Ivory Moore's life has taken many twists and turns. Gifted with a beautiful voice, she was "purchased" from her family at a young age and groomed to be an opera singer. She soon learned what she had to do to survive in a world ruled by men. Eventually, the Duke of Knightley discovered her, and they began a love affair that turned into a marriage. When the older Knightley dies, his grown children ostracized Ivory, who didn't have the clout or the desire to fight them. Aided by the journals her deceased husband kept, Ivory embarkes on a career of being a discreet problem solver for members of the ton. Her latest assignment takes her to the home of the Duke of Alderidge, where the duke's younger sister, Bea, has disappeared, leaving a naked, dead earl tied to her bed.

Maximus Harcourt, the Duke of Alderidge, is also a sea captain and spends the majority of time away from his home. He returns on the night of a ball in honor of his sister's debut, only to find her gone, and her bedroom full with strangers, a dead man, his distraught aunt, and a hysterical maid. The duke is furious his aunt hired Ivory for damage control, until he realizes Ivory's assistance may be the only way to save Bea's reputation. Though he initially opposes Ivory at every turn, it's soon clear she has the knowledge and means to find Bea, as well as making the earl's death appear to be from natural causes.

I adore the character of Ivory. She is brilliant and confident as well as beautiful. She has endured a lot in her life, yet she's not bitter or jaded, but she does have her own sense of justice. She is somewhat surprised at her physical response to Max, as she has not been involved with a man for a long time, instead focusing on her business. Yet each meeting finds her desiring the enigmatic duke more and more.

Max has plenty of experience with desire but not love. He had two older brothers who were in line to inherit the dukedom before him, so his parents had no use for him. He was sent away to school at six, then off to sea at thirteen. When his parents and brothers died, and he inherited the title, he felt like the square peg trying to fit into the round hole. There were plenty of stewards and solicitors to keep the estate running smoothly, so he continued on with what he knew—the sea. There were many lovers over the years but no love so the emotions he is feeling for Ivory puzzle and disturb him.

I devoured DUKE OF MY HEART. The pacing is excellent, with the mystery being just as compelling as the romance. I love both of these unconventional characters, especially how Max makes no judgment of Ivory's past, and how Ivory is willing to make a great sacrifice because of her love for him. Kelly Bowen has written an exciting, emotional, sexy and very satisfying story, and I'm happy to highly recommend DUKE OF MY HEART (Season for Scandal #1) for your reading pleasure.

Book Summary

Scandal can be handled...

Captain Maximus Harcourt, the unconventional tenth Duke of Alderidge, can deal with tropical storms, raging seas, and the fiercest of pirates. But he's returned home from his latest voyage to find a naked earl - quite inconveniently deceased - tied to his missing sister's bed. And he has only one place to turn. Now he's at the mercy of the captivating Miss Ivory Moore of Chegarre & Associates, known throughout London for smoothing over the most dire of scandals.

Miss Moore treats the crisis as though it were no more serious than a cup of spilt tea on an expensive rug. As though this sort of thing happened on the job every day. Max has never in all his life met a woman with such nerve. Her dark eyes are too wide, her mouth is too full, her cheekbones too sharp. Yet together, she's somehow...flawless. It's just like his love for her, imperfect, unexpected - yet absolutely true.