A review by lifeisbetterwithbooks_
When the Duke Loved Me by Lydia Lloyd

5.0

"I love you. I will always love you. Since that night in the Tremberley gardens, since I was a boy, I have loved you and only you."

4.5 stars!

As much as I enjoyed this story, I admit that I didn't like the hero very much when we first meet him. He came off as a callous and irredeemable rake, and I hated the way he handled things with Catherine when they were discovered in the gardens. However as the story goes on and we slowly learn more about the hopeless situation that both John and Catherine find themselves entangled in, I really became enraptured in their tragic yet undeniable romance.

The characters were beautifully written and complex as they fought to overcome the betrayals of their past in order to achieve a modicum of happiness for their future. Lydia successfully created such an elaborate obstacle for John and Catherine to unravel, and I loved watching as they struggled in vain to deny their feelings for each other. There were some truly steamy scenes in this novel which only helped to solidify the connection between John and Catherine as they grow closer, and I cannot wait for the other Rake's stories