Review: My One and Only Duke by Grace Burrowes

Title: My One and Only Duke (Rogues To Riches #1)
Author: Grace Burrowes
Publication Date: November 6, 2018
Publisher:  Avon
Genre: Historical Romance
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Book Depository. Bookshop
Source: e-ARC via Netgalley
Rating: 3 stars – stick to your bedtime

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?

Quinn Wentworth is awaiting death at Newgate prison, falsely convicted for a murder that he did not commit. Unwilling to put his family into any further danger by fighting to free himself and expose the powerful person who framed him, he awaits his death with a grim dignity. When Jane Winston finds herself in his cell while visiting the prison with her preacher father, she’s charmed by Quinn’s polite manners and caring for her and his fellow inmates. Jane, widowed and with child, stirs something in Quinn and he offers to marry her before his death so that she may have the protection of his name and the means to live a real life away from her oppressive father. A hasty wedding ensues but both Quinn and Jane are in for a shock when Quinn finds himself the sudden heir to dukedom, saving his life in the nick of time. Now Quinn and Jane finds themselves in an unexpected marriage. But can Quinn put the past behind him and move into a real future with Jane or will his obsession with finding the truth push Jane away for good?

I really liked the initial premise of this book. It was definitely a unique take on a meet cute to have our two main characters meet in a prison. I also liked the setup of the marriage. It was definitely unconventional, much like Quinn and Jane and the whole Wentworth clan. However, I found the pacing of the book to be quite slow, especially the first half. Since this is a romance I really expected a lot of emphasis to be put in the romance aspect but I felt like much of the book was mired in family drama and the mystery of who framed Quinn. Of course I want other stuff to happen on romances bedsides the romance but it just felt like the romance was taking a backseat to everything else that was going on.

I thought that Jane and Quinn had pretty good chemistry at the beginning but it felt a stilted later in the book. The love scenes weren’t as exciting as I’d hoped either once we finally got to them. It felt like the author was more telling us about how they felt than actually showing us with words and actions.

The family dynamic was definitely unique. Quinn’s siblings and cousin are a very unconventional lot. The new title has thrust them into society where they don’t quite fit in. I’m sure that the author has plans for them and it’ll be interesting to see how they navigate their new place on society.

This was a unique historical romance with unconventional characters. I wish I felt a little more for Jane and Quinn but their romance didn’t have enough spark for me. I’d recommend it for those who like a slow burn romance and quirky characters. Overall this book was enjoyable but not a favorite.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my review or opinion of the book.