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Book Review of Duke in All But Name (The Entitled Gentlemen)

Duke in All But Name (The Entitled Gentlemen)
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This may be hard to understand initially without reading the Ashmead Heirs Series (by the same author). So, you should read the Author's Note at the end first. It explains that these stories are related to the inheritance laws in England at that time.

Phillip Tavernash (the heir-apparent of the Glenmoor estate), and half-brother to Gideon Kendrick, has dumped the whole estate of the Duke of Glenmoor into Gideon's lap and disappeared. Gideon, wealthy in his own right, doesn't need this trouble but agrees to Phillip's wishes and arrives in Woodglen. He plans to stay a month and make sure all is well. Then, he plans to leave it in the steward's care and return to his mines in Wales. But life isn't like that.

Gideon hasn't been in the area for more than fourteen years, but plenty of people remember him and the terrible things his father (the Duke) said about him. As a result, the population is hostile, wary, and watching for him to make a mistake.

Mia Selwyn is the orphan-poor-relation of her uncle's estate Selwyn Court. Ludlow Selwyn considers his niece an expensive expenditure, even though she does many housekeeper chores for Viscount Clavering (her uncle). Mia also attends her cousin, the vapid Selina Selwyn. The Viscount hopes to marry Mia to a local farmer quickly.

This is a richly textured story that will keep the reader turning pages. There are mysteries, mob violence, and plot twists that will keep the reader glued to the book. This is the start of a new series. Great story.