The Day of the Duchess audiobook

As always, I like this book, or I wouldn't have let you all read it. BUT...that said, I will tell you that this book put me through the ringer. I don't think I've ever written two characters who better deserved a happily ever after...from each other. I don't want to spoil what's to come, but here are the answers to some of the questions people have been asking about The Day of the Duchess! 1) YES, you will see more of the Dangerous Daughters/Talbot Sisters/Soiled Ss. Lots more of them. You will see them in carriages and at country houses and in places that you can visit yourself in the real world. 2) NO, you will not see Alec & Lily from A Scot in the Dark. They are too busy doing it in Scotland. But YES, of course, you will see King & Sophie from The Rogue Not Taken -- it would be tough to ignore them, as Sera & Haven's story begins there for so many of us. (Aside: You will also see some of the boys from The Fallen Angel!)3) You will get the whole backstory for Sera & Haven here. I promise. I wouldn't dare leave you hanging on that front. 4) There is an American, too.For more, you can read the first chapter of the book at my website! Thank you, as ever, for reading!

Originally posted at Booklovers For LifeAAHHHHH I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK!!!!! This might honestly be my new all-time favorite book of Sarah MacLean’s (and if you know me, you know how much I loved One Good Earl Deserves a Lover). The angst had me in TEARS. I LOVED it. THIS is exactly the kind of book I want when I read a second chance romance (aka has a groveling hero who is unrelenting in his pursuit to win back the one and only love of his life). As soon as I finished The Day of the Duchess, I knew it would be one of the best books I’d read all year. I wholeheartedly loved every bit of this wonderful book, and I encourage all historical romance lovers and second chance romance lovers to read this book!Home required more than river and rolling hills. Home required her. And so he would do this summer what he had done every moment he’d been away from London for the past two years and seven months, exactly. He would search for her.For the past three years, Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, has been searching endlessly for his runaway wife. We experience the pain and agony he’s been going through the past few years missing his wife – the woman he loves and hates. Sarah MacLean writes his anguish so well – I could FEEL exactly how he was feeling, and it was literally hurting my heart. I love some good angst, and the author gives it to us in huge doses. Then, finally, Malcolm’s wife reappears back in London, demanding a divorce… and all he can think about is having her back in his life forever.The only woman he’d ever loved. The only woman he’d ever hated.The same, and somehow entirely different.Here, Sarah MacLean intertwines Sera and Malcolm’s love stories that take place both in the past and the present. We get the background of how they met and fell in love… before everything fell apart, before Malcolm hated Sera, before Sera ran away. Their past is heartbreaking and full of pain – I nearly had tears in my eyes because I felt like I was experiencing every bit of their pain alongside them.Love is not enough.There had been a time when it would have been. When he had been all she’d ever wished for. All she’d ever needed. But he’d been too blind to see that everything she’d done had been for him. For their family. For their future. And by the time he’d understood, she’d already been fixed to the firmament.And then, I ACTUALLY cried as Malcolm was trying to win back his wife and love of his life. His desperation to earn Sera’s forgiveness and love again had my heart hurting, but I loved every second of the hurt. His path toward redemption is a bit wonky – having Sera find a replacement wife for him, all the while trying to get her to love him again – but he is definitely not letting her go again, because he never stopped loving her. I love a good grovel, and Sarah MacLean gave me everything I never knew I wanted in a groveling hero. I honestly didn’t think Malcolm would be redeemable after what happened in The Rogue Not Taken, but all I can say after having read this is that Malcolm is 100% redeemed in my eyes and I absolutely loved him and Sera together.“I shall have you. I shall love you. And I shall grow old in your arms.”This is probably my all-time favorite redeeming love story. I’m such a sucker for second chance romances but they’re never done quite the way I want them to. Luckily, Sarah MacLean surpassed all my expectations in a second chance romance with this beautiful, powerful love story. Everyone needs to experience the wonder that is this book!Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/2c6SMpzAmazon Hardcover: http://amzn.to/2sWqadOAmazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2bFfkOeAudible: http://amzn.to/2sWivwhLiked this review? Subscribe to Booklovers For Life for more!

