The Dukedom of Deception by Emma Linfield

The Dukedom of Deception Reviews

• 
  Space Cowgirl

  💘Love, Secrets, Deception
  
  Felton Windham🐺🍆🌋🔪 is the Marquess of Harwood, and son of the Duke of Stapleton. Racing through the woods with his best Friend, Evan, his horse goes under a limb and scrapes him off, breaking his leg. Louisa💃💋, a young woman from the village, finds him and keeps him company until Evan returns with a wagon.
  Back at the castle🏰, Felton🐺🍆🌋🔪 is doing well with a splint, when his father harps on him to get engaged to Arabella, the daughter of the Earl of Denham, another nearby noble. Felton🐺🍆🌋🔪 protests, Arabella and he don't have any feelings towards each other. But it's the liason the Duke wants. It would be an arranged marriage👰 of convenience.
  Arabella loves Evan! They meet in secret.
  Felton🐺🍆🌋🔪 goes off to Princeton instead of letting his father push him into a marriage he doesn't want.
  
  ARC Provided by the Author Via Amazon
  
  This is a fully fleshed out romance and takes place over a few years time. Lose yourself inside this book! Recommend.
• 
  Emma

  This is an exciting book of intrigue, deception, subterfuge, betrayal, redemption, forgiveness and romance. It is an easy to read story, moderately paced. The characters are well developed and personable. The story's plotline and subplots are superb. This story kept me entranced that I did not want to put the book down. From page one there is action and adventure. Our heroine, Louisa Turner is a alpha dominate figure. She is the daughter of a successful cotton merchant, Arthur and Martha Turner. Louisa knows what she wants in life. She plans on becoming a grade school teacher. She loves children and hopes one day to have her own. She is different than others but she does not know the extent of it. There are dark secrets surrounding Louisa. Which in time are revealed. Her very best friend is Mrs. Joyce Cleveland and they are as close as sisters. Louisa is courted by our alpha hero, Felton Windham, Marquess of Harwood, son and heir to the Duke and Duchess Stapleton. He is the happy, jovial type who enjoys pugilism, horseback riding and visiting his beloved Aunt Hannah and Uncle Silas and their children, twins Daniel and Ruth. Silas is Fenton's mother's brother. He is estranged from Fenton's family. Fenton's home life is horrible. His parents are unyielding, strict and believe they are above everyone else. Fenton tolerates them but barely. They show no affection, warmth or love. However, his aunt and uncle are completely different. His uncle married for love not duty. They have a lovely home full of love. Fenton loves to visit. Felton's best friend is Evan Beaumont, a little older than Felton but they grew up together same governess. Evan is a hard-working upstanding young fellow and is in love with Felton's intended Arabella Sinclaire, daughter of the Earl of Denham, Bernard Sinclair. Fenton approves of their match. He has no interest in marrying Arabella. They are amicable friends nothing more. Unfortunate circumstances bring Louisa and Felton together. Felton is automatically attracted to her and knows he must become more deeply acquainted with her. Louisa does not know what to make of Felton's admiration and adoration. But when Felton invites her to spend time with him, they get to know each other better. After a bit of time, Fenton knows that Louisa is the one for him. He proposes to her and she accepts. However, she is not of peerage and her first meeting with Felton's parents is atrocious and appalling. Louisa is devastated. Felton is forced to break his engagement with Louisa. But, he begs her to not give up on him or them. Louisa realizes she will never be accepted by his parents and tell Felton to never contact her again. Felton's parents are insistently pressing him to marry Arabella. But, Felton will not have any of it. His father lays down the law and threatens Felton with being cutoff and disinherited if he follows through with Louisa. Felton opts to go to university. Over the years, Felton continued to write to Louisa although he never received a reply. Louisa finally became a school teacher and has a classroom at the parish church. Pastor Thomas has taken an interest in Louisa but her heart still belongs to Felton. However, she is trying to move on and does consider the pastor's suit until he starts behaving strangely around her. When Felton returns for the summer before his last year at university he arranges to meet up with Louisa, to regain her trust and love. Louisa fights against him. But eventually she is softening towards him. Quite by accident Arabella and Louisa meet and become fast friends. They speak about their unfortunate circumstances in their relationships and find they have so much in common. During a business trip, the Duke becomes foxed and speaks out of turn. He reveals there is a secret surrounding his mother. But that is all he is told. The next day the Duke feigns ignorance and will not discuss it. Felton knows he is onto something as is determined to find out. This is the beginning of revealing the webs of deceit. They are deeper and darker than previously thought. It affects more than just his family. It involves Arabella's and Louisa's family as well. This is such a suspenseful book. I highly recommend it. I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  Emily Pennington

  Racing along the trail, Felton Windham, the Marquess of Harwood and son of the Duke and Duchess of Stapleton, was in the lead and turned his head to taunt his childhood friend, Evan Beaumont, about his winning their horse race. But when he turned to look back at the trail, he had no time to avoid the branch that knocked him off of his horse. He lost consciousness and it was obvious his leg was broken. Evan tied up Felton’s horse and then raced to the village for help.
  
