman (London's Greatest Lovers, #2) by Lorraine Heath" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1296247537s/7713857.jpg" alt="Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman (London's Greatest Lovers, #2) by Lorraine Heath" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/9528246.Waking_Up_With_the_Duke__London_s_Greatest_Lovers___3_" title="Waking Up With the Duke (London's Greatest Lovers, #3) by Lorraine Heath" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327876988s/9528246.jpg" alt="Waking Up With the Duke (London's Greatest Lovers, #3) by Lorraine Heath" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>

One of the more angsty historical romances I've read and I LOVED it.<br /><br />Will be in my next vlog

I have waited so long for this book and the blurb for it made me pre-order!<br /><br /><br />But,but...but...oh...but!<br /><br />After reading it I have this bitter sweet taste in my mouth and while I write this rew I almost wish I never read it. The love story between the hero and heroine was very sweet and it satisfied me. If I was to rate only them and maybe the duke's mother and Leo then I would have given it nothing under 4 stars, maybe even 5. But alas, as the author sates in the end of the book she was fascinated with husbands that have second families.<br />Well, sure. But I had the following problems with that and this book in general:<br /><br /><b>BIS SPOILERS AHEAD</b><br /><br />a)The husband's feelings-he never really told me what he felt. I could feel his hurt over his wife being in love with the hero. He dreaded. He tells us how he loves her now, how he really saw her after the accident. But still he went to see his kids. Sure, seeing ones children is cool. But he still loves his mistress. Huh? Who does this man love? Really, who? I have no idea. And that bugged me. I know that the fact that he had kids and an other woman was hush hush trough most of the story so it could be a big bang…but sheesh, I had to go back and re-read the stuff he said. After I re read them I realized that I have no idea what he was feeling. And I never will.<br /><br />b)The mistress-Let me start with the fact that there was one. I think that this story would not have left such a bad taste in my mouth if there were you know, women! But the fact that he had one with and that he had kids…By the was, why did he even have kids? French letters, stopped intercourse, etc-he planned to marry, hello! But again I guess there would be a less dramatic taste to his death if he did not have kids. And I keep going back to the fact that he did not have a penny to his name when he married-which means he kept his mistress’s house with his wife’s money. Horrible. The author tells me that he was not a bad man…well I kind of feel like I would have stabbed him with a letter opener if he did not die himself. I mean,god damn it, what is it that he wanted to get (this is again reason a) in parts) ? He made the hero and heroine fall in love and then? And then? He wanted her to have kids,ok. And then? What did he bring them but misery? All this while having fun with his mistress! W.t.f! He was just a selfish prick. Yes he was a manipulator but he never stopped to think in advance. About anything. So he spoiled most of my book. And then the mistress herself comes up and I just wanted to slap her.<br /><br />‘Oh, oh, we like, touched and I was like gone! He told me he was gonna marry me, and I totally wanted because he had a title and was so cool, but he didn’t and I already had a kid and kind of loved him so hey I spent his money and had sex with him to celebrate the fact his wife was preggers! Oh, and now that he is dead I told people that this kid the heroine is having is not his. Because I did not want anybody to think I could not make him get it up! But I am really really sorry!’ Yes, I modernized the things she said. She sounded like the village whore even thou the author wanted to show her as a nice little commoner. If she was telling this in today's world she would be wearing a pink beby doll and she would have a big bubble gum that she kept jacking. But the thing that happened to her in the end brings me to <br /><br />c)The tied ends. In the end she marries a viscount. Like I would have cared if she just went somewhere and died, really. And please! How does one common girl meet so many titled people and actually makes one marry her even thou she has two bastards? It would be ok in a nice lite HR but this whole book was about realism. So, where is the realism? Oh,and the rest of it was all so neat! Gah! The mistress had girls. No boy. Talk about convenient. Also the kid the heroine was to have with her husband she miscarried. Goody, goody! The man that gets the title after the heroines husband seems to be nice even thou he tried to ruin the future of the heroine's child. But hey it was his title ! Uh…if the said husband did not brake his spine there would be no title to pass to him! So why is it ok for him to be a bastard? It’s not. Oh! So he is a bastard? Well, no, he is nice. Oh, what ever,right!? All tied up in a nice pink bow.<br /><br />All in all I know , as I stated that the author wanted a story about wayward husbands. But the premises I read about made me think of the book <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/6306102.Anchor_and_Storm" title="Anchor and Storm by Kate Poole" rel="noopener">Anchor and Storm</a>. It was about sharing a woman and it made me smile. It was a low cost book and not many people read it. The sad thing was that it was so much better than this one! It still had a lot of angst and a semy sad ending but it was never crude. Then again these whole series is categorized as realistic. That translates to cheaters, bastards, drama. And that means trouble. At least in my world. So, this book? Not a thing you would want to buy.<br />

This book made me feel, for a lack of a better term, like crap. The heroine was stripped off her dignity by the betrayal of her husband and it was not fully restored by the end of the book. My biggest issue here is the lack of respect for the heroine. No amount of hot sex scenes, or passionate confessions could erase the fact that she was disrespected in such a bad way, and I just cannot tolerate that in a romance novel.

