Not Quite a Duchess

Not Quite a Duchess by Ava Rose, 2020, romance with mystery

This is a romance with a mystery that adds a layer to the story set in 1891 Boston. Anna Trevallyn is an independent woman who believes in women’s equality. She and her best friend, Libby, would choose to be spinsters rather than marry an overbearing man.

Libby’s brother, Prince Penford Armstrong-Leeds, retired from the navy with a leg injury and then inherited his title. He is in love with Anna but hides behind a moody aloofness, afraid to show his feelings or show a weakness.

Libby gives Pen a list of reasons she won’t marry him. A list like this sets up the story as each item on the list must be addressed for a happily ever after. Obstacles don’t have to be spelled out in a list, but they have to be present to make a story interesting.

During a party, Libby is kidnapped, but the police think she has eloped and won’t investigate. Pen and Anna join forces to find her and grow in their own understanding of themselves and each other. She provides plenty of action as they track down clues, interview witnesses, and uncover a kidnapping plot larger than Libby, who stars in the next story in the series.

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#romance #Victorian #mystery #AvaRose