  Louisa Turner, eldest daughter of a cotton merchant in a respected middle-class family, was walking along the path, enjoying the breeze and the songs of the birds. She found a young gentleman on the path and revived him. She agreed to stay with him until Evan brought help. He enjoyed her company and asked if she would ride and picnic with him once he had healed. When Evan arrived, she returned home while Felton was loaded into the wagon.
  
  At breakfast, the Duke told Felton he must visit Arabella Sinclair, daughter of the Earl of Denham and Felton’s intended bride – even though he had already said he had no interest in her. Felton rose from the breakfast table and told his father he would instead by visiting his Uncle Silas and Aunt Hannah as he had originally planned. And he stubbornly rode his horse instead of taking a carriage as he should have, with his leg still healing and crutches to carry. But his Uncle and Aunt were so welcoming and he talked things over with them for their advice.
  
  Not forgetting his conversation with Louisa about inviting her to a picnic, he sent her a letter and his carriage picked her up at the appointed time. They had a wonderful day. As he was heading off to visit his Uncle Silas, his father stopped him and demanded he visit Arabella! He did so, and they discussed how to get out of their betrothal situation since both of them loved other people. Then he rode to see Louisa and meet her parents. Though her parents were not home, he walked in the garden with her and told her how he felt. He wanted them to marry. Louisa not only felt it was too soon, but he risked being disinherited by the Duke. Ultimately, the only option available to escape marrying Arabella was to go to the university. Yet even after the years spent away, his parents still want him to marry Arabella! There is some pressing reason that has not been uncovered yet. And Louisa has become a teacher and is being pressed by a suitor she doesn’t love. Will she give up on Felton? Will he find out why his parents are so insistent on marrying Arabella? There are many secrets to be explored before everything is made clear.
  
  I enjoyed this story of love and mystery. The author is particularly good with dialog that lets the reader get a good feel for the personalities of the characters. I enjoyed the banter of Felton and Louisa, for example, and could easily see their attraction and why they seemed to immediately enjoy each other’s company. The characters were just so real and delightful! In addition, the story was well-paced with a mystery that kept it intriguing and urged the reader to find out the truth. Grab your copy and follow the tangled truths to the end. It’s a fun journey and a good story!
  
• 
  Elizabeth Connor

  I love Emma Linfield’s stories. That’s why I’m on her advanced reader team. But in all honesty, this particular book fell short of the quality I have come to expect from this author. What I love about her books is the fact that I can count on an unusual plot, with unexpected twists. The plot in this book had a couple of inconsistencies, and that took away from my reading enjoyment.
  
  The first inconsistency I noticed was that Louisa went horseback riding with Felton and was comfortable racing him. Later, she went horseback riding with Arabella and portrayed herself as a novice (to herself and the reader). It wasn’t a deception; it was a plot inconsistency. At one point, Louisa’s friend Joyce tells Felton that Louisa has been seeing Pastor Thomas. Later, someone else tells Felton that Louisa is seeing Pastor Thomas and Felton feels as if he has been struck by lightning. Seriously? I can’t think of any reasonable explanation for his reaction, other than another plot inconsistency.
  
  As for the twist, the actual deception, it was a little bit unbelievable (though somewhat predictable). It seemed a bit convenient. The resolution was a bit too Pollyanna-ish as well. Though I enjoyed the story, I didn’t connect with the characters or see them as relatable. That said, I did enjoy the banter between them and I liked the sense of humor they each displayed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until close to the end that I finally saw Felton and Louisa as real, when they teased each other about his “special surprise birthday gift.” Prior to that, their love was more of a description than a feeling. I would have liked to see more of that connection earlier in the story.
• 
  Dawn Herrera

  The Dukedom of Deception was a great story full of twists and turns with a secret or two and some surprises and romance. A well written story from Emma Linfield it will keep you intrigued and guessing what will happen next. The characters are well developed and very exciting and enjoyable. It was a story that will capture your heart and you will absolutely love Felton and Louisa. The secondary characters were very interesting they added to this wonderful story. I recommend this book if you enjoy reading a great romance this is the story for you. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
• 
  Mary

  This is epic tale of love, lies, secrets and betrayal. Felton and Arabella are being bullied by their parents to marry, but neither wants it. Arabella is in love with Felton's best friend Evan, and Felton has met Louisa and fallen in love. Nobody can figure out why the parents are so adamant about the marriage, but all try to figure it out before it's too late. What they learn comes as a shocking twist in a complicated and intriguing way. The book drags a little here and there, but it's intriguing and entertaining all the way through.
  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.
• 
  Julia

