She’s a secret sensation.
Miss Lily Hartley is the anonymous mastermind behind the ton’s latest obsession: The Debutante’s Revenge, a tell-all advice column for young ladies. To keep her identity hidden, Lily delivers her columns disguised as a boy—which is well and good, until she lands in the middle of a tavern brawl. As luck would have it, a devastatingly handsome duke sweeps in to rescue her.
He has no idea who she is.
Eric Nash, Duke of Stonebridge, discovers there’s a beautiful woman hiding beneath a lad’s cap, and, before long, he’s falling for the delightfully clever stranger recuperating in his house. He vows to help her find her home, even though he’s reluctant to part with her. There’s only one problem.
Neither does she.
Lily has no idea who she is. She could be a duchess or maid. Betrothed or married. There’s only one thing she does know—that her attraction to Nash is more than skin-deep, and it grows stronger every day. While Lily and Nash search to find her true identity, they just might lose their hearts to each other.
Titles in the Debutante Diaries include — First Earl I See Tonight – The Duke Is But A Dream – When You Wish Upon A Rogue
Title: The Duke Is But A Dream
Series: Debutante Diaries #2
Author: Anna Bennett
Genre: Regency Romance, Historical Romance
Published: July 30, 2019
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
My Rating: 4 stars
THE DUKE IS BUT A DREAM is the second title in Anna Bennett’s Debutante Diaries series. I had such fun with this addition to the series, a hidden identity is always a hook for me, yet when amnesia is added into that mix it simply ratchets up the enjoyment level. To be frank, that amnesia twist can go either way in the end, either furthering the enjoyment, suspense of discovery or becoming trite and unnecessary to the story. For Lily and Nash’s romance the fact that Lily truly did not know who she was but that she certainly instinctively felt enough that she shouldn’t let Eric discover her identity was an intriguing part of their story – and it worked for me.
In every book, there are points that will give me a moment’s pause, and then I make the choice to move beyond because it’s not my tale to tell but the author’s imagination at work. There were several of those pauses with Nash, and to explain why would, or could be considered spoilers. Nothing that made me stop liking him or the book, but enough to make me wonder how a Duke could actually do some of these things considering the importance of reputation in the time period (or at any time really).
I really want Nash’s sister, Delilah to have her own story or be part of a series one day. She’s strong-willed, and an interesting secondary character that I would enjoy knowing more about.
In all, I enjoyed THE DUKE IS BUT A DREAM. Sure, there were pauses for me, yet those things that I’d never expect to fly with the ton were an important part of their story. Now, it’s time to wait for WHEN YOU WISH UPON A ROGUE, the next title in this series about three very unique friends and the men who will be charmed by them… eventually. I’d not hesitate to recommend this Romance to any reader who enjoys a good love story, can suspend belief on some things, and simply settle in to enjoy the story – for that is the whole point of reading any Romance.
THE DUKE IS BUT A DREAM releases on July 30, 2019.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Available in paperback, audio and for the Kindle