<b>4.5 stars</b><br />This was SOOOOO much better than the first two books!!! And I suggest skipping them altogether if you are so inclined, just to get to Ainsley. The youngest brother, he has been the constant voice of reason, so steadfast and responsible in his Duke-ly duties. He is old beyond his years.<br /><br />For the last three years, the Duke of Ainsley has felt responsible for the accident that robbed his cousin of his ability to walk...after all, he was holding the reins, and drinking while doing so. The accident also left his cousin's wife, Jayne, in such distress that she lost their child. Basically, he feels responsible for the ruination of both of their lives. So when his cousin asks him to impregnate his wife to repay the debt he owes them, Ainsley reluctantly accepts.<br /><br />The idea seemed a little farfetched at first, but Ms. Heath somehow made it all believable. Indeed, I shed tears more than once, for both Jayne and Ainsley. Jayne is such a sweet soul, and her life is consumed with taking care of a husband who can no longer walk...and who also no longer seemingly has any affection for her. Her existence is lonely, and at first she also blames Ainsley for the accident. <br /><br />But this romance blooms so BEAUTIFULLY! Really, this is truly romance...slow to build, then passionate and poetic, and even tragic at times. Ainsley has to seduce Jayne, and I was seduced just reading it. Whew! This is the epitome of seduction...slow and sensual. I couldn't help but figure out exactly HOW Jayne and Ainsley would get to be together. It was pretty predictable. But that was okay, because the way the story is told, I was still consumed. I stayed up until two in the morning, anxious to get to their happily ever after.<br /><br />Also, the story of Tessa and Leo (the mother of the Greatest Lovers), whom we have come to know during the course of this trilogy, get their own conclusive ending. I loved Tessa!!!! I loved that she is middle aged, with three titled sons and grandchildren, yet is still living the life that she wants. I love how unconventional she is and how she doesn't give a damn about society and how she will be recieved. She's a duchess, and she'll do whatever she pleases! So her lover Leo is a huge part of her life. (squeee!) I love that the boys accept him simply because he makes their mother happy and treats her like a queen.<br /><br />Overall, this is by far my fave of the series. It was very emotional, and tugs at both my maternal and romantic heartstrings.

"A RARE GEM OF A BOOK"<br />It's a 6 star book for me,,i have read countless historical romances and used to think none can match Judith Mcnaught's writings since she truly is queen of HR's but this is one book that really matches up her mark.<br />Lorraine Heath outdid herself in this one,i found the plot extremely different from the usual HR plots(and they are very predictable), i fell in love with Ainsley and Jayne ,it was so well scripted that one could feel the sparks flying and i hung on to everyword and just when it felt the story was getting predictable there was an amazingly well planned twist.<br />The end was very sweetly ROMANTIC,,every emotion was beautifully penned and gave a sense of contentment after reading, not one where one feels something is missing.<br />Epilogue was just perfect.<br />Definitely a read again book.<br />Simply loved it!!