✮✮✮4.5 STARS✮✮✮Review @ Vanilla & Spice BooksIt's been a while since I read my last Historical Romance and I really missed it. The gallantry of men, the noble ladies, the unconventional heroines, the beautiful words and poetry in the story-telling, they all contribute to my love for this genre. Sarah Maclean has always been one of my favorites so it was a pleasure and an honor to receive an advanced reading copy for The Day of The Duchess. Malcom Marcus Bevinstoke, Duke of Haven, feels the weight of every single day since his wife left him. Or he told her to leave. Two years and seven months ago. He has been searching for her since, yearning for the woman he fell in love with all those years ago. To no avail. Home required more than river and rolling hills. Home required her. And so he would do this summer what he had done every moment he’d been away from London for the past two years and seven months, exactly. He would search for her. Malcom's search comes to an end when she crashes back into his life and the last parliamentary session in the summer. And what she demands is outrageous as it is painful. A divorce.Two years and seven months ago Sera almost died giving birth to daughter who didn't survive. Devastated over the loss of a possible future with the man she ever loved and grieving for the child that didn't live she accepted his callous mother's offer to disappear from his life in exchange for a hefty sum, at the same time freeing him from a barren wife. From the woman who trapped him into marriage. She has come back to give them both what she thinks is best. Freedom for her to run her tavern and for him to take a new wife and produce heirs. She didn't anticipate Malcolm's opposition - he offers her to agree to a divorce if she spends the summer with him finding him a new wife. The story is told jumping back and forth between past and present. Sarah Maclean leads us through the history of these two characters with skill and we get to know both hero and heroine very well. “Would you like to know why I kept the name?”“Yes.” More than anything.“Because doves mate for life, and I knew there would never be another for me.” Malcolm is a proud aristocrat whose parents were in the same situation Seraphina put him when she trapped him into marriage - only that there was no need for her to do it. He was hers the minute they met. Being the product of a loveless marriage he didn't want that for himself so obviously and understandably, he was immensely hurt by Sera's betrayal.Malcolm is an amazing character, his remorse and love for his wife is tangible in every word. I fell in love with him right away. “I remember, Sera. I remember the taste of you, like sunshine and peace. I remember the feel of you, heat and silk. I remember the way you gasped, stealing my breath for yourself. Stealing me. The way you offered yourself as prize. Making me believe in you. In us. Before I fell and you triumphed.” Sera is one of the scandalous Dangerous Daughters. She never cared about not being fully accepted by society but she fell in love with the Duke and when he didn't ask her to marry him for months she agreed to her mother's suggestion to force his hand. Completely unnecessary. The reason for him not asking her right away were really sweet I thought. The book is surprisingly angsty and while I'm a sucker for the tightness in my chest when a book is really emotional I thought at some point that it went on a little bit too long. I was so ready for Malcolm's and Sera's Happily Ever After but the heroine was obstinately holding on to her belief that a divorce would be the best for both of them. It was a little bit frustrating, admittedly. Mistakes were made on both sides but both of them have paid a huge price for them - it was time to wrap the story up. The last couple of chapters and the epilogue made up for that though - so beautifully written. “I love you,” he whispered like a prayer.A kiss.“I need you.”Another.“Stay.” Sarah Maclean's prose is beautiful and lyrical. I marked so many passages in this story that made my heart sing and tighten with emotion. She is a master storyteller with a poignant writing style who captures the atmosphere of the Victorian age. I also adored Sera's sisters, who were hilarious and standing loyally by her side. I am very much looking forward to Caleb's and Sesily's story!Now I need to catch up with the other books in this series - I missed Historical Romance so much! “No, Angel. The sorrow is mine. The regret. I never told you how much I loved you. I never showed you how I ached to know you. The Day of the Duchess is book 3 in the Scandal & Scoundrel series and can be read as a standalone.

