The Duke Buys a Bride: The Rogue Files

A clever premise to rectify (and perhaps provide opportunity) for Alyse, a young woman who has been living, in name only, as a wife to a man, receiving protection and shelter. But, he’s now found a woman he loves and wishes to marry, yet he can’t leave Alyse without protection, or simply divorce her. Enter the ‘wife auction’, a formerly real thing in which men could “trade in” the old, seeing them settled and relocated, before making a new start. A bit extreme, but it’s been arranged that Alyse’s friend will be the bid winner, and Alyse gets her wish – freedom and self-direction. But the friend doesn’t show up, the crowd is full of unsavory men, and nothing is quite working out to plan. Including one very grumpy, hungover duke - who finds the men disgusting and too like his late father, unworthy of respect and the young woman now up for bid. His chivalry takes hold and he purchases her, instantly making it clear that he wants nothing from her – but he’s willing to see her delivered into her new life. Only problem – she has few actual options, no money and only dreams. Marcus, Duke of Autenberry left London to escape gossip and issues with both his stepmother and best friend’s wife. The typical broody, angsty male, he’s drowning his emotions in drink. That is, until Alyse. From the moment of his impulsive purchase, to recognizing that he now has a wife to care for, even if he’s got no intention of actually being a husband, he offers her a job and a place to live in his northern estate. What follows is a road-trip story- with the two learning one another as Marcus continued to try and deny his feelings and work through his many issues without giving Alyse a chance. She’s bold and embracing both this new adventure and the sense of freedom she’s finding in the travel and opportunities Marcus isn’t like others she’s met – he’s protective and gallant, if grumpy and removed, all a huge difference from her worries as her plan fell apart. I so wanted this to be a story to not forget: I’ve had a bit of an up and down experience with this series, and this book was no exception. Alyse was, by far, the better developed and presented character, and her personality and quiet confidence as she worked out what could happen next was engaging. Marcus was far too closed off and determined to keep all his cards close to his chest- he’s finding Alyse attractive, but is determined to not follow in the footsteps of others who used power, position and title to bend others to his will. But his wife’s openness and solidly apparent compassion and sense of fun keep him coming back for more: more of her time, more of her presence. And just when their strained relationship reaches the breaking point, and decisions must be made: he makes just the right moves to make her his. And the quick resolution after a plot that felt stalled and a character, in Marcus, that completely shut everyone down only to slowly come to his senses just didn’t really keep me caring about him or the conclusion. A nice moment to check in with a couple from earlier in the series, and some intrigue with the wife auction just weren’t enough to overcome the dragging plot or the odd inclusions of date confusion and modern speech didn’t fit or truly date the story. Not my favorite by this author, but a pure guilty pleasure that is a solid beach read. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

An enchanting story full of unexpected twist and turns. Up on the auction block to be sold off as a wife, Alyse Bell expects her friend to rescue her. Unfortunately he does not show up but Marcus Weatherton, the Duke of Autenberry does. Marcus, just waking up from a night of imbibing too much and sees Alyse being auctioned off and in a moment of valor, buys her. Little does he know in saving her from the other men around, he has bought a wife. With Alyse having no were to go, Marcus takes her home to treat her as his housekeeper. Sound interesting? Well, it is that and more. As the two interact and get to know each other, a lot of emotions come into play. Can Marcus come to love Alyse and she him? Be prepared to fall in love with these two well written characters and for the wonderful prose that pulls the story together. There is a good backstory for each of them that explains a lot. Although part of a series, this can be read as a standalone.

Alyse Bell was frantic: due to unforeseeable circumstances, she finds herself at a wife auction, and her friend Yardley, who was supposed to buy her – and her freedom – never showed up. She can hardly breathe, imagining her future husband will be one of the drooling men in front of her. Marcus Weatherton, the Duke of Autenberry, had imbibed a bit too much and ended up in gaol. The morning after, the masses gathered on the town market place slow him down; they are watching women being auctioned off. Marcus might not be perfect, but this makes his blood boil. He will buy Alyse and save her from those men, who remind him too much of his father, then send her off on her merry way. Which is nowhere, because Alyse has no one to go to, and no money to go to London, where she hopes to be free at last. I could not resist the premise– wife auctions were once a real thing – and I am thrilled that THE DUKE BUYS A BRIDE lives up to its potential. Sophie Jordan works her magic, and weaves a grand romance around those two wonderful characters faced with an impossible situation. The story was nothing like I expected, a few plot twists (happily) stunned me, and I was positively elated that Marcus was such a gentleman, in spite of his cool demeanour. Alyse might have been in distress, far from being weak, she looked at the situation calmly, and did nothing rash. The romance builds slowly, and when Alyse and Marcus finally come together, their passion unleashes an inferno. While characters from the two previous books appear and/or are mentioned, THE DUKE BUYS A BRIDE can easily be read as a standalone. Sometimes it’s small details that contribute to make a story irresistible, and here it’s a mule, and it made me love Alyse even more. There are books that you savour and devour, and THE DUKE BUYS A BRIDE is one of those!