{Debutante Diaries Review} The Duke is But a Dream by @_AnnaBennett

The Duke Is But a Dream by Anna Bennett
Series: Debutante Diaries
Published by St. Martin's Press on July 30, 2019
Genres: Historical, Romance
Pages: 320
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley
Buy on Amazon, Amazon Australia, Available with KU Subscription, Kobo, iBooks
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Once upon a time three young ladies vowed to record their first London seasons…and to fill in the gaps of their finishing school educations. Thus began The Debutante Diaries—and London will never be the same…

HE’S COME TO HER RESCUE

Miss Lily Hartley is the anonymous mastermind behind the ton’s latest obsession: The Debutante’s Revenge, a titillating advice column for ladies on the marriage mart. To keep her identity secret, Lily delivers her columns disguised as a chimney sweep—which is all well and good, until she unwittingly lands in the middle of an ugly tavern brawl. Fortunately, the devastatingly handsome Duke of Stonebridge sweeps in to rescue her.Unfortunately, Lily’s dressed as a boy—and holding rather incriminating evidence linking her to the scandalous column. Drat.

SHE’S LOST HER MEMORY

When Eric Nash, Duke of Stonebridge, sees a helpless lad receive a nasty blow to the head, he’s outraged. But when he discovers there’s a beautiful woman hiding beneath the chimney sweep’s cap, he’s positively stunned. Nash would happily escort her home, but she’s forgotten her name—leaving him little choice but to take her in himself until he can locate her family. But the closer he gets to finding them, the more he doesn’t want to let her go.

WILL THEY FIND LOVE?

Lily’s trying to figure out exactly who she is…in more ways than one. With so much at stake—her column, her reputation, and even her heart—she needs a plan, and she needs it fast. Before Nash finds her family. Before he learns who she is. Before they fall totally, completely, and utterly inconveniently in love.

I received The Duke Is But a Dream for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Lily is the younger sister of Fiona, the heroine from book one of the Debutant Diaries. Fiona and her now husband, Gray, fought off a blackmailer with a secret about Lily’s birth mother. Lily has known from a young age she was adopted, but never knew who her real mother is.

In the second installment of this series, we find Lily in a bit of a jam. She is the authoress of the Debutante Diaries in a local newspaper. When she delivers her latest column to the paper disguised as a chimney sweep, she shelters in a rough pub when caught in a storm. After an ale and some Shepard’s Pie, she attempts to leave but gets accosted by some louts.

Enter Eric Nash, the Duke of Stonebridge. He attempts to save the lad, but discovers she’s not a lad at all after she knocks herself out when she smacks her head on a table. No one knows who she is so Nash takes her home. When she awakens, she has no memory of who she is.

I am a sucker for an amnesia story. Every author’s take is different. I love how Bennett deals with things that are familiar to Lily. She gets a tingly feeling in the back of her brain. I would describe it as having a word or phrase on the tip of your tongue that you just can’t get out.

While Lily is living with a dashing duke, she also finds a life-long friend in Nash’s sister, Delilah. While Nash and Lily are slowly exploring intimacy, Lily finds another sister in Delilah. After Nash and Delilah lost Nash’s twin sister and their father five years earlier, Lily is a bright ray of sunshine in their dark lives. I love how in helping Lily heal her memory, she also helps to heal a family that has experienced such a devastating loss.

Now that the Hartley sisters have found love, hopefully it is time for their friend, Sophie, to find her happily ever after. I would also love a story for Delilah! She hit some rough bumps in this story and she deserves a handsome rogue of her own.