I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.🎧︎Last Duke Standing by Julia London is the first book in the Royal Match series. It's been a while since I read a historical romance, but I looked forward to immersing myself between the pages of 🎧︎Last Duke Standing.
The king of Wesloria is ailing and not likely to recover. This means that Crown princess Justine Ivanosen will soon become queen. However, her mother, the prime minister, advisers and other ministers believes she is not ready for the throne. To prepare her for the next journey of her life, she was sent to London to train at the feet of Queen Victoria. While there, it was expected she would find a suitable match for a Prince consort.
Because of her age, twenty- five, finding a husband wouldn’t be easy and so the services of Lila Aleksander, renowned match maker was enlisted. The prime minister, unbeknownst to Justine, persuaded the Scottish Duke of Hamilton to have his son and heir Lord William Douglas to serve as her escort around London. While ensuring the matchmaker made the perfect choice. William, however, was not keen on the task as his encounter with Crown princess eight years ago left him with a poor taste.
Favourite Aspects
The Narration: Justin Hill narrated, and he did an excellent job. He impressed me with the way he distinctively captured the voices of all the characters, accents and all. He breathed life into the story, which made for a pleasant listen.
The witty and snarky banter between the protagonists had me chuckling a few times.
The progression of Justine and William's relationship. They barely tolerated each other in the initial stages. However, throughout the progression of the story they became friends. It took them awhile to recognise that their feelings for each other went beyond friendship.
4.Justine may have been the Crown princess Wesloria, but she was down to earth. She did not have a pretentious bone in her body. She has the citizens of Wesloria interests at heart, but her fears and insecurities presented a stumbling block to her ascension to the throne. Justine made her share of mistakes along the way, which she readily acknowledged. She grew throughout the story and by the end she became a force of nature.
William was such a delightful character. He may not have been on the list of potential candidates as a match for the princess, but he turned out to be the perfect match. However, an alleged scandal from his past threatened to destroy his honour and integrity along with his quest for happiness. I found his attempts to discourage the matches recommended by the matchmaker entertaining.
I love the humour sprinkled throughout the story. The funniest parts for me involved the many suitors of the princess.
Least Favourite Aspects
- Justine's sister, princess Amelia annoying and immature behaviour grated on my nerves. A spoilt and entitled brat who used every opportunity to show up her sister. It didn't help that their mother kept putting Justine down.
2. It took me awhile to get into the story and to warm up to the characters. Also, the pacing was fine until midway into the story.
Conclusion
🎧︎Last Duke Standing delivered a slow burn romance with a happily ever after. Perfect for fans of regency romance. This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading