About the Book:

New York Times bestselling author Grace Burrowes introduces us to the unconventional Wentworth family in this charming Regency romance with a Cinderella twist.

A funny thing happened on the way to the gallows…
One minute, London banker Quinn Wentworth is facing execution. The next, he’s declared the long-lost heir to a dukedom. Quinn has fought his way up from the vilest slums, and now he’s ready to use every dirty trick he knows to find the enemy who schemed against him.

There was just one tiny problem…
Jane Winston, the widowed, pregnant daughter of a meddlesome prison preacher, crosses paths with Quinn in jail. Believing his days are numbered, Quinn offers Jane marriage as a way to guarantee her independence and provide for her child. Neither thinks they’ll actually have a future together.

They were wrong.
He’s a wealthy gutter rat out for vengeance. She’s a minister’s daughter who must turn a marriage of desperation into a proper ducal union. Are they doomed from the start or destined for a happily-ever-after?

Click on title below for direct Amazon buy link:                                               My One and Only Duke: Includes a bonus novella

My Review:                   

Through his own hard work and dedication, Quinn Wentworth has worked his way up from being a child with nothing to one of London’s wealthiest men and a partner in a successful bank.  So how can it be that he’s now imprisoned, found guilty of manslaughter, and awaiting execution?  Quinn knows full well that he’s innocent, yet all the efforts he’s made to have himself freed, even with all his wealth, have come to naught.  Obviously, he has an enemy who is very powerful and who has considerable resources at his disposal.  Finally accepting his fate, Quinn puts his affairs in order, ensuring that his family is cared for.  When Jane Winston, a clergyman’s daughter, is temporarily placed in his room while her father visits the inmates, Quinn’s first response is to wish her somewhere else.  But he finds her interesting, and soon learns her story.

Jane’s brief marriage ended when her husband was killed in a duel, leaving her penniless and pregnant.  Though her father disapproved of her marriage, she has no choice but to go back to him and endure his endless sermonizing and hypocrisy.  When the condemned man, Quinn, comes up with a brash suggestion that she marry him before he dies, Jane listens.  Quinn will arrange for Jane to be financially secure, and able to have a home for her and her child away from her odious father.  Ever practical, and definitely grateful, Jane agrees.  They are wed in prison over the blustering objections of her father.

Meanwhile, a search is on for the legitimate heir to the deceased Duke of Walden.  That search leads to none other than Quinn Wentworth, and the king’s messenger arrives at Newgate Prison literally at the moment Quinn is being hanged.  Though injured, Quinn is still alive.  He leaves the prison, taking with him an entourage of fellow prisoners who have been kind to him, including two young men, three ladies of the evening, and a cat.

Ever wanting to be fair, Quinn collects his bride, who seems inordinately happy that he’s alive, and offers her an annulment, if that’s her wish.  She chooses to stay with him, and she and Quinn return to his household, which consists of his two sisters, his brother, his cousin, some interesting servants, and his group of Newgate graduates.  Quinn is anxious to get back to his bank, and after assuring himself all is well there, he begins to plan how to find the person who wants him dead.

Author Grace Burrowes introduced Quinn in two previous stories, and I was captivated by him almost from the moment I met him.  He seemed to have such an air of mystery and aloofness, yet also kindness, caring, generosity, and a sense of fairness.  I could not wait for his own story.  He’s truly one of the most honorable of men, willing even to forfeit his life for the sake of his family.  I think perhaps he is trying to atone for a serious mistake he made as a younger man, one that showed a decided lack of good judgment.  It’s also a mistake that came back to nearly cost him his life.

Meanwhile, Jane is finding that she is very attracted to her handsome new husband, and is anticipating a true marriage.  Surprisingly, Quinn enjoys Jane’s company and finds that she fits nicely into his life (and his bedroom!).  She becomes a haven for him as he deals with the bank, his family, her father, and his unknown enemy.

MY ONE AND ONLY DUKE captivated me from beginning to end.  The storyline is unique, and the mystery is just as compelling as the sweet burgeoning romance.  I absolutely adore Quinn, who truly didn’t see his own generosity.  Jane turned into a force to be reckoned with, and the perfect foil for Quinn.  Though strong, she provides the softness that Quinn needs.  There is a lovely epilogue, though I was sad that it didn’t include the birth of the baby, as I dearly wanted to know all the details.  Quinn has a very unique family, yet they love him, as evidenced by how the story unfolds, and he learns how to let them, as well as his wife, help him.  MY ONE AND ONLY DUKE is a hard book to put down, and is an awesome beginning to what I know is going to be a fabulous series about the Wentworth family.  Highly recommended for those enjoying a character driven, yet warm romance with a tantalizing bit of mystery.    ~Rose