The TBR Challenge for June was to read a book by an author who has More Than One book in my TBR pile. Having thoroughly enjoyed Lorraine Heath’s recent <b> <i>Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James</i> </b> series, I have purchased a number of her other books and picked this title from 2011, hoping for more of her excellent, emotionally charged storytelling.<br /><br />Well. Emotionally charged it certainly was – and then some – and even though I got choked up on several occasions, <b>Waking Up With the Duke</b> was thoroughly enjoyable; a superbly wrought story in which the author brilliantly manages to steer-clear of the traps which can so often lie in wait when pursuing this particular storyline.<br /><br />Ransom Seymour, the Duke of Ainsley has it all. He’s young, drop-dead gorgeous, charming, wealthy, titled – in short he’s almost too good to be true. He also happens to have a bit of a tendre for Jayne, the wife of his cousin and best friend the Marquess of Walfort, which is something he normally doesn’t think about or acknowledge to himself until, right at the start of the book, Walfort practically demands that Ainsley sleeps with her in order to get her pregnant. Due to a serious accident some years previously, the marquess is no longer able to perform his husbandly duties, and, knowing of his wife’s longing for a child, wants to give her something in return for her unfailing love and loyalty, and to make her happy.<br /><br />Ainsley is horrified and immediately says no, but Walfort is insistent. Ainsley owes him, he says, because he was driving their carriage when it overturned, maiming him and indirectly causing Jayne to lose the child she was carrying due to the shock and stress of almost losing her husband. But no amount of guilt will persuade Ainsley that the scheme is a sensible one. For one thing, Jayne despises him, blaming him for the accident and for the loss of the life she had looked forward to leading, that of a wife and mother. And for another, Ainsley is convinced that betraying her marriage vows - even in such a cause and with her husband’s permission – would destroy Jayne, even if she would consider the idea. He is also aware that he could not remain dispassionate, either, knowing how easy it would be for him to fall in love with her completely, and how gut-wrenching it would be to have her and then have to give up both Jayne and any child of their union.<br /><br /><i>”To give her what she wanted, he feared he might well destroy her. In doing so, he could very well destroy himself.”</i><br /><br />The more Ainsley thinks about it, the more terrible an idea it becomes, but Walfort is persistent and not above manipulating his cousin, suggesting that if Ainsley is unwilling, he will find someone else - even though that someone might not be as careful of Jayne as he knows Ainsley will be. Walfort also says that it’s only fair that Jayne should at least enjoy the experience – and Ainsley is not known as one of London’s Greatest Lovers for nothing. <br /><br />Jayne is just as aghast when her husband suggests the plan to her, although she agrees to think about it. She does long for a child, but the thought of being with Ainsley terrifies her – and not just because she dislikes him. She’s still a young woman and she’s not blind to his personal attractions, but when she said “for better or worse”, she meant it and the thought of betraying her vows sickens her. Eventually, however, Walfort wears them down, manipulating Jayne by insisting that giving her her heart’s desire will make <b> <i>him</i> </b> happy in much the same way uses Ainsley’s guilt to ensure his assistance. They agree to spend a month together at a discreet location, and hopefully at the end of that time, Jayne will have conceived. After that, she will return to her husband. Ainsley knows it will be impossible for him to maintain his close friendship with his cousin because it will be too painful to watch Jayne grow large with child and then be unable to acknowledge his offspring or hold a place in its life.<br /><br />All three principals – Jayne, Ainsley and Walfort – are three-dimensional, multi-layered characters, particularly Walfort, who is complex, mixed-up and all-too human. His motives for acting as he does are complicated, and while he undoubtedly does some despicable things, he’s not an out-and-out villain, because there is another side to his story, one in which he is doing what he perceives to be the right thing by his heart and his conscience. <br /><br />Jayne, a beautiful, strong and vital young woman has become little more than a nurse to an invalid, struggling every day not to <i>”grieve for all that had been irrevocably lost.”</i> She loves Walfort dearly, but she is dreadfully lonely, starved for companionship, affection and physical comfort. She and her husband do not share a bed, and he rarely touches, kisses or holds her; it’s not that he doesn’t love her, he just fails to realise that she has needs, too, and that even if he can’t make love to her, she still needs to feel loved and appreciated as a woman. <br /> <br />Ainsley is the perfect romantic hero – kind, sensitive, sexy, compassionate, honourable, protective, rich and gorgeous – and yes, perhaps he’s a little too perfect. But he needs to be something exceptional within the context of this story, because it’s as much about his emotional journey and needs as it is about Jayne’s, and in making him such an attractive, sensitive and empathetic character, Ms Heath makes his situation all the more believable. He is willing to sacrifice the woman he loves, the child who might have been his heir, one of his few close friendships and his own peace of mind in order to attempt to make reparation to his cousin - and that takes considerable strength of character. I’ve read other books with similar storylines, but in none of them have the implications of such an arrangement been so thoroughly explored, and the emotional consequences so gut-wrenchingly played out. <br /><br />Jayne “wakes up” on several levels during the course of the book; sexually, of course, as she learns what it is to truly <i>make love</i> , but it’s also a gradually dawning awareness of the truth of Ainsley the man, and how she comes to abandon her enmity towards him and to see him as he really is. Most importantly, their time together enables Jayne to come the realisation that, even before the accident, there had been something missing in her marriage, not just in bed, but that it lacked true companionship and mutual understanding.<br /><br /><i>”Walfort and I seldom talk… even before the accident. That night you kissed me on the terrace and you mentioned something about how a kiss owns itself, that it simply is. You were correct. We could have kissed, we could have touched… it is as though we placed ourselves in separate cages. I was being a dutiful wife, not a loving one.”<br /><br />“If he never kissed you, Jayne, I can hardly credit him with being a loving husband.”</i><br /><br />I was also impressed with the way the author effects the resolution to her story. I observed in my review of Grace Burrowes’ <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/15838403.Darius_Lord_of_Pleasures__Lonely_Lords___1_" title="Darius Lord of Pleasures (Lonely Lords, #1) by Grace Burrowes" rel="noopener">Darius: Lord of Pleasures</a>, which employs a similar plotline, that the only way the hero and heroine can finally be together is for the sick husband to shuffle off this mortal coil, and the difficulty is in arranging that without it seeming too contrived. In <b>Waking Up With the Duke</b>, Ms Heath presents herself with quite the challenge, as Walfort is only three years older than Ainsley, and thus a relatively young man. Yet her solution is simple and completely plausible given the medical knowledge of the time – as explained in her author’s note. <br /><br /><b>Waking Up With the Duke</b> is a wonderfully angsty but emotionally satisfying read which, incidentally, includes a touching secondary romance between Ainsley’s widowed mother, Tess, and her lover, Leo, who is fifteen years her junior. It’s great to see an older woman in a loving, sexual relationship, even though that isn’t the main storyline. I haven’t read the previous books in this series, but I believe Tess and Leo’s story is woven throughout and its ending here is just as satisfying as the conclusion to Ainsley and Jayne’s romance.<br /><br />I do think the ending is a teeny bit overly dramatic, but the rest of the story is so well put-together and so beautifully written, that it didn’t affect my enjoyment or my overall opinion of the book. I loved <b>Waking Up With the Duke</b> and am eagerly looking forward to reading more by Ms Heath.<br />