Aphrodite and the Duke Published by Quercus on August 23, 2022 Genres: Fiction / Historical / General, Fiction / Romance / African American & Black, Fiction / Romance / General, Fiction / Romance / Historical / General, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency
Pages: 416
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
'Full of lush gowns, longing looks and lingering secrets, Bridgerton lovers have found their next read in Aphrodite and the Duke. JJ McAvoy is a welcome new voice in historical romance' SARAH MACLEAN, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of A DUKE WORTH FALLING FOR
Aphrodite wishes to escape the marriage mart but will a second chance with the elusive Duke of Everely change her mind?
Aphrodite Du Bell is a diamond of the first water and a favourite of the queen. Famed for her beauty, the members of the ton praise her warm brown skin, perfect curls and exquisite features. But her renowned loveliness didn't stop the love of her life, Evander Eagleman, from jilting her and marrying another woman four years ago.
Heartbroken and still not knowing why the Duke threw her over, Aphrodite has been in self-imposed exile ever since. However, when her formidable mother summons her back to London to aid in her sister Hathor's debut into society, Aphrodite has no choice but to acquiesce.
Upon her return, Aphrodite learns that the newly widowed Evander is in town for his sister Verity's debut. Naturally, Aphrodite resolves not to be in his presence, but despite her best efforts, the grand societal events of the season repeatedly push them together. With each encounter, buried passions reignite and Aphrodite's traitorous feelings make it perfectly clear that the Duke still holds court over her heart.
Can the couple make strides to mend past hurts, or will the true reason Evander pushed Aphrodite aside threaten their coveted future and even their lives . . . ?
It is so rare to get a chance to read a historical romance that places a biracial character front and center. It was truly a breath of fresh air to have no drama or trauma around it, just people living. I was really enjoying this one right up to about 40-45%. Then all the sudden it was wedding bells and some family scandal/revenge type things in the background. I spent a significant amount of time grouching about not getting to enjoy the courtship between Aphrodite and Evander. No flashback even.
Before the nuptials was my favorite! Aphrodite’s family was fabulous and full of life and color. It took no effort to get swept away with giggles as the sister’s snarked at each other and brothers were brothers. Mother and Father had their own charm and irritating moments that kept the story engaging. As for our main couple…
Aphrodite was the stronger character. Her hopes, dreams, and determination all took center stage. Evander… felt more like a supporting character? I spent the last half of the book wishing Aphrodite’s family would visit and liven up the place. I think it comes down to not enough time enjoying their falling in love, present or past. It leaned heavily on the inevitable feeling rather than will they? Won’t they?
To be fair, I struggle a lot when a marriage happens in the middle of the book. Especially if there doesn’t seem to be an interesting dynamic between the H and h (i.e. marriage of convenience, forced arrangement, and similar tropes). I ended up putting it down for large amounts of time, hoping that it was just a reading slump but every time I came back my mood stayed the same.
I was really irritated towards the end of the book. Aphrodite messes up rather significantly at around 90% and yet everything hastily comes together with no real repercussions for her actions. I don’t fault her, but it seemed odd to have such a strong reaction from Evander and others to suddenly forgiving her.
While I was uninspired by the plot post-wedded bliss, I do really love how McAvoy approached the relationship between Aphrodite and Emeline, Evander’s daughter. It was exactly what I had hoped for when it came up.
This was a decent second chance romance with low angst, medium heat. While I’m not really enamored with this couple, I am really hoping we get an HEA for Verity in the future!
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.