I’ve never read anything by Stacy Reid before. That’s kind of surprising given the number of historical romances I’ve read and the number of books Reid has written. I think for a while I was trying out all of these new HR writers and I couldn’t find a lot I liked so I’ve been sticking to the bestsellers for a while. Regardless, I’m so glad that I gave Stacy Reid a chance, Accidentally Compromising the Duke is a lovely book.

Accidentally Compromising the Duke is the first in Reid’s new series, Wedded in Scandal. It is the story of Miss Adeline Hayes who is desperate to escape a planned marriage with the man who attacked her. So desperate that she plans to compromise her friend and neighbor, James Atwood, so that her father will force them to marry. Deceived by her friend, Adel winds up in the wrong bed and is forced instead to marry the Duke of Wolverton, Edmond Rochester.

Edmond is a broken-hearted widower who has vowed to remarry in order to give his daughters a mother. Sultry and beautiful, Adeline is not exactly what he had in mind but he decides that she’ll do. Edmond will marry Adel but swears to resist any intimacies that he feels may risk her life and his heart.

So this is a trope that is common in historical romances. A forced marriage that someone vows will be in name only but the two fall in love anyway and all ends well. Yes, the same storyline is present in Accidentally Compromising the Duke, but it is done very well. Edmond is a loving father and the awkward relationship between him and his daughters is sweet and so realistic. Adel slips into the role of new mother very easily and I did love that Reid doesn’t have the girls initially hate her, that has been done to death. The same with Edmond’s mother, I’m rather tired of evil mother-in-laws, so the kind dowager duchess was a welcome departure.

Edmond is a much darker character than Adeline and he is deeply haunted by his first wife’s death. The story in this book is really his. Adel decides very quickly that Edmond is her savior and love. The challenge is Edmond’s journey to forgive the past and to embrace his new future with Adeline and his children.

It’s an enjoyable trip, I give Accidentally Compromising the Duke a B+.

You can purchase Accidentally Compromising the Duke from Amazon by clicking on the cover below.