SPOILER FREE!! Also a mess but then again when are they not when I have too many feelings.I LOVEEEDD THIS SO MUCH!!! What's it about:  Seraphina, Duchess of Haven left her husband Malcom the Duke of Haven two years, seven months ago. She left without a trace and Malcom has spent this time searching for her, hating himself. Sera after losing the man she loved and then the only thing that connected him to her left her family and went to America. While Malcom spent the last years going over the past again and again. Sera was thinking of the future and she's back in England, asking Malcom for a divorce. Malcom doesn't want a divorce he wants his wife back so he decides to woo her back by asking her to pick her successor (really Malcom?! the man was desperate though). "Past is prologue, Angel. I think of it every day" ~ Malcom, Duke of Haven.  Thoughts/Feelings: I honestly wasn't expecting much from Malcom, I know it's sad since he's the hero but after his behaviour in the first book of this series Rogue Not Taken. I had pretty much written him off and read this only because I wanted to see Sera get her happy ending so I was very surprised (in a good way) that he turned out to be more than expected and that he had loved Sera from the start (how can anyone not fall in love with Sera though?? She's amazing) and his behaviour while heartbreaking and disappointing came from a place of betrayal and it was understandable (I'm not absolving him from what he did but I did understand the why of it). I already loved Sera and this book made me love her even more, she took what was offered and become stronger and more independent. Now the only thing standing between her and the future she wants is Malcom. As though years had never passed, and they were here, in love, once more. ~Seraphina, Duchess of Haven I really loved them both. They were adorable, heartbreaking, frustrating and so much in love. I have so many favourite scenes/lines from this book. Their relationship wasn't easy, it was messy and heartbreaking but also beautiful. They were prefect for each other from they the moment they had met and I loved it that Malcom realised from that moment that she would be his duchess. Falling in love was easier than dealing with the aftermath of said love when Malcom who thought Sera had loved him for the man he was instead of his title and feels betrayed when he finds that might not have been the case while Seraphina pays a huge price for finally asking something/someone for herself and ends up losing what she had with Malcom. Their reunion was also extremely satisfying, I loved the underwater scene and gahh it just made so happy to see them happy and I loved it when they finally got back together and that epilogue man heart eyes for days!!   He'd ached for her years. She filled him, stifled him, stole his breath, marking his chest with her lilting, sad song, as surely as if she'd extracted a blade and carved it herself, drawing blood like a siren. ~ Malcom, Duke of Haven.  We get to see flashbacks of how they fell in love and how everything went wrong and it's was very heartbreaking. I cried a lot while reading this (and while re-reading it!!) We get to see both their sides of the events that followed and why they made the decisions they did. I think that's what it made it so great because you see how much they had loved each other (and still did). Malcom is so desperate, he hadn't realised before she got hurt that it didn't matter what had happened he couldn't loose her and still loved her but it was too late for Sera, who decides to leave. I loved that we saw Malcom trying to woo her again (even though his plan needed a lot of work) apologising for his mistakes and his behaviour. It makes me immensely happy to see good grovel done by men who wronged their significant others. I loved it that Seraphina didn't back down but gave as good as she got and I really loved her. She loved so much, her family, her husband, her child and when it all came crashing down she decides to what she wants which was singing. Instead of doing what she had done in the past living her life and behaving a certain way for her family and then later for her husband. "I am yours....Shepherd, duke, rat catcher...whatever you wish"~ Seraphina, Duchess of Haven.   My feelings for Sera in one gif:It was also great seeing Seraphina's sisters, their antics are as always hilarious and they are just a bunch of lovely, unique to the time period women who you can't help but love and I can't wait to read ''the American" and Sesily's story!This is coming from her person who hates reading about a cheating in any way I usually avoid those book like the plague so for me to love this book so much was a welcome surprise and I don't regret giving this one a shot at all.Wrapping it up, I went into this just caring for Sera because I wasn't a fan of Malcom at all but Sarah MacLean did an excellent job at redeeming him and making their relationship work. I ended up really loving both of them together and was immensely happy that they got their HEA.

