Published: 27 April 2021
Series: Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde Book 1
Pages: 341
Warnings: N/A
A Duke in want of a wife…
Alfred Blakesley, Duke of Lowell, has long been an enigma. No one dares to give a man of his status the cut direct, but there’s simply something not quite right about him. What would the society ladies say if they learned the truth—that the Duke of Lowell is a wolf shifter and the leader of a pack facing extinction if he doesn’t find his true love? So now he’s on the hunt…for a wife.
Felicity Templeton has a goal of her own: to remain unwed until her twenty-fifth birthday, when she will inherit a significant fortune. But that all changes when she meets Alfred, the dashing duke who’s determined to have her for his very own…
“Sparkling wit, scrumptious chemistry!”—Grace Burrowes, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
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Alfred is the alpha of a somewhat ragtag band of shifters, and Felicity is the person that he has chosen as his own. And so begins his quest to convince her that she should be his Duchess, but his battle is somewhat uphill, after a rough start. Throw in some intrigue in the shape of Felicity’s dodgy uncle, and it’s not all smooth sailing for Alfred and Felicity.
Alfred is a kind man with a good heart. He wants the best for all of the members of his pack, but he is trying to balance what they need from him, with what he needs from Felicity (and even a bit of what he wants as a husband).
Felicity is very strong and independent. Circumstance has forced this on her, and her ambitions have cemented it. Especially since she wants to be a woman entering into trade! Oh, the scandal of it!!
Felicity is quite open minded and modern for her time, while Alfred is trying to be open minded and modern – while sometimes having no clue whatsoever what that actually entails.
Together, these two make a great couple. I found their interactions to be really fun! This book is really well polished, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. And that kept me laughing.
I did find that I needed to read it with a dictionary nearby though! Susanna Allen has done an outstanding job of creating the mood of the time. It was a bit of a challenge at the start, as it took me perhaps 1.5 – 2 chapters to really be able to read it fluently, without having to really concentrate on understanding. But once I caught onto the rhythm of the language, I didn’t even mind having to check the meaning of all those older words, as I really enjoyed the authenticity that it added to the story.
I also really enjoyed the descriptions of all of the other characters that live on the Duke’s property. Their descriptions became a bit of a guessing game for me, to see whether I could pick up on the hints and work out what sort of animal their shifter was going to turn out to be. And along with the character descriptions, there were some highly amusing descriptions of other aspects as well. My favourite had to be Felicity’s comment to Alfred, when she objected to him sniffing her – “Sir! Your Grace. I must object to this repeated inhalation of my person.” Love this!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read the whole thing in two settings, snickering to myself the whole way.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author Susanna Allen for sharing a copy of this e-book with me.
Susanna’s latest series, The Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde, has been contracted in a three-book deal with Sourcebooks; A Wolf in Duke’s Clothing debuted in April 2021. A Most Unusual Duke follows in December of 2021.
Writing as Susan Conley, she is the author of Drama Queen and The Fidelity Project, originally published by Headline UK; That Magic Mischief, originally published by Crimson Romance, is relaunching with Ally Press in September. Her memoir, Many Brave Fools: A Story of Addiction, Dysfunction, Codependency… and Horses is published by Trafalgar Square Books and recounts the growth and insights she acquired after having taken up horse riding as an adult, post-divorce.
Susanna was born in New Jersey and is currently resident in Ireland.
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