{Illustrated Romance Review} Graham: The Broken Duke by @JessMichaelsBks

Graham: The Broken Duke by Jess Michaels
Published by The Passionate Pen on April 9th, 2019
Genres: Historical, Romance
Pages: 302
Format: eBook, Print
Source: Netgalley
Buy on Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Amazon Australia, Available with KU Subscription, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks
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A Special Illustrated Edition of The Broken Duke by 10 time USA Today Bestselling Author Jess Michaels.

This beautiful special edition of The Broken Duke (1797 Club 3) includes gorgeous photographs by Jenn LeBlanc in every chapter. The text hasn’t changed, but the images will enhance the reader experience.

Adelaide Longford is London’s most overlooked bluestocking wallflower and that is fine by her. Being ignored gives her the perfect opportunity to sneak out and secretly take on the persona of the most celebrated actress of the day, Lydia Ford. The thrill of walking the boards and hearing the applause of those who watch her is the most exciting experience of her life.

Until Graham Everly, Duke of Northfield comes into her life. He is broken after the humiliating loss of his longtime fiancé to his supposed best friend and they enter into a lusty affair which sets her body on fire. Graham has no idea why he’s so attracted to both the bespectacled, prickly Adelaide and the passionate Lydia, but soon he is caught in a dance with them both and torn between which future he wants to pursue.

When Graham finds out Adelaide’s secret identity will he be able to accept both parts of her? And will he be able to save her from a lurking danger that neither of them could have ever foreseen?

Length: Full-Length Novel (70,000 words)
Fully Illustrated: Yep, some of the pictures even include abs.
Heat Level: eyebrow waggle

This book is part of a series (The 1797 Club) but can be read as a standalone novel. A non-illustrated version of The Broken Duke is also available.

I received Graham: The Broken Duke for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Also in this series: The Daring Duke, Her Favorite Duke, The Broken Duke, The Silent Duke (The 1797 Club, #4), The Duke of Nothing, The Undercover Duke

I follow Jess Michaels on social media because she is one of my favorite authors. I was sad when her 1797 Club series came to an end, but loved every minute reading about the dashing dukes and the ladies they fell for. We got a short story expanding on The Silent Duke for Christmas, so I was hopeful that we might get a few more glimpses into the 1797 world. I was beyond ecstatic when I saw that Jess was working on an illustrated version of The Broken Duke.

For those of you who didn’t read Graham’s story when the original came out, he is featured in the third book of the series. After he was thrown over by his long-time fiancé, Meg, to one of his best friends, Simon, Graham has spiraled into a deep depression. While he did not love Meg, the betrayal from Simon cut deep. Pressured to return to the real world, Graham joins a few friends for a night at the theater where he becomes enchanted with the lead actress, Lydia Ford.

Adelaide Longford, aka Lydia Ford, is the daughter of an earl by day and an actress treading the boards by night. After her parents deaths, Adelaide is taken in by her maiden aunt, Lady Opal. To get away from the strict and sometimes cruel treatment from her aunt, Adelaide escapes to the stage. When Graham comes to meet Lydia back stage, his desire is solidified.

The next night, Graham meets Adelaide in her own persona. When Michaels described how Adelaide looked as herself and as Lydia, I could see how Graham might not see they were one in the same. These pictures bring Adelaide to life and clearly show how he would never make the connection. Models Courtney Rood and Drew Leighty bring vibrant light to an already brilliant story. While I was reading this on my kindle, I bookmarked all the pictures with a note saying what I felt the pictures were showing me. Some were tagged “Sweet Adelaide” and “Graham’s Yummy Backside”. A picture about 3/4 of the way in, I tagged “True Love”. I remember smiling with happy tears in my eyes.

This story transformed on the pages before me. Not only did it bring The Broken Duke to life, it brought forth other images in my mind of the couple throughout the rest of the series. I can see them clearly in another novel where they were being naughty and didn’t know a pair was hiding behind the drapes.

Thank you Jess Michaels for compiling this version of Graham: The Broken Duke! Thank you to the talented photographer, Jen LeBlanc, and the outstanding models, Courtney Rood and Drew Leighty. I wish she could do this for all her novels, but I am overjoyed she got to do Graham and Adelaide’s story first. Even if you’ve already read the initial version, these photos make the story really come alive and is worth another dozen reads.

The 1797 Club Series

The Daring Duke – James Rylon, Duke of Abernathe

Read my review HERE!

Her Favorite Duke – Simon Greene, Duke of Crestwood

Read my review HERE!

The Broken Duke – Graham Everly, Duke of Northfields

Read original my review HERE!

The Silent Duke – Ewan Hoffstead, Duke of Donburrow

Read my review HERE!

The Duke of Nothing – Baldwin Undercross, Duke of Sheffield

Read my review HERE!

The Undercover Duke – Lucas Vincent, Duke of Willowy

Read my review HERE!

The Duke of Hearts – Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndall

Read my review HERE!

The Duke Who Lied – Hugh Margolis, Duke of Brighthollow

Read my review HERE!

The Duke of Desire – Robert Smithton, Duke of Roseford

Read my review HERE!

The Last Duke – Christopher Collins, Duke of Kingsacre

Read my review HERE!

For more info on the series, go http://www.1797club.com and join the club!