I couldn't fathom how Sarah MacLean was going to redeem her most unredeemable hero. In fact, he may be the most unredeemable Regency hero I've ever read. I mean...the guy publicly cheated on his wife. He humiliated her and her family. He's the scum of the ton....right?In the other Scandal and Scoundrel stories, I hated Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven. When I saw that this story was to be his and Seraphina's...well, I was skeptical. Romances had to end in a happily-ever-after, and how could it be possible that MacLean could make me - the reader who grew to despise this hero - believe that he could ever be forgiven? Forget Seraphina. I needed to fall in love with someone who had committed the worst sin in a marriage!!Phew. Hold on to your hats, folks, because you are in for a wild ride.Seraphina is amazing. Awesome, wonderful, strong, soft, kind, and unforgiving. She not only admits her own mistakes, she owns them. And she has the common sense to realize that no matter what she does - divorce her high-ranking husband, or remain in hiding - she's damned in the eyes of London society. But she's gotten to a place where she is indifferent to the opinions of those that do not matter. Her bond with her sisters is strong, and their family love is so devoted...well, it gave me all the feels. Malcolm is...ugh. Arrogant, high-handed, rude. But he's also ben searching for his wife for three years. And not searching for her so that he can get her to sign divorce papers; no, he's searching for her so he can apologize and make amends. Okay, I think. I'll buy into that for now.As the story progresses, Seraphina and Malcolm begin to reconnect through Malcolm's constant need to prove that he's a changed man. Everything he does is done with the intent of winning Seraphina back.  He knows she doesn't love him anymore, and he knows that she has no desire for his title or money, so he has to be a lot more creative in his ways of wooing her than he's ever had to do. And the things he does...I can't spoil it. I can't. It's just so subtly and wonderfully done that I'd be robbing you of the experience, seeing it for yourself.This might just be MacLean's best work yet. And she's one of the best out there already. Five stars.*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.*

Emotionally riveting from beginning to end.

Oh. My. Heart. I got this book because a friend recommended it. I read it without reading the first two books of the series so I was going into it without any knowledge whatsoever about Sera and Mal. And boy was I blindsided! This book made me cry so much that I had a headache, I’m probably a little dehydrated too. I will definitely pick up the rest of the series, it made that big of an impression to me. Shoutout to Alexis✨ for recommending this book, thanks doll!

I was in the mood for a super ANGSTY read, the kind of story that twists your heart into knots and makes you fight back the tears, and there are a few themes/tropes that always get to me—broken marriages, unrequited love, and babies. The main characters are married but haven’t seen each other for three years, after the heroine lost a baby and ran away from a husband she believed didn’t want her anyway. Now she is back and asking for a divorce. But little does she know that the hero has been searching for her all over the world ever since she left him, tortured over a mistake he cannot take back, and desperately in love with her. And not only does he not want a divorce—he wants his wife back. Simply unputdownable!

Trigger Warnings: (view spoiler)[Cheating (MMC cheats on FMC), miscarriage, slut-shaming (if women have sex, they are labelled as “ruined”), grief and loss depiction, death of infant, stillborn, death of parent, verbal abuse (hide spoiler)]A HUGE THANK YOU TO ravioLee for recommending this, I was looking for a satisfying grovel book and she convinced me to read this. I read the first two books patiently even though I just wanted to skip to this book. And if you haven’t read the first two books, you can honestly skip them, but I would recommend reading The Rogue Not Taken, the first book, before reading this since you actually see how scummy Malcolm is. The second book was honestly useless in this series since it was a friend of King, the main character in the first book, the couple isn’t even in this book but they’re mentioned that’s it. The first and third books focus on the Dangerous Daughters, who are all bloody amazing.Malcolm and Sera have been in a broken marriage, they fell in love but after Malcolm feels betrayed, he decides to make Sera’s life a living hell. Once Sera almost dies, Malcolm vows to make it up to his wife, but the next day, she disappeared. Two years and 7 months later, Sera shows up again and asks for a divorce, wishing for her freedom. Malcolm doesn’t want to divorce Sera, so he comes up with a plan to make her choose his next future wife so that he can somehow win her back during that time.This