Last Duke Standing (A Royal Match #1)
by Julia London
Blurb:
Because he knows
simply everyone, William, Lord Douglas (the notoriously rakish heir to the Duke
of Hamilton seat in Scotland, and decidedly not husband material), is on hand
as an escort of sorts. William has been recruited to keep an eye on the royal
matchmaker for the Weslorian prime minister, tasked to ensure the princess is
matched with a man of quality…and one who will be sympathetic to the prime
minister’s views. As William and Justine are forced to scrutinize an endless
parade of England’s best bachelors, they become friends. But when the crowd of
potential grooms is steadily culled, what if William is the last bachelor
standing?
Themes: Historical
Rating: 3.75 stars
Heat Rating:
Review:
A new series begins for fans of Julia
London and we get to experience the love of two people that are obviously so
opposite of one another and once had a very public fight discover that love can
come in the most unlikely of faces. For
readers of Julia London’s historical romances this series will be a return to
some interesting faces, because although it is a new series, several of the
characters are carried over from past series and it feels more like a
continuation of other series as we get to delve into the lives of what were
once minor character in other novels. Justine
and William were both much younger when they first met, but time has changed
them both in ways they never imagined and meeting again will force them to come
to terms with those changes. This story
is one that will lead you down a path of political intrigue, royal duty, and
the unexpected love of two people that just don’t realize that sometimes the
flipside of hate is love. I enjoyed this story very much and am looking forward
to the rest of this new series as we see the rest of the Royal’s find a match,
possibly seeing more characters as their lives have progressed. Julia London never lets me down in her
historical romances and Last Duke Standing
is no less than another wonderful foray into the past and love.
Justine
is the Crown Princess of Wesloria, a small country in Eastern Europe, and the
time has come for her to step up and take a more central role in her government
as her father’s health begins to decline.
However her mother, the Queen, has serious doubts about her ability to
lead after a recent salacious incident and feels Justine might be best served
to spend some time in England under the tutelage of Queen Victoria. Forced into a country she never wanted to
return to, with chaperones she can’t stand and only her sister as her ally,
Justine never imagined she would have the added insult of dealing with the one
man she once has a crush on that disrespected her so grandly in a public forum.
Lord William Douglas knows that he has a fight ahead of him dealing with the little
witch of a Princess that he once battled, but when he sees her again for the
first time he realizes she has grown up a lot in the past decade and has become
a beautiful—and desirable—woman, which makes his job as chaperone/spy even more
difficult. As they spend ever-increasing amounts of time together, trying to
find a match for Justine, they find themselves drawn more to one another, and
their friendship slowly becomes something so much more. But William has a secret, one that could tear
them apart and prevent them from ever having their happy ending, unless their
friends can help them untangle the mess of his past and free him, but they are
fast running out of time and hope.
These
two lovers were amazingly matched—much like the perfect partners in a fencing
match. Justine has grown into a woman that has only the best interest of her people at
heart, but her fears keep her from becoming the Queen she is fully capable of
being. I felt so bad for her as she
admitted and then slowly found ways to manage her fears, though some are NOT
recommended, but she slowly found her voice and her ability to share it
beautifully with William’s help and encouragement. She was brave, sweet, persistent, and strong
enough to withstand the disasters she faced again and again, but she never lost
sight of the fun she could have in the little moments with William or her
sister. Once she realized what she truly
wanted from her life she didn’t let anything stand in her way and even when she
almost lost hope, bringing a tear or two to my eye, she still kept her heart
with the man she’d given her love.
William was a rogue of the first order to be sure, but I loved watching
his playfulness bounce against Justine’s solemnity until her façade would crack
and she too could find the lightness.
He has made mistakes in the past too be sure, but he owns up to them and
he is a good man, his honor and integrity something he holds with great
importance even when others question it, as long as those he loves know the
real man. It was fun watching him as he
devised schemes to forestall matches, win little games, and ultimately win
Justine’s heart once she stole his. I
loved that he knew, once he was hers, that earning Justine’s heart and the
right to call her his, was more important than anything else in his life. The heat between these two was apparent even
in previous novels, though it was fostered as hate, and once it blossoms into a
new kind of passion there is no forbidding the love between them.
Last Duke Standing
is the story not of a woman deciding to marry the last man in the world available
to her, like you might think from the title, but is truly the story of a woman
that understands her Duke is the last man she ever imagines would be perfect
for her all along. Justine is so sure
that she hates William, for past mistakes and offenses that she doesn’t realize
he is truly a good man and the one meant to be hers. William has a lot to
answer for in order to earn the right to claim a Crown Princess, much less one
that truly owns his heart, a good woman that has sacrificed a lot and will
continue to do so as Queen of a country, but being by her side is all he
wants. Justine has a heavy burden in her
future, but once she knows that having a true partner by her side, one like William,
will make her life bearable there is no way that she will let a few petty grievances
stand in their way. I absolutely loved
how these two and their friends came together, again and again, to laugh, love,
and find ways to overcome every obstacle in their paths. This series looks like it will be another one
filled with wit, laughter, tears, and devotion leaving me with no choice but to
strap in and enjoy the ride. London’s
newest series, a true continuation of her world, takes us back into the
monarchy of the small imaginary country of Wesloria then into Victorian England
so that we can learn the one lesson we all need to know—Love conquers all.
*eARC provided by author (via
NetGalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.
