Scarlett Wynn is an independent strong fighter who fights her own battles, but when her best friend goes missing, she stumbles upon the Duke of Aylesford, Ambrose Cross, a handsome duke who, coincidentally is looking for the man who has taken Scarlett’s best friend. Now they find that they must work together and fight off the attraction that pulls them together. Duchess If You Dare was a fun and cute historical romance and I had such a great time reading about Scarlett and Ambrose’s relationship.

Book: Duchess If You Dare by Anabelle Bryant
Series: The Maidens of Mayhem #1
Publication Date: March 30, 2021
(Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review)
**While this book has already been out I did receive it early so thank you again NetGalley!**
Tags: Adult, historical fiction, romance, regency romance
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books
Read: January 12, 2022 to January 19, 2022

From the glittering ballrooms of the ton to the city’s grittiest corners, London has no shortage of wrongs in need of righting—and the Maidens of Mayhem are prepared for the challenge. United by secrecy and sisterhood, these daring women from all walks of life aim to fight injustice wherever it takes them—even into the arms of unexpected love… These Regency Robin Hoods from USA Today bestselling author Anabelle Bryant are destined to storm into readers’ hearts!

Scarlett Wynn’s tragic childhood taught her that life can be cruel to women with little power. So when a local seamstress disappears, Scarlett vows to find out why. Armed with a weapon and her courage, Scarlett scours London for clues—and crosses the unlikely path of Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, at an unlikely place: an upscale brothel. The Duke is trying to solve a mystery of his own, and Scarlett is sure they can help each other—if she can resist the attraction that draws them together…

As Duke, Ambrose is duty-bound to protect his family name from scandal, no matter the cost. But Scarlett’s fearless spirit forces him to look beyond his world of privilege. Scarlett is as intoxicating as she is dangerous, igniting a fire in him like no other. But when the pair learn both mysteries they’re trying to solve are tied to a string of missing women, the tangled scheme they uncover may put their lives, and their growing love, in mortal danger—and lead them to search their hearts like never before…

Spoiler Free Review

Scarlett Wynn is an independent strong fighter who fights her own battles, but when her best friend goes missing, she stumbles upon the Duke of Aylesford, Ambrose Cross, a handsome duke who, coincidentally is looking for the man who has taken Scarlett’s best friend. Now they find that they must work together and fight off the attraction that pulls them together.

Duchess If You Dare was a fun and cute historical romance and I had such a great time reading about Scarlett and Ambrose’s relationship. I loved how independent and strong Scarlett was and to be completely honest, she could absolutely beat me in a fight. I loved that she was someone who took her own risks and fought her own battles. Duchess If You Dare also really captures the notion of women not having to have men to protect them or fight their battles for them. Although Ambrose offered to help and protect her numerous times throughout the book, it made it more unique that they both helped and saved each other.

Anabelle Bryant does a really good job in Duchess If You Dare to show that Scarlett didn’t need Ambrose but she also couldn’t deny their chemistry and their love for each other. This is why I gave Duchess If You Dare four stars, loving that Scarlett simply chose to love and be with Ambrose and not for the fact that she needed his protection or for him to save her. Scarlett and Ambrose both saved each other and that was one of my favorite things about Duchess If You Dare, that they could save each other, both be independent people, and still find each other and love each other and want a relationship with love and devotion with each other.

Duchess If You Dare was a fantastic book and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for more historical romance to read and to read about an amazing independent woman and how she falls in love with someone who can match her love and her fight.

I hope you guys have a great day, please like and comment down below if you enjoyed this book as well or if you plan on reading it!

Loves,

Veronica Chen