ARC Review: Secrets of an Accidental Duchess by Jennifer Haymore

I just finished Secrets of an Accidental Duchess and I'm just all over the place. I'm feeling so many different emotions now that I've finished this book. I really enjoyed this book but there were a few times I had to put this book down because it became a little rough to get through. It wasn't bad at all but this book was definitely not a light read. In fact, the villain of this story is so heinous and brutal and some of his actions made me shudder. Besides my hatred of the villain, I really enjoyed the story and all of the characters that are in it.

Let me just start off by saying that I love Max. I love Max so freaking much! Watching him and Olivia both fall in love with each other was great to watch. Their interactions with each other and just the way they both opened up to one another was great. There really weren't any games between them and I liked that. I liked that they both fell and fell hard.

I'll admit that the first couple of chapters kind of dragged for me a bit, but once Olivia and Max started interacting with each other the story just picked up and I found myself unable to stop reading. I loved getting to know who both Olivia and Max were. The type of people they were inside and out. Both are caring and so full of love. I was worried that I might not like Olivia based off of reading the back of the book. I'm not the biggest fan of heroines that always need saving and are helpless. That wasn't the case at all with Olivia. Everyone may try to baby her and shelter her but she definitely doesn't need it. She is strong and if given the chance, independent. She is also selfless. She willingly put others first to save them even if it costs her so much more. She doesn't back down when times get hard and I loved that about her.

With Max, in the beginning he's portrayed as a womanizing rake that doesn't have a care in the world and could care less about another feelings. That was not the case at all. Max is so caring and considerate. He fights for what he believes in and the ones he loves and cares about. He is truly good even though it takes him a while to realize it.

As I said before, I really enjoyed this story. I loved meeting the rest of the Donovans and I am eagerly awaiting the next book from Jennifer Haymore. I can't wait to see how things end up for the rest of the Donovans. I also will be checking out the first book in this series, Confessions of an Improper Bride. I loved seeing the little tidbits of Serena/Meg and her husband and I am very curious about their book.

**ARC copy provided by NetGalley/Forever Romance Publishing**

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