seriously romantic: to the duke, with love by amelia grey

book 2 in the rakes of st. james series, to the duke, with love finds sloane knox, the duke of hawksthorne searching for the perfect gentleman to marry his sister. he wants to protect her from revenge seekers and gold diggers and the ton's less savory elements. mr. paxton quick seems to be the perfect prospective partner for his sister and so he decides to pay him a visit to discuss the possibilities. instead of paxton, hawks meets loretta, paxton's older sister.

when loretta discovers the reason for hawks visit she is immediately affronted on her brother's behalf. she had a disastrous experience with an arranged marriage. when she refused to marry her prospective groom her uncle forced her to take a vow that she would never marry in a church. and he then sentenced her to live in the most remote of his properties, never granting her permission to leave. she wants something more for her brother. she wants him to find love. she wants him to feel passion.

she wants so much for him. except she forgets that he has to want those same things too. this was one of the interesting bits about the novel. loretta is strong and independent, and surprisingly wrong about people. both adele and paxton are content to be promised to one another. neither one of them wants to feel the highs and lows of a grand passion. they want something easy and stable and placid. to loretta this is almost unthinkable. but the truth is, one person's wants and needs are not another's.

a large chunk of the story is also focused on loretta's care for a child off the streets. this particular time period was full of great disparity, and there were many children who suffered on the streets of london. loretta wants to give this child a better life, a chance for betterment, and at every turn gives him the benefit of the doubt. again she wants something for someone that they have no desire for. and you can't help but feel badly for her large heart and naïveté.

hawks proves to be the man she needs. he protects her in ways she never knew she needed protecting. he cares for her. he desires her. and he loves her. and because he loves her he figures out a way to preserve her sense of honor. he finds a way to allow her to break her vow. because he needs her to break that vow. her happiness, his happiness depends on it. he is a genuinely good person. he cares about everyone in his path. what he does for his sister and for loretta, is heartfelt and loving.

for a rake, he really is a good guy.

**to the duke, with love will publish on december 5, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press in exchange for my honest review.