The Duke I Once Knew by Olivia Drake

The Duke I Once Knew (Unlikely Duchesses, #1)

by Olivia Drake

When two lovers find themselves together after ten years apart, does their romance have a chance to be rekindled now that he’s a duke and she’s a governess?

On the cusp of thirty, Abigail Fairchild is sick of the role as the unpaid servant to her family. So she applies for the post of governess to the Duke of Rothwell’s adolescent sister, who lives on the neighboring estate. Although Abby has never forgiven Maxwell Bryce, the Duke of Rothwell, for a terrible betrayal in their youth, he hasn’t returned to the estate in over a decade, so she suspects she’ll never see him again.

Soon after Abby arrives at Rothwell Court, Max and a small party show up unexpectedly, and Abby is face to face with the man she’s never forgotten. And when Max insists that it was her that drove them apart - could a misunderstanding have kept them separated all these years?

Regency romance readers will fall in love with bestselling author Olivia Drake’s lush story of a secret romance torn apart by family secrets in this fantastic start to her new series.

Reviewed by Cocktails and Books on

3 of 5 stars

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I wanted to like this one more but I found it hard to believe this couple could easily come back from the years they had been separated. She seemed to provincial for the Duke and he to indulgent in his life in London to ever be happy in the country.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 2 October, 2018: Finished reading
  • 2 October, 2018: Reviewed