His Three-Day Duchess

His Three-Day Duchess is the third and final book in "The Sommersby Brides" series by author Laurie Benson. I must admit I'm sad to see this series end but what a wonderful ending to a fabulous series! Our heroine in this story is Elizabeth (Lizzy) the Duchess of Skeffington. Lizzy is the middle sister and the only one who did not marry for love. She was “sold off” by her father at the age of seventeen to a Duke old enough to be her grandfather. If you’ve read the first two books in this series then you’ve already met Lizzy & if you haven’t I highly recommend you do! In those glimpses of her we got the impression that she liked to remind everyone of her wealth and status. So I was very interested to see if there was something more to the haughty Duchess of Skeffington…. Simon Alexander is the newly appointed Duke of Skeffington. He was a man that grew up without privilege, spending most of his life after his mother died with people who didn’t care about him. He wasn’t trained to be a Duke and has no desire to be one. He’d much rather relinquish the title and continue to travel and explore the world. Simon was a wonderful hero and I immediately liked him. A good man who was put into circumstances he didn’t want but had no way out. I’ll admit throughout this series Lizzy was not my favorite sister… But author Laurie Benson did a wonderful job of changing my mind by revealing a Lizzy I didn’t know. When I finally got to see the real Lizzy and see how she felt and all she endured over the years, my feelings for her changed. I will now admit she is my favorite sister in this series! This was a beautifully written story of two people who didn’t always have an easy life, who never thought they were deserving of love, to finally trust in someone and take a chance to gain true love. I absolutely loved Simon and Lizzy together, they were absolutely perfect for each other and I can’t imagine a more deserving couple! With a mystery to solve, a fencing match that you won’t want to miss and a reappearance of characters from the previous books this was a fantastic ending to this series! I highly recommend this book and the entire series & I look forward to seeing where Ms. Benson takes us next!

A story that made my heart smile! With her abusive husband gone, Lizzy just wants to live her life as she wants, but finds herself feeling lonely. After all, with her being bartered by her father into marriage to the Duke, she definitely had not been given a chance for a love match like her two sisters. Second chances rarely came along. Imagine her distress when the will of her late husband is read and she finds there is a new Duke of Skeffington! What else could happen! Simon, the new Duke, has had his own troubles in life and the last thing he wanted was the title and responsibilities that came with it! He had not grown up privileged and only wanted to spend time doing what he loved, searching out treasures and traveling. The character that came alive in Simon was so sigh worthy! Handsome, desirable, smart and charming, and as he and Lizzy met there is almost an immediate attraction. Could that friend called fate be stepping in? Prepared to sit down and not stop reading until you get to the end! Laurie Benson has created a enthralling story with her wonderful descriptions filled with humor and tender emotions that is all a historical romance should be! Although part of a series, this can be read as a standalone but I intend to go back and read the first two!

I loved this story! For me, it was a page turner, I did not want to stop reading. Simon did not want to be a Duke. He loved want he did for money, and he had no desire to be part of the ton. Lizzie had put up with a lot, and her past definitely made her a stronger woman. She had her pride and a need for independence. Both had trust issues, and I enjoyed how they learned to see beyond their pasts. I highly recommend this story. I received an ARC as a gift, and this is my unsolicited review.