book was so painfully angsty, it hurt to read about the shit Sera went through. Realistically, if I went through the things she went through, I don’t think I could ever take Malcolm back. The things he did were just too cruel, he does so much shit. Sera lost so much and it just hurts to see her hit rock bottom. This book isn’t historically accurate IMO, so avoid this if that bothers you and this book deals with some pretty heavy topics. In the first book, Malcolm cheats on Sera, it’s in the first coupla chapters so just a heads up. I hate cheating but for some reason, in this book, the way the conflict was handled didn’t bother me too much. I loved this book so much, I think I’ll reread it someday and it is definitely going on my satisfying grovel list.Now for spoilers(view spoiler)[So we already know that Malcolm cheated on Sera in the first book and I didn’t know how this guy would redeem himself. I knew that Sera disappeared for a period of time because I read reviews before reading this. But the fact that Malcolm searched for her for almost 3 years had me surprised. I thought Sera just appeared and then he would be thinking about how much he loved her. But he loved her and never forgot her, any time he wasn’t working, he was looking for her, in different countries. He was desperate to have her back on his side and desperate to beg for forgiveness. I was surprised that the divorce scene happened right away, Sera just walked in like a badass, and she was so mysterious, I wanted to know what happened to her.Sera was different from what I expected, she was so damn strong, especially after everything she went through. I was surprised at how she made so many jokes, she was so sarcastic, I loved her more than Sophie. I loved seeing her push Malcolm and their interactions. I loved seeing how much Malcolm regretted everything and how desperately he wanted to fix everything. He was such an asshole, he did such shitty things for the stupidest reasons. All of this conflict could have been avoided if they communicated, but they were never willing to listen to each other, in the past or the present. Like STOP INTERRUPTING EACH OTHER AND LISTEN BRUH. I liked how the story alternated from past to present, showing us glimpses of the fucked up things Malcolm did while showing us how he is tryna make it up to Sera. We skipped over the cheating scene and it is assumed that he cheats and we know he does cuz of the first book, I think it was skipped over cuz it woulda made us hate him even more if it were on-page. I was surprised to see Sera have a best friend from America, Caleb was so sweet I adored him. And his chemistry with Sesily was insane, I cannot wait to read their book, I immediately checked if they had a book together and THEY DO, so yea Imma read it. The fact that Caleb helped Sera when she hit rock bottom and stuck around to help her was so sweet, I appreciated that they had a platonic relationship and that it wasn’t gonna be a stupid love triangle. I loved how he was there for moral support along with THE DANGEROUS DAUGHTERS. I loved how everyone had Sera’s back when she needed them, I loved how we saw so much of the Dangerous Daughters in this because they’re all bloody amazing. I loved that Sera owned her own tavern and it made sense for her to want a divorce after everything she went through.When we find out that Sera had a miscarriage and she was so close to dying, I felt so bad for her, I cried. Malcolm was so determined to fix everything, I wonder what would have happened if his mother didn’t meddle. His mother pissed me off, but Malcolm cheated on Sera while she was pregnant. It is such a fucked up thing to do, cheating is already messed up, but to do it while she’s pregnant? What the fuck my guy? And his stupidass reasoning was “She didn’t tell me she was pregnant so Imma punish her by purposefully cheating and having her walk-in while she is pregnant with my child. Lemme cause her some stress after all my shitty treatment to her.” Cheating is never okay, but that was his reason? I can’t man. I thought that he thought she cheated so he revenge cheated, which is still stupid, but Malcolm’s reasoning was just so stupid. So when the mother told Sera to leave, I don’t blame Sera for wanting to, the mother was messed up though. She was in a similar position to Sera when she married her husband but she was cold-hearted. Malcolm sitting there feeling sorry for himself because Sera left him was stupid, like can you blame her? You drove her away. You cheated on her while she was pregnant. You never listened to her when she tried to explain why the marriage trap thing happened. You made her fucking beg on her bloody knees and still didn’t give her what she wanted. You ignored her, treated her like shit, and insulted her constantly. You were so damn cruel to her and you expect her to sit around waiting for you like your puppet? Hell no.Malcolm and Sera’s initial meeting was so instalovey I was surprised, they literally