Sometimes, a strong relationship needs to be forged in heartache, grief, distance, and second chances. Sometimes love is not enough to make a marriage thrive. She knew mistakes had been made by both parties, knew the mitigating factors, the heartbreak suffered, the grief that pushed a woman to run, and the prideful arrogance of a man who had not yet outgrown the prejudices formed at the altar of his parents' mistakes.

She knew that relationships are not black and white, that there are many shades of grey in between. You see, she already knew the rest of the story, those parts that had yet to be revealed to those of us reading the books. Sarah MacLean, the creator of these characters, had other plans. It was obvious Haven did not deserve her. I was ready for Sera to move on and find happiness with someone else. Like the Talbot sisters, my loathing of him knew no bounds. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency.After reading The Rogue Not Taken, my feelings for the Duke of Haven were solid.

The saucy setup for another love match will have readers eager for the next in the series. Seraphina’s sisters keep things lively, and new characters are just as spirited. The chase grows tiring, but readers will empathize with the redeemed Malcolm. Passion is reignited, but she fears that they can’t overcome their past, which results in wishy-washy behavior. Seraphina wants her freedom so she can circumvent the British law that a woman’s property belongs to her husband, but living with Malcolm soon reminds her what first attracted her to him. In order to buy some time to change her mind, Malcolm agrees to the divorce but asks her to live with him for six weeks and help him find another wife. Instead, to his shock, she returns and announces she wants a divorce. Malcolm plans to woo back his wife, Seraphina, whom he sent away shortly after their wedding because she had deceived him.

MacLean’s clever explanation of the scandal at the heart of her previous Regency romance, The Rogue Not Taken, will impress readers who found Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, entirely insufferable in the earlier book.

Sarah maclean day of the duchess