The Duke’s Carriage Window by Lauren Smith – a Review

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Description:
A woman cast out of the only home she’s ever known finds herself the new ward of a darkly handsome duke, and caught up in a dangerous mystery.

At the deathbed wish of the man who’d raised her as his child, Meredith Montague travels to London in hopes that the man’s nephew, the Duke of Tiverton, can help her navigate the London season and find a husband. But when she collides—literally—with Tiverton and is spellbound by him, she fears that the man in charge of her destiny might be a danger to her virtue and her heart. Things only get more complicated when she witnesses a murder, and the only person who believes her is Tiverton.

The last thing Darius St. John, the Duke of Tiverton, needs is a pretty young lady underfoot — especially a lady he is duty bound not to seduce, thanks to his late uncle’s request that Darius take Meredith as his ward and find her a husband. If keeping his hands off his beautiful ward wasn’t hard enough, he finds himself in close quarters with her as they work together to solve a murder and catch the killer before he can get away. Will his desire for Meredith put her life in more danger? Or will surrendering to his heart be the best way to keep them both safe?

Review 

Lauren Smith delivers exactly what I’ve come to expect (and enjoy) in this second installment of the Rogues of Devil’s Square series, a steamy, fast paced Regency romance laced with a dash of murder mystery intrigue. 

If you loved the friends to lovers tension and gothic tinged suspense of Book 1 (The Dark Maiden’s Carriage), you’ll feel right at home here, only this time the stakes feel a little higher and the chemistry is positively combustible. 😉 

Meredith Montague is the quintessential fish-out-of-water heroine, raised in the countryside by a kindly (if secretive) guardian, she’s suddenly thrust into the glittering, treacherous world of the London ton as the surprise ward of the brooding Darius St. John, Duke of Tiverton. One literal carriage collision later, sparks fly…. both romantic and murderous. 

When Meredith witnesses a killing that everyone else insists was an accident, only Darius believes her. Cue forced proximity, late night sleuthing, and a hero who’s trying very hard to be honorable while his ward parades around in nightgowns that apparently leave very little to the imagination. 😜 

The chemistry between Meredith and Darius is instant and delicious. Lauren Smith writes attraction with a capital A, stolen glances across ballrooms, accidental touches in dark corridors, and that classic “I’m not allowed to want you but I absolutely do” tension that makes guardian/ward tropes so addictive.

Perfect for readers who want their Dukes brooding, their heroines brave, and their endings happy. 😊 Highly recommended if you’re in the mood for a story full of tension, a murder in the mews, and a hero who absolutely cannot keep his hands (or lips) to himself. 😝 

Reviewed by Julie 

Copy provided by Author