just meet and they’re already making out. It’s so funny, Malcolm talks about how bad marriage and women are or something and then he sees Sera and he’s like “What was I saying again?”When Malcolm got all jealous of Caleb, it was funny. I loved that Sera was able to find something that made her happy since she went through so much shit. When Malcolm would touch Sera, I honestly wanted her to push him away and smack him. Even when things got sexual, I was like don’t give in girl, this guy isn’t worth it. When he told her to find him his future wife, I found it interesting, this was like the Bachelorette with a twist, the wife picking out her replacement. I loved that Sera brought her sisters with her, I loved how they had a cat and they gave it to Malcolm and one of the sisters barfed on his boots. I loved seeing Sophie happily married, she’s pregnant!! King even wrote a threatening note to Malcolm and I adored it, I LOVE THEM. And when Sophie returned home and King couldn’t stop himself from kissing her and they had that cute reunion, ugh I love them. Seeing Sophie help Sera in this was just heartwarming, I got so teary-eyed. Sophie even brings up how Sera helped her in the last book and gave the same advice to Sera in this which had me bawling my eyes out.Seeing Malcolm struggle to win Sera over felt really satisfying. I LOVE LOVE LOVE when the girl makes the guy WORK for forgiveness. I hate when the girl accepts the guy right away. The conflicted emotions, the angst, the steam, it was all perfect. I also LOVE when Sera would repeat all the shit Malcolm said to her in the past, he was a cruel bastard. The stuff he said, my god was he so brutal. It makes the guy realize that the shit he says sticks with people and makes him realize even more that he fucked up. Seeing him try so hard to make Sera understand that he loves her was nice. I loved how Sera would actually try and teach all the girls how to be the Duchess. I loved how Malcolm didn’t really interact with the girls and only focused on Sera, and how it was obvious to everyone. The parents of the girls were so damn rude, I loved Felicity and Lilith, I think they have their own books? Or Felicity does, so Imma read that as well someday. I loved how honest they were and how in the end, they helped Malcolm and gave him advice. They literally have a conversation about Malcolm and Sera infront of Malcolm lol. It was so funny how Malcolm confessed he loved Sera and Sera just noped away from him. And when the Dangerous Daughters threw stones at him, man was it satisfying. I really liked how Malcolm realized he didn’t only have to make it up to Sera, he had to make it up to her family as well, especially Sophie. I will never get over my love for Sophie after she pushed Malcolm into the pond in the first book, seeing their interactions were hilarious. I just wanna be part of the Dangerous Daughters, they’re always laughing and don’t care what others think, just living life, I love them. Seeing Malcolm and Sera go to their child’s tombstone and Sera breaking down had me sobbing. When they had sex, I was surprised there was a lot more left to the story, and that’s when Sera left. She wrote that letter to Felicity and I was crying, her short note to Malcolm had me sobbing, I was so emotional. I loved how Sophie called Sera out for not being honest with them and saying that she should open up. I loved all the sisters, they’re all bloody amazing, this series should’ve been called the Dangerous Daughters, and each book should’ve been about a sister, they’re all so funny and entertaining I would’ve loved that.I liked how all of the sisters made theories about what Malcolm planned to do. I get that he was pissed that Sera trapped him into the marriage or whatever, but he didn’t even listen to her. If he truly loved her, he should’ve given her a chance to explain herself. I got why Sera did it, she was in a position where she was in love and wanted to marry him, but she was also caught in scandals because of him along with her sisters. But she could’ve told him that instead of manipulating the situation. Malcolm should’ve just told Sera he was planning on marrying her instead of keeping her wondering, especially since her family was dealing with scandals because of it. They all got stupid nicknames from the public because of it. And his treatment towards her because of this whole misunderstanding was so fucked up. I loved how he made a stage for Sera and I was surprised that he was so close to finding Sera but Caleb stopped him. Malcolm telling Sera all of his feelings, in the end, admitting every mistake including the cheating was pretty satisfying. His reasoning for the cheating was fucking stupid, I don’t think I would personally forgive him, but for the sake of Sarah and Malcolm, I just wanted them to be happy. He even disowned his mom and sent her away after finding out that she told Sera to leave. I was surprised even his mother didn’t know where Sera was. And how