Review: Love Unbound by Michele Paige Holmes

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

  

About the Book

Graham Murray Raymond, the Seventh Duke of Warwick, has little care for his title and even less for society. Suspected of murder and known as the Black Duke, for his misdeeds and those of his father, he is intent on spending his lifetime alone, without a wife or children, to ensure he does not continue the family tradition of violence.

Unlike most young ladies her age, twenty-year-old Sophia Claybourne would rather go to university than to the altar, but furthering her education is forbidden, and she is expected to marry well. Sophie does her best to avoid the latter while seeking knowledge wherever she can, walking a constant line with her father, who is determined to use her marriage to his advantage.

When Graham receives a letter from Lady Claybourne, requesting his assistance saving Sophie from marriage to a viscount who is his nemesis and has his own reputation of ill deeds, Graham agrees to help, as it will advance his interests as well. But Sophie has made her own plans, does not care to be rescued, and has a will as strong as his. Graham may have met his match in her and found the one person who can save him from his past.

My Review

This author is one of my favorites, and I was excited to start a new series by her. The premise sounds like one I would enjoy- brooding hero, bluestocking heroine, marriage of convenience... but Sophia and Graham defied the trope norms and made things more complicated than they needed to be. They are both stubborn and prideful, having their own reasons for uniting- or not. Sophia does not want to be used as a pawn in her father's business plans, and Graham does not want her father to be able to unite businesses with his own enemy, and marriage to him would prevent that. So he's not being entirely altruistic by offering to marry her to save her, and Sophia does not want to be used as a pawn by Graham either. Their romance develops slowly due to inner and outer obstacles, and I struggled to enjoy the connection between them. The ending is a bit abrupt, and I  imagine the overarching story involving Sophia's family will be continued in the next book in the series. 

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Book two in the Love Unbound series . . .