The Last Duke (The 1797 Club #10) by Jess Michaels

 The Last Duke by Jess Michaels

Blurb: 

When Christopher “Kit” Collins’ father dies, he is devastated, but he must swiftly take on the title of Duke of Kingsacre and all the responsibility that comes with it. Including the care of his very young illegitimate half-sister, who is now his ward. He is very upset when he discovers the governess his father hired for the child just before his death is Sarah Carlton.

Sarah is equally disturbed by the arrival of her new employer, as she and Kit once had an unpleasant encounter when she was at her lowest point. But since she has no other place to go, she can only hope he will not sack her. Thanks to the adoration of his sister, he does not and the two enter into a wary truce because they both care for the child.

A truce that explodes one passionate night after a nearly tragic accident. Comfort leads to more and soon the two are engaged in an affair. But when danger comes to threaten the child they both love, they must overcome their deeply rooted mistrust and work together to keep her safe. And perhaps find a way to make a family together.

Length: Full length book
Heat Level: Swoon-worthy

This book is part of a series (The 1797 Club), but can be read as a standalone book.

 

The day has come that the Dukes hoped would never come but...we all knew that it would as he has been ailing for a while: Kit's father has died and Kit is now the last of our band of dukes to take his title. As his father was the one all of those (former) boys (turned dukes) looked up to and respected, all of them come to the funeral of the former Duke of Kingsacre. All of them stand behind Kit and lend him their strength and it's their friendship that pulls him through when his grief becomes too much.
As a surrogate father to his young illegitimate sister, he is often confronted with her governess Sarah now - and with his feelings for her. Maybe there is something more than just the memory of an unpleasant encounter in their past, maybe there is a future for them...if he finally stops refusing to see what everybody else sees...

I liked the way his friends care for him and make him see that his feelings are real and that he is allowed to feel that way despite everything else going down.  And of course, our dukes being the way they are, I loved to see how welcoming they are and how much they support Sarah and never hold her social status against her. As meddlesome as those guys (and girls) are, it is probably no wonder that Sarah and Kit...well.

Once again this is a beautiful and captivating story with twists and turns that draws you in right from the start and won't let go till the end. As this is the last book in this series, I was a bit anxious to see if it would live up to my expectations because I really loved each and every one of those books in this series. And I must say - it didn't disappoint. It was exactly what I had hoped for and I really enjoyed reading it. And now I can't wait for the next books by the author to come out! I've read almost all of her books by now and up to now,I haven't found a single one that I didn't like.