Sera’s sisters didn’t tell her that Malcolm was looking for her the entire time. Seeing Caleb be supportive but an asshole to Sesily was interesting, I wanna see their story, their POV randomly in the middle was weird but I loved it.Malcolm’s final gesture at the end of the book had me crying. He even helped in the tavern when those two aggressive guys showed up. The girls laughing about the wigs the guys have to wear lol. King jumping up the second everyone insults Sophie in the court scene my god, I love King. I didn’t think the divorce would actually happen, in a way, Malcolm forced Sera to stick around and technically trapped her into the marriage. So seeing him willing to let go after he found out she had a tavern and a future had me crying. Seeing him say that whole speech and accepting the divorce to happen while also persuading others to side with Sera broke my heart but also mended it. But again bro, he should’ve waited and heard what she had to say lol cuz now they gotta get married again, but it’s fine. When they immediately made up and Sera told him how she felt and they were gonna get married again, I was laughing. These guys wasted the whole day focusing on this divorce for them to get married minutes after it’s over lol. Everyone is gonna be pissed with their engagement announcement but I loved how it ended. And I assumed Sera was infertile but she had three kids at the end which was so sweet, I was really happy for Malcolm and Sera. Honestly Malcolm did so much, he really messed up, but in this book, I just loved how everything was handled. I despise cheating but I don’t know why it didn’t bother me too much here, I liked the way it was handled. And I was glad there weren’t others I think. I hope that Sesily will also get her happy ending along with the others, I love all the Dangerous Daughters, I’m definitely rereading this at some point, it’s gonna be on my top favourite grovels for sure. (hide spoiler)]That is all, stay safe folks["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

5 StarsSera and Malcom’s story is powerfully put into words, there is so much beauty in Sarah MacLean’s writing! It’s the kind of writing that transports you to another time and place and makes you feel all the feelings! This author captured my attention with clever, witty dialogue and amazing characterization. She engaged my emotions with her poignant and moving tale, the overload of feelings had me all misty-eyed several times through the book! And I loved it!Malcom Bevingstoke, the Duke of Haven, has lost everything that mattered to him and he is to blame for it. His wife, Seraphina, left him and more than two years later, while he was still searching for her, she has returned and required a divorce he refuses to grant her.Both of them made mistakes, she trapped him into marriage and he married her to punish her. He ruined her hopes and her dreams of happiness. Their past story is told in flashbacks and some scenes are heartbreaking. Malcolm is a duke, but he wants to be loved for himself and not for his wealth or the prestige of his title. As it happens, Sera trapped him because she desperately wanted him. But he refused to believe her and pushed her away with cruelty and coldness. This character is not easy to like at first, he is totally flawed, conceited and jaded. And yet, he grew on me and Sarah MacLean managed to make me love him. He is consumed by his shame and his feelings of guilt, his regrets are genuine. Of course, his explanation is not an excuse, but he takes responsibility for his mistakes and wants to make up for them. He wants a marriage in truth, not a divorce. He is driven to do anything in his power to convince his wife that he has changed and to give him a second chance. Obviously, he has his work cut out for him.Sera is a wonderful character, bold, defiant, determined and vibrant. She has drawn strength from her husband’s cruelty and disdain. She has moved to America, has built a new life and has found a new purpose. She is ready to claim her future and her freedom. Malcolm’s best laid plans to spend time with her and woo her are going awry and prove to be wholly inadequate. Sera get support from her sisters, and, not surprisingly, they loathe him. These secondary characters enhanced the plot significantly with their vital connections to their sister. The Talbot sisters, aka the Dangerous Daughters, stick together. This book had some of the best groveling scenes I have ever read, it is full of breathtakingly painful moments of clarity. The connection between Malcolm and Sera was undeniable, the romantic and sexual tension between these two realistically flawed characters leaped off the pages. The epilogue of their story was absolute perfection! This book is the third one in the author’s Scandal & Scoundrel series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone and I can’t recommend it enough!An advanced copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher, via Edelweiss.

