A review by brandys_reading_count
Cinderella and the Duke by Lydia Drake

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.0

Characters: Julia and Gregory Carter, Duke of Ashworth

Julia is 27, she lost her father a year after he got remarried, she has a stepsister named Susannah with whom they get along. Her step mother unfortunately is a nasty woman. One night Julia decides to go out to a ball and meets the Duke of Ashworth. 

The Duke of Ashworth is a skilled lover, and he has a lot of female admirers, so much so that he gets husbands who challenge him to a duel almost on the daily. He sees Julia and is instantly attracted to her. They kiss and she runs away leaving her shoe behind. 

The Duke of Ashworth is done with dealing with being challenged to duels, so Julia comes up with a plan that they get married. The Duke agrees and they quickly get married.

I enjoyed this, but it was a bit sad because you could see how Gregory was deprived of love and affection growing up with his cold parents, so he didn’t truly believe that Julia could love him. I felt so bad for him, and this is what caused a conflict between him and Julia.