Review: Good Duke Gone Wild (Bluestocking Booksellers #1) by Bethany Bennett

                                                   

Print Length: 368 pages

Publisher: Forever, Grand Central Publishing (August 20, 2024)

From Goodreads.com: A bookseller and a duke? She couldn’t have written anything more perfect.

Dorian Whitaker, Duke of Holland, needs an heir after his so-called “fairytale marriage” ended in disaster. When the intriguing bookseller he’s hired to liquidate his late wife’s library finds love letters revealing an affair, he is drawn into a mystery alongside a lady whose sharp intellect dazzles him and dares him to imagine a new adventure outside the gilded cage of the Ton.

If anyone found out Caroline Danvers writes erotic novels under a pen name, she’d face utter ruin. Except her latest hero inspiration is none other than the Duke of Holland—a man with the power to destroy her family’s bookshop. And yet the real man proves to be so much more than the character she created. Even as they expose the dark secrets of his past, she knows he can never discover her own. But the more time they spend together, the more tempting it is to rewrite their ending and turn fantasy into reality.

  

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

If you are one of those readers who is a stickler for the rules of society and regency romance novels that are more on the realistic side, then, chances are this one is not for you. To begin with, erotic novels were taboo during this time period so there is no way her books would be sold openly in bookstores, or talked about in the ton. Nor, would a Duke be spending his time reading them (much less admitting to being a long-time fan). There are also two LBTQ relationships mentioned, which as most people know were illegal during the time period. However, no one seems to bat an eye when they learn the truth which is something that I felt was out of place. And finally, much of the dialogue read as though it was befitting of a more modern time period instead of during the one this story supposedly took place in. There was also a definite lack of propriety with Caroline going to and from the Duke's home unchaperoned. And while I get it, she wasn't a lady of high society, that sort of behavior still would not reflect upon her, nor her aunt and uncle's book store. 

If those things don't bother you, or you can easily overlook them, then you will find a cute (and spicy) read with two interesting lead characters. Caroline is definitely the 'I don't need a man' kind of heroine who despite the circumstances that landed her at her aunt and uncle's in the first place, managed to pull herself up and make a better for herself.  Dorian on the other hand is still dealing with the aftermath of his wife's death and the secrets she left behind. Together, I found them intriguing because on the surface, you would think they are too opposite to ever get along, much less fall in love, but then as she starts cataloguing his library to sell off his dead wife's books (and finds love letters she was never meant to see) things begin to change between them. They find a friendship (even if it's rooted in lust in my opinion), and as he begins to open up to her about his secrets, she even helps him to start to uncover the truth. That was what I enjoyed most, watching the two of them open up to one another as she helped him piece together the secrets of his wife's secret paramour. I also loved the way they pushed each other to be their unfiltered, whole selves when in each other's company, even if that included Caroline pointing out to Dorian that his servants were people too and should be treated as such. 

One thing I would change about this book however, is the ending. I would have liked to have seen more of just how Caroline won over "the silver dragon" aka Dorian's mother. Did it happen when Caroline went to the continent with Dorian? Did it happen because she always got the first (signed) copy of any new book Caro wrote? Or was it because Caroline was pregnant? Speaking of that, I would have also liked to have seen the birth of their child (especially considering how terrified of childbirth Caroline was). Just little loose ends to be fair, but I tend to like things wrapped up nicely. 

Considering this is the first story in a new series, and I have questions about the cousins (what happened to Hattie to make her so jaded? Does Connie find true love, and is it with the Duke's friend), I would definitely continue on at least to the second book as I did enjoy the author's strong writing style, and the witty banter between all of the characters. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.