  1.5
  I'll give the .5 because there was some intrigue. But really it was badly written, not just grammatically. Don't call yourself a "period" author if you're going to clumsily mix archaic English with very 21st century vocabulary and turns of phrase. It's just lazy.
• 
  Karen

  This book starts with Louisa a daughter of a cotton merchant, who wants nothing more than a simple life. She' found a man with a broken leg. They have an instant attraction to one another. Him of nobility they have an instant attraction. His parents disprove of the relationship. Remember back in the day it is different than modern times. He wanted his son to marry a nobleman's daughter. There are many twists and turns. So what happens with Louisa? His fiance? Will they be happily ever after or just follow parents wishes? You need to read this clean, easy read, romantic book. I received an ARC and am voluntarilly reviewing this book. I highly recommend this book.
• 
  Tammy

  Louisa and Felton fall for each other and want to marry however his father the Duke has other plans for him to marry. He is forced to break his promise to Louisa and both move on with their lives. Now three years later Felton is back and wondering why his family is so intent on who he marries. Will he discover the truth? A good historical read with plenty of drama and mystery. The story is sweet and fast-paced with entertaining characters. An enjoyable read.
• 
  Sharon

  This is a good book. It has mystery and deception as well as a happily ever after. Another delightful book by Emma Linfield and you won't be disappointed.
  
  I received a copy of the book and this is my true and honest opinion..
• 
  Laila Viking

  There is not much to write about this story other that read it. It is very well written and captivates the reader from the first to last page. The characters are likeable and the chemistry amazing. A story filled with mystery, passion, secrets, lies, love and twists.
• 
  Barbara

  A well-written story that I enjoyed reading. Felton Windham, Marquess Harwood, and Louisa Turner's story kept me turning pages I had to know what was going to happen.
• 
  Kaye

  ONE FANTASTIC TALE!!!
  Wow! This is one exciting, intriguing, interesting, page turning bombshell that captivates from the start. All the twists and turns, ups and downs, along with a few glitches here and there make for one enjoyable experience. You get a full range of emotions to sort through as the story unfolds. The characters are well developed and believable. Their personalities are unique with qualities and traits that balance out perfectly. The scenes are descriptive and detailed you have no trouble picturing it in your mind's eye as each scenario plays off one another. You can't help but fall in love with the two main characters as they strive to balance the differences between their peers. Fighting the strick decorum that's pressed upon them. All the things they went through really pulls those heartstrings. You feel what they feel. Wonderful storyline that really draws you in and holds your attention until the last word. Emma did a remarkable job bringing this read to life flawlessly. Fantastic job Emma, thanks for sharing this awesome read with us.
• 
  Candy Briggs

  This was a complicated tale. There were lies upon lies and secrets in abundance. Felton Windham, Marquess of Harwood, was a duke's son. He and his parents did not get along, at all. They wanted him to marry Arabella, the daughter of the Earl of Denham. Neither one of them was interested. Evan Beaumont was his best friend and they had known each other since childhood. Miss Louisa Turner enjoyed long walks, her father was Arthur Turner, a cotton merchant. Arabella was sweet but she only loved Felton as a friend or sister would. The storyline keeps you interested with not knowing what is going to happen next. There were so many pieces to keep track of, I have no idea how the author did it. But the book is well written and the action moves along smoothly. It is a really good book for all ages and I do highly recommend it.
  
  received this ARC from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
• 
  Delbora

  Intriguing Story
  
  The main characters in this story meet by accident and for the male character it was love at first sight. The female however was a realistic woman and didn’t. She felt the man at the age of 20 was too immature to even know what love was. The twists and turns they’re relationship takes keeps you reading.
• 
  Susie

  Fantastic story, well written with plenty of twist and turns making this book a very intriguing book. Deception, betrayal, forgiveness and romance that will keep you up, as you’ll want to know what’s going to happen.
  I received this book free as part of the ARC team, in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.
• 
  shirlene brown

  Keeping secret
  
  A very interesting story about a man who fill in love with a woman who has troubles with her birth she can't find were she was born. Very one that she talks to won't tell her. But she could not get the man out of her head, because she has fallen in love with him. I give this story a four star rating
• 
  Tricia

  My first time reading anything from this author so I was a little disappointed with book, a few inconsistencies played a role as well as a predictable ending. Over all for me the storyline was a bit boring however I'm willing to give the author a chance to redeem herself.
• 
  Phylis Collins

  The Dukedom of Deception by Emma Linfield I loved the main characters. Heartwarming romance filled with mystery, intrigue, surprising twist and of course, love.
  My free opinion. Thanks
• 
  Melissa Hogue

  I really liked the twists and turns in this book. The entanglements that led them together in the end kept me reading!