To the Duke, With Love: The Rakes of St. James

Amelia Grey

Dec 2017 · The Rakes of St. James Book 2 · Sold by St. Martin's Paperbacks

About this eBook

The next lush, romantic novel in the Regency romance series, The Rakes of St. James, from New York Times bestselling author Amelia Grey!

There may be times when a gentleman is desperate to gain a lady’s attention, but a gentleman would never resort to desperate measures to obtain it.
—A Proper Gentleman’s Guide to Wooing the Perfect Lady

Sloane Knox, the Duke of Hawksthorn is guardian for his sweet, younger sister. Due to his misguided past as one of the infamous Rakes of St James, Hawk is hoping to avoid the Season by securing a match for her before it begins. He has the perfect gentleman in mind, but for one infuriating—and unexpectedly intoxicating—obstacle: the intended groom’s own sister, Miss Loretta Quick.

Having narrowly avoided her own arranged marriage to an unacceptable nobleman, Loretta is determined that her dear brother—a gentle, good-natured soul—should marry for love. Matching wits with Hawk may be her greatest challenge yet. . .until she realizes it may also be her greatest pleasure. For the young duke’s irresistible charm has not only begun to crumble her stubborn resolve, it has claimed her heart in true love as well in To the Duke, With Love.


“A master storyteller.”—Affaire de Coeur

Ratings and reviews

Years ago Loretta made a vow that she will never break. Since that moment she has been isolated, away from friends and society. When Hawk arrives to present an arrangement to her brother she feels the whisper of discontent at what her life has turned out to be. Hawk is instantly taken with Loretta and her forthright attitude and determination to win any argument. Even as he takes steps to solidify his plans for his sister he maneuvers circumstances to his benefit regarding the charming woman who has captured his attention. While parts of this was wordy and full of introspection, the building relationship between the main characters was engaging. They are perfect for each other and yet Loretta cannot yield to Hawk’s desires. There is a couple of secondary storylines that helped to move the book along and the one regarding Farley was heart wrenching. Overall, this was a pleasant read. This is an honest review of an advanced copy provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. Dual POV Safe No apparent triggers

The Duke of Hawthorne, one of the infamous Rakes of St James, was losing sleep over his sister. Adele was about to have her first season, and Hawke was anxious. There were rumors, that because Hawke had been guilty of tainting a few reputations in the past, that some ill-intentioned gentlemen were planning on paying him back. The last thing Hawke wanted, was for his sweet sister to pay for his mistakes. The Duke decided that finding a husband for his sister and securing an engagement before the season started, was the best way to protect her. Hawke declared to his sister that Paxton Quick would make the perfect husband for her. He was good-looking, even-tempered, and didn’t drink or gamble to excess. Hawke never imagined, however, that his greatest adversary would be Paxton’s sister, Loretta. Hawke was not accustomed to people challenging his requests. As a Duke, Hawke was used to people bending to his will, not the other way around. Loretta was dead-set, against arranged marriages, and was irritated with the Duke for even suggesting one. Loretta didn’t want, her brother missing out on a love-match, just because the Duke was waving his sister’s hefty dowry in front of him. Loretta fought her attraction to Hawke. She had vowed never to marry years ago. She couldn’t allow the handsome Duke’s confident charm, to wiggle itself, into her heart. But, the more time she spent with him; the harder it became. To The Duke With Love is an enjoyable Regency romance. It’s the second book in The Rakes of St. James series. This book wasn’t as riveting as the first book in the series, but it was captivating, just the same. I plan on reading the third novel in this series as soon as it is available. Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy.

Full review posted at Reader's Edyn on 020420 Loretta Quick is basically living a life of exile. Having fled from an arranged marriage, leaving her intended at the altar, her Uncle has sent her to the country to live. Assuming the solitude will eventually send her begging a way back into society, he waits. But Loretta knows full well the ramifications of the decision she made and has found peace with her solitary life she is confined to. Her brother, Paxton, spends some time with her and overall, things could be much worse than they are. Given her intense disapproval of arranged marriages, when the shockingly handsome, utterly delicious Duke of Hawsthorne shows up at her door seeking a betrothal contract between her brother and his sister, she must maintain her ground. An arranged marriage will NOT be happening as long as she draws breath. Unfortunately, no one else seems to be siding with her views and the Duke is determined to make this match prior to the start of the season. He isn’t accustomed to losing. Rather than having to convince the intended parties, Loretta is the one needing convincing, swayed toward the idea that the marriage could be a good thing for all involved. There is also the small detail that if Paxton marries Hawk’s sister, she has many more chances to see Hawk. She can’t have him, but nothing can stop her from enjoying him. Sloane Knox, the Duke of Hawksthorne has just come through a season with one of his best friends, the Duke of Griffin, and Griffin's twin sister’s debut. He saw everything Griffin went through and helped to protect his sisters. Now that his own sister’s debut is upon him, he refuses to go through the same debacle. Determined to make a match for her prior to the first ball of the season, he sets out to convince Paxton Quick to marry his sister; except he ends up facing off with the enticing and steadfast Loretta Quick. She’s trouble for him and he knows it, but that doesn’t stop him from devising ways to not only ensure the betrothal is made, but also steal time alone with Loretta. The betrothal ends up being easier work than anticipated, the impossible challenge becoming finding a way to make Loretta his. Challenge accepted. If only he can figure out how to break through that foolish vow she made and convince her that she isn’t shirking her responsibility by following a path to happiness and the dreams she never dared to hope possible. I’m sorry – I just realized that Hawk has a name. I am shocked because I never found a name for Griffin in the first book, other than his title. I don’t recall Hawk’s name ever being mentioned other than the first line in the book. Throughout the book he is never once called by it – always by his title or simply, Hawk. Dang if I wouldn’t have preferred Loretta to call him by his first name. How in blazes did I miss that? In any case … Finally! We are given several glimpses into the relatively unknown – continually mentioned in the first book of the series – elusive until now … A Proper Gentleman’s Guide to Wooing the Perfect Lady. The book that created The Rakes of St. James themselves. Each chapter includes a rule from the book, which is quite amusing and somehow relates to the events of each chapter. I found this element to the plot quite a fun addition and consistent with the first book of the series; foretastes of noteworthy advice peppered throughout each book’s entirety. This book is basically the first book retold - in the sense that you have a single Duke trying to live down a possible threat to his sister from a foolish act carried out during his rakish youthful years, never envisioning THAT bet would have drawn such attention and plagued him into his adult years. Certainly not that it could ever affect his sister in any way. In an effort to avoid possible retribution, Hawk endeavors to make a match for his sister prior to the beginning of the season and ends up walking right into a head-strong woman who challenges him at every turn and fires his blood like no other. Familiar, yes? ...

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Grey read her first romance book when she was thirteen and she's been a devoted reader of love stories ever since. Her awards include the Booksellers Best, Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the prestigious Maggie Award. Her books have sold to many countries in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and most recently to Japan. Several of her books have also been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Amelia is the author of more than two dozen books. She's been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida. Her first book with St. Martin's was The Duke in My Bed.