BOOK REVIEW- Sarah's Duke and Ellie's Gentleman The Heir and a spare Book 1) by Fiona Meirs

Sarah's Duke: A Regency romance by Fiona Miers with FREE Bonus Short Story 'Ellie's Gentleman.'

Sarah Collins, a vicar’s daughter from Somerset, has a modest goal for her first Season in London—find a husband who can provide for her and her family. With nothing to offer but her beauty and a pleasant temperament, she hopes her assets will be enough to secure her a kind and steady man. She's certainly not looking for a fortune or title, and indeed, hopes she may live quietly in the country and never come to London again.

Oliver Lyre is the newly inherited Duke of Lincoln. Born as the 'spare' son, he never expected to inherit his father’s noble mantle, and has neither the social skills nor the desire to enjoy the benefits of his rank. He knows he must marry a lady befitting his new position, but when he rescues the beautiful Sarah Collins one night, he can’t envision a future without her sweet smile. 

What's a duke to do—marry a delectable virgin who will undoubtedly make a horrid Duchess, or do what family duty demands of him … unless he can somehow find a way to have both?


Ellie's Gentleman A Regency short story 

Ellie Sommers is twenty years old, beautiful and lively. However, returned home to the country after another long London season, she wants nothing more than to remain in her beloved little town and ride her horses. Will she ever find a husband who cherishes the same modest goals?

Robert Blakely is a widowed gentleman, come to spend Christmas with his long-time friend William Sommers. Convinced that he will never wish to marry again, Robert is shocked to find himself keenly interested in his friend's lovely daughter. Can it be that a girl half his age is his perfect match?
AMAZON  4 STARS

I liked both of these stories.  Good Main characters in both.

In the first book,  Sarah was such a sweet woman who is definitely over her head when it comes to dealing with Oliver when she finds out he is a duke.  But she cared for him deeply before she learned about that.  That is such a plus for Oliver who has been demeaned and ignored most of his life because he was the "spare".  It had to be really be cruel to have such lack of care or affection for so many years.  It makes it easy to understand how off balance he was feeling with suddenly becoming someone of importance only because he now had a title.  
Oliver's family was something else and not a good thing.  His mother was cold and his sister-in-law who expected to be a duchess and didn't care how she got there.  

While I enjoyed Sarah and her honesty, there were a few times I wanted to shake her when it came to a few times when she put herself at risk.  The mother-daughter relation was a pretty good one though. 
I also enjoyed Lady Charlotte who befriends Sarah and becomes quite her champion.  I was glad to see that there is a sneak peek into her story (and Archie's) in Book 2- "Lady Charlotte's Marquess" which I would like to read.  There's some fire between the two of them. 


Ellie's Gentleman was shorter story but also sweet and somewhat different than the usual romance.  The best way to describe Ellie was that she was sweet but she also had some wild parts to her personality.     Maybe it would be better to say that she was sweet but also passionate.   I really like this one and it managed to pack quite a bit into the story.


H.E.A. all the way around.