Perfection.Review originally posted at http://fictionvixen.com/review-day-du...I’ve had my complaints and issues with the Scandal and Scoundrel series ever since the release of the first book, The Rogue Not Taken. But, honestly? Sarah MacLean landed on my auto-buy list with Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake and I can’t imagine a time when I won’t get excited butterflies seeing that she has a new release. My anticipation over Seraphina and Haven’s story began when Sophie (Sera’s sister) walked onto the page in the opening of The Rogue Not Taken and pushed her cheating brother-in-law into a fish pond. Sera seemed so sad and without hope, and Haven completely unredeemable. I mean how does an author redeem a hero who was first introduced while in a scandalous embrace with a woman, not his wife? But that’s the beauty of second chance romance, and this author, she does it and she does it beautifully.“I am Seraphina Bevingstoke, Duchess of Haven. And I require a divorce.”When this book opens, Sera has been missing for two years and seven months. Haven has been desperate to find her, searching all over the world for his wife. Then suddenly she reappears, in the middle of Parliament, asking for a divorce. You see, Sera isn’t the same distraught woman who fled her husband years before, she’s stronger and has found herself in her years away. She is a business owner and finds joy in performing in her tavern. Well, it will be her tavern once she secures a divorce from her estranged husband. Only Haven has no desire to grant a divorce to his wife. In fact, he’ll do whatever it takes to win back her affection. To forget the past and start anew. If he has to lie and plot and insist that she help in finding her replacement, so be it.And while that is the beginning of this book, it wasn’t how Sera and Haven began.The way I feel about you… Her words now– soft and full of temptation. I’ve never felt anything like this. He hadn’t either. As though light and breath and hope had flooded the room, filling all the dark spaces. Filling his lungs and heart. And all because of her.Regardless of how this couple was first introduced, they didn’t start out bitter and angry at each other. No, they meet at a ball and Sera’s wit and beauty capture Haven so fully that he immediately knows that he has met the woman fate intended for him. They meet clandestinely over the next several months, falling deeper into passion and love. Only, Haven doesn’t formally court his Sera, doesn’t visit with her family in their home, and never asks her father for her hand in marriage. Seraphina’s mother worries that he is playing with her daughter, especially since the ton still thinks the Talbot family beneath them and has labeled the five Talbot sisters The Soiled S’s. She has a plan that will help Sera nab her Duke, and since he is what Sera wants most in life, she agrees. Which is the beginning of years of pain, betrayal, and bitterness between the Duke and Duchess of Haven.“You haunt me,” she said, the worlds unlocked. “You have haunted me every day since I left.”I’m not going to give any more of this couple’s history away. It unfolds exquisitely and poignantly through flashback scenes and you simply must experience it all for yourself. Yes, The Day of the Duchess jumps back and forth between the past and the present. How it all went wrong, who lied and cheated, where their heads were at during this time period, and Haven almost three years later desperately trying to win his wife back. I went into this book knowing it would be emotionally draining and filled to the brim with hurt and sadness and passion and pain. I believe I might have mentioned a time or two that I hoped to see Haven grovel and beg for forgiveness because HELLO he cheated on his wife and if there is one thing I can not abide in my romance it is cheating. What I didn’t expect was to be positively transfixed by this couple.The love they still have for each other, even after everything that has gone before, practically pours off the page. Yes, there is still anger, but mostly because these two have never resolved anything between them. When he felt betrayed Haven lashed out at his wife repeatedly, then completely shut himself off from her and Sera, after months of begging, simply disappears. So much hurt between them, each person making mistakes, some worse than others, but nothing was ever resolved. I kept expecting to dislike Haven, but I never did. From almost the first page I could see how distraught he was over his past behavior and how desperate he was to keep his marriage alive. He knows he made mistakes and is fully willing to own them if Sera will only give him another chance.Sera has been burned and broken by her husband and wants nothing more than to leave her past behind her. She wants to have the freedom to live freely and on her own. She is supported by her sisters, who travel with her to Haven’s country estate as she fulfills her end of the bargain to find her husband a new wife. I have always adored Ms. MacLean’s heroines and Seraphina is no different. Strong, independent, smart, and utterly willing to do what she must do to gain her independence. I love the relationship she has with her sisters and how they support each other unwaveringly. If she wants a divorce, they are there to make sure she gets it. But, when she and Haven finally have to spend time together after so many years all that passion and anger and unresolved resentment comes pouring forth and despite her desire to be free of her marriage, she realizes that she never, not for a moment, stopped loving her husband. She fights it though, and oh but I totally understood why.Before I wrap this up, let me just say this book ended exactly, 100% the way I had hoped it would. It was romantic, and swoon worthy and made this couple’s HEA completely believable. There is a lovely epilogue that was just icing on the cake of this second chance romance. So, lovely.To me this book was perfection. My heart ached, I laughed, I cried, and in the end, I was left sighing and with a contented smile on my face. Highly recommended. Final Grade- AFavorite Quote:She adored the barely there edge of this control, reveled in it, played at it with her hand, her breath, her lips, sliding over him with a feather-light touch, claiming his size and strength and his desire. Marking him as hers.So much so that she whispered there, “Mine.”“Always,” he replied without hesitation. “Forever.”