In theory, the Duke of Candover is the most eligible peer in the realm. But in truth, he has a deep aversion to the merest hint of marriage, not to mention two botched engagements which have marked his jaded soul. Now, after a debauched bachelor party that causes public outcry, the Prince Regent is demanding that it's Candover's turn to be brought to heel. And Prinny secretly believes that Isabelle Tremont, the Duchess of March, is precisely the lady up to the challenge.

Isabelle must marry, but a day of reckoning with the man she's loved for years is her greatest fear. If Candover insists she's too young and innocent for a seasoned world-weary man like him, there's no shortage of other candidates. Gentlemen of prestige and position. Gentlemen whose attentions are driving Candover to jealous distraction. Yet one abandoned moment under the stars hints that if they can put aside pride and duty, then a love once denied might just be their destiny.

I have to say that I was unsure about this book. It was far different than any Historical Romance that I had read before. Both Isabelle and James are of equal ranking and after a scandalous situation, involving all of Prinny's friends, Prinny has decided that they both should find spouses.
Isabelle is in love with James and has loved him for years, but James made a promise to her father, that he would never marry her.
This book is not just one love story but two! And I loved both of them. Such a beautiful book. I was I had read the first book in this series before I read this, because this book was so good. I am now going to get all the other books and read them in order, you really don't have to, as this book could be read as a stand alone, but it did leave me wanting more!

This book earns a 9 out 10 for a new spin on Regency Romance! ( )

In this second book in Sophia Nash's Royal Entourage series, the Prince Regent continues to exert pressure on his inner circle, including five prominent dukes and one duchess, to marry. Alone in the world and duty-bound to obey the Prince's edict, Isabelle Tremont, Duchess of March, decides to convince close family friend James Fitzroy, Duke of Candover, also a member of the circle, to marry her for practical reasons, without confessing to him that she has been in love with him for years, since a young girl. Having promised Isabelle's late father to protect her, James feels compelled to turn her down, even though Isabelle is the only woman he knows he will ever love. It is up to Isabelle to convince James that fulfilling the promise to her father does not disqualify him from finding happiness with her himself.

A large and confusing cast of secondary characters and a muddled, over-drawn-out conclusion needlessly complicate a sweet love story with charming lead characters. ( )