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I love a good Christmas romance, and The Duke Alone is Christmas romance perfection. This story blends elements of grumpy/sunshine, Home Alone, and A Christmas Carol and references Pride And Prejudice. Oh! I can’t forget Horace – Val’s lovable monstrosity of a dog!
Val is a widower who has become an angry and bitter recluse, shutting himself off from friends, family, and any happiness. Only Val’s butler and his dog, Horace, are left in Val’s life. Val blames himself for his wife’s and unborn son’s deaths. Myrtle is a middle child in a vast family. She is misunderstood and ignored mainly by her family. Through it all Myrtle maintains her sunny disposition. When Myrtle gets left behind by her family at Christmas, she and Val strike up an unlikely friendship that evolves into something more.
I did something I rarely do in novels, I cried. Val’s haunting, heart-wrenching pain was so organic that it ripped at my heart. Also, watching Myrtle heal Val piece by piece grabbed me and resonated with me viscerally. Val’s pain and Myrtle’s cheerfulness collide to create a fiery attraction that builds into a unique romance.
The plot married drama, romance, and humor perfectly. It took many literary elements and blended them perfectly. There were some scenes I felt could have been shortened and some scenes I would have liked lengthened. The Duke Alone stole my heart! Val and Myrtle are two characters I will remember lovingly for a long time. Christi Caldwell has made holiday magic with an eye-catching enchanting romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Release Date: